After a couple of hours, Jack returned with all of Atlas' equipment. To his surprise, everything was clean and in perfect condition. In fact, it was in a better state than when he had taken it from the treasury.
The cracks on the cloak had been patched to perfection, and the armor rearranged with new padding and a metal plate.
The only thing missing to return to the previous conditions was a nice pair of boots or any artifacts that would prevent him from walking barefoot.
Fortunately, the groom, Jack, solved this issue by bringing back a pair of boots that were almost similar to the ones he had worn before.
Although Atlas was still very angry with that madman when he saw that simple pair of boots, a tiny portion of that irritation vanished, making him look at that man in a different light.
After putting on his shiny new equipment, Atlas made sure for the umpteenth time that Uncle Beard's words were authentic or a brutal joke: "Mhm... Uncle Beard, are you sure that she is in that place?"
By now, he had heard the same question more than a few times, yet Uncle Beard replied calmly, not changing even a single word: "Yep... it's definitely there... Anyway, before you go, take that bag with you. There is a Soul Compass and the initial payment for your trip. As for supplies, let Jack do it. He will prepare everything by night. So tomorrow morning, you can leave without worries..."
'I can leave without worries? How can I stay calm thinking about that damned place?!'
He knew that embarking on the journey in his present condition was pure madness, but luckily, he wasn't alone since Nihilir was at his side guiding him, and certainly, he wouldn't have let him die so stupidly.
"Well... I think I'll go for a stroll in the city... After all, I need to make some preparations before tomorrow morning."
The bag contained nearly 1000 Low-Grade Chaos Stones, a plentiful reward that Atlas would have rejoiced over if the situation had been different.
The young man wanted to clear his mind, so he took his purse and came out of the barn in a hurry.
|||
The city of the Inflamed Chalice was in full swing. Indeed, compared to the last time, it was filled with martial cultivators of different realms.
Of course, more cultivators in the city meant more stalls and itinerant merchants. A paradise on earth for Atlas.
Perhaps due to the presence of all those treasures scattered in every corner of the city, Atlas's mental condition suddenly changed and returned to normal.
"Amazing... I have to take advantage of this opportunity and grab as many treasures as possible. I also have to sell all that junk I have collected inside my Nihiste..."
His first expedition rewarded him with many items that could earn a good amount of Chaos Stones.
In his bag, there were at least fifty skins and fangs of the Wolves of the Howling Leaves, Green Foxes, and Grium Bears.
These were the rewards obtained along the journey to the underground cave.
Instead, the rewards obtained within the stronghold were minimal and included only a small amount of partially smashed leather armor.
As for the Head of the Solifuranus, Atlas had decided to wait and find out more about those strange monsters before recovering all his precious materials.
"So... With the addition of the initial payment, I got a total of 1050 Chaos Stones. A good amount."
There were many items needed for the trip, but Atlas had priorities.
First of all, he had to increase the power of his faithful companion and change some pieces of armor.
After all, in addition to potions, weapons, and armor, a good defense was a fundamental property for a martial cultivator.
The sale of skins and tusks did not yield much, but with the addition of all those armors, Atlas brought his wealth closer to 1300 Low-Grade Chaos Stones.
"Well... I got a good amount of stones. Mmm... But how should I spend them? I don't need weapons for the time being... Maybe I should look through the fragments and hope for some miracle like last time."
Although he had amassed a considerable number of stones and low-quality weapons, the one without a colored glow, if looked through his unique eyes, would have given him little nourishment for Astra. Instead, Martial Chaos Artifacts in optimal condition would have devoured his assets rapidly, bringing him almost no benefits. After all, the price for a peak-grade Martial Chaos Artifact was around 80 to 100 Low-Grade Chaos Stones.
It was a gamble for the young man. And clearly, he didn't know how many weapons would have needed his faithful companion to evolve further.
He couldn't waste his wealth on a bunch of useless weapons with practically no valuable runes on them, so he initially opted for a bunch of fragments.
In particular, his target was those fragments with colored glow and the remnant of a Chaos Rune.
|||
The stalls of merchants and itinerant cultivators were everywhere in the city, so Atlas immediately began his crazy research, immersed in that world illuminated by thousands of colors.
Blue, purple, and golden lights were everywhere, but there were also stalls with particular glows much different than those ordinary colors.
Of course, the Obsidian Eyes were immediately attracted to that bewitching demoness, and his body could not help but be dragged over to satiate his curiosity.
"Brave adventurers... Brave adventurers... My name is Trafuram, the Merchant of the South... if you are looking for legendary treasures, then you are in the right place..."
"Brave adventurers... Brave adventurers... My name is Trafuram, the Merchant of the South... if you are looking for legendary treasures, then you are in the right place..."
The stall owner was a corpulent guy with a big belly protruding forward. His clothes were undoubtedly valuable, especially that funny hat resembling a king's crown.
