Chapter 360: Act 120 – The Market of the Green Tower (Part 1) (Second Update)
The tree elves couldn’t help but curiously and enthusiastically greet the pale-faced human, Nostar, as he rarely opened the door and stepped outside:
“Hello, Nostar.”
“The weather is nice today; let’s go for a walk outside!”
They chattered, leaving Nostar feeling a bit dizzy. If there had been so many beautiful elf girls surrounding him chatting and laughing before, he would have been thrilled, but now everything felt strange to him.
The sunlight filtering through the tree canopy seemed exceptionally bright, and the young man unconsciously raised his hand to shield himself from the dazzling light. After being cooped up in the house for so long, it felt like he was struggling to adapt to the outside environment.
“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?” a young elf asked with concern.
“No,” he shook his head and forced a smile. Then his gaze shifted down towards the town area—his accommodation had been arranged by the tree elves among three ancient trees in the northeastern part of the town area. The scenery was quite nice, and the elves had built a platform creating a courtyard where, apart from his room, there were several other elven households that treated him kindly.
However, Nostar always felt a sense of alienation; he felt like he did not belong here.
“What’s going on?” After looking down at the town area for a while, he asked, “Why is it so noisy?”
“Many outsiders have arrived, I heard,” one elf replied.
“Outsiders?”
“Humans, just like you.”
“Not just that; there are also lizardmen,” they resumed their chatter. “How about we go take a look together, Nostar?” someone suggested.
The young man was somewhat tempted, but just then, an elven guard walked up from below. She paused when she saw the young man and asked with a pleasant voice, “Nostar, you’re out?”
“Lady Claire,” the young man recognized this elven guard—she was the one who had led him to this courtyard: “I heard that people from the outside world have come in?”
“Yes, quite a few,” the elven guard replied. “Why, do you still want to go out? But usually, no one travels far from the Green Tower. The druids sometimes visit the outside world, but they wouldn’t take you along.”
Suddenly, she seemed to understand: “I get it; you want to see if those people are your companions, right?”
Nostar nodded.
“I heard there’s a lord among them, from your kind.”
“A lord?” Nostar asked curiously. “How would a lord from the human world come here? Don’t druids avoid dealing with them?”
“I don’t know,” Claire shook her head. “But it seems that they are guests of the elders, and there are people from several countries, including Cruz and Bud. Oh, and there are also people from your Erluin.”
“Erluin?” Nostar’s eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly grew excited. “Claire, can you help me with a favor?”
“I know, you want me to take you to meet them, right?”
The young man smiled awkwardly.
“There’s nothing great about the outside world,” the elven guard shook her head and sighed. “Fine, come with me.”
“Nostar, are you leaving?” someone asked.
The young man thought of his wife, who might still be waiting for him to return, and nodded.
…
Meanwhile, Brendel’s discussion with the druids’ elders was just coming to an end. The young lord told the head elder that to resolve the troubles of the Loop of Trade Winds once and for all, the most straightforward method was undoubtedly to find the legendary primordial fire seed preserved in Valhalla.
According to legend, once the fire seed was ignited, the Black Forest would gradually transform into a sanctuary, and all problems would be resolved.
However, how to proceed specifically would depend on the first reconnaissance three days later. Based on the head elder’s description, he suspected that the creatures attacking the druids around the Loop of Trade Winds were some kind of rare magical beasts.
He had encountered that creature a few times, and although it was only a handful, he remembered its peculiar attack patterns.
While he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Antinna beside him sigh, “So beautiful.” Brendel turned his head and saw that the noble young lady was watching an elf playing a flute on a nearby suspension bridge. The melody was melodious and beautiful, captivating.
But it was unclear whether the girl was referring to the music or the place.
The Green Tower was known for its beautiful scenery in the Amber Sword; this town was built in mid-air against a backdrop of majestic clouds, connected by a series of suspension bridges made of vines, exuding a sense of fantasy.
Since leaving the Dead Wood Council, he had promised Antinna and Xi that he would explore this unique town with them, and the noble lady seemed particularly enthusiastic today. Brendel rarely saw her looking so happy.
The three of them arrived at a market called ‘Centaur Hoof’ in the town area, which hung in the air, entirely built of wood and divided into three levels.
There were several vine suspension bridges connecting the four corners of the market, but the market itself was magically suspended in the air.
There were quite a few tree elves here, but the main inhabitants were centaurs, and the market sold a variety of goods—grains, fabrics, some strange plant species, fruits, magical materials, unique ores, and magical items.
