Chapter Nine: Bei the Traveling Merchant
[In the world of the New Sun, those who possess the “Shell” affinity have the ability to discern the true value of objects. In their eyes, items of varying worth glow with different intensities.]
[The traveling merchant lets out a crazed laugh, his gaze fixated on the Crowfeather Mage’s Staff in your hand, which blazes with dazzling brilliance in his perception!]
[But when he looks at you, you are nothing more than a dull-glimmered Night Patroller in his eyes!]
["My instincts were right after all, traveler. You are a rare lucky soul, but clearly, you possess something not befitting your station." The merchant’s eyes flash with murderous intent as he says coldly, "Hand over your belongings. Perhaps that will buy you your life, traveler."]
Attack!
Chenqi was already on guard. The moment the merchant’s dialogue appeared, he tapped the merchant’s name, bringing up the panel to launch an attack!
[You swiftly draw your Shadowstinger Dagger and lunge at the merchant.]
[Seizing the moment while your enemy is distracted by the treasure, your dagger strikes true, dealing 3 + 10 damage—a total of 13! The enemy coughs up blood, but still has strength left!]
[The merchant looks at the fissure widening across his body, his head twisting ceaselessly. "Hahaha, you struck me? Not a bad sneak attack, traveler. But you won’t get another chance."]
[In this desolate Land of the Great Crows, the merchant is like a ravenous beast, eager to claim everything you possess as his own!]
Attack again. Chenqi taps the attack button once more.
[Bloodthirsty instinct surges within you as you slash the dagger again.]
[But the merchant darts aside in a flash, vanishing from before your eyes. You hear no sound, sense no scent—his presence is utterly lost to you!]
[You glance around…]
[Whoosh! The merchant suddenly appears behind you, his slender, cloth-wrapped arm reaching for your waist!]
A bead of cold sweat trickles down Chenqi’s face; the text on his phone chills him to the core.
[You have lost the valuable item "Crowfeather Mage’s Staff"!]
The precious artifact he had just acquired was gone in an instant!
Chenqi gritted his teeth. The merchant’s agility far surpassed his own, and with a mount to boot, the merchant could easily escape with the loot.
At his current speed, Chenqi had no hope of catching up.
He clenched his jaw—not only had he lost his treasure, but he also faced the threat of death at the merchant’s hands.
[The merchant’s figure flickers before you like a shadow. He reappears, rubbing his filthy cloth head greedily against the "Crowfeather Mage’s Staff."]
["My precious, my precious!" The merchant cackles maniacally, then carefully stows the staff on his little pack mule.]
[Switch attack target: Attack the little mule?]
No.
Chenqi decisively selects "No." The enemy outmatches him in level and agility; changing targets would only plunge him into greater danger.
[The lust for slaughter surges within you. You step forward and attack the merchant again!]
[The attack misses!]
[The merchant darts away, his gaze lingering on your prized dagger, then blurs into a shadow, circling out of your view.]
[The merchant taunts, "Traveler, do you think I’m on your left, or your right?"]
[Following the direction of the voice, you attack again!]
[You guessed wrong. Attack misses!]
[In the gap left by your assault, the merchant greedily snatches at your waist again!]
[You receive a sharp elbow strike, taking 5 damage.]
[You lose 10 silver coins.]
My money!
Chenqi pressed his lips together. He was at a complete disadvantage. Against such a swift foe, his character had no way to prevail.
If this continued, he’d lose all his newfound wealth—and perhaps even his life in this Dimlight Land.
Chenqi took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm as he scoured the text-based game for anything he could use...
Character stat panel, memory log, inventory...
Unable to lock onto the enemy’s position...
Lock position?
Suddenly, inspiration struck him—the Morning Star’s Quest was precisely for locking onto targets.
If he could have the Morning Star lock onto the merchant’s location, his chance of landing a blow would increase!
Chenqi quickly opened his inventory, selected the ruby, and discarded it.
[During combat, you discard the newly acquired red gem!]
[The merchant reappears, ensuring his safety before lunging to snatch up the gemstone, admiring it in his slender hand.]
["A fine item indeed." The merchant eyes you warily, pausing with an air of elegance. "Lonely traveler, are you offering me riches in surrender?" Seeing your apparent weakness, he grins with even greater cunning and greed: "But it’s not enough. Give me more, still!"]
