Chapter 17: The White Tit Tavern

[Adventurer’s Handbook] (Riverbend Town Branch Exclusive Edition)

Preface…………1-2

Weapon Selection and Usage…………3-9

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How to Process Your Loot…………31-38

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9. [On Those Shiny, Good-Looking Rocks]

“Cukunur’s General Store” at 62 Mist Street has the fairest prices in Riverbend Town, but I have to admit, young Cukunur can sometimes be a bit blind (a 3 silver coin price difference vs. a 100 gold coin risk!).

By comparison, the “Fairy Wind” next door is stingy with its offers, but the owner, Farilio, has a background in jewelry and served as an apprentice at the most famous pawnshop in “Neum.” He possesses the most discerning and meticulous eye in all of Riverbend Town (Go to him for high-end goods!).

“Clack.”

Three small, opaque green stones with faint stripes were lined up neatly on the counter by Xia Nan. He looked at the serious-looking middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a glimmer of expectation in his eyes as he harbored fantasies of “striking it rich overnight.”

The man named “Farilio” didn’t speak immediately just because he had identified the gemstones at a glance. Instead, he picked them up one by one, turning them left and right, and leaned in close to study them carefully before sitting back behind the counter with a look of disinterest.

“Malachite, ordinary texture. 10 gold per piece.”

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16. [Where to Dump Your Scrap Metal?]

First, stop your incessant chattering!
You must know that the second-hand goods you strip off some poor unlucky soul only sell for half-price—this is common knowledge! (Magic items are, of course, the exception, provided you actually have any.)

Second, if you really want a place to dump those heavy burdens you’re carrying, I recommend the “Hickory Furnace” at 25 Mist Street. The owner there was once an adventurer himself; he knows how hard it is for you to carry this junk back, so he will always give a decent quote (provided you don’t mind the dozens of “glorious deeds” he recounts while he estimates your items).

Also, for purchasing weapons and armor, I recommend “Ironhammer.” They say the owner is 1/64th dwarf. Although he shares no similarities other than his love for braiding his beard, his craftsmanship is quite good (you can also go to him for custom gear).

“Oh, a moldy small round shield and a few pieces of leather armor still stained with blood—you’re lucky you ran into me. At any other shop, they’d probably find it a nuisance even if you gave it away for free. 10 gold.”

The burly man with a thick, brownish-red beard behind the counter grumbled in a rough voice. “But you can’t be blamed for that. When I was young, I always liked dragging this trash back too. I remember one time…”

Xia Nan kept the Handbook’s advice in mind, keeping his mouth tightly shut and not saying a word, refusing to give the man any room to get into his flow.

“These few arrows are well-maintained; you haven’t wiped off the poison that’s lost its potency? Add this two-handed axe… 30 gold.”

“Tsk, a mace? From some bugbear, I bet? These beasts don’t bother maintaining their weapons. 6 gold.”

“Still, for your age, being able to hunt a bugbear is decent. Back in my day…”

Twenty minutes later.

Bang.

The door to the “Hickory Furnace” was gently closed.

Breathing in the fresh air outside, Xia Nan rubbed his somewhat stiff face and exhaled a long breath. Compared to how he looked when he first emerged from the Mist Forest, he felt much lighter now.

A single morning. Aside from the [Deathline] ring and the two daggers from Elgi—which were still tucked in his belt and proved quite handy in emergencies—he had sold nothing else.

All other spoils of war had been processed. Including the small bag of coins collected from the goblin nest, Xia Nan’s total assets now reached a “stunning” 131 gold, 5 silver, and 9 copper coins.

Without a doubt, for the farm boy who grew up in the fields, this was an astronomical sum he had never seen before. Looking at the numbers alone, one might not grasp their significance. Converted into actual goods, it was equivalent to a warehouse filled with flour, over a hundred goats, or more than a dozen cows. In the village where Xia Nan lived before, this was more than the total assets of most families.

Yet, this was merely the reward for a single mission.

Only now, feeling the heavy weight of those hundred-plus gold coins in his backpack, did Xia Nan truly understand why, despite knowing this industry was extremely dangerous—a near-death experience—countless people still took the risk every year, throwing themselves headlong into this mire.

Of course, these gold coins might have strong purchasing power for ordinary items, but when it came to adventurer-related goods, it was as if they transformed into a different currency entirely. If he had to be precise, excluding the ring, his entire net worth would only be enough to buy two bottles of “Healing Potion.”

Xia Nan shook his head with a bitter smile, forcibly suppressing the sense of unreality and the gap between his expectations and reality. He opened the [Adventurer’s Handbook] again.

After running around all morning, he decided he should find a place to rest and eat something.

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[The White Tit Tavern]

Its low prices for food and drink, along with its convenient location right next to the Adventurer’s Association, made it the first choice for the bottom-tier adventurers of Riverbend Town.

Xia Nan had been here once before; Maji had treated him. He remembered ordering a “Gray Rat Meat Fried Rice” and a cup of water. However, his predecessor’s mind hadn’t been on the food at all; he had simply wolfed it down to fill his stomach. This left the current Xia Nan with no clear impression of the tavern’s culinary standards.

“But since the Handbook recommended it, it should be decent enough,” he muttered, pushing open the tavern door.

Creak—

The rich scent of alcohol, thick enough to be cut with a knife, accompanied by a wave of noise that rushed out like the wind, enveloped Xia Nan’s body.

The bright street, the warm tavern. One door apart, it was as if he had stepped into another world. There were young, flushed adventurers standing on wooden tables, waving unsheathed longswords and holding forth on some topic; there were also middle-aged men with scruffy beards and weathered faces, drinking their troubles away in lonely corners.

Colorful tapestries and flags, swirling smoke and bronze oil lamps, long wooden tables and rough stools; maps, dice, wine glasses, leather armor, robes, and fingers plucking guitar strings…

“This feels right.”

Xia Nan finally felt a sense of reality in this other world. The warm, soft light inside the tavern and the aroma of food filling the air instantly released the exhaustion his body had accumulated over the past few days.

He scanned the hall, spotted the location of the tavern keeper, and walked toward him.
(End of Chapter)