Chapter 105: Small Trade Fair
Sein ended up staying at the baron’s mansion in Berthold City for three days.
The baron’s overwhelming enthusiasm left Sein with little room for refusal.
On that evening itself, the corpulent man, decked out with gold and precious stones, personally came over to the inn where Sein stayed with his entourage. N♡vεlB¡n: Where Every Word Sparks Wonder.
With unwavering insistence, he invited Sein to attend a dinner banquet at his mansion.
Baron Berthold was about three times the size of Kent, the vice captain of his guards.
While the baron himself was an ordinary man, the vice captain of his guards was an intermediate squire.
The vice captain was not the strongest man in Berthold City. According to the baron, the strongest was the captain of his guards, Williams. However, half a month earlier, Williams had led a cavalry team to eliminate bandits outside the city.
Williams, a senior squire, was the mightiest man in Berthold City.
In cities with a population of around a hundred thousand, such as Berthold City in Gloomhaven, a senior squire was considered the most powerful in combat.
Baron Berthold’s warm personality, physical size and appearance reminded Sein of his friend, Bousse.
After freeloading at the city lord’s mansion for three consecutive days, Sein reciprocated by presenting the city lord a nutritional potion.
“You’re saying that one can survive on such a small vial of potion for two or three days without food?” The baron looked at the potion in his hand in astonishment.
Sein nodded and said, “Yes... Three days under normal circumstances. Considering your physical size and appetite, a day shouldn’t be a problem.”
Sein’s explanation deepened the disbelief on the baron’s face.
Despite his noble status, the baron had limited knowledge of magic.
Likewise, his understanding of battle qi was also restricted by his physical size and preferences. His inheritance of the large city was solely because he was the only son of the former city lord.
Even Frank, the gray-robed old intermediate initiate, was astounded by the potion Sein had pulled out of his pocket.
“Lord Sein, could it be that you are an apothecary?” Frank curiously asked.
This was the first time he had addressed Sein as “lord” respectfully, despite being more senior in terms of age.
Surviving in the underground world had presented harsher challenges than on the surface.
The auras of these intermediate and senior initiates paled in comparison to Sein, despite their experience in battles and dealing with magic beasts.
Even without Seven’s assistance, Sein believed that he could defeat all these inexperienced initiates before him with the help of his Acid Wand and other magic items.
A female intermediate initiate chimed in, “Hehe, let’s begin then. I haven’t seen a new face in years. Are you new around here, mister?”
This female initiate wore a mask like Sein, but hers covered only the upper half of her face, revealing a set of bright red lips for all to see.
Despite being about twenty years older than Sein, she flirtatiously addressed him as “mister”, showing a certain level of respect for his strength as a senior initiate and mysterious origins.
The suggestion from the female intermediate initiate garnered nods from those around.
Frank, who was beside Sein, also agreed and urged, “Let’s begin right away. It’s up to Yule’s luck whether he can make it here in time or not.”
Prior to the event, Frank had briefed Sein on the process and specifics of the small trade fair.
There were no notable mage councils and full-fledged mages in the vicinity of Berthold City. At least, none that Frank was aware of.
Scarce resources and limited access to knowledge prompted magic initiates in the area to regularly organize trade fairs.
Bartering was the primary mode of exchange, with transactions involving gold coins being relatively uncommon.
The use of energy crystals or magic cores for trade had not been prevalent for years.
Most initiates, if in possession of such valuable items, preferred to keep them for personal use rather than using them as currency.
As a newcomer, Sein acknowledged Frank’s guidance with a nod and refrained from commenting.
In any case, he had no immediate plans for buying or selling. Instead, he chose to observe what others had to offer.
The first item offered by an intermediate initiate immediately caught Sein’s interest.
It was an unfamiliar red vermilion fruit, presumably a basic magic ingredient.
The ecological environment and resources on the surface world differed significantly from the Underworld.
Sein realized that he had much to study and learn to enrich his knowledge.
1. Morsidor had previously only repaired the geo elemental shield ring and some other advanced magic items for Sein, but not this Pale Mask, which was only a basic magic item.?