Free Web NovelChapter 155: Chapter 125: Secret Silver Gloves
At the crack of dawn.
Lena opened her eyes, sat up, and, as always, tiptoed off to wash up.
When she returned to her room, however, she discovered her roommate had vanished.
She didn’t think much of it, just murmured to herself in surprise, "Ali’s up this early today?"
’She must have had something important to do.’
There wasn’t much time in the morning, so without a second thought, Lena changed into her Association uniform, grabbed a bite to eat downstairs, and rushed off to work.
Meanwhile, in the room next door, the two were snuggled together, sleeping like the dead.
To test the effects of his New Skill, Lin Mo had gone all out. He’d used every ounce of his strength, holding nothing back, and so they hadn’t gotten any rest until just before dawn.
They ended up sleeping until the afternoon.
Lin Mo opened his eyes, shifted the leg draped over his body, and slowly sat up.
His back was aching...
Even though his Constitution was now far beyond that of an ordinary person, he still couldn’t handle such overexertion. Not to mention, his partner was no ordinary person, either.
He glanced at his Skill Level panel.
Cultivator Companion Level 1 (7/10)
’I can only hope all this hard practice pays off.’
He patted the girl beside him. "Ali, time to get up."
’We have to go adventuring tomorrow. If we don’t get up now, we won’t be able to sleep tonight.’
"Mmm~"
A muffled whimper escaped Ali’s throat as she habitually arched her hips upward.
"..."
Seeing the round, firm flesh clearly marked with his fingerprints, Lin Mo’s lip twitched, and he gave her another slap.
"Oof!"
That finally woke Ali up. She rubbed her drowsy eyes, and upon seeing Lin Mo, she hugged him again, giggling foolishly.
Lin Mo rubbed her ears with a sense of helplessness. "All right, time to get up. We have important things to do today."
"Okay."
Ali nodded, got up, and headed straight for the bathroom.
’Yeah, a shower is definitely in order.’
Lin Mo thought for a moment but decided not to follow. He needed a bit of a break.
A short while later, the two of them were dressed and ready to go.
Before they left, Lin Mo asked again, "Ali, do you feel any different now?"
"Physically?"
Ali remembered their conversation from the previous night and understood what he meant. She tried moving around. At first, she wasn’t paying much attention, but then her eyes gradually widened in surprise.
"My Strength... I think I’ve gotten stronger?!"
’Looks like most of it went into her Strength yesterday.’
"By about how much?"
This was what Lin Mo was most curious about.
"A lot!"
Ali focused on the feeling, her surprise growing. "By almost a tenth!"
’As a recently promoted Professional, Ali’s Strength Attribute is probably only around 12 or 13. A tenth of that would be about 1 point?’
’Seven times, and she gains 1 point of Strength?’
Lin Mo felt he needed to re-evaluate his definition of the word "slight."
’If he had a Great Mage to help him... would he be able to gain several points of Magic Power in a single night?’
’Of course, it could also be that the Strength gap between him and Ali is quite large, or that the effects are just stronger at the start.’
But in any case, with this skill, as long as they practiced diligently, he wouldn’t have to worry too much about Ali’s strength falling behind.
"What in the world is going on?"
Since Lin Mo hadn’t explained, Ali was still in shock. But she knew that he must have the answer; otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked her about it.
So she grabbed his arm and whined playfully, "Lin Mo, come on and tell me..."
"When did you learn how to do that?"
Lin Mo looked at the Little Wolf Girl’s ingratiating expression, a little surprised.
’This wasn’t her style before.’
Ali was honest enough to admit it bluntly. "I recently read some books written by a Minstrel and learned a few things. Don’t you like it, Lin Mo?"
"It’s not that."
’No wonder her repertoire suddenly expanded yesterday... Lin Mo had thought she was self-taught.’
As for disliking it, that was out of the question, of course.
Who wouldn’t like their cute girlfriend acting playfully toward them? As long as she didn’t do it during serious business, like adventuring, it was fine. He trusted that Ali would know where to draw the line.
Afterward, Lin Mo explained the New Skill he had learned to Ali in the simplest terms possible.
"So, you’re saying that as long as I’m with you, I can increase my power?"
Because he had been direct enough, Ali understood immediately, her eyes lighting up.
"What an amazing Skill!"
’With this Skill, as long as she was "diligent" enough, she could keep up with Lin Mo. She’d never have to worry about being left behind because she wasn’t strong enough.’
’If she started to fall too far behind, she would just have to be more "diligent."’
"What are you planning to do today, Lin Mo?"
Hearing this good news, Ali’s mood brightened instantly, and she asked enthusiastically.
"I’m planning to buy a few things... What about you? Don’t you need to replace your equipment?"
Ali had managed to save up a bit, and with the large share of Gold Coins she received from this last mission, she could afford a decent set of new equipment.
"I do!"
Of course, Ali had been thinking about it for a while. With better equipment, she could be of more help to Lin Mo.
However...
