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墨書 Inktalez
"What? 10... 10 Silver Coins?" Yi Tianchen stared at the old man in front of him, feeling an urge to grab him and give him a good beating. Gritting his teeth, he said, "That other guy only charged 4 Silver Coins... why is mine so expensive?"
The Appraiser shot Yi Tianchen a speechless glare, rhythmically tapping his right hand on the counter, exuding an air of mastery. With a friendly tone, he said, "Dear player, if you are willing to lower the item's Grade to Bronze Grade, I would be happy to take it for 4 Silver Coins!"
"Uh!"
Yi Tianchen was no fool. Hearing the Appraiser's words made his heart sink; he felt both joy and worry. There was no doubt that the dagger in his hand was a good item, but unfortunately, he was short on funds. That one missing Silver Coin was enough to stump even a tall man!
"Um... sir, could you possibly lower the price?" Even though he knew bargaining with NPCs was futile, Yi Tianchen still mustered the courage to ask.
"I'm afraid not; we do not accept haggling here!" The Appraiser took off his reading glasses and wore an expression that suggested he didn't care where Yi Tianchen went next. He then pulled out a sign with four bold characters that caught the eye.
"Closed for Business?" Yi Tianchen was shocked!
"Hmm?" The Appraiser responded and quickly put his glasses back on to take a look. "Oh, it's upside down."
Yi Tianchen felt utterly speechless as if countless black crows were circling above his head. He then watched as the Appraiser flipped the sign over, revealing four characters: No Negotiation!
Taking a deep breath, Yi Tianchen suddenly had a flash of inspiration and pulled out the Snake Gallbladder from his bag. "Take a look at this; how much is it worth?"
"Oh, this is..." The Appraiser's eyes lit up instantly as he widened them in surprise. "This is... the Snake Gallbladder of the Cunning Ring Serpent?!"
Yi Tianchen was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected such enthusiasm from the Appraiser over a mere Snake Gallbladder. In that moment, he quickly realized that through this Snake Gallbladder, perhaps he could uncover some story. The Appraiser's reaction seemed overly enthusiastic—too much so for it to be just about its value.
"That's right; this is indeed the gallbladder of the Cunning Ring Serpent!" Yi Tianchen smiled slightly while observing the changes in the Appraiser's expression.
"Hehe..." The Appraiser chuckled while rubbing his hands together, looking hesitant to speak. He finally said, "This item might fetch some money over at Old Wang's place next door, but here, it’s worth at most this amount!"
"2 Silver Coins?" Seeing the two fingers extended by the Appraiser, Yi Tianchen felt pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected such a value for a simple Snake Gallbladder. If he had known earlier, when dealing with those ordinary Cunning Ring Serpents, he should have cut them open to collect their gallbladders for some pocket money!
"What nonsense are you talking about in broad daylight? 20 Copper Coins!" The Appraiser shot Yi Tianchen a disdainful glance, then rolled his eyes and forced a smile. "However... if you can bring me the gallbladder of the Cunning Ring Serpent King, I can appraise it for you for free!"
"The gallbladder... of the Cunning Ring Serpent King?" Yi Tianchen's heart skipped a beat, nearly shouting in excitement. But his composure quickly returned, and he waved his hand dismissively. "No way! One Enhanced Cunning Serpent almost cost me my life; the Cunning Ring Serpent King is not something to be trifled with!"
"Do you know that the Cunning Ring Serpent King is the highest-grade boss around the entire village? Aren't you tempted?" Seeing Yi Tianchen's indifferent expression, the Appraiser continued to tempt him.
"Tempted my foot! I don't want to die for nothing unless... unless... heh heh, we make a deal!" Leaning closer to the Appraiser, Yi Tianchen felt a surge of excitement.
"What kind of deal do you have in mind?"
"Simple. I'll help you find the gallbladder of the Cunning Ring Serpent King, and if I succeed, you teach me the Identification Technique!" Yi Tianchen observed the Appraiser's expression and noticed a hint of reluctance. He quickly added more details.
"Let's be honest here; not everyone dares to go after the Cunning Ring Serpent King. You just happened to run into me today; who knows when you'll find someone as brave as I am again? Just think it over; once this opportunity is gone, it won't come back!"
