Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

"...At the last moment, I suddenly became suspicious, sir. I have always been the kind of person who likes to doubt everyone. Although he also drank the wine from the jug, I instinctively felt uncomfortable. His eyes reminded me of a venomous snake coiled in its lair... So I secretly poured that cup of wine into the cotton cloth on my chest—this is what I prepared specifically for this situation."

"After drinking that glass of wine, his attitude suddenly became much more sincere. If he was a good business partner before, he became a trustworthy friend afterward."

"At that moment, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, but at the same time I felt a sense of relief, as if I had escaped a hidden danger. So I have been keeping a close eye on this matter ever since."

"So if I'm not mistaken, it's the alcohol that's the problem."

........................

The man was taken away again, his words buying him a little more time to live. But it's hard to say whether it was better to be thankful for it or for a swift and clean death—after all, living in a dark cell is hardly a good thing.

After a brief silence, Tersolius asked:

"Is everything set up?"

"We are ready and can begin operations at any time."

"...Okay, let's go take a look."

-----------------------

"These frost-covered grass roots are not the first-class product you claim. The roots are blackened and shriveled, and they have no elasticity at all. They crumble as soon as you squeeze them. It's obvious that they've been stored in a warehouse for several years!"

"I swear in the name of my Lord that everything I sell is absolutely genuine. Do you even know what you're talking about, little girl? If you don't, then get out of here and don't interfere with my business!"

"Your behavior is utterly shameless. The blackened and withered roots of the frost-covered grass have absolutely no therapeutic effect! On the contrary, they will make the wound black and fester, and are no different from poison. You actually dared to commit murder here just to make a few more bucks!"

A Hols girl with long, pale blue hair is arguing with a bearded Assele man. The usually gentle and quiet Talina is now blushing and confronting the aggressive middle-aged merchant head-on without backing down.

The middle-aged businessman grew increasingly impatient, a hint of panic creeping across his face. He would occasionally turn to look at his surroundings, and as he noticed the crowd growing larger due to the noise, a flash of ruthlessness and malice would cross his face in his panic.

With a slight twitch of their fingers, several burly men who had been chatting idly against the wall on the street outside silently straightened up, their faces naturally displaying arrogant expressions. They pushed aside the onlookers blocking their way and walked towards the girl who was still arguing with the shopkeeper.

But before they reached the store entrance, a short figure blocked their way.

"Little girl, this is none of your business, get out of here!"

The leader nonchalantly reached out and slapped her across the face, his blow utterly reckless. If it had been an ordinary girl, she might have even had her teeth knocked out.

A crisp impact rang out, followed by something terrifying. Pressure was applied to his wrist, and a slender finger dug deep into his skin. The calluses from years of drawing a bow were as hard as sandpaper, and the superhuman strength quickly caused excruciating pain to overwhelm his senses.

The thugs took a step back in panic. They watched helplessly as the short girl squeezed their boss's wrist with one hand, causing the burly man to kneel on the ground, struggling desperately, but unable to resist like a kitten being grabbed by the neck.

Screams and screams echoed through the street in the blink of an eye, drawing everyone's attention, including the thugs who had just been frightened. Enraged and ashamed to cover up their momentary cowardice, they drew their clubs from their waists and menacingly surrounded the attackers.

Colin raised his right foot and kicked out hard, striking the man in front of him squarely in the chin, knocking him unconscious instantly. Then he flexed his wrist and looked at the men who had surrounded him.

"There are so many unscrupulous merchants here. This must be the third batch today..."

………………

By the time the patrolling soldiers took the Assele merchant away from his shop, the thugs were already lying on the ground, each one with broken bones and in excruciating pain. They had been thoroughly beaten and didn't even have the strength to cry out in pain.

The blonde mountain girl wiped a smear of blood from under her nose, sniffed twice, and then looked at Talina, who had a slightly smug expression, with a hint of helplessness.

"My wise and kind doctor, this is the third time today! Your poor guard has fought against dozens of people! If it weren't for my skill, you wouldn't even be able to see me."

Tarina's face quickly turned embarrassed and cautious:

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... It's just that what they did was really too much. Even if it has no therapeutic effect, it shouldn't harm other people's health... So I couldn't help arguing with them."

Colin knew this too, so he only complained once before turning his attention to the unscrupulous merchants selling counterfeit drugs:

"I originally came out to buy medicinal herbs... I didn't expect to cause so much trouble. Is there not a single legitimate medicine merchant in this city?"

…………

Colin's complaints made Tarina frown as well:

"Indeed, the city's reserves of medicinal herbs are less than I imagined. It doesn't look like a city of this size at all. It's as if it has been ransacked."

