It was a lovely day. A refreshing breeze, greenery stretching out for miles. Arthos sighed. If only this was reality. Still, it was not a time to overthink. Strolling around the teleportation crystal, he checked out the stalls in the vicinity. It was akin to a village square, there were stalls selling farm produce, farming and mining tools, basic apparels and simple looking trinkets.
Although most of the items seemed rather cheap, he was a man of principles. Don't buy what you don't need. Practicality over... everything else basically. He paused a little longer at the trinket stall, he was drawn to a ring with an azure stone. The stall keeper immediately brightened up, "Good sir, you have discerning eyes. That is a ring of wind magic. If you channel Mana into it, it would generate a breeze to keep your cool." Lowering his voice, "You can't usually find a ring like that in a small village. I got it off a travelling merchant who was desperate to sell it off. I'll only take 1 silver for it."
Arthos was speechless. Holding the ring, he had already seen it's statistics.
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Ring of wind magic
Rarity : Common
Modifiers : increases Wind Affinity by 1
Description : gathers wind elementals to assist in casting Wind elemental spells. Infusing Mana generates a wind barrier proportional to the amount of Mana infused per second. Popularity among females increased as it would keep hair in place despite prevailing wind conditions.
Suggested shop price : 50 coppers.
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"I'd give 40 coppers for this. " You just have to be firm with bargaining. "No way, 70 at least." Oh, so it was negotiable. After a few bouts, Arthos bought the ring for 55 coppers. The merchant looked pleased with himself. It was a quiet town after all, business would be slow. Perhaps he could have haggled it down to 50, but well, the merchant's got to make a living after all.
Arthos paused at that thought. Wait, this was not reality. Where would the profit earned by NPCs go to? "This is senseless." he chided himself. Putting on the ring he wandered around the village and spoke to NPCs around the village.
There really wad not much to learn from them. Simple village, simple minded farm hands. Over a hundred years ago, the land was laid barren after a monster invasion, hence the name Witherville. Rumor has it that it was a thriving city before, and the forest where the dark miasma started was next to the village and the first signs of corruption appeared here, the center of the continent before spreading outwards. It was said that the final battle banishing evil to the moon occurred here, and what was left was a crater that became the valley town of Witherville.
There was no village elder or leader in the village, it was just a collection of farmers who ran a council for difficult decisions. Life was peaceful. The only buildings other than farms and small residential hours, were an export warehouse for mining materials and excess farm produce, a tavern for the occasional travellers, and a humble church which doubled up as an orphanage for children who lost their families due to diseases or mining accidents. Simple and straightforward.
Arthos visited the tavern, and bought board for a week at 20 coppers a day. He took a quick meal of broth with a brand taste but reduced his hunger setting to 0%. Apparently hunger would be simulated into bodily discomfort if left unchecked which would affect one's performance especially in battle. Then he decided to head out to explore the woods and mountains.