by A P Gore
Now the question was, what should he choose?
Wait... when he learned the skill, there was a sub-tip at the end of the skill.
Taming (Passive)
Level:1
Learn the way of animals and tame them to obey your orders.
100% chance to tame a level 3 animal.
70% chance to tame a level 5 animal.
As a druid you have 40% increased effect of loyalty taming.
Wow! His class surprised him once more. Not that he hated it. No, he wanted more. More.
40% increased effect in loyalty training, huh? Time to try it out.
Staring into Hiren’s eyes, he cupped her mouth. She stared back with her dark gray eyes, fondness lurking in there.
“Hiren, will you become my horse? I promise you I’ll take care of you as best I can.”
A light sparked in the animal’s eyes, and it nodded like it understood.
System: Congratulations, you have tamed Hiren, a level 5 horse. +1 Taming.
“Master...” Grimish touched Hiren, but she snorted at him, threat lingering in her eyes. “What did you do? I had to drug her to get her here. How did you tame her so fast?”
Jon smirked and didn’t answer. He had two powerful classes and he need not tell anyone about them.
“Did you inquire about the seeds?” Jon asked, patting Hiren’s back. The animal rubbed her forehead on his shoulder.
Grimish nodded. “I inquired about it discreetly and found out that corn is the costliest food among the staple foods. One pound of corn sells for five copper.”
“That’s too low. One weed plant sells for ninety copper on the gray market. I bet it would sell for far more in the high street you mentioned before.” Too bad Grimish didn’t have access to the main market. Once he went to the town, Jon was planning to find a way to solve this issue for Grimish.
Grimish nodded, patting his gray horse. That horse didn’t seem to like Grimish as much as Hiren liked Jon. After all, he was handsome. These things ought to happen.
“I expect to gain one silver and thirty copper minimum at the high street market.”
Jon rubbed the back of his neck. “Damn, I don’t want to keep selling the weed. Anyway, we have to branch out. We’ll run out of food soon.” Though he still had around seventeen hundred food items, they wouldn’t last long once the population grew.
“Why don’t you sell herbs, Master? They are quite costly and require a greenhouse to grow, but with your skills you can grow them faster. I even bought some sample seeds for you.” Grimish pulled out three packets of ten seeds each.
A quick perception and Jon learned their properties.
Seed of Fennel
Quality: Low
Primary ingredient for mana potions.
Seed of Red Blood Ginseng
Quality: Low
Primary ingredient for health potions.
Seed of Green-Eyed Sunflower
Quality: Low
Primary ingredient for spirit potions.
Seed of Timil
Quality: Low
Primary ingredient for regeneration potions.
Jon pushed his long hair back. It had grown substantially since coming into the game.
Where would he grow herbs?
Well, he had a perfect place he’d forgotten about. The God’s Garden. Once he learned about the existing herbs planted there, he would plant a new batch of herbs, and that didn’t seem like a daunting task anymore. He just needed to wait until the Intrinsic Vision cooldown was over.
“Make sense. Let’s try this.” Glancing at the horses, Jon wondered for a moment what the horse ate? “How much time will it take to reach the town on horseback?”
“Fourteen hours. If you gallop at full speed, then maybe ten.” Grimish gawked at Hiren with envious eyes.
“Then let’s head there tomorrow. I’ve got so many tasks to take care of there. But before that, come with me inside. I have a gift for you.” Jon smirked. He had plans to let Grimish test the Apple of Mana, but he would make him sign a contract of confidentiality first.
Chapter 25
Grimish gasped for breath as a strong wind current blew against his body, nearly throwing him from his horse’s back. Said horse, Horton, squealed, echoing his displeasure. Dust flying across the wind penetrated through the edges of his scarf and entered his mouth, leeching its moisture away. His eyes closed in self-defense, but it almost cost him his life as the horse jumped over a small muddy pond. If he had fallen into that pond, he would have made a direct trip to his respawn room. It was one of those endless mud ponds that sucked down animals and poor riders who didn’t know about their frightening existence.
