Chapter 216: Tediously Stupid
Chapter 216: Tediously Stupid
The beast-drawn cart, loaded with goods, had just rushed through the city gate when Gao Jing quietly jumped down from the cargo frame.
After ascending to a High-tier Totem Warrior, his strength had entered a new realm. His physical fitness was greatly enhanced. The moment his feet touched the ground, he leaped again, soaring over ten meters to quickly reach the side wall of a shop.
He took a few quick steps, building momentum, then leaped once more. His hands pressed against the wooden wall.
His palms and ten fingers seemed to possess a powerful stickiness, allowing him to hang his entire body from the wall. Then, using both hands and feet, he swiftly scuttled up the wall until he reached the eaves.
All the way to the roof!
This was the ability granted by the Weaver’s Wrist. When the Witch Artifact’s power was activated by Totemic Power, it made Gao Jing more agile than a spider. Climbing sheer surfaces became effortless.
Gao Jing quickly reached the rooftop and gazed down at the bustling street below.
Compared to his last visit to Qinghe, this city of Giants was now clearly far livelier. Caravans streamed through the gates endlessly. Streets and alleys teemed with people. The calls of shop assistants hawking wares rose and fell constantly.
It painted a scene bursting with vitality and prosperity.
With so many Giants coming and going, even someone as strong as Gao Jing dared not stay on ground level. The risk of being stepped on by a Giant was too great.
That would be an injustice with nowhere to voice the complaint!
Adventuring in the Great World, the sheer difference in size was undoubtedly the biggest headache.
It intensified Gao Jing’s determination to cultivate the Titan Totem to its absolute limit!
He shifted his gaze, scanning his immediate surroundings.
Then he ran towards another nearby building.
Moving across rooftops was the best way to minimize the trouble caused by the Giants.
Caw!
A Red-Eye Crow flew towards him.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Gao Jing drew his Colt Viper, took aim at the black bird swooping overhead, and pulled the trigger.
The memory of the last large-scale battle with the crows was still fresh in his mind.
Seeing a new Red-Eye Crow? There was only one thing to do: kill!
Bang!
The unfortunate creature exploded mid-air, torn apart by the large-caliber bullet. Blood mingled with shattered feathers sprayed outwards.
Caw! Caw!
To Gao Jing’s surprise, the other nearby Red-Eye Crows didn’t fly in to avenge their fallen companion. Instead, they uttered terrified cries and vanished without a trace in an instant!
Gao Jing was momentarily dumbfounded.
He had braced himself for another battle with the murder of crows, only for them to air out on him! So much for their famous unity and vengeful nature!
This sudden retreat wasn’t what he expected! Why this cowardice?
In reality, Red-Eye Crows are notably intelligent birds.
Their last assault on Gao Jing ended in heavy casualties and severe loss of vitality. They had been thoroughly scared off.
Thus, hearing the familiar gunshot again, choosing to flee was the most natural reaction.
If they were truly fearless, their kind would have died out long ago!
Just dull.
Gao Jing shook his head and holstered his revolver.
He didn’t waste much time before successfully locating that chimney passageway.
He jumped straight into it.
Once again, Gao Jing arrived in the Blackwater Underground City.
After landing safely using the power of his Phantom Wing Pendant, he hurried towards the Yuancheng Alliance Blackwater Branch.
Upon entering the main hall of the Yuancheng Alliance, Gao Jing went first to check the status of a task he had posted.
Currently, as a level three member (ID 3577) of the Yuancheng Alliance, he had previously commissioned an open-ended task here.
It was an unlimited procurement of Guru Idols.
After more than a month had passed, he was curious if the Alliance Branch had received any Guru Idols from others redeeming the task.
After presenting his task proof to the clerk, the attendant immediately retrieved the items submitted for his task.
Surprisingly, there were 125!
Though these Guru Idols varied in size and the craftsmanship of their carving ranged widely, they were exactly what Gao Jing needed – objects imbued with a substantial amount of Power of Faith.
Jackpot!
Gao Jing nearly laughed out loud.
The task he had posted at the Alliance Branch offered five hundred Copper Coins per Guru Idol.
This price was tens or even hundreds of times higher than what one might pay at a street stall.
But for Gao Jing, it was pocket change.
He had advanced 10 Shell Coins as reward money, equivalent to 1,000,000 Copper Coins. After deducting the commission, it was enough to exchange for nearly two thousand idols.
Yet another way to spend money acquiring faith power! This task, however, cost him the least while being supremely easy and straightforward!
Initially, Gao Jing had been concerned that some fraudulent items might slip through.
But the Yuancheng Alliance proved highly reliable. All the Guru Idols were genuine articles.
He simply picked up the large cloth bag bulging with wooden carvings and sat down right in a corner of the hall. One by one, he began drawing out the Power of Faith contained within each idol.
The amount of Power of Faith within each idol varied, but all were extremely pure.
His Faith Pool visibly filled at a rapid pace.
After their Power of Faith was completely drained, each Guru Idol dissolved into a pile of dust.
Gao Jing took nearly an hour to draw the power from all the idols.
Satisfying!
Once finished, Gao Jing instructed an attendant at the branch to dispose of the bag now filled with fine wood dust.
Himself? He dusted off his butt, preparing to leave.
He planned to return to Blackwater City in another two or three months.
If the harvest could consistently be this plentiful, then completing the fourth upgrade for the Bronze Anchor would be considerably easier.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Just as Gao Jing stood up, a middle-aged man approached him with a smile. “Might you spare a few moments for a conversation?”
The man appeared to be in his thirties or forties. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had an imposing, fierce aura. His eyes were piercingly alert. Though he smiled, his gaze carried a noticeable weight to it.
Hmm?
Gao Jing asked casually, without revealing any emotion, “What is this regarding?”
The middle-aged man replied, “I observed you taking quite a number of Guru Idols just now. I presume the procurement task on the notice board was posted by you? Coincidence! I happen to have a significant number of Guru Idols on hand myself. Would you still be interested in acquiring more?”
Such a fortunate coincidence?
Gao Jing decided to play along. “Of course I’m interested. You could have simply turned them in as fulfillment of the task.”
“Ah.” the man chuckled smoothly. “Truth be told, I find the stated reward for this task insufficient. Eliminating a goblin tribe yields, at most, two or three Guru Idols. Five hundred Copper Coins doesn’t truly reflect their worth.”
A goblin tribe produced two or three idols?
Gao Jing had thought only one could be expected: “Is that so? Then… what price were you hoping for?”
Gao Jing wasn’t short on money. Since the man had likely been lying in wait for him for a while now, throwing him a little extra as compensation wouldn’t hurt.
“What is the maximum price YOU are willing to pay?” The middle-aged man’s eyes glinted with shrewdness. “The quantity I possess is… considerable.”
“Five hundred and one Copper Coins.”
Gao Jing detested this kind of seller tactic – the constant “What’s your best price?” inquiry. It reeked of placing the burden of defining value solely on the buyer while the seller sat back, perpetually wary of being shortchanged. It was tediously stupid!
Essentially the equivalent of smacking someone mentally upside the head to wake them up!
The middle-aged man’s smile instantly froze.
Gao Jing stated plainly, “That’s my maximum offer. Sell to the task desk or not, that is entirely your choice.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
He wasn’t lacking in money.
But that didn’t equate to being walked over!
Crucially, besides him, Guru Idols were useless to others.
Too worthless even for firewood!
Thinking he could hoard them to extort him? Pure fantasy!
The middle-aged man glared fiercely at Gao Jing’s retreating figure, his eyes growing vicious and murderous.