Nie Yan and Stone chatted a bit more before ending the voice call. He had reached the island and found the fisherman, Physician Blevins.
"Young man, how many Fine Silk have you collected？" Physician Blevins asked, seeing Nie Yan return.
"Respected elder, these are the thirty Fine Silk I found. Please take a look." Nie Yan replied in standard quest language.
"Young man, thank you for your generosity. In return, here are thirty Silk for you to accept. Additionally, I have decided to teach you a skill." Physician Blayvens said.
System： Do you wish to learn the Intermediate Battle Bandage skill taught by Physician Blayvens.
Nie Yan's heart skipped a beat. This was exactly the skill he wanted. Without hesitation, he clicked Confirm.
System： You have learned the Intermediate Battle Bandage skill taught by the Great Mage.
Intermediate Battle Bandage: Craft and use Intermediate Battle Bandages. Required materials: ten Silk. Each battle bandage restores 20 HP over 10 seconds, can be interrupted after 3 seconds, and can be used on allies.
Ten Silk costs twenty Copper Coins. A bit expensive, but in a crisis, this is a lifesaver！
System： Quest - Physician Blayvens's Commission, 20% completed.
Nie Yan was stunned. Logically, since he had turned in thirty Fine Silk, the quest should have been completed. How was it only 20% done?
"Young man, thirty Fine Silk is far from enough. I still need more Fine Silk. Can you help me find them？" Physician Blayvens spoke.
"I am at your service." Nie Yan quickly responded, realizing that the quest rewarding the Intermediate Battle Bandage skill was only a fragment. He wondered what rewards lay ahead. "Respected elder, these are five Rare Fine Silk I found. What use do they have？"
"After processing, Fine Silk can become Rare Fine Silk. Each Rare Fine Silk is equivalent to six ordinary Fine Silk," the old man explained, then asked Nie Yan, "Do you decide to hand them over to me？"
“Yes.” Nie Yan said. Five Fine Silks were equivalent to thirty ordinary silks. He had spent so long farming the Water Spider Leader, only to find it wasn’t even as worthwhile as killing just one.
But that was only to be expected, because killing the Water Spider Leader was just too dangerous. Nie Yan could never have done it alone.
System： You have received thirty pieces of Silk.
System： You have received Silver Headhunter Leather Armor.
System： The Archmage’s Commission quest is 40% complete.
Seeing the second system prompt, Nie Yan was pleasantly surprised. He opened his backpack and found a silver-white leather armor.
This leather armor was made from the hide of some unknown animal. Its texture was tough and resilient, gleaming with a silver-white luster, and it didn’t need to be identified.
He checked its stats.
Silver Headhunter Leather Armor （Silver-tier）： Level requirement 5.
Stats： Defense 13-17, Strength +5, Agility +5.
Weight： 3 lbs.
Class restrictions： Thief, Paladin. For Good, Lawful, and Light-aligned factions only.
Silver-tier equipment’s defense is about 30% higher than ordinary equipment of the same level, and it comes with two additional attributes. If this Silver Headhunter Leather Armor were put up at the auction house, at the current market price, it would sell for at least 5 silver coins.
With a level-five dagger and the level-five Silver Headhunter Leather Armor, once he reached level five, Nie Yan could trade in his peashooter for a cannon and completely re-equip himself.
Nie Yan suddenly felt even more motivated to level up.
That old man sure gave generous quest rewards. With 60% still unfinished, collecting ninety Fine Silks by killing monsters… wouldn’t that just wear him out to death? He decided to buy the Fine Silks with money. Ninety of them would cost three silver coins. That way, it seemed he still didn’t have nearly enough money.
How could he make money fast？ Nie Yan racked his brains, recalling walkthroughs he had read online before.
A flash of inspiration struck Nie Yan's mind; he suddenly remembered that bat teeth, something that was touted as the most garbage item when the game first launched, were materials for crafting level 0 beginner weapons. The weapons made from them had very low attack power and basically no one would use them. Apart from some players learning forging who would occasionally buy a few bat teeth to practice their beginner forging skill, others simply wouldn't buy them. Selling five stacks of a hundred bat teeth to an NPC only sold for one copper coin, so in the level 3 bat monster spawn area, a lot of bat teeth lying on the ground went unpicked.
