“To think there was such an item here…” Nie Yan was stunned.
Nie Yan recalled the Lich King Insar’s Secret Treasure Map sitting in his bag all this time. He had never found the opportunity to use it.
Insar was an incredibly famous Lich King. Many traces of his existence were scattered all over the Atlanta continent. His road to fame was paved by killing three legendary NPCs.
This was ancient history. Most history books only had one or two lines covering this era.
Seeing Nie Yan staring at the finger bone, Vaigus explained, “Our ancestors discovered this finger bone while exploring a marsh. It exudes a powerful curse aura. It can serve as an intermediary for Shadow Priests, greatly increasing the might of their curses, and contains frightening power. No elder has ever dared to touch it. When the previous elder passed away, he left me the task to find someone that can unlock the mystery behind this finger bone.”
Nie Yan checked the price of this finger bone. It cost 30,000 gold.
“I’d like to buy it. Here’s 30,000 gold,” Nie Yan said. Even though it was a bit expensive, he still decided to buy it.
“Are you really planning to buy it?” Vaigus asked in surprise.
“Yes.” Nie Yan nodded.
“M’lord, if you want this finger bone, we can gift it to you,” Vaigus said in reverence.
“No need. Everyone has to follow the rules, even more so the lord of the city,” Nie Yan said. His past life experience told him that abusing his authority to take advantage of NPCs would only incur their disgust. The cons simply weren’t worth the meagre benefits. Many similar situations had occurred in the previous timeline with players holding high titles of nobility humiliating and stealing from NPCs. Shortly after, these players were mysteriously assassinated, without exception.
Conviction’s settings were like this. Nie Yan knew how to maintain a good relationship with NPCs, and learning to be humble was the first step.
Since Nie Yan insisted on paying, Vaigus hurriedly said, “M’lord, I admire your principles. We’re willing to accept your gold. But as a token of our sincerity, everything you buy here will be half-off. So, please take this back.”
Nie Yan thought for a moment before nodding and accepting half the gold.
“Please be careful. This finger bone is an extremely dangerous item.” Vaigus carefully took Lich King Insar’s Finger Bone from display with a special runic cloth, his face grimacing in pain, and handed it over to Nie Yan.
As Nie Yan took Lich King Insar’s Finger Bone from Vaigus, a cold, sinister energy surged into his hand.
Dread, chills, pain, a myriad of negative emotions threatened to overwhelm him.
Almost immediately, a list of words flashed through his mind: ‘Just’, ‘Sincere’, ‘Humble’…
It was written down in various records that these virtues could give a person the strength to resist the power of curses.
Nie Yan could clearly sense the power of the curse gradually being dispersed before disappearing completely.
You have received the quest Spiritual Guidance.
Seeing these two notifications, Nie Yan knitted his brows. He had no idea what kind of quest this was. Looking at his quest window, it showed a blurred out text. He would have to uncover it somehow.
At this moment, a white light enveloped the finger bone. The curse power inside it no longer leaked out.
Vaigus stared at the finger bone in amazement. Its changes didn’t escape his eyes.
“M’lord, do you perhaps possess the Virtues of a Saint?” Vaigus asked.
The Virtues of a Saint? Nie Yan was bewildered. He suddenly recalled the string of words that flashed across his mind. Could it be those character properties? Thereupon he nodded. “Yes.”
“May I ask which ones you possess?” Vaigus’ eyes shone with excitement.
“Just, Brave, Benevolent, Sincere, Selfless, Unwavering, and Humble,” Nie Yan replied.
Vaigus stared at Nie Yan with a look of shock. “Y-you’ve already obtained seven?”
“Yes.” Nie Yan nodded.
“M’lord. I’m truly in reverence of your noble and virtuous character.” Vaigus crossed both his arms over his chest. This was the greatest gesture of respect a barbarian could perform.
“Could you tell me how this is related to Lich King Insar’s Finger Bone?” Nie Yan brought the topic back on track.
“Even though Insar’s Finger Bone contains formidable curse power and is a treasure countless Shadow Priests would yearn for, it also comes with a dangerous side effect. If a Shadow Priest uses its power too much, they will lose themselves to it. It’ll take control of them and they’ll and end up becoming a follower of the death god.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier!?”
