BXBX NOVEL Chapter 102 - 97: Buying a Charm_i
“Do you have this kind of herb for sale? There seem to be many types of Moonlight Grass, I will have an apprentice pharmacist explain in detail to you,”
The attendant’s job was simply to greet and send off customers, and he basically had no knowledge of herb identification.
He used the word please’ when addressing the apprentice pharmacist.
It seemed that the status of pharmacists at Elixir Pavilion was far higher than that of ordinary attendants.
Pharmacists and apprentice pharmacists belonged to the technical worker category, while Elixir Pavilion’s attendants were in the sales category and also did odd jobs.
After Qin Niu settled the bill, a young man in a grey long gown came over.
“Excuse me, are you the one who wanted to know about Moonlight Grass?”
“Yes!”
“Please follow me!”
The apprentice was young, probably around fifteen or sixteen years old, about the same age as Qin Niu.
He took Qin Niu directly outside of the storage room for herbs.
“Please wait a moment, 1’11 go get the Moonlight Grass for you!”
After the apprentice went inside and notified the manager, the old manager took a look at Qin Niu outside the door. Seeing he was an Insect Master, he agreed as well.
Before long, the apprentice came out with a wooden tray.
“Here are six varieties, each one is Moonlight Grass. They share a common characteristic, they emit a glow of varying brightness at night.”
Among the Moonlight Grasses brought out by the apprentice, there was one that closely resembled Dogtail Grass.
But not quite.
The other five types of Moonlight Grass looked somewhat familiar to Qin Niu, they were some of the most common weeds or herbs on the roadside and wilderness.
It seemed that they had undergone some unknown mutations, and upon closer examination, one could find they were different from ordinary wild grasses.
“Are their effects almost the same?”
“There are differences. Different Moonlight Grasses have varying medicinal properties. Some are cool and even poisonous, some have mild properties, others are hot. For one stalk of Moonlight Grass, our Miaodan Pavilion’s current lowest purchase price is twenty-three Silver Money. For this one here, whose properties tend towards heat, creating a wonderful compatibility with Moonlight Grass’s inherent coolness, its price is higher. We can offer more than sixty Silver Money.”
The apprentice patiently introduced the differences and market prices of Moonlight Grass to him.
The expensive ones could actually sell for sixty Taels per plant, which was quite exaggerated.
“How should someone like me, who doesn’t know how to identify herbs, recognize them?”
“It’s simple, Moonlight Grass will emit a faint glow at night, and you can recognize it at a glance. Although not all glowing grasses are Moonlight Grass, you’re unlikely to make a mistake. When harvesting, you need to ensure that the roots, stems, and leaves are intact; damaged herbs will result in loss of medicinal effects and discounted prices.”
“Alright, thank you for your detailed explanation; 1’11 bring over some Moonlight Grass when 1 dig some up,”
Qin Niu felt reassured.
“No problem, we always offer high prices for all kinds of rare herbs. If you do harvest any, you can bring them here first for pricing. We can provide free identification, and our prices are the highest in the industry.”
The apprentice was young, but very cordial in his dealings with customers.
His level of professionalism was also very high.
From the details, one could discern the character, and Miaodan Pavilion made a good impression on Qin Niu.
“One more question, do you have elixirs for pets to eat here?”
“We actually don’t have that. However, I’ve heard that in Elixir City, there are pharmacists and elixir masters who specialize in this research, and they might have such elixirs for sale.”
“Alright, see you around!”
Qin Niu nodded.
“Take care!”
The apprentice politely saw him off.
After purchasing elixirs, Qin Niu went straight to the shop specializing in Talismans in Bei Bing.
“Miss Bei Bing, here 1 am again to buy some talismans!”
Now that Qin Niu had asked for the mute girl’s name, this time he had a decent way to address her.
“Mmm-mmm!”
She still wore her loose hemp clothes, barefoot, with her long hair casually draped behind her head.
This time, her grandfather was inside.
The old man was holding a brush, intently drawing talismans.
Under normal circumstances, the mute girl tended to the customers, as her grandfather seemed to have some quirks and didn’t deal much with people.
Bei Bing seemed very pleased to see Qin Niu.
She flashed a joyful smile.
It was like the warm enthusiasm of old friends meeting.
Seeing Qin Niu in an Insect Master Robe, she gestured at him with a thumbs-up.
The gesture meant she was praising his progress, congratulating him.
“Heh, I have you to thank for that, if it weren’t for your Contractual Talisman, I couldn’t have become an Insect Master,” Qin Niu said with a smile, thanking her. “How much is a mid-grade Contractual Talisman per piece?”
“Ten Silver Money a piece!”
She was well-prepared, taking out a price list.
“I’ll take four mid-grade Talismans and ten low-grade Talismans!” said Qin Niu nonchalantly.
Water flows downward, people strive upward.
Now that his strength had increased, with an ant colony and a Queen Bee, he would certainly aim for higher-grade Beast Pets in the future.
Her sudden large order startled the mute girl.
“Yah-yah!”
She gestured to ask Qin Niu if he really wanted to buy so many at once.
“Here, this is fifty Silver Money.”
Qin Niu handed her a silver note directly.
Selling captured insects had given him a taste of profit, and he would definitely continue to develop in this direction.
Only by earning enough Silver Money could he ensure he had ample resources for cultivation.
Bei Bing gestured to him to sit and wait for a while.
