Chapter 222: I Won’t Be a Crafty Merchant Anymore
“Golden!! It’s a Legendary Level chest!!!”
“Dammit! I was hoping to snag a cheap one later! How did someone get a golden one so fast!”
“You’re wrong to think that way. The odds are the same whether you open it early or late.”
“For real? Don’t lie to me…”
The gasps of surprise were like cold water hitting boiling oil, instantly igniting the crowd. The doubtful atmosphere that had formed after a string of Ordinary chests vanished in an instant.
The man who had just bought the chest was trembling with excitement, the golden powder welling up from the box like countless motes of stardust, drifting and shimmering in the morning light.
Clearly, his luck was good. He had actually pulled the only “Golden Legend” of the day.
When he finally took the item out of the box with trembling hands, the chatter from the crowd grew even louder.
“It’s a Magic Scroll!!”
“Huh? What’s a Magic Scroll? Is it a Skill Book?”
“Uh, it’s not a Skill Book, but it’s still really good. It lets you cast Magic directly, even Professional Magic.”
“What? Then isn’t that even better than a Skill Book??”
“No, no, it has a limited number of uses.”
“I see. So you can keep it as a last resort. In a dangerous situation, it could save your life!”
“Exactly. I just wonder what kind of Magic is on it…”
Seeing the Scroll in the man’s hand, those in the know immediately exclaimed in amazement.
As for the others, even though they had never seen a Magic Scroll before, their eyes widened upon hearing this, and they were incredibly envious.
Beside the donkey cart, Aryan knew to let this moment last as long as possible. So, she didn’t rush to sell the next chest, simply allowing the crowd to keep buzzing.
At the same time, she stole a glance at Lu Wei, who was still spacing out nearby.
‘What’s wrong with Lu Wei?’
‘He’s been like this for a little while now.’
‘No, wait, it’s different than before.’
‘A moment ago, he was just spacing out. Now, he looks… desperate.’
‘Is it because he was hoping someone we knew would get that chest?’
As it turned out, Aryan was a keen observer.
Lu Wei was, in fact, in despair.
But it wasn’t because the Legendary Level chest had been claimed. After all, he hadn’t arranged for any shills today.
It was because of his final Promotion Task.
[3. Without investing any liquid assets, complete a single transaction or agreement with a profit exceeding 100 Gold Coins, and transfer all potential risks to another party.]
To be fair, the description was a bit complicated.
So, Lu Wei simplified it a bit—
[Con someone out of 100 Gold Coins from nothing, and suffer no consequences.]
Yeah, that was much easier to understand.
After all, he’d seen plenty of cases like this in his past life.
You open a company to engage in illegal activities like money laundering or fraud, then find some sucker to act as the legal representative—the one designated to take the fall and go to prison.
The principle was simple—so simple, in fact, that even a schoolboy could master it.
“Mom, my teacher said I need to turn in fifty bucks for books tomorrow.”
In short, it could be broken down into two operational steps: “the con” and “the scapegoat.”
Each step perfectly matched the characteristics of a Crafty Merchant and clearly demonstrated the guiding principles a Crafty Merchant should live by—
Maximize profits + Evade punishment.
As a final Promotion Task, it was perfectly reasonable.
The only problem was…
‘100 Gold Coins???’
‘Who the hell am I supposed to swindle that much money from???’
“I’m not feeling well. I’m going to head back. You guys can take your time and sell the rest.”
A few minutes later, as the incredibly lucky man left with his Magic Scroll, Lu Wei finally spoke up.
He really wasn’t feeling well.
The thought that he might never be promoted to an Official Professional made him want to die.
“Oh, okay…”
Aryan faltered for a moment, her eyes filled with worry as she watched him walk away.
But with so many people still waiting to buy chests, suddenly closing up shop would be terrible for future business.
So, after a moment’s hesitation, she hurried over to Bai Ya, who was still standing there in a daze, and urged in a low voice:
“Bai Ya, I can handle things here. Hurry and go after Lu Wei.”
“He was perfectly fine this morning. For him to suddenly feel unwell… maybe he’s sick.”
