## Chapter 212: The Merchants of Lut Gholein
While I was considering whether to ask someone for directions, a series of almost inaudible crisp hammering sounds amidst the noise attracted my attention.
The rhythmic hammering pulsed like a heartbeat, vigorous and powerful, and couldn't help but remind me of Charsi from the Rogue Encampment. I wonder how that honest and lovely Barbarian girl is doing now? Is she perhaps frowning because she doesn't have good Equipment to repair?
Following the hammering sound, I quickly arrived at the Corner around the turn, a bustling Blacksmith's Shop. Before I even got close, I could already feel an astonishing heatwave rushing towards me. In this scorching hot weather, it was practically deadly. What was surprising was that, in this temperature, a woman with red curly hair reaching her shoulders, wearing a thin white shirt paired with loose long pants below, a woman around thirty years old, was actually holding a hammer high and vigorously hammering next to the incredibly hot Stove. Her Fragrant Sweat had already soaked through her top, making her exquisite Figure completely stand out.
From the rhythmic and powerful hammering sound, even I, an outsider, knew that her skill level was much better than Charsi's.
"Yo, Guest," she said, "Is there anything I can help with? Please feel free to ask."
Seeing me walk up from a distance, she put down the hammer in her hand, casually grabbed a towel to wipe off her sweat, and said to me enthusiastically.
"My Name is Fara, Fara Tia," she said. "You can call me Fara. You seem unfamiliar. Are you the Warrior who came all the way from the Rogue Encampment and defeated Andariel? That's truly remarkable."
This Blacksmith named Fara had much smoother Eloquence than Charsi. If I were truly the Adventurer who had just defeated Andariel, as she said, I would probably be feeling a bit smug by now. This is the best time for a Merchant to make a move.
However, her Name was also Fara, just like that stubborn Old Man from the Mage Guild in the Rogue Encampment. Good Heaven. Her parents lacked aesthetic sense too much, to actually give her the exact same Name as that strange Old Man.
"What do you have for sale here?" I asked with a smile, "Can I take a look?"
I nodded with a smile, accepting the compliment in her words.
"Of course," she replied, "Guest, feel free to look around."
Seeing that I didn't seem easy to fool, she didn't say anything more, but instead bowed slightly, gesturing for me to enter the shop.
This place was not as shabby as Charsi's. Inside were dozens of glittering Weapons and Armor, illuminating the entire House brightly. Unfortunately, most of them were White Items, with a few occasional Magic Equipment. Their Stats weren't particularly good either. Even so, it was clear that her skill level was more than a notch above Charsi's. Charsi didn't even have any White Items there. Of course, this was also related to the restrictions imposed by Akara and the others.
"For an Expert like you, these Weapons may not be appealing," Fara Tia said, "you might not even look at them, but they are still decent Backup Equipment. Take a look at the Stats. Those made by me are much better than Normal Weapons of the same type..."
Fara Tia introduced them one by one non-stop. Indeed, some had the "Superior" Prefix added to their Names; either Attack or Defense, or Durability, all increased by a Single Point. One White Item Hard Leather Armor even had a Socket opened on it. Fara Tia told me that this piece of Hard Leather Armor was her masterpiece, and she wouldn't sell it to just anyone. Seeing that I was tall and mighty, handsome and extraordinary, and had boundless prospects, she would give me a 25% discount, and it would only cost 3000 Gold Coin.
Good grief, if I stayed any longer, I might really be talked into a daze by her eloquent mouth, and end up buying a bunch of useless Junk. I quickly interrupted her introduction.
"Miss Tia," I said, "I'm sorry, I already have enough Backup Equipment. Moreover, I've had quite a Gain these past few days. I have some extra. I wonder if you offer selling services here?"
"Oh!? Of course," Fara Tia replied. "Hehe, I could tell at first glance, you must be a Powerful Warrior. These Weapons are completely superfluous to you."
Hearing that I didn't want to buy her Equipment, Fara Tia felt a bit disappointed. However, acquiring Weapons could also earn her a profit, so she instantly perked up, and once again showed her enthusiastic business smile.
