Chapter 78: Bremen City

The caravan members, upon realizing what had happened, looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

No one had expected that the half-grown boy, who looked like he was heading to a big city to seek relatives, was actually a mage.

And judging by the spell Gao De had just cast, he was clearly no mere “naive apprentice” who could only summon Mage Hand to pour water.

“Check on Caro and Kuli’s injuries,” the caravan leader finally spoke, dispersing the group.

He himself walked toward Gao De and first thanked him: “Master Mage, thank you for your intervention.”

“Since we travel together, helping each other is only natural,” replied Gao De, composed as ever.

Mutual aid among fellow travelers was an unspoken rule, and being a mage made no exception.

“Master Mage, as per custom, the burrower’s corpse is your loot,” said the caravan leader with unusual respect.

“I can’t carry it away, and I’m too lazy to process it—how about I sell it to you at a discount? The difference counts as your due reward,” Gao De said, glancing at the massive corpse and thinking for a moment.

“Master Mage, just call me Jose,” nodded the leader Jose. “Your offer is more than welcome.”

“The corpse of a 0-Ring ground-living creature typically sells for 20 to 25 gold, depending on its valuable parts.”

“If it’s an edible ground-living creature, its value rises another tier.”

“But the burrower’s meat is sour and rotten—inedible. The only valuable parts are its carapace and internal acid glands.”

At this, Jose looked relieved. “Normally, when threatened, a burrower sprays its acid glands.”

“With that corrosive acid, unless a mage intervenes, all of us ordinary folk would be badly hurt.”

“Fortunately, this one flipped over and couldn’t even spray acid before it was killed.”

Gao De had to once again lament his own lack of experience.

As a mage, his knowledge of ground-living creatures was far inferior to Jose’s as an ordinary man.

Jose continued: “We’re not professionals—we can’t dissect the burrower’s corpse to extract useful materials, so we can only drag it to a shop in town to sell.”

“Shops typically pay half its value.”

“Let’s assume the corpse is worth 22 gold—maybe a bit less, maybe a bit more, depending on market conditions, but the difference rarely exceeds two gold.”

“So, the shop would likely offer about 11 gold for this corpse.”

Gao De nodded slightly, knowing Jose spoke truthfully, without deception.

A shop’s purchase price halved seemed harsh, but it was perfectly reasonable.

When buying non-mass-produced items like ground-living creature corpses, halving the price is standard practice.

Because there’s risk involved.

Though the corpse is valuable, it’s only money once sold.

Non-mass-produced items mean they’re not essential goods, meaning there’s no guaranteed buyer.

Even if it’s worth a fortune, merchants can’t guarantee when it will sell.

One day unsold, it ties up the merchant’s working capital.

So without at least a 50% profit, merchants won’t touch it.

To sell quickly, you must accept a steep discount.

“Six gold. The whole thing’s yours,” Gao De smiled.

“I didn’t kill this burrower alone, and some of you were injured. Besides, without you, I couldn’t have dragged the corpse back. This is your due reward,” he explained.

Jose met Gao De’s gaze and sincerely said, “Thank you for your generosity.”

The burrower’s attack was a minor incident on this journey.

The two cart drivers thrown by the burrower’s tail suffered injuries—broken bones—and would need long rest.

As for Gao De, it was pure gain.

Gold +6.

Also, [Burrower] +1.

Origin:

0-Ring—Burrower (1/7). Too easy, he even began hoping to encounter one or two more on the road.

The facts proved the main road was relatively safe.

Only this one incident occurred along the way.

One day later, at noon of the second day.

Trees grew sparser; signs of human activity began appearing.

Here, they had essentially left the forest. The tense atmosphere eased; people grew lively, chatting and laughing, imagining reunions with family.

Fields stretched out along both sides of the road.

These were the villages surrounding Bremen City.

Farmers worked in the fields; seeing the caravan pass, they glanced over.

Then, spotting the burrower’s corpse on the cart, they all wore expressions of awe.

The road widened and grew busier.

After traveling a long while, the caravan carrying the burrower’s corpse finally neared its destination:

Bremen City.

The largest city in the Bremen region, it lay beside the region’s largest lake, “Deepflow Lake.”

With Deepflow Lake as its hub, waterways connected to most cities in the Bremen region.

Water transport was the most convenient means of travel.

Precisely because of this prime location, Bremen City became the region’s top city.

In comparison, Hogen City’s backwardness and poverty, lacking any waterway, were entirely understandable.

Under the afternoon sun, the lake shimmered with golden light, like countless fish scales.

The massive Bremen City stood beside the lake.

Its walls rose high, built of ancient gray stone, crowned with orderly towers and magic-crystal lanterns.

The city gate loomed, carved with intricate runes.

“We’re here!” came cheers from the caravan.

“Let’s go inside!” laughed Jose, the leader.

As Bremen City came into view, Gao De leapt down from the cart.

The driver, Grul, blinked in confusion. “Thank you for your care along the way.”

“Aren’t you coming into the city with us?” Grul asked, startled.

“No,” Gao De waved him off.

Entering the city with so many others, especially while carrying a burrower’s corpse, would draw attention—something Gao De wished to avoid.

Worse, with so many eyes, he had already revealed his [Flame Arrow] spell yesterday.

On the road, caution toward strangers was essential.

To avoid possible trouble, Gao De chose the safest way to enter the city.

He would wait until the caravan entered, then enter alone.

Gao De departed with decisive clarity.

Watching his figure fade away, the others merely sighed, knowing their brief encounter with a mage was pure luck.

To them, Gao De was ultimately just an unusual passerby.

Since they had parted, they let it go.

Under the gaze of many townsfolk at the city gate, the caravan slowly entered Bremen City.

(End of Chapter)