Chapter 94: The Fruit Behind the Scenes Is Indeed Deep

Chapter 94: The Fruit Behind the Scenes Is Indeed Deep

Although not entirely certain, Su Nan suspected that the aliases used by the group in the dense forest cottage were somehow related to their abilities.

For example, Night Owl, when he last met Su Nan, controlled a puppet that resembled an owl.

Roses, on the other hand, always brought either magic plant seeds or potions for trade, suggesting she was skilled in cultivating magic plants and brewing potions.

As for Skeleton, his abilities were likely tied to the necromancy school of magic.

His keen interest in the Spineback Thornless Dragon skeleton also indirectly confirmed this.

Su Nan was definitely going to show this guy, who had been deliberately picking on him since the gathering began, a thing or two.

With him around, Skeleton wouldn't be able to trade for anything this time.

Su Nan was confident in his capabilities.

In terms of resources, he believed no one present could match him.

Of course, trading the Spineback Thornless Dragon skeleton wasn't entirely out of spite.

The Spineback Thornless Dragon was a sub-dragon species, and its skeleton would be beneficial to the Hidden Dragon. After refinement, it could be used to strengthen the Hidden Dragon's bones and improve its bloodline concentration.

Putting away the skeleton, Su Nan suddenly turned to Red Heart and asked, "Do you have any dragon blood? Or sub-dragon blood?"

Red Heart was taken aback but nodded, "I do."

With a flick of his wrist, a transparent glass bottle appeared in his palm, filled with deep red blood.

"This is the blood of a Spineback Thornless Dragon."

Su Nan's eyes lit up.

The Hidden Dragon's bloodline concentration was already close to 90%. If he could obtain this bottle of sub-dragon blood and refine it along with the Spineback Thornless Dragon's skeleton, it might just push the Hidden Dragon's bloodline to the sub-dragon level.

He had to get his hands on this!

Su Nan asked seriously, "What do you want to trade for it?"

To his surprise, Red Heart shook his head, "I don't plan to trade this bottle of blood."

He opened his other palm, revealing a yellowish-brown eye.

"This is something I stumbled upon. It seems to be a magical item, containing dense energy particles, but no matter what I try, I can't activate the energy inside."

"If anyone can help me identify this, I'll give you the bottle of sub-dragon blood."

Hearing this, the others in the room immediately became curious.

Night Owl asked, "Can I take a look?"

Red Heart handed the eye to Night Owl.

Night Owl examined the eye closely for a while, even trying to infuse it with mental energy, but the eye remained unresponsive.

After a moment, he sighed and handed it back, "Sorry."

Seeing even the well-informed Night Owl couldn't identify the eye, Roses and Skeleton lost their interest in trying.

Su Nan then said, "Let me give it a try."

Red Heart glanced at him and passed the item over.

Skeleton sneered, "If even Night Owl can't do it, what makes you think you can?"

Su Nan ignored him and focused on the item in his hand.

While Night Owl, Red Heart, and Roses didn't say anything, they didn't believe Su Nan could figure it out either.

To everyone's surprise, Su Nan soon put the item down and smiled, "Ironically, I happen to recognize this."

The others were stunned.

Red Heart quickly recovered, his eyes brightening, "Really?"

Su Nan handed the item back and explained calmly, "This is called the Iris Eye. It's the eye of a Rainbow Beast, capable of emitting a light similar to the Rainbow Aura. You could say it's a magical item, and in a sense, it is a natural magical item."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

None of them had heard of the Iris Eye or the Rainbow Beast.

However, the Rainbow Aura was a second-level spell that could make anyone exposed to its light fall into an illusion.

While no one present had mastered it, they had read about it in books.

"Who knows if you're telling the truth?" Skeleton sneered.

Su Nan glanced at Skeleton with a look of disdain, which only infuriated him more.

Before Skeleton could say anything, Su Nan turned to Red Heart and said coolly, "You can try soaking the Iris Eye in a mixture of Dream Flower and animal blood. About five minutes should do it."

Night Owl chimed in, "I have owl blood."

Roses then produced a light purple flower, "I have the Dream Flower."

