Chapter 70: Maze Merchant
Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Maze Merchant
The group stopped in front of a towering tree.
The dead tree stood like a dark brown stone pillar in the forest, surrounded by an open, empty space.
At the base of the trunk was a massive hollow, from which a skeletal hand emerged, holding up a wooden sign that read:
"Maze rarities, priceless opportunities; three Magic Stones for a secret, seven Magic Stones for a Card; today’s special, offer won’t last."
This was clearly a Maze, yet the words on the sign were written in the common language of the Mountain and Sea Federation.
The handwriting was just scrawled, like a child’s graffiti.
"It’s a Maze Merchant!"
Xiao Yuzhe’s face lit up with surprise.
Seeing the confused looks on Zhong Shuang and the others, he quickly explained in a low voice.
Maze Merchants, like Treasure Chests, were low-probability random events. They would often sell unique items to passing Heroes, but their inventory was never the same.
Even the "merchants" themselves followed no pattern, appearing in all sorts of forms.
However, one thing was certain: their power was unfathomable. Any Hero who, driven by greed, attacked a Maze Merchant almost always met a terrible end.
Their origins were also mysterious and bizarre. Their method of creation was unknown, a puzzle that not even the Five Great Countries of the World Alliance had managed to solve.
Therefore, both the Overlook Bureau and the Hero Association advised any Heroes who entered the Maze not to act rashly or dangerously if they encountered a Maze Merchant.
It was best to treat it as a fortuitous encounter, similar to finding a Treasure Chest.
Wang Xi raised an eyebrow.
’So there are miraculous events like this in the Maze, huh?’
He quietly glanced at the tree hollow and the skeletal arm extending from it.
[Maze Merchant · Tree Hollow (Yellow/Skeleton)]
The entry was surrounded by a shimmering silver pattern.
’A true Skeleton-rank Hero!’
A chill ran down Wang Xi’s spine. ’To think someone would be reckless enough to attack a Maze Merchant...’
’But thanks to those born with a death wish, future generations have an excellent cautionary tale.’
After a brief discussion, Xiao Yuzhe and the others decided to pool their resources and buy some information from the merchant.
Everyone readily agreed.
Information was crucial, especially inside a Maze where patterns were hard to find.
"Hello, I’d like to buy a piece of information."
The young man with medium-length hair stepped forward and held his hand out toward the hollow. In his palm were three small, irregularly shaped Magic Stones.
Each was only about the size of a soybean, weighing just a few grams.
Since the merchant’s sign didn’t specify the weight of the Magic Stones, Xiao Yuzhe was cleverly testing the waters.
SWISH!
The skeletal hand flipped the wooden sign over.
On it was scrawled:
"Too little, pal. Being poor is a disease, harder to cure than cerebral palsy, and I can’t help you with that."
"..."
Xiao Yuzhe’s mouth twitched.
The others behind him were stunned. They hadn’t expected the Maze Merchant to have such a foul mouth.
Xiao Yuzhe apologized and swapped them for a different batch of prepared Magic Stones, each the size of a fava bean and weighing about 10g.
He offered them again.
The skeletal hand flipped the wooden sign over once more.
It read:
"For a customer like you, my advice is to just go die. My cheapest product is air, and you can’t even afford that."
"..."
Xiao Yuzhe took a deep breath.
The group behind him suppressed their laughter.
Meanwhile, the viewers in the livestream chat who saw this spammed the word "Roasted."
Xiao Yuzhe silently switched to another batch of Magic Stones. This time, each was the size of a longan, weighing around 30g.
SWISH!
The skeletal hand flipped the sign, and the writing on it changed from black to a piercing scarlet:
"My patience is as short as your lifespan. Haggle again, and the next item for sale will be your inheritance."
A chill ran down everyone’s spines.
Xiao Yuzhe knew the merchant’s patience had run out. If he couldn’t produce Magic Stones that satisfied it, he would likely be killed.
He looked back and exchanged glances with the others.
Immediately, Xiao Yuzhe switched to three lychee-sized Magic Stones, each weighing 100g.
This time, the skeletal hand flipped the sign over:
"What do you want to know?"
Xiao Yuzhe let out a silent sigh of relief and said:
"What is this Maze’s final Demon King, and where is it located?"
The sign flipped over with a SWISH:
"That’s two pieces of information. You’ll have to pay more."
Frustrated, Xiao Yuzhe had no choice but to take out another three Magic Stones and place them in his palm.
The merchant was, at least, true to its word. The sign flipped again, displaying the information:
"Goblin. Three kilometers northeast of the tree hollow."
Next to the crooked text, it had even thoughtfully drawn an arrow pointing the way.
Xiao Yuzhe thought for a moment, then took out three more Magic Stones and asked:
"The location of this Maze’s Card Pool."
"It will appear after you defeat the Demon King."
After displaying the information, the wooden sign retracted into the tree hollow.
The slender skeletal hand shot out and snatched all nine Magic Stones from Xiao Yuzhe’s palm.
The young man turned back to the group and nodded.
"I’ve gathered the information. If any of you want to buy a Card, feel free... I’d recommend trying your luck. There’s a chance the Maze Merchant sells rare Cards with Quality and effects far superior to those from a regular Maze Card Pool."
The group exchanged glances, some looking eager to try.
But Zhong Shuang and the other two commoners looked hesitant.
"But... that’s too expensive."
Ge Tian whispered.
"700g of Magic Stones for a random Universal Card... that’s a full seven times the price of the Card Pool..."
Just then, Lin Xin’Er, without a word, strode to the front of the tree hollow, took out seven Magic Stones, and held them out.