Then she ran quickly into the back room, gesturing some signs to her grandfather.
Soon, she came out with four exquisite rectangular wooden boxes in her hands. The sandalwood boxes looked substantial; the surface was smoothly polished, engraved with some primitive patterns, and “Bei Bing’s Talisman” was inscribed in the middle.
“Can’t they all be put in one box?”
Qin Niu found carrying so many boxes inconvenient.
He was a down-to-earth person who didn’t care for glamorous appearances.
Upon hearing this, Bei Bing crouched down and took out another box from beneath the counter, which was a very plain box.
“Yiya?”
She asked Qin Niu if it was okay to use this box for the item.
“Very good!”
Qin Niu, used to keeping a low profile, thought it was fine to place the expensive mid-grade Contractual Talisman in a plain wooden box. As long as it didn’t affect its use.
She carefully took out the sealed Talisman and then placed them one by one into this plain wooden box.
The ten low-grade Talismans were also packed in the same box.
Together, the mid-grade Contractual Talisman looked significantly bigger and much thicker.
The materials of the two were entirely different.
The low-grade Contract Charm was made of ordinary yellow paper, while the mid-grade Talisman appeared to be made of beast skin. However, it was not clear what kind of beast skin it was. It looked thin, yet it was covered with scaly patterns.
Qin Niu even wondered if it could be snakeskin.
Creating Talismans was their trade secret, and naturally, he wouldn’t ask indiscriminately.
Even if he did, they wouldn’t tell him.
“Mmm-hmm!”
Bei Bing then took out two more low-grade Talismans and presented them to Qin Niu.
Unlike the secretive gifting before, this time it was done openly. Although he didn’t understand her gestures, he could still guess some of the intentions.
She meant that he was a major customer, so there would be some gifts.
Qin Niu naturally expressed his gratitude joyfully.
“Does this Puppet Talisman work on both humans and all animals?”
After purchasing the Contract Talismans, his eyes shifted to the list price of Puppet Talismans.
The price was quite expensive, twelve Silver Money per piece.
She shook her head, then took out an instruction manual for Qin Niu to see.
Puppet Talismans, once activated, can exert a certain level of mental control over insects, beasts, birds, and other wild animals or pets tamed by people, making them obey the user’s commands for a short time.
The more powerful the controlled animal, the shorter the duration and the weaker the effect.
It’s ineffective on humans.
This Talisman can be used to capture strong beasts, birds, and strange insects, and also in battles against Insect Masters and Beast Tamers, to control the opponent’s pets and secure victory.
Its uses are quite powerful.
After reading the manual, Qin Niu thought of his own Puppet Worker Ants.
They could exercise mental control over enemies.
The ability of a single Puppet Worker Ant might be limited, but if there were a hundred or a thousand combined, their power could be terrifying.
Additionally, he had already started to research more advanced second cultivation methods.
If he could endow the Grade Two Lightning Worker Ants with the abilities of the Puppet Worker Ants, they might become even stronger.
After bidding farewell to Bei Bing, Qin Niu made another trip to the book market.
He had initially wanted to buy a book on Blade Techniques.
However, higher-level Blade Techniques were frighteningly expensive.
A thin volume of the Demon Slaying Sword Technique needed five hundred Silver Money, and there was no guarantee one could learn it.
The Attendant Student explained that higher-level martial arts required a solid foundation in similar techniques to comprehend.
Qin Niu felt that having a hundred and one Silver Money made him somewhat wealthy.
But once he entered the supreme sea, he realized how poor he actually was.
All high-level cultivation resources in this world were expensive, whether they be Cultivation Techniques, martial arts, Beast Pets, Elixirs, weapons, or armor… none were cheap.
It was truly a case of getting what you pay for.
In the end, he bought a basic Blade Technique, which was affordable at five Wen Money.
Poor people must stay grounded and start with the basics!
So far, he had only grasped the basic Blade Technique called “Slash.”
With practice following the book, he might be able to comprehend some new Blade Techniques.
After buying martial arts, he purchased several books on insects and cultivation.
He even bought a common encyclopedia on the basic knowledge of Beast Pets.
It seemed comprehensive but was actually just basic knowledge.
It was somewhat like a primary school textbook.
Having procured these items, he didn’t spend the remaining Silver Money frivolously but saved it instead.
Having a significant amount of Silver Money on hand meant he no longer had to worry about going hungry.
With his house in ruins, it was definitely time to build a new one now that he had money.
A tall wall and large courtyard would keep out most prying eyes.
His secrets were increasing by the day, and in the future, there would only be more. Ensuring his privacy was crucial.
If possible, it would be best to hire two maids as well.
This way, he would no longer need to worry about daily necessities.
He could devote more time and energy to other matters.
Qin Niu didn’t hurry to leave the Cultivation Market; instead, he returned to the street vendor where he previously bought Black Leaf Sunflowers.
The little girl was still energetically promoting her wares, her eyes filled with hope.
However, the number of people stopping to buy her herbs was very few.
Many just glanced and walked away.
Spending a wen or two out of charity might appeal to some.
But spending a whole Silver Money on a plant with little use, how could that be possible?
They had their own families to take care of.
“Little girl, pack up your stall,” Qin Niu said to the girl.
The girl’s complexion instantly turned pale, and she looked at Qin Niu with fear, thinking he had come to cause trouble..