Chapter 1215: Egg of the Blue Dragon
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
6,000,000 gold coins were nothing to Lin Li, but in the eyes of others, it would be an absolutely foolish thing to spend so much money on a broken dagger. Hence, Lin Li shook his head, and looked at the secret merchant with a contemptuous gaze. He then said, “Trust you to have the nerve to charge 6,000,000 gold coins for a broken dagger!”
“Sir, you can’t say that. This dagger might be broken, but you’ve seen how sharp it is. Besides, this is something from Cursed Island, and all the items that came with it were sold for dozens of millions of gold coins each. I’m offering it to you at only 6,000,000 gold coins precisely because it’s broken. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would charge even higher than 60,000,000, let alone 6,000,000,” the secret merchant with the eagle head mask said without the slightest tinge of shame, as if the dagger was really an artifact.
“Don’t tell me that it comes from Cursed Island or wherever, that means nothing to me. If I just want to keep it as a collection piece, I’m perfectly capable of buying something even more ancient. A broken dagger is a broken dagger. Even the mageweath on it is incomplete, all it has left to offer is its sharpness. The price of 6,000,000 is too absurd, it seems like you don’t intend to sell it.” After saying that, Lin Li used a very common but also very effective bargaining tactic by turning around and pretending to leave.
If a merchant was confident in the value of his goods, he wouldn’t be afraid of such a playing-hard-to-get trick when faced with such a situation. However, the secret merchant with the eagle-headed mask, who obviously did not have much confidence in the broken dagger himself, quickly exclaimed, “How much are you planning to offer, then?!”
Lin Li’s words were not an exaggeration. In fact, it was true to a certain extent. The most important thing about a magical weapon was the array formation or the mageweath on it. However, there was no way the mageweath on a broken dagger would be complete, and an incomplete dagger wouldn’t be able to exert much power. In that case, what else could it do except be sharp?
Of course, except for Lin Li himself, no one would know the reason that the King Hunter’s Blade became the King Hunter’s Blade precisely because the mageweath that really determined its power was not on the flat side of the blade, but on its cross-section. It was akin to a stack of countless pieces of paper. Hence, even if the middle was broken off, but there were still countless intact mageweaths on the remaining part, the power would still be reduced by a small margin.
After the secret merchant with the eagle mask called out to him, Lin Li turned around, and nonchalantly said, “Its sharpness and its origin are worth only 1,000,000 gold coins. That’s my final price. Any more, and we don’t have to discuss it further.”
Although 1,000,000 gold coins were not considered much for the secret merchants who were able to set up a stall in this market, there were obvious defects on the dagger, and the secret merchant would still be making a huge profit from selling a piece of garbage as such for 1,000,000 gold coins.
“1,000,000 gold coins is too little, I spent more than 1,000,000 gold coins to get this dagger—”
As soon as the secret merchant tried to raise the price by a little bit, he saw Lin Li turning around to leave without hesitating again. He frantically said, “Fine, fine, 1,000,000 gold coins it is!”
After paying 1,000,000 gold coins, Lin Li finally got the King Hunter’s Blade that had once belonged to him. In fact, he was now a mage, and thus even a complete King Hunter’s Blade would be of no use to him, let alone a broken one. However, he didn’t buy the King Hunter’s Blade for himself, but for Norfeller.
The weapon that Norfeller had been using all along (and still presently) was the Heaven’s Wrath Dagger pair that Lin Li had purchased from the Time Consignment Store back then. The Heaven’s Wrath Dagger was indeed a good weapon, especially after it was embellished with the Gem of Curse. However, it was only considered good for Legendary powerhouses. Now that Norfeller had become a Sanctuary powerhouse, the Heaven’s Wrath Dagger seemed to be inadequate for his current strength.
On the other hand, the King Hunter’s Blade might have been broken, but its power was much stronger than that of the Heaven’s Wrath Dagger. With Norfeller’s Sanctuary-level strength and the King Hunter’s Blade, his combat power would definitely improve by leaps and bounds. Another impressive trait about the King Hunter’s Blade was that it had an inconspicuous sheath that could completely shield the power fluctuations of the dagger, making it the most suitable weapon for a.s.sa.s.sins.
