BXBX NOVEL Chapter 346 - Graveyard Village
Valitin Graveyard Village was surrounded by dilapidated tombstones, the words engraved on them having long since become unrecognizable. The earth was littered with the bones of the dead. The village was enclosed by wooden fencing and contained only around a dozen buildings, the most conspicuous of which being the lighthouse. However, its foundation was slowly sinking into the ground, and even appeared to be on the brink of collapsing.
The graveyard surrounding Valitin was its most effective defense against attackers. With a nearly inexhaustible supply of corpses, NPCs could summon an army of skeleton soldiers whenever a battle broke out. This was why Valitin didn’t require walls.
Near the outskirts of the village, Nie Yan put on some black garbs and covered his face with a cloak. He used the Necklace of Deception to alter his alignment to the Evil Faction and drank a Potion of Illusion concocted by Bird to change his appearance.
The Necklace of Deception’s effect lasted for 3 hours. Only certain special skills could see through it.
In towns and cities, no one would randomly use an eye skill to inspect another player.
Nie Yan was also a madman. Very few people would dare to do what he was doing right now.
Of course, Nie Yan wasn’t a reckless fool. He hid an Unknown Transfer scroll in his pocket, so he could teleport away at a moment’s notice if he was recognized by an NPC.
A Necromancer and a Dark Incantist passed by Nie Yan on the road. They glanced at him for a moment before turning away with disinterest.
Little did they know that Nie Yan was prepared for a fight. He couldn’t confirm whether or not the Necklace of Deception was effective. Seeing these two players hadn’t recognized him, he breathed out a sigh of relief.
Nie Yan walked toward the village entrance, which was littered with all sorts of junk.
Two guards clad in tattered armour and wielding shabby halberds stood at both sides of the entrance. Beneath their rusty helmets were skeletal faces. They inspected every player that entered the village.
Health: ???
Nie Yan couldn’t see the levels of these Skeleton Guardians. He feared they would see through his disguise. He gritted his teeth and walked forward, bracing himself for the worst.
The Skeleton Guardians looked in Nie Yan’s direction. The green flames in their eye sockets flickered as they stared at his face for a long time.
Nie Yan’s nerves were stretched taut. These Skeleton Guardians were capable of dispatching him in a single hit. He clutched the Unknown Transfer Scroll in his hand. He planned to teleport away at the slightest sign of danger. If he was slow by a beat, he was dead meat.
The Skeleton Guardians stiffly turned away their heads. An odd groaning sound escaped from their jaws. They no longer paid attention to Nie Yan and started inspecting the next player in line.
Only then did Nie Yan’s grip on the Unknown Transfer Scroll relax. He passed the Skeleton Guardians and walked into the village.
Valitin was a run-down village. Several of its buildings were teetering on the verge of collapse. No one knew how long it had existed. However, its bluestone streets were bustling with activity. There were many Level 40–50 maps nearby, so many players came here in droves every day, which of course brought in a lot of trade. There were many player owned stalls set up along the sides of the street, selling all sorts of equipment and materials. The sound of players haggling over prices could be heard everywhere.
The liveliness here was not the slightest bit inferior to that of the towns and villages surrounding Calore.
Nie Yan gazed at the village center, where there stood an ancient stone transfer point which could teleport him to the nearest city.
Nie Yan was in no rush to head over to Necropolis City. The danger there was much greater than in Valitin. After all, it was the capital of the Undead Empire. The NPCs there were much stronger than the ones in Valitin. The chances of him getting recognized would also skyrocket. It was probably best to save visiting Necropolis City for his fifth and final day in the Underworld.
Nie Yan found a corner and set up a stall, taking out all the equipment he had obtained over the past two days.
There were 26 pieces of equipment in total. Each one was worth at least 100 gold. On the surface, they would only be worth a few gold.
He didn’t take out the Black Kingsnake Shield. It was too eye-catching and easily recognizable.
Nie Yan leisurely sat behind his stall, watching players walk up and down the street. He began chatting with a neighbouring vendor, a Level 40 Necromancer with the appearance of a 26-year-old man. His equipment was shabby, and he seemed like a person who wore his heart on his sleeve.
“Friend, let me ask you something,” Nie Yan said.
“What is it? Just speak, I’m all ears,” the Necromancer replied in a friendly manner. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the goods Nie Yan had up for sale. Any of those 26 pieces of equipment was something he couldn’t afford, even if he sold everything he owned. He was naturally flattered when Nie Yan took the initiative to greet him.
