Weed had been busy preparing for the previous battle; and now, affairs had returned to normal for the Orcs and humans. After Weed had reported to the black temple, he wandered around the marketplace.
"So, here's the market."
Mapan acted as his guide.
After living in the citadel for a several days, the Dark Elves had a rough grasp of the geography, and many Dark Elves were opening up shops in the area.
"We Elves sell fruit that we planted and grew ourselves."
"Buy medical herbs to heal your wounds."
They had black skin and black eyes that shone like pearls!
Though the Dark Elves weren't very tall, they had flexible bodies, overflowing with health and beauty.
"I am surprised. Mapan-nim is wandering around various market stalls to meet the Elves"
Surka said to Mapan, but Mapan awkwardly scratched his head.
"Actually I haven't met that many."
"Then…?"
"The first time I saw Dark Elves, Wood Elves, and Half Elves, was when I was traveling to the center of the continent with Hwaryeong."
"How are Wood Elves different?"
Surka asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
Pale, Irene, and Romuna, had never stepped outside of Rosenheim Kingdom, the Geomchi were the type to listen as they were very ignorant.
"Half Elves have long pointed ears, other than that, they are no different to humans. Half human, Half Elf, they're a mixed species. Wood Elves live deep in the woods and have excellent attack power, but are weak to magic."
"There are other Elves too?"
"Grey Elves or High Elves, Shadow Elves, Night Elves… There are many varieties of Elves."
The description that Mapan had given to Surka was the full extent of his knowledge.
Geomchi turned and poked Geomchi3 and asked
"Geomchi3"
"Yes, master."
"Do you know a lot about Royal Road?"
"Yes, of course master!"
Geomchi3 replied gallantly. He pretended to be the Royal Road specialist amongst the Geomchis.
"Where do the Elves come from?"
"Yes, the Elves, sir?"
"Yeah."
"The Elves…"
"You do not know the answer?"
Geomchi and Geomchi2 had eyes filled with disbelief, and Geomchi3 stirred his hand.
"Of course I know. From the Elf village."
"Village?"
"Wood village, Dark village, and Half village. It's simple once you understand it, right? Their skin is black because this is the Dark village."
There was a grain of truth in that strange explanation, Geomchi nodded his head.
"Oh ho, so it's like that. You are wise, as expected, Geomchi3."
"You're too kind, master!"
***
The party went to the market to buy medicinal herbs and simple souvenirs. There were plenty of cheap, good quality medicinal herbs.
The party indulged themselves in the fun of sightseeing.
Mysterious items were common in grocery stores and trading posts, and with the Dark Elves walking around proud of their black skin, it was an extremely mysterious existence.
The scenery of the surrounding landscape from the citadel located at the mountain top was delightful.
Standing above the castle walls, the world unfolded underneath their feet. Azure skies, thick clouds accompanied by a calm breeze made the mountainview exceptional. Refreshing strong wind blew and cliffs were visible from the distance.
Irene was the first person who spoke out, with a smile on her lips.
"All of this walking around is worthwhile."
"I know. I need to get out more often."
Zephyr shared the same sentiment.
He usually fished along the river, so it was his first time to come to the mountains. He felt refreshed coming to the top of a high mountain and enjoying the sights.
"Well, let me take you to the weapon shop then."
Mapan and his companions decided to look at weapons. They entered the weapon shop.
"Hello."
Mapan bent down to greet the Dark Elf, who merely tilted his head.
"Why are you here?"
A haughty Elder Dark Elf!
The Elder Dark Elf who ran the shop had an arrogant look. Customers were not his concern.
Mapan asked politely.
"Do you mind if I look around the shop?"
"Knock yourself out."
The party went around and looked at weapons individually.
The Orc Village had decent shops, but here there were plenty of rare things.
Zephyr found a fishing rod. Elves took pride in the flexibility, elasticity and rigidity of their cultivated trees, so it was perfect for fishing.
"How much do you want for it?"
"8000 Gold. If you're thinking about saving and not buying then put it down."
The value was inexpensive.
Zephyr paid for the item without a word.
"Wow! So much money."
Irene said, and Zephyr burst out laughing.
