Volume 3 Chapter 44: Hidden Trap

Ordinary Dark Gold Equipment generally held a value ranging from fifty thousand to seventy thousand Shattered Crystals. For instance, the Hexagonal Prism Shield Qin Lun had acquired before was practically top-tier gear, aside from its skill having slightly less applicability (requiring a Quest World with low magic rules). That’s why he managed a one-for-two exchange, plus getting the other party to throw in two Skill Proficiency Scrolls.

For the Dark Gold Helmet to match the Hexagonal Prism Shield’s worth, besides the clear Charge skill, it needed to appraise for a defensive attribute as well. Even if its attributes weren’t as good as the shield’s, the hallmark of the helmet was that its skill was highly likely to belong to the martial type, giving it much broader applicability.

The Dark Gold Ring and Dark Gold Sword Osiris offered were clearly top-tier among top-tier gear, exceeding the Dark Gold Helmet’s value by a considerable margin. What felt off to Qin Lun was this: if a High-Rank Apostle could casually trade away such premium items, could he genuinely be lacking a defensive Dark Gold Helmet? Especially when this particular helmet was still unappraised!

At the start of their talk, Qin Lun only felt slightly uneasy. After all, the transaction was happening through the Auction House, making deception difficult. Furthermore, a High-Rank Apostle capable of producing a pile of Dark Gold items seemed unlikely to specifically target and cheat Qin Lun out of one Dark Gold Helmet.

However, when Osiris suggested Qin Lun make up the fifty thousand Shattered Crystal gap using other equipment and items, Qin Lun naturally ran through the extra items he could use to cover the shortfall in his mind. That was when he thought of his other item listed at the Auction House – the Exemption Token!

The market value of the Exemption Token was extremely hard to gauge. For those who needed it, it was like a get-out-of-death-free card; for those who didn’t, it was merely useless junk. The other party must have seen the Exemption Token first, then conducted a targeted search on him through the Auction House.

They certainly found the listing for the Dark Gold Helmet, and probably also saw information on items like the “Encyclopedia of Low Magic World Monsters” and the “Molde Research Specimen Atlas”. From the sale of those later basic reference books, Osiris wouldn’t have much trouble deducing Qin Lun was a Junior Apostle. Regarding the Dark Gold Helmet auction, it was very easy for him to conclude Qin Lun was short on liquid funds.

So, it became glaringly obvious: Osiris well knew Qin Lun couldn’t cover a gap exceeding fifty thousand Shattered Crystals, yet deliberately included several pieces of top-tier equipment worth more than the Dark Gold Helmet in the information he provided. The goal was to circumvent bidding directly on the Exemption Token, compelling Qin Lun to subconsciously offer it up as part of the deal to complete the exchange of the Dark Gold Helmet for the Dark Gold Ring.

What a clever guy! Qin Lun smiled faintly. He didn’t believe Osiris necessarily planned to swindle him – a High-Rank Apostle’s standing probably wasn’t this petty. He reckoned Osiris was probably just worried Qin Lun would demand an outrageously high price for it.

Ironically, Osiris’s maneuvering around the Exemption Token made Qin Lun sense his absolute determination to obtain it. The Exemption Token was only suitable for low-rank Apostles; Osiris likely wasn’t buying it for himself, probably intending it for a companion.

“I don’t have fifty thousand Shattered Crystals. But this piece of equipment should pretty much cover it!” Qin Lun replied mildly, projecting the FN-500’s details.

Even though he deduced Osiris’s intention, Qin Lun had no desire to expose it. On one hand, he genuinely wanted to sell the Dark Gold Helmet; exposing the ploy might make the other party lose interest. On the other hand, if Osiris was truly a High-Rank Apostle, there was a high chance he represented a powerful High Apostle team. Trying to extort such people with an Exemption Token would bring no benefit.

If Osiris had straightforwardly stated he wanted the Exemption Token, Qin Lun would have set a high price, though not an absurdly unfair one. How incredibly stupid would someone have to be to invite powerful enemies just to squeeze out an extra few tens of thousands of Shattered Crystals?

However, by avoiding the Exemption Token altogether and trying to get the main course cheaply through roundabout means, Osiris had opened an exploitable gap for Qin Lun. He could now attempt to make Osiris willingly act like a fool just this once.

Qin Lun presenting the FN-500 wasn’t a genuine attempt to sell it; he aimed to disrupt Osiris’s initial impression of him. You assumed I was a poor Junior Apostle with little property, forcing me to throw in the Exemption Token? Well, I’m deliberately not using the Exemption Token in this deal!

Seeing Qin Lun offer the FN-500 to cover the gap, Osiris indeed faltered noticeably.

However poor the FN-500 was, it was still a piece of Dark Gold Equipment. On the surface, Qin Lun was now putting forward two pieces of Dark Gold Equipment and an Exemption Token, representing the bulk of his assets. But Osiris didn’t know that! All he knew was that Qin Lun casually produced another Dark Gold piece as a makeweight.

This proved his earlier inference wrong. Qin Lun very likely was not a Junior Apostle. Even if his strength wasn’t on par with Osiris’s, he must be a High-Rank Apostle. Every High-Rank Apostle belonged to a team. This immediately rendered many of Osiris’s contingency plans useless, mainly eliminating the option of threatening resorting to force.

“This thing… it’s practically useless. Not worth fifty thousand Shattered Crystals!” Osiris said, his brow furrowed.

Seeing Osiris hesitate and adopt an almost constipated expression, Qin Lun nearly burst out laughing.

