Chapter 266 180: Luo Di and Intelligence (Part 2)

"Someone lit a Signal Wax! I'm on my way~"

"..."

The chat channel instantly burst with activity.

At that moment, many players discovered that helping other players was the most profitable thing to do!

Although Signal Wax was a bit pricey, Candle Charcoal was relatively cheap. If a player encountered a Firewood Thief calling for backup, they could go over and help, earning War Contribution as well!

Even though their Power would be reduced and the difficulty would skyrocket, the upside was that there was little risk. Dying wouldn't affect them personally, and if they won, they'd make a huge profit in War Contribution!

For a moment, many players grew excited.

...

「Shadow Cave.」

In front of the Shadow of Deceit's small stall, Storyteller stroked his chin with one hand while picking through the items on display with the other.

[Unknown] [Unknown] [Unknown]...

Without the help of his Spirit Candle Power, Storyteller could stare for ages and only see a string of "Unknowns." He couldn't get any specific information about the items, nor could he tell if they were good or bad.

'As the saying goes, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.' He hadn't thought much of it when looking at weapons and equipment before, but now that he was in the Shadow Cave, he could truly feel how important "information" was.

No wonder the Shadow of Deceit was selling it.

"Stop touching everything. You're going to rub the finish off."

The sudden voice interrupted Storyteller's movements. The speaker sounded impatient.

"Are you going to buy something or not?"

The speaker was a woman with a fiery figure, wrapped in a cloak. 'Of course... it'd be better if she didn't look so much like Le Ti.'

This merchant, who managed the Shadow of Deceit's stall, was named Luo Di. She was also the manager of the entire Shadow Cave.

When Storyteller first arrived, she had been quite enthusiastic, energetically promoting all sorts of fine goods.

But... after Storyteller had spent nearly twenty or thirty minutes browsing, her enthusiasm gradually wore away.

'This guy not only touches everything, he's a real chatterbox!'

'What kind of weirdo did that Le Ti bring to my doorstep?'

"I'm definitely going to buy something, but that depends on the situation..."

"And as for the situation, well, we must focus on the present moment..."

"It's not that I'm not buying, it's just that I can't make such a rash and irresponsible decision..."

In response to Luo Di's questioning, Storyteller put his special talent to use and began spouting nonsense.

Meanwhile, his attention was focused on the goods laid out on the stall, though his eyes would occasionally dart toward Luo Di's lower body.

Of course, don't get the wrong idea. His target certainly wasn't her long, leather-boot-clad legs, but the merchandise next to them.

"..." Luo Di's teeth ground together with a GRIND.

Seemingly noticing that she was about to get angry, Storyteller gave a light cough and spoke with a smile.

"Ms. Luo Di, I need to buy information about the Firewood Thieves. You sell that here, right?"

"...We do." Seeing him finally get to the point, Luo Di's expression softened slightly, but she still had a sullen look on her face as she snorted coldly. "That depends on what kind you want. Basic or detailed? Cheap or expensive..."

Hearing this, Storyteller suddenly became a little curious. "How do you measure the value of information?"

At this, Luo Di suddenly flashed a brilliant smile and held out her hand to him.

"This piece of information costs three small pieces of Residual Ash Spiritual Material. Interested?"

Storyteller: "..."

'She's a real money-grubber.'

'If she didn't charge for the basic information on every single item at the stall, I wouldn't have spent so long picking through everything...'

Storyteller shrugged, took out the Spiritual Material, and handed it to her.

Seeing his expression, Luo Di felt a lot better.

'Go ahead and touch everything! I'm going to fleece you!'

After taking the Spiritual Material, Luo Di took out a blackish-purple metal rod with a hook on one end.

"This is a Measuring Iron Hook. You write the intelligence or information on a piece of paper and hang it on here. It will then give an indication, and that's how the value of the information is determined."

Luo Di explained in a very perfunctory tone.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Storyteller took a deep breath.

'Just that one sentence cost me three small pieces of Residual Ash Spiritual Material... What a fucking ripoff!'

However, compared to that, he was more concerned about another problem.

"This thing of yours... does it really have any credibility? Do other people who come here believe you?"

Storyteller was a bit surprised. All the other stall owners he had seen were extremely taciturn, showing no desire to communicate with anyone.

