Chapter 635: Trade Deal

Chapter 635: Trade Deal

635. Trade Deal

***

It was the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals. Ever. Of all time. And that was why Daniel Song didn’t accept the offer.

Certainly, he really wanted to take it— he was at his wit’s end here. He has traversed all of the Human Lands to find someone capable of repairing his broken blade. From the vast flatlands to the southwest to the tall mountains of the east. He scoured far and wide, speaking with the highest-leveled [Enchanters] and [Blacksmiths]. And yet, not a single one of them was capable of accomplishing this task.

Not a single one of them could repair his Primordial Longsword.

But why did it matter? After all, he was Daniel Song, the [Hero] from Earth. He wielded the legendary Sword of Alexander, a Mythical Grade Weapon that could even tear the sky asunder. Meanwhile, the Primordial Longsword was barely a Medium Grade Weapon. There was no reason for him to go through such great efforts to repair it.

And yet, it was important to him. Because it was a parting gift given to him by Salvos.

She had created it herself— back when they had just killed the Lich of the Plaguelands. That was the very first time Daniel and Salvos had separated from each other after meeting back near Silvergrove. But they knew that they would meet with each other again.

However, this time, Daniel didn’t know whether Salvos would even return. He didn’t know if he would see her again. That was why he needed to repair the Primordial Longsword. So that he could remember her until she returned.

But now, his hopes were dashed. Because even [Forgemaster] Nozag— one of the few Dwarves living in the Human Lands, and one of the highest-leveled individuals capable of creating High Grade and even Epic Grade artifacts— was unable to repair the Primordial Longsword.

If he couldn’t help Daniel, then no one else could. Or so the [Hero] thought. Until he encountered her.

Her name was Ivonne Vigil, and she was a [Trader]. Quite possibly one of the highest-leveled in the world. She was mysterious and quaint. She had apparently been looking for Daniel, and she knew what he desired. So she offered him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Or so she thought.

She would help him repair his Primordial Longsword, and in exchange, he would give her the Sword of Alexander.

Of course, Daniel... refused. Because he wasn’t an idiot. It was seriously a stupid offer. Anyone who would ever think he’d actually trade the Sword of Alexander for a Medium Grade Weapon needed to reevaluate their opinion of him.

Well— sure, he didn’t have the best track record in making good decisions. But he was actively working to improve himself. After all, he might have been a [Hero], but at the end of the day, he was just an ordinary young man from Earth before he was summoned to the Nexeus.

So it was expected for him to take a while to acclimate having a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. Anyways, for now, he decided to indulge in Ivonne Vigil’s offer. While he turned her down, he still pressed her with questions, until she agreed to prove to him that she could repair the Primordial Longsword.

After all, how was a [Trader] like her supposed to do what the best [Smiths] and [Mages] could not?

Unfortunately, she was quite an eccentric individual. So she answered no questions, instead opting to lead Daniel away from the city of Soros.

He simply followed her. He did try to interrogate her as she led him down the gravel path, but she always gave the same answer each time around.

“Ivonne, where are you taking me?”

Daniel asked as his gaze bore into her back. Ivonne Vigil simply tilted her head back and spoke softly.

“You seek to repair a blade forged from the falling stars. So I am taking you to the place where you can achieve this feat.”

It was a strange response. She gave a variation of that answer each time. But Daniel didn’t quite understand what she meant. And when he interrogated her even further, she remained just as obtuse as before.

“So it’s a location?”

“Not necessarily.”

“And how did you even hear about this place?”

Daniel was getting quite irritated by her non-answers. But Ivonne Vigil did not show a hint of concern on her face. She simply spoke as she faced forward, leading him even further away from the mountain city behind them.

“I have traversed all of Secely, Daniel Song. From the Beastmen Plains to the Dwarven Mountains. There is not one region in this continent I have not seen. I have heard a great many things. I have spoken to creatures that transcend anything in the Human Lands. You question me, searching for a simple answer. But I cannot give you what you want.”

Ivonne shook her head as she spoke, and the young man from Earth frowned. He opened his mouth to protest her non-answer. However, she came to a halt and spun around.

Blinking, Daniel stared at the [Trader] as she met his gaze. She smiled as she craned her neck curiously at him.

“You have interrogated me enough, Daniel Song. I have agreed to your terms, and I will let you make a final decision once I have proven myself to you, so that is enough of your questions. Now, it is my turn to interrogate you.”

His brows snapped together as she said that. He took a step back, eyeing Ivonne with a raised brow.

“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going, huh?”

“You shall see, Daniel Song.”

Ivonne answered with a wry smile. She continued forward as Daniel scoffed. But before he could take another step after her, he heard a voice calling out for him from behind.

“Daniel Song!”

He recognized the familiar voice. Spinning around, he came face to face with an armored figure, dressed like a knight who seemed to have sprinted here from the city of Soros. The knight was bent over, panting and bleeding.

Ivonne Vigil also turned around, curious to see this stranger. Daniel knew who it was without even looking through the helmet’s visor.

“Kacey?”

He watched as the [Crusader] removed her helmet. Her hair was a mess, and her face was bruised. But she didn’t even bother to wipe the dried blood from her face.

Daniel just narrowed his eyes at her.

“What are you doing here? What’s going on?”

Kacey marched forward, holding the [Hero]’s gaze.

“The Fort City of Taritos has fallen. A group of high-leveled Elves came and destroyed everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. I am the only survivor.”

“...what?”

Daniel’s eyes went wide. He had just been there a week ago. He had helped repel a force of invading Elves, before leaving the battlefield behind to speak with Nozag. Now... it was gone?

His gaze immediately snapped past the [Crusader]— towards the mountain city of Soros in the distance.

“We need to go back.”

Daniel spoke as he turned to Ivonne. She was frowning, her normal mystifying expression gone for once. But the young man didn’t pay attention to that. He just started to walk past Kacey as he reached for the Sword of Alexander.

“They’re going to be targeting Soros next. We need to fortify the city— prepare for an invasion, and evacuate the civilians.”

But much to the [Hero]’s surprise, Kacey shook her head and spoke simply.

“No.”

“What? What are you talking about? Why not?”

Daniel blinked, looking back towards the [Crusader]. Her gaze was shadowed over as she didn’t meet his eyes. Slowly, her lips trembled and she spoke in a low voice.

“The Elves aren’t going to go after Soros because... they’re after you.”

Kacey raised her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. Daniel stared at her quizzically as she continued.

“They want you dead, Daniel. And they forced me to lead them to you. I’m sorry.”

Daniel’s eyes went wide as she said that, before a glint caught the corner of his eye. He spun around as he drew the Sword of Alexander.

“Daniel Song, get back—”

Ivonne shouted, raising her hand. But a volley of glinting arrows reached him a moment later. And a powerful explosion engulfed the three Humans, before expanding out and shredding everything in over a mile.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delayed chapter. I'm currently in Frankfurt for the Frankfurt Book Fair, and I've also been busy dealing with my kickstarter. Which... if you haven't heard, SALVOS IS FINALLY GOING TO GET A PAPERBACK AND HARDCOVER COPY!

The kickstarter was funded in just 2.5 hours, and we're already almost at our first stretch goal which includes five cool illustrations into the book! Seriously, check it out if you've ever been interested in getting a Salvos print copy, and they're all signed by /projects/1943799137/salvos-book-1-an-epic-litrpg-fantasy-novel