Chapter 25: Purchasing Materials

"Young lady, that is not how you put it. I went to great lengths to acquire this triangular lizard tail. Look, my hand is even scratched—how can you say this tail isn't worth five gold coins?" The middle-aged man held out his hand, displaying three clear, superficial claw marks.

Mo Qianxun glanced at the scratches and the corner of her mouth twitched. "Sir, if you had waited even a little longer, the wounds would have healed on their own." Having said that, she turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, wait a moment, young lady! How about this? I’ll take a loss and let it go for three gold coins, how about that?" He had been struggling to offload this useless item and certainly wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.

Mo Qianxun looked at the tail once more before ultimately shaking her head. "Sir, I’ll look around elsewhere. If I truly cannot find what I need, I will come back to buy it from you."

Watching Mo Qianxun walk to the neighboring stall, the man snorted and sat back down to fiddle with his wares.

This time, Mo Qianxun did not show specific interest in any single item, merely glancing here and there with an indecisive air.

The stall owner, a young man, chuckled at her troubled expression. "Beautiful lady, if you’d like to tell me what kind of materials you are looking to craft with, I would be happy to offer some advice."

Mo Qianxun looked at the man. He was quite young, with a scar at the corner of his eye that added a touch of ferocity to his otherwise handsome features.

"I’m not entirely sure what I want to make yet. I’m just browsing; if I see something I like, I’ll buy it." Mo Qianxun continued to scan the items on the table. There were unidentified claws, bizarre skulls, and various parts from unknown creatures.

"I see. Allow me to introduce these to you. This is a dragon’s claw; I received it as a gift from someone I helped while they were slaying a dragon. This is the head of a blood-eye rabbit; consuming its third eye is said to restore one's youth. And this..." The man explained each item on his table one by one.

At that moment, the man from the previous stall scoffed. "Tell me, Reynaud, why bother saying so much? Look at her—she doesn't have any money on her. Wasting your breath like this is pointless."

Mo Qianxun cast a confused glance at him. "Say, sir, are you acting out because I didn't buy your goods, and now you’ve resorted to disparaging me?"

"Acting out? How could I be acting out? I’m just kindly warning him not to be played for a fool," the man replied, though he wouldn't dare admit his true motive.

"Gus, I disagree. Even if this lady doesn't buy my items, I lose nothing. Why would I be fooled? Perhaps the lady was right—because she didn't buy your goods, you’ve started to sling mud at her." Reynaud’s face remained expressionless, his tone icy. Coupled with the scar on his face, he looked quite formidable.

"Reynaud, you... fine, fine! Since you want to side with her, I’ll keep my mouth shut. I’d like to see if she actually buys anything from you after you’ve defended her so zealously," Gus snorted angrily.

Mo Qianxun inquired about the prices of the items and confirmed they were within her budget. Furthermore, when Reynaud quoted the prices, the expressions of the onlookers remained neutral, suggesting that Reynaud was a fair merchant.

"This, this, and this," Mo Qianxun pointed to the three most expensive items, then continued, "I don't want these three, but bag up everything else for me. I didn't bring enough gold coins today, so please set these three aside; I’ll come back to buy them once I have enough." How refreshing! No wonder arrogant CEOs love saying things like this; this feeling of being wealthy is simply marvelous.

Reynaud’s eyes lit up instantly. "Very well, I shall pack them up for you immediately." He pulled out a bag and loaded it with the items Mo Qianxun had selected. Within two breaths, the once-cluttered table was left with only three items.

"The total is 45 gold coins and 30 silver coins. Don't worry about the silver; let's consider it a gesture of friendship." *Wonderful, I finally have enough for Mother's medicine.*

Mo Qianxun took out her coin purse and emptied it, setting aside five gold coins. She looked at the stunned Gus and smiled. "Please count it; there should be 45 gold coins here."

"Very well." Reynaud counted as he collected them. Once the final coin was tucked away, he smiled. "Exactly 45 gold coins. Correct."

Mo Qianxun picked up the bag and waved it at Gus. "Sorry, sir, but I’ve bought them."

Gus: *Damn it...* If only he hadn't been so greedy, those 45 gold coins might have been his.

Reynaud placed the dragon claw from the remaining three items into the bag, leaving the other two on the table. "The dragon claw is quite rare, so I’ll hold onto it for you. As for these other two, they will spoil if left too long, but rest assured, I will have fresh ones ready for you."

"Good, thank you very much. Reynaud, is it? Nice to meet you, I’m Mo Qianxun. You can call me Qianxun." Mo Qianxun politely extended her hand.

Reynaud was stunned for a moment before shaking her hand. "Qianxun? I never expected that not only would your attire be different from ours, but your name would be as well."

"Ah, haha, I come from the distant East. Our cultures differ, so my clothing and name are a bit unique."

"The distant East... then your country must be a truly beautiful place. The clothes you wear are lovely."

"Thank you."

After leaving the trade hall, Mo Qianxun felt as though she were being followed.

"008, what’s the situation behind me?"

[Host, there are three men trailing you. Judging by their attire, they are dark wizards—dressed in black from head to toe. They must have been drawn by you flashing your wealth in the trade hall.]

"But I only have five gold coins left on me now."

[You have five coins, yes, but you also have the goods you bought from Reynaud. If they snatch those and resell them, they’ll make a profit. They likely saw you were alone, a young girl, and devoid of any magical aura, so they decided to target you.]

Mo Qianxun: *Damn... so ordinary people are easy targets.*

Mo Qianxun took a series of winding turns and ducked into a narrow alleyway. Facing the dead end, she chuckled. "008, let’s head back."

[Understood, Host.]

The three dark wizards reached the spot where Mo Qianxun had vanished. Staring at the dead end, their expressions turned grim.

"How is this possible? We saw her turn in here just a moment ago. Where did she go?"