Chapter 24: The Trading Hall

Upon entering the small town, Mo Qianxun noticed that everyone’s eyes were fixed on her. She found this understandable; their attire was distinctly Western, and it was no wonder that someone dressed in Eastern clothing would attract such attention.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Who is it?" a woman asked, opening the door.

"Hello, may I ask if you are Ms. Elisa Zueva?"

Elisa Zueva scanned Mo Qianxun with a measuring gaze. "I am. And you are?"

"Oh, hello. My name is Mo Qianxun, and Mr. Johansen asked me to deliver something to you."

"Johansen? Isn't he in the Far North Forest?"

"Yes, this is a Blood Demon Wolf he hunted. He asked me to bring it to you." Mo Qianxun handed the creature over to Elisa.

Elisa opened the bag and, seeing the fresh carcass of the Blood Demon Wolf, could not help but frown slightly. "This body is very fresh; it looks like it has been dead for less than an hour. How did you get here from the Far North Forest so quickly?" The concealment array on the bag indeed bore Johansen’s magical signature, so there was no doubt it was from him. However, the Far North Forest was a great distance away. Even the fastest sleds could not make such a journey in such a short time.

"I apologize, but that is our secret. I cannot disclose it." Mo Qianxun maintained a professional, polite smile.

Elisa remained silent for a few seconds. She realized she had asked too much; it was the girl's private business, and since she was unwilling to share, it was best not to press further.

"Little girl, you aren't from the Kingdom of Losk, are you? Judging by your attire, it doesn't look like anything from the surrounding kingdoms either." Elisa gestured for her to come inside.

"I am a traveler from the far East, and I happened to meet Mr. Johansen by chance." Mo Qianxun surveyed the interior. The ground floor appeared to be a typical restaurant, with a few scattered patrons dining.

"That explains it. Your clothes are truly beautiful, though. Is this the traditional dress of your country? The style is certainly quite different from ours." Elisa led Mo Qianxun to the second floor.

Upon reaching the second floor, Mo Qianxun sensed something amiss. It was very quiet, and there was only one room—a very large one.

"Johansen probably didn't mention it, but I am an alchemist. If you are looking for any weapons, let me know. I can give you a discount for Johansen's sake." Elisa placed the Blood Demon Wolf on a side table.

"An alchemist?" Mo Qianxun thought of the many novels she had read. In Western magic worlds, alchemists were essentially the equivalent of artifact refiners in cultivation novels.

"Yes."

"Do you have any weapons that even ordinary people can use with magic?"

Elisa paused for two seconds, turned to look at Mo Qianxun carefully, and then had a sudden realization. "I see. No wonder I couldn't sense any magical elements on you."

"So, do you have any?"

"Of course. I am a Level 4 alchemist. However, weapons that allow ordinary people to use magic are very troublesome to craft, and the required materials are quite rare. I only have a few of them here. If you really need them, I could try to find more, but the price would be quite high."

"Ten gold coins?"

"Hahahaha! Little girl, you truly don't understand the intricacies of this. Ten gold coins would probably only buy the cheapest of the materials required." Elisa looked at Mo Qianxun with amusement.

Mo Qianxun thought for a moment and decided to change her approach. "Do you sell the materials separately? I don't need a finished product; I'll take the raw materials." If she could bring the materials back, perhaps the experts at home could study them and discover something new.

"Materials? I do have some surplus, but they are mostly scraps. If you want to purchase materials individually, you should head to the Trading Hall. The selection there is much more complete. Plus, if there is something you need that the Trading Hall doesn't have, you can post a bounty for it."

Mo Qianxun nodded; it seemed to be much like the magic worlds in novels. "May I ask where the Trading Hall is located?"

"Just head out the door and keep walking to the right; you'll see it." Elisa led Mo Qianxun toward the stairs. After a few steps, she turned back. "Has Johansen paid the commission?"

"Mr. Johansen has already paid."

"Oh my, I never expected that penny-pincher Johansen would actually pay for something himself." It was clear that Elisa knew Johansen well.

Once outside the shop, Mo Qianxun ducked into an alleyway and pulled out her phone. "008, how much longer can we stay in this world?"

[Host, the mission order is complete. You may remain in this world for one hour.]

"One hour should be enough for me to buy what I need." Mo Qianxun checked her points—150. "It seems that the big order from Sister Mei and the others really paid off. You actually gave me so many points at once."

[I didn't expect them to be so generous either.] That had been two substantial masses of energy, after all.

"Exchange for 50 gold coins."

[You got it!]

Mo Qianxun weighed the pouch of gold coins in her hand and nodded with satisfaction. "These should be enough."

Stepping out of the alley, Mo Qianxun followed Elisa's directions. After walking for about ten minutes, she finally saw a grand, magnificent building.

"This must be the Trading Hall. It's quite impressive."

She watched the people coming and going: some wore white wizard robes, others were draped in black, and some were clad in armor. None of them looked like ordinary people.

As she entered the Trading Hall, Mo Qianxun’s exotic appearance immediately drew the attention of many.

"...I really should have changed my clothes." But considering she had so little time, she decided to let it be. If they wanted to stare, let them; it wasn't like she would lose a piece of herself.

Mo Qianxun approached the counter of a middle-aged man. Seeing the various tails displayed on the counter, she was reminded of the first task in this world, where the alchemist's shop had also contained many strange tails.

"Sir, how much for this?" Mo Qianxun asked, pointing to a tail from an unidentified creature.

"Little girl, you have a sharp eye. That is a tail from a Tri-Horned Lizard, which I went to great lengths to acquire. It is the best material for refining magic potions. I won't lie to you—five gold coins. How about it?" The man held up five fingers.

The moment he quoted the price, Mo Qianxun sensed the gazes of those around her, which carried a mix of schadenfreude and disdain.

Mo Qianxun felt confident immediately. A smile played on her lips. "Sir, although I am not a local, I am not a fool. Asking for five gold coins for a single tail—isn't that a bit excessive?"

Seeing that Mo Qianxun was not falling for it, the smile on the man's face faded instantly.