"If this continues, our medicinal herb reserves will run out. If all else fails, we'll have to send the transport team to other cities to purchase them, but that will take too long..."

The two chatted as they walked down the street. Neither Talina nor Colin was wearing military uniforms. Talina wore a cloth skirt, while Colin wore a dark blue cotton robe and leggings. A short sword hung at his waist, making them look like young imperial men venturing into the city.

It was originally Tarina's suggestion to come to the city to purchase medicinal herbs, but considering that Cerisonas had just been pacified and there might still be remnants of saboteurs hiding in the city, and that the doctor knew nothing about combat, Colin volunteered to serve as a guard.

Of course, they don't directly purchase medicinal herbs. Instead, they first investigate the quality and price of medicinal herbs in the city, and only after finding the most suitable one will they call someone to come and transport them and make payment.

However, it seems that their main task is not going very smoothly.

Under the influence of war, everything was in ruins, and all industries were in ruins. Even the once prosperous medicinal herb market has now been reduced to only a few shops, which can be described as a temporary monopoly. The merchants selling medicinal herbs are naturally not kind people, so they desperately raise prices and sell inferior products.

After several setbacks, the two of them had basically lost hope. However, since they had finally come out, they felt it would be a waste to go back now, so they decided to wander around a bit more.

The city's commerce is far from its former prosperity; seven or eight out of ten shops are now deserted, and there are very few goods for sale on the streets.

In some dark alleys, many vendors gather, selling all sorts of things, but none of them have a clear origin... This is the black market that has sprung up temporarily in the city.

With the supply of goods through normal channels far from meeting the needs of the people, the rise of the black market is naturally predictable and normal. Many residents have become accustomed to buying what they need here, and when the sound of the copper whistle rings out, they run away with the merchants who are rolling up their packages. Although the black market is a common phenomenon, it is not tolerated by law after all, and both merchants and customers have become accustomed to hiding and running away.

The two people, bored out of their minds, stumbled upon this black market... On both sides of the narrow alley, there were cloths laid out, in all sorts of colors, clearly brought from their homes, and the items on them were even more varied and mixed.

Here you'll find not only exquisite silverware and porcelain, but also dry, toasted bread and pickled chickpeas in earthenware jars, as well as half-new saddles, rusty swords, short-handled axes, and even pots, pans, forks, and spoons.

Although the vendors didn't dare to shout loudly, the place still became unusually lively. Nearby residents kept walking around, occasionally squatting down to talk to the stall owners, trying to negotiate a better price for themselves.

The two of them walked around the place again, but were still disappointed to find that there were no large quantities of medicinal herbs for sale, only a few small packets scattered around, which was far from enough.

Talina, somewhat disappointed, was about to leave when she suddenly felt her clothes being tugged. Turning around, she saw Colin.

"Look at this doctor! This looks like a rather interesting little gadget."

The "mountain girl" refers to a small stall next to it lined with blue cloth, displaying all sorts of exquisite little things, mostly inexpensive jewelry and cosmetics.

What caught Colin's attention was a small silver box. The box appeared to be exquisitely carved from silver, with delicate little clasps. Some of the patterns were as fine as a hair, almost to the point of being unrecognizable.

To create such a small box requires an incredibly high level of effort and skill. This level of craftsmanship alone determines that the price will not be low, not to mention that it is carved from valuable pure silver.

More importantly, this little box is really beautiful, and it catches the eye at first glance. With its exquisite appearance, it directly wins people's hearts.

Tarina was also drawn to the attention. Despite her previous life of hardship, she was, after all, a young girl, and it was impossible for her not to be attracted to exquisite and beautiful things.

After a slight hesitation, she remembered that she had indeed saved up quite a bit of money, which gave Tarina a bit of confidence. The simple stall made her feel even more at ease—the prices of the items here shouldn't be too outrageous.

Chapter 148 Hidden Clues (5)

"How much does this box cost?"

The polite inquiry sounded completely out of place in the somewhat noisy black market, leading the stall owner to instinctively conclude that the person was an unsuspecting sucker.

A smile had already crept onto his lips, and he was already weaving his own words into his head, determined to fleece the other party.

But when he looked up, it was as if he were seeing sunlight; he involuntarily squinted and recoiled, and exclaimed inwardly—what a beautiful girl…

The woman before me had her pale blue hair neatly tied up, revealing her slender, white neck. Her height was exceptional for a woman. She was the very embodiment of the word "graceful and elegant," and even in the simplest cloth dress, she would remind one of an iris blooming in the sunlight.

Although she wore no makeup, her delicate features made her even more stunning than those women with heavy makeup. Her clear, azure eyes always carried a gentle expression and a unique kindness, making people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze just by looking at her face.

