“To think there was such an item here…” Nie Yan was stunned .
Nie Yan recalled the Lich King Insar’s Secret Treasure Map sitting in his bag all this time . He had never found the opportunity to use it .
Insar was an incredibly famous Lich King . Many traces of his existence were scattered all over the Atlanta continent . His road to fame was paved by killing three legendary NPCs .
This was ancient history . Most history books only had one or two lines covering this era .
Seeing Nie Yan staring at the finger bone, Vaigus explained, “Our ancestors discovered this finger bone while exploring a marsh . It exudes a powerful curse aura . It can serve as an intermediary for Shadow Priests, greatly increasing the might of their curses, and contains frightening power . No elder has ever dared to touch it . When the previous elder passed away, he left me the task to find someone that can unlock the mystery behind this finger bone . ”
Nie Yan checked the price of this finger bone . It cost 30,000 gold .
“I’d like to buy it . Here’s 30,000 gold,” Nie Yan said . Even though it was a bit expensive, he still decided to buy it .
“Are you really planning to buy it?” Vaigus asked in surprise .
“Yes . ” Nie Yan nodded .
“M’lord, if you want this finger bone, we can gift it to you,” Vaigus said in reverence .
“No need . Everyone has to follow the rules, even more so the lord of the city,” Nie Yan said . His past life experience told him that abusing his authority to take advantage of NPCs would only incur their disgust . The cons simply weren’t worth the meagre benefits . Many similar situations had occurred in the previous timeline with players holding high titles of nobility humiliating and stealing from NPCs . Shortly after, these players were mysteriously assassinated, without exception .
Conviction’s settings were like this . Nie Yan knew how to maintain a good relationship with NPCs, and learning to be humble was the first step .
Since Nie Yan insisted on paying, Vaigus hurriedly said, “M’lord, I admire your principles . We’re willing to accept your gold . But as a token of our sincerity, everything you buy here will be half-off . So, please take this back . ”
Nie Yan thought for a moment before nodding and accepting half the gold .
“Please be careful . This finger bone is an extremely dangerous item . ” Vaigus carefully took Lich King Insar’s Finger Bone from display with a special runic cloth, his face grimacing in pain, and handed it over to Nie Yan .
As Nie Yan took Lich King Insar’s Finger Bone from Vaigus, a cold, sinister energy surged into his hand .
Dread, chills, pain, a myriad of negative emotions threatened to overwhelm him .
Almost immediately, a list of words flashed through his mind: ‘Just’, ‘Sincere’, ‘Humble’ . . .
It was written down in various records that these virtues could give a person the strength to resist the power of curses .
Nie Yan could clearly sense the power of the curse gradually being dispersed before disappearing completely . You have obtained Lich King Insar’s Finger Bone .
You have received the quest Spiritual Guidance .
Seeing these two notifications, Nie Yan knitted his brows . He had know idea what kind of quest this was . Looking at his quest window, it showed a blurred out text . He would have to uncover it somehow .
At this moment, a white light enveloped the finger bone . The curse power inside it no longer leaked out .
Vaigus stared at the finger bone in amazement . Its changes didn’t escape his eyes .
“M’lord, do you perhaps possess the Virtues of a Saint?” Vaigus asked .
The Virtues of a Saint? Nie Yan was bewildered . He suddenly recalled the string of words that flashed across his mind . Could it be those character properties? Thereupon he nodded . “Yes . ”
“May I ask which ones you possess?” Vaigus’ eyes shone with excitement .
“Just, Brave, Benevolent, Sincere, Selfless, Unwavering, and Humble,” Nie Yan replied .
Vaigus stared at Nie Yan with a look of shock . “Y-you’ve already obtained seven?”
“Yes . ” Nie Yan nodded .
“M’lord . I’m truly in reverence of your noble and virtuous character . ” . This was the greatest gesture of respect a barbarian could perform .
“Could you tell me how this is related to Lich King Insar’s Finger Bone?” Nie Yan brought the topic back on track .
“Even though Insar’s Finger Bone contains formidable curse power and is a treasure countless Shadow Priests would yearn for, it also comes with a dangerous side effect . If a Shadow Priest uses its power too much, they will lose themselves to it . It’ll take control of them and they’ll and end up becoming a follower of the death god . ”
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier!?”
