Free Web Novel“I can’t forgive this. Even if every race united to exterminate the demon tribe, it still wouldn’t be enough. And yet someone dared to pull something like this against our allies?”
Apparently, in Keith’s mind, the other races had already been elevated to the status of allied forces.
“That’s probably the case.”
“Then we must uncover whoever is behind this and eliminate them. We can’t wage war against the demon tribe while someone’s holding a dagger to our backs.”
‘So you were planning to wage war against the demon tribe?’
Ian certainly hadn’t been planning that.
He was just going to send Keith to the Demon King’s Castle.
Still, he agreed with the general sentiment.
“You’re right. We’ll deal with them someday.”
“Yeah.”
Keith answered without hesitation, his voice full of trust.
Then, after a brief pause, his expression became slightly complicated.
“...Someday?”
“It really is a terrible crime. Humans start conflicts among themselves all the time too, don’t they? They even wage wars over territory.”
The elf looked genuinely disturbed by the brutality of human society.
As he tilted back the last of the water flask to drink, Keith abruptly snatched it from his hands and passed it to Ian instead.
“By the way,” Keith asked calmly, “why exactly did you follow us all the way here?”
“Huh? Wasn’t it obvious I’d come with you?” The elf blinked in confusion.
“He’s right. Why are you interrogating him? Didn’t you fight together already?” Ian said casually.
“I’m touched! Though I’m probably several hundred years older than my very first regular customer.”
The elf clasped his hands dramatically, deeply moved by Ian’s words.
Ian immediately opened the status window.
[Dorian(?)’s Affection: 41%]
‘What a load of crap.’
This elf clearly wasn’t moved at all.
Ian genuinely had no idea how to raise this guy’s affection.
Keith’s affection practically increased on its own without needing food, water, or basic human interaction.
Keith had attached himself to Ian after only their second meeting. Whatever misunderstanding he’d developed about Ian didn’t really matter anymore.
The same logic probably explained the affection itself. It was hard not to like someone you genuinely believed was an apostle of God.
‘Still... ninety-two feels weirdly high.’
At times, the way Keith casually talked back made it hard to believe he worshipped Ian at all.
The inconsistency bothered him, but Ian quickly gave up trying to understand the psychology of zealots. Logical people simply couldn’t comprehend them.
Keith continued.
“So. Do you at least know where we’re heading?”
“Of course I do! You said you were headed to the western desert region. The moment I heard that, I understood immediately. That place is a complete blue ocean market, right? Nobody’s probably tried doing business there before. If you want to become the greatest peddler, you need to pioneer entirely new markets!”
‘Maybe there’s a reason nobody’s tried selling things there.’
Ian kept the thought to himself.
The recruit candidate was following them willingly anyway, so there was no reason to stop him.
Keith appeared to share Ian’s thoughts, though unlike Ian, he didn’t particularly care whether the elf succeeded or failed as a merchant.
“I see.”
‘Wait... do I actually have to make this guy successful as a merchant to raise his affection?’
An ominous feeling crept over Ian.
That would be an absolutely horrific quest.
Was it really acceptable game design to force players to do something like that?
For now, Ian decided to offer some practical advice. freewebnovel.cσ๓
“If you want to sell things, shouldn’t you at least bring merchandise people actually need? Your first mistake was traveling through the desert without even thinking to sell water.”
‘He must be stressed. He’s even taking it out on the elf now.’
Keith quietly allowed Ian to vent without interrupting.
“No, I didn’t bring water, but I did bring merchandise! It’s called the ‘Well of Life’...” the elf protested weakly.
‘......?’
“You should’ve sold that to us!”
Ian’s irritation instantly spiked at the sudden appearance of a rare item.
If they’d had that during the battle against Kyarakus, it would have been incredibly useful.
“Let me see it. How many do you have?”
“...Are you planning to buy all of them?”
The elf cautiously opened his peddler’s bag.
Ding! ƒгeewebnovёl.com
[Well of Life (B)]
Water drawn from a sacred well hidden in a secret location.
Rumored to possess healing properties.
Fatigue Recovery Speed: +100%
Health Recovery Speed: +50%
(Duration: 2 hours)
Since the elf had practically stuffed his bag to the brim with merchandise, he had ninety-nine bottles of Well of Life in total.
