Chapter 33：Spectral Reins

The third chest was made from obsidium. Entirely pitch black, complicated Runes were written over it using Truesilver Powder. It was adorned with Blue Sapphires, Star Rubies, Moonstones, and Lapis Lazuli as well as sealed with an Adamantium Runic Lock. 

Obviously, it was impossible for Sean to crack open the Runic Lock with a hammer. His lack of knowledge in the study of Runes made it impossible for him to decipher the Runes on the Runic Lock. 

Hence, the contents of this unopenable chest were temporarily unobtainable. 

Although he was unable to access the highly anticipated treasures due to the Runic Lock, Sean was not the least bit disheartened. 

There was an even bigger reward awaiting him. It was the reward for clearing Murloc Shallow. 

As a Dungeon with a higher difficulty than Kobold's Nest, the reward for completing Murloc Shallow would definitely be more valuable than Kobold's Nest. 

[Ding!]

[Congratulations on successfully killing Skoda the Murloc Defender and clearing Murloc Shallow, Commander. Overall Rating: A. Do you wish to collect the reward?]

Obviously, the answer was Yes. 

His rating this time was higher. Instead of a C, it was an A. The reward for clearing the Dungeon had to be a lot better. 

[Clearance Reward 1: 4 Stat Points.]

Of course Stat Points was above everything else. 

At 4 points, the Stat Points were double that of the previous reward. He wondered where he should add them. 

Let's take a look at Sean's Stats. 

Strength 5, Agility 7, Stamina 10, Intelligence 12, Spirit 19. 

With 5 points of Strength, he was on the low end of the spectrum, even paling in comparison to a young Human of the same age. Strength was the deciding factor for physical attacks and the number of items a character could carry. Equipment, in fact, had some weight to them. Sean's staff, for an example, weighed several kilograms. If his Strength was too low, it would prevent Sean from carrying it. 

7 points in Agility was fairly low but was considered normal for Sean's age. Agility determined a person's reflexes as well as running speed. Nothing was more important than fleeing in critical moments! Moreover, reflexes mattered in battle and very often decided life and death situations. 

10 points in Stamina put Sean higher than his peers and placed him on the level as an adult Human. Stamina dictated endurance, recovery, immunity, etc. In other words, it revolved around survival. Thus, its importance could not be exaggerated. 

Sean's 12 points in Intelligence was greater than average. However, Intelligence did not represent a person's wisdom, rather their Mana's max limit. The higher the Intelligence, the larger the Mana pool. This Stat was crucial for Casters. Without a high enough Intelligence, one might not have the Mana to cast High Rank Spells. Knowledge would be pointless without it.

19 points in Spirit meant it was a high Stat. Spirit played a part in a Mana's recovery rate and control over Magic. The higher the Spirit, the faster the Mana recovery. Needless to say, it was undoubtedly important to gain control over Magic. 

Out of these five major Stats, none was less important than the other. 

Sean gave it a thought before deciding to increase his Intelligence. 

Strength, Agility and Stamina could be enhanced quickly through food consumption and exercise. Sean decided from then on to strengthen himself through physical exercise and partaking in an all meat diet; pork, lamb, and beef. 

As for his Spirit, it was already at a good enough level. There was no need to improve it, hence it was not part of his considerations. 

With 4 Points added to Intelligence, Sean's Intelligence was now at 16 points. His Mana capacity had increased by one-third. 

[Clearance reward 2: Wheel of Fortune.]

It was yet another Wheel of Fortune. Nevertheless, the rewards up for grabs were higher quality. 

First was a random 300 Garrison Resource points. The volume was triple the previous amount. It was still the most undesirable item among the six slots of the Wheel of Fortune. Now that Sean was wealthy, could he not gain 300 Garrison Resource points by spending just a small amount of money?

Next was a scroll glowing in blue that came with a short description; Random Alchemy Recipe. Sean was not an Alchemist so he had no use for this recipe. 

The third slot was a random Medium Garrison Structure Blueprint. Now that he was loaded, Sean was a man of vision. With Garrison Resources easily obtainable and the construction of the Town Hall soon to be completed, he would be able to build various structures. Hence, he was in need of Blueprints. 

The fourth slot was a pair of blue reins, called Spectral Reins. It could be used on any creature that was no more than Combat Level 10, taming it as a mount. As a result of the spectral attachment, the mount's abilities would see varying degrees of improvement.

The fifth slot was an item shaped like an eyeball. Its name and Stats were unknown. 

The sixth slot was a spell book. 

"A spell book!"

Sean was hot with emotions. 

Previously, Sean had grieved a whole 3 minutes when he missed out on the spell book. This time, he would probably be down in the dumps for a whole 5 minutes if he were to fail!

No way!

"Oh, Goddess of Mercy, Queen Mother of the West, God, Allah, Holy Ghost, Buddha... bless me!"

Sean had completely forgotten that this was not Earth. Rather than praying for divine intervention from gods, goddesses or Buddha, he would be better off praying to the Titans. 

He then spun the Wheel of Fortune. 

The air was heavy with anticipation as the indicator pointed to... 

Spectral Reins!

Argus' Smithy. 

Oh right, Argus was the middle-aged Blacksmith who had sold the Truesilver Champion and Lightforge Armor to Gryan Stoutmantle. He was also the owner of Argus' Smithy. 

Based on the information Sean had obtained from Old Saldean, Argus was a Grandmaster Rank Blacksmith with Master Blacksmithing knowledge. His reputation for forging a large number of fine armor and weapons had made him one of the best Blacksmiths in Stormwind City. 

Sean was here today because he wanted to swindle some money... Oops, slip of the tongue, he had a huge business deal to discuss with Argus. 

"Hello, Grandmaster Argus, how do you do? I'm pleased to see you again. I can still remember your great bearing and the impression you left. How kind, benevolent, and generous you were yesterday, selling the Truesilver Champion and Lightforge Armor to Sir Gryan Stoutmantle at a generous price. All to support law and order in Westfall. I'm really touched. It spoke to many hearts and drove people to tears!"

The moment Sean turned up at Agrus' Smithy, he began licking Grandmaster Blacksmith Argus' boots. There was only one purpose in mind, to gain an advantage for upcoming negotiations. 

Who did he think Argus was?

Argus had been in Goldshire for 10 years and, before that, had wandered throughout the Eastern Kingdoms for 10 years. He knew when someone was bluffing from a single look. Even Gryan Stoutmantle, the old cunning soldier, was incapable of outdoing him. It was an impossible task for Sean. 

Blacksmith Argus immediately read Sean's intentions when he shifted his eyes. Without lifting his head, he continued forging and coldly said, "Say what you want. Do it quickly."

Sean was caught off guard by Argus' words. His natural-looking smile stiffened for about 30 seconds before he chuckled in embarrassment, "About that... Grandmaster Agus, I have a business proposal."

Giving Sean the side-eye, Agus arrogantly said, "Go talk to my apprentice. I have no interest in small business deals." 

A Blacksmith Apprentice put down his hammer and walked towards Sean. 

Sean quickly stopped the Blacksmith Apprentice and smiled apologetically, "Grandmaster Agus, I'm talking about a huge business deal."