The Survival Rules of NPCs

Chapter 32: The Extraordinary Merchant!

"Truly a treasure as bright as the moon."

High up in the manor, a young man in a grey swallowtail tuxedo swirled a glass of crimson wine, his gaze fixed on a young couple outside the manor who were still greeting guests. The man was tall and handsome, while the woman wore a meticulously designed off-white dress that perfectly accentuated her waist and hips. As the star of the banquet, she wore an eye-catching shimmering satin dress over a northern snow fox fur coat adorned with blue gemstones, exuding elegance without being overly heavy, perfectly showcasing her youthful beauty.

The woman's appearance was very characteristic of the North, especially her pair of blue-green eyes, which resembled the ice crystals at the deepest part of Lake Belize, making her look almost unreal.

Even late at night, the couple still greeted each guest at the door with warm smiles, their polite and humble attitude earning the guests' secret admiration for the Linus Marquis family's upbringing.

"You flatter me." The tall, northern-looking Marquis Linus next to him was also drinking wine on the rocks, seemingly unafraid of the night's chill despite being high up without any charcoal fire.

Milandil is the largest trading city located at the crossroads of north and south. Its weather is actually closer to that of the north than the warm south. It started snowing in early winter, especially at night when the wind was biting. Many of the warriors guarding the perimeter couldn't help but rub their frozen red hands. But the marquis, who was over forty years old, didn't seem to care at all. He drank red wine with ice, just like the young man next to him.

Some uninformed outsiders would find it strange if they saw this, but Marquis Linus is a long-established marquis of Milandil, one of the directors of the bank, the vice-chancellor of the financial university, and one of the ministers of the interior who is in charge of Milandil’s science, education, culture and health. He is one of the most powerful nobles in the city’s aristocratic circle.

It would seem unbelievable to see such a person chatting and laughing alone with a young man who looked to be under twenty on the rooftop.

But insiders know that this seemingly young businessman was already the most sought-after Frankish merchant in Milandil twenty years ago, and a guest of honor of the Duke!

"My daughter is able to face the world in good health today thanks to the deal you facilitated. If it weren't for your dislike of appearing in public, I would have hoped that you would be the witness at my daughter's wedding."

"This kind of lively event isn't for me," the young man said with a smile, swirling his wine glass.

"Sir, you've instructed the Duke to order the purge of Frankish merchants; surely there's something big going on?"

Frankish merchants are black market traders; most of their lower-level merchants transport contraband. Yet, it is precisely this kind of existence that makes many cities prosperous. Under normal circumstances, the nobles and high-ranking officials turn a blind eye to these black market traders, only taking them seriously when they infringe on the interests of most nobles. This time, however, the Duke ordered a thorough investigation, leaving many puzzled. But he knew it was all because of a suggestion from the man in front of him.

"Frank merchants are the most daring. As long as they see huge profits, even the fiercest beasts will try to snatch a piece of meat. But these profits can only circulate among the nobles of Milandil; it must be a monopoly business."

"Looks like you've found some amazing business again." Linus took another sip of his crimson liquor, smacking his lips in satisfaction. "Could you give your old friend a little hint? At least let me gain an advantage?"

This mysterious merchant always brought deals that even the top nobles of Mirandil couldn't refuse, such as blood that could give people a new lease on life, fish and dragon meat that could energize people, and leather clothing that could protect mortals from a large number of supernatural threats. Any one of these items would be a priceless treasure in the outside world. Few merchants dared to do this kind of business because few could guarantee the safe conduct of such transactions.

The seller worries that the buyer wants to get something for nothing, while the buyer worries that after paying a huge price, what they get will not meet their expectations or may even be fake.

Michelle's existence as an intermediary is legendary!

He can ensure that a transaction is conducted absolutely fairly, and neither party can go back on the signed contract. Otherwise, regardless of the other party's status, they will be subject to irreversible punishment. Mirandil is the only merchant whose rank even the Duke cannot see, and he possesses many extraordinary abilities!

Yes, merchants do possess extraordinary abilities, but those abilities are rare. Currently known information suggests that merchants with the "Shadow" ability can advance to Appraiser, allowing them to see the composition and history of goods and thus determine their value; merchants with the "Light" ability can advance to Contract Messenger, ensuring that all parties in a transaction cannot easily violate the contract; and merchants with the "Abyss" ability can advance to Demon Merchant, allowing those without money to use extremely valuable items as collateral, such as youth, wisdom, strength, or cherished family members...

Marquis Linus has seen many strange and unusual abilities of these merchants. He even saw a merchant with spatial abilities. Such a person can advance to the profession of traveler and travel back and forth between his legal properties. If his business has a great influence in a place and his level is high, the cooldown time for traveling will be greatly reduced, just like the one in front of him.