"It's only money…"
"…"
Instantly, Zephyr became public enemy of the party!
The party was about to walk out the door to search for another shop which sold other types of weapon, however, the Dark Elf called out to Pale and stopped him in his tracks.
"Are you an archer?"
"Yes, esteemed elder. Do you have something you wish to tell me?"
"Compared to your talents, your bow is lacking. We Elves will never draw a bow that will put us to shame."
Pale's face reddened with embarrassment. It was a fact that his bow was considerably worn out, and it was time to replace it.
"Buy one here, there are lots of bows so you can buy for a cheap price."
Most of the weapons in the shop were daggers and bows. Daggers were in showcases, while bows were hung on walls. However, in the citadel of the Dark Elves mostly sold weapons primarily made by the Elves.
The first bow he saw was barely level 200, but the rest were more powerful. The prices of the items were not suited for the weapon, as some looked like they were just there as displays.
Not to be overconfident, Pale chose a regular bow. An antique bow decorated with sky blue hue. Although the Elven bow was not rare or unique, nor did it provide longer distance, it easy to use.
"How much is this one?"
"25,000 gold."
"I only have 24,000 gold on me……"
"If you're not going to buy it, get out"
Methods on how to save money that he learnt from Weed didn't work. Hard to please Dark Elves, when dealing with humans, they had a very unfavorable impression!
'All my earnings amounts to 25,000 gold'
After a difficult struggle, Pale eventually bought the bow. Archers did not differ from Swordsmen in that they wanted better weapons right away. In some way, there's a fiercer competition for Archer weapons. If you shoot a good bow, the range is further lengthened, showing an evident difference.
"Hu-hu-hu"
Pale let out a hysterical laugh after purchasing his new bow.
Then Surka looked at the owner and said.
"But you look cute indeed. Not like an old man but like an oppa."
"Surka!"
Romune cried out in astonishment. Hard to please Dark Elves, you had to take extra caution not to anger them.
Being in a neutral zone made no difference. Unlike humans, depending on the intimacy levels, one could be attacked at any time.
But such concerns seemed groundless as the Elder Dark Elf shyly smiled.
"Girl, you really think so? That I truly look young?"
"Yes. You do not look older but truly super cute. Dark Elf-nim."
"What a very cute girl. My name is Granbell. I hope you will call me Granbell."
"My name is Surka. Granbell-nim."
Zephyr and Hwaryeong's mouths dropped at what was taking place. First having him give his name, afterwards it was possible to form an acquaintance relationship to some extent. Dark Elves like to look cute and young!
Surka's words by chance formed proper intimacy.
Romuna's fists trembled.
Pretending that the elderly Dark Elf was cute like an idiot. Depending on the perspective it should be different, but enough to say super cute. The same Surka that knocked out monsters with her bare hands was pretending to be cute.
"Surka you…."
"Shush!"
Rumuna tried calling out to Surka, but Mapan quickly stopped her.
"This is an important moment. So leave her alone."
"What?"
"It seems this is a way to create intimacy with Dark Elves."
Mapan knew better than anybody about the importance of intimacy and commerce in kingdoms.
As the intimacy with villagers rises, more serious dialogue with them becomes possible. One could possibly be asked to perform quests or earn important information.
In fact, when Mapan heard of Weed conducting the Orcs and Dark Elves of the Yuroki Mountains, he had big expectations. Via Weed in the Plains of Despair, he hoped to get quest information, but unexpectedly with little luck.
The Orcs were simple and ignorant so they did not know much about anything. The only information they had was about hunting grounds. Where and how to encounter strong monsters.
It was the Orc's way to send out several warriors for every one that falls. 100 could be brought to fight but only one might survive. This was no help to merchant Mapan.
In addition to that, Orcs were not very fond of humans. They found even basic conversations difficult. The gold needed to bribe them or feed them was enough to make Mapan have a nervous breakdown.
In this situation the Dark Elves were no different. They were arrogant and reluctant to have any conversations with humans. Shopping or hearing basic stories was possible but the profit was minimal.
Weed hated Dark Elves considerably. They were picky, lazy and had to be constantly pampered like they were some kind of nobility.
