Chapter 277 - 185: Acquaintance in the Shadow Cave (2)

With that, she pulled down her hood and stepped into the Teleportation Gate without a backward glance.

Seeing her attitude, Le Ti was frustrated, though he also seemed used to it. After a moment, he could only let out a resigned sigh and turn to leave.

...

Shadow Cave.

After notifying the Candlekeeper, the Storyteller returned to the Shadow Cave.

He wasn’t sitting in front of his own stall. Instead, he was making small talk with a very ugly-looking vendor whose body was covered in a hard, keratinous shell.

This vendor, covered in a dark brown carapace, was named Jama. He was one of the few vendors in the Shadow Cave who would actually talk to the Storyteller.

His attitude was clearly not as cold and hostile as the other vendors. Although he was still wary of the Storyteller, at least they could have a conversation.

Seizing this opportunity, the Storyteller bought a few items that interested him from the stall and continued to chat with him for several days, finally managing to get him to open up a bit.

What was a bit of a headache, however, was that Jama didn’t seem very good at conversation.

This wasn’t due to wariness, but rather seemed to be the result of rarely speaking to anyone his entire life.

"...So, you’re the only one who can catch the red beetles in that lake, which is why Le Ti brought you here to the Shadow Cave. Is that right?"

The Storyteller had to rack his brains to piece together what Jama was saying, finally summarizing it into that one sentence and asking tentatively.

"He wanted... a commission, and these, so... I came here."

Jama’s burly frame shifted, and he picked up a few crystalline red beetles from his stall, his voice deep and halting.

These red beetles in his hand were good stuff, called [Transformed Red Beetle]. They were also the most expensive and exclusive items at Jama’s stall.

The Storyteller had, of course, used his funds to purchase one before, bringing it back to Candle Island to have it appraised and its information checked.

And this [Transformed Red Beetle] had a very magical effect: it could give the Fire of Life to inanimate objects.

For example, if you built a sandman on a beach and put a Transformed Red Beetle inside, the sandman could potentially transform from an inanimate object into a living creature with the Fire of Life, able to move freely.

Of course, the Storyteller had tried it. The probability was very low, but it wasn’t zero.

It was precisely because Jama could collect these red beetles from the bottom of the lake that Le Ti had brought him to the Shadow Cave to do business.

"Le Ti takes a commission from you? How much?" the Storyteller asked, surprised.

"Half," Jama replied.

...

The Storyteller knew that kid Le Ti was unscrupulous, but he never thought he was *this* unscrupulous.

From what he had observed, no other vendor besides Jama was paying a commission to Le Ti, let alone a whopping fifty percent.

’He’s just picking on the honest guy, isn’t he?’

The Storyteller cursed Le Ti in his mind.

However, as much as he despised Le Ti for this, he had no intention of meddling in other people’s business.

After all, Le Ti was the one who brought Jama here. If he didn’t pay the guy his commission, Jama probably wouldn’t even be able to get into the Shadow Cave.

Besides, Jama himself didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to quite enjoy being in the Shadow Cave.

The other vendors appeared at irregular intervals, but Jama was always here for long periods.

Just as he was about to ask something else, a sudden movement at the entrance to the Shadow Cave drew the Storyteller’s attention.

"Jama, let’s talk next time."

The Storyteller wanted to go take a look, so he smiled and patted Jama’s shoulder.

Seeing the Storyteller leave, Jama finally looked up at his retreating back. Then, he silently pulled his cloak down a bit, covering the hard, ugly carapace on his shoulder...

...

"Heh heh... Relax, young man. This place is controlled by the Shadow of Deceit. No one can harm you without Lord Le Ti’s permission."

"The vendors here are a friendly bunch. They’re helpful and very enthusiastic."

"You can buy anything you want here... as long as you pay the right price."

Le Ti said to the person beside him with a sly grin.

Hearing Le Ti’s words, the Warrior in Light Armor beside him, who had faint scales at the edges of his face, nodded thoughtfully before giving Le Ti a friendly smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Le Ti."

