Salvos (A Monster Evolution LitRPG)

573. Trading

Ivonne Vigil. Daniel had heard of her before. She was a famous [Trader] who was known throughout the Human lands for her eclectic array of merchandise. Her goods were sought after not just because of their quality, but also because of their rarity.

Most [Traders] acquired their supply from within the confines of the Human lands. Some of them would travel to the Cyclops cities— maybe a few even ventured to the Dwarven mountains to purchase weaponry. But to traverse the rest of Secely was dangerous. The Beastmen Plains were perilous, while both the Elves and the Kobolds hated Humankind.

However, Ivonne Vigil traveled to these lands, despite knowing the dangers. She would venture out to the Elven forests to bring back the roots of a wizened tree. She would visit the Kobold lands to steal the tusk of a Greater Wyvern. Even Elite adventurers weren’t foolish enough to venture into the depths of the Kobold lands, and the Adventurers Guild warned against traveling to the Elven forests.

And because of that, items from such places were in incredibly high demand. But only Ivonne Vigil was brave enough— or foolish enough— to charge straight into danger to acquire these rare items for the Human lands. Her reasoning was unknown. Some speculated that she was doing it for the sake of Humankind. She was trying to ensure that Humans were never falling behind the other Species of Secely.

Others claimed that she was only doing it for the money. That the profit she made from selling such rare items made her take such risks.

To Daniel, it didn’t really make sense because Ivonne Vigil spent no gold. She didn’t live a lavish lifestyle— she didn’t own castles, nor did she hire a retinue of high-leveled guards. If anything, she was only making money to acquire more merchandise to level up her Class.

While he was a [Hero], Daniel was also a [Trader]. A low-leveled one at that. But he could see where she was coming from. Leveling up a non-combat Class was quite different from leveling up a combat Class.

If a [Warrior] needed to level up, he could always find a few dozen monsters around his level and kill them. Of course— it was dangerous since there was the risk of death with every single battle. After all, most Level 30 monsters would be as strong as a Level 30 [Warrior]. The main differential was that monsters lacked any sort of equipment to battle with.

There were also a multitude of other ways to level up as a [Warrior]. For example, learning enough General Skills or accomplishing enough feats would eventually result in a level up. But there was also the simple, straightforward method of simply exterminating monsters as an adventurer.

However, if a [Trader] needed to level up, the requirements were far more nebulous. Daniel didn’t have extensive experience with it. But he had spoken with Mons Merryster— the older sister of Saffron Merryster.

As a veteran [Trader], Mons had quite a handful of tips she could give him. They spoke quite extensively before the Elves attacked the Human lands— when he had been staying at at the head temple of the Sanctuary of Fauna.

She wasn’t really affiliated with the Merryster family any longer, and she had lived nearby, so she paid him a visit a handful of times. And during their meetings, she explained how simply selling wares and goods didn’t necessarily lead to gaining experience to level up. The experience gained varied depending on each individual trade.

If Daniel sold a Medium Grade sword to a Silver Ranked adventurer, he wasn’t going to gain more experience than if he sold a Low Grade sword to the same Silver Ranked adventurer for the exact same price. The amount of experience earned was contingent entirely on the quality of the trade. The more such a trade benefited him, the more experience he was going to gain.

Obviously, it depended on the Class of a [Trader] too. And there were considerations like whether or not these deals were actually detrimental to the customer. That would affect the future advancements of the Class.

At the end of the day, it was complicated. And while Daniel knew that Ivonne Vigil was an incredibly high-leveled [Trader], he didn’t exactly know her level. Most high-leveled [Traders] hid their levels with an obfuscation artifact. After all, it was better for business if their exact level was hidden.

Some speculated that Ivonne Vigil was over Level 150. But to reach such a high level as a [Trader] was incredibly rare. If Daniel had to guess, he would assume that she was closing into Level 150, but not just there yet.

In fact, he would like to think that she had a combat Class of her own. There was no other explanation as to how she was capable of surviving in such dangerous foreign lands on her own. His belief was only emboldened when he had learned of how Ivonne Vigil had acquired the Fruits of Y’gdrazil.

They were legendary items— borne from the great tree of Y’gdrazil. It was the home of the Elves, and the fact that she had been able to acquire them was such an incredible feat in itself. But not only that, when she held an auction, a group of high-leveled Elves attacked.

Every single one of them had been Diamond Ranked in level. It was a big deal when it happened. Everyone in the Human lands heard about it. But apparently, Ivonne Vigil hadn’t even batted an eye when they came for her head.

Daniel shook his head. That didn’t matter. The only reason he even knew about this story was because apparently Salvos had been there at that auction.

The [Hero] raised his head as he looked past the looming Dwarf standing before him. [Forgemaster] Nozag nodded at Ivonne Vigil, and she simply smiled.

“Oh, the Sword of Alexander? That is certainly a weapon befitting a [Hero].”

The Dwarf harrumphed, before smirking.

“Your senses are as keen as ever, Ivonne Vigil. Even with my Skills, I did not detect such a powerful artifact on his person. What is it, a Legendary Grade Weapon?”

“I believe the Sword of Alexander is merely a Mythic Grade Weapon, [Forgemaster]. There is no Legendary Grade artifact in the Human lands at this moment.”