While Grimish suffered, Master Jon rode like a king, unafraid of anything. His horse Hiren carried him like a mother carrying her baby, while his own horse carried him like a killer carrying a dead body.
Grimish sighed and tightened his grip on the reins, trying to avoid the dust as much as possible, but the fucking stuff clogged his eyes so much that he wanted to pluck his eyeballs out and keep them safe until the journey to Chinari came to an end.
The horse’s hooves pounded the dirt-laden road like a hammer striking an anvil. It had been ten hours, and they’d only stopped to fight stray wild beasts who fell in front of the Master fella like fruit falling from a tree.
The taste of the rare fruit Master gifted him last night still lingered on his tongue. What an awesome fruit that was. Giving +2 permanent Intelligence and then +2 Intelligence for 12 hours after that? Grimish had eaten nothing like that before. It was just epic.
And his master’s advantages didn’t stop there. With his farming spells, he harvested Excellent quality crops like it was a joke. Every trip Grimish made to town, he earned one hundred twenty gold, of which Master gave him twenty as a transport fee. Twenty gold for running to and from town? Grimish would do it for his lifetime. Twenty gold was a huge amount in real life money. For a moment, he could imagine the day when he would meet his family, and it seemed closer than before.
That weed crop was just excellent, and with the sample herbs Master grew last night, Grimish was sure that Kira would treat them like royalty. For the last few days, Kira’s behavior had changed dramatically. Before, when he went to sell his Normal or Low quality weed crop, Kira wouldn’t let him stand there for more than ten seconds. Two days back, when he went to sell the Excellent quality weed crop and ask for some herb seeds, Kira had asked him for drinks. Drinks. That Kira fella had asked no one for drinks. Money surely changed everything.
The white horse in front of him halted suddenly, and so did Horton, throwing Grimish over the top of his head. If he wasn’t sure the animal couldn’t talk, he would’ve sworn he heard Horton laughing at him.
“Damn fucking horse.” Grimish got up, slapping dust from his trousers.
Master Jon chuckled and threw something at him. “Take that.”
Swiping his hand through the air, Grimish caught it. For a moment, his breath stuck in his lungs. It was another one of those apples—an Apple of Mana.
“Just don’t give it to anyone else,” Master said.
Wow! This was a rare fruit, and that fella tossed it like it was nothing. How could he be so uncaring about things? If Grimish had that apple, he wouldn’t have given it to anyone. Two points in Intelligence, permanently. Why would he give it to anyone?
“Master... this...”
Master scowled. “You want more?” He shook his head in obvious disappointment. “Have these, but don’t show them to anyone. Eat as much you want.” And he threw five more apples to Grimish.
Swiping his hand in the air like a snake, Grimish collected them all and dropped them in his bag. This was a rare fruit, and the market value would reach one hundred gold, minimum, for each. The Master fella was a fool to give him that much money. Why would he eat them like candy?
The Master fella was crazy. In the beast tide, he’d unleashed something that killed six hundred plus beasts, and then he was frie
nds with that crazy flying goddess. How did he do all that?
Maybe pledging his loyalty after his slave contract ends wouldn’t be a bad idea. If this Master fella survived the six long months of winter, Grimish would definitely go with him until the day finally came to log out.
Grimish beamed and jumped back on Horton. Just now, he had found his future path, and it looked good.
Chapter 26
After 13 hours of horse riding, and a sore butt, Jon finally saw the granite road leading to a tall metal gate. A stone wall spread from either side of the gate. Every hundred meters, a few guards stood ready on a sentry tower. A water trench ringed the wall from all sides, but a metal bridge lay over it, allowing people to come and go.
“It feels so fresh.” Seeing multiple people around, Jon felt nostalgic. His hometown in the real world was like this. It was the capital city of the planet, so the roads were always full of people. Actually, he detested his village’s atmosphere because of lack of people. Now, seeing the town, a small fire lit in his mind—a resolve to grow his village into a mega town like this.
