BXBX NOVEL Chapter 76: The Unexpected Find
The Dawn Bazaar is one of the largest retail markets in Dawn City, providing a tremendous amount of tax revenue to the city every day. Naturally, Dawn City places great importance on it.
Jeremy\'s appearance caused a minor stir almost immediately.
The reason was simple: in Dawn City, and indeed throughout the Land of Eternal Night, the most common type of sinner was the beast-headed, human-bodied creature Jeremy had encountered along his journey.
Humans with Jeremy\'s appearance -- completely human without any trace of beastly features -- were quite rare.
To the sinners of the Land of Eternal Night, Jeremy\'s appearance had a special term: "God-Touched." It was believed that only deities bore such characteristics.
Fortunately, the Land of Eternal Night is home to countless races, each more bizarre than the last, so Jeremy didn\'t stand out too much.
Before long, Jeremy blended into the crowd, following the flow of people to the entrance of Dawn Bazaar.
After undergoing a routine inspection, he finally stepped inside.
Within the bazaar, a myriad of oddly-shaped sinners bustled about. Rows of small shops lined the streets, densely packed together.
Individual vendors also abounded, each with a simple cloth laid out on the ground, displaying a variety of goods.
"Come and see! Come and see! Rod\'s Apothecary offers beginner-level health potions and antidotes. High quality and fair prices for all!"
"Graybeard\'s Forge, taking orders for equipment forging and repairs!"
"Henry\'s Leather Shop, buying leather materials in bulk. The more you sell, the better the price!"
...
The shouts of vendors filled the air, but Jeremy remained unfazed.
He wasn\'t here for ordinary items.
First, he found a money changer and, after paying a small fee, exchanged his three purple gold coins for smaller denominations.
With a small pouch of currency, he began to wander around.
He casually bought a few beginner-level potions, then strolled through the market like a leisurely old man, occasionally glancing at the vendors\' wares.
Despite his relaxed demeanor, Jeremy\'s Eye of Omniscience was constantly at work, scanning the surroundings.
Countless notification messages flowed past his vision like a tidal wave:
[Note: An ordinary wild boar hide of low quality. Crafting it into a belt will result in a health-boosting item.]
[Note: Damaged weapon from an ancient battlefield. Smelting it will yield a blue-grade material.]
...
After a while, Jeremy\'s eyes began to strain from the constant influx of information. Rubbing his eyes, he muttered in frustration, "Not a single good find."
Glancing at the time, he realized that over two hours had passed. In just a few more minutes, Master Bard\'s two potions would be ready.
Jeremy shrugged and turned towards the exit of Dawn Bazaar.
With such a large market at his disposal, he could always return later.
As he walked, he habitually employed the Eye of Omniscience.
Just as he neared the exit, a notification popped into his view:
[Note: Soul Fruit, an extraordinary fruit. Consuming it whole will significantly enhance mental perception and attributes.]
Instantly, Jeremy\'s previously leisurely steps came to an abrupt halt.
Upon closer inspection, Jeremy saw that the so-called extraordinary fruit, the Soul Fruit, was nestled among a heap of roots and weeds on a nearby small stall.
The stall had a modest sign that read "Wade\'s Herbs."
A middle-aged man with a horse\'s head, looking utterly relaxed, lounged on a recliner behind the stall, lazily chatting with customers who paused at his stand.
Carefully examining each herb laid out by the horse-headed sinner using the Eye of Omniscience, Jeremy realized that there were indeed quite a few valuable items among the offerings.
Among them, aside from the Soul Fruit, the most valuable was an herb that appeared to be nothing more than common grass.
[White Dewgrass: Medicinal Herb. Note: A mutated variant within the White Dewgrass species, Golden Veined White Dewgrass, is a blue-grade material.]
Of course, other than the extraordinary Soul Fruit, these were just minor finds, not worth much attention.
Jeremy casually stood in front of the Sinner stall, randomly picking a few items. He selected several herbs that were deemed decent by The Eye of Omniscience, then casually placed the Soul Fruit among them.
"Boss, how much for these herbs?" he asked.
The horse-headed sinner barely glanced at the selection before saying, "Nine silver coins."
The most expensive item on the stall was worth just one silver coin at best.
Jeremy had only picked five herbs, yet the horse-headed sinner dared to ask for nine silver coins, clearly trying to swindle him.