Ivonne Vigil shook her as she strode forward. She approached Daniel, and he shifted back apprehensively.

“I apologize if I am being too blunt, but why do you not use the Sword of Alexander, Daniel Song?”

“How do you know my name?”

The [Hero] narrowed his eyes, but Ivonne Vigil didn’t answer his question. Instead, she gestured at the damaged gray blade he had given to Nozag.

“A [Hero] like you should not be using a Medium Grade artifact. It is a waste of your Skills. It is a waste of your levels.”

“That’s…”

Daniel hesitated as Ivonne Vigil posed the question to him once more. He wasn’t sure whether to snap back at her, or to deflect the question. But Nazog frowned and peered at him as well.

“Ivonne Vigil is right— you should listen to her. Your current weapon will not aid you in battle. Even if it is repaired, it will not be able to cut down an enemy at your level. You will have to rely on your Skills to overcome their defenses. It is a detriment to you.”

That was true. Daniel knew it was true— a Medium Grade Weapon wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone above Level 150. And it would barely be able to even harm a Level 100 threat. Not by itself, at least.

But if even a Silver Ranked adventurer swung around the Sword of Alexander, they’d be able to pose a threat to any Diamond Ranked adventurer. Even Elites were in danger. But they most likely could have disarmed the Silver Ranked adventurer before they were hurt.

Nevertheless, Daniel understood this concept. He knew that, and yet he decided to use this gray sword. And it was all because of a simple reason. It was because—

“My friend made this weapon for me.”

He spoke as he took the gray sword from Nazog’s hands. He stared at the chipped edge— hse saw the dull blade. It used to radiate a soft heat, but not anymore. It was in such a state of disrepair, all [Identification] said was that it was a broken blade. And Daniel remembered when he had first been gifted this weapon.

Back when he and Salvos separated for the first time— right after they left the Plaguelands. To give him a piece of herself when she was gone.

Daniel took in a deep breath, before sighing.

“I use this blade because it reminds me as to why I fight. It may not be as strong as the Sword of Alexander, but it lets me pick myself up after every battle and press on. So to me, it is more proof of strength than any other artifact in the world.”

He spoke softly as he held his audience’s gaze. Both Nazo and Ivonne Vigil exchanged a glance. Daniel knew that he would have once again given up on being a [Hero] if he had chosen to wield the Sword of Alexander. With Salvos gone, he wouldn’t have been able to keep fighting by himself.

But he had this blade she had created for him— a Primordial Longsword. A Medium Grade Weapon. It was from her magic. Her soul.

And it was the reason why he kept fighting. The heat from the blade helped him remember why he had chosen to take up the mantle of a [Hero]. To never be a coward once again.

After a moment’s pause, the Dwarf laughed.

“Admirable! I did not expect such a compelling reason to be why you have chosen to use such a weak blade! Very well, I shall do what I can to repair this. But I must admit, despite my Skills, it will take some time to restore this weapon— if I can restore it at all.”

He drew back as he took the Primordial Longsword from Daniel. But Ivonne Vigil shook her head, stopping him.

“Unfortunately, while I do not wish to discredit your craftsmanship, I do not believe you are capable of repairing this blade, [Forgemaster].”

She took a step forward as he raised a brow at her.

“Oh? And what makes you believe that, Ivonne Vigil?”

The [Trader] brought a hand forward, taking the blade from his hands. Daniel narrowed his eyes, suspicious of what she was planning. But she just explained simply.

“That weapon is not made from metal— it is made from magic. Creation magic. Specifically, nebular creation magic.”

“Nebular creation magic? So it is forged from the magic of fallen stars. Interesting… it is no wonder I did not recognize its components.”

Nazog scratched his bushy beard as he turned to Daniel.

“This is quite the complex request you have given me, [Hero]. I will have to recruit the help of an [Enchanter] if I wish to stand a chance of repairing this Medium Grade Weapon… to think I would have to ever utter such a sentence, hah!”

He chuckled as he took the blade back from Ivonne Vigil. Daniel shook his head and faced the [Forgemaster] gravely.

“Can you fix it?”

In response, Nazog laughed.

“Of course I can! I am a [Forgemaster]— I am no mere [Blacksmith]. It will simply take some time.”

Daniel sighed in relief when he heard that. He steeled himself as he reached for the coin pouch at his side.

“How long will it take?”

“Save the payment for later— and I do not know. It might take a few days. Maybe weeks. Or even months.”

Nazog shook his head as he returned to his forge. He barked out an order, and a Human [Blacksmith] rushed out to him. He handed the blade over to the Human [Blacksmith], before settling back down onto a chair.

“I will see you again tomorrow after I have spent some more time studying this sword of the fallen stars.”

“Thank you. I will take my leave now.”

The [Hero] smiled, nodding at the [Forgemaster]. He drew back, but Ivonne Vigil addressed him.

“Daniel Song.”

She strode forward as he blinked. Nozag perked up, but he didn’t quite turn around to listen to the conversation. He began hammering away at a piece of armor as the [Trader] spoke softly.

“I would like to offer you a deal.”

“What is it?”

Daniel stared at her suspiciously. The smile never left her face. Even as she outstretched the palm of her hand.

“Give me the Sword of Alexander, and in exchange, I shall be able to repair your Primordial Longsword by sundown.”

And that made Daniel pause.