Evil Red Dragon

Without hesitation, Alector immediately summoned Gru and Goron.

"I'm going to Graystone Town. Keep an eye on the campsite."

Gru was suddenly startled:

"Master, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. At least let me and Goron accompany you..."

Alekto interrupts Gru:

"Having too many people would only make us more likely to be spotted. If I go alone, I can escape quickly if necessary, and besides..."

A glint of light flashed in his eyes:

"If we encounter a danger that even I cannot handle, having a few more of you won't make a difference."

This may be blunt, but it is the truth.

Gru and Goron exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

Given the disparity in strength, their protection was indeed insignificant.

Alekto added:

"There's one more thing. You don't need to look for those kobolds anymore. I haven't seen them in this area."

This is unbelievable! Shouldn't those kobolds be everywhere?

We can't find them anywhere, not even the gnolls. Where have they all gone?

I'll buy a detailed map while I'm on this trip, one that shows the distribution of monsters.

Alecto snapped his fingers, magic enveloped his entire body, his bones cracked softly, and his form was reshaped in the light and shadow.

Within moments, a young man of about twenty years old appeared.

Redheads had their hair tied back with simple leather straps. Their faces were handsome with a touch of coldness. They wore brown traveler's leather armor, carried a leather satchel, and had mud on their boots.

He looked exactly like a wandering monk who had traveled all over the country.

He then used the Breath Concealment Technique to completely suppress the dragon's might, adjusted his aura, and retained only the aura befitting a level five mage.

Gru and the others were dumbfounded.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have associated the human in front of them with their master.

"how?"

When Alecto spoke, his voice changed to a slightly hoarse, youthful tone.

"Perfect……"

Goron murmured:

"Master, your disguise... it's like you've become a completely different person."

Alecto gave his luggage one last check, then tucked the dimensional bag inside his leather armor. Inside was the haul he'd made all day: materials from six level-five magical beasts.

Hmm? How come these magic scrolls are still here? I might as well take them and sell them.

As for other things, the dimensional bag is already full... It seems I'll have to buy a larger storage item.

After finishing his inspection, he walked towards the door, stopped at the threshold, glanced back, and said:

"Although the possibility is small, if I do not return within a month, do not act rashly. It means that I may be in trouble. Just go find Oliveira."

Gru lowered his head and hummed:

"Yes, sir. Please be very careful."

Alecto nodded, and his entire body transformed into a shooting star, flying towards Graystone Town.

He was significantly faster in flight than Goron and his companions on foot.

In just half a day, the outline of Greystone Town gradually became clear on the horizon.

Alecto landed about ten miles from Greystone and continued on foot.

The guards continued to conduct routine checks on the flow of people coming in and out.

He mingled slowly among the crowds entering the city, the surrounding noise making him feel somewhat disoriented.

Leather, sweat, and dust assaulted his senses as he moved with the group, his gaze sweeping over unfamiliar faces.

This crowded, noisy, yet vibrant scene stirred up long-forgotten memories deep within his soul.

Long ago, he also walked among the crowds like this, for some ordinary purpose.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he paused slightly.

"Hey, stop spacing out! Keep moving!"

The adventurers behind urged.

Alecto regained his composure and rejoined the group.

The procession moved forward little by little, and soon it was Alecto's turn.

The guard sized him up:

"Identity? Purpose of your visit to Graystone Town?"

"The Wandering Mage, Lake."

Alekto submitted the pseudonym he had already chosen:

"I'm just passing through and would like to rest here for a while and replenish my supplies."

The guard's gaze fell on his baggage:

"Open it and take a look."

Alecto untied his bag, revealing a few ordinary clothes, a water bag, and some dry rations.

The guard glanced at it briefly and then waved for them to pass.

"One silver coin. Behave yourself in the city and don't cause trouble."

"clear."

Alecto reluctantly handed over the silver coins, fastened his baggage again, and stepped into Greystone Town.

The street is paved with bluestone slabs, and houses of varying heights are arranged on both sides.

Pedestrians come and go in an endless stream, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, bargaining, and horses' hooves create a unique symphony of the marketplace.

Instead of rushing to act, he first walked slowly along the main street, observing the town.

This place is so much better than Chifeng Territory, and I'm much more familiar with it...

The shops offer a wide variety of goods, and while the pedestrians are not dressed extravagantly, they are at least neatly dressed.

Occasionally, you can see spellcasters in robes hurrying by, and fully armed mercenaries talking and laughing loudly outside the tavern.

He stopped at an intersection and looked up at the road sign for the trade market.

"Let's go to the market first."

In the trade market, stalls are densely packed, and various goods are piled up like mountains.

Vegetables, fruits, grains, cured meats, cloth, pottery, ironware... everything is available.

Alecto did not stop at the ordinary stalls, but went straight to a row of stone buildings on the north side of the square.