The Black Forest was rich in resources, which meant the goods visible in the market were diverse, but the trading method still relied on barter, not limited to gold and silver.
Because gold and silver here existed merely as a kind of magical material.
Brendel, Antinna, Funiya, and Xi first watched a free gladiatorial match on the third level of the market; centaurs, with their hot tempers, often fought among themselves, but there was a dedicated arena for them to vent their frustrations—though the tree elves occasionally held archery contests, today they clearly would not have a chance to enjoy the spectacle.
Afterward, they found a bar run by a tree elf to taste a local specialty—a kind of flower liquor. It tasted like fruit wine but had a strong aftereffect. Brendel quickly realized he had made a mistake—Antinna and Xi were not players; they each had only a small sip and their faces quickly flushed.
Brendel hurriedly stopped the two ladies to prevent them from getting drunk and collapsing in the bar, which would be a real problem.
But Antinna clearly looked unsatisfied; this noble young lady inquired with the bar owner about a specialty of the Green Tower—Tree Gem, which looked like emeralds but was even clearer and more transparent.
Moreover, the price was quite reasonable.
So the noble lady was instantly attracted by this, and with a little liquor courage, she rarely acted spoiled, insisting that Brendel take them to have a look.
Seeing Antinna’s flushed face and her playful attitude, Brendel couldn’t help but shake his head. He hadn’t expected this usually calm and rational young lady to have such poor alcohol tolerance. However, Xi, who looked slightly flushed from drinking as well, seemed somewhat tempted by Antinna’s suggestion, and Brendel knew he couldn’t refuse.
Yet, he came to a conclusion: women seemed to have an innate inability to resist shiny things, which was quite similar to some habits of dragons.
Fortunately, Brendel had the foresight to take out some magic crystals from the lair of the five-headed snake lizard. These were the hard currency in this place; a piece of inferior moon crystal could trade for a nice handful of Tree Gems.
So when Brendel placed a small piece of flame-patterned agate in front of the centaur merchant, the seasoned centaur businessman immediately realized he had encountered a big customer.
However, relying solely on selling Tree Gems would not earn much, and while promoting his handmade ornaments, the centaur merchant subtly inquired if the young lord needed any mysterious magical items.
Brendel found it amusing; he knew full well about such magical shops, where one could buy many affordable magical materials, but finding good finished products was quite rare. They could lure first-time visitors with ease, but as an experienced player, he found it rather disdainful.
“Brendel, let him show us,” Antinna said, her face flushed as she squinted and whispered, “Let’s see if there’s anything good that’s fitting for you?”
Suddenly, Brendel found this side of the noble young lady quite adorable. He nodded, “Show us what you have.”
The white centaur immediately showed a joyful expression; if he could sell a few magical accessories, he would not need to conduct business for the rest of the month.
He quickly presented a pair of rings with a hint of mystery and said to Brendel, “Sir, these are magical rings that I bought from a witch. Legend has it that they possess the power of love; as long as your two female companions wear them, they will love you forever and never betray you.”
“W-what a load of nonsense!” Antinna covered Funiya’s ears and said to the centaur merchant in annoyance, “Quick, put those away! The young lord would never buy such despicable things!”
Brendel also shook his head with a smile; two enchanted rings with a charm spell were merely referred to as possessing the magic of love. Did that mean the Wind Queen’s ring he was holding was a divine artifact blessed by the wind god?
However, he suddenly recalled that the Wind Queen’s ring in his hand seemed to be genuine, as it indeed was a divine artifact blessed by the wind god—though it was merely a fragmented piece.
He cleared his throat and shook his head, “If these are the only things you have, I think we would prefer to purchase a few Tree Gem accessories instead.”
“Ah, no, no,” the centaur merchant immediately detained them, “I actually have another good item here that you will definitely like.”
Brendel was taken aback: “You know we are from the outside?”
The centaur merchant grinned mysteriously, “Heh, don’t mind me, sir. I’ve been in business here for decades; I know most of the people in the Green Tower.”
“I see,” Brendel replied, “Then your business must be quite difficult.”
The centaur merchant felt awkward, realizing his little trick had been seen through; he could only awkwardly chuckle, “Rest assured, sir, this time it will definitely not be that kind of merchandise.”
“Oh?”
“This item is genuinely something I acquired from a witch; like you, she also came here from the outside.” The centaur then produced a box.
He opened the box, revealing a shield-shaped stone piece.
Upon seeing this, Brendel’s heart jumped: the Stone Key!
