Mercenary Wars

Chapter 184 Aesir
The most notable feature of the Mysterious Stone Tablet is its sturdiness, which should be no less than that of mithril. Considering its item level of at least eleven, Gaugano was not surprised by this.

That is why time has not left its mark on it.

As a water-washing technique is performed by Gaucano, the dust and stains gradually fade away, revealing the clean and intact original appearance of the stone slab.

The dense, unknown characters were also clearly presented before Gaucano's eyes.

Gaucano stared at the words.

After a long while, they still had no clue.

He even suspected for a moment that the words were actually hallucinations from a psychedelic manuscript or blood imprints, but the touch of his fingertips told him that there was no magic on the stone slab.

These characters are as they originally appeared.

After a moment's thought, Gaucano decided to have it appraised. He wasn't a linguist or a mystic; he figured he should leave the professional stuff to the professionals.

He took out paper and pen and copied a portion of the text above the stone slab onto the paper. He did not copy the entire passage, but rather copied parts of each passage and rearranged them to avoid including any significant information.

The next day, he took the copied text and some unprocessed contraband to the black market.

After the war, Southsea Town flourished, like a port that had discovered a new continent.

The black market also flourished.

Therefore, when Gaucano arrived at the Black Gold Corridor, his biggest impression was the unprecedented liveliness.

Not only have the number of stalls increased significantly, but there are also some obviously new customers who are curiously looking around.

Even the black market vendors were unusually active, hawking their wares.

"Counterfeit money—the most convincing counterfeit money ever! It even has anti-cutting-curse features, guaranteed to be undetectable even to members of the Holy Gold Society! Bulk discounts available, buy now while supplies last!"

"We buy human corpses at high prices, the fresher the better."

"Banned books, all kinds of banned books! Vatican taboos, occult dictionaries... and the hottest picture book in all of Farallo, 'Beyond Races,' which will absolutely leave you wanting more!"

"Warlock Spellcasting Materials Specialty Store, Complete Collection of Demon Statues!"

"Half a bottle of Substandard Transformation Potion, bring the price!"

"Complete list of undead materials, undead bone meal, undead putrefaction liquid..."

"A seasoned occultist, also studying theology, ancient languages, and archaeology. Appraisal fee is ten silver coins per session! Long-term stall, highly reputable!"

Despite his disguised appearance covered in blood, Gao Jiano approached a occult appraisal stall and handed over a piece of paper with mysterious writing on it: "What kind of writing is this?"

The appraisal fee was also handed over at the same time.

The mystic took the paper and glanced at it, then pondered for a moment: "To appraise this... hmm, it'll cost extra."

Gao Jiano was taken aback.

Can you charge extra for an appraisal?

Clearly guessing his thoughts, the mystic smiled faintly and said, "Because I am one of only three people in Southsea Town who know this script, and I guarantee that I am the one who asks for the lowest price among the three."

Gaucano remained silent.

The mystic was unsurprised: "If you don't believe me, go ask at the stalls over there."

"Okay, how much do you want?"

“Thirty silver coins, plus one basic appraisal,” the mystic added. “The other two people who know this script are Beckett Bremen, the president of the Mage Guild, and John Fogel, the chief appraiser of the Gavin Merchant Guild. They wouldn’t easily take on this kind of job.”

Gao Jiano didn't say anything, but took out some more silver coins.

The mystic accepted the silver coin, then pointed to the paper and said, "The writing on this is 'Asahi script'."

“Assa script!” Gaucano exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s right, it’s the script used by the Aesir gods,” the mystic added. “By the way, Aesir script is also one of the scripts used in the Tower of Babel. You’ve probably heard of the legend of the Tower of Babel, right?”

“I’ve heard a little about it, but I’m not very familiar with it,” Gaucano said, adding that he wanted to see if the mystic could reveal any details he didn’t know.

Mystic: "The Tower of Babel is a semi-realistic mythical tower, existing on the edge of the material and spiritual worlds, guarded by gods, demons, and elements... Many characters are inscribed on the tower, known as the Babel script, or more bluntly, 'higher script,' and the corresponding languages ​​are naturally 'higher languages.'"

