Chapter 15 Side Hustle

The Lion King and Ogre Devourer wouldn't respawn until tomorrow. As for leveling, he was already advancing fast enough, and there was no need to grind ordinary monsters. He could spend the rest of his time working on some side businesses.

He took a look at the equipment dropped by the Ogre Devourer—two pieces in total, both excellent items.

Bloodthirsty Crossbow (Gold): One-handed crossbow, Level 5 required.

Stats: Attack Check +11, 10% Armor Penetration, Triple Shot.

Attack Speed: 16, Deviation 3%.

Restriction: None.

Lunar Ritual Staff (Gold): Level 5 required.

Stats: Attack 32-38, attached with Level 3 Light Burst skill, 20% increased damage against demons.

Restriction: Only usable by Light Faction, Lawful Good Holy Word Priests.

Because Nie Yan was soloing high-level elites, the extra drop rate bonus for killing monsters above his level was quite generous. The main system's rewards were especially lavish. Nie Yan had already acquired four pieces of gold equipment in a row. Each of these pieces was extraordinary, especially the Bloodthirsty Crossbow, which pleasantly surprised him. That 10% armor penetration was truly impressive.

The crossbow in his hand was completely outclassed by this Bloodthirsty Crossbow. Comparing the two, his current crossbow, bought from an NPC, had completely fulfilled its mission and could gloriously retire.

He swapped the Bloodthirsty Crossbow in. As for the one-handed crossbow, he could throw it in the auction house and hopefully sell it for some money. He bought it for thirty-seven copper coins, so he should be able to get back at least a dozen.

Nie Yan returned to Calore, most players were leveling in the wild at this time. Still, there were quite a few people in the city. The streets were bustling with activity, and High-Level Alchemist Khedira's shop at the street corner was incredibly popular. Players consumed potions while leveling and needed to come here to resupply.

The auction house, located in the city center, was even more crowded. There were also many player stalls scattered along the streets, occasionally displaying some eye-catching items.

Nie Yan went to the auction house to sell the equipment he didn't need. He continued to buy up all the Black Phenol Potion recipes, Black Phenol Potions, and ingredients in the auction house, leaving nothing behind. When the new dungeon opened tomorrow and the guilds rushed to explore it, they would be shocked to discover that Black Phenol Potions, which had previously been cheap and unpopular, had vanished without a trace. Occasionally, when an alchemist managed to produce a few bottles of Black Phenol Potion, they would be snatched up immediately. The Black Phenol Potions that Nie Yan had collected would become a rare and valuable commodity. He could use a starvation sales method to slowly release the Black Phenol Potions and recipes, inflating the price. The further the new dungeon progressed, the greater the players' demand for Black Phenol Potions, and the easier it would be to inflate the price. Initially, Nie Yan could sell the Black Phenol Potions and the ingredients for making them. In the final stages, he could consider selling the recipes. In this way, he could amass a large fortune and make a killing. After earning enough, he could consider other investments.

Buying Black Phenol Potions cost a lot of money. As usual, Nie Yan went to several small towns to buy bat teeth and then resell them, earning more than thirty silver coins. He had almost exhausted the market's supply of bat teeth. He would continue to buy them after players continued to grind monsters and acquired more.

Nie Yan was puzzled because he hadn't been able to buy any bat teeth in Link Town, one of the main sources of bat teeth.

"Mr. Kady, these are the bat teeth you need."

"Respected Nie Yan, thank you very much for your help."

After Nie Yan's respect value in Calore increased, the NPCs started using honorifics when speaking to him, clearly becoming much more enthusiastic.

Coming out of High-Level Blacksmith Kady's shop, Nie Yan looked up and saw a paladin wearing silver armor and holding a holy hammer walking towards him.

The man was about thirty years old, very tall, and a little overweight, but quite distinctive.

The paladin looked at Nie Yan warily. The two brushed past each other, and the paladin walked into Blacksmith Kady's shop and began talking to Kady.

Nie Yan remembered who this person was. This paladin was the guy in his past life who had discovered the blacksmith quest and earned ten gold coins. Now that he had encountered the protagonist, it seemed that a second person knew about the bat teeth acquisition quest.

If two people were buying bat teeth simultaneously, it would definitely drive up the purchase price. Players would also suspect whether bat teeth had special uses, making them reluctant to sell. Last time, a thief had followed Nie Yan. Now that two players were buying bat teeth at high prices, it was even more suspicious. Soon, someone would follow this paladin, and Blacksmith Kady would also be exposed.

"It seems there's no profit to be made from this quest anymore," Nie Yan thought.

However, the bat teeth quest was dispensable for Nie Yan. He had already earned enough initial capital, and he had many ways to make money. He didn't need this one quest.

Nie Yan looked at his total assets. He had more than sixty silver coins in his bag and a large quantity of Black Phenol Potions, ingredients, and recipes in his warehouse that were about to appreciate in value.

Even if the bat teeth quest was no longer profitable, it didn't matter.

Weaving through the bustling crowd, he unknowingly walked to the entrance of the Alchemist Guild. Nie Yan was lost in thought when a hawking voice interrupted his reverie.

"High-level alchemical materials, Rogue's Swift Retreat—a great skill book! Would this brother like to take a look?" A Holy Word Priest wearing a pure white robe was setting up a stall at the entrance of the Alchemist Guild. Seeing Nie Yan walking past the alchemist's entrance, his eyes lit up, and he quickly called out.

The Holy Word Priest was a shrewd person. He saw at a glance that Nie Yan's equipment was extraordinary, with several pieces being quite good. The Swift Retreat skill book was a great item for Rogues in the early stages, but it was relatively expensive, costing at least one silver coin or more.

It wouldn't be easy to find a buyer for something so expensive. Putting it in the auction house would only make him money but would also require him to pay auction fees. The reason he was setting up a stall here was to take advantage of this time to wait for a group to form, and to trade these items for one or two items that a Holy Word Priest could use.

Ordinary Rogue players couldn't afford it, so he had been hawking for nearly twenty minutes. Although some Rogues came over to inquire, they all shook their heads and left after hearing the price. Seeing Nie Yan walk by, the Holy Word Priest couldn't help but call out. Because Nie Yan looked very rich.

Nie Yan glanced back at the Holy Word Priest, who looked to be in his twenties, wearing a white robe and holding a gray-black staff. With Nie Yan's eyesight, he could tell at a glance that the robe was a Light Walker's Robe, and the gray-black staff was called the Falling Moon Wind Staff. At the current level, it wasn't top-tier, but it was still pretty good.

"Not bad luck, you got a Swift Retreat," Nie Yan said with a faint smile. Swift Retreat was still very useful.

"Isn't it? My luck has always been good. I have some friends who farmed in the Light Gorge for several days and didn't see anything good drop. I only farmed for three hours and got Swift Retreat. The price of Swift Retreat on the market is even more expensive than a silver piece of equipment." Seeing Nie Yan answer, the Holy Word Priest opened the floodgates and began to talk incessantly.