So how did the Shadow of Deceit convince them?

Hearing this, Luo Di pulled over a nearby chair, sat down, crossed her legs, and spoke lazily.

"Normally, the answer to that question would cost you... but seeing as you just paid up, I'll be merciful and tell you."

"Different pieces of intelligence get different indications, which is how their value is reflected. The people who weigh their information mostly know what their own intel is worth anyway."

"Besides..."

At this point, Luo Di turned her head and gave him a slightly contemptuous look.

"If they don't trust it, they can just not sell, can't they?"

Storyteller: "..."

'She has a point.'

'It's true. If I think about it from their perspective, it makes sense. If I were one of these stall owners, even if I were selling intelligence, I would never sell my most important secrets.'

'And the fact that all these stall owners are so tight-lipped is probably related to that too.'

'Loose lips sink ships. The more you talk, the more likely you are to reveal something unintentionally and suffer a loss for nothing...'

"..." Storyteller took another deep breath and brought the topic back to his original goal. "Alright, list all the intelligence you have on the Firewood Thieves, and any information about the world. Let me see it."

"One small piece of Ember Spiritual Material for a consultation fee. Then I can introduce the basics to you. Otherwise, you can pick them out yourself," Luo Di said, her face all smiles.

"..."

"Here!"

After paying the consultation fee, Luo Di let out a sly chuckle right in front of Storyteller and began to introduce the scroll-like pieces of intelligence, each made of a different material.

...

「Some time later.」

Luo Ge took out the Scrolls that Storyteller had given him and began to read them one by one.

Noxia watched intently by his side, while Burton Mage also perused them carefully.

...

[Intelligence: The Burning War]

[Content: Phew... After dying quite a few times, I finally managed to scratch the surface. This is a war so terrifying it's beyond imagination...]

...

[Intelligence: The Shattering of the World]

[Content: The once-burning world has shattered, like an extinguished flame. The Fire of Life struggles to burn. Beyond the borders of darkness, time and space are hopelessly entangled...]

...

[Intelligence: The Ocean's Elegy]

[Content: Before the shattering, there were no tsunamis, no storms, only the sound of a mournful sea breeze... Perhaps that ocean knows something...]

...

[Intelligence: The Snowvera Masked Men - Synopsis]

[Content: The masked men encountered in the far northern land of Snowvilla are hostile to strangers... Their tin-can heads must be filled with rotten fish carcasses. Hmm... They seem to enjoy hunting those naive fellows and have created things for that purpose. Fortunately, their leader still retains a spark of the Fire of Wisdom.]

...

[Intelligence: The Wandering Fire]

[Content: Whether born from death, reborn before being extinguished, or perhaps something that should never have existed... In any case, they began to burn, becoming the Wandering Fire in the darkness...]

...

[Intelligence: The Firewood Gatherers]

[Content: Hmm... A group of fellows so naive it makes you want to cry. They were actually willing to risk their lives to help me kill that monster... Very useful! I highly recommend using them more often!]

...

[Intelligence: The Shadow of Deceit]

[Content: Dammit, they're such an elusive and impressively dashing group of people. They have everything dancing in the palm of their hands. Oh... Let us offer them praise. All hail Le Ti.]

...

[Intelligence: The Candle Spirits]

[Content: Encountered in Regga Town... Are they like that group of simpletons? No, no, no... Their behavior is too bizarre. Why are they licking the floor...? For the Horde? Demacia? What does that even mean? Hmm... This might have something to do with their origins...]

...

"..."

Luo Ge closed the intelligence Scroll in his hand.

This time, Storyteller had brought back a good deal of useful information for him from the Shadow Cave.

Although the price had been steep, thankfully, it had all been worth it.

Of course, the intelligence above wasn't all that the Shadow Cave had to offer; it was only a fraction. Luo Di still had much more, and much more expensive, intelligence for sale.

But whether that intelligence was actually worth the price was another question entirely...

"The Burning War..." Burton closed his eyes, as if he had made a connection to something.

"Mr. Luo Ge, was there any intelligence about the Fire Element Divine Hall?" Noxia asked.

Luo Ge shook his head slightly. The Shadow of Deceit might have had the answer to that question, but the fact that Luo Di wasn't selling it spoke volumes...