Immediately, I took out the dozen or so pieces of Equipment I got from the Sewer all at once. Besides the Unique Ring dropped by the Death Archer Elite, the Magic Exceptional Helm from the Gloomy Bat Elite, and the Gain from Radament's place, everything else, including the White Item Scale Mail dropped by the Death Archer Elite and several pieces of Magic Equipment, as well as a large quantity of Arrow and Crossbow Bolt, all had to be sold. Although they weren't particularly good items, they were still a notch better than what Fara Tia had in her shop.
"Oh, oh, this..."
Fara Tia held each piece of Equipment in her hands, her eyes unable to take it all in. Especially the few pieces of Magic Equipment and the White Item Scale Mail, which made her even happier. One must know that the highest Level of Equipment she could craft herself was limited to Chain Mail, and the Success Rate was astonishingly low. Adventurers in Lut Gholein would certainly not sell this type of High-Level Equipment (relative to their Level). In Diablo, not only was the Drop Rate of Equipment extremely low, but the Durability Loss was also quite astonishing. An Adventurer Team of three to five members, each member had to prepare several sets of Equipment, Backup Equipment, plus Equipment with various Stats, Magic Resistance Equipment, Physical Resistance Equipment. Even a veteran Adventurer Team might not be able to gather enough. Where would they get extra Equipment to sell?
"How much for these?" I asked.
After taking out the last piece, I asked directly.
"There are two methods," Fara Tia replied while examining the Equipment. "One is for me to appraise them directly and then you sell them to me. The other is to put them up for auction here, and I'll take a 5% commission."
I thought for a moment, and finally decided to sell them directly. I still knew the approximate price of these Equipment. If I put them up for sale here, it wasn't a formal auction house, and I couldn't guarantee that Fara wouldn't play any tricks. Although I didn't care about this bit of Money, I also didn't want to be ripped off.
"For a stranger Merchant, this is indeed a wise decision," Fara Tia said. "But you will soon find out that I, Fara, am an honest and trustworthy Merchant."
Fara Tia clearly saw through my calculation. She didn't mind, as this was human nature.
"I am certainly looking forward to that," I replied with a smile.
When settling the bill, Fara Tia asked, "Guest, do you want Gold Coin, or Gem?"
"Oh, how is that calculated?" I asked.
"Gem are more popular among Adventurer transactions," she explained. "Currently, the lowest exchange rate between Gem and Gold Coin on the market is 1:1500. This price fluctuates quite a bit. If you want to exchange for Gem, I'll calculate it at a rate of 1:1500 for you."
"Then give me Gem," I said, "preferably Chipped Diamond."
I nodded. Fara didn't lie to me. It seems Tok also mentioned this rate casually when he was my Guide last time.
In the end, the dozen or so pieces of Equipment sold for a total of 450 Gold Coin. This amounted to 18.3 Gem in total. Fara gave me 450 Gold Coin and 18 Chipped Gem, including 9 Chipped Diamond. These are major Consumable items. After getting through the initial period of adjustment, Little Ghost has recently shown a tendency to become more demanding. I estimate that Chipped Diamond will become snacks for her in the future.
As for some ordinary Jewelry obtained from the Treasure Chest at Radament's place, in my opinion, the History of these Jewelry is very long, and each piece is probably worth a lot. But Fara Tia regretfully stated that she doesn't accept these items here. Because no one would come here to buy these things. After all, this is a Weapon shop.
When I walked out of the Blacksmith's Shop, I realized how incredibly stupid I was. Isn't Ryan a big Merchant? I can just give them to him to sell. However, before that, I should first leave some for Sarah, Velas, and Alice. They are the premise of everything, my most important treasures. Hmm, I should leave a few pieces for Aunt Lisa too. I used to always freeload meals at Mother-in-law's place, so I should show some appreciation.
After making up my mind, I continued to stroll around the Surroundings. The Adventurer Merchants here in Lut Gholein are very free, unlike the Rogue Encampment where they are restricted. If the Rogue Encampment were described as a 'communist' society with a large commune and communal pot system, then Lut Gholein is undoubtedly capitalism. Adventurers who can come to Lut Gholein already have a certain amount of Experience, so the Adventurer's Guild no longer restricts the Transaction between Merchants and Adventurers. However, going too far is also not allowed. For example, mass selling Rejuvenation Potion, mass crafting High-Level Golden Equipment, and so on. Of course, one must also have the Strength/Power to do so. Take Fara Tia, for example, she can only craft up to the Level of Normal Chain Mail at most.