Some players would rather throw away bat teeth than waste backpack space on this junk. Only those with no money would collect them and sell them to NPC stores.
But Nie Yan knew another use for bat teeth. There was an advanced blacksmith in Carol City who could trigger a hidden quest to buy bat teeth. Every ten—or half a stack—could be exchanged for a bit of experience and a copper coin, and the blacksmith would buy an unlimited amount. It wasn’t until players discovered that NPC that the price of bat teeth started to rise.
This deal is definitely doable, Nie Yan couldn’t help thinking. All he had to do was put up a notice in the bat monster spawn area, offering to buy bat teeth at one copper coin per stack, and soon a ton of bat teeth would come his way. Then he could turn them all in to that advanced blacksmith for rewards. That way, he could both make money and level up—how could he have forgotten about this！
No time to waste. Nie Yan rushed towards Trac Town. Returning to Trac Town, he took two silver coins from his personal storage, tossed all the unwanted equipment he'd looted into the auction house, and went to the appraiser to get the Soft Leather Bracers dropped by the Golden Eel identified. They were level 0 bracers with +2 Agility.
For a level-zero piece of equipment, these stats are already quite good. Nie Yan put on the handguards; they were the first bronze equipment he could wear.
The handguards emitted a faint cyan glow. Nie Yan set the equipment's glow to hidden; better to keep a low profile. Having good equipment in the wilderness could easily make you a target. He took a teleport to Carol City, then immediately rushed to Cardy's Blacksmith Shop in the center of Carol City.
There were over sixty blacksmith shops in Carol City, dealing in all kinds of ironware, from large siege engines to small weapons, armor, and even horseshoes. As for Cardy's Blacksmith Shop, it was in a remote location and was one of the most inconspicuous shops.
Master Blacksmith Cardy issued a quest to collect bat teeth. In his previous life, a Paladin player had discovered it. After finding out about Master Blacksmith Cardy's quest, he purchased bat teeth in bulk and then exchanged them with Cardy for money and experience. He wanted to keep this secret, so he was very discreet. As the Paladin bought more and more bat teeth, players became curious about what he was doing with them. Later, a Thief followed him to the shop, and the secret was exposed. By then, however, players were already level ten or higher, and the price of bat teeth had soared. No one was willing to sell bat teeth cheaply anymore. Going back to do the quest at that point was clearly not worth it. Recalling all the bat teeth they had thrown away, they could only sigh with regret. Because he had discovered this hidden quest and kept it going for so long, that Paladin made a killing.
But now, the only one who knew this secret was Nie Yan！
Nie Yan entered Cardy's Blacksmith Shop. It was an extremely narrow storefront, yet it was one of the blacksmith shops designated by the Glinnan military.
As soon as he entered the shop, Nie Yan saw an NPC blacksmith apprentice.
"Respected guest, what would you like to order？" the blacksmith apprentice walked up and asked.
"I need to see Mr. Cady."
"I'm sorry, my master has gone out," the blacksmith apprentice apologized.
"I have something to discuss with him. When will he be back？" Nie Yan asked. The blacksmith apprentice's answer was within his expectations; this was how the quest was triggered.
"May I ask what matter you have? I can pass a message for you," the blacksmith apprentice said, sizing up Nie Yan with a wary look in his eyes.
"Please tell Mr. Cady that I can help him solve his current trouble."
"Please wait a moment," the blacksmith apprentice said, and hurried out the door.
After a while, the blacksmith apprentice walked in with a sturdy middle-aged blacksmith. The middle-aged blacksmith had a messy beard, was bare-chested, covered in strong muscles, and his skin had turned dark red from years of roasting by the flames.