Witnessing this, a bystander couldn\'t stay silent and questioned the horse-headed sinner, "Old Wade, isn\'t this daylight robbery? How can these herbs be worth nine silver coins?"
The horse-headed sinner snorted, glaring with his large eyes, and retorted, "These are my goods. I can price them however I want! It\'s none of your business!"
The deer-headed sinner, who had spoken up, was immediately incensed. "You beast! You\'re scamming people! It\'s sellers like you that ruin the reputation of Dawn Bazaar!"
He then reached out to Jeremy, saying, "Young man, come with me. This old guy is cheating you. I\'ll take you to a better place!"
The horse-headed sinner immediately grew anxious. He had seen that Jeremy had already shown some interest and was clearly about to take out his money! But now, with this deer-headed sinner causing a commotion, the business deal was definitely falling apart.
Just as the horse-headed sinner was about to angrily berate the deer-headed sinner, Jeremy suddenly raised a hand, stepping between the two.
Without a word, Jeremy pulled out nine silver coins from his pouch and handed them to the horse-headed sinner. "Nine silver coins it is. I\'ll take these."
He tossed the coins to the horse-headed sinner.
Immediately burst into laughter, catching the coins with a triumphant look at the deer-headed sinner.
The deer-headed sinner was stunned, unable to believe someone would willingly be cheated.
With a broad smile, the horse-headed sinner said to Jeremy, "Thank you for your business! Come again!"
Yet beneath that smile was a hint of contempt, as if to say, "Spending so much on these worthless items? What a fool."
The deer-headed sinner opened his mouth to speak, but Jeremy stopped him, effectively ending the conversation.
Casually tossing the other herbs, excluding the Soul Fruit, to the deer-headed sinner, Jeremy remarked, "It\'s just a purchase, no big deal. Consider these a gift."
Without lingering, Jeremy strode away.
The deer-headed sinner watched Jeremy\'s departing figure, words caught in his throat.
The horse-headed sinner, his face contorted in a mocking grin, sneered at the deer-headed sinner, "Ha! Look at you, always sticking your nose where it doesn\'t belong. He didn\'t even appreciate it!"
The deer-headed sinner shook his head, on the verge of retorting, when he noticed a faint golden glimmer among the herbs Jeremy had handed him.
Startled, he quickly brought the herbs closer for a more detailed inspection.
As Jeremy was nearly out of Dawn Bazaar, the deer-headed sinner\'s voice, filled with excitement, echoed behind him, "Blue-grade material... Golden Veined White Dewgrass!"
The onlookers, who had witnessed the entire scene, began to clap, with one of them even exclaiming, "Good deeds are always rewarded!"
The horse-headed sinner stared in disbelief at the herb in the deer-headed sinner\'s hand, his expression one of utter shock.
...
After exiting Dawn Bazaar, Jeremy didn\'t head back to the inn. Instead, he made his way directly to Master Bard\'s apothecary.
His timing was impeccable. He arrived exactly three hours later.
Pushing open the creaky door, Jeremy navigated through the cramped, cluttered rooms until he reached Master Bard\'s alchemy chamber.
From a distance, he could already catch a whiff of the medicinal aroma.
As Jeremy opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of the diminutive Master Bard, who lay sprawled on the floor in a disheveled state, his graying hair and beard drenched in sweat.
Not far from the collapsed Master Bard, a blue and a red potion sat quietly on the table.
Almost instinctively, Jeremy employed The Eye of Omniscience on the two potions.
[High-Level Antidote]
[Grade: Advanced]
[Quality: Purple (Rare)]
[Description: A high-level antidote crafted by Master Alchemist Bard using the desert worm\'s innards as the main ingredient. It can neutralize most toxins and permanently increase poison resistance by 50 points.]
[Requiem of Life]
[Grade: Extraordinary]
[Quality: Gold (Precious)]
[Description: Crafted by Master Alchemist Bard using the tyrant\'s heart as the main ingredient, this potion ensures that for one hour after consumption, no matter the damage taken, the user will retain 1 point of health.]
Although Jeremy had already foreseen the outcome, the sight of the two potions before him filled him with an uncontrollable surge of excitement.
Following Bard\'s subtle gesture, Jeremy meticulously secured the potions and, with a composed demeanor, turned to depart.