Chapter 130: Shopping
"Who's so impulsive in front of everyone?"
Hua Mi didn't act rashly. Instead, he calmly sized up the other person.
It was a man with a peculiar dress, wearing rough clothes that exposed his arms and much of his chest. Muscular and with slightly dark skin, faint white lightning-shaped patterns adorned his wheat-colored skin.
His face bore a strange symbol, three horizontal lines intersected by a vertical stroke, drawn in black paint. A mane of wild hair concealed several thin braids.
"Hey, buddy, you heading to the Misty Peaks too? How about teaming up?" The man shook a booklet, sporting a self-satisfied grin.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m
Silence lingered.
Such a barbarian, utterly devoid of manners, yet so self-assured.
Who invites someone to team up like that?
Hua Mi was displeased, but he kept a neutral facade.
Seems like this guy is headed to the Misty Peaks too.
Hua Mi also noticed another similarly attired woman behind him, leaning against a bookshelf, arms folded, her eyes subtly watching their exchange.
Her attire mirrored the man's, wheat-colored skin adorned with the same lightning-like patterns. She wore bold clothing, exposing not her upper body but her agile, toned legs.
Their attire hinted at non-locals, but given Hua Mi's limited understanding of this world, he had no clue about their origins.
Regarding their team invitation, Hua Mi promptly declined. His goal was clear: enter the Misty Peaks and reach the Other Shore Tree directly.
No need to complicate this process.
With his current strength, handling a mere three-star adventure was more than feasible.
Moreover, he didn't know these two strangely dressed individuals well enough to accept their team invitation without caution.
When away from home, a wary heart was essential.
Hua Mi pretended to contemplate for a moment and calmly replied, "Sorry, appreciate the offer, but I prefer solo missions."
With that said, he didn't engage further, simply reclaimed his adventure manual from the man as he passed by.
---
Hua Mi continued forward, yet his scout bee remained attentive to the duo's movements behind him.
They were evidently displeased.
"Gotta check the almanac before heading out, always bumping into oddballs..."
Arriving at the counter, he grabbed a Motu map and paid together.
Items requiring magical abilities were useless to him.
But scrolls containing recorded spells could serve as self-defense.
Scrolls, being disposable, generally cost less than equipment with prolonged use.
However, some scrolls with higher-level spells were astonishingly pricey.
"Wing Flutter, Spider Web, Mage Hand..."
Various types of scrolls were available.
Yet Hua Mi's choices were limited.
Some spells were redundant for him, like Fireball, something his swarm excelled at.
While some spells were useful, they were too expensive.
Eventually, considering practicality and his financial situation, Hua Mi selected three scrolls.
The first was "Grease on the Soles," a second-tier spell scroll that temporarily increased movement speed, priced at four gold coins.
The second was "Summon Earth Golem," a third-tier spell scroll summoning a sturdy earth elemental puppet, priced at ten gold coins.
The last one was "Dragon Roar Mimicry," a fourth-tier spell scroll, a case study in human biosynthetic magic. It could release a soundwave comparable to a dragon's roar, capable of staggering or stunning opponents. It sold for twenty gold coins.
The first two were for survival purposes.
The last one balanced offense and defense, to be used according to the situation.
Totaling thirty-four gold coins.
He still had forty-one regular gold coins and one anti-magic gold coin left.
He couldn't spend all at once; some funds needed to be reserved.
Apart from scrolls, Hua Mi considered purchasing a larger space equipment.
The current ring's capacity was too limited.
Yet, he knew space equipment was expensive, especially in a big city like this.
He eyed a space ring, probing with his consciousness; it was barely double the storage of his current ring and priced at fifty gold coins.
Of course, he carried a precious anti-magic gold coin.
Hua Mi inquired the shopkeeper.
Learning that anti-magic gold coins were also valid currency here.
"One anti-magic gold coin equals a hundred regular gold coins. Do you have any, sir?"