The mysterious merchant who could often produce top-quality goods was naturally seen as prey by the nobles. However, even the Duke could not track down this man's whereabouts, because he could appear anywhere in his property at any time without leaving any trace.

Ordinary travelers leave significant traces of their time travel, and their cooldown period is limited. For example, the wealthy merchant Plink, an acquaintance of Linus, requires a three-month cooldown period after traveling through Milandil. But Michel is different.

He doesn't own much legal property, but he can leave and return at any time, seemingly without any cooling-off period. His unpredictable whereabouts, coupled with other extraordinary abilities, make it almost impossible for noble dukes to take him down by force. This is the reason why he can do such top-tier business, because if dukes can't take him down, other nobles will naturally find it difficult to do so as well.

According to his advisors, Michelle possesses at least four extraordinary abilities.

This sounds incredible because in the world of the extraordinary, it's not that the more extraordinary abilities you have, the more powerful you are. One extraordinary ability can only correspond to one profession, and upgrading extraordinary professions is very demanding. In a limited time, being able to advance one extraordinary profession to a high level is already an amazing achievement. Those who try to do too much will basically achieve nothing.

The person in front of them was an exception. His youthful appearance had remained unchanged for decades, and he harbored countless secrets, yet he left the top nobles of Milandil helpless!

"Of course, my old friend..." Michel put down his wine glass and smiled, "A huge deal, one that even the nobles of the seven kingdoms couldn't refuse."

"Oh?" A glint of shrewdness flashed in Linus's brown eyes. "Mr. Michel is becoming more and more adept at arousing people's curiosity."

"What temptations are irresistible to nobles?"

“That’s a lot,” Linus laughed. “Wealth, power, and beauty are all irresistible temptations.”

"No..." Michel shook his head and said, "It's a healthy body. For nobles who have been pursuing power for years, a healthy body is the best gift for them to enjoy their wealth. But often, many nobles lose this most precious thing in the process of pursuing power, so even if they make a lot of money later, it doesn't mean much."

"Oh? Is Lord Michel launching some kind of medicine? Hmm... a health supplement for middle-aged and elderly people?" Linus asked curiously, because the other party's words sounded like those of a shady health supplement seller.

"Health supplements? Do I look like such a low-class and boring person?" Michelle said with amusement.

"I also think Mr. Michel probably wouldn't be interested in this kind of business," Linus laughed, then said, "But if it's not health supplements, I'm very curious. What exactly are you referring to?"

"As I just said, a...healthy and energetic body!"

Linus's pupils contracted. He thought of something, but found it unbelievable. Even though he had seen a lot, his breathing became rapid.

You don't mean to say...

"That's exactly what you mean," Michelle said, squinting. "To give wealthy people who are already old and frail... a youthful, healthy, and energetic body again!"

boom!

Linus's wine glass shattered, spilling bright red wine all over the floor. His palm was cut by the broken glass, making it difficult to tell whether the liquid on his hand was wine or blood.

"Sorry, sorry..." Linus said apologetically, wiping his face with a tissue while giving an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry about it. His Excellency the Duke wasn't much better off than you when he heard the news," Michel said with a laugh, patting the wine off his clothes.

"Can this deal be confirmed?" Marquis Linus was incredulous. Michel's ability to remain young was likely related to his extraordinary abilities. There were many extraordinary abilities in the world that could maintain youth, but the price was always high, and most of them could only maintain physical youth, not regain a vibrant body. For example, wizards may look young and ageless, but in reality, their internal organs were being corroded by various magical forces, making them no different from walking corpses. They couldn't feel warmth, couldn't taste food, and couldn't experience the pleasures of love. What was the point of such youth and beauty?

The allure of regaining a healthy and vibrant body is irresistible to any nobleman!

"My reputation seems pretty good, doesn't it?" Michelle laughed.

"Sir's reputation is certainly not in question, but..." Marquis Linus was about to say something more when Michel's gaze was suddenly drawn to something.

Linus followed the other person's gaze and immediately saw a tall figure.

The girl was quite beautiful and was from the North. The last time I saw such a beautiful Northern woman was the wife of the city lord of Holy Stone City. Both of them had the same emerald eyes, but this one gave off a more vibrant feeling.

Whose pearl is this? I don't know it. Is it from out of town?

"Excuse me for a moment." Michelle suddenly straightened her clothes and was about to walk downstairs.

"Huh?" Linus was taken aback. Weren't they discussing a rather important topic? Was Michelle going to interrupt their conversation just because of a pretty woman?

How could I not know that the other person was a lustful man?

"Then I wish Mr. Michel a beautiful encounter." Linus wisely refrained from interfering.

Michel smiled slightly in return, then quickly walked downstairs, a rare look of seriousness appearing on his handsome but pale face.

An assassin who had previously made a pact with him has become a knight of Holy Stone City.

Interesting, it seems something big has happened in Holy Stone City!