novelraw Chapter 54: The Blind Merchant’s Exchange
Chapter 54: The Blind Merchant’s Exchange
[Bathed in the radiant moonlight, you proceed along the ruins of the town of Saint Rance…]
[On both sides of the road wander numerous Corrupted Blood Sun Cultists.]
[Will you attack them, or ignore them and keep moving forward?]
Lin Xun figured, even mosquito meat is still meat—farming XP wasn’t anything to be ashamed of.
Without hesitation, he selected “attack” and fired off a laser cannon.
[You raise the Thunder Dragon Staff-Spear and chant an incantation…]
[A flash of red light…]
[You defeated a Corrupted Blood Sun Cultist. Experience slightly increased.]
[You defeated a Corrupted Blood Sun Cultist.…]
[You defeated…]—
A single blast, and the game text was scrolling madly.
In that moment, Lin Xun once again felt the joy of reaping enemies like crops.
Unfortunately, these low-level Blood Sun mobs were so weak that even after blasting a dozen of them, it barely nudged his XP bar.
Just as he was about to head back to the Resting Page to refresh and grind again, he suddenly remembered the Boiling Subspecies Dragon Blood Essence he’d just obtained.
This item required sacrificing a shell to use.
Currently, his shell slots were 4 out of 5—he still had one open. Why not possess a Blood Sun grunt and use it as a suicide bomber?
Hmm, flawless plan!
Careful budgeting always brings good luck.
He quickly picked a pleasing looking Blood Sun mob and possessed it.
[You have possessed the shell of a Corrupted Blood Sun Cultist.]
Upon checking the panel, the shell was indeed Ruined-grade—just as trashy as the Hungry Old Man.
He refreshed twice at the Resting Page, committed a small genocide of Blood Sun mobs, and set off again.
[Bathed in the radiant moonlight, you continue along the ruins of the town of Saint Rance…]
[Amid scattered rubble and stones, you spot a decrepit hut not far away, still standing intact among the ruins. Through its metal-barred window, you can faintly see a dim yellow glow within.]
[Do you wish to investigate?]
Another event!
Lin Xun smiled slightly—this thrill of constant exploration was undeniably addictive.
He tapped “Yes.”
[You approach the old hut. Its wooden door is also sealed with metal bars.]
[Looking up, you see several thin branches under the eaves with a tattered canvas draped over them. Scrawled crookedly across it in Divine Light script are the words: ‘Blind Merchant’s Exchange.’]
[Do you wish to knock on the exchange’s door?]
Lin Xun’s eyes widened—his gamer senses went on full alert.
A shop! Finally, an NPC merchant!
His first thought was should he just shank the NPC and grab everything for free?
Then again, Lin Xun realized that couldn’t be right—no way the game would leave such an obvious loophole.
He quickly logged into the Apostle Forum to check.
After some searching, it turned out plenty of Apostles had tried killing NPC merchants. But…
One Apostle named ‘String Puppet’ made a post: I killed a field NPC merchant, and nothing dropped. No items, and now I can’t buy anything anymore.
Reply 2: Bro, you should’ve picked a human NPC. If you’re lucky, you might even possess them. (smirk emoji)
Reply 3: Yeah yeah, best to do it in a settlement. NPCs there usually have higher compatibility, better chance to possess.
Reply 4: OP, hope you get a powerful shell out of it~
Reply 5: You guys are the real MVPs. I’m heading to the settlement now to kill NPCs too.
Reply 6: Isn’t this kind of… cruel?
Reply 7: Don’t be soft, bro. We all went through this. Newbies need to learn too.
—
Reply 108, String Puppet: FK you all and your bloody horses!!!
Reply 109: I killed a human NPC merchant in a settlement—got nothing! Possessed the body, it was trash. Now I lost the side quest and I’m spawn-camped by NPC guards. Hope you’re all happy!!
Reply 110: Nah, not really. File a police report maybe.
Reply 111: +10086
—
Lin Xun scrolled through a lot of threads and finally concluded, whether or not to kill NPCs depended on the risk-reward ratio.
For trade-type NPCs like merchants, killing them wouldn’t drop any goods, nor would you get back any Spirit you spent. At best, you might get some tattered clothes or socks—and that was a low-probability drop.
Of course, trading and gifting were two different things.
Apostles usually only took the risk when the NPC had exceptional gear or skills, and a high probability of being possessable.
Lin Xun logged out of the forum and returned to the game.
He’d saved up a small fortune in Spirit—1,610 already used, with 2,710 in item form, totaling 4,320 points.
That “rich but nowhere to spend it” frustration had been bugging him for a while now.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Xun pressed “Yes.”
[You knock on the door. The sound echoes through the silent night.]
[After a long time with no response, just as you’re about to knock again, you hear some movement from the window on the side of the hut.]
[You walk over to the window. Behind the metal bars is a shattered stained glass window, seemingly pieced together from salvaged fragments of a church’s stained glass.]
[Through the brightly colored glass, you faintly see a twisted, monstrous shadow inside.]
[Do you wish to trade with the Unknown Shadow?]
Lin Xun frowned—something felt off.
The hut was called the Blind Merchant’s Exchange, so the twisted shadow inside must be the Blind Merchant?
Maybe the merchant had mutated into this form after prolonged exposure to the Blood Sun.
That was Lin Xun’s guess. He pressed “Yes.”
[The window opens a narrow slit. A list covered in Divine Light script is handed out through it. You think you saw the limb that passed it through—a jointed appendage covered in coarse, bristly hair.]
[You accept the item list and examine it carefully under the moonlight…]
[Crimson Eyeball (Junk): A blood-red eye plucked from the head of a corrupted creature. Its use is unknown. Spirit Essence Cost: 10. Quantity Remaining: 2]
[Bloodstained Linen Clothes (Junk): A set of worn linen clothes soaked in blood. Spirit Essence Cost: 10. Quantity Remaining: 1]
[Wooden Arrows: Made from wooden shafts and iron heads, these crude arrows require a bow or crossbow. Spirit Essence Cost: 20. Quantity Remaining: 10]
[Flame Jar (Throwable Item): A ceramic jar imbued with flame energy. When thrown and shattered, it erupts into flames. Spirit Essence Cost: 30. Quantity Remaining: 5]
[Crimson Flame Jar (Throwable Item): An enhanced Flame Jar infused with Corruption. Its power is slightly increased. Spirit Essence Cost: 100. Quantity Remaining: 5]
[Corrupted Red Sorrel (Item): A precious herb tainted with Corruption. Can slightly relieve fatigue for devout followers of the Blood Sun. Spirit Essence Cost: 200. Quantity Remaining: 5]
[Lucky Gold Coin (Special Item): A golden coin blessed by an unknown entity. While carrying this item, your luck will be slightly increased. Spirit Essence Cost: 3000. Quantity Remaining: 1]
[Which item would you like to purchase—or will you quietly leave, your pockets still heavy but your heart too frugal?]