Chapter Eight: The Staff of Raven Feathers
You look at the merchant’s wobbling ragdoll head. His eyes are two gleaming gold coins, his limbs thin and withered, and several pouches hang from his waist. You recognize him for what he is: a “Wandering Merchant.”
Wandering Merchants are traveling traders who frequently journey from place to place—a profession found all across the New Capital. Each wears a custom ragdoll headpiece commissioned by the guild. Though their combat prowess is unimpressive, every Wandering Merchant is a master of escape.
Chenqi’s gaze falls on the words “Wandering Merchant,” faintly glowing—indicating their level difference is no more than five, allowing him to inspect the merchant’s status.
Inspect status.
Name: ??? (Wandering Merchants often forgo personal names)
Level: 6
Profession: Wandering Merchant
Wealth: His pouches bulge with coins—undoubtedly wealthy.
Health: ???
Strength: 8
Agility: 29
Inspiration: 15
Spirit: 8
Charisma: 5
Reputation: ??? (You lack the ability to gauge reputation)
Aspect: Shell
A level difference of four…
Agility at 29, nearly double his own—no wonder those who do business on the road invest everything in their ability to run away. And, as described, every Wandering Merchant wears the same headpiece, making it impossible for anyone to seek redress should a deal go wrong.
The merchant’s thin, withered arms wave energetically: “Lonely traveler, are you too in search of the Great Crow’s treasure? My friend, your timing is impeccable—now is the perfect moment to enter. Do you see that patch of sunken earth? That is where the Great Crow has trodden. There, countless gems dropped from the Great Crow’s feet, though they now slumber deep beneath unyielding stone. As luck would have it, I have one last, finest shovel remaining—for merely 50 silver coins, you can embark on your treasure hunt!”
The merchant’s ragdoll head bobs, repeating his offer, eyes fixed on you. Will you buy a shovel?
Fifty silver for a shovel? That’s hardly reasonable, practically fifty days’ wages.
Decline.
Chenqi taps decline; he isn’t yet certain if treasure truly lies in the Great Crow’s domain. He needs to probe first using “Morning Star.”
Besides, with his Shadow Dagger, he can improvise well enough as a makeshift shovel.
And the merchant’s description is distinctly suspicious. Best to stay alert.
Chenqi guides his character to the Great Crow’s domain and opens the Morning Star’s talent menu. Now, with the novice trial complete, the menu contains additional explanations.
In summary, “Morning Star’s Seeking” is used to search for a “treasure.” Only one treasure can be tracked at a time, but the search radius expands during times of calamity. When activating Morning Star, you can enter keywords to specify the item type you’re seeking—these might be names, scents, colors, weights, spatial dimensions, or other standard descriptors.
Without inputting any text, Morning Star will simply seek out a new treasure.
Chenqi considers his options. Each search costs 2 Spirit, and he currently has 6 Spirit remaining, plus 3 unallocated attribute points—enough for four searches in total.
He directs his character to the Great Crow’s domain and activates Morning Star’s Seeking!
You activate Morning Star’s Seeking.
The Morning Star leaps from your hand, hopping forward, and points to a spot three hundred meters ahead, beneath a stone—there lies a “rare item.”
The treasure isn’t buried deeply; with just a dagger, you could unearth it.
Chenqi grins—sure enough, there’s much to be gained in this land of rare radiance.
You hum a little tune, striding toward the spot indicated by Morning Star.
At this moment, the merchant shakes his head and says, “Dear traveler, all treasures are buried deep underground. Without a shovel, you’ll never dig them up. Out of goodwill, I’ll sell you the shovel for the modest sum of 20 silver coins!”
Decline!
You stride forward, turning down the merchant!
The merchant shakes his head, draws closer, and says, “This is the first transaction of my life to lose money. Not only am I willing to sell you the shovel for just 10 silver coins, but I’ll even include a treasure map to the Great Crow’s domain to help you find riches more easily! Will you purchase it, dear traveler?”
Decline!
A treasure map? I am a walking, talking treasure locator!
He clicks no without hesitation.
Gold coin eyes flash with anger, then sorrow. The merchant shakes his head vigorously: “Ignorant traveler! Without my treasure map, you could dig for a lifetime and never find a treasure that doesn’t exist! Will you purchase it?”
Decline.
Finally, the merchant shakes his head, mounts his donkey, and returns to the entrance to await another customer.
Gone at last—just in time to dig. Chenqi rubs his hands together.
The Morning Star slowly burrows into the ground. Though it vanishes from your sight, you can still sense its position—just ten centimeters beneath your feet.
You watch the merchant leave, and once certain you are alone, you begin to dig.
With a flick of your right hand, the Shadow Dagger appears. As a rare weapon, its durability is superb. You begin to dig with it.
Digging…
You have unearthed a “Stone of Blackwater.”
Item Aspect: Shadow
Quality: Perfect
Value: In your memory, this rare Shadow Stone is worth six months’ wages.
Shadow Stone: A pitch-black stone. When touched, it emits faint, mournful whispers. It can be used to forge or repair items with the Shadow aspect.
A forging stone—not bad. His Shadow Dagger is an ideal match.
Chenqi uses the “Manifest in Reality” function to retrieve the in-game item and examine it closely.
A seemingly ordinary black stone—yet it is a true treasure.
He places the stone carefully on his desk.
Morning Star, find me another!
Chenqi activates Morning Star again.
The Morning Star trembles three times, then points five hundred meters ahead—a truly rare “treasure” lies there!
You stride through the thick white mist, following Morning Star’s lead.
The Morning Star slips beneath a large stone; it seems you’ll have to move it to claim your prize.
Move the stone? (Requires at least 15 Strength)
Move it!
You strain with all your might, shifting the stone aside. Beneath it, some items have been carefully stashed.
You have obtained a Ruby! You have obtained the Crowfeather Mage’s Staff!
Ruby: A beautiful gemstone, not of much practical use, but to a gemstone-loving artist, it could fetch a handsome price.
Something to sell—Chenqi isn’t overly interested. Instead, he eagerly inspects the second item: “Crowfeather Mage’s Staff.”
A mage’s staff means access to ranged attacks!
Crowfeather Mage’s Staff
Description: A treasure hidden with intent—a mage’s staff crafted from crow feathers, its shaft intricately carved with channels for guiding spiritual energy.
Aspect: Shadow.
Value: This is a staff that would inspire envy in any onlooker. Its worth is enough for a novice like you to become a scholar of spellcraft.
Equip Requirement: Inspiration 30
Basic Function: The staff’s channels are masterfully constructed, allowing for excellent conduction of latent spiritual energy.
Equipped Abilities:
Call of the Crow Flock: You can summon a swarm of ten shadow crows from thin air, inflicting sustained physical and mental attacks on enemies. The crows pursue their target and persist for up to two hours (Consumes 4 Spirit; casting time one second).
Crow Affinity: Wild crows will show affinity toward you.
An outstanding ranged staff! Thanks to his high inspiration at the outset, he can equip it immediately.
The only flaw is his low Spirit—he can’t cast Crow Flock repeatedly, and will need Morning Star’s Seeking often as well.
But that’s his limitation, not the staff’s.
Just as Chenqi is about to retrieve the staff into reality for a closer look, a line of crimson text abruptly appears!
At some point, the merchant has silently reappeared behind you, staring in disbelief at the rare treasure in your hands!
His ragdoll head jerks wildly with excitement, emitting a harsh cackle: “Oh solitary traveler, how truly fortunate you are! I’d like to ‘buy’ something from you!”