"Respected blacksmith sir, I heard you're troubled by something. Can you tell me about it? I might be able to help you," Nie Yan thought. The quest dialogue shouldn't be a problem.
"Now that autumn's come, the fighting at Hilton Fortress is getting fiercer. We need more weapons to meet the front line's demands. I need a batch of materials, a huge quantity, and I have no idea where to start," the blacksmith Cady said with a troubled expression.
"What materials do you need? I might be able to help you find them."
"I need a large number of bat fangs. If you have bat fangs, I'll buy them at two copper coins per set," the blacksmith Cady said. To him, these bat fangs were a critical material.
NPCs are just programs set by the main system; they don't have much intelligence. They only handle issuing and receiving quests. As a hidden NPC, the blacksmith Cady won't make this quest public.
System： Do you accept the commission from the blacksmith, Cady？
Yes！
System： You have accepted Blacksmith Kadi's commission.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely find those supplies for you." Nie Yan took his leave from Blacksmith Kadi, went to the teleport point, and teleported to Modo Town.
Near Modo Town, there was a large respawn area of bat monsters, the most concentrated spot for level-3 bats.
The town was packed with people; there had to be several hundred at least.
"Forming a group for the level-3 dungeon Warrior's Tomb, level 3 or above, mages with over 30 magic damage, whisper me."
"Farming bats, group up! Level-3 fire mages, join!"
Players were looking for parties; some found teams, while others wandered around like headless flies. Those with good gear usually found a group quickly, while teams tried to avoid the poorly equipped players.
One by one, the parties set off.
It was morning in the game. Once players formed teams, they usually farmed monsters all day and only disbanded toward evening.
Nie Yan set up a stall next to the personal storage, putting up a sign： Buying bat teeth, 1 copper coin per stack.
As soon as the sign went up, many players gathered around. Most of them frequently farmed bats nearby and had plenty of bat teeth in their inventory. They'd usually collect a hundred and sell them to an NPC in one go. Though one copper coin was small, a mosquito’s legs are still meat. Seeing Nie Yan buying bat teeth at one copper per stack, they realized it was much better than selling to NPCs.
Something as common as bat teeth could be sold at such a high price; selling bat teeth could bring in a decent income.
Regular players didn't earn much each day. After spending on gear and potions, they only had about ten or twenty copper coins on them. Getting a bit more income was something they were more than happy about.
"Hey, buddy, I've got three stacks of bat teeth. You interested？"
"Yes, as many as there are." Nie Yan nodded, sweeping a glance at the dozens of onlookers. He noticed five or six people already packing up their bags. A few others were frantically opening their personal storage, afraid Nie Yan might stop buying before they could get their items to him.
"What are these bat teeth used for？" some players ventured to ask.
"For leveling beginner Blacksmithing." Nie Yan replied.
"How can leveling beginner Blacksmithing need so many？"
"I have dozens of friends all learning Blacksmithing, and I'm buying them all together. If you want to sell, start trading now. If not, stop hanging around here," Nie Yan answered casually.
"Here's mine. Two stacks."
Nie Yan glanced at the trade window, put in two copper coins, and clicked confirm.
"Here's mine. Three stacks."
Players lined up one after another to trade with Nie Yan—some with three or four stacks, others with just one or two. Those who hadn't traded yet stood there anxiously, while those who had sold bat teeth to NPCs or thrown them away were all filled with regret.
Nie Yan traded while depositing the acquired bat teeth into his personal storage. His backpack only had twenty slots, nowhere near enough.
More and more players came to trade with Nie Yan. Those who had already sold their bat teeth spread the word among their friends, and everyone who had bat teeth brought them over.
Before long, Nie Yan had collected over two hundred stacks of bat teeth.
Nie Yan quickly put out an announcement, saying, "Everyone, hold on. Hold on. I've run out of money. I need to go grab some more from a friend. I'll be back in at most fifteen minutes. Come back in fifteen minutes, same spot."
"But I still have mine…"
"And mine…"
Nie Yan pushed through the crowd and stepped out, letting out a breath. These players were way too enthusiastic.