Chapter 27: Dragon Blood Herb (Seeking Reread)

The next morning at early dawn, Eric, Lily and Tomson arrived at Robin's barracks carrying a Leopard Skin.

They wore excited expressions, clearly full of anticipation for the upcoming market trip.

"Robin, get up quickly! We should set off!" Tomson knocked on the door, his voice impatient.

Robin had already gotten up, arranging his gear.

Hearing the knock, he swiftly opened the door, saw the three standing outside with the whole Leopard Skin in hand, and couldn't help but smile: "You're quite proactive, coming so early."

Lily laughed and said: "Of course we go early; with more people at the market the Leopard Skin can fetch a good price. Besides, we still need to buy herbs, we can't waste time."

Robin nodded, slung his pack onto his back, and followed the three.

Winston City is the largest city under the lord of Buluote Territory, with a permanent population of about 16,000. Though not especially large, as the political and economic center of the domain it is still bustling.

The city has only one main thoroughfare, lined on both sides with dense shops and stalls, while the smaller alleys spread out like a spiderweb, connecting residential areas and workshops.

The four walked along the main road into the market and were immediately drawn in by the scene before them.

Stalls of all kinds filled both sides of the street, vendors shouting loudly, hawking their wares.

From fresh vegetables and fruits to exquisite crafts, and various beast furs and bones, everything was on offer.

"Let's find a leather goods merchant first," Eric suggested. "Leopard Skin like this only a specialist can give a good price."

Robin nodded in agreement, and the four began searching the market for a leather goods merchant's stall.

Soon they found a shop that appeared relatively large for leather goods.

The shopkeeper was a middle‑aged man with a shrewd smile; when he saw the Leopard Skin in their hands, his eyes lit up at once.

"Customers, are you here to sell Leopard Skin?" the shopkeeper greeted warmly, reaching out to feel the texture of the skin, nodding with satisfaction, "Hmm, the hide is intact, glossy, truly top‑grade."

Lily asked directly, "Boss, what price can you give?"

The shopkeeper squinted, pondered a moment, then said, "How about this: I offer five Gold Coins, what do you think?"

Robin and Eric exchanged glances, both feeling a bit dissatisfied.

The Leopard Skin was clearly worth more than that amount; the shopkeeper was obviously trying to lowball.

Eric shook his head, his tone firm: "Boss, your price is too low. This Leopard Skin is whole and unblemished, and the hide is thick; it's worth at least eight Gold Coins."

The shopkeeper feigned helplessness, spreading his hands: "Customers, you know the market is sluggish now, leather goods trade is tough. How about this, I add one more Gold Coin, six Gold Coins, okay?"

Robin sneered, grabbed the Leopard Skin and turned to leave: "Since you have no sincerity, we'll go find another shop."

Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly blocked them, his face full of smiles: "No, no, no, customers, don't be hasty! Let's discuss further. Seven Gold Coins, that's my bottom line, what do you think?"

Lily looked at Robin and Eric, saw them nod, and smiled, "Fine, seven Gold Coins it is. But boss, if we have good goods in the future, we might not come to you again."

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, quickly took seven Gold Coins from the counter and handed them to Lily: "Rest assured, next time we'll give you an even better price!"

After the transaction, the four left the leather goods shop, all wearing satisfied smiles.

Seven Gold Coins were enough for them to buy several batches of herbs.

"Next, let's buy herbs," Robin said. "I recall there's an apothecary on the east side of the market with reasonable prices."

The four headed toward the herb shop, picking up some dry rations and daily necessities along the way.

At the apothecary, Robin followed the formula in that book, selecting several herbs that boost blood Qi and strengthen bones.

The shopkeeper, seeing them buy a lot, gave them a special discount.

"Friends, you all look like Knight apprentices! These herbs must be refined into potions before consumption; don't foolishly think they'll aid cultivation directly, it will backfire," the shopkeeper kindly advised as they were about to leave.

Robin quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, these items were ordered by our Knight captain, we aren't sure how to use them."

Upon hearing they were for the Knight captain, the shopkeeper stopped further inquiries.

After buying the herbs, the four found a small tavern, sat down, ordered simple food, and chatted while eating.

"With these herbs, we can drink Leopard Bone Soup for the next few days," Tomson exclaimed excitedly. "Robin, you'll have to brew it many times so we can properly boost our strength!"

Robin smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, as long as you can hunt leopards, I'll take care of the broth."

Lily and Eric also laughed, the atmosphere light and pleasant.

After the meal, the four packed up their things, preparing to return to the camp.

Walking back, Robin was looking down at the herbs in his hand when a system prompt suddenly rang in his mind.

A line of text jumped into his vision: "Dragon Blood Herb discovered!"

Robin's steps halted abruptly, he was completely stunned.

Dragon Blood Herb? That's one of the herbs they just spent three Gold Coins on.

Following the system's guidance, his gaze swept the surroundings and finally fixed on an old man pushing a cart.

The cart was piled with tangled forage, looking unremarkable, but Robin's vision clearly marked several Dragon Blood Herbs and Cateran Roots among them.

These were herbs he had just learned about from the Herbal Record in the past few days.

"What's the matter?" Eric asked, patting Robin's shoulder, puzzled.

Robin came to himself, feigned a casual smile: "Nothing, just saw something interesting."

He finished speaking and hurried toward the cart‑pushing old man, blocking his path.

The old man, seeing several youths clad in leather armor and bearing long swords suddenly block his way, grew nervous, stopped the cart, and respectfully asked, "Knights, do you have business with me?"

Eric glanced at the tangled weeds on the cart, frowned, tapped the cart with his sword sheath, and said impatiently, "Old man, can you not understand? What are these?"

The old man quickly explained, "These are miscellaneous weeds I collected in the mountains, intended for delivery to the Lord's Manor."

Hearing "Lord's Manor", Eric's demeanor softened a bit, his tone subdued: "Oh, I see."

Robin, unmoved, walked to the side of the cart and casually plucked a few Dragon Blood Herbs and Cateran Roots from the pile, slipping them into his own pocket.

The old man, seeing Robin only take a few weeds, paid no attention, not even raising an eyelid, clearly unaware of their value.

In one breath, Three Watches posted, asking everyone for support, help finish today's reread, reporting the stats: 300 favorites, 40 rereads – that was yesterday's data. Please don't get complacent; in the big‑data era everything is judged by numbers, affecting future recommendations.

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(End of chapter)