He paused for a moment, then continued, “These advanced scripts became inlays of the laws of the universe through the Tower of Babel, and reciting them can produce magical effects—that’s what incantations are all about. Most of the incantations used by mages today are actually ‘Primal Elvish,’ an advanced language that primordial elves were born with.”

"As far as I know, on the Tower of Babel, the original Elvish script was inscribed in the lower left corner of the Aesir script," the mystic added mysteriously.

"How did you know?" Gao Jiano asked.

The mystic smiled and said, "Would you believe me if I said I'd been to the Tower of Babel?"

"I don't believe it," Gao Jiano blurted out.

Of course he didn't believe it.

After all, even in mythology, the Tower of Babel is one of the most mysterious places, and it is said that even low-ranking gods have no chance to reach it.

Did a mortal ever visit the Tower of Babel?

Gaucano understood the boastful nature of businessmen, but he still felt that this boast was a bit too outrageous.

"Can you translate Aesir script?" he then asked.

The mystic shook his head: "I can only recognize that it belongs to the Aesir script, but I don't have the ability to translate it—no one in the entire Southshore can do it, and there are no related texts. If you want to know its contents, you can go to Lidman or Ax, or at least try your luck in Nordanron."

"Ok."

"There's one more appraisal to be given as a bonus. What would you like to have appraised?" the mystic asked again.

“I don’t have anything else to be authenticated for the time being,” Gao Jiano said. “I’ll come back another time.”

Welcome back!

After leaving the mystic, Gaucano wandered around several sorcerer stalls.

He was lucky enough to see the corpse of an Eye Demon.

"How much for this bewitching beetle?" Gaucano asked, pointing to the bewitching beetle corpse displayed on his stall.

The stall owner was a sorcerer.

Outside, warlocks would try their best to disguise themselves as mages. But in the black market, they didn't need to disguise themselves—at least not with their clothing. So the warlocks here openly wore dark clothes, some with skulls or similar patterns painted on them.

This stall owner belonged to this category; he wore a sinister black robe and spoke in a hoarse voice: "Fifty gold coins, fixed price."

"I'll only buy the meat, nothing else," Gao Jiano said. He was buying the Eye Demon's corpse to feed Little Owl, so of course he only needed the meat and nothing else.

Especially the eyes.

As an important material for spellcasting, the eyes of the Eye Demon are extremely expensive.

“I don’t sell them individually.” The warlock stall owner said expressionlessly. “Fifty gold coins isn’t expensive, it’s even a bit cheap. If you don’t need the eyes, you can just resell them.”

After several rounds of haggling, the stall owner insisted on not selling them separately.

Gaucano had no choice but to buy the entire corpse of the Eye Demon.

After all, eye monsters weren't common commodities. If he didn't buy one this time, he didn't know when he'd get another chance. Besides, the price of fifty gold coins was reasonable, so he wasn't losing out. After buying the eye monster corpse, Gaucano continued wandering around the black market, gradually selling off various unwanted contraband items while also occasionally buying something himself.

"Sindragosa's Oracle Chest, two gold coins!" A shout caught his attention.

He walked over and saw a small white box at the vendor's stall.

The box was about the size of a human head and was a dull, bone-white color.

"Is this Sindragosa's Oracle Chest?" Gaugano asked.

"Yes, I've already had it appraised by a mystic. And its color is exactly the same as the color of the bones of the undead dragon in the encyclopedia," the stall owner said.

"Can I see it?"

"can."

Gaucano reached out and picked up the bone-white oracle chest.

A few lines of information appeared before his eyes.

[Item: Oracle Chest]

[Edict: Sindragosa]

[Oracle Conditions: The Named One of Sindragosa must attempt to break the seal on the chest to obtain the oracle]

[Hidden Item: Unknown before obtaining the Oracle, unobtainable before completing the Oracle]

……

Gaucano's eyes flickered slightly.

