Chapter 72 - 71: Bremen City

Chapter 72: Chapter 71: Bremen City

The caravan members finally reacted, exchanging glances in stunned silence. Nobody could utter a single word for a moment.

No one expected that this teenage boy, who looked like he was heading to a big city to seek refuge with rich relatives, was actually a Mage.

Furthermore, judging by the Magic Gao Degang had just cast, he was clearly not one of those tenderfoot apprentices who only knew how to use Mage’s Hand to pour water.

"Check on Kailo and Kuri’s injuries," the caravan leader finally spoke, dismissing the crowd. He then walked toward Gaode alone and expressed his gratitude. "Mr. Mage, thank you for your help."

"Since we are traveling together, it is only natural to look out for one another," Gaode replied with reserve. It was an unspoken rule that fellow travelers should help each other, and there was no exception just because he was a Mage.

"Mr. Mage, according to custom, the Earthworm’s corpse is your trophy," the caravan leader said with utmost respect.

Gaode glanced at the massive Earthworm corpse and thought for a moment before saying, "I cannot take it with me, nor do I want to bother processing it. How about I sell it to you at a discount? The price difference can be your well-deserved compensation."

"Mr. Mage, just call me Jose," the leader nodded. "I would, by Nature, be more than happy to accept your offer.

"The corpse of a 0th Ring Earth Vein Creature is generally worth between 20 and 25 Gold Coins, depending on which parts are deemed valuable.

"If it is an edible Earth Vein Creature, its value goes up another level.

"However, the meat of an Earthworm is sour, rotten, and inedible. The only valuable parts are its carapace and the acid gland inside its body." Jose paused, a relieved expression appearing on his face. "Under normal circumstances, an Earthworm sprays the acid from its gland when it encounters danger.

"Given the corrosive nature of the acid, unless a Mage intervenes, ordinary folks like us would suffer heavy casualties.

"Fortunately, it flipped over this time and was killed before it could even spray its acid."

Gaode could not help but lament his own lack of knowledge once again. As a Mage, his understanding of Earth Vein Creatures was far inferior to that of an ordinary person like Jose.

Jose continued, "Since we are not professionals, we cannot process the Earthworm corpse to extract the useful materials. Therefore, we can only haul it to a store in the city to sell.

"The purchase price offered by stores is usually half of its actual value.

"Let’s assume this Earthworm corpse is worth 22 Gold Coins. It might be a little less or a little more depending on the market, but the difference generally won’t exceed 2 Gold Coins.

"Based on this calculation, the store would likely offer about 11 Gold Coins for it."

Gaode nodded slightly, knowing that Jose was telling the truth and not trying to swindle him.

Halving the purchase price might seem like a complete rip-off at first glance, but it was actually perfectly reasonable. When buying non-mass-produced items like the corpses of Earth Vein Creatures, cutting the price in half was a fundamental principle because the purchase carried risks. Although the corpse was valuable, it only counted as real money once it was sold.

Non-mass-produced items were not essential goods, meaning there wasn’t necessarily a guaranteed buyer. Even if it was worth a lot, the merchants could not guarantee when they would be able to offload it. Every day it remained unsold was another day it tied up the merchant’s liquid capital. Therefore, without a fifty percent profit margin, merchants simply wouldn’t do it. To offload it quickly, one had to bear the pain of a low-price disposal.

"For just 6 Gold Coins, the whole thing is yours," Gaode smiled.

"Killing this Earthworm was not my effort alone, and some of your men were injured. Besides, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be able to haul the corpse back anyway. This is your well-deserved reward," he explained.

Jose met Gaode’s gaze and said sincerely, "Thank you for your generosity."

The Earthworm attack was a minor interlude on their journey. The two drivers who had been swatted away by the Earthworm’s tail suffered quite a bit. They had sustained fractures from the fall and would likely need a long time to recover.

As for Gaode, the encounter yielded pure rewards. He happily gained 6 Gold Coins, along with an [Earthworm] addition to his panel.

Origin: 0th Ring — Earthworm (1/7).

Because it had gone so smoothly, he was even somewhat looking forward to encountering another Earthworm or two along the way. However, facts proved that the main road was relatively safe. This was the only accident that occurred during their entire trip.

One day later, at noon on the second day.

The trees gradually became sparser, and traces of human activity began to appear. Upon reaching this point, they had essentially left the forest. The tense atmosphere within the caravan finally relaxed, and the members grew lively. They started chatting and laughing, envisioning scenes of reuniting with their families.

Vast stretches of farmland gradually appeared on both sides of the road. These were the villages and towns surrounding Bremen. The farmers working in the fields instinctively glanced over when they saw a caravan passing on the main road. Upon spotting the Earthworm corpse loaded on the cart, expressions of awe appeared on their faces.

The main road widened and grew bustling. After traveling for another long while, the caravan carrying the Earthworm corpse finally neared their destination: Bremen.

As the largest city in the Bremen region, it was situated beside the area’s largest lake, Deep Flow Lake. With Deep Flow Lake as the axis, the Water Series extended in all directions, providing access to most cities in the developed regions of Bremen. Water transport was, after all, the most convenient mode of travel.

It was precisely because of this excellent geographical location that Bremen had become the number one city in the region. By comparison, the backwardness and poverty of Hogan City, which had no waterways at all, was completely understandable.

Under the afternoon sun, golden light sparkled across the lake like shimmering fish scales. The massive city of Bremen stood proudly by the lake. Its towering walls were built of ancient gray stone, and the top of the ramparts was lined with a neat, staggered array of towers and Magic Crystal Lamps. The majestic city gates were engraved with complex Runes.

"We’re here!" cheers rang out from within the caravan.

"Let’s go, into the city!" Jose, the leader, laughed heartily.

Seeing Bremen right before their eyes, Gaode surprisingly hopped down from the carriage. Gru, who was driving, froze for a moment and looked at Gaode in confusion.

"Thank you for looking after me along the way," Gaode said.

"You’re not entering the city with us?" Gru asked, taken aback.

"No," Gaode waved his hand.

Entering the city with so many people, especially with an Earthworm corpse loaded on the cart, would easily attract attention. This was not what Gaode intended. Not to mention, there were too many prying eyes, and he had already revealed his Flaming Arrow Magic just yesterday. When traveling abroad, maintaining a degree of wariness toward others was an absolute necessity.

To avoid potential trouble as much as possible, Gaode opted for the safest way to enter the city. He would wait for the caravan to enter first before heading in alone. His departure was swift and decisive.

Watching his retreating back, the crowd merely sighed, knowing that having even a brief crossing of paths with an existence like a Mage was already a stroke of pure coincidence. To them, Gaode was ultimately just an extraordinary passerby. Since they had parted ways, they thought no more of it.

Under the gazes of many commoners at the city gates, the caravan slowly drove into Bremen.