Seeing this, Red Heart didn't hesitate and immediately began the process.

Since he couldn't use the item anyway, he might as well try Su Nan's suggestion.

The owl blood mixed with the Dream Flower quickly submerged the eye. Everyone waited patiently for five minutes. When Red Heart took the eye out of the mixture, it had transformed dramatically.

The original yellowish-brown color was completely gone, replaced by a dazzling array of rainbow hues.

The beautiful rainbow light caused the few apprentice wizards present to momentarily lose themselves in wonder. They quickly snapped back to reality, their faces filled with astonishment as they looked at Su Nan.

It was really true!

Exactly as he said!

Even Skeleton was stunned, never imagining that the player would actually recognize the item and even know how to activate it.

This was beyond bizarre!

Was this guy more knowledgeable than Night Owl?

Red Heart looked at the Rainbow Eye in his hand with delight, then immediately handed over the Spineback Thornless Dragon blood to Su Nan.

"Thank you. As agreed, this bottle of sub-dragon blood is yours."

Su Nan accepted it with a smile.

"Player, you are truly knowledgeable," Roses said with a smile.

Night Owl nodded in agreement.

When he first saw Su Nan recognize the trading house, he thought Su Nan had just happened to read about it in a book. But now, it was clear that Su Nan was indeed well-informed.

It was hard to imagine that someone who had only recently become a wizard apprentice could know so much.

Considering Su Nan's numerous resources, Night Owl couldn't help but wonder if Su Nan had connections to other wizard apprentice organizations.

Skeleton remained silent, sitting in his seat without a word.

While powerful wizards aren't always the most knowledgeable, knowledgeable wizards are rarely weak.

Knowledge is power, and that's no joke.

Initially, Skeleton had thought of Su Nan as just a newly promoted third-level wizard apprentice. Even with the accomplishment of killing Hebe, he hadn't taken Su Nan seriously.

But now, he found Su Nan hard to read.

After identifying the Rainbow Eye, Red Heart indicated that his trading was done.

Night Owl glanced at Skeleton, who remained silent, and then smiled. "Next, it's my turn."

To Su Nan's surprise, Night Owl produced a batch of fist-sized eggs.

"These are Red-Eyed Crow eggs."

"Red-Eyed Crows are swift, have incredible endurance, and possess extraordinary long-range and wide-area vision, making them perfect for patrols and security."

"I have forty-five Red-Eyed Crow eggs, along with a breeding manual I wrote myself. Is anyone interested?"

Red-Eyed Crows!

Su Nan's expression changed.

He knew about these magical creatures and their suitability for patrols and base security.

While his base currently had stone golems, their numbers were limited, and they were somewhat slow, making it difficult to cover the entire area.

If he had a batch of Red-Eyed Crows to work alongside the stone golems, the base's security would be much more robust.

After a moment's thought, Su Nan said, "I'll take them. What do you want in exchange?"

"Magic stones," Night Owl replied without hesitation. "Forty-five Red-Eyed Crow eggs and the breeding manual for ten magic stones."

Su Nan shook his head. "Six."

They were just eggs, not adult Red-Eyed Crows, and he would have to hatch and raise them himself. These eggs weren't worth ten magic stones.

"Eight."

"Seven."

Night Owl hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Deal."

Another trade was completed.

Now, only Su Nan and Skeleton had yet to present their items for trade.

Seeing everyone's gazes, Skeleton pulled at the corners of his mouth and pointed to two miniature soul crystals on the table. "These are what I want to trade."

Night Owl, Red Heart, and Roses exchanged looks.

They had already traded all their items with Su Nan, and they had nothing left that was more valuable than the two miniature soul crystals.

Seeing that Night Owl and the others were not moving, Skeleton's face darkened. He glanced at Su Nan, who was smirking, and angrily put the two miniature soul crystals back.

Night Owl cleared his throat and said to Su Nan, "Player, do you have anything you want to trade?"

"Of course."

Su Nan smiled and waved his hand. Instantly, more than a dozen magic stones appeared on the table.

This sight left Night Owl and the others inwardly amazed.

He had already traded away more than a dozen magic stones, and now he had produced another dozen.

How many magic stones did this player have?

