[Current Status]
[Butterfly Mark: It seems someone has their eyes on you. The mark's owner can roughly sense your current state.]
[The gaze of the dark god: The dark god is watching you.]
Seeing the new status information on the system, Ranch's expression turned exceedingly grim.
The situation was indeed not as simple as it seemed; Dis's banquet was a conspiracy targeted at him.
But how did Dis know he had entered Mapleleaf, and had visited the Dark Night Tribunal branch?
A sense of urgency surged in Ranch as everything he had encountered since entering Mapleleaf indicated—he was entangled in an unknown conspiracy.
With this in mind, Ranch looked at the newly refreshed items in the store.
[Store lv2]
[2-tier Sacred Purification Potion (Rare): Limited to three bottles. A purification potion with added special ingredients, not only powerful in effect capable of dispelling most curses and marks, but also providing long-term resistance to curses if used regularly. Price: 10,000 gold coins per bottle.]
[dreamfruit (Rare): Limited to ten pieces. A fruit grown in the Dream Realm, said to induce beautiful dreams in those who eat it, enhancing one's mind power upon first consumption. Price: 5,000 gold coins each.]
[Silk: Rumored to be a special fabric produced by a powerful kingdom, making exceptionally light and popular garments. Price: 200 gold coins per bundle.]
The store had unexpectedly refreshed with two rare items, something Ranch hadn't anticipated.
"Sacred Purification Potion? And dreamfruit?" Ranch exclaimed in surprise, immediately spending 80,000 gold coins to exchange for ten dreamfruits and the three bottles of Sacred Purification Potion.
He wasn't sure if the potion could cleanse the mark on him, but such a thing was easy to verify.
Ranch promptly drank one bottle of the purification potion.
Subsequently, a silvery-white glow appeared around him, purifying some malevolent presence.
Ranch glanced at his current status again; the two marks had vanished, replaced by a brand-new buff status.
[Current Status]
[The Power of Purification lv1: Slightly increases resistance to curses and mark-related skills. (Consume ten more 2-tier Sacred Purification Potions to upgrade)]
Ranch pondered, analyzing in his mind, "The Power of Purification can be upgraded, but it seems to require a large amount of Sacred Purification Potion to continue the enhancement. Now, with only two bottles left, it's insufficient for an upgrade, and unfortunately, the potion is a rare item that can't be set as permanent goods. Perhaps, I need to upgrade the store level to achieve that…"
Meanwhile, as Ranch was deep in thought, Daisy returned to the Butterfly Tavern.
She had just lain down on the sofa in the tavern's second-floor lounge, lazily stretching her enchanting body, when she suddenly sensed that her connection with Ranch had been severed.
"Damn it, who did this?" Daisy immediately sat up, starting to analyze, "That kid Ranch might be special, but it's impossible for him to detect my Butterfly Mark. In Mapleleaf, the only one who could do this must be the person behind Dis…"
On the other side, Dis made a similar analysis, suspecting that it was Madame Butterfly Daisy who had dispelled the mark he had left.
...
Mapleleaf, Maple Dock.
In a harbor city like Mapleleaf, the dock is always of utmost importance.
However, clearly, Viscount Layne is not a competent lord; just as he himself admitted, many areas in Mapleleaf are out of his control, including Maple Dock.
This is the city's only dock, incredibly bustling, with hundreds of ships moored at the harbor.
The one in charge of Maple Dock is known as Biso Lexman, the Maple Navigator.
After receiving ten bottles of delicious orange juice from Ranch, Pierre went to Maple Dock.
After explaining his intentions to Biso's men, he was allowed to enter and was then taken aboard a large ship.
In the spacious cabin, Biso sat on a sofa, his voice booming, "Pierre, I know you, the merchant who only deals in everyday commodities. So, what brings you to me? Before you speak, make sure what you're about to say will please me. If I feel you're wasting my time, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the marine spellbeasts!"
Biso's words made Pierre's scalp tingle, but thinking of the wealth that a successful deal would bring, he mustered his courage.
"Respected Navigator Sir," Pierre spoke respectfully, handing over the orange juice to Biso Lexman, continuing, "This is orange juice, capable of relieving fatigue and restoring vitality. Most importantly, it can prevent scurvy that comes with long voyages."
Biso took the orange juice, asking sternly, "Pierre, do you understand what you're saying?"
Hearing the interrogation, Pierre was incredibly nervous, but recalling Ranch's words, an inexplicable confidence surged within him.
He lifted his head fearlessly and declared, "Mr. Biso, I stake my life on it!"
Biso didn't continue the conversation.
He called over a subordinate, handed over the orange juice, and instructed, "Take this to that fellow Paso, have him drink it, and wait half an hour. No matter the reaction, come back and report to me."
"Yes, Lord Biso," the subordinate respectfully departed.
In the cabin, Biso Lexman slowly closed his eyes, paying no further attention to Pierre.
However, the imposing aura emanating from his large frame still made Pierre somewhat breathless, filled with regret for his greed.
Although this Navigator's reputation in Mapleleaf was stellar, who could say whether it wasn't just orchestrated praise?
For all Pierre knew, Biso could be cut from the same cloth as Make.
Now, all Pierre could do was pray silently in his heart.
The agonizingly long half-hour finally passed, and a young, unfamiliar man entered the cabin.
Hearing the commotion, Biso Lexman opened his eyes, surprise in his gaze, and asked the young man, "Paso, how are you feeling now?"
Paso hurriedly responded, "Mr. Biso, I'm feeling much better."
After a pause, Paso added, "The orange juice has a remarkably clear therapeutic effect on scurvy, far exceeding that of restorative potions, and tastes much better than any potion. The only issue is its price; if it's too expensive, I don't think it would be a worthwhile purchase."
Hearing Paso's analysis, Biso nodded.
During a previous voyage, Paso had contracted severe scurvy.
To prevent the loss of a young talent and the steward of Maple Dock, Biso had spent a considerable sum to buy a few restorative potions, but they had little effect.
Giving Paso the orange juice was more a trial than anything else.
But to their surprise, the orange juice proved to be incredibly effective.
A sense of eagerness welled up in Biso, who then asked Pierre, "Pierre, how do you plan to sell it?"
Pierre's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled as he said, "Mr. Biso, ten gold coins per bottle."
Biso Lexman suddenly stood up, appearing to be quite astonished, and countered, "How much?"
Pierre was startled, wondering if his asking price was too high.
After all, Ranch had supplied the juice to him for just six gold coins per bottle, and his quoted price to Biso was ten gold coins per bottle, nearly doubling the price in mark-up, which could be described as an enormous profit margin.
Even he felt like a profiteer, though Pierre was convinced of the juice's worth.
However, now he seemed to be intimidated and hesitantly amended, "Then nine gold coins per bottle, Mr. Biso. That's genuinely the lowest I can go. To transport this orange juice, I had to journey far, dodging attacks from various monsters, hiring workers and mercenaries—"
"Eight gold coins!" Paso suddenly interrupted Pierre, the young sailor seeming to catch on to something, then added, "Mr. Pierre, if you don't agree, you can try selling elsewhere."
Pierre showed a frustrated expression, torn inside.
At eight gold coins per bottle, he still stood to make a profit, but less profit felt like a loss.
Finally, Pierre appeared to reluctantly accept this reality, sighing deeply, "Mr. Biso, for your sake, let's do eight gold coins per bottle. How much do you need?"
Biso Lexman looked at the young man, signaling Paso to make the decision.
After pondering for a moment, Paso announced a staggering number.