Saving the World in an Apocalypse-Style Text Game

Chapter 54: Chapter 57: The Market of the Blind Merchant _1 Chapter 54: Chapter 57: The Market of the Blind Merchant _1 [Guided by the bright moonlight, you relentlessly press on through the ruined remnants of Saint Lance…]

[‘Fallen Blood Sun disciples’ are wandering on the sides of the road.]

[Are you going to attack them or ignore them and keep moving?]

Lin Xun always thought that even a mosquito’s meat was something, so there was no harm in gaining experience points.

He decisively clicked on the attack option and released a laser cannon.

[You raise your ‘Thunder Dragon Staff Spear’, and begin to chant the spell under your breath…]

[A flash of red light…]

[‘Fallen Blood Sun Disciple’ was defeated, resulting in a slight increase in experience points.]

[‘Fallen Blood Sun Disciple’ has been defeated…]

[Defeated…]

…

Every cannon shot saw the game text exploding in a frenzy of action.

Lin Xun once again felt the joy he experienced when he was grinding levels.

What a pity though, that these Blood Sun minions were so weak that killing dozens still wasn’t enough to level up.

He was about to refresh the Rest Page to grind some more experience points when he suddenly remembered the ‘Boiling Subdragon Blood Essence’ he had just obtained.

This item could only be used if a ‘Shell’ was sacrificed.

He still had a slot left in his Shell column, so why not possess a Blood Sun minion and use it as a suicide bomber?

Yes, that would work!

The men who meticulously plan their every move are usually in luck.

He decisively chose the Blood Sun minion that he liked the most and possessed it.

[You possess the ‘Shell’ of a ‘Fallen Blood Sun Disciple’.]

He opened the panel to check and found that, as expected, this Shell was of the Ruined Level, not any better than the ‘Starving Old Man’.

He went back to the Rest Page and refreshed it twice to wipe out the Blood Sun minions before continuing his journey.

[Beneath the gleaming moonlight, you continue to traverse the ruins of Saint Lance’s town…]

[Amongst the shattered stones and debris, you spot an old house standing undamaged in the ruins not far away. A faint glow emanates from inside the house through a window covered with a metal grate.]

[Do you want to investigate it?]

Another opportunity!

At the thought, Lin Xun’s lips curled up. This constant exploration of the unknown was utterly fascinating.

He clicked ‘yes’.

[As you draw near the old house, you find that the wooden door is sealed shut with a metal grate.]

[You look upwards. A few twigs are supported under the eaves of the house with a shabby sailcloth hanging from them. Twisted divine glyphs are inscripted on it — ‘Blind Trader’s Market’.]

[Do you want to knock on the trading post’s door?]

Lin Xun widened his eyes, his senses instantly sharp.

Shop! Finally, a shop NPC appeared!

His first thought was whether he should kill the trader NPC and initiate a free shopping spree.

But Lin Xun found it fishy because games barely have such a prominent loophole.

He quickly logged onto the Apostle’s forum to check.

After some search, indeed there were Apostles who had killed NPCs, but…

An Apostle nicknamed ‘Marionette’ posted: I killed a wandering NPC trader, but there was no loot. The NPC is dead, and now I can’t buy anything.

2nd floor: Are you dumb? Just pick a human NPC to kill, with some luck, you might be able to possess them. (Just kidding!)

3rd floor: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Best to kill them in the gathering area, the human NPCs there resonate higher, you’ll likely be successful in possessing them.

4th floor: Poster, here’s hoping you get yourself a kick-ass shell~

5th floor: You Apostles are good people, hope you live long and peaceful lives. I’m off to the gathering area to kill some NPCs.

6th floor: Isn’t this a little too cruel?

7th floor: Don’t spout nonsense, Six. Newbies have to go through what we’ve been through.

…

108th floor ‘Puppet on a String’: F*ck you motherf*ckers!!!

109th floor ‘Puppet on a String’: Killed a human NPC merchant in the gathering area and nothing dropped. The possession turned up only rubbish from the Ruined Level. Not only are side missions gone, but I’m also trapped at the respawn point by NPCs. Doesn’t your conscience prickle?!

110th floor: Not at all, I would advise the poster to call the police.

111th floor: +10086

…

After scouring countless posts, Lin Xun finally concludes whether or not to kill NPCs depends on if the risk corresponds proportionally to the benefit.

For example, trading NPCs like merchants won’t drop goods or the lingual they’ve traded after being killed. The most they would drop are torn clothes, socks and such, and that’s still a minor probability event.

Of course, trading and gifting are two different concepts.

Apostles usually take risks when the NPC’s equipment or skills are too good and are highly likely to be possessed on death.

Lin Xun exits the Apostle forum and continues the game.

He’s accumulated a large amount of Lingual, with 1610 used and 2710 unused, totaling 4320 points of Lingual, which is a considerable sum of money.

The problem of having money but nowhere to spend it has been troubling him for a while.

After some contemplation, Lin Xun directly clicks “Yes”.

[You step forward and knock on the door, the sound echoing in the quiet night.]

[After a long while, no one responds. Just as you’re about to knock again, there’s a slight noise from behind the barrack’s window.]

[You step toward the window, behind the metal bars is a shattered stained glass window, apparently made from bits and pieces of stained glass found in the church.]

[Through the stained glass window, you barely see a distorted, strange shadow in the room.]

[Do you wish to trade with the ‘Unknown Shadow’?]

Lin Xun frowns, sensing something isn’t quite right.

This house is called ‘Blind Merchant’s Exchange.’ So, the distorted, strange ‘Unknown Shadow’ inside the house is the blind merchant?

Perhaps the merchant mutated into a strange shadow after being exposed to the Blood Sun.

Lin Xun speculates and clicks ‘Yes.’

[A small crack in the window opens, and a list full of divine words is passed through. You seem to see that the list is handed over by a jointed limb covered in coarse, stiff hair.]

[You receive the item list, scrutinized in detail under the bright, clear moonlight…]

[Crimson Eyeballs (Junk), the bloody-red eyeballs harvested from the skull of a fallen creature. It’s unknown what they’re used for. Lingual value: 10, number left in stock: 2]

[Blood-stained Linen Cloth (Junk), an old set of clothes made from linen, stained with blood. Lingual value: 10, number left in stock: 1]

[Wooden Arrows, made from a wooden shaft and an iron tip. Rough craftsmanship, to be used with a crossbow. Lingual value: 20, number left in stock: 10]

[Flame Pot (Throwing Tool), filled with the power of fire. Shattering it will ignite a burning flame. Lingual value: 30, number left in stock: 5]

[Crimson Flame Pot (Throwing Tool), infused with profane power into a regular Flame Pot, enhancing its force. Lingual value: 100, number left in stock: 5]

[Profane Red Orchid (Item), the valuable medicinal herb Red Orchid infused with profane power helps alleviate fatigue in those devoted to the Blood Sun. Lingual value: 200, number left in stock: 5]

[Lucky Coins (Special Item), a golden coin blessed by an unknown entity. Carrying this item may slightly increase your luck. Lingual value: 3000, number left in stock: 1]

[What item would you like to choose? Or would you like to shyly, silently leave?]