Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 298 Soldin, the Deal is Made
three days later.

On the second floor of the Adventurers' Guild, in a quiet little trading room.

Xia Nan sat alone on a small sofa in the room. In front of him, on a table-like surface resembling a coffee table, his Iron Stomach Flail was neatly placed in the center. Nearby, on one side, was a cup of tea, provided free of charge by the association, which was steaming hot.

He didn't have much knowledge in this area, but compared to the tea he had tasted in his previous life, the leaves in the cup in front of him were significantly larger, floating on the surface of the hot water like leaves, almost covering the entire rim of the cup.

The taste is quite good, with a fresh green aroma and a slightly sweet aftertaste.

I don't know where to buy it or how much it costs.

I can ask Jasmine about it when I have the chance later. When we go on adventures and camp at night, it would be quite enjoyable to sit by the campfire and brew a nice cup of tea.

The reason Xia Nan is sitting here right now is naturally because of his [Iron Stomach Flail], which he has consigned to the association.

To be honest, he originally thought that the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] would be the first one that buyers would choose.

After all, the so-called "fishermen" are certainly not lacking, even in this fantasy world with supernatural powers.

As a baiting tool, even though its usage conditions are somewhat demanding, it also means that its price won't be too high, and it's not entirely unavoidable, so it should be very sought after.

Surprisingly, it has been on the association's list for a long time and still no one has shown any interest, while the [Iron Stomach Flail], which was only put on the list a few days ago, has already made a move.

However, it is also a good thing.

Xia Nan sat on the small sofa and took a sip of tea.

It doesn't matter which one it is, as long as someone buys it.

He was short of the three thousand gold coins needed to reforge his longsword, a shortfall of over five hundred gold coins, and was in dire need of money.

Being able to recover some health through these unused equipment would be ideal.

I glanced up at the wall clock next to me and estimated the time in my mind.

There are still twenty minutes until the agreed meeting time.

Hopefully, this buyer won't be late...

As Xia Nan was thinking this, his thoughts were still lingering in his mind when a very noticeable footstep suddenly came from outside the door.

His keen perception, coupled with his increasingly sensitive hearing as his physical fitness improved, allowed him to truly "identify people by their voices" to a certain extent.

Often, even before close contact, one can infer a person's behavior and emotional characteristics simply by observing their footsteps.

Let me give you an example of a few adventurers I know:
"Green Blood" Adeline's footsteps are usually quick and short, without any hesitation or sluggishness. Before the hunting day, they may be a little slow, as if she is preoccupied. After the "Red Mane Bear Goblin" was killed by Xia Nan, they became much better and more concise and efficient.
The mage Violet's steps were lighter, but often seemed hurried, as if something was constantly pushing her forward, not allowing her to waste a single second.

And now, the footsteps coming from behind the door, gradually getting closer and clearer, gave him the first impression of...

weight.

It's not a naturally occurring feature of a petrified lizard, but rather the type that causes the ground to tremble slightly when it moves.

Rather, it is a kind of perceptual, steady, and powerful heavy footstep, like that of a rock.

The movement was accompanied by the clanging sound of metal shoes hitting the floor and slightly heavy breathing.

Even though the other party had not yet come into Xia Nan's sight, he already had a general idea of ​​the person's identity and personality.

He should be a reliable soldier with a stable personality?
"Crench."

The door to the trading room was slowly pushed open from the outside.

As expected, what came into view was a sturdy, rugged-looking dwarf adventurer.

Unlike "Rockhammer" Barn, who is said to have dwarven blood but is actually several times stronger than an ordinary orc, he has a burly physique.

The dwarf's physique and attire almost perfectly matched Xia Nan's stereotypes about this race.

He was just over five feet tall, which would be considered tall among most of his kind, but in reality he only reached his own chest; his bulging muscles seemed to be made of steel, so tight that they would burst his clothes, pressing against the bulging muscles piled up on his thick frame.

Standing there, it looked like a piece of granite that had been peeled off the mountain.

Solid and rough.

Out of politeness and respect for the buyer, Xia Nan stood up and took two steps forward to extend her hand to him as he entered the room.

"Hello, Xia Nan."