"Do you have enough money, Lin Mo? If not, you can have mine."
Because Lin Mo had been talking about the Secret Silver Gloves recently, she knew what he wanted to buy.
’Those must be very expensive, right?’
"Don’t worry, I have enough."
----------
The afternoon was when the Adventurer’s Commercial Street was least crowded.
It was a good time to go shopping. Although it was a bit deserted, having fewer people around was more convenient.
Lin Mo first took Ali to shop number 27, the one run by the grumpy Dwarf Boss.
He might have had a foul mouth, but his prices were fair and his goods were high-quality.
Lin Mo helped Ali pick out a set of equipment that suited her, and they sold her old set at the same time.
Since they were choosing high-spec gear, they spent nearly two hundred Gold Coins. But it was worth it. For an Adventurer, money spent on equipment was money spent in the right place.
Ali’s new set of equipment was now comparable to Lin Mo’s.
She was clearly very satisfied, mainly because Lin Mo had helped her pick everything out, which made it feel completely different.
Next up was the main objective of the day.
Lin Mo opened his copy of *A Complete Guide for Adventurers in Silver Stream City* to learn about the local Alchemy Shops.
There were three well-known establishments: Lorolana Alchemy Cottage, Kaleman Alchemy Shop, and Chacher’s Alchemy Workshop.
The owner of Lorolana Alchemy Cottage was a relatively young Alchemist, and the shop primarily sold low-to-mid-range Alchemy Goods at affordable prices, but it wasn’t guaranteed to have what Lin Mo was looking for.
Kaleman Alchemy Shop, on the other hand, was a chain with branches in many cities throughout the Kingdom. It was a safe bet, much like the Association, but with one obvious downside: it was expensive.
As for the last one, Chacher’s Alchemy Workshop...
They had met the owner, Madam Chacher, before. When they had completed the Crimson Flame Tiger mission, she had given them a very generous reward because she knew Feney.
She had also told them back then that if they ever needed anything, they could visit her shop and she would give them a discount.
That being the case, there was no reason to hesitate. Lin Mo headed straight for Chacher’s Alchemy Workshop.
The situation was slightly different from Roland Town; Silver Stream City had more powerful Adventurers, and a good number of people could afford Alchemy Goods. Thus, even in the afternoon, the Alchemy Workshop was not without customers.
Lin Mo pushed the door open and stepped inside. A wind chime hanging on the door jingled, letting out a crisp sound.
Lin Mo looked up to see Madam Chacher, whom he had met once before, sitting leisurely in a lounge chair. A cup of clear tea was set before her as she nonchalantly flipped through a book.
When she saw someone enter, she habitually glanced up. A second after looking away, her page-turning hand suddenly froze.
She swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue, raised her head again, and put on a welcoming smile.
"Well, if it isn’t Little Feney’s teammate..."
She rose from her lounge chair and came to the counter. "So, what brings you to my shop? Is there something you need?"
"Hello, Madam Chacher."
Lin Mo greeted her first, then got straight to the point. "I’d like to purchase a pair of Secret Silver Gloves. I was wondering if you have any here."
"Secret Silver Gloves?"
Madam Chacher was clearly taken aback. She looked his attire up and down, then glanced at Ali beside him before saying slowly, "You may not realize this, but since gloves and a Magic Staff are both Magic Amplification Devices, their effects don’t stack. If you’re planning on buying these as a gift for Little Feney..."
For a moment, Lin Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"You’ve misunderstood. I’m not buying them as a gift; they’re for my own use. I know I’m dressed like a Warrior, but I can actually use a little Magic."
"I see. That’s quite rare..."
Madam Chacher breathed a sigh of relief. "I was just wondering whether I should tell Lady Ravel about this. After all, she might not be so willing to accept a two-timing son-in-law."
Lin Mo’s lip twitched. ’So she was planning to tattle on me...’
’Given Feney’s status, it was understandable that her elders would worry about such a pure-hearted child being tricked by some silver-tongued charmer.’
’But this woman before him was hardly an elder, and to say it so directly showed little regard for his feelings.’
Now, Lin Mo could somewhat understand why Feney wasn’t particularly fond of this woman.
’But she herself was probably unaware of it and would attribute it to other reasons.’
He laughed it off without responding, bringing the topic back to the matter at hand. "So, do you have any Secret Silver Gloves for sale here, Madam Chacher?"
"Of course I do."
She nodded, then turned and walked into the back room. She reemerged a dozen or so seconds later holding an exquisitely decorated box. Inside, a pair of silver gloves lay nestled.
Lin Mo took a closer look. It was indeed the same material as Feney’s Magic Staff.
"How much for this pair of gloves?" Lin Mo asked.
"Normally, the retail price is 850 gold coins. However, since you’re Little Feney’s teammate, I’ll just charge you for the cost of materials and labor—650 Gold Coins."
The moment she finished speaking, Lin Mo suddenly felt that the woman before him had become much more kind and pleasant.