The next second.
The skeletal hand emerged from the hollow, pinching a tattered cloth between its fingers. From the outline, it seemed a Card was hidden underneath.
Lin Xin’Er silently took the cloth.
When she whipped the cloth away, a flash of white light appeared.
The girl scanned it with her Monitoring Wristwatch, then lowered her head and clenched her fist so tightly it cracked.
The others exchanged looks, realizing Lin Xin’Er had bought a junk Card...
Lin Xin’Er threw her head back and took a deep breath.
She took off her backpack, turned it upside down, and shook out all her remaining Magic Stones, offering them to the merchant.
Wang Xi’s eyelids twitched as he watched.
’This feels just like watching a gambling addict go all in.’
The Tree Hollow merchant’s skeletal hand took the Magic Stones and once again produced a Card covered by a tattered cloth.
Lin Xin’Er eagerly snatched it and whipped off the cloth—
Light! A blinding light!
The ghastly white color made everyone watching, both on-site and off, hold their breath.
"..."
The atmosphere fell deathly silent.
Lin Xin’Er muttered something, then scanned the Card in her hand again with her Monitoring Wristwatch.
BEEP BEEP.
Her eyes darted to the result.
Instantly, her expression twisted into a ferocious scowl.
Lin Xin’Er clenched her fists, her entire body radiating an astonishing killing intent.
"Damn! She’s tilted!"
"Looks like the Shanshan Conglomerate’s juiced-up hothead is about to lose it!"
"My poor Xin’Er! Any kind souls willing to donate Magic Stones, please send them to 1303, Building 2, Wheatfield District, Illusion Light District. I’ll pass them on for you."
"If you’re poor, earn more. If you can’t afford to lose, don’t play."
"Boring! I want to see rivers of blood!"
Seeing that Lin Xin’Er looked ready to attack, the faces of everyone present changed drastically.
’Attacking a Maze Merchant? Does she have a death wish?!’
SWOOSH—
Nagata An, Carl, Yu Jiali, and Wang Xi moved almost simultaneously, darting to Lin Xin’Er’s side and grabbing the girl’s arms.
"Calm down, Miss Xin’Er."
Nagata An comforted her in a gentle voice.
"Drawing Cards is all about luck. You didn’t get a good one this time, but you will next time."
Wang Xi held the girl’s right arm, clearly feeling her tense muscles. At the same time, the underdeveloped curves beneath her dark blue bodysuit heaved violently; she was still extremely agitated.
Clearly, Nagata An’s words weren’t working.
To prevent Lin Xin’Er from causing a disaster on impulse, Wang Xi’s mind raced, and he spoke with a light chuckle:
"Miss Lin, my luck is even worse than yours. Look, my weapon is just a White Card... I’ve always believed that it’s not the Card that’s strong, but the person who uses it."
"You’re clearly a few years younger than me, yet you can tear Maze monsters apart with your bare hands. I admire that... In my eyes, you yourself are a very rare and excellent Card."
"..."
Lin Xin’Er kept her head down, silent.
But everyone around her could feel her body relax, her agitation subsiding.
"Really?"
Lin Xin’Er asked in a small, hoarse voice.
The others silently exchanged glances, all looking at the black-haired young man, Wang Xi.
"Absolutely," Wang Xi smiled. "If I’m lying, may my next ten-pull be all white-rarity junk."
Everyone gasped.
’What a vicious oath!’
Unexpectedly, Lin Xin’Er let out a small chuckle. It was faint, but everyone nearby heard it and was stunned.
In the two days they had been together, Lin Xin’Er had always maintained a cold, icy demeanor and had never once smiled.
Now, she’d actually been amused.
"Thanks. I’m fine now."
The smile on Lin Xin’Er’s face was fleeting. She pursed her lips, shook off the others’ hands, and turned to walk away.
Seeing this, Xiao Yuzhe shot Jiang Tianjie a look.
It was as if to say, ’You should take notes.’
Yu Jiali secretly gave Wang Xi a thumbs-up, nodding with her lips pursed, her expression unreadable.
The livestream chat scrolled by:
"Whoa?! Six Gods, you’ve got some serious game!"
"Dude, I thought you were just good at eating and fighting..."
"It’s over. What girl could possibly Parry Six Gods’ moves?"
After the incident with Lin Xin’Er, no one else was willing to try their luck at the tree hollow.
The group bypassed the tree hollow and, following the information they’d obtained, headed straight northeast.
Their next goal was to defeat the final Demon King in one fell swoop and clear the Maze scenario completely.
BEEP BEEP.
Xiao Yuzhe’s Monitoring Wristwatch beeped.
He glanced at it and said:
"After all the hunting along the way, the Maze’s reality distortion has dropped by 4 points, down to 40.6%... If we can defeat the Demon King and clear the Maze, we should be able to lower it by another 5 points."
"This will significantly boost our evaluation for this assessment. Any objections?"
"Let’s just get it done."
Jiang Tianjie said with a laugh, his Long-Handled Square-headed Hammer resting on his shoulder.
"Since we chose to participate in the third round of the practical assessment, aren’t we all aiming for a higher Star Level Professional Warrior certificate? It would be too embarrassing to back down now."
Naturally, no one else objected.
Seeing this, Xiao Yuzhe smiled.
"In that case, let’s pick up the pace."
「A few moments later.」
After slaying several more waves of monsters, the group arrived at the final area where the Demon King was located.
What came into view, however, was a scene that was all too familiar to Wang Xi, causing his pupils to shrink.
Wooden stake fences, small wooden huts, and green-skinned figures.
This was...
The Guru Tribe?!