He stood on a stool to attract customers, shouting his infamous slogan as loud as possible.
"Brave adventurers... Brave adventurers... My name is Trafuram, the Merchant of the South... if you are looking for legendary treasures, then you are in the right place..."
Behind the table covered with treasures of all kinds, there were two dwarfs with a thick red beard.
Seeing them closely, excluding the bizarre shape of their beard, their face was identical, almost as if they were twins.
The dwarf on the right had the tip of his beard facing left and moved his arms like a madman to sell the potions and ingredients in front of him.
Instead, the dwarf on the left had the tip of the beard facing the right and hastily served every customer, selling weapons and armor of all kinds.
It was a very peculiar trio, but Atlas was more interested in a long stick hanging with chains in the back.
Compared to the other treasures piled on top of the table, that stick was arranged very far from the others, wrapped with bronze chains, and hung on a bulletin board garnished with worn gems.
In the eyes of other cultivators, that stick was probably a mere luxury ornament, but in Atlas's eyes, the strange glow surrounding that object made it divine.
"What an incredible treasure... I must obtain it!!"
Atlas slowly approached the stall with drool on his lips, mumbling nonsensical phrases and inevitably attracting the attention of the people around him.
"Who is that silly man?"
"What a weirdo..."
"Truly... how many beggars have come to this city..."
Many mocked the young man for his unusual attitude because they had just arrived in the city. Still, the citizens of the infamous town immediately recognized the young man's identity and started making a fuss, flooding the streets with gossip of all kinds.
"Hey... That's Atlas, the poor guy molested by the bandits..."
"Finally, he is back in our city..."
"It's an honor to have him back among us... his sacrifice has made our lives more secure and the city a better place... we owe him a lot."
The news of Atlas's return spread like wildfire in the city, and many people who had benefited from the bandits' disappearance began to move secretly.
Although the city had been shocked by his appearance, Atlas was unaware of the disorder around him because all his attention was focused on that bright sun, bounded by golden chains.
'How wonderful... the closer I get, the more majestic it becomes. How can such an incredible treasure exist? Fortunately, I have this portentous ability. Otherwise, I would have missed this rare opportunity...'
At this point, the only thing that separated them was a vast table covered with treasure and that trio of weird merchants. However, even though he wanted to grab that treasure in his hands with all his heart, he thought it was only a madman's dream.
From a distance, that red glow was so intense that the shape of the stick was hidden, but now that it was a few steps away from it, Atlas could clearly see its particular form.
The stick's handle was ancient and not straight but wavy like the body of a snake. A refined handle in rough leather stood on the middle part of the object. That part was carefully embellished with precious gems, with a significant priority of yellow crystals similar to topazes.
But among all its splendor, the most precious part was the upper one because at one point, almost at two-thirds of its height, the handle continued with two long and pointed branches, arched inwards, forming nearly the shape of a heart.
Those two branches were not identical. In fact, the upper one was twice as long as the lower one, giving the object a peculiar shape.
But what made the object truly peculiar was the head of the stick, where a small amber gem was hung thanks to two old and rusty chains...
|||
Of course, the young man's bizarre attitude had not escaped the trio, but rumors about his identity reached their ears just when they wanted to drive him away.
The merchant immediately changed his attitude. Instead of scolding the young man, he walked toward him with an amiable smile: "Brave adventurer... Are you truly the famous Atlas?"
At that moment, in the young man's eyes, there was only that bewitching treasure, but the merchant's voice was clamorous enough to attract his attention.
"Heck... Why do you have to shout so much? Who are you?"
Atlas's answer clarified any doubt. That weirdo was so taken by the treasure that he had completely ignored the world around him.
"Who am I??" The merchant was shocked by his answer, but after long years in contact with all kinds of eccentric people, he announced himself as usual: "Brave Adventurer... My name is Trafuram, the Merchant of the South. Tell me... are you Atlas?"
'Trafuram? Who the hell he is? And how does he know my name?'
Atlas wanted to drive away that annoying fatty. Still, after a second thought, he replied calmly: "In fact, my name is Atlas... but you're probably confusing me with someone else..."
Hearing the young man's response, the chubby merchant smiled dazzlingly: "Brave adventurer... then it is really you. Your fame is so glorious that it has even reached the ears of our poor merchants. Your tragic mishap with those brute bandits of the forests made the trade routes with this city the safest in the East..."
The merchant's words shocked and worried Atlas to such an extent that his face continued to turn from white to black: 'My fame?? You mean infamy! Damned city... it's ruining my reputation everywhere. How the hell is it possible that those falsehoods have spread so far? What would my family think if they heard about Atlas, the poor man abused by the bandits... why all this is happening to me? WHY??'
Atlas was angered and exasperated by all this mess and couldn't help but curse on his heart this damned city as it was the bearer of so many misfortunes that the young adventurer was overwhelmed by it...