Chapter 058: Selling "Crutches"

The Mage's Legend, No Pop-up Version

Fourth Brother had picked up three weapons in total: the Demon-Subduing Sword belonging to the eldest, the Sea Soul, and the Crescent Moon Blade. The Crescent Moon Blade was an ordinary magical weapon with a 1-3 range, but Lin Jia already possessed the Sea Soul with a 1-5 range, so he wasn't particularly interested in the Crescent Moon Blade, despite its reputation as a famous weapon.

To be honest, the Crescent Moon Blade was quite appealing, at least in appearance; its style was much more attractive than the Sea Soul, which looked no different from a fish spear. The blade had a long handle made of sandalwood, the spine and edge were dark and gleaming, and although it lacked the imposing aura of the old master's blade, its sharpness and restraint hinted at a touch of elegance.

The Crescent Moon Blade only resembled Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade in design; its weight, however, was very light. The all-wood handle and thin blade were clearly not meant for hacking. As a mage's magical weapon, if it were as heavy as Guan Yu's—88 pounds—Lin Jia's petite mage physique would never be able to wield it with any flair.

Though Lin Jia dismissed it, the Crescent Moon Blade, like the professional weapons for the other two classes, was the dream of most mage players. Unfortunately, its drop rate was far too low. Currently, most mage weapons are Sea Souls, with the best being the exceptional 1-3 Sea Soul. So bringing the Crescent Moon Blade back would fetch a good price!

After dividing the loot, Lin Jia and his companions simply used a Town Scroll to return straight to Majestic Earth City. The surprise they had just experienced had completely awakened the three brothers, who had been sleepy from leveling through the night. Now, energetic, they returned to the safe zone of Earth City, intending to rest up before heading out to the Fragrant Stone Tomb again.

But once the tension had faded, it wasn't long before the three brothers began nodding off again, like chickens pecking at rice. Feeling dazed, they abandoned the idea of returning to the Fragrant Stone Tomb for another round. Instead, after a bit of repair work, they stood in the safe zone selling the spoils of their night's adventures, planning to go home and sleep soon.

As Lin Jia and his friends called out to sell their loot and typed to haggle with buyers, they also discussed the strange Corpse King they had just encountered. They found it odd: the Fragrant Stone Tomb had never before spawned a Corpse King monster. Why had one suddenly appeared there?

They knew that, for the moment, no other players had entered the Fragrant Stone Tomb. That patch of land was still theirs, so it wasn't a case of the Corpse King being spawned and killed by others in the past. After much discussion, they concluded that Corpse Kings have a certain chance to spawn on maps where monsters of the same category are refreshed.

Corpse Kings, Giant Multihorned Bugs, and Half-Orc Warriors are all boss-level elite monsters with strong territoriality. For example, the Half-Orc Warrior is the chieftain of the orc tribe in the Woma Forest and never appears in the Bicheng or Majestic maps. The Giant Multihorned Bug is a bug boss found across the Majestic map, a huge mutant with vivid, mottled colors and fierce, spiked antennae, making it a moving treasure trove in the eyes of novices. Elite-level boss monsters usually have high drop rates and a good chance of yielding rare items, and most elite bosses always drop something valuable.

Lin Jia had never seen a Half-Orc Warrior because he'd never been to Woma Forest. As for the Giant Multihorned Bug, he'd only seen a crowd of newbies mobbing it; with so many people, he didn't join in and had no idea what it dropped. But Lin Jia had heard other players in the internet café mention Corpse Kings, saying there was a cave called the Mining Area in Bicheng, and another in Serpent Valley, both filled with undead zombie creatures. Occasionally, known boss monsters like the Corpse King would appear there. If those Corpse Kings dropped as generously as the one Lin Jia's group defeated, it would certainly be worth seeking them out, since such overpowered bosses are what players "admire" and pursue.

The eldest sister seemed forever enthusiastic about bargaining and trading with others. Lin Jia and Fourth Brother admired her business acumen and her tenacity and ruthlessness when haggling. Take the recent incident where she sold a Skeleton Ring to Fourth Brother as an example.

A guy who often advertised his wares in the safe zone caught the eldest sister's eye; she wanted to buy a Skeleton Ring from him. This player was a mage, about the same level as Lin Jia and his friends. Since he was wearing the mage's professional outfit, the Magic Robe, he was likely at least level 22. His equipment, though not overly extraordinary, was almost on par with Lin Jia, the "cheat" mage. His ID was "Solitary Wind."

Lin Jia had seen Solitary Wind since the first day the server opened, back in the newbie village. After arriving in Majestic Earth City, Solitary Wind's level had always been ahead, and he was quick to upgrade to the best gear available for his level. Lin Jia guessed he was either a veteran player or a member of a guild or family; otherwise, how could he always be selling and buying in the safe zone and still maintain a lead in level? Plus, he had plenty of equipment to sell, likely gathered by his companions and handed to him for sale.

Solitary Wind's advertisement read: "Selling Female Soul Battle Armor, Male Magic Robe, Blue Jade, Skeleton Ring, top 0-2 Magic Ebony Pair, top 1-4 Magic Magnifier, Attack 2 Magic Bracelet Pair, 0-3 Magic Snake Eye Ring, several skill books. Message me for private chat if interested!" He was a typical businessman, selling even his own set of equipment, either because he had spares or because he was utterly profit-driven and acutely aware of business opportunities. He knew that in the early days of the game, any accumulation of funds would be the source of enormous wealth in the future.

Solitary Wind wanted fifty thousand gold coins for a Skeleton Ring—not expensive by current market standards—but the eldest sister immediately offered ten thousand. Naturally, Solitary Wind replied, "Bank, take a left outside, buy as many as you wish!"

The eldest sister persisted, offering to add another piece of equipment to the deal, which drew his attention. But she produced an ordinary Taoist bracelet, clearly not valuable enough, angering Solitary Wind, who started cursing on the spot. The eldest sister was undeterred, engaging him in a venomous verbal battle, and eventually he couldn't withstand her sharp tongue and fled the safe zone.

But the eldest sister messaged him privately, coaxing him back with a sincere offer: a pair of Taoist bracelets, ten thousand gold coins, a male Taoist Soul Battle Armor, an ordinary Demon-Subduing Sword, and three skill books for level 20 and above, all in exchange for the Skeleton Ring.

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[Note: Apparently the Corpse King battle in the previous chapter was a bit exaggerated; the Corpse King seemed too powerful... but for now, I won’t revise it!]