This is a shop that specializes in buying adventurers' loot, and he chose the one that looked the largest.

As I pushed open the door, the doorbell rang.

The store is spacious, with tall shelves along the walls, neatly displaying various processed materials.

Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man with his hair neatly combed, carefully examining a piece of ore with a magnifying glass.

Hearing the bell, he looked up and adjusted his monocle.

"Welcome! How can I help you?"

Alecto walked to the counter, and without saying a word, took out a neatly folded badger pelt from his dimensional bag and laid it on the counter.

"Will you accept this?"

The man's eyes lit up the moment the fur was unfolded.

He immediately put down the ore in his hand, stood up, and carefully examined the fur.

I gently ran my hand across the surface of the fur, feeling its thickness and resilience...

"The pelt of a level 5 giant badger is in excellent condition."

The man offered a compliment, then got to the point:

"Such a complete badger pelt would generally fetch between one and two thousand gold coins on the market, but..."

He observed Alecto's reaction:

"The market is not doing well lately. Adventurers are bringing back more loot than in previous years, so prices have dropped. I can only offer 1,100 gold coins at most."

Alecto remained expressionless.

"Eighteen thousand."

"this……"

The man looked troubled.

"Friend, I really can't offer that price. Twelve hundred is the absolute limit."

"Eighteen thousand, or I'm leaving."

Alecto pretended to take back the badger pelt.

The man hurriedly stopped him:

"Hey, hey, hey... Friend, don't be so heartless! The price is negotiable! It's negotiable!"

Alecto chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Trying to play these tricks on me?"

He then deliberately said:

"What? Are you trying to bully your customers because you're a big company? You're not letting me leave?"

"No, no... alright, considering the quality of your leather is indeed excellent, one thousand eight hundred it is."

The man made a gesture of gritting his teeth and giving in:

"However, if you have other goods, we can discuss that together."

Alecto did not expose this merchant's usual haggling trick, but simply nodded and took out other materials from his dimensional bag.

A level 5 badger's gallbladder, if properly prepared, is full of bile and has a market value of about three thousand gold coins.

The carapace of a level 5 Giant Bone Armored Lizard consists of twelve complete plates, which can be used to make shields, each plate costing 500 gold coins.

……

As the materials were placed on the counter, the man's expression shifted from surprise to shock, and finally, he slowly became serious.

When Alecto took out a yellowish-brown crystal core, the man finally couldn't help but speak:

"Friend, how many monster lairs have you taken down?"

Alekto remained noncommittal.

"Can you accept it?"

"Yes! Of course!"

The man nodded immediately, then lowered his voice and reminded him:

"However, are you sure you want to sell all these high-grade materials at once? The price might be a bit low. Why don't you go to the city for an auction..."

"Clean it all at once".

Alecto interrupted him:

"I'm in a hurry."

The man hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded:

"Okay, please wait a moment while I call an appraiser to come and assess the value."

He turned and went into the back room, returning a moment later with an elderly man with white hair.

The old man, dressed in a simple robe and holding various testing tools, began to examine the materials one by one without saying a word.

This process lasted about half an hour.

Finally, the old man wrote down a string of numbers on a piece of paper and handed it to the man.

The man took it, glanced at it, gasped, and turned to Alecto:

"After appraisal, the total value of your materials is 149,850 gold coins. If you are willing to sell them all, I can give you a round number, 150,000 gold coins."

That crystal core alone was worth 100,000 gold coins, but unfortunately the attributes didn't match, otherwise he would have kept it for himself.

This figure is slightly higher than expected.

Looks like this guy's got it figured out, no need to go back and cause trouble... just kidding!

Once the line is set, I'll be the first to grab this spot!

You'd better pray that there really is something here that could pose a threat to me, you swindler!

Floating cities? I don't believe there are so many that they're even deployed in such a remote and obscure place.

Alecto nodded without changing his expression:

"make a deal."

"Would you like cash or bank drafts?"

"cash"

A smile crept across the man's face; his performance had been phenomenal, and a promotion and raise were on the horizon!

"Please wait a moment, I'll go get the money right away."

He went back into the back room and took out one suitcase after another, stacking them together, fifteen in total.

The box was opened, revealing neatly stacked gold coins that gleamed enticingly in the shop's lighting.

"Each suitcase costs 10,000 gold coins, totaling 150,000. Please count them."

Alecto placed his hand on the pile of gold coins, a slight flow of magic emanating from them. After confirming the quantity was correct, he stored all the gold coins into his dimensional bag.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

The man handed over a metal card:

"This is our Beifeng Buying and Selling Center's VIP card. Next time you come, you can enjoy a 5% discount by presenting the card."

Alecto took the card, casually put it away, and turned to leave the shop.

Outside the door, the sun is just right.

With the funds in hand, the rest became much simpler.