"You little brat, are you threatening me?" The Appraiser scolded him gruffly, but Yi Tianchen merely smiled faintly, secretly admiring the developers of Zero Era for creating such relatable NPCs.
It’s not easy to make NPCs feel so human!
"Alright then, if that's how it is, we'll meet again next time!" Having reached this point, Yi Tianchen knew there was no turning back, regardless of whether he was right or wrong. He put on an act of wanting to leave while still hoping to stay.
He bet that old man would definitely call him back and would compromise!
But as he approached the door of the Identification Center, Yi Tianchen felt uneasy. Slowing his pace, he cursed that damned old man under his breath. However, when he finally reached the entrance, he still hadn't heard the Appraiser call him back.
Could it be... that his guess was wrong? Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Yi Tianchen stood there speechless for a moment before turning around and quickly returning to the counter.
"Heh heh, weren't you leaving?" The Appraiser crossed his arms with a look of amusement on his face.
"Of course I'm leaving. You can find whoever you want; I'm just here to get my dagger!" Yi Tianchen declared as he yanked the dagger from the counter, spinning around with an air of nonchalance, reminiscent of a yellow crane that would never return.
Seeing that Yi Tianchen truly had an imposing demeanor, the elderly Appraiser, who was over sixty, seemed unable to withstand the turmoil any longer and called out to him, "Hey, you little rascal, you're something else! Stop right there and come back!"
"Hey, I think I might be in the running for this year's Best Performance Award!" Yi Tianchen mused to himself. After turning around, he didn’t approach but made it clear that he would only speak if he had something to say; otherwise, he would leave like a true warrior.
"I accept your proposal!" The Appraiser took a deep breath upon seeing Yi Tianchen's serious expression.
"Good! Once this is done, you’ll teach me Identification Technique. A promise is a promise!" Yi Tianchen exclaimed joyfully. After laying down his final condition, he immediately invoked the ancient saying to seal the deal, effectively silencing the Appraiser.
"You little brat! Fine, fine... I'm getting old and useless; it's time to find a successor!" The Appraiser waved his hand with a righteous look on his face.
"Ha ha, exactly! It's time for you to enjoy some peace!" Yi Tianchen chuckled lightly, though his thoughts were entirely different. He thought to himself that once he acquired the Identification Technique, there would be no way he would take over for you!
"Hand it over!" The Appraiser shot a glare at Yi Tianchen and extended his somewhat frail hand.
"What?" Yi Tianchen was momentarily speechless as he pulled out the Snake Gallbladder from his bag.
"The dagger!" The Appraiser shook his head, clearly unimpressed by Yi Tianchen's reaction. "Since we've reached an agreement, I'll help you identify this dagger to avoid a nasty encounter with that Cunning Ring Serpent King!"
"Damn it!"
Yi Tianchen cursed under his breath. As a former God of War, being looked down upon by an NPC was infuriating!
However, despite the Appraiser's harsh words, Yi Tianchen felt a flicker of gratitude. He stepped forward and placed both the dagger and the Snake Gallbladder on the counter. "This is for you!"
The Appraiser shuddered involuntarily, suppressing the urge to smack Yi Tianchen on the head. He tossed the Snake Gallbladder into his exclusive space bag. Then, under Yi Tianchen's watchful gaze, he waved his hand dramatically. A faint white glow enveloped them, and the previously dull dagger began to shimmer with a blue light!
Yi Tianchen couldn't help but feel a surge of joy, while simultaneously cursing the old man in his heart for being so greedy. Just for a simple wave of the hand, it would cost him 10 Silver Coins. Was money really that easy to come by? Even if he found some on the road, he would have to be up early to do so!
However, Yi Tianchen's shock quickly transformed into boundless delight. Once he learned the Identification Technique, it would undoubtedly become his most profitable skill. The thought of this made his heart race.
After daydreaming for nearly three minutes, Yi Tianchen finally grabbed the dagger from the counter and began to examine it closely.
Venomous Fang Dagger: Fine Iron Weapon
Attack: 11-18
Strength: +2
Constitution: +1
Type: Dagger
Level Requirement: 5
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