“How about I add this ring as well and trade for that Dark Gold Sword? Without the FN-500, I’ll need a sword-type weapon anyway!”

He took out the Shahbakh Ring, displaying it to Osiris with apparent reluctance. Though only Red quality, its attributes were not inferior to Dark Gold and its value far exceeded the FN-500’s. A Dark Gold Helmet, FN-500, and Shahbakh Ring were indeed sufficient to merit trading for the Dark Gold Sword.

Three items for one – a weapon, armor, and accessory. While their nominal value might equate, the practical benefit in combat clearly lay with the three diverse pieces. Osiris concluded that if Qin Lun dared offer such an exchange, he must possess yet other pieces of Dark Gold Equipment.

Considering this, Osiris completely overturned his previous assessment of Qin Lun and began entertaining the idea that he really was a High-Rank Apostle.

“This… actually, all I really need is the Dark Gold Helmet!” Osiris weakly protested.

“Well then… perhaps add another ten thousand Shattered Crystals? Ninety thousand Shattered Crystals and I’ll sell you the helmet!” Qin Lun clenched his teeth, projecting an air of taking a huge loss.

Osiris’s expression visibly shifted as if whipped by storm clouds. He felt both exasperated and amused, silently cursing the teammate who had suggested this whole scheme.

Never mind if this helmet might appraise for top-tier attributes; even if it was genuinely fantastic, why would he spend ninety thousand Shattered Crystals on a Heavy Armor helmet he couldn’t even use? It would have been simpler to just take Qin Lun’s inflated price on the Exemption Token.

“I’m… really short on funds right now. I don’t have that much Shattered Crystal!” Osiris said carefully, “I noticed you also have an Exemption Token listed at the Auction House… would you consider using that to cover the gap?”

Finally! Qing Lun grinned, showing a row of white teeth.

“That item isn’t up for an equipment trade. I wanted some Skill Scrolls I could actually use for it!”

Qin Lun was telling the truth this time. Ever since he’d raised his rank to the final tier of the first bracket, the law entity of the Shattered Starry Sky had warned him to quickly enrich his skill system to unlock his combat profession.

Actually, the mission difficulty within the Shattered Starry Sky primarily referenced the rank system. The four levels within the first bracket were meant for rookie Apostles. Apostles within this level only took on simple Otherworld Missions, akin to fresh recruits training in boot camp.

Only starting from the first level of the second bracket were Apostles acknowledged by the Shattered Starry Sky as regular soldiers, gradually assigned Otherworld Missions of increasingly higher difficulty.

Generally, first-bracket Apostles needed time to adapt to adventuring in other worlds, become familiar with the use of low-quality gear, and develop their personal combat style centered around equipment skills.

Then, entering the second bracket, Apostles would realize the limitations of equipment skills through numerous adventure missions. Their combat core would shift from equipment skills towards magic and martial arts, embarking upon a career path centered on their personal abilities, with equipment skills serving as supplements.

As for Apostles in the third bracket, they marked the advanced stage. High-Rank Apostles systematically developed their magic and martial arts, merging various abilities with their bloodlines. Their core equipment consisted of Life-Taking Relics and various Dark Gold Equipment, phasing out lower-quality gear. Osiris, dealing with Qin Lun, was at this exact stage.

In truth, Qin Lun didn’t yet grasp what his 48-point Contribution from the Phantom Demon World signified. The total contribution of all Apostles the Shattered Starry Sky sent to the Phantom Demon World resulted in only seventeen Time-Space Cores. Qin Lun alone had claimed over a third – his 48 points significantly outstripping even the 35 points awarded for a Gold Evaluation in the Orphan World.

Qin Lun had traversed a path that typically took a first-bracket Apostle over a dozen Quest Worlds in just two. His rank advancement had drastically outpaced his actual strength growth. Despite possessing several Dark Gold pieces, his face-to-face combat effectiveness was somewhat inferior to a lower-rank Apostle equipped entirely in Blue gear who’d solidified a fighting style.

He hadn’t formed a complete combat style. His only personal abilities were the Mazer Summoning Art and the Crystal Mirror Magic Array. His technical skills amounted to Firearms Expertise and Sword Proficiency. His exemplary performance in two Quest Worlds couldn’t match the accumulation gained from over a dozen worlds by others, especially regarding combat experience.

However, Qin Lun had attracted the focused attention of the Shattered Starry Sky’s law entity, triggering that specific prompt. He certainly wouldn’t ignore such advice, hence his drive to address his skill deficiencies and rapidly develop his own combat style.

“What kind of Skill Scrolls are you looking for?” Osiris inquired cautiously.

Skill Scrolls appearing in the Auction House were rarer than Dark Gold Equipment. Apostles might circulate equipment that didn’t suit them, but Skill Scrolls were rarely sold. They formed the core of a combat profession; unless desperate, no one willingly parted with them.

“I want Summoning skills and Ranged Attack/Defense spells!” Qin Lun replied with a smile.

He had not revised his initial career vision: Summoning supplemented by ranged attacks. The Crystal Mirror Magic Array was most suitable for a Spellblade Warrior, but Qin Lun intended solely to use it for magic defense. One reason was his Energy Points could only support about four activations; the other was his complete lack of close-quarter martial arts.

“Summoning skills and Ranged Spells are tough to find. I’d need to ask several contacts I know,” Osiris answered, his expression turning somewhat grim. He started experiencing a faint premonition of being set up himself.