Since Nie Yan hid his level and name and his face was covered in black garbs, the Necromancer could only wonder about his identity.
“What’s your name? Nie Yan asked. He felt the Necromancer was pleasing to the eye.
“I’m Life’s a Drama,” the Necromancer replied.
“Ah, I like your name! Life’s a Drama, can you tell me what the market price for Night Vision equipment is these days?”
“Sure sure. Equipment with Night Vision +1 usually goes for around 5 silver. Equipment with Night Vision +2...” Life’s a Drama answered without thinking. He began listing out the prices in order from lowest to highest.
“Stop stop stop! Just tell me the prices from +7 and up,” Nie Yan interrupted. It wasn’t worthwhile for him to bring back Night Vision +1 and +2 equipment to the surface.
Life’s a Drama gazed at Nie Yan meaningfully. To only care about equipment with Night Vision +7 and up, the rich were truly different. “I’m not too knowledgeable, but I think equipment with Night Vision +7 sells for 30 gold, +10 for 100 gold, and +15 for 300 gold.”
The prices of such equipment would be over 10–20 times higher on the surface!
Nie Yan had a vision of gold coins pouring from the sky. Night Vision equipment was simply too rare on the surface, while the demand for them was excessively high, to the extent equipment with Night Vision +7 and higher had no set market price. They were a necessity for any player braving dangerous environments like caves. Thieves might be fine since they could stealth when they encountered danger. However, Mages would probably die without so much as knowing what killed them.
“Hey, the equipment you’re selling looks pretty valuable. I don’t see any piece worth less than 100 gold,” Life’s a Drama couldn’t help but remark. All the equipment in Nie Yan’s stall combined was probably worth several thousand gold.
“Pick one that catches your eye. I’ll gift it to you.” Nie Yan chuckled. Life’s a Drama failed to see the cunning glint in his eyes. He had suddenly thought of a brilliant idea. Why should he brave the dangers of Necropolis City when he could just get someone else to go there for him? It just so happened he had a suitable candidate right in front of him.
Nie Yan could trade with players of the Evil Faction thanks to the Necklace of Deception.
This was a wonderful loophole. When Nie Yan was disguised, players of the Evil Faction who unwittingly traded with him wouldn’t be held accountable. If he was exposed, the authorities of the Evil Faction would investigate every player who had made contact with him to track down any traitors.
“No no no, it’s fine.” Life’s a Drama hurriedly waved his hand.
Nie Yan faintly smiled without saying anything. He was currently figuring out how he could bring his plan to fruition.
Before long, a large crowd gathered around Nie Yan’s stall. The reason was simple. The goods he was selling were of really high quality, something rarely seen.
A tall Spectral Knight squeezed through the crowd and crouched down in front of Nie Yan’s stall. He pointed at a chestplate and asked, “How much?”
The chestplate had decent properties. It increased Defense Level by 1 as well as Strength and Endurance.
“Make an offer,” Nie Yan replied. He just wanted to get rid of all this equipment as quickly as possible, so he planned to just take any reasonable offer.
“How about 300 gold?”
Nie Yan looked at the properties. He reckoned the price was fair, and he wasn’t in the mood to haggle. Just as he was about to nod in agreement, Life’s a Drama interrupted, “Your offer is too low. The Defense Level +1 alone increases the value by 200 gold. This chestplate is worth at least 500 gold!”
The Spectral Knight wanted to jump up and give Life’s a Drama a beating. Why would a wealthy person like Nie Yan care about a measly 200 gold? It was obvious he only set up a stall here because he wanted to get rid of the equipment quickly. He was just about to get a good deal on that chestplate, but that neighbouring stall owner ruined everything!
The Spectral Knight glared at Life’s a Drama, but Life’s a Drama didn’t back down in the slightest.
“He’s my friend,” Nie Yan said as he lightly glanced at the Spectral Knight. He couldn’t help but feel this Life’s a Drama fellow was quite interesting.
The Spectral Knight’s anger immediately smothered. Nie Yan’s background was a mystery, but he knew offending him was definitely a death wish.
“Expert, we really don’t have that much gold, even if my six teammates and I pooled all our funds together. Please, give us a discount,” the Spectral Knight sincerely pleaded.