Mapan was isolated in the Citadel of the Dark Elves. No words could describe how delighted he was when the party arrived.
A guide plays an important role, giving detailed information about the Plains of Despair.
They were not disappointed by Granbell when he said.
"If you head to the east of our province, you will encounter tall mountains. The terrain is uneven, and you will be able to hunt lots of monsters but it's the scenery that's the best. It's a little tough to climb Horom Mountain on foot, but the story is you'll be in for a surprise at the hunting grounds although I can't give you any information."
Weed came back from the Black Temple and saw the party's excited faces.
"What is it?"
"Well…"
Mapan went ahead and spoke of what happened in the weapon shop.
"A high mountain. Maybe you can you get fame for climbing it?"
In fact, until now Weed was fighting the Undead Legions so he did not know about the Dark Elves' story. Money might be around too, so feeling it was a necessity decalred.
"Let's fly up Horom Mountain!"
Pale strongly disagreed.
Irene and Romuna also did not wander around because of their low fame.
For them, this was a great opportunity to earn fame.
Weed looked at the other party members.
"Everyone in favor of climbing Horom Mountain?"
"Mountain. I've stayed in the rivers for a long time, spending some time in the mountains seems fine to me Hyung-nim."
Zephyr quietly spoke with impudence and Hwaryeong smiled with interest.
"For the sake of having a scenic walk of the breeze blowing the lush, let's climb the mountain!"
Geomchi said and clasped his hand together.
"Sounds like it'll be fun."
Geomchi2 said.
"Eating grilled meat in the mountains has a special taste, seems like it will be refreshing, fine by me, I'm coming.
Geomchi3, Geomchi4 and Geomchi5 had similar opinions. They had not many adventures this year, so climbing Horom Mountain seemed like it would be quite interesting to see. If you climb a really high mountain, you will be able to look around at the surrounding landscape. The entire party left the Citadel of Dark Elves and were intoxicated being in the mountains. Climbing the mountain, they had completely fallen for the story of the weapon store owner.
'Somehow, I'm getting nervous'
Weed's companions felt that this was somehow too easy.
'Well, I'm sure everything will be alright.'
Everyone was content that nothing was there to oppose them, which wasn't strange because there was no reason to do so. With a high fame, a player's status in kingdoms and villages are easily recognized and quests can be easily obtained.
Because of Weed's high fame, he didn't have any trouble commanding the Dark Elves and the Orcs.
Weed nodded.
"We climbed the mountain from the bottom. Everybody should be tired, so how about we take a break and regroup?"
Pale and the rest were tired as they already rode a horse en route through the Plains of Despair. So far, they had yet to sleep properly. Drowsiness was forcing them to their knees. Hwaryeong agreed in a hurry.
"That would be lovely. Let's meet again after we've all slept."
"In that case, so be it."
Pale sighed and then he told his party to meet up in 12 hours after getting some sleep.
Weed impatiently terminated the connection after the Geomchis logged out.
***
Lee Hyun got out of the capsule to organize the household finances. There was a need to meticulously organize the income and expenditures if it meant saving even a penny.
"This month's profits…"
Lee Hyun's hands were trembling while writing the household ledger.
Maybe other people would buy the items he had acquired this time.
Lich Shire was difficult to beat, his level was at least 470. No one had ever defeated a boss-class monster of this caliber, yet only 3 items were obtained. Nevertheless, Necromancer's Tome was unique compared to the other 2 items he obtained.
One enchantment stone and a seemingly useless staff.
"I'll put aside the enchantment stone rather than dispose of it, eventually I'll sell if I need something to eat or drink which leaves only the staff."
He decided not to sell the enchantment stone unless it was at a sufficient price. Perhaps if he uploaded it to the auction site, people would stand in line to buy it. Other blacksmiths can be entrusted to buy the enchantment stone because they wanted to process it!
They were more than willing to directly reinforce items as there will be further benefits when selling. Raising skill mastery made them able to get a higher price. Even so, the income was far less than expected.
"Should I sell the staff first?"
Lee Hyun went to the auction site and wrote articles for his items. Still, the staff did not seem to be a lot of money. Priests wouldn't buy goods labeled with useless options like Sacrifice and Devotion. If it became a known fact that the staff had such features, it would be used only when necessary.