However, at the same time, he realized his condition, and he wouldn't want anyone like him walking around his town.
Drenched clothes, reeking body, and a hungry stomach... neither he nor Grimish were in any condition to go in, and it was already nighttime.
Touching the reins, Jon stopped Hiren just before stepping on the granite road. Horton stopped too, nearly throwing Grimish over his head, but after a few falls Grimish had gotten smarter, and he managed to save himself from falling again.
Jon couldn't control his laughter.
Grimish gritted his teeth. “Master. I didn't fall. Why are you laughing?”
Jon waved his hand dismissively and pulled his water bag out and drank a healthy gulp. He had asked Grimish to buy all the necessities in his last trip, and the water bag was one of them.
“Tell me, how does this work? Will we get access to the high-street area if I show this?” Jon pulled out the metal insignia with two red stars marked on it.
“Master...” Grimish nearly fell on the ground. “How did you...” Jumping down from Horton, he walked closer to Jon.
Jon glanced at the metal object. “This? A guard captain gave it to me. Can we use this to enter the city and the high-street area?”
“Yes, yes we can.” Grimish leaped up and snatched the insignia from his hand, touching it like he was touching his girlfriend's body. “This is a symbol of being an Imperial Guard's VIP guest. This is equal to a baron's power in the town. With this, you can visit the Pink Flower House and won’t have to pay anything. This, you can sell for two hundred gold in the slums.” His eyes shone with a strange light.
“What's Pink Flower House?”
Grimish smiled sheepishly. “That's...” Rubbing the spot below his ears he looked at the town gate.
“Don't tell me it's a brothel.”
Observing the red on Grimish's face, Jon knew he had guessed it right. Damn, this bastard. “A brothel, really? You want to waste this opportunity by visiting Pink Flower House?” Jon shook his head in disappointment. Well, he wasn't against brothels. It was what it was, and many people enjoyed visiting them. He wasn't against someone visiting one either, but he didn't believe in it himself. He would find a girlfriend and have sex rather than going to a brothel. Personal principle. But he wouldn't stop Grimish if he wanted to go there. His life, his choice. But Jon wouldn't let Grimish use that insignia in a brothel.
“Give it back.” He ordered, and Grimish gave it back with a pained smile. “It's already night, so let's stay in that inn and we will go into town tomorrow.” Though the actual town was inside the walls, outside wasn't far from a small town itself. Around him, he spotted three inns filled with patrons. There was a nice restaurant too, and a small night bazaar.
“Yes, Master.” Grimish nodded.
Two hours later, Jon walked out of his lavish room. Of course he had rented the most costly room in the Backworth Inn. One silver per night. And the room was worth every penny. A nice wooden bed, a comfy mattress, and clean bedsheets. What else one could want after sleeping only on a smelly bedroll? Even the soil in the God's Garden was more comfortable than the bedroll he had. Then there was a granite bathtub too. With hot water.
When Jon slipped into the hot water, his eyes had closed in ecstasy. Every pore on his body opened up, and he even got a +1 Constitution boost for 4 hours. If he didn't own that village, he would have rented the whole inn for himself.
Jon knocked on the next room door.
Grimish walked out, wearing a clean white shirt and black trousers. For a change, he looked like a human.
“Whoa, where did you get those clothes? And why did you buy me the same starter kit clothes?” Staring at his green shirt and gray trousers, he felt cheated. No, that bastard had cheated him. Though his own clothes were clean, they looked like shit next to Grimish. People would think Grimish was a noble, and him Grimish's slave.
Grimish pulled his gaze away from Jon's stare. “Kira, the shop owner in the slums, sold me this. I spent five silver on one nice outfit.”
“And you bought me this shit. Why?” Jon wanted to smack that old face and pull his white beard from his chin.
“I'm sorry, Master.” Grimish looked down. “You said buy few more pairs of the same clothes. So, I bought them.”
