Chapter 110: We Can Continue Cooperating
They had gone through a lot of trouble to find refuge here, but it was nothing like they imagined.
There was no official rescue team; the place was run by a bunch of bandits.
Their vehicles and food were confiscated as soon as they arrived.
They were also thrown into the prison cells.
Here, they saw other survivors—pale, emaciated, and numb—no better off than when they were seeking refuge.
The man was pulled roughly, stumbling as he nervously looked at the map in front of him.
He shakily pointed to a general location, "It's here."
Chen Jinlong squinted at him and then punched him hard in the stomach.
The man curled up like a shrimp, groaning in pain.
"You're lying to me, aren't you? Did the repair shop send you to trick me?" Chen Jinlong asked coldly, staring at him.
The man writhed in pain, gritting his teeth as he said, "No, I don't even know the people at the repair shop. How could I possibly be trying to trick you?"
"Heh, you made it all the way here from such a distance? What, are the zombies your relatives that they didn't attack you?" Chen Jinlong continued.
"I'm not lying, there wasn't a single zombie on that road. You can send someone to check," the man insisted.
Chen Jinlong stared at him, sensing that the man might not be lying.
There was no reason for him to lie.
He grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
Putting on a smile again, he said, "It seems there's been a misunderstanding, brother. So, tell me more about the situation at the repair shop. Can our people make it over there?"
The man's face was full of pain, but seeing the group of burly prisoners surrounding him, he didn't dare to say much.
He could only continue, "All I know is that there aren't many zombies near the repair shop, but there are other skeletal monsters. We were afraid the skeletons would spread and attack us, so we ran away."
Some of the others recalled something.
A while back, there were indeed rumors of skeletons fighting zombies.
They had even asked the repair shop people if they had seen anything.
So, it was these guys.
Hearing this, Chen Jinlong believed him a bit more and continued to ask, "You said there weren't many zombies on the way?"
"No, there were very few."
Chen Jinlong nodded, "Old Fourth!"
"Boss," a man stepped forward.
"Take him along the route to check it out. Don't go too far. If he's lying, throw him to the zombies. If not, bring him back."
"Understood, Boss!"
Old Fourth dragged the man, who was clutching his stomach, out of the room.
......
The next day.
Wu Heng woke up early, bought some orc flatbread from a roadside vendor, and walked into the guild while eating.
Entering the lounge, he saw Duke already sitting there.
"Good morning, Captain," Duke said.
Wu Heng looked at him, "You come this early every day?"
"It's not that early," Duke smiled, "Captain, do we have any tasks today?"
"No."
"Oh, then what are we doing today, Captain?" Duke continued to ask.
Wu Heng felt a bit speechless.
This feels like going to work.
"I'm planning to go to the training room. You don't have to come to the guild when there's no mission."
"Then I'll go to the training room too."
On the way to the training room, Duke continued, "Captain, Grask asked me to ask you something..."
"Who?"
"The armor shop owner from yesterday."
"Oh, what about him?"
Wu Heng really couldn't remember the names of people in this world, especially those with four or five syllables.
He could remember familiar names.
But some names, if he'd only heard them once or twice, left little impression.
"He wanted to know if you still need more of that leather armor. If you do, he'll arrange for more to be made," Duke said.
"Did he mention anything about a discount?"
"Yes, he said he'd sell each set to you for 35 silver coins."
Normally, a set costs 43 silver coins, so that's a decent discount.
"Alright, tell him to keep making them. When he has 100 sets, I'll come to collect them," Wu Heng said.
Since Duke had introduced him, and the price was reasonable, it was worth continuing the cooperation.
"Got it. Grask also agreed to make me a new set of plate armor."
"Just because you brought me there yesterday?"
"He said it's a gift for joining the guild, but I think it's because you bought his stock," Duke said, scratching his head.
"That's good, this shopkeeper knows how to do business."
They chatted as they walked into the training room.
Wu Heng drew the iron sword he had brought and began practicing.
Not long ago, he was keeping up with daily training, but lately, he had slacked off a bit.
Since there was nothing going on at the guild and it had a training ground, he could train well.
Seeing Wu Heng start his training, Duke picked up his battle axe and began chopping at the wooden stump in front of him.
The training ground was filled with the sound of chopping.
After about an hour of training.
