Chapter 18 18. The Man at the End of His Road
Mute Wind Town, a remote town located in the southernmost part of the United Kingdom, has attracted a large number of adventurers and merchants due to its proximity to the Amethyst Dungeon. Its prosperity is comparable to that of some medium-sized cities.
The Adventurer's Guild even set up a regional branch here.
Thanks to the resources of the dungeon, there are quite a lot of specialties here.
However, the most recognizable symbol of Dumbwind Town is neither the precious high-purity magic crystals nor the wide variety of magic beast materials, but the unique brew of the Rotten Willow Tavern - a turbid liquid with a notorious reputation.
Even adventurers who have never set foot in this place must have heard of this inferior wine that exudes a musty smell and is said to be enough to kill walking mushrooms just by spilling it.
Despite the quality, the boss still added more water into it than the wine itself.
However, the pricing strategy of only one copper coin per cup still makes it an irreplaceable drink for low-level adventurers.
Naturally, the Rotten Willow Tavern became a gathering place for all bottom-side adventurers.
If you randomly pull someone in Dumbwind Town, he may not know where the Adventurer's Guild's office is, but he will definitely know the location of the Rotten Willow Tavern.
Today, the Rotten Willow Tavern was packed with all kinds of people as usual.
They guzzled cheap liquor and chatted loudly about recent gossip.
For example, the Hermit Empire's increasingly frequent small moves on the border;
For example, three months ago, the Silver Thorn Team went deep into the dungeon to rescue the Duke's daughter and received an extremely rare and high reward - a city.
Today, the word "Silver Thorn" has become a benchmark legend in the adventurer's profession. The eyes of every drinker who raises a glass to them are burning with desire for fame and fortune.
When the tired man with messy stubble pushed open the wooden door of the tavern, no one cast any extra glances at him - such figures could be found everywhere in the tavern.
The man glanced around and walked straight towards the fat man sitting alone in the corner. The latter was sipping from a wooden wine glass. The inferior muddy wine tasted like some fine wine in his hands.
The fat man saw the man sitting opposite him and called out his name:
“Dylan, haven’t seen you for years.
Aren’t you retired? Why are you looking for me?
Don't ever tell me you miss me, my old friend, or I'll spit it out."
"Fatty, are you still doing that business?"
The fat guy's nickname is Fatty. Facing him, Dylan did not hide anything and directly stated his purpose, which startled the fat guy opposite him and made his eyelids jump.
He quickly glanced around and saw that no one was paying attention to this corner, so he lowered his voice and said angrily:
"What are you doing? You almost said that word. Are you trying to kill me?"
Seeing the fat man furious, Dylan became excited instead.
"You are still working on it. Come on, give me three copies."
As he said this, he took out a purse from his bosom and pushed it in front of the fat man. There were 27 silver coins in it.
The fat man narrowed his eyes and didn't touch the purse. Instead, he took a good look at the man in front of him.
Compared with seven years ago, Dylan has aged a lot, his body is not as strong as before, and the calluses on his hands have almost disappeared.
“Sorry Dylan, I can’t sell you.
It looks like you've lost the ability to eat that you once had.
We are old friends after all, I can't watch you go and die."
Dylan grabbed the fat man by the collar, his bloodshot eyes revealing the madness of a man who was forced into a desperate situation.
But the fat man just looked into his eyes quietly.
After a long time, Dylan loosened his hand, and collapsed, begging in a low voice:
“Fatty, please, my daughter was poisoned by blood during the border mission.
I need money, lots of money.
I don’t know what else to do except this… Please…”
The fat man fell silent.
Blood poison - the most vicious move of vampires.
People who are poisoned by blood will not die immediately, but will be slowly transformed into vampires in pain.
This monster transformed from a human, although retaining the memory before the transformation, cannot suppress its bloodthirsty desire and will eat even its closest relatives with tears in its eyes.
Only when facing vampires do they become completely obedient slaves.
There are treatment methods, and the two most well-known ones are: the blessing of the Holy See or anti-rebirth potions.
Both can revive an infected person before they are completely transformed.
However, these two have nothing to do with the people at the bottom of society.
The former can only be baptized personally by a bishop-level figure who spends several days doing so, while the latter costs a whopping 50 gold coins.
Even if a bishop is rich, he may not be able to gain connections. Dylan's target is obviously the latter.
So how can Dylan, who was only a silver-level adventurer in his prime and whose strength has declined significantly now, earn 50 gold coins in a short period of time?
There are only two ways to make money quickly: one is dangerous, and the other is illegal.
Naturally, the one who is involved in both makes money the fastest.
On the fifth floor of the Amethyst Dungeon there is a notorious demonic plant - the parasitic tree.
As the name suggests, they capture living people and force-feed them into tree seeds, turning them into new stumps, and the people who become stumps become their legs for movement.
During this process, the brain of the person being parasitized will be irreversibly damaged, and even if they are rescued, they will only be a living shell. This is why they are notorious.
However, few people know that the species of parasitic trees are extremely excellent materials for psychotropic potions.
It is only because of its overly inhumane production method that it has been listed as a banned item by the United Kingdom, restricting its circulation and the spread of this knowledge.
But the more it is prohibited, the higher the benefits.
And if there is profit, naturally there will be people who will do it secretly.
The fat man has something called sleeping powder in his hand, which is a necessary item for picking fruits from parasitic trees, and it is also what Dylan wants to buy.
However, picking the fruits of parasitic trees is not an easy job that can be done by just running over and bringing them back.
The parasitic trees are not of high level but are huge in number, concentrated in the swamp terrain on the fifth floor.
And the most difficult thing is that they can use the skills or magic that the parasite knows.
Imagine being besieged by dozens of parasitic trees with different skills and magic. Even a high-level adventurer would die in agony if he was not careful.
Then it is made into a new, stronger parasitic tree.
This is a demonic plant that is far more dangerous than its level.
Looking at Dylan's expression, the fat man knew that in order to earn as much as possible, he would go alone.
Of course, given his current condition, no one would want him even if he wanted to team up with someone to do this.
The fat man was almost certain that he would die down there.
But... Fatty also had a daughter a few years ago, and she was the apple of his eye.
He knew that letting Dylan watch his only daughter slowly turning into a vampire would probably be more painful and despairing than death.
"Oh——" The fat man sighed, took the purse on the table, and secretly stuffed five small bags into Dylan's hand.
"Five servings!?"
"This thing is much cheaper than it was back then. I won't charge you any money for the sake of our old friendship. If you're lucky enough... this trip will be enough."
"Thank you...thank you..." Dylan clutched the bag tightly, as if he had grasped hope, and hurriedly left the tavern.
The fat man picked up the glass of cheap wine and took a sip.
"Tsk, a loss of 73 silver.
I am so soft-hearted. It seems that I am too old and not suitable for this job.
I will retire and return to my hometown after some time..."
(End of this chapter)
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