Chapter - 56

Leo pushed the doors of the Iron Oath Guild Hall open again and the rusted hinges screamed again like dying pigs announcing his exit.

He stepped out and took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the stink of sweat and expired ale from his lungs.

"God damn," he muttered, tugging at his collar, "What a bloody disappointment."

Well, it was 90% a disappointment. Mara managed to make the 10% worthwhile with the view of those big tits.

He had left Mara hanging her offer for a "private lesson" for now. Not because he wasn't interested. Hell No! She was exactly the type he would want to fuck and learn. She was thick, experienced, and the kind of woman who would take the initiative to pleasure her man.

But priorities were priorities. Pleasure later. Right now, he needed to check out the forces in town. If he were to destroy the Bastard Lord, he had to start planning his next move.

On his way out of the Iron Oath, he walked over to the Quest Board, hoping to find something worth his time.

The first parchment he saw:

[Quest: Gather 10 Goblin Teeth. Reward: 70 Silver Coins.]

He blinked, unimpressed.

Second parchment:

[Find Mrs. Piggle's Lost Monkey. Reward: 90 Bronze Coins.]

Third:

[Escort Manure Wagons to Village Fuck-a-bul. Reward: 20 Silver Coins + Meals along the way.]

Fourth:

[Collect 20 Bundles of Firewood. Reward: 20 Bronze Coins.]

Leo stared in silence.

"What in the holy goat's ass is this crap?" He thought, "What's with the level of quests in this town? Twenty bronze coins wouldn't buy a bowl of soup."

He flicked the parchments with a finger.

"Look at this, Rabies hunting, shit hauling, wood collecting. I can make more gold farting, than they do working."

Auravale truly was a dying town. Everything here seemed so broken, and worthless. How can anyone live in this trash of a place?

"Fuck this," Leo turned away, "I better check out the Merchant's Guilds. Golden Scales first."

He headed toward the Merchant District. Guided by Aiva's map, It didn't take long before he spotted the Golden Scales Trading Hall.

It stood tall at the center of the street. It must have once been glorious, now it was sad as hell.

It was three stories high, built long ago when Auravale actually had life. The golden leaf from the sign was peeling, the marble stained yellow by the rain, and the fancy dragon statues looked like constipated pigeons now. The sign creaked in the wind, hanging crooked like a drunk trying to stay upright.

Leo snorted.

"Well, aren't you a pretty casket," he said, "Must have been grand once. Now you look like a rich man's tomb."

He cracked his knuckles.

"Let's see if the bastards inside are still breathing."

Leo climbed the cracked marble steps, brushing past the doorman who looked at him with his dead, half-open eyes. He didn't even try to stop Leo, or open the door for him.

Inside was somewhat better than what was outside.

He walked up to the main counter.

Behind it stood a woman who looked seconds away from dying of boredom. Skinny as a scarecrow, cheekbones sharp enough to slice cheese, eyes dull like muddy water. Her name tag read Tilly.

Leo gave her a quick look. Flat chest, no hips, and the personality of cold porridge. Hard pass.

Tilly glanced up, her eyes rolling across him lazily, then widening a little at his face and fine leather armor. She straightened like a puppet yanked by strings and touched her hair.

"Welcome to the Golden Scales, sir," she chirped, suddenly all smiles, "Looking to buy jewels? Fancy silks? Perhaps a gift for a lady?"

She fluttered her eyelashes so hard she looked like she was trying to blow dust off the counter.

Leo leaned an elbow on the ivory, "I am not buying anything. I am here to sell."

And just like that, the smile dropped off her face. Selling meant it was going to be something cheap and worthless. It means no commission.

"Oh," she said flatly. "Well, we do buy raw materials. But our standards are very high." Her voice turned stiff and dead, like she was reading from a gravestone.

She grabbed a sheet of parchment and started listing out stuff before Leo could even open his mouth.

"If you have Goblin Teeth, that's 10 silver coins for a clean molar. 5 silver coins for a canine. Goblin ears, depending on their length, can be anything starting from 5 Silver coins."

"Wolf pelts are 50 silver coins for red , 100 silver coins for grey. But they must be skinned properly. Holes cut the price in half."

"We also take herbs, say a Bri-Grass is for 200 silver coins, Red-Root for 500 silver coins, and…"

"That's enough," Leo cut her off with a flick of his hand, "I am not here to sell you goblin ear."

"I have got some real goods."

Leo slipped a hand into his coat like he was just reaching for his coin pouch, and pulled out a small bundle, and placed it on the desk.

It was the Moon Shade Herb.

"I want a price for this," Leo said.

Tilly leaned forward, squinting. She poked a leaf with one bony finger, nose wrinkling.

"What… exactly is this, sir?" she asked politely, though her tone filled with doubt.

"You don't know what it is?" Leo asked, raising his eyebrow.

Tilly blinked. She looked at him. Then she looked back at the herb. Then let out a prim, controlled chuckle.

"Ah. I… see." Her smile was tight and fake, "I fear you may be mistaken, sir. You might think it is something good because of its purple colour. But this looks very much like a dyed weed."

"But I am sorry sir, we do not deal in garden scraps. The Golden Scales trades only in fine goods."

She slid the Moon shade herb back across the counter with two fingers, like she was pushing away a dead rat.

"Perhaps try the nursery on Mud Street. They buy… simple plants there," she added, sweet but sharp.

Leo stared at her a moment. He was not angry, but baffled at the level of stupidity before him. He breathed out a small laugh, low under his breath.

"Aiva," he thought, using the system voice, "Tell me the value of the Moon Shade herb."

[Moon-shade Herb — Rare Alchemical Reagent]

[Vital for High-Grade Mana Potions]

[Market price: The range can be anywhere between 500 to 800 gold coins to a proper mage or alchemist.]

Leo slid the herb back into his coat, shaking his head lightly.

"Gods preserve me," he murmured softly, the insult tucked behind a polite tone, "What a waste of breath."

He wanted to ask if she could call someone else, someone higher up! But before he could do so…

BOOM!

The double doors slammed open hard enough to rattle the chandeliers.

"GAMON! YOU BASTARD! GET YOUR FAT ASS OUT HERE!"

The voice was so loud that it cracked through the hall like thunder.

Tilly shrieked and vanished behind the counter. The handful of wealthy customers scrambled like chickens in a storm.

A dozen Golden Scales guards charged in from the side doors, their armour clanking and the footsteps rumbling through the hall.

Leo didn't move. He stepped back into the shade of a marble pillar and pulled a red apple he took from Seraphine before heading out.

He took a casual bite as the juice dripped down his thumb. He smirked.

"Well," he muttered around the apple, amused, "About bloody time something interesting happened."

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