This girl was like a ray of sunshine in spring, illuminating this dark alley. Men and women passing by would involuntarily turn their gaze to her, only to be scared away by a fierce look in her eyes...

In an empire where martial spirit prevails, it's extremely rare for soldiers, who are generally militarily trained, to be intimidated by the gaze of one person... especially when that gaze comes from a short girl who seems harmless... To be honest, she's not particularly short for a woman, but compared to her companions, the difference is obvious, in every aspect...

Although she appears somewhat cute, one glance from her eyes is enough to understand the thoughts of those who are frightened away—a naked, bloodthirsty wildness is undisguisedly present within her, like a tiger peeking out from the bushes. Though silent, a deadly sense of threat creeps up from the prey's back, causing people to instinctively retreat and stay away. Even her pretty face and short, golden hair cannot diminish this feeling.

This pair looked quite unusual, and no one would think they were ordinary people. So the stall owner, who was initially amazed, quickly became cautious and abandoned his plan to rip them off—of course, he would raise the price, because anyone who dared to buy this was definitely not short of money.

“32 silver coins, this craftsmanship is definitely worth that much, young lady, you can ask around.” — This was, of course, a lie. Even including the craftsmanship, it was only worth 16 coins. But he was betting that the other party wouldn’t bother to actually ask, nor would she really know the market price.

Unfortunately, he still made the wrong bet.

Although Talina didn't know the exact value of the box's craftsmanship, she wasn't one of those high-class noble ladies. Having had to earn her own living from a young age, Talina knew very well that the merchant had inflated the price, so she decisively said:

"Ten silver coins, take it or leave it."

The merchant raised an eyebrow, a sense of absurdity filling him. He hadn't expected the other party to haggle like this… it wasn't even a 50% cut, so he instinctively began to play the victim:

"Oh dear! Miss, what are you saying? I'd lose money even if it's only 10 silver coins. How can you do business like that? The minimum is 28 silver coins."

"Although this box is exquisitely crafted, the materials are very ordinary and it is definitely not worth that much money. Ten silver coins would be more appropriate."

…………

After a brief argument, the exquisite little silver box was sold for 14 silver coins and 24 copper coins. The coins were counted on the spot and then placed in Talina's hands.

After the two left the black market in that alley, Colin exclaimed excitedly:

"I didn't expect such a small thing to be so expensive. Ten silver coins would be enough for me to eat and drink to my heart's content for five or six days... I originally thought it would only cost two or three silver coins at most."

Even though he was no longer as poor as he used to be, Colin was still terrified of the 14 silver coins he had spent, as if he had cut off his own finger.

But she suddenly noticed a smug smile on Tarina's face, as if she had gotten a great deal, and asked in surprise:

"Doctor, do you like this box that much? It's worth 14 silver coins, and it's not even pure silver; the inside is made of wood. No matter how you look at it, it's a loss for us!"

"Hmph... Hmph!"

Tarina's joy finally became uncontrollable; the happiness she had been suppressing earlier was finally revealed, tinged with a hint of smugness and cunning.

"This isn't just an ordinary silver box, otherwise I wouldn't have spent so much money to buy it, even if it looks interesting..."

“Look, although it’s just ordinary patterns, it emits an extremely subtle green glow in the dark… If I’m not mistaken, there must be some kind of ‘message’ in this box!”

The girl held up the box with a joyful expression, and the two of them leaned in to examine it closely. Of course, they didn't stand on the street, but found a large tree by the street and began to verify Tarina's statement in the shade of the tree.

Colin's eyes widened, completely intrigued, and he began to intently search for that glimmer of green light...

And as it turned out, Tarina was right. Right before their eyes, a faint blue light flashed through the patterns, moving with astonishing speed, like a flying insect darting past. Without exceptional luck and keen eyesight, it would have been impossible to spot.

"Great! It really is a treasure! We've gotten a great deal, doctor! So, what exactly is this treasure for?"

The confusion and bewilderment she had just felt vanished, and Colin became excited—she had never seen anything that glowed regularly before, and this was undoubtedly a treasure; buying it for just over a dozen silver coins was a huge bargain.

Tarina's expression suddenly froze, and after stammering for a while, she finally said:

"I...I don't know either."

"ah?!……"

Tarina blushed and quickly explained:

"The information in these magical items isn't something that can be used directly. It requires a long period of interpretation and analysis, trial and error, and correction before we can find the useful parts... We're already very lucky to have encountered them. Next, we just need to decipher the information inside."

"Really? How long will it take to decipher it?"

"About three years. This box isn't big, and it doesn't contain much information. Excluding the trial and error phase, it should take about that time..."