Chapter 16 The Swindler

"Valar Eagle's feathers, let Mia fetch them for you," Master wrote on the paper, "and the Golden Extraordinary Leeches..."

"I know where the Golden Extraordinary Leeches are," Aske said, "Isn't there an abandoned 'Sunken Palace' inside the mountain of the Seventh Mountain called Mocius?"

"Yes," Master nodded, "That reservoir has long been abandoned by the Empire officials, said to be haunted. The water that comes out is red, with a faint smell of blood, completely undrinkable. Our people have explored it, but essentially, it's a one-way trip... Are you saying there are Golden Extraordinary Leeches there?"

"Leeches are scattered throughout the continent, and Golden Extraordinary Leeches necessarily live in densely populated areas because they require enormous amounts of blood," Aske explained, "Normally, the leeches in cities are quickly discovered and eradicated by the Church because they prey on victims, but the underground reservoirs in Constantinople are an exception, as some people keep fish there... Have you never counted the number of fish?"

"We did feel that the number of fish each year, and the amount of fish fry we put in, were disproportionate," Master said awkwardly, "We thought it was because the reservoir was connected to the outside, allowing some fish to escape via the waterway."

"So it's actually the Golden Extraordinary Leeches that have been stealing our fish, right?" Mia spoke angrily, "I'll kill them all!"

"Then you would lose a significant amount of property," Aske said nonchalantly, "The spirituality of dead Extraordinary Creatures dissipates quickly, losing its original value."

"Cough, Mia," Master winked, "We could seal off that reservoir and then periodically go in to hunt the Golden Extraordinary Leeches and sell them to wealthy individuals like Master Achilles."

"Not bad," Mia's eyes lit up, "Honored Master Achilles, since you want the Golden Extraordinary Leeches, you must have collected methods of dealing with them, right?"

This guy... changes his tone to 'Honored' the moment money is mentioned; Aske thought to himself while smiling and said:

"Of course, Golden Extraordinary Leeches like warm, moist, dark places. After sucking blood, they adhere to walls or ceilings, emitting dim, stripe-shaped golden radiance, hence their name. The method to deal with them is even simpler. A Shock Bomb, a Flashbang, can stun their body, disrupt their spirituality, and then they can be dragged back with a net."

"I see," Mia started rubbing her hands together, clearly Shock Bombs and Flashbangs, these military supplies were not out of reach for the Thief Guild.

"So the list of items is complete," Master said, "10 pounds of Garr Valley river water, 30 pounds of Eden Fruit, and 70 pounds of Elephant Clam. These Spiritual Materials all involve smuggling channels from abroad, so the price is about 50%-70% more expensive than local purchases. Valar Eagle feathers and Golden Extraordinary Leeches are usually 120 pounds each, but given you provided the clue, we will only charge you half the price for each, totaling 230 pounds."

"I'll pay 30% upfront, that's 69 pounds," Aske's response was crisp. At this moment, what he needed most was to quickly gather Magic Potion ingredients; hence, whether it was providing free information on Spiritual Materials to the other party or bearing a slight financial premium was irrelevant, "but the delivery must be tomorrow."

"Possible," Master had not yet spoken when Mia promptly agreed and then haughtily extended both hands. Aske twitched his lips, counted out 69 pounds in bills, and stuffed them into her palm.

"These 69 pounds consider it my earnings for fetching the feathers and the leeches!" Mia yelled at Master, "Paid in advance to me!"

Master ignored her, simply clapped his hands and called another Thief to row Aske out.

Sailing through the diversion waterway, Aske casually asked while looking at the dark water in the distance:

"What position does Master hold in the Thief Guild?"

"He is our Shadow Mentor," the rowing Thief respectfully responded.

......

Leaving the Aspar reservoir, Aske continued to the next location.

There were five people in the team; the Bloodline Sequences and Magic Potion Recipes for the other four had already been determined, only his own had not been disclosed yet. No one asked temporarily, because everyone subconsciously felt that with Aske's knowledge, he probably had already prepared the most suitable Bloodline Sequence and Magic Potion combination for himself.

Indeed, that was the case.

The Bloodline Sequence that Aske intended to choose was the same as when he played in his previous life, named "Weapon Master", an Extraordinary Sequence that excelled in combat. A Transcendent of the Weapon Master would be adept at using Sharp Weapons, Blunt Weapon, Crossbows, Firearms, and Shields and would be good at attacking, Blocking, and Evasion, capable of observing the surrounding environment and enemy information, designing corresponding Tactics plans, and also possessing superb combat Intuition to anticipate upcoming dangers.

The first Sequence of this Bloodline was Perfect Physique X from the Foundation Sequence. This Sequence's Magic Potion would greatly enhance the transformation efficiency of Physical Power and Spiritual Power for the Transcendent, while Explosive Power, Endurance, Control Power, Reaction Speed, as well as Intelligence and Willpower, all attributes would experience balanced and comprehensive development.

For a Transcendent, there are three most troublesome issues: first is understanding the sequence combination order of their Bloodline, second is obtaining the corresponding Magic Potion Recipe, and third is gathering the ingredients in the recipe. If it's a member of an Extraordinary Family or an Extraordinary organization, the first two are basically not an issue, and the third can also be exchanged or purchased within the family/organization. If it's a player, then none are a problem, as problems that can be solved with RMB are basically not problems.