Chapter 32: Selling Our Loot
We arrived before a familiar miscellaneous goods store in District F. It was the same place where I had gotten the Shrouding Coat for a cheap price.
Without further ado, we stepped into the store and were immediately greeted by a man in his thirties with reddish hair—Hussein.
“Welcome. Oh, if it isn’t you! Alive and kicking, I see?” Hussein’s face lit up with a friendly smile. “You brought your friends along this time?
“Yeah, they’re my party members,” I replied, gesturing to Boris and Michelle.
Hussein eyed Boris with a curious smile. “You’ve got the look of someone who’s been through a lot of battles. You one of those seasoned warriors?”
Boris chuckled heartily, crossing his arms. “Something like that. I prefer to call it practical experience. You pick up a few things when you’ve been around as long as I have.”
Appearance-wise, Boris looked to be around fifty, making him nearly two decades older than Hussein. But what was funny in this scene was that Boris was still topless all this time.
Hussein raised an eyebrow, visibly intrigued. “I see, I see. I used to do a bit of adventuring and wielding swords back in the day. Nothing too fancy—just enough to keep the troublemakers off my back. Those were some wild times.”
Boris’s lips curled into a grin as he offered his hand. “Adventuring, huh? You look like you’ve seen your fair share of fights, too.”
Hussein clasped Boris’s hand firmly, shaking it with a nod. “I did, back when I didn’t mind a few bruises. These days, though, I’d rather earn soul coins than break bones.”
Michelle, looking between them with wide eyes, leaned closer and whispered to me, “Did they just become friends?”
I smirked. “Seems like it.”
Hussein turned his attention back to me, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “So, what brings you back here? Looking for more deals?”
I nodded. “Pretty much. More than that, I actually wanted to repay that debt I owe you.”
As I said that, I took out the loot I’d gotten from the scenario, which included monster corpses, equipment taken from the thralls, as well as other miscellaneous items. Aside from this, I also placed the weapons taken from Ryan and his underlings on the table—seven of them in total.
“So many?” Hussein raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. “I’m sure it hasn’t been long since you became a divine warrior.”
“Why don’t you two sell your items as well?” I turned to Boris and Michelle.
They both nodded and took out the loot they had collected during the scenario. Each of them laid down monster parts and several pieces of worn but sturdy equipment.
Hussein looked at the assortment with an appraising eye. “You’ve all been busy, haven’t you? These look pretty decent...” He picked up one of the weapons, inspecting its condition. “Not bad at all. These will sell easily.”
Boris grinned. “We had our fair share of trouble getting them. That last fight was quite a warm-up.”
“Can’t say I envy you. I’ve had enough of life-threatening situations back in...” Hussein stopped mid-sentence and shook his head, his expression darkening for a moment.
Michelle tilted her head. “Did you really fight monsters too?”
Hussein forced a chuckle, trying to brush off the somber mood. “Let’s not get into that. There are some bad memories I’d rather not think about.”
It wasn’t just some “bad memories.” These people, who were essentially “NPCs” to us, were often the souls of the dead taken in by Istellia, whether they were believers or not. Since Istellia was a new god, it was possible that it was the latter. There was something oddly melancholic about the way Hussein spoke, as if the past weighed heavier on him than he wanted to admit.
Boris nodded in agreement. “Mhm. I respect your choice.”
Hussein seemed grateful for the lack of probing and quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, I’ll start calculating the prices. Give me a moment.”
After thoroughly examining the items, Hussein began calculating the prices. “For the seven weapons alone, I can offer you 520 soul coins. Although a few of them are of uncommon grade, they’re not in the best condition. As for the monster corpses... Let me see... Some of these are in pretty rough shapes, but a few are good enough to be made into armor. I’ll give you 210 for the lot.”
I glanced at Boris and Michelle, who both gave me a subtle nod. “Let’s hear the rest.”
Hussein moved on to the equipment, which included the thrall robes. “These pieces... Some are a bit banged up, but the quality’s still good. I’ll throw in another 345 soul coins for these. In total, you’re looking at around 1,075 soul coins. Not a bad deal, right?”
I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Not bad. But I’m pretty sure the monster corpses and the equipment are worth a bit more than that.”
You have used Negotiation.
Seeing that I wasn’t entirely convinced, Hussein let out a hearty laugh. “Alright, alright. You’ve got me. I’ll add another hundred soul coins. That should make it fair.”
“Deal.”
I didn’t intend to haggle too much this time, especially since I still owed Hussein a debt. The only reason I negotiated at all was to make sure Boris and Michelle would get a slightly better deal, as I planned to split the money equally between us.
Hussein grinned. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
As Hussein handed over the coins, Boris patted me on the shoulder. “Seems like you’ve got a knack for making money, lad. Never settle for the first offer.”