“Go with him to the clinic and have a doctor take a look at him. I’ll find you as soon as I’m done selling the chests.”
Aryan kept her voice low, speaking quickly with an anxious tone.
At her prompting, Bai Ya finally snapped out of it. She nodded quickly and ran off in a hurry to catch up to Lu Wei.
As for Lu Wei…
‘No, but this is too damn hard!’
‘100 Gold Coins is already an outrageous amount, but it has to be in a single transaction?’
‘Is there anyone in all of Heitai Town who could even produce 100 Gold Coins?’
Walking silently down the increasingly bustling main street, Lu Wei’s mood had calmed somewhat.
But he still couldn’t accept such a ridiculous task.
Yes, to go from an Apprentice Professional to an Official Professional, one did have to complete specific Promotion Tasks.
But the requirements for other Professions, while not necessarily simple, were at least within the realm of “reasonable.”
For example, a [Warrior] generally had to win around five public duels in an arena, or kill a certain number of monsters.
Though it carried the risk of injury or even death, the path was straightforward and clear.
Or take a [Mage]—they usually had to independently complete a Magic experiment report, or pass a three-day “Magic Net Resonance Test.”
Even the dimmest person could eventually finish it, as long as they were willing to put in the time.
Then there was the [Ranger]’s task to “survive alone in a designated Adventurer’s Land for one month”; the [Priest]’s to “successfully preside over a public prayer and trigger a minor miracle”; and the [Holy Knight]’s to “make three choices that align with the spirit of their oath”…
In Lu Wei’s view, even just “earning 100 Gold Coins” or “learning three Professional Skills” would have been more difficult than any of those.
He had previously reasoned that since [Crafty Merchant] was, after all, a “unique special” class of Profession, having three Promotion Tasks was somewhat understandable.
He had also anticipated that the final task would be difficult.
But he never, ever expected it to be *this* difficult.
Of course, based on the tropes from the old-school cultivation web novels of his past life, a more difficult breakthrough process often signified a greater increase in Power.
Thinking about it that way, Lu Wei should have been full of anticipation and bursting with motivation.
Instead, he just felt his world go dark, completely devoid of any drive.
He had just wracked his brain, but none of the few plans he came up with were feasible.
1. Use the IOU to trick Freya again, then take the money and run.
2. Pre-sell 334 blind boxes, then take the money and run.
3. Go to Kalin Port, sell all his Equipment, then double-cross the buyer, take the money, and run.
Truthfully, aside from the first option, the other two had virtually no chance of success.
Besides, they didn’t meet the two conditions: “without investing any liquid assets” and “a single transaction.”
As for Plan #1, the only one that was even remotely possible…
By Lu Wei’s most optimistic estimate, the success rate was about 1%.
It required simultaneously satisfying numerous conditions, such as: “Freya can actually produce 100 gold coins,” “she suddenly loses all her brain cells and becomes an idiot,” “her dad is also an idiot,” and “I must immediately get plastic surgery or a sex change after the scam is complete.”
“This is too hard. I don’t want to be a Crafty Merchant anymore…”
Looking up at the sky in despair, Lu Wei couldn’t help but let out a mournful sigh.
Just then, Bai Ya, who had just caught up to him, froze.
‘Why would the Captain suddenly say something like that…’
‘Could it be… he’s finally seen the error of his ways and decided to turn over a new leaf?’
‘Ah! That must be it!’
‘The way he was acting in the square earlier… it wasn’t because he was feeling unwell! He was going through an intense internal struggle, a moral Confession!’
‘This is wonderful!’
Standing frozen in place, Bai Ya’s expression suddenly shifted from worry and confusion to one of surprised relief.
Her eyes even grew a little misty—
this was the emotional response to seeing a “wayward companion” finally return to the righteous path.
A moment later, she quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then broke into a jog to catch up with Lu Wei. She met his bewildered gaze and comforted him in a gentle voice:
“Captain, don’t blame yourself.”
“It’s not too late to stop. I believe the gods will surely forgive you.”
“Honestly, I’m so happy you’ve come to your senses and decided to turn over a new leaf.”
“…”
Lu Wei: ???