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Chapter 1076: Merchants in the Forest

The air of Lothlorien was filled with golden pollen, and every breath carried the mellow scent of honey and ancient wood. Zhao Wuji stood beside Queen Caradrell's mirror, watching the tiny light spots on his pointed ears reflected on the water surface - that was the unique light dust in the elf territory, which would not fade for three days after being touched.

“You may stay.” Celeborn’s voice was like a silver string in the moonlight, “until your wounds are healed.”

He looked down at the scar on his arm caused by the Moria rubble. This was the first time he had been truly injured since crossing over. The protection provided by the system was limited to life-threatening situations, and the pain still had to be borne by himself.

"Thank you for your kindness." He performed the elven salute he had just learned, his eyes glancing at the edge of the square - there were three caravans of merchants parked there, and the leather of Rohan, the metal tools of the dwarves, and the wine of Gondor were being carefully examined by the elves.

A plan formed in his mind.

The nights of Lothlorien were busier than the days. The elves needed no sleep, they wove silks among the glowing treetops, embroidered star maps with mithril threads, and brewed mead that could intoxicate Men for three days and three nights.

Zhao Wuji found Livlin's sister, Tiffany, who was in charge of the weaving workshop.

"You want to learn weaving?" Her golden-green eyes were full of suspicion. "Elf men never go into weaving workshops."

“Eastern elves are different.” He pulled out the crumbs of mithril he had brought back from Moria. “We believe that crafts are not gender specific. These are for tuition.”

The glow of the mithril softened Tiffany's expression.

Three days later, Zhao Wuji was able to weave simple star patterns. More importantly, he learned to identify the grades of various fairy silks:

Star Mist: Light as a feather, suitable for making ball gowns (worth 50 gold coins per yard)

Twilight Satin: changes color with light (80 gold per yard)

The most precious memory silk: can weave the weaver's thoughts into it (not for sale)

When Tiffany turned around, he quietly collected the silver threads scattered under the loom - these "waste materials" were enough to make twenty elf knot bracelets, which could be sold at a sky-high price among human noble ladies.

On the market day before the caravan left, Zhao Wuji set up a stall under the golden melon tree.

"What is this?" A Gondor merchant pointed at the blue powder in the crystal bottle. "Dream Dust." Zhao Wuji lowered his voice, "It is taken from the night-light flower that blooms once a hundred years. It can make your dreams last until noon the next day."

In fact, it was just ordinary pollen mixed with a small amount of mithril powder, but the greed in the merchant's eyes said it all.

“I want them all.”

When thirty gold coins fell into the deerskin purse, the system remained silent. This level of deception is like the thousands of small things that happen every day in Middle-earth, and has nothing to do with the plot.

At the fountain in the distance, Frodo was staring at the crystal bottle given by Queen Galadriel. Zhao Wuji noticed a crack on Sam's backpack - according to the plot, a few pieces of elven bread would fall from there when they set off tomorrow.

He silently memorized the location.

In the early morning when the expedition left, the whole of Lothlorien was shrouded in silver-blue mist.

Zhao Wuji stood behind Celeborn, watching the nine figures gradually disappear into the forest path. When the last footsteps fell silent, the Elf Lord suddenly spoke:

"You have collected many gifts from Lothlorien."

Zhao Wuji's blood solidified instantly.

“But nothing is taken from the living tree, and nothing is done in violation of the law.” Celeborn’s silver hair looked like flowing mithril in the morning light. “An interesting choice, Farstrider.”

Only after the lord left did Zhao Wuji let out the breath he had been holding. He opened the oak box hidden in the tree hole:

Elf bread crumbs × 7 (carefully wrapped with memory silk)
-

Twilight Satin Scrap × 3 yards
-

1 piece of golden hair that fell when Galadriel was dressing up (wrapped around the mouth of the crystal bottle)

The last one was obtained at the greatest risk - when the Queen leaned over to check Frodo's wound, the strand of hair fell on the carpet. The system determined it to be "unowned", but the moment he took it away, he clearly felt a pair of eyes beyond time and space looking at him.

At the bottom of the box was still the piece of pure mithril, now engraved with dwarven runes. The handwriting left by Groin after he was drunk last night was exchanged for two bottles of elven honey wine.

"The value has increased by at least five times." Zhao Wuji closed the lid of the box and looked towards the east.

The wind on the Rohan grasslands is rolling up golden waves of grass, where there are more treasures not recorded in the plot waiting to be discovered.

A quarter of the puzzle worth 100,000 gold coins has been completed. . . ? .