When he reached another secluded area, Rilden secretly opened the purse, discovering the shiny goodness inside.
Twenty Gold Coins! It was the most money he had in his entire life. That was the money a borer like him would barely save up in a year if he were frugal and had no accidents!
A single gold coin was worth ten Silver Coins, and a Silver Coin was worth ten Copper Coins. There were also higher-end currencies, but Rilden only heard of them in rumors and never held them.
If Rilden didn't get the reminder from the
"No matter how precious it is, if I can't use it, it is better to just trade it for something I can use." Rilden thought before carefully tucking the purse in his shirt, clutching his stomach to avoid suspicion. Anyways, he looked like a dirty, bloodied homeless person, so no one would attempt to rob him.
The most difficult part was to find Idim Rhumol, a merchant he was unfamiliar with. So Rilden did the smartest thing he could think of and walked to the market district, where the Merchant's Guild was. All merchants, traveling or not, had to go through there.
After walking a bit, Rilden soon arrived before the Merchant's Guild, where a bouncer at the entrance blocked him.
"Stop, you filthy beggar! Turn around and leave to the smelly ditch you came from!" The bouncer said with a disgusted look.
"Sorry, mister. But I am looking for mister Idim Rhumol. He should be a merchant here..." Rilden sheepishly said, pying the part of a weak beggar.
"What business do you have with Mister Rhumol?" The bouncer frowned.
"I have information about his stolen purse," Rilden said, not revealing he had the purse yet.
While he could trust Idim since he got information, he couldn't trust others.
The bouncer was surprised and then reacted.
"Wait here." The bouncer hurriedly said, entering the guild.
Half a minute ter, a pudgy, moustached merchant in colorful clothes walked out, frowning in disgust as he looked at Rilden.1
"Well? What information do you have? If it leads to finding my purse, I shall reward you handsomely." The merchant impatiently said, clearly not trusting Rilden.
Rilden wordlessly smiled, taking the heavy purse out of his shirt and handing it to the merchant.
"This..." Idim widened his eyes, recognizing his purse.
Upon opening it, he saw the shiny gold coins. Counting them, he determined there were exactly 20 coins.
"How did you do it? Why did you return it to me? Are you in cahoots with the pickpocket?" Idim frowned and fired several questions in a row.
"Mister, I just saw the pickpocket hiding the purse behind Gogrir Nez's workshop before running and getting chased by several thugs. I suspect the pickpocket likely ended his career, and life, today. As for why I returned the purse to you... What can a beggar like me do with gold coins? I might as well return it for something more practical." Rilden sheepishly said.
Idim rexed his vigince, already half-believing the story.
Indeed, what could a beggar do with gold coins? Any fool could tell he was a thief! But if he was a thief, why didn't he fence the coins for usable coinage and bring them back to him? Although he wasn't sure about the authenticity of the pickpocket's fate, the story was pusible.
"Thank you for retrieving my purse. Can you tell me your name, mister?" Idim requested, avoiding calling his timely helper a beggar in the face.
"Rilden, Mister." Rilden smiled.
"Congratutions, d. You might have just turned your life around," Idim smiled.
"Oh, you have no idea." Rilden thought
.
.
.
Like the
He brought Rilden to a common but reputable inn, where he got Rilden a hot bath(a bucket of hot water with a towel and a bit of soap), a set of second-hand but retively intact clothes, a second-hand peasant's sword(Better than nothing), paid for a night's lodging(At a private room at that!), bought him dinner(With actual meat!) and booze(Not the cheap kind!), promised to spread the good deed, and offered him a job opportunity once he learned Rilden miraculously advanced to a Tier-1 Warrior.
At the tavern's dining hall, Rilden and the merchant drank at a table(The merchant's treat), where Idim offered job opportunities.
"My first offer is to become a guild enforcer. It is a lower-paying but stable job. Your only task is to protect the guild headquarters from petty criminals and those threatening the guild and its merchants. You might also need to beat up or intimidate foreign merchants who don't py by the rules. Correspondingly, there is little danger in this line of work, and it pays well."
"The other offer is to become a caravan guard. While more dangerous and less comfortable, the pay is better."
"In either case, the guild would provide food and lodging and lend you equipment."
"So, what say you? Do you want to become an enforcer or caravan guard?" Idim smiled and asked.
"Can you give me time to decide? I need to think about it." Rilden requested.
As an enforcer, he would stay in the city and have fewer risks, but as a caravan guard, he would take more risks but could potentially acquire things previously inaccessible to him. He didn't know what was the better choice, so he wanted to consult with
"Certainly. Take your time. When you decide what to do, mention my name at the guild." Idim smiled, downed his drink, paid his bill, and left.
Rilden also returned to his room and y on his bed, mentally tired from all the changes around him.
"I'll think about things tomorrow. Now I want some shut-eye..." Rilden thought and soon fell asleep.
Rilden woke up in the early morning, feeling refreshed.
