Chapter 17: The Willow Tit Tavern

[Adventurer's Handbook] (Valley Town Branch Special Edition)

Foreword…………1-2

Selection and Use of Weapons…………3-9

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How to Handle Your Loot…………31-38

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9. [Regarding Those Shiny, Pretty Stones]

"Kukunu's General Store" at No. 62 Mist Street offers the fairest prices in Valley Town, but it must be admitted that young Kukunu can be somewhat easily deceived (a difference of 3 silver coins versus a risk of 100 gold coins!);

In contrast, although "Fairy Wind" next door offers stingy prices, the shop owner, Farrio, is a professional jeweler. Having served as an apprentice at the most famous pawnshop in "Neum," he possesses the most discerning and meticulous eye in all of Valley Town (look to him for high-end goods!).

*Clack.*

Three small, opaque green stones with faint stripes were arranged neatly on the counter by Xia Nan.

With a hint of anticipation in his eyes and the fantasy of "getting rich overnight" in his heart, he looked at the middle-aged man before him, who was dressed formally and wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

The man named "Farrio" did not speak carelessly just because he recognized the type of gemstone at a glance.

Instead, he picked them up one by one, flipping them left and right and bringing them close for careful study before sitting back behind the counter with a look of indifference.

"Malachite, common quality. 10 gold per stone."

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16. [Where to Dump Your Scrap Metal?]

First, stop your incessant chattering!

You must know that second-hand goods stripped from unlucky fools can only be sold at half price—that is common knowledge!

Of course, magic items are the exception (if you actually have any).

Secondly, if you truly want to find a place to dump those heavy burdens on your person, I recommend "Hazelnut Forge" at No. 25 Mist Street.

The owner there was once an adventurer himself; he knows how hard it is to carry these pieces of junk back, so he always gives a decent quote (provided you don't mind the dozens of "glorious tales" he spins while appraising your items).

Additionally, for purchasing weapons and armor, "Rockhammer" is recommended. It is said that the owner there has one-sixty-fourth dwarven blood. Although he shares no similarities other than a fondness for braided beards, his craftsmanship is quite excellent (you can also go to him for custom equipment).

"Oh, a moldy small round shield and a few pieces of leather armor still stained with blood. If you hadn't run into me, other shops would probably reject them even if you gave them away for free. 10 gold."

In front of him, a burly man with a thick brown beard spoke in a coarse voice,

"But I can't blame you. When I was young, I also loved carrying these things back. I remember one time..."

Xia Nan followed the handbook's advice strictly, keeping his mouth shut and not saying a single word, refusing to give the man an opening to perform.

"These few arrows are well-maintained. You haven't even wiped off the neutralized poison? Add this two-handed axe to the lot... 30 gold."

"Tsk, a mace? Probably from some Bugbear, right? Those beasts wouldn't bother maintaining their weapons. 6 gold."

"Still, for someone your age, being able to hunt Bugbears is quite good. Even back in my day..."

Twenty minutes later.

*Thud.*

The door to "Hazelnut Forge" was closed gently.

Breathing in the fresh air outside, Xia Nan rubbed his somewhat stiff face and let out a long sigh of relief.

Compared to how he looked when he first emerged from the Mist Forest, he felt much lighter now.

In a single morning.

Aside from the [Deadline] ring and Elkin's two daggers—which remained tucked at his waist as they were handy for emergencies—he had not sold them.

All other loot had been processed.

Including the small pouch of coins collected from the goblin nest.

Xia Nan's total assets now reached an "astonishing" 131 gold, 5 silver, and 9 copper.

Undoubtedly, for his predecessor—a farm boy who grew up in the fields—this was a massive sum of money he had never seen before.

Looking purely at the numbers, one might not understand the significance of this wealth.

If converted into actual goods, it would be a warehouse full of flour, over a hundred goats, or more than a dozen cows.

In the village where Xia Nan lived before, this was nearly more than the assets of most entire families.

And this was merely the harvest from a single mission.

Only now, feeling the heavy weight of the hundred-plus gold coins in his backpack, did Xia Nan truly understand why, despite knowing this profession was extremely dangerous and nearly a death sentence, countless people still risked everything to plunge into this mire every year.

Of course, while these gold coins possessed immense purchasing power for ordinary goods, once they involved matters related to adventurers, they seemed to transform into an entirely different currency.

To be blunt, excluding [Deadline], his entire fortune was only enough to buy two bottles of "Healing Potion."

Xia Nan shook his head with a bitter smile, forcing down the sense of unreality and disparity filling his heart.

He opened the [Adventurer's Handbook] once more.

After rushing around all morning, perhaps he should find a place to rest and eat something.

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[White Sparrow Tavern]

Its low prices for food and drink, combined with its convenient location next to the Adventurer's Association, made it the first choice for the low-level adventurers of Valley Town.

Xia Nan had been here once before, when Magi treated him.

He remembered ordering a portion of "Grey Rat Fried Rice" and a glass of water.

However, his predecessor's mind had been entirely elsewhere at the time, and he had simply wolfed down the food to fill his stomach.

As a result, the current Xia Nan had no clear impression of the tavern's culinary standards.

"But since the handbook recommends it, it should be decent enough," he muttered to himself as he pushed open the tavern door.

*Creak—*

A thick aroma of alcohol, so rich it felt as if it could congeal, accompanied by a wave of boisterous noise, enveloped Xia Nan.

Bright streets, a warm tavern.

Just a door apart, yet it felt like entering another world.

There were young adventurers with flushed faces standing on wooden tables, brandishing unsheathed longswords while talking loudly about something; there were also grizzled, weathered middle-aged men drinking alone in the corners.

Colorful tapestries and flags, swirling smoke and copper oil lamps, long wooden tables and rough stools; maps, dice, and tankards; leather armor, robes, and hands plucking lute strings...

"The atmosphere is right."

Xia Nan finally felt a sense of reality in this different world.

The warm, soft light of the tavern and the aroma of food filling the air released the fatigue accumulated in his body over the past few days almost instantly.

His gaze swept across the hall, located the tavern owner, and began walking toward him.

(End of Chapter)