Wu Heng wiped his sweat and glanced at Duke, who was still swinging his battle axe in the distance.
Young orcs are really strong.
Swinging a battle axe like that for such a long time.
A human warrior would likely be exhausted by now.
"Duke... Duke!"
"Captain, what's up?" Duke came over with his battle axe.
Wu Heng said, "The guild seems quiet today. You can go home. If there's a mission, I'll have someone notify you."
"Huh? Is that okay?"
"It's fine. If anyone asks, just say I told you. No missions mean free time. Only come to the guild when there's a mission."
"So I can go home now?"
"Yes, go home. If something comes up, you can find me at my place."
"Okay, Captain."
Duke slung his battle axe over his shoulder and left the training room, heading straight home.
Wu Heng returned to the lounge, drank some water, and then, with Barson and Bagdong, headed outside.
Rentam City has 12 squads in total, so there's no reason his squad should be short of just two members.
After leaving the guild.
Wu Heng headed directly to the 'Serpent Crest Consortium' across the street.
The Serpent Crest Consortium building was completely different from the black market in Blackstone Town.
The building was tall and luxuriously decorated.
The overall design resembled a gray castle, with carved wall panels, bronze wall lamps, and decorative paintings.
The building was also bustling with people.
Unlike the black market in Blackstone Town, where people wore cloaks and masks, here, everyone moved about openly, looking at notice boards or handling business.
Wu Heng glanced at the bulletin board.
It had notices for collecting rare materials and bounty contracts.
One was for collecting hag's eyes.
Wu Heng remembered that back in the temple, there was a hag's corpse he had buried.
He wondered if the eyes were still there.
He approached the counter.
The clerk smiled, "How can I help you today?"
Wu Heng showed his Serpent Crest Consortium crest.
The clerk immediately understood and gestured, "Please, follow me this way."
He led Wu Heng to a room on the first floor and asked, "Are you here to place a commission?"
Wu Heng glanced at Barson.
Barson placed a leather pouch on the table.
Wu Heng said, "I'd like to exchange this for silver coins."
The clerk knelt down, opened the pouch, and revealed the gleaming gold jewelry inside.
Bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and gold teeth.
The clerk was stunned for a moment before recovering, "Please wait a moment while I call the manager."
"Sure."
The clerk quickly left.
Wu Heng sat on the sofa, waiting.
These items weren't from the gold shop but looted from zombies he had killed.
After saving up for a while, he had accumulated a decent amount.
Soon, the door opened again, and a voluptuous woman entered.
Her eyes swept over Wu Heng and the two skeletons, and she smiled, "Good afternoon, sir."
"Good afternoon. Let's not waste time; I want to exchange this for silver coins."
"Certainly, sir." The woman nodded and began inspecting the gold.
She separated the gold and silver items into two piles.
Two gold necklaces and a ring were set aside.
"Sir, you have 275 grams of gold and 15 grams of silver."
Two hundred grams?
That was less than Wu Heng had estimated.
After all, it looked like a lot when packed in a small wooden box.
Since it was counted right in front of him, there was no chance of deceit.
"I want to exchange it all for silver coins."
"This is a large amount. Have you considered exchanging some for gold coins and the rest for silver?"
"No, I want it all in silver coins."
Without a space ring, gold coins would be easier to carry, but now that he had one, he didn't need to worry about weight.
In normal markets, silver coins were more convenient than gold.
"Very well. Some of these pieces are quite valuable, so I'll buy them back at jewelry prices. The rest will be at the standard gold rate, totaling 9,366 silver coins."
Wu Heng did some quick mental math—it seemed about right.
"That works."
"Please wait a moment. We'll need some time to prepare that many silver coins."
"Alright."
The woman gave instructions outside, and someone immediately went to prepare the silver coins.
Meanwhile, a maid brought in a variety of dried fruits and pastries, placing them on the table.
The woman stayed, sitting across from Wu Heng, her dress spreading out, revealing a large expanse of pale thigh.
She softly asked, "Did you just arrive in Rentam City?"
She knew most of the city's influential people.
The young man before her was clearly not a local.
Exchanging so many silver coins, he was likely here to do business.
"Yes," Wu Heng nodded.
"Are you here for business?"
Wu Heng glanced at her, smiled, and didn't answer.
"You really are young and capable."
The woman complimented him, leaning forward as her loose neckline dipped lower.