Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 69 Bargaining

Kruse's gaze slowly swept over this noisy and chaotic lawless land, but his heart sank lower and lower.

Judging from the market's vast area, the dense number of shacks, and the throngs of people, the population that has long resided here is definitely over a thousand!

A settlement with over a thousand people is comparable in size to the core town of a baronial territory.

What's even more chilling is that this place is located deep on the edge of the Hornas Mountains, where dangerous magical beasts frequently roam. The fact that such a large market could be established in this environment suggests that the military power behind it is far from ordinary.

This means that maintaining order and resisting the invasion of monsters here requires at least a dozen or more official knights to be stationed here year-round!
Two-digit knights!

This power is enough to easily crush any ordinary knightly territory without a castle to rely on, and can even stand up to some weaker baronies head-on!
"It seems... I seriously underestimated the power these 'vagrants' have gathered." Kruze silently corrected his understanding in his mind, a strong sense of crisis rising within him.

No, this scene can no longer be called a gathering place for "vagrants".

This is clearly the nascent form of a large-scale, organized, and armed secret regime!
They had their own set of operating rules, trading systems, and even the dark branch of the power structure that was the slave trade.

They hoarded supplies, gathered people, and honed their military skills... all of this pointed to a terrifying conclusion:

Given the right time, or the emergence of a sufficiently powerful and ambitious leader, this "hive" hidden deep in the mountains could transform into a rebel force capable of overturning the existing order of the entire Campnor County!

Its destructive power will far exceed that of ordinary bandit groups; it will be a war in the true sense of the word.

"Unfamiliar faces?" Two men dressed in simple leather armor with sharp eyes stepped forward and blocked the way for Kruze's team. Their hands, seemingly casually resting on the weapons at their waists, were full of vigilance.

Cooper immediately squeezed forward from the line, a familiar smile plastered on his face, and hurriedly explained, "Brothers, it's me, Cooper! Our boss is Robert. He had other things to do today and couldn't get away, so he sent me with a few brothers to see what good things we can exchange for some back home."

One of them squinted, scrutinized Cooper, and seemed to confirm the face. His tense expression eased slightly, and he finally nodded, stepping aside to make way: "Go in. You know the rules, right? Don't cause trouble."

"I understand, I understand! Thank you, brother!" Cooper responded repeatedly, leading his team quickly into the noisy vortex.

Upon entering the market, Wilstone immediately and discreetly approached Kruze, urgently warning him in a very low voice, "Young Master, this place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and their fighting prowess far exceeds our expectations. It's far too dangerous! We've achieved our objective; we should leave as soon as possible!"

Kruse simply waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over everything around him like a hawk's.

The system's investigation mission was not yet complete, and the reward of 20 energy crystals was of great importance to him, enough to push his strength to the mid-stage or even late-stage Bronze Knight. How could he possibly return empty-handed?

Moreover, given the system's nature, it's impossible to issue the next task without completing the current one, nor can it abandon the task. This means his task is stuck here, which is something he cannot allow.

“Let’s take a look first.” Kruze’s voice was calm but carried an undeniable determination. “I have a feeling that there is more hidden here than what is on the surface.” With that, he took the lead and walked towards the nearest stall. It was a simple stall with a few animal skins spread out on the ground. What was displayed on it were not ordinary supplies, but rather strange homemade weapons.

Most of them have tough wood handles, but the front ends are bound with carefully polished sharp stone pieces or white animal bones and fangs. Their shapes are primitive and ferocious, exuding a savage killing power.

Kruse was secretly amazed; it was truly a novel approach.

He never imagined that these ordinary, inconspicuous raw materials could be processed into a rather threatening weapon.

What this reveals is far more than just the wisdom of survival.

This is more of a naked ambition and preparation for war.

In a world where metal weapons are strictly controlled by nobles, the large-scale production and trade of these substitutes can only mean one thing: the organizers here are not only hoarding people and food, but also systematically and massively arming their own forces, and their schemes are definitely not to be underestimated.

"Buy or not? If not, get out of my way and stop blocking my business!" The stall owner, a bald, burly man with a face full of scars, shouted impatiently when he saw Kruze just holding the weapon and examining it without saying a word.

His stall was indeed very popular. In just a short while, several fierce-looking vagrants readily traded a small bag of grain or a few pieces of fur for the bone blades or stone axes they wanted.

"Buy them!" Kruze immediately replied, casually picking up a wooden spear with sharp fangs and a gleaming stone axe, and asked, "How much for these?"

The stall owner glanced sideways at Kruze and his group. Although they were dressed in rags, they seemed to be in better spirits than the average vagrant. He then spoke in a gruff voice, "Hmph, good eye, you've picked out some good stuff. Two items together, fifty catties of grain!"

"Fifty pounds?" Kruze immediately exclaimed, his voice rising as if he had heard something absurd. "Why don't you just rob it? Look at this spear shaft, the wood isn't even fully dried, is it? If you bend it any harder, it'll probably crack! And these vines binding the fangs are loose and flimsy. What if they fly off during a fight? Are you going to kill the enemy or your own people?"

As he spoke, he solemnly squeezed the spear shaft with his fingers and shook his enormous fangs, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

The stall owner's eyes widened immediately, seemingly not expecting this guy who looked like a fat sheep to actually haggle, and every word he said hit the nail on the head: "Bullshit! The weapons I make are the sturdiest! You can use them for a lifetime and they won't break! Fifty pounds, not a pound less!"

"Thirty catties!" Kruze bargained without hesitation, while making a gesture to put the weapon back. "Take it or leave it. I think the stone knives over there are pretty good, and cheaper too."

"Thirty jin? You're trying to fob me off like a beggar!" The stall owner roared, slamming his fist on his stall as he stood up. "Forty-five jin! That's the lowest I can go! These are top-quality black wolf fangs, guaranteed to kill on sight!"

“The wolf fangs are nice, but your skills don’t do them justice.” Kruze shook his head, looking disgusted. “Thirty-five pounds! That’s the most we can count. If you don’t like it, we’re really leaving.” With that, he turned and made as if to leave.

(End of this chapter)