Jon's forehead throbbed. “Let's go to the night bazaar and buy some clothes for me. And let's check if we can buy a mattress. I need to shift into the residence soon, or build a house for myself.” As the village owner, he should live in the residence, but he’d let those workers live there. Now, he wanted a house for himself. He wasn't a saint, after all. And building houses didn't cost too many resources. He could spend a little money and buy a few luxurious things from the town to make his life easier.
God, he ought to buy a bathtub too.
This trip would strip him of his cash, but it would be worth it. But he shouldn't be worried about cash. After all, he had the super herb planted in the God's Garden. With his Intrinsic Vision, he got to know how precious that herb was. That should sell for hundreds if not thousands of gold.
Chapter 27
Hundreds of lights illuminated the night bazaar, leaving Jon in an awe.
Multiple vendors had placed their stalls on each side of the street, decorated in colorful cloth, calling out to onlookers to inspect their goods.
Some sold potions, some sold weapons, and some sold clothes. There were even some street food vendors who sold delicious-smelling meat. Too bad, he was full.
Breathing in the chilly night air, Jon moved through the bazaar, admiring the items on display. A peculiar shop attracted his attention, and he had to stop. It sold T-shirts from real life. Technically not from the real world, but a similar design made from in-game materials. So, this was Maggie's master tailor. Why had she lied to him when he asked where she got her T-shirt mimic made up?
Ignoring that for the moment, he stepped inside the shop. A peculiar fragrance hit him hard, like someone had poured perfume to hide a stinky smell. Though a little unpleasant, Jon ignored it too. It was a medium-sized shop and had twenty display pieces hung inside the glass counters. Each display counter had a small piece of cloth stuck outside for the onlookers to feel the texture.
Nice idea, but why was no one behind the counter? Nor were there any customers there. Strange.
“Is anyone here?” Jon asked, staring at the open door behind the main counter.
Someone coughed from the room attached to the storefront. “Kid, there's a plate with writing on the first display counter. Read it and don't disturb this boss.” A deep growling voice hissed at him before a silhouette of a face appeared on the top of the counter and vanished quickly. Jon would remember that face, because it had long braided hair and a long scar on the right cheek.
Rolling his eyes, Jon glanced at the first display. “Prices are written below clothes. Don't disturb this boss by asking.”
; “Okay, boss,” Jon muttered and moved around. There were multiple items on display. Some were T-shirts, some were shirts like he wore, but the texture quality differed like sun and moon. While his own shirt felt like it was made from rags, the shirts hung in display slots felt like they were made from top-quality silk.
Admiring the quality, Jon moved to the next counter and halted in his tracks. A beautiful white shirt with golden buttons attracted his attention from below the glass counter. Touching the piece of cloth stuck over the counter, he felt the texture. It was weightless like a feather and smooth like velvet. He had to buy this one.
His thoughts choked inside his head when he glanced at the price.
Three hundred gold.
“M...” His gaze dropped on the next card. “Cast your perception and then ask about the price. The name's Shirt of All-Weather Silk”
Shirt of All-Weather Silk
Made from silk excreted by the level 50 spider queen in the Green Mountains, this silk maintains the quality and artisanship of the Master Tailor Blazer.
Quality: Excellent
Properties:
Durability: 100/100
This shirt doesn't stain or tear unless the damage is equivalent to a journeyman's spell. [Tip: Journeymen are level 40+ characters if you don't know]
+5 Constitution
Special Skill - Shudder: Shudder your shirt to shake all the dirt from it and make it as clean and fragrant as the original condition.
“What the f-k.” Jon stepped out of the shop. This was crazy. Three hundred gold for a shirt, but that shirt had a special spell. So, even a tailor could do something like this in this game?
Today, Jon's horizons had expanded to the next level of information. He finally understood why players were crazy all around the universe to play this game. Actually, if he had three hundred gold, he might have bought that shirt. But he didn't have that, so he settled on a street vendor and bought a white shirt and gray trousers made from the finest silk. It didn't provide him any special skills, but for 15 silver each, he could buy enough to look fresh and noble, always.