He weighed the box in his hand, but felt nothing—the seal the gods had placed on it could isolate all means of perception, whether direct or indirect.

Even weight is obscured.

Therefore, whether it's this Sindragosa Oracle Chest or the previous Behelit Oracle Chest, they all feel like empty chests when you get them.

"Are you the one who received the name of Sindragosa?" the stall owner couldn't help but ask curiously.

Gao Jiano didn't answer, but instead took out two gold coins and handed them over: "I'll take this box."

He was not the one named Sindragosa, but Darius was.

He was very curious about what he could get from the box.

Moreover, although Sindragosa is an undead bone dragon, it is neither a demon nor an evil god, so it is unlikely that it will send down any malevolent oracle.

So without much thought, he immediately bought the Oracle Chest.

"Half a bottle of Substandard Transformation Elixir, bring the price!" A voice rang out repeatedly, one that Gao Jiano had heard many times before.

So when he passed by, he couldn't help but ask, "Why is there only half a bottle?"

"My son drank the other half of the bottle," the stall owner explained.

Gao Jiano found it somewhat amusing: "How was the effect?"

"What else could it be? Of course, his face changed." The stall owner sighed helplessly. "But thankfully, that kid isn't an idiot. When he drank it, he was thinking of a handsome face, so at least he didn't become ugly."

His voice sounded very distressed.

After all, losing half a bottle of the secondary transformation potion is a small matter; the real problem is that his son doesn't look like him.

I don't know how many rumors and gossips I will face in the future.

Of course, Gaucano was skeptical of the story.

Black market merchants often fabricate absurd stories to mislead consumers and downplay the seriousness of their products in order to sell their illicit goods.

Moreover, it's a product that's been repackaged and rebranded as a compound.

The most basic function of the Appearance Reset Potion is to reset one's appearance, while the Divine Appearance Reset Potion can reset all attributes, including one's holy name and destiny.

The biggest use of this thing is to help some heinous criminals clear their names.

A blood-stained bandit can save up some money, buy a bottle of transformation potion, and even a minor one, and it's not difficult to truly "start anew".

Many beauty enthusiasts also use cosmetic products to enhance their appearance.

Therefore, it is rare for nobles to be ugly.

Especially for the powerful and wealthy who can use the disguise potion at will, their appearance can only be described in two ways—"beautiful" or "unique".

“If this half-bottle of potion is of good quality, I can buy it for ten gold coins. What do you think?” Gao Jiano thought for a moment. He didn’t need to change his appearance, but if he could buy it for ten gold coins, it would certainly be a good deal.

"Too low!" the stall owner waved his hands repeatedly. "At least fifty gold coins!"

The two exchanged a few words, but ultimately failed to reach an agreement on the price, and Gao Jiano shook his head and left.

Having bought everything he needed to buy and sold everything he needed to sell, he prepared to leave the black market directly.

But just then, a voice called out to him.

"Taf!"

Gao Jiano turned around and saw that the person who had called him was the expert in strong medicine.

At the suggestion of the strong medicine expert, the two went to a secluded corner.

"You've finally arrived!" the drug expert exclaimed excitedly. "How much Cislon do you have on hand? That big client needs more, a lot more!"

Gao Jiano was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "I'm not doing this anymore."

The expert on potent drugs was taken aback: "Why?"

“Because…” Gao Jiano didn’t know what to say for a moment, and finally just said, “I have more important things to do.”

"How long will this take?" The expert on strong medicine either didn't notice his reluctance or noticed it but pretended not to.

"It's hard to say, but it'll take quite a while." Gao Jiano shrugged slightly. "Sorry, I have to go."

"Wait!" the expert on potent medicine quickly called out to him again, "I can give you an extra 30% off!"

Gaucano turned and left again.

"Fifty percent!"

Gaucano still did not respond.

"Double!" The expert on potent drugs raised his voice significantly.

Gaucano finally stopped.

He turned his head, not answering, but his calm tone revealed curiosity: "Can you tell me who this big client is?"

(End of this chapter)