After obtaining the King Hunter’s Blade, Lin Li couldn’t help but realize an astonishing fact that he had discovered in regard to the underground world of Cursed Island. The fact that even such a powerful weapon as the King Hunter’s Blade had been broken showed that the battle between the Immortal King and the Ancient G.o.d of Light must have been intense and groundbreaking back then.
Unfortunately, he had now only acquired the King Hunter’s Blade. If he could find the complete King Hunter’s Suit and equip Norfeller with it, Norfeller’s strength might soar high enough for him to defeat a Sanctuary powerhouse easily with no issue.
Though it was broken, the value of the King Hunter’s Blade was actually no less than that of the Nether Pearls in Lin Li’s opinion. Lin Li was definitely capable of picking the Nether Pearls himself, but he just didn’t want to waste time doing so. However, there was only one King Hunter’s Blade in the entire Anril.
Of course, the King Hunter’s Blade represented the pinnacle of human craftsmanship, after all. If Lin Li could one day reach the peak of the Guru-level in all relevant fields, he might just be able to create a weapon on par with the King Hunter’s Blade. However, that would likewise require some time. Now, he had become a Guru of Inscription, and even comprehended a tinge of the secrets of the Divine Smith level, but the creation of a weapon like the King Hunter’s Blade required more than just inscriptions.
After getting the King Hunter’s Blade, Lin Li took a closer look at the cross section, and became more and more certain of his previous conjectures. The Immortal King’s main weapon was not the King Hunter’s Blade, but the Stars of Fury and the seven pieces of the debris of the stars. Even Lin Li himself had almost eliminated the King Hunter’s Blade, and brought it with him just to enhance the attributes of his suit back when he obtained the Stars of Fury and the debris of the stars in the game.
The King Hunter’s Blade was inferior to the Stars of Fury, but it was still the representative piece of the pinnacle of human craftsmanship. Yet, it was broken in that great battle. The impact that broke it was probably powerful enough to annihilate any Sanctuary powerhouse in an instant. When the Immortal King killed the Dragon of Destruction, he didn’t use the King Hunter’s Blade, but the King Hunter’s Blade was actually broken during the battle with the Ancient G.o.d of Light later on. Clearly, the Immortal King didn’t have an easy victory, either.
Fortunately, I didn’t release the ancient G.o.d of Light back then! When thinking in retrospect, Lin Li felt a little fearful as he imagined how terrible things would’ve been if the Ancient G.o.d of Light had been released. At that time, he and the members of the Illuminati had absolutely no means to lay a finger on the Ancient G.o.d of Light at all. Not to mention the debris of the stars, even if he had had the Stars of Fury, he still wouldn’t have been able to resist at all.
As of now, Lin Li was very satisfied with his purchases from the Secret Merchant Market, and he wouldn’t have a single regret even if he left now. Moreover, this was only the first level of the Secret Merchant Market, and it was said that the truly superior items were found only on the second floor. However, it was impossible for Lin Li to bargain much on the second floor as what he had done on the first, because the prices of the items on the second floor were definitely not going to be too far off from their value.
Of course, if he really chanced upon something that would be useful again, Lin Li wouldn’t mind paying more money to buy it. He wasn’t a miser, and he believed in the logic that the value of money existed only when it was spent. If he were to never spend it at all, money would be nothing but garbage.
Lin Li soon arrived at the second floor of the cabin together with Connoris and Angelano. The hall of the second floor was obviously much more luxuriously decorated than the first floor, with red and gold velvet carpet laid over the ground and gilded walls. Although the s.p.a.ce on the second floor was much smaller, there were very few senior secret merchants, so it seemed to be more s.p.a.cious.
The sales method on this floor was similar to that on the first floor, but there was basically a clear price tag on every good, with detailed descriptions as well as some doc.u.ments of proof of authenticity that were issued by the Secret Merchants Alliance. There were basically no counterfeit or inferior goods on this floor, but the prices were indeed exorbitant.
After browsing through a few stalls, Lin Li already had a rough understanding of the quality of the goods on this floor. He couldn’t help but be amazed by the tricks and tactics of the senior secret merchants. They were truly very resourceful as each item that they sold was of great value.
At the first stall that Lin Li went to on the second floor, he right away saw an egg of a Blue Dragon, which was still alive and about to hatch. Like the Crimson Dragon, the Blue Dragon was a descendant of the ancient wyrms. The Crimson Dragon was the descendant of the Flame Dragon, while the Blue Dragon was a descendant of the Iceblast Wyrm that held the powerful nomological power of the water element.