"I wonder what my earlier items are priced at?"
Without any big expectations, Lee Hyun looked at the prices put up for the goods. He had given up altogether early on because of vicious buyers that raised the price by only 1 won.
In fact, it was not a law to hold the auction till the due date. By setting a determined target price in advance, when the price is exceeded, purchase is made. Generally if a reasonable price is set, stuff is often sold in 1 hour. However, in order to make even a penny more, Lee Hyun did not set a target price. Playing around by raising the price by 1 won was very common.
"By now though, it's got to be over 5,000 won right?"
Lee Hyun thought realistically for the most part before looking at the price of the items. Glaives and Elf Headbands were a little more than 1 won. In the first place, there were few buyers for glaives so he wasn't going to hope for an expensive price. If the Elf Headbands sold well enough, he predicted he would be able to get at least 300,000 won. But then something toxic entered his eyes, it was one japtem.
Minotaur's claw: Number of bids 6. Price 30,000,000 won
"What the hell."
No outrageous words came from Lee Hyun's mouth. Joke bids could not be made in auctions. That is because when you bid on goods, at least 10% of the total amount must be registered as deposit.
"But 30 million won?"
Lee Hyun thought it was ridiculous but he quickly confirmed the bid in an instant. He decided to sell the goods to the buyer for no less than 30 million won. Even if the other side doesn't purchase it out of hesitation, he would still receive the equivalent of 10%, which was 3,000,000 won.
"Made 3 million won."
Lee Hyun promptly put the additional income into the household accounts book.
*Titri Ring!*
A loud ringing sound echoed. Lee Hyun felt uncomfortable and was wondering whether or not he should pick up the receiver.
'There's no way they'll say it was a mistake and cancel the auction.'
It might just be phone call like that. Biting his nails, Lee Hyun heartily spoke into the headset.
"Hello."
– Ah, I'm the person who won the auction. Minotaur's Claws, you placed this item on the site did you not?
The voice coming from the phone was mixed with impatience. Lee Hyun's eyes darkened.
'Of course!'
Hearing that, he thought the person wanted to ask to cancel the auction altogether rather than just give up on the purchase. Lee Hyun raised his voice and replied.
"What are you talking about, such people don't live here!"
Lee Hyun's instantaneous wit! With these words you would normally step down, but the other side did not oblige.
– Is there anybody there that plays Royal Road?
"Yes? What road?"
– Royal Road, using the character name Weed, is there someone like that?
Lee Hyun replied bluntly.
"I don't know those people."
-There's no doubt this is the correct number."
"I don't know what business you have but I'm busy so I'm hanging up."
– Come on, wait a minute! The item trading credit rating is high and a few transactions are listed so this can't be the wrong number.
"…"
The rationale of the other side was talking about him. Lee Hyun hesitated for a second and did not give an answer.
-Right now I very urgently need to speak with him. If not in person, then please arrange for me to talk with him at any time. Really, my mind's been so restless that I forgot to introduce myself. I am KMC Media's Planning Department's Manager Kang Han Seo.
"KMC Media?"
There was probably no one among those who played Royal Road that did not know this highly popular broadcasting company.
– I really need to speak with the person that uses the character name Weed. Can you contact him for me?
Again the request came, Lee Hyun's mind wavered.
'His words don't seem like he wants to cancel the auction.'
He noticed that it seemed like some very important business. Lee Hyun, conflicted for a moment concluded.
"I am Lee Hyun. I use the character name Weed in Royal Road.
– Oh, so it's like that. But a little while before why?
"…"
– Well, that's not important. I need to speak with you about something important.
"Go ahead."
– I'd prefer not speaking about this over the phone, so do you think you come down to the broadcasting station?
Lee Hyun replied without any hesitation.
"Difficult."
– What?
"Going that far will take quite a lot of fare and I would have to change buses three times."
He would not use transportation expenses if he could help it. At Lee Hyun's words, the other side was stunned into silence for a moment and did not answer. But soon a voice came.
– Then … please tell me the address and I'll send a car there. Do you think you can take a car here?
"That is possible."
-Then I'll see you shortly.