"You’re welcome." Le Ti’s lips curled up, and after a light cough, he added, "Each time you enter, you just need to pay a small entrance fee..."

The Warrior heard this and saw no issue with it, so he nodded and prepared to take out some money.

Just then, the Storyteller’s voice rang out.

"Yo, Mr. Le Ti, when did you add an entrance fee? Do I need to pay up, too?"

The Storyteller walked over with a wide grin, teasing him.

Hearing this, Le Ti’s expression instantly darkened. But when he saw it was the Storyteller, he frowned, took a breath, and snorted coldly.

"It’s that guy’s business if he doesn’t charge you an entrance fee. It’s my business that I do. I suggest you mind your own business, Candle Spirit."

Le Ti #N said with a hostile look.

The Storyteller was taken aback for a moment, then realized this wasn’t Le Ti #2, but another Le Ti entirely. He was suddenly at a loss for words.

He had only meant to needle him a bit, not expecting that this Le Ti wasn’t *that* Le Ti.

’They all look the same, and even their way of speaking is almost identical. How is anyone supposed to tell them apart?’

Hearing the exchange between the Storyteller and Le Ti, the Warrior instantly understood the former’s good intentions. However, he had no plans to refuse payment, so he asked Le Ti how much the entrance fee was.

Seeing him so compliant, Le Ti’s expression changed again. Beaming, he quoted the ’small’ price of one small piece of Molten Slag Spiritual Material.

The Warrior clearly had no Spiritual Material and could only offer other things in trade.

The result, of course, was Le Ti ’reluctantly’ making a killing on the trade. Before leaving, he shot the Storyteller a glare.

’The developers must have been lazy and just reused the same character model.’

The Storyteller thought irritably as he watched Le Ti leave.

"Thank you for your kind intentions, sir."

After Le Ti left, the Warrior gave the Storyteller a friendly smile and a nod of thanks.

Hearing his words, the Storyteller came back to his senses. He sized up the Warrior before him and then asked,

"You’re... Ryan, the Firewood Gatherer, right?"

Hearing this, the Warrior froze, giving him a surprised look before frowning slightly.

"You are...? I’m sorry, I really can’t remember where I’ve seen you before."

he said apologetically.

"Of course you haven’t," the Storyteller said with a smile. He then prompted him directly, "The tavern in the Coastal Town Regga. My two friends met you there, remember?"

As a player deeply invested in the game’s plot, the Storyteller remembered this Firewood Gatherer NPC, who was appearing for the first time, with perfect clarity.

"You..."

After hearing what the Storyteller said, Ryan looked shocked, then spoke with pleasant surprise.

"You’re the friend of those two Heroes? Are you also a Firewood Gatherer?"

Ryan was very excited.

He thought he would never hear news of another Firewood Gatherer again, but to his surprise, he had run into one right here in the Shadow Cave.

From the looks of it, however, he was still in a stage where information was scarce and hadn’t yet entered the so-called "Fire Element Divine Hall."

"No, I’m a Candle Spirit. And so are the two friends who saved you before."

The Storyteller shook his head, telling him the truth.

Then, he glanced around and gestured for Ryan to follow him.

After they arrived at his stall, the Storyteller began to work his traditional magic, chatting amiably with Ryan while simultaneously asking for information about him and the Firewood Gatherers.

Ryan was already grateful to the two Heroes who had saved him. Now, meeting their friend, he felt a natural sense of familiarity and certainly wasn’t resistant to conversation like the other vendors.

The Storyteller asked, and he answered.

And so, the Storyteller quickly learned almost everything about his situation.

It was just as the players had discussed amongst themselves: before finding the Fire Element Divine Hall, Firewood Gatherers were truly like wandering ghosts—incredibly lonely beings.

Ryan was no exception.

However, compared to other Firewood Gatherers, Ryan seemed to be different in one way.

This difference lay in his ’Land of Awakening’...