Chapter 69

After passing through the bustling market, He Boqiang and Suerdak followed Gabi to a large tent at the outer edge of a hill. This was the temporary camp of a large caravan.

The large round tent was surrounded by several smaller tents like stars around the moon. Behind the round tent were over a dozen piles of goods covered with tarpaulins. At the back, a wooden fence enclosed a stable with about twenty horses and a few mules.

Several shop assistants were moving a batch of goods from one pile onto a wooden cart, which seemed to be bags of oats.

The camp was surrounded by lush glass grass, with severe trampling marks and hoof prints filled with rainwater from the previous day.

Two armored guards stood at the entrance of the tent. When they saw He Boqiang and the others approaching, they blocked them with their long spears.

Gabi formally said to the guard, "I am an assistant in Mr. Lakin's shop, and Mr. Lakin sent me here."

His voice reached inside the tent, and before the guard could respond, a gentle voice from inside said, "Please let them in..."

The guards repositioned their spears and lifted the tent flap to let He Boqiang and Suerdak in.

Inside the tent, soft furs were spread on the ground. A young noble knight sat at the main seat, with several merchants sitting on either side. Lakin was among them, with a small wooden table in front of him, on which a fruit plate was placed, filled with green grapes and purple plums.

In the corner of the tent, a block of ice was continuously emitting white vapor, making the inside of the tent much cooler than the outside. He Boqiang thought to himself that this must be the noble life Suerdak had mentioned.

When Lakin saw Gabi bring Suerdak and He Boqiang in, he quickly beckoned them over.

He then stood up and introduced them to the young noble inside the tent, "Baron Terry Carnegie, this is Suerdak, a member of the 57th Regiment, and this is his friend, Little Dak. The owners of the goblin heads I have are them."

The young noble was dressed in a black formal suit with gold-threaded edges, his face unusually pale. He sat casually, holding a silver wine glass. He swirled the glass, the ice cubes clinking against the sides, making a clear sound that immediately silenced the tent.

Baron Terry Carnegie asked Suerdak, "I heard you are willing to transfer these four goblin heads?"

"Indeed," Suerdak replied.

Terry Carnegie lightly raised his fine eyebrows, his voice slightly hoarse from puberty, and said, "Could you tell me the origin of these four goblin heads again?"

Suerdak hesitated but then said, "We obtained them in the Gandael Mountains. It's about a two-day journey east along the river valley. I can assure you that these four goblin heads belong to us and have nothing to do with the 57th Regiment. If necessary, I can take you to the site; there should still be some goblin remains there."

Terry Carnegie did not seem interested in going to the site. He casually said, "Oh, I was just asking. I don't need to inspect the site; I just don't want any trouble."

At this moment, an elderly man sitting below Terry Carnegie quickly mediated, speaking to Suerdak in a gentle tone, "Baron Terry Carnegie invited you here not to investigate the origin of these trophies but because Lakin told us you want to exchange these trophies for a set of armor. The higher the quality of the armor, the more strict the requirements for size and fit. We need to see which type of armor suits you best."

He Boqiang recognized the old man as the one who had invited them into the tent earlier.

The old man, who looked more like a merchant, carefully examined Suerdak and He Boqiang and asked, "So... which of you will be receiving the armor?"

Suerdak pulled He Boqiang, and they both sat down on the carpet next to Lakin. He then said casually, "It's for him. I have a standard-issue armor in the heavy infantry regiment, so I don't need a custom-made private armor."

The old man looked at He Boqiang and said, "He is...?"

"He's a mute. We call him Little Dak," Lakin quickly explained.

Hearing this, the old man gave He Boqiang a kind smile and then instructed the servant at the door, "Go and bring the set of bronze lamellar armor from the warehouse..."

He paused, thought for a moment, and added, "Oh! And bring the set of magic beast leather armor as well."

The two servants turned and left, returning shortly with two completely different sets of armor.

The old man did not look at the armor but spoke calmly, "These four heads are currently worth about four magic crystals on the market."

Lakin secretly nodded to Suerdak, indicating that the merchant was correct.

Suerdak was also roughly aware of the value of these goblin heads.

Seeing that Suerdak and He Boqiang had no objections, the old man stood up from his seat and walked to the bronze armor, beginning to introduce it, "This full-body armor weighs 35 pounds and is made up of nearly a thousand bronze plates. If it were just a regular bronze lamellar armor, even a brand new one would only be worth about seven gold coins. However, this armor is different. Each plate is coated with a layer of precious magical metal, giving it excellent anti-magic properties. Therefore, it is worth at least three magic crystals."

'Expensive!'

He Boqiang felt a bit reluctant, as it would almost cost all the proceeds from selling the goblin heads.

In He Boqiang's understanding of the currency in this world, three magic crystals are roughly equivalent to thirty gold coins.

An ordinary civilian might only be able to save a few dozen gold coins in their lifetime.

Suerdak's eyes were also drawn to the heavy armor, showing a strong interest. The standard-issue armor of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment was not as fine as this.

The old man then walked to the other set of leather armor and introduced it, "This leather armor is made from the hide of a second-level magic beast. The upper body is made from about half a sheet of fire snake lizard skin, and the lower body is made from the thick hide of a swamp giant crocodile. This magic beast leather armor is not considered heavy armor for the upper body, but the lower part is heavy armor."

Hearing this, Suerdak was completely captivated by the armor, which did not look particularly impressive. Even Lakin was surprised, his mouth agape.

The old man continued, "This magic beast leather armor is lighter than the bronze armor, with better defense and magic resistance. Additionally, its greatest value lies in its excellent magic conductivity. This means it has a lot of potential for improvement. If you can advance to a first-level warrior in the future, you can ask an engraver to draw a complete set of magic patterns on this armor, turning it into a valuable magic pattern construct."

"..."

The tent was filled with soft exclamations of amazement...

(Note: One gold coin can be exchanged for 100 silver shillings, and one silver shilling can be exchanged for 100 copper coins. The purchasing power of one gold coin is roughly equivalent to 10,000 RMB.)