"Okay, let's check the
[
[A cherry farmer named Johputh Jathad has brought sweet cherries for sale at the market district, unaware that a batch of 38 mutated Brain Cherries is in the mix. You could easily spot them among the red cherries, appearing grey, wrinkly, and squishy like a brain. These Brain Cherries can permanently increase the Comprehension of those who eat them by 0.01 points, up to 2, which is perfect for a dumb-dumb like you! If sold, these cherries could fetch a gold coin a piece, but the ignorant farmer will sell the rotten-looking cherries to a knowledgeable merchant at forenoon. Before that happens, buy a pound of cherries for 2 copper coins and then request the brain cherries. (And don't blurt their name, you idiot!). He will then try marketing them as rare, so act like a fool and agree to pay a copper coin for the lot worth 38 gold coins, which is roughly 1,270 times profit, not that you can do the math. Naturally, with your limited brain cells, you should eat them, not sell them(Again, don't sell them... idiot). And don't forget to buy a canvas bag to store the cherries(A 1 2/3 cu.ft one would do nicely)! You can use it ter for other things.]
"Stop calling me an idiot!" Rilden angrily retorted but still got up and went to the market.
As the
(Incidently, he also almost blurted the name of the cherries during the negotiation but stopped himself after remembering the reminder. He also wanted to sell them for quick cash, but the reminder snapped him out of his greed.)
The brain cherries tasted weird, like eggs or fish. But after digesting them, Rilden felt his head lighten, as if a fog lifted. Many things he didn't understand became understandable, and memories he overlooked returned. But most of all, he wanted to scream to the sky.
"I WAS SUCH A RETARD!!!" Rilden felt like he wanted to punch himself.
All the times when other kids tricked him. The times when his employers took advantage of him. The opportunities Rilden could have seized during his life, including apprenticeships or even joining a gang, were missed due to being too dim. Everything returned.
If only he were smarter, he wouldn't have been a borer who got beaten half to death by a drunk. The incident with the drunk could have been wholly avoided if he hadn't cursed back there. After all, most poor folk are more prone to anger, not to mention a drunk!
"Fuck. At least I am not an idiot anymore." Rilden thought and checked his status.
Name: RildenSex: MaleAge: 18Status: Healthy, Distraught.Social Status: Unemployed but Clean homeless with some prospects.Sexual Status: Pathetic Horny VirginBloodline: ???(Unknown mutated bloodline)Bloodline Abilities: Daily Prophet, Analysis.Warrior Realm: Initial Tier 1. Warrior Talent: Negligible.Magician Realm: None. Magician Talent: Negligible.Comprehension: 1.18(Above Average)Overall Evaluation: Welcome to the world of worries.
"Well, at least I am not an idiot anymore." Rilden tried to think optimistically about it and started eating the ordinary cherries while activating his second charge of the Daily Prophet for today.
[
[The Trade City of Tulens has many hidden dangers and opportunities, where one could get rich overnight or die just as easily. For example, the friendly street peddr with a green bandana selling trinkets on your right is a cold-blooded, psychopathic tier-4 master assassin and high-ranking cultist of Ludiron, Lesser Evil God of assassins, knives, disguises, and snakes. He is wearing a human-skin head mask, fyed from one of his many victims as a disguise. —]
Badump* Badump* Badump*
Tiii*
Rilden's heart almost burst from his chest, and his head rang, cold sweat gathering on his back. He didn't even dare gnce at the peddr, fearing he would find something strange about his behavior.
A tier-4 master assassin and cultist of Ludiron, an evil god! And he was right next to him! One wrong move, and his life would come to an abrupt end!
"Oh, gods almighty! Stay calm, Rilden! Stay calm!" Rilden shouted in his mind.
"Hey, are you okay, young man? You don't look so well." A worried voice asked on his right.
Subconsciously looking over, he saw a kind-looking man in a loose shirt and green bandana looking at him, concerned.
"O-Oh, I'm fine. It must be the sun. I should go get some shade and water." Rilden sheepishly said, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Yes, you should probably do that." The peddr nodded and returned to hawking his wares.
Rilden hurriedly left, not knowing that the elite assassin looked in his direction.
"Strange. My gut tells me he was afraid, but I didn't reveal any fws or killing intent. It is as if he scared himself for no reason. Is it just my imagination? Anyways, what could some poor d possibly discover? He probably scared himself by remembering something scary." The assassin frowned but didn't dwell on it.
Little did he know that the poor d he looked down upon was heading straight to the City Lord's office with information that would doom him.
[Deadshiv is wanted, dead or alive, for murdering several influential figures, among them being the City Lord's eldest son and most promising heir, so the City Lord and the influential figures in the city hate him with a passion and issued a joint 5,000 Gold Coin bounty on his head. If you go to the City Lord's office, inform the head butler you spotted Deadshiv, and you will be brought before the City Lord, who will question you. Just say you noticed he was wearing a human skin head mask and that you faintly saw a snake and knife tattoo on his back and an S-shaped scar on his nape. The angry and impulsive peak tier-5 City Lord would head out to capture first and ask questions ter.
After he finishes his bloody work, he will not ask further questions and offer you a 50% bounty plus a minor noble title. Humbly reject it. If you take it, your identity will be exposed, and Ludiron's cult will hunt you down and, with 100% certainty, kill you. Instead, request Deadshiv's belongings, including a tier-4 enchanted knife owned by Deadshiv, Snakebite, his tier-4 undershirt armor, and about 48 Gold Coins, enough to st you a while and buy stuff. Since they are not from the city budget, they will remain off-record, keeping your identity safe while making a profit.]
"No hard feelings, Deadshiv. This is business." Rilden thought, licking his dry lips, a greedy glint in his eyes.