If it weren't impossible, they would have thought he had a magic stone mine.

"I need wizard tomes, gems, and various rare metals. If you have any, you can trade them with me."

Night Owl, Red Heart, and Roses perked up.

If Su Nan wanted something else, they might not have it, but wizard tomes and gems were something every wizard apprentice had.

The key was that wizard tomes could be duplicated, and gems could be purchased with gold coins. These items weren't particularly rare, and trading them for magic stones was a great deal!

So, the three of them brought out various wizard tomes and gems. Su Nan carefully selected the tomes, removing those he already had, and accepted the rest. As for the gems, he accepted them all without hesitation.

What surprised Su Nan was that Roses produced over three hundred gems at once. Although they were all mid-to-low-grade, it was still a considerable amount.

After all, Hebe had only had a little over a hundred gems on him.

"This guy must either be from a noble family or have connections with a royal family," Su Nan thought, giving Roses a deep look.

In addition, Red Heart and Night Owl also contributed nearly a hundred gems each. To Su Nan's delight, Red Heart had three rare metals that were essential for the magic pattern core, which Su Nan lacked. Without a second thought, he took them all.

In the end, Su Nan acquired over three hundred wizard tomes, more than five hundred gems, and three rare metals, all for less than two hundred magic stones.

The three of them felt that trading their tomes and gems for valuable magic stones was a great deal. Su Nan, on the other hand, believed that using low-cost magic stones to acquire tomes and gems was also a great deal. Both sides felt that the trade was worthwhile, creating a win-win situation!

The only one who wasn't happy was Skeleton, who sat alone in the corner. From the start of the gathering, he hadn't managed to trade for anything, as everything had been preempted by Su Nan. He couldn't bring himself to humble himself and approach Su Nan.

Throughout the gathering, he felt like an outsider.

Looking at the magic stones in Night Owl's hands, Skeleton felt a twinge of regret. He wished he hadn't picked on the player.

After the trading, Red Heart and Roses were noticeably more friendly towards Su Nan. He had proven just how well-resourced he was. Bringing out over two hundred magic stones in one gathering was something even the Forest Cottage's most well-endowed member, Staff, couldn't do.

The Forest Cottage was thrilled to have such a well-resourced member. It meant they would have access to more resources in the future.

As the gathering came to an end, Su Nan handed Red Heart and Roses a list of rare metals. He promised to accept any amount of the listed metals at the next gathering.

Red Heart and Roses readily agreed, already thinking about how they could collect more rare metals.

The cottage was now left with only Night Owl and Skeleton.

Night Owl sighed, looking at the gloomy Skeleton. "Hebe's death was his own doing, and it's not the player's fault. You shouldn't have made things difficult for the player."

"You saw how deep the player's resources are. Having him in the Forest Cottage is a good thing."

"I advise you to try to get along with the player if you want to trade for more resources."

Skeleton was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "Don't you want to know where the player got all those magic stones? Ordinary wizard apprentices can't produce hundreds of magic stones."

"Even if we knew, what would we do? Do you plan to take them from the player?"

Night Owl said with a deep meaning. "Don't forget that the player was already capable of defeating Hebe when he was just a second-level wizard apprentice. Now that he's a third-level wizard apprentice, he's even stronger. Do you think you can beat him?"

Skeleton was speechless, unable to refute.

"Even if you could defeat the player, how do you know you'd get those magic stones? Who's to say they're his own resources and not something he traded for?"

"If it's the latter, we'd be cutting off a valuable source of magic stones."

"Why take the risk of doing something that would be more trouble than it's worth when we can trade with the player safely and securely?"

Skeleton fell silent again. After a long moment, he stood up and said, "I understand. Let's pretend I never brought it up."

With that, Skeleton disappeared.

Night Owl shook his head, looking at the spot where Su Nan had been sitting, his eyes filled with contemplation.

After his initial investigation, he thought he had a good understanding of Su Nan. However, after two encounters, Su Nan had become even more enigmatic and unpredictable. Now, even he couldn't gauge Su Nan's true depth.

"A third-level wizard apprentice at twenty, the fruit behind the scenes is indeed deep."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end