Chapter 373: Chapter 203: Maid Outfits Are the Soul

Fortunately, the Frost Cold Robe he wore and the Bronze Level Adventurer badge he’d deliberately pinned to his chest had the desired effect.

A moment later, a staff member trotted up to him. "Esteemed customer, how may I help you?"

’So they have VIP treatment?’

Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief. ’It really pays to be powerful. You get special treatment in so many ways.’

"I’d like to buy a good bow."

"A bow?"

The staff member was visibly stunned for a moment, discreetly sizing Lin Mo up.

After all, he was wearing a Mage Robe and looked every bit the part of a Mage.

’Why would a Mage Professional want to buy a bow?’

But that was clearly not a question he was in a position to ask. Without hesitation, he nodded and said, "Of course. Please, follow me."

He then led Lin Mo to the third floor of the shop.

Unlike the floors below, where goods were displayed in counters for customers to browse, this was a spacious private lounge furnished with plush sofas and tea service.

Lin Mo sat on a sofa and waited for a moment before a young girl approached, pushing a small cart.

The cart was draped with a fine red cloth. The girl lifted it, revealing several bows beneath.

"Sir, here is what you requested. Please see if any of them are to your liking."

’Quite the presentation. They certainly know how to make a customer feel important.’

’This was one of the hallmarks of a high-end shop. How else could they justify their exorbitant prices?’

Lin Mo took a closer look. There were five bows laid out before him.

Two of them were Superior Level. Although their craftsmanship was exquisite, making them look like top-tier items among Superior Level bows, they were still only Superior Level, so he immediately disregarded them.

The other three bows were all of Blue Excellent Level quality.

One green, one black, and one brown.

Lin Mo examined them one by one.

The first one, the green bow, was named the Hurricane Bow.

[Hurricane Bow]

Weapon Type: Bow

Grade: Excellent (Blue)

Attributes: Durability +60%, Sturdiness +20%, Range +20%

Hidden Attribute: Wind-Piercer III: Fired arrows ignore wind resistance and maintain their maximum velocity for a longer duration.

Equipment Amplification: Hurricane III: Grants 4 bonus Agility while shooting. Fired arrows are shrouded in wind, dealing an additional 20% Wind Element damage.

’Not bad!’

Lin Mo’s eyes lit up, and he raised an eyebrow.

The bow’s additional 20% range was already a significant boost.

Moreover, the ability to ignore wind resistance would drastically improve his accuracy.

This feature was especially useful for a novice like Lin Mo.

An arrow’s velocity naturally decreases after being fired, but this bow extended the duration of its maximum speed—another attribute that would greatly benefit his accuracy.

The final Equipment Amplification was equally impressive. While 4 points of Agility was on the low side for equipment of this level, it came with the extra effect of 20% Wind Element damage.

For a Lower Excellent Level piece of equipment, this bow was quite good—far better than Lin Mo had expected.

After all, he’d heard rumors that the shop’s resident Blacksmith had only just reached High Level, and that most of the Excellent Level equipment he forged was mediocre at best.

Seeing his gaze linger on the bow, the girl beside him immediately began her introduction. "Our shop acquired this bow a while ago. It’s crafted from the materials of a Lord Level Demon, the Hurricane Eagle, and contains powerful Wind Elemental Strength. Its current price is 1,300 Gold Coins."

"However, to celebrate Silver Stream City’s recent successful defense against the Goblin siege, the shop is holding a special promotion. This bow happens to be included, so it’s 20% off, for a price of only 1,040 Gold Coins. Plus, it comes with a bonus of 10,000 finely crafted arrows, each valued at 0.2 Silver Coins!"

’Seriously? What kind of arrow is worth 0.2 Silver Coins?’

Lin Mo couldn’t help but smirk. Although he didn’t use bows often, he had a good grasp of market prices. Normal arrows were quite cheap. Only arrows made from special materials—like Demon bones, wood from graded trees grown by a Planting Master, or those imbued with Magic Power through an Alchemist’s Enchantment—were expensive.