Rough and powerful.

His hand, with its broad knuckles and calloused surface covered with tiny scars, gripped his right hand tightly and shook it forcefully twice.

The dwarf in front of him grinned and let out a hearty laugh:
"Haha, hello, hello!"

"I heard from the association that the seller is also a professional, but I didn't expect him to be so young when I met him today!"

"No need to be polite, just call me Soldin."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xia Nan made no attempt to hide his gaze as he sized up the dwarf standing in front of him.

Undoubtedly a professional.

The solid aura emanating from him was something that neither low-level adventurers nor newcomers who had just obtained their professional level could possess.

Well, he's slightly worse than Terry William and Lawson, whom I've encountered before.

If he wasn't hiding his true strength, his professional level would probably be around level 3-4.
He wasn't very old, but judging from his face, which looked like it had been sculpted by time and was full of the marks of age, he was obviously not very young.

Maybe he'll be around a hundred years old?
For dwarves with an average lifespan of 350 years, this is considered to be the prime of their lives.

In terms of specific professions, it should be similar to the type of melee fighter.

He was wearing a light plate armor that suited his dwarf figure. It looked much heavier than Xia Nan's plate chainmail, making his already horizontally oriented, stake-like figure even more solid.
He carried a large, round metal shield on his back, with the emblem on the shield's surface faintly visible, but the specific design was obscured by the angle. A single-handed prism that reflected the metallic luster hung at his waist; it appeared to be of very good quality, a fine piece, but it was probably not an enchanted weapon.

It's worth mentioning that this dwarf adventurer named Soldin, like Barn, had a delicate braid that almost reached his chest.

His dark brown, almost black beard was meticulously braided into several thick braids, interspersed with a few durable copper rings, and each end was adorned with a small piece of polished obsidian. It was easy to see that he must have spent a lot of time grooming his precious braids, giving him a unique exotic beauty.

"A hesitant pickaxe never produces a spark. Time is precious, shall we begin?"

Accustomed to directness, his life as an adventurer may have taught this dwarf appropriate ways of communicating with other races, but having grown up in front of forges and anvils, he still retained the straightforward and honest character of his clan, disliking beating around the bush and complicated rhetoric. "Sit down across the table," Soldin said directly.

Not surprising, nor at all offensive, after all, Xia Nan is more focused on efficiency than verbal sparring.

Seeing this, he didn't say much, but simply nodded slightly.

Name your price.

I have learned about the effects of the flail through the association, but I have not had any close contact with it.

After asking Xia Nan and receiving his consent, Soldin leaned out and reached for the Iron Stomach Flail on the table in front of him, examining it carefully with both hands.

He looked at it very carefully, and the "racial talent" bestowed upon him by his upbringing also enabled him to keenly perceive the subtle flaws and outstanding advantages of the flail.

With exceptional skill, his large, thick fingers deftly traced the chain links; he weighed the counterweights, inspected the connection between the handle and the hinge, and occasionally bent his knuckles to tap lightly, intently listening to the crisp sound.

"Hmm..." A low murmur escaped his throat, and a faint light flickered in the depths of his equally dark brown eyes as he muttered to himself, "The craftsmanship is very special. It shouldn't have been made by blacksmiths in the Kingdom of Servia, but the quality is unexpectedly high. Even though it has been left unused for a long time and has not been properly maintained, there are some traces of rust on the surface, but the overall structure is still in quite good condition, perfectly adequate for use in battle."

After a moment's thought, Soldin carefully placed the flail back on the table, raised his head, and met Xia Nan's gaze.

"I'll take this flail. How about 125 gold?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan showed no obvious emotional fluctuation on his face, maintaining a cold expression, but his heart couldn't help but pause.

The other party's offer... was somewhat unexpected.

He had finally found someone interested in the equipment he had listed for sale with the association, and he was currently short of several hundred gold coins. Of course, he had done his homework before coming here.

Three days earlier, after learning from Jasmine, the association's receptionist, that someone wanted to buy a flail, Xia Nan made a special trip back to the "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop to inquire in detail about the price of flails from Barn.

And in his mind, he had prepared a bottom price at which he was willing to sell.