“M’lord, I apologize . My lapse of judgement might have unintentionally allowed harm to fall upon someone . My predecessors taught us that if we’re aware something bad might happen, if it’s god’s will, it will happen no matter how hard we try to prevent it . The more afraid we are of something, the more likely it comes to pass, like a self-fulfilling prophecy . Only with a tranquil mind can we maintain peace . ”
Nie Yan quietly listened to Vaigus’ words . It carried a tinge of profound wisdom . He didn’t fully grasp the meaning behind these words, but he got what Vaigus was trying to get across . This was a sort of guidance .
“Thank you for the advice . Your predecessors were wise men worthy of admiration,” Nie Yan said sincerely .
Vaigus nodded with a faint smile .
“Elder Vaigus, I want to ask, what are the Virtues of a Saint?” Nie Yan asked . This was something he’d always been curious about . He really wanted to find out what these seven character properties were for .
“I apologize, m’lord . I cannot give you the answer you seek . Keep patiently waiting . God’s light will protect you . I can only tell you that apart from the seven virtues you already have, there’s also conviction, also known as spirituality . When your conviction is firm enough, you will sense its presence . After you obtain spirituality, come find me again, and I’ll tell you everything I know,” Vaigus said . It appeared there were many things he couldn’t yet say .
Spirituality? Nie Yan’s heart trembled . The quest attached to Insar’s Finger Bone was precisely Spiritual Guidance .
Right now, Nie Yan had at least obtained some clues . It was better than searching around aimlessly . He no longer dwelled on this matter . Taking Vaigus’ words to heart, he calmed his heart and mind . As for pursuing the quest, he was no longer anxious . When the time was right, he would receive the eight character property . Forcing it wouldn’t do any good .
“With your strong willpower and virtuous temperament, Insar’s Finger Bone cannot harm you . I can put my mind at ease,” Vaigus said with a smile .
Nie Yan gazed at Vaigus . His tranquil appearance gave an ethereal feeling .
“Thank you for everything, Elder Vaigus . ”
Nie Yan put away Insar’s Finger Bone in his bag, then bought some other items, such as Invisible Blizzard Totems and so on . Although they cost a pretty penny, they were extremely effective when it came to grinding maps or plotting against the enemy . Apart from these, he also bought full stacks of runic cloths, almost six bags full . When he had the time, he would craft them into Combat Bandages and raise the rank of his skill .
Thanks to his status as Lord of Okoron, he received a 50% discount in this shop .
After getting everything he wanted, Nie Yan bid Vaigus farewell . Vaigus insisted on accompanying him to the door .
Nie Yan raised his head . There were already several dozen people gathered outside the shop entrance . They had seen everything that happened just now . Noticing him come out, all of them focused their attention on him, their gazes filled with curiosity, admiration, and a myriad of other emotions .
Nie Yan walked down the steps onto the street .
The several dozen players immediately rushed over to Nie Yan, catching him off-guard . He placed his hand on his dagger, when he recalled they were in Okoron . These people weren’t stupid enough to attack another player in a city . Even though the NPCs here were much weaker than NPCs in other cities, they were still more than enough to deal with these players .
These players didn’t seem to care whether they scared Nie Yan or not . They crowded around him, pushing and shoving the people around them aside .
“Hey, friend! Are you a Marquis?”
“You can buy stuff from this secret shop, right? Can you help me buy some stuff?”
“Help me buy five Blizzard Totems . I’ll pay a 30% commission . ”
“Help me buy three Crimsonheart Rubies . I’ll pay a 50% commission!”
“Help me buy…!”
These people were all shouting over one another . Nie Yan had no idea who to listen to . However, he understood they all wanted him to buy things on their behalf . Serving as a middle-man was nothing new . Many secret shops had strict requirements for who they sold to . Some required Glory, others contribution, and still others a title of nobility . If you didn’t meet these requirements, you weren’t allowed inside . So, players thought of a solution, and that was to have others buy on their behalf . Middle-manning was an extremely profitable business . For example, a gem worth 3,000 gold could net you a commission fee of 50 gold or even 100 gold . The work was simple . All you had to do was walk in and buy the items, then walk out and hand them over . The risk was low too .
With a secret shop like this, the goods being sold here were several hundred gold at the cheapest and up to tens of thousands of gold at the most expensive . A commission fee of 30% was definitely considerable . The reason they were willing to pay so much was simple . The requirements for purchasing from this place were too high . Marquis wasn’t a title ordinary players could obtain . Up until now, the only person who could speak to Tribe Elder Vaigus was Nie Yan .
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