[The merchant blurs again, attempting to circle behind you.]
Text flashes rapidly. Chenqi immediately opens the "Morning Star’s Quest" talent panel.
By entering the keyword [ruby], he assigns the Morning Star’s target as the ruby.
Now that the ruby is on the merchant, he can use it to pinpoint the merchant’s location!
Spending 2 mana, he activates the Morning Star’s Quest!
Chenqi executed his moves with the urgency of a last-minute exam.
Now, let’s see what my reflection is made of!
It was a gamble—after all, the in-game character might not understand his intentions.
Let’s hope my game avatar isn’t a fool and gets the idea.
[Morning Star’s Quest activated, shooting toward your rear.]
[You smirk coldly, ignoring the merchant’s presence, and slash your Shadowstinger Dagger along the Morning Star’s trajectory!]
[Dagger hits! 5 + 13 damage dealt! The enemy’s life hangs by a thread!]
Beautiful! That’s my in-game reflection for you!
Chenqi clenched his fist in excitement, punching the air.
[Shadowstinger’s venom spreads within the merchant, inflicting massive damage! The merchant staggers back, his cloth head lolling as his gaze fixates on your precious dagger!]
[Your enemy, the merchant, is now near death.]
["What dazzling light from that dagger—damn it, damn it, my money, my treasure..." The merchant tries to flee in his final moments, but it’s too late. Bleeding out in despair, he dies.]
[You have won a hard-fought battle.]
[You slew Traveling Merchant Lv6, gained 25 experience. Blade Affinity triggered: +5 bonus experience.]
[Current level: 3. Gained 3 free attribute points. Next level at 50 experience. Current XP: 1/50.]
Victory.
Chenqi let out a long breath as the experience prompts appeared.
[World-Walker, congratulations on your victory. The merchant’s little mule and corpse remain. Will you scavenge them?]
Of course.
[You begin scavenging the wealth left by the merchant.]
[You reclaim your "Crowfeather Mage’s Staff."]
[You reclaim your 10 silver coins.]
[You reclaim your ruby.]
[You acquire a shoddy iron shovel.]
Chenqi brought the shovel into reality and gave it a light tap with his Shadowstinger Dagger.
Clang—the shovel head snapped off instantly.
Well... Good thing I didn’t buy anything from that swindler.
[You acquire a shoddy charcoal pencil.]
[You acquire a shoddy canteen.]
"…"
Chenqi inspected each item in reality one by one. Utterly useless—most likely scavenged by the merchant from some rubbish heap to sell.
[You obtain a sample treasure map of the Land of the Great Crows.]
[Plan for the Land of the Great Crows’ Treasure Map: A freshly drawn map with notes of the merchants’ schemes written on the back. The merchant and his companions devised a plot for a “fake treasure trove.”]
[You obtain 10 copies of the Land of the Great Crows’ Treasure Map.]
"…"
So that’s it—the entire treasure hunt in the Land of the Great Crows was a ruse from the start.
Still, it’s all useless junk and just adds to his load. Chenqi tossed these duplicates into the corner of his room.
He kept scavenging.
[You obtain a map of the Dimlight Land.]
[Description: A map of the Dimlight Land. The merchant marked certain spots with symbols for "flowers" and "delicacies," along with notes of two failed expeditions.]
A map—perfect for the next exploration.
[You acquire 1 sparkling Day Coin and 10 Moon Silver coins.]
[Current funds: 1 Day Coin, 62 Moon Silver.]
Money at last! One Day Coin equals 100 Moon Silver, after all.
In the New Capital, money is always precious. Chenqi immediately brought the Day Coin into reality and admired it under the white lamp. It shone with a gemlike luster.
He needed money to treat his Edge-Stone Sickness, and, as expected, there would be endless uses for money in the future. Otherwise, the merchant wouldn’t have been so obsessed with wealth.
[Finally, you search the merchant and discover that his rag-doll body is wearing a translucent garment!]
Chenqi’s eyes lit up. He had already noticed certain traits in this text-based game.
When danger or emergencies appear, the game flashes red text; for good fortune, it highlights or uses other colors.
A line of sparkling text appears.
[You have obtained the Night Wanderer’s Garment.]