“M’lord, I apologize. My lapse of judgement might have unintentionally allowed harm to fall upon someone. My predecessors taught us that if we’re aware something bad might happen, if it’s god’s will, it will happen no matter how hard we try to prevent it. The more afraid we are of something, the more likely it comes to pass, like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Only with a tranquil mind can we maintain peace.”
Nie Yan quietly listened to Vaigus’ words. It carried a tinge of profound wisdom. He didn’t fully grasp the meaning behind these words, but he got what Vaigus was trying to get across. This was a sort of guidance.
“Thank you for the advice. Your predecessors were wise men worthy of admiration,” Nie Yan said sincerely.
Vaigus nodded with a faint smile.
“Elder Vaigus, I want to ask, what are the Virtues of a Saint?” Nie Yan asked. This was something he’d always been curious about. He really wanted to find out what these seven character properties were for.
“I apologize, m’lord. I cannot give you the answer you seek. Keep patiently waiting. God’s light will protect you. I can only tell you that apart from the seven virtues you already have, there’s also conviction, also known as spirituality. When your conviction is firm enough, you will sense its presence. After you obtain spirituality, come find me again, and I’ll tell you everything I know,” Vaigus said. It appeared there were many things he couldn’t yet say.
Spirituality? Nie Yan’s heart trembled. The quest attached to Insar’s Finger Bone was precisely Spiritual Guidance.
Right now, Nie Yan had at least obtained some clues. It was better than searching around aimlessly. He no longer dwelled on this matter. Taking Vaigus’ words to heart, he calmed his heart and mind. As for pursuing the quest, he was no longer anxious. When the time was right, he would receive the eight character property. Forcing it wouldn’t do any good.
“With your strong willpower and virtuous temperament, Insar’s Finger Bone cannot harm you. I can put my mind at ease,” Vaigus said with a smile.
Nie Yan gazed at Vaigus. His tranquil appearance gave an ethereal feeling.
“Thank you for everything, Elder Vaigus.”
Nie Yan put away Insar’s Finger Bone in his bag, then bought some other items, such as Invisible Blizzard Totems and so on. Although they cost a pretty penny, they were extremely effective when it came to grinding maps or plotting against the enemy. Apart from these, he also bought full stacks of runic cloths, almost six bags full. When he had the time, he would craft them into Combat Bandages and raise the rank of his skill.
Thanks to his status as Lord of Okoron, he received a 50% discount in this shop.
After getting everything he wanted, Nie Yan bid Vaigus farewell. Vaigus insisted on accompanying him to the door.
Nie Yan raised his head. There were already several dozen people gathered outside the shop entrance. They had seen everything that happened just now. Noticing him come out, all of them focused their attention on him, their gazes filled with curiosity, admiration, and a myriad of other emotions.
Nie Yan walked down the steps onto the street.
The several dozen players immediately rushed over to Nie Yan, catching him off-guard. He placed his hand on his dagger, when he recalled they were in Okoron. These people weren’t stupid enough to attack another player in a city. Even though the NPCs here were much weaker than NPCs in other cities, they were still more than enough to deal with these players.
These players didn’t seem to care whether they scared Nie Yan or not. They crowded around him, pushing and shoving the people around them aside.
“Hey, friend! Are you a Marquis?”
“You can buy stuff from this secret shop, right? Can you help me buy some stuff?”
“Help me buy five Blizzard Totems. I’ll pay a 30% commission.”
“Help me buy three Crimsonheart Rubies. I’ll pay a 50% commission!”
“Help me buy…!”
These people were all shouting over one another. Nie Yan had no idea who to listen to. However, he understood they all wanted him to buy things on their behalf. Serving as a middle-man was nothing new. Many secret shops had strict requirements for who they sold to. Some required Glory, others contribution, and still others a title of nobility. If you didn’t meet these requirements, you weren’t allowed inside. So, players thought of a solution, and that was to have others buy on their behalf. Middle-manning was an extremely profitable business. For example, a gem worth 3,000 gold could net you a commission fee of 50 gold or even 100 gold. The work was simple. All you had to do was walk in and buy the items, then walk out and hand them over. The risk was low too.
With a secret shop like this, the goods being sold here were several hundred gold at the cheapest and up to tens of thousands of gold at the most expensive. A commission fee of 30% was definitely considerable. The reason they were willing to pay so much was simple. The requirements for purchasing from this place were too high. Marquis wasn’t a title ordinary players could obtain. Up until now, the only person who could speak to Tribe Elder Vaigus was Nie Yan.