During this time, I met a strange Old Man, whose Name was Lysander. In the scorching hot weather, he was still wearing a thick set of Clothes, leaning on an exquisite Cane with one hand, and holding a Green Crystal Ball in the other hand. His temper was quite arrogant. The first thing he said was:
"Kid," he said, "I don't trust you. You might be as cunning as that damned sly Mouse—Aegis. If you need Potion, I can make it for you. Of course, you must pay three times the price in advance. Why? Oh, Heaven, I just said it, didn't I? Because I don't trust you, and there are dozens of Adventurers ahead of you who have already placed orders..."
This Old Man's temper was truly strange. He clearly had Antidote Potion and Dissolve Potion, but he just wouldn't sell them. His only Excuse was, "I don't trust you." Good grief, I couldn't be bothered with you anyway.
After saying goodbye to this strange Old Man with a look of Helplessness, I hadn't walked far before I met another famous Magic Merchant, Drognan. According to Tok, this Drognan was also once a member of the Mage Guild, probably because he found his Aptitude/Talent was too poor, so he quickly turned to become a Merchant, and also found his true path—he actually showed good Talent in crafting Potion and Scroll. He is now the largest Potion and Scroll crafter outside the Mage Guild.
It was clear that Drognan was much better at doing business than Lysander. Seeing a customer arrive, he immediately walked up with a cheerful smile.
"Oh, esteemed Guest," he said, "you seem unfamiliar. Are you the Warrior who just defeated Andariel? I know it's not easy to defeat her, but during your Trial in Lut Gholein, you will encounter greater trouble. My Name is Drognan. Perhaps you should see what I have prepared for you respectable Adventurers."
His introduction was similar to Fara Tia's earlier, but what felt bizarre to me was, why did they all know I had just come from the Rogue Encampment? Could it be that they had memorized the Appearance of every Adventurer in Lut Gholein? That's impossible, right? What's even more bizarre is, I am currently wearing a Cloak covering my face. Where did they get the basis for saying "you seem unfamiliar"? Could it be based on Aura? What a Joke, this isn't Dragon Ball!
However, both Drognan and Fara Tia gave me a strange Feeling. I vaguely felt that they were not simple. Fara Tia was understandable; Tok also said that she was a Knight in her youth, and seemed to have gone to Kurast without complaint to receive Zakarum Paladin Training. It's just that for some unknown reason, she ended up becoming a Blacksmith here. As for this Drognan, although he claimed he could only cast Small Fireball, my Intuition told me that it couldn't be that simple.
What Drognan sells here are some Identify Scroll and Potion. As for Town Portal Scroll, because they are popular items, they still require pre-order. In addition, some Adventurers will place Equipment here for him to sell on their behalf, so you can often buy some cheap and practical Equipment from him. It's just a pity that Drognan doesn't craft Dissolve Potion and Antidote Potion. If you need these two things, you still have to go to Lysander's place and endure his strange temper.
After leaving Drognan's shop, I continued to search aimlessly for my Inn. However, my Gaze was soon attracted by a small shop.
This was a very unconventional shop. On the bustling main street, a dilapidated Wooden House that looked like it could collapse with a gust of Wind, quietly sat in a very inconspicuous Corner. Only the worn Wooden Sign swaying in the Wind above the Wooden House's door indicated that this was indeed a shop.
On the Shelf in front of the Wooden House's door were some Books and ceramics, all covered in a thick layer of Dust. What was sold inside was unknown. On a small wooden chair next to the Shelf sat an Old Man, leisurely sipping a mouthful of wine, looking like he didn't care whether you bought anything or not. And at his feet lay an Old Dog, just as old as him and shedding fur, weakly panting with its tongue out.
The inconspicuous, dilapidated shop, the Mysterious goods, the Old Man and the Dog, all of these combined, gave off a sense of Mystery and Vicissitudes, just like a super Hidden Shop in an RPG. And that Old Man, was instantly defined by me as a reclusive Expert on the same Level as a Sweeper Monk.