The strength of adult Blue Dragons could reach the peak of the Legendary-level, which was far more powerful than the Green Dragon King that Lin Li had met. However, adult Blue Dragons were very arrogant, and would never become subordinates of other creatures. Even High Elves could not quite tame adult wyrms back then.
However, if someone could hatch an egg of a wyrm, and raise it to adulthood while taming it in the process, they would be able to gain the wyrm’s approval, and become a powerful and rare Dragon Knight. Clearly, a wyrm’s egg was even more precious than an adult wyrm.
For ordinary people, hatching and taming a dragon while raising it to adulthood was by no means a simple task. Not to mention the limitations due to the lifespan of humans, which was generally lower than that of the wyrms, the costs of raising and nurturing a wyrm alone were already staggering. The food consumption of a wyrm alone was enough to make a medium-sized force go bankrupt, yet keeping a wyrm fed was just one of the many conditions needed to provide the wyrm with the best environment for growth.
However, those who could enter this place were naturally wealthy, and many of them had Legendary-level strength. Hence, it wasn’t impossible to nurture and raise a wyrm, and thus the dragon egg was soon bought by a n.o.ble Sword Sage at a price of 10,000,000 gold coins.
Dragon eggs were not considered remarkable items at the Secret Merchant Market, because there were many other similar creatures like the eggs and hatchlings of marine magical beasts. For example, the hatchling of the Nine-headed Sea Serpent was not inferior to the egg of the wyrm, and upon reaching adulthood, it would definitely be a hegemon of the sea that was even stronger than a wyrm.
In addition to the eggs and hatchlings of marine magical beasts, there were also adult marine magical beasts for sale at the market. However, they were usually enormous, and thus could not be put on display at the market. The cargo ships around The Mermaid contained large goods like those marine beasts. After completing a deal in the market, the Secret Merchants Alliance would step in to help complete the handover of the goods.
Adult marine magical beasts usually could not be compared to wyrms, so they were less difficult to tame. Of course, it would basically be impossible to turn a domesticated marine magical beast into a combat partner. It could only become a powerful tool. However, for the average person, having a powerful marine magical beast in the Endless Ocean was enough support.
For example, if a sea caravan could have a powerful marine magical beast to act as an escort during their voyage, they would be able to deter and prevent hara.s.sment by pirates. An adult Legendary-level marine magical beast was a terrifying existence at sea, and it would be a piece of cake for it to annihilate a band of pirates. Of course, if a band of pirates likewise had a marine magical beast, it would be much simpler for them to hijack the caravans at sea.
However, be it a wyrm egg or a marine magical beast, they were basically of little use to Lin Li because he wasn’t short of Legendary-level combat power. In a Sanctuary-level battle, Legendary-level combat power would not make much of a difference, unless they were on a scale that was as large as the Retribution Knight legion.
Besides, Lin Li owned a Crimson Humerus Wyrm that was just as powerful as an adult wyrm. Thus, there was no need for him to waste his time and resources on raising a baby wyrm or a marine magical beast.
In addition to those living creatures, the secret merchants also had many carca.s.ses of prehistoric marine magical beasts. During the prehistoric times, the prehistoric magical beasts dominated Anril, and many terrifying prehistoric marine magical beasts lived in the Endless Ocean. Their individual strength was sometimes even more powerful than the ancient wyrms’.
One of the senior secret merchants was selling the eyeball of a giant prehistoric Barbarous Whale which was even taller than a human, and looked like it was carved out of a whole sapphire as it emitted a formidable aura. The might that came with it was not inferior to a Sanctuary powerhouse’s, and it was similarly very powerful too.
In the prehistoric times, the prehistoric Barbarous Whales were the overlords of the Endless Ocean as they could turn the entire ocean into a Domain World that was difficult for those at the Sanctuary-realm to break through. However, the power of the prehistoric Barbarous Whales and their mastery of the World Laws were similarly derived from magical crystals, just like those of other prehistoric magical beasts. Hence, although the eyeball seemed powerful, and even contained mana that was not inferior to a Sanctuary-level magical crystal’s, that was all it had to offer.