Enough to completely fill an inventory slot.
Ian hadn’t even realized it was possible for such a rare item to exist in quantities like this.
Ninety-nine?
That was insane.
Even outside combat, these would be invaluable during travel.
“You...” Ian carefully steadied his voice. “How much were you planning to sell these for?”
Now was the time to remain calm.
“Fifteen gold each?”
‘This idiot is hopeless.’
Ian instantly abandoned all thoughts of helping the elf become a successful merchant.
No matter what happened, this elf would never survive in business.
Fifteen gold?
Ian had never once purchased these for under five hundred.
“I’ll buy all of them. Right now. Let’s trade.”
“Oh! Of course. As long as we can agree on a fair price...”
“Take everything.”
Ian immediately pulled out his entire bag.
“Except this.”
After stuffing only the genuinely valuable items into his pockets, he handed over the rest.
The elf’s eyes widened.
“You... Even if you’re trying to win me over, I won’t fall that easily. I’m not some shallow elf whose heart races over material wealth. I’m actually a very cautious and conservative person, you know.”
His voice trembled noticeably.
‘There’s basically nothing but junk in there.’
Ian concealed his thoughts behind a pleasant smile.
“Yeah, yeah. I understand.”
He # Nоvеlight # wasn’t the type to overdo temptation anyway.
The elf would come around eventually.
By the time the thoroughly satisfying trade concluded, their destination had finally begun to emerge in the distance.
“I believe this is the oasis you mentioned. Is this the right place?”
Keith slowed the camel and glanced ahead.
Ian narrowed his eyes.
His archery skill had leveled up recently, and his vision had improved alongside it. Before long, he identified the location Keith had spotted.
“That’s the place. We’re here.”
“Ah... I can’t believe I almost got swayed by something so shallow. How many years have I lived now? I need to pull myself together.”
The elf muttered to himself while cooling his flushed cheeks with both hands.
Ding!
[Dorian(?)’s Affection: 50%]
‘...Do I seriously just need to buy everything this guy sells to max out his affection?’
Was material support really more effective than saving his life?
Was this game for real?
Ian glanced back at the elf with growing unease.
‘Wait... didn’t he say he wanted to die?’
Maybe he should’ve thrown the elf into Kyarakus’s mouth instead of Keith.
If the guy survived a near-death experience, his affection might’ve skyrocketed.
In any case, as the outsiders approached the village, two large men guarding the entrance stepped forward and blocked their path.
The guards wore long desert cloth wrapped around their entire bodies, exposing only their eyes. Even so, the hostility radiating from them was unmistakable.
“Humans? ...And an elf? Strange combination.”
“Where are you from? What business do you have in this village?”
“We’re travelers crossing the desert,” Ian answered smoothly. “We’ve been journeying for quite some time. If possible, we’d appreciate a place to rest for a few days.”
Keith remained silent beside him, faithfully obeying Ian’s orders not to speak to anyone else.
Both guards were tall, though one towered over the other. The larger man sneered openly.
“Travelers crossing the desert? Don’t make me laugh. Who the hell wanders around out here? Can you prove you’re not criminals fleeing another village?”
“Our clothes should make it obvious we’re from the southern continent. We haven’t caused any trouble. Our homeland simply became unsafe, so we’re considering moving west to stay with distant relatives.”
“Relatives in the west, huh? Hmph...”
The guards scoffed, but after carefully looking the three of them over, they eventually nodded. Apparently, they decided the group posed no real threat.
Ian and the elf were both slim, while Keith—without his armor—looked more like a nobleman than a warrior. Hidden beneath his cloak, even his physique lost most of its intimidation.
The guards had probably mistaken them for wealthy young masters.
“You may enter.”
“Thank you.”
Ian started toward the entrance—
Only for the guards to block him again.
“Whoa there. You think you can just stroll into a village like that?” One of them puffed out his chest aggressively. “Do you have any idea what a privilege it is for outsiders to even approach this oasis? You’ll need to pay.”
“Ah, of course. How much?” Ian asked without hesitation.
“Ten thousand gold per person.”
“......?”
The elf blinked blankly.
His expression practically screamed:
Are we purchasing the entire oasis?
Before he could say anything reckless, Ian grabbed his arm to stop him.
“I don’t have that much money.”
“Then pay with your bodies.”