Although the Iron Stomach Flail itself cannot be considered an enchanted weapon, and the quality shown on the attribute panel is only white (common), it does have two additional attributes, so it does not need to be discounted much when sold as loot.

As long as the other party can offer a price of 115 gold or more, Xia Nan will agree to sell.

Based on past experience in bargaining, in order to earn enough profit and make it easier for buyers to negotiate the price, sellers often initially quote prices that are several times higher than the final transaction price, or even add a zero to the end.

Similarly, when buyers initially give a quote, they often try to quote as low as possible, and then gradually negotiate upwards step by step.

But to his surprise, the dwarf's first words immediately pushed the price above Xia Nan's bottom line.

This is certainly not because the other party is a sucker who can't understand equipment quality.

On the contrary, it was precisely because of their understanding of the equipment's market value that Soldin and Barn made the same judgment about its price without ever having seen it.

He was very straightforward and honest, giving a price close to the true value of the flail, thus eliminating any haggling.

Since the other party was so frank, Xia Nan's original plan to quote an exorbitant price first and then gradually lower it was naturally impossible to continue. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the other party and would also show that he was completely ignorant of the industry or had no intention of selling.

But since he's already here, he's definitely thinking about making more money.

After a moment's thought, Xia Nan slowly spoke:

"155 gold."

"make a deal."

Seeing that the price was within his acceptable range, the dwarf Soldin simply stopped haggling and nodded in agreement.

His decisive tone and attitude even made Xia Nan have the illusion that he might have sold it at a loss.

Their hands clasped again, and the deal was done.

Thus, it had only been ten minutes since the dwarf entered the trading room.

It wasn't even as long as Xia Nan had been sitting here waiting.

The dwarf handed Xia Nan a crystal card worth 150 gold coins, which he had prepared long ago, along with five gold coins counted from his waist pouch. Once again, the dwarf's deep, hearty laughter filled the room.

"Hahaha, I was surprised when I saw the effect of this flail on the list. Apart from those damned ogres, it is probably only suitable for dwarves in this world."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan nodded inwardly.

The main effect of the Iron Stomach Flail is that for users with a body mass index of 50 or higher, it increases the probability of causing additional internal bleeding to enemies with low health and reduces stamina consumption when attacking.

In this way, the dwarves, who are four to five feet tall but weigh more than adult humans, are indeed the best users of this flail.

but……

Xia Nan's gaze unconsciously drifted to the prism hanging from the other person's waist.

Seemingly sensing the doubt in his gaze, Soldin smiled and explained:
"The quality of your flail is certainly good. In terms of craftsmanship alone, it could be kept as a collectible at home. However, I neither have the leisure to do so nor am I used to this kind of chain-linked weapon."

"I bought it to send back to my nephew who has just come of age."

“That kid has the strength, but he’s a bit clumsy. He always misses when he swings the axe, and he can’t stand steadily with the shield. This thing…” He weighed the flail in his hand, the chain clattering with a crisp sound. “It’s heavy enough! As long as you don’t hit yourself, it looks decent when you swing it. It looks pretty intimidating.”

"It's a good opportunity for him to practice and suffer a bit, so he won't always be thinking about going out to be an adventurer."

Knowing the truth in his heart, Xia Nan couldn't help but secretly grumble to himself.

The adventurers were quite strange. Outsiders wanted to get in, but even established professionals were unwilling to let their relatives and friends get involved in the industry.

All the colleagues he had encountered, especially those who were slightly more senior and had some ability, without exception, all shared this idea.

Seemingly having urgent business to attend to, the dwarf didn't linger in the room after the transaction was completed. He only briefly inquired about the origin of the flail, and seeing that he didn't get any useful information, he took his leave.

Xia Nan breathed a slight sigh of relief as he stuffed the crystal card and gold coins into his waist pouch.

155金，扣除协会交易的5%手续费，到手是147金2银5铜。

To reach the 3000 gold required for reforging, you only need to earn a little over 400 more gold.

After giving himself a pep talk, Xia Nan pushed open the door and walked towards the counter on the second floor.

Without further ado, let's look for a suitable task first.

(End of this chapter)