Chapter 10: Wandering Merchant

“Hello, respected Cosmic Merchant!” Xu Feng stepped forward and said. Although he felt some disdain in his heart for these Wandering Merchants who liked to profit from war, Xu Feng did not show it.

“Hehe, strugglers in the apocalypse, welcome. I wonder how I may be of service?” Seeing Xu Feng and Wang Ying approach, the Wandering Merchant’s eyes lit up. He raised his head and spoke with a slight excitement.

“Ah, Insect, Insect Human.” Wang Ying glanced at the Wandering Merchant and cried out in surprise.

This strangely dressed person in front of them was actually exactly the same as those humans parasitized by the Insect Race. The only difference was that embedded in the center of this Insect Human’s head was a diamond-shaped crystal that shimmered with a red flowing light.

“Madam, please do not confuse me with those races that like to invade. The ones who like to invade are the Void Insectoid Race. I am a noble member of the Terror Spirit Insect Race.” The Wandering Merchant frowned slightly, stared at Wang Ying, and explained seriously. But Wang Ying was still so frightened that she stepped back repeatedly and hid behind Xu Feng.

Xu Feng had no good feelings towards these alien creatures. Whether it was the Void Insectoid Race currently invading Earth, or these Terror Spirit Insect Race who seemed neutral but actually profited greatly from war and death, he felt the same.

However, right now, Xu Feng needed to obtain weapons, equipment, and some simple tasks from this Wandering Merchant. Therefore, Xu Feng signaled with his eyes for Wang Ying not to speak anymore. He turned, bowed slightly to the Wandering Merchant, and said, “Sorry, please forgive my companion’s ignorance. After all, just by appearance, it is indeed very difficult to distinguish between your two races.”

“Alright, I can forgive this beautiful lady’s ignorance. After all, beautiful ladies have many privileges. So, let me ask again, what can I do for the two of you?” The Wandering Merchant seemed very easy-going and quickly changed the subject.

“I wonder what the current exchange rate between Fate Points and Cosmic Gold Coins is?” Xu Feng suddenly asked a strange question.

“Oh, this truly surprises me. To think that on a planet that is only Level One, and has just been invaded, a native like you already knows about Cosmic Gold Coins. This is truly astonishing.” The Wandering Merchant’s face showed an expression of appreciation.

When she heard the Wandering Merchant refer to her as a native, Wang Ying’s face showed obvious displeasure, but Xu Feng’s expression did not change.

In the eyes of these races capable of interstellar travel, the beings on Earth could only be called “natives.” This was not meant as an insult, but was simply a fact.

“Let me check. Hmm, the current exchange rate between Fate Points and Cosmic Gold Coins is three hundred to one.” The Wandering Merchant took out a phone-like object about the size of a palm, pressed a few buttons, and spoke.

“Three hundred to one? That means three hundred Fate Points are needed to exchange for one Cosmic Gold Coin. It’s really cheap!” Xu Feng said in a low voice.

Earth was currently too weak, so the “currency” it issued naturally had limited value. In a few years, when humanity became stronger and Earth had more leverage, the value of Fate Points would be higher. Xu Feng remembered that in his previous life, the highest exchange rate between Fate Points and Cosmic Gold Coins reached one hundred eighty to one…

“Take a look. How many Cosmic Gold Coins can these things be exchanged for?” Xu Feng took out the fangs and the right front claw of the One-Star Cat Demon, handed them over, and asked.

“Oh, body materials from a recently evolved One-Star creature. Let me see. Hmm, indeed. Two fangs, one front claw…” The Wandering Merchant took them, examined them carefully, then looked up and said, “For these three items, I can give you one Cosmic Gold Coin.”

Xu Feng thought for a moment. Even if sold to the Fate Store, these three items would be worth at most two or three hundred Fate Points, similar to the price offered by the Wandering Merchant. Moreover, Cosmic Gold Coins were much more valuable than Fate Points.

“Alright, they are yours.” Xu Feng nodded and accepted the trade.

“Here you go, this is your Cosmic Gold Coin.” The Wandering Merchant pulled out a gold coin from his clothes and handed it to Xu Feng.

The Cosmic Gold Coin did not look big, only about the size of a fingernail. The coin was imprinted with complex Magic Runes. From time to time, a flash of light, like lightning, would jump along these Magic Runes on the coin. Staring at this coin for a little too long gave a slight feeling of dizziness.

“By the way, I also have a One-Star Insect Crystal here. How many gold coins do you think it’s worth?” Xu Feng pulled out the white One-Star Insect Crystal from his clothes, but did not hand it over.

“Ah ha, I was just wondering how you could have the body materials of a One-Star creature but not its Insect Crystal. It’s impossible that you just happened to find the corpse of a One-Star creature by the roadside. Sure enough…” The Wandering Merchant’s face was full of a beaming smile as he said, “Insect Crystals are very valuable. Even the lowest level One-Star Insect Crystal is worth three Cosmic Gold Coins. Guest, are you planning to sell this Insect Crystal?”

“No, I have other uses for this Insect Crystal. Do you have any weapons suitable for me here? Preferably sword types.” Xu Feng put the Insect Crystal back into his clothes and asked.

Seeing that Xu Feng did not intend to sell the Insect Crystal, the Wandering Merchant looked slightly disappointed. But when he heard Xu Feng wanted to buy goods, the Wandering Merchant became excited again.

“Of course I do. I have the most complete and largest collection of weapons and equipment in the universe. Whatever you know of, I have it here. However, guest, you currently only have one Cosmic Gold Coin. I’m afraid it will be very difficult for you to buy a satisfactory weapon.”

“In that case, it seems I cannot continue trading with you.” Xu Feng said with some regret, pretending to turn and leave.

Wang Ying did not know Xu Feng’s plan. Seeing him prepare to leave, she immediately followed his steps. Although this Wandering Merchant said he was not the same race as those man-eating bugs, his appearance was just too similar. Wang Ying was very afraid that in the next moment, this Insect Human would pounce and bite her.

“Guest, please wait. I have a task here that is very suitable for your current strength. If you can help me complete this task, then I will select a Black Iron Grade longsword from my goods as the task reward.” Seeing Xu Feng prepare to turn and leave, the Wandering Merchant quickly called out to stop him.

A smile involuntarily appeared on Xu Feng’s lips.

The Wandering Merchant had many precious treasures that Earth’s Will did not possess. Unfortunately, each one was very expensive and not something Xu Feng could afford at the moment.

But in his previous life, many people hoped to encounter a Wandering Merchant not to trade with him, but to get tasks from him. These tasks could help increase personal strength faster, and one could even obtain some precious treasures not found on Earth.