You could buy five of the cheapest, most common kind for a single Copper Coin. Even top-of-the-line, finely crafted normal arrows only cost 5 to 10 Copper Coins each.

Anything over 10 Copper Coins was usually just tarted up with some flashy, so-called "conceptual" design that had no real practical use.

’If these arrows are really worth 20 Copper Coins each, I’ll eat them. At most, they’re worth 10 Copper Coins. Ten thousand of them cost 10 Gold Coins, tops.’

’And the bow’s value... 1,300 Gold Coins is definitely an inflated price. At most, it’s worth around 1,050. The so-called 1,300 was probably just a temporary price hike they implemented right before the "promotion," wasn’t it?’

’After all that song and dance, it only amounts to a 20 Gold Coin discount, but they sure created a lot of hype around it.’

’No wonder they’re the biggest shop in Silver Stream City...’

’Their marketing tactics are just one scheme after another. It’s all part of the playbook.’

Lin Mo shook his head. He had no intention of calling them out on it and simply continued to examine the other items.

The other two bows were decent enough, but they paled in comparison to the first one.

So he asked, "Can you go any lower on the price for this bow?"

"I’m sorry, sir, but we have a no-haggling policy."

"Not at all?"

The young girl put on a troubled expression. "I’m truly sorry, I don’t have the authority to make that decision. How about I go ask my supervisor for you?"

"Please do, thank you."

Lin Mo nodded.

He wasn’t short on cash, but he wasn’t a sucker, either. If he could haggle, he was going to haggle.

The girl bowed and left the room. A moment later, she returned with a well-dressed, middle-aged man.

"Hello, sir."

The man walked in and shook hands with Lin Mo. "I hear you’re interested in this bow..."

"I am. But can’t you do any better on the price?"

"Well... this bow is part of our current promotion. The price is already quite favorable."

The man also put on a troubled expression.

’Keep up the act. Just keep it up.’

Lin Mo smirked. "Let’s just be frank. This bow’s value, even if sold through the Association, would be around 1,100 Gold Coins. With their standard 5% discount, that comes out to 1,045. You’re selling it for 1,040. Is that really supposed to be a great deal?"

The man’s expression shifted as he glanced at Lin Mo’s Mage Robe and the emblem on his chest.

He considered for a moment, then quickly replied, "Alright, how about this? I’ll take it upon myself to lower the price by another 20 Gold Coins. Consider it a gesture of friendship."

"One thousand."

Lin Mo held up one finger. "There aren’t many people in this city who need this particular bow. And as you can see, I’m not of the Ranger Profession, so my need for it isn’t that great. I’ll offer 1,000 Gold Coins. Take it or leave it."

With that, he made a show of getting up to leave.

"Please, wait..."

Sure enough, the man grew anxious. He quickly moved to stop Lin Mo, his eyes darting to the badge on his chest again.

’A powerful individual like this has immense spending power. If he leaves dissatisfied this time, he might never come back. That would mean losing a major potential client.’

’Besides, at 1,000 Gold Coins, there’s still a decent profit margin.’

"Alright then!"

He gritted his teeth, patted his chest, and put on a grand display of magnanimity. "Fine! I’ll cover the remaining 20 Gold Coins out of my own pocket. One thousand Gold Coins. The bow is yours."

Lin Mo shot him a cool glance.

’Gotta admit, his acting is top-notch. Very convincing...’

’Someone who didn’t know better might actually be fooled by this act of his.’

Lin Mo couldn’t be bothered to bicker with these actors any longer. He paid the money and left with the bow and its complimentary arrows.

Thanks to his Ring of Space, he didn’t have to worry about storing or transporting 10,000 arrows; he just tossed them all inside.

Leaving the shop, Lin Mo continued on toward the auction house.

’After spending so much money, it’s time to recoup some of my losses. It’s been a while; the two Skill Scrolls I consigned to the auction should have sold by now...’

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