“That’s right,” Michelle added with a nod. “So, what should we do with the soul coins?”
“I’m thinking of splitting them fairly between the three of us,” I said nonchalantly.
Michelle immediately shook her head, waving her hands dismissively. “No way! That wouldn’t be fair to you... You should take the majority. Most of the items are yours to begin with.”
Boris nodded in agreement, crossing his arms thoughtfully. “She’s right. It’s only appropriate for you to take at least half. You put in the most effort, after all.”
“Hmm.” I rubbed my chin. “Let’s do this then: I’ll take 475 soul coins, and you two can split the rest between you. I still have plenty left from the scenario, so I’m not in urgent need of more coins.”
Seeing that I wasn’t going to budge, Boris agreed, “If you’re that determined, then fine. I suppose that’s fair enough.”
“But...” Michelle hesitated, glancing between me and Boris. After a moment, she let out a soft sigh and smiled. “Okay. Thank you, Maxim. I appreciate it.”
Boris chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. The lad’s got a stubborn streak when it comes to being generous.”
“Just take it as a thank you for having my back during the fight.” I shrugged casually.
As we divided up the coins, Hussein glanced at us with a knowing smile. “You’ve got a solid team here. Keep this up, and you’ll get far in the scenarios and be swimming in soul coins before long.”
“That’s the plan,” I replied before turning to Boris and Michelle. “By the way, do either of you want to upgrade your equipment?”
Boris shook his head. “Nah, I’m not really interested in weapons, and my attire’s just fine,” he said, gesturing to his bare chest.
“Hmm, I don’t really need anything either... My bow and dagger are both of uncommon grade. My armor isn’t, though...”
That was the case.
By now, they should have received at least two Uncommon-Grade Armament Vouchers from the scenario. Besides, upgrading Michelle’s armor wasn’t a pressing issue.
I glanced at Hussein. “Do you have any magic armor?”
“Hrm… There’s one piece, but it won’t fit her. It’s a full-body armor set, and it wouldn’t suit you either.”
“Figures,” I muttered. This was only a small, general good store in District F, after all. It would be better to go to District E if we wanted to upgrade our equipment.
“But don’t worry,” he continued. “I’ll keep an eye out for anything interesting that might suit you.”
“Thanks,” Michelle said with a grateful smile.
“Thanks for the deal, Hussein,” I said as we prepared to leave.
“No problem. Feel free to come back anytime. I’m always up for business.” He waved us off with a grin.
As we stepped outside, Boris chuckled. “Good choice of a trading partner. That guy’s got some backbone. I wouldn’t mind sparring with him someday.”
I couldn’t help but shake my head. “Pretty sure he’d rather not.”
Boris shrugged nonchalantly. “Doesn’t matter. A good fighter knows another when they see one.”
With our business in District F concluded, we started making our way toward the inn in District E. Now that we had reached the Bet rank as divine warriors, it only made sense to upgrade our accommodations.
Halfway there, a thought struck me, and I came to an abrupt halt.
Boris raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
I glanced at them both. “You guys go ahead. There’s a place I need to check out first.”
Michelle looked a bit concerned. “Are you sure? We can come with you.”
I shook my head with a small smile. “It’s nothing major. I just remembered something I wanted to take care of. I’ll catch up with you at the inn.”
“Alright, don’t take too long,” Boris said.
Huh, this feels like déjà vu… I thought.
With that, Boris and Michelle continued on their way while I took a detour down a side street, searching for a specific store in District E. It didn’t take long before I spotted it—a bookstore marked by the familiar hanging sign of an open book. This one was slightly larger than the one in District F, though not by much.
As I stepped inside, a small bell chimed overhead. Immediately, I was greeted by the storekeeper—a bespectacled young woman in her early twenties, dressed neatly in formal attire. She offered a polite smile. “Welcome, customer. Are you looking to purchase a skill book?”
“That’s right. But first, can you tell me where the free reading section is?”
“Of course. It’s over there—the two racks along the side wall,” she replied, pointing to the designated area. “There are more than two hundred books available. Feel free to browse as much as you like.”
Compared to the grumpy old lady who ran the bookstore in District F, this storekeeper was much friendlier and more approachable. The difference in treatment between the two places was apparent, showing the different status of the two districts.
I browsed through the books on the two racks, taking a mental note of the wide variety available. Most of the titles here were focused on scenarios and monsters—guides, bestiaries, and analyses written by who knows who. However, my primary reason for coming wasn’t to read these useless texts; I was looking for storybooks about legendary figures to expand the selection of Fabled Vessel. With that in mind, I shifted my focus to the row dedicated to storybooks.
It didn’t take long before one particular book caught my eye—a white leather-bound volume that stood out among the others. Curious, I picked it up and read its title—
“Wait, isn’t this…”