Chapter 82: 82 Merchants

"Boss, do we really have to do this?"

Dylan's question was filled with shame and humiliation.

"Nonsense, this is a long journey.

If you don't do this, how many potions will you have to carry on your back?

On land, you can resupply along the way, but once you're on the ship, do you really want to bring an entire chest of potions aboard?"

Right now, Dylan had put his shirt and pants into his luggage bag.

He was wearing only a pair of briefs, riding on the horse's back.

In the boss's words, this was called absorbing solar energy over the maximum surface area.

But,

they were only half a day's journey from Norwid; meeting someone like this would be too shameful...

As the saying goes, the more you fear something, the more it comes.

Just as the sun was about to set, right before Dylan could put his clothes back on,

the naked rider Dylan met four strangers, though the situation was slightly different from what he had imagined.

Simply put, three fellows dressed very much like bandits were doing very bandit-like things—robbing a man who looked like a traveling merchant.

Although the merchant was riding a horse, the three had forced him to the edge of a dirt slope, leaving him no way out.

The bandits seemed unwilling to hurt the horse, which was why they hadn't been able to pull the merchant down yet.

Dylan's arrival naturally drew the bandits' attention, but all three merely silently assumed defensive postures.

No one jumped out to threaten him, nor did they have any intention of robbing him as well.

These three hadn't even reached Silver Rank; they were just low-level bandits who robbed ordinary people.

Naturally, they would choose their targets carefully when acting.

Someone like Dylan, with his strange appearance, who didn't seem very nervous upon seeing them.

If they could avoid provoking him, they certainly didn't want to provoke him.

Dylan's hand touched the long sword hanging on the horse; then he slightly turned the horse's head, bypassing the group.

"Uh, aren't you planning to help him?"

"Boss, I still have to make good time; how can I get involved in everything!" Dylan said with an air of complete self-righteousness.

"Dylan..."

"Hmm?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a huge hypocrite?"

"Mr.! Help me, I'm willing to pay two gold coins!" the merchant suddenly shouted for help to Dylan.

"Shut up!"

One bandit was clearly panicked; he raised a chipped iron sword and swung it down, not caring whether it would hurt the horse.

As he swung, the bandit's peripheral vision caught a flash of blue, causing him to hesitate for a split second.

The next second, an ice cone sliced past his nose.

Everyone looked at the naked figure on the horse, especially at the ring on his hand, whose blue light had not yet fully faded.

"Skill... Equipment..."

People who could possess skill equipment were not someone they could mess with.

"Friend, no need to fight; we'll leave right now."

Seeing that Dylan didn't seem to intend to continue attacking, the three bandits faced Dylan and slowly backed away.

Only after retreating far enough did the three take to their heels and flee.

Dylan felt he had acted impulsively.

He wasn't wearing his equipment; besides his briefs, all he had on him was this ring.

At the very beginning, he had decided not to get involved.

After all, he didn't lack two gold coins right now.

But this damn muscle memory.

In the past, he had worked so hard to earn a few dozen silver; now, faced with nearly free two gold coins, he had acted on impulse.

Sigh!

"Thank you for saving my life; I am truly grateful."

The merchant rode his horse over, nodding repeatedly in gratitude, while Dylan simply extended his hand.

If this guy dared to renege on the reward, Dylan would rob him clean in place of the bandits.

Fortunately, the merchant had no intention of cheating. "Oh right, right, here you go." Soon, two gold coins were placed in Dylan's hand.

What neither of them noticed was that as the merchant approached, the strap of the backpack hanging by the horse's hindquarters had lifted slightly, ready to be pulled out at any moment.

Dylan took the money, looked at the merchant who was still thanking him, and casually offered a piece of advice:

"Next time, don't skimp on the guard's pay; the more you save, the more you lose; sooner or later, you'll even save your life."

"Yes, yes, you're right." It was clear that the merchant himself felt a bit awkward about this.

Dylan took the money and was about to leave, but unexpectedly, the merchant followed him.

"Mr., may I accompany you to Norwid?"

"Didn't you come from Norwid?"

Seeing Dylan look at him with slight disdain, the merchant immediately realized the situation and handed over twenty silver coins.

"I just realized the road is too dangerous; I want to return to Norwid first to hire two guards before setting out again."

Dylan didn't lack that little money, but having just accepted two gold coins, kicking the man away immediately would be too heartless.

It's only half a day's journey...

"Alright then."

Dylan could only reluctantly accept these silver coins.

Seeing this, the merchant smiled even more sincerely.

As the sky grew dark, Dylan had no intention of continuing on.

He put on his clothes, found a clearing with no cover around it, and started a campfire.

He didn't choose to travel through the night; it wasn't because a merchant had joined them.

First, he lacked night vision; even in the dungeon, he had to rely on the leader's glow for illumination.

Second, the horses also needed rest.

Under the triple moonlight, the two sat at opposite ends of the campfire.

Dylan threw his carried dried meat into an iron cup, added water, and boiled it into a small half-cup of meat broth to serve as dinner.

Amidst the clinking of the iron cup, the merchant suddenly spoke: "Mr., I haven't asked your name yet. I am Anthony Neil."

"Just call me Dylan."

Dylan was slightly cold; after all, they were only "teammates" for half a day's journey, so there was no need to expend so much energy making friends.

Although the merchant felt a bit regretful, he didn't force the issue to find a topic.

He simply unscrewed the flask at his waist and took a few swallows of what was inside.

After Dylan finished the meat broth, the two went to sleep separately.

Dylan indeed didn't need to be on guard; he had a scout, and a bunch of detection skills were far more useful than his own eyes.

The backpack, transformed from the scout, was now hanging on a tree branch, monitoring everything around.

Especially this "merchant."

【Name: Chrollo】

【Race: Shapeshifter】

【Level: lv36】

【Race Talent: Shapeshift (Can change appearance arbitrarily, can mimic humanoid creatures, including the specific appearance, voice, scent, etc., of individuals)】

A Shapeshifter, should be considered a Demon Race...

This race talent is equivalent to being born with an enhanced version of 【Mimicry】.

The human lands are truly shining with stars.

We've only traveled for three days and have already met a scum knight, bandits, and a Shapeshifter.

Dylan thought he had saved the merchant, but in Lin Jun's view, he probably saved those three bandits instead.

This Shapeshifter definitely intended to kill all the bandits at the very beginning, and he certainly could have done it.

He only changed his mind after seeing Dylan.

This guy is not the harmless type; the panel has many attack skills, and at least Dylan would have a hard time fighting it.

It's just unknown what purpose this guy has in approaching Dylan.

Lin Jun hasn't told Dylan the merchant's true face yet.

After all, if Dylan always looked guarded, that wouldn't look good.

In the end, it's only lv36; spending a bit more energy watching it won't let it truly have a chance to hurt Dylan.

Let's see what tricks this guy plans to play!

(End of Chapter)