A Core Ship From The Start-Chapter 896 - 629: Treasure Hunting

When Duanmu Huai stepped out of the House of Healing, his expression was one of utter despair.

Afterward, Duanmu Huai spent an entire hour explaining to the owner and staff of the House of Healing that he wasn’t a giant nor did he possess giant lineage; he was just a normal person. The owner expressed understanding but regretfully told him that his request could not be fulfilled at the moment.

This left Duanmu Huai very disappointed.

After spending so much money, it had all been a wasted trip.

When Duanmu Huai returned to the meeting point, Kasim and Roxia were waiting there with Ogis.

"Ah, you’re back, Mr. Duanmu."

"Yes, did you have fun?"

"It was okay. We’re not too familiar with Deepwater City. We just wandered around this area, uh...Mr. Duanmu, what did you do?"

"Oh, I took a bath."

Duanmu Huai raised his head and looked up to the sky at a 45-degree angle, silently sighing.

"A bath? Speaking of which, we have been outdoors these days... I want to take a bath too."

"Why don’t you try it too?"

Looking at Kasim, Duanmu Huai suddenly showed a mischievous smile.

"Though it’s a bit pricey, the service is very thorough, and they even offer massage services, enough to sweep away the fatigue from your journey."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Kasim’s eyes widened with excitement, then he looked toward the young girl beside him.

"Roxia, let’s try it together after this!"

"Okay! Kasim!"

Yes, indeed, playing pranks on others when feeling down definitely lifted his spirits.

After they returned, Ogis promptly climbed back onto Duanmu Huai’s shoulder and sat down—it was clear that this had become her usual spot.

"Where shall we go next?"

"Next... let’s go treasure hunting"

"...Treasure hunting?"

Deepwater City, being a major city, was still popular with players. Although its level of civilization was low, the magical item shops in the big city definitely had some good stuff. Although the combat power in this world was relatively low, as mentioned before, there were plenty of aiding magical items that were very useful...

For instance, in the Castle District’s Warrior Road, the weapon and armor shops had many treasures, even surpassing those in Neverwinter City. After all, Deepwater City had survived numerous crises that nearly leveled it to the ground; thus, naturally, there were many treasures for sale here.

Especially some armors and weapons—they were the kind that big shots seldom used, yet too expensive for ordinary people to afford. For Kasim and Roxia, however, they were just right, especially since they had just received a hefty bounty from Lord Nasher. In Duanmu Huai’s view, spending money here to increase their chances of survival was the proper way.

As expected, when Kasim and Roxia arrived at the weapon shop and saw those expensive and powerful armaments, they were completely rooted to the spot. After dropping the two dazed individuals off at Warrior Road, Duanmu Huai turned and headed to the nearby Jewel Street, entering a shop called "Bhaal’s Rare Treasures."

The shop, true to its name, sold various rare and exotic treasures. To put it in game terms, the main items for sale were rings, necklaces, and such accessories, or some magical items like snuffboxes that could automatically play music... Well, in plain terms, it was a good place suited for buying local specialty products.

After all, Duanmu Huai planned on bringing some gifts back for others.

"Ding-a-ling-ling..."

Duanmu Huai reached out to push open the door, and immediately, the bell rang crisply. Then he and Ogis walked into the shop. Behind the counter, a lean middle-aged man stood listlessly. Hearing the bell, he looked up at Duanmu Huai, pausing for a moment before smiling.

"Ah, hello, honored guests, welcome to Rare Treasures. What would you like to buy?"

"I plan to buy some gifts for others and some nice, practical items for myself."

Duanmu Huai walked up to the counter, glanced around at the magical items and jewelry placed around him, and then spoke, placing a handful of gold coins on the table.

"Money is no issue."

"Oh, of course."

Seeing the gold coins before him, the shopkeeper immediately knew a big spender had arrived and his smile grew even brighter.

"Please, help yourself. Just let me know whatever you want."

"Hmm... Let me see..."

Duanmu Huai was very familiar with the items sold here, so the purchasing process was quite swift. He first bought Mary a shadow cloak, a cloak equipped with its own invisibility spell. By donning the cloak and reciting the trigger spell, the wearer could activate it and become invisible for a certain period of time—indeed, this would be quite useful for Mary.

As for Anhe and Guleiya, Duanmu Huai bought them two rings with "High-level Magic Removal." In the world of Manaria, mages rarely had the skill to actively remove spells, so Duanmu Huai decided to buy two rings for them to enhance their ability to protect themselves.

Of course, besides these, Duanmu Huai also bought some gifts for everyone else, mostly rings or necklaces, with spells that were mostly supportive. After all, Duanmu Huai only wanted to provide them with a bit of fun and didn’t intend to make them overly reliant on these magical items. For all he knew, some annoying two-headed monster might tamper with them.

Duanmu Huai wasn’t afraid of spending money, and the store owner, rarely encountering such a generous customer, was naturally all smiles. After packaging all the gifts Duanmu Huai had requested, the store owner hesitated, then moved close to Duanmu Huai, glancing at Ogis who was curiously examining the jewelry nearby, then whispered to Duanmu Huai,

"Honesty between us, sir, I feel like there was an instant connection between us, a real rapport."

"Oh?"

"So... I have something special here, would you like to take a look?"

"Oh?"

At this, Duanmu Huai’s eyes lit up. In the game, if a player had high charm, they could persuade the shopkeeper to offer some "non-saleable items." Though he hadn’t considered this with his current charm value, it seemed that spending enough money might achieve the same effect?

"Of course, where is it?"

"In the back, please follow me."

"Hmm... Ogis, stay here for a moment, I’ll be right back."

Duanmu Huai said to Ogis, who nodded slightly, and then he followed the store owner to a room inside. There, Duanmu Huai saw the store owner deftly move to a bookshelf, then press a secret switch beside it. Slowly, the bookshelf slid open, and a metal safe emerged. The store owner then carefully took out a key from around his waist and inserted it...

What could be so precious? Could he possibly be selling me a divine artifact?

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai’s curiosity was piqued, as anything requiring such secrecy must be extremely valuable. The store owner was being very careful, suggesting it was something very expensive indeed. However... a divine artifact seemed unlikely, as powerful as it was, this was just an ordinary curiosity shop. For players seeking divine artifacts or sub-divine artifacts, hunting dragons and searching for treasures were generally faster options.

While Duanmu Huai pondered, the store owner opened the safe and carefully reached inside, pulling out a large book wrapped in black magical cloth and bound by chains.

Uh... you’re not going to hand me the Book of the Dead, are you? If it’s that, I’d turn around and leave immediately.

The store owner, unaware of Duanmu Huai’s internal mocking, cautiously placed the book on the table, then unlocked the chains and slowly, carefully removed the black cloth around the large book—revealing a pink cover shining with a faint light and bizarre patterns on it.

Just a glance at this book made Duanmu Huai’s heart skip a beat.

"Store owner, could this possibly be the legendary Pink... "

"Exactly, astute customer, this is indeed the Pink Book!"

"Gulp..."

Although Duanmu Huai didn’t speak, his straightened eyes and swallowing indicated the allure of this book.

Long ago, a man named Abdullah Alhassad wrote the Book of the Dead, which detailed Old Seal, Outer God, and other deities, and even included numerous spells—it was an ultimate witchcraft book within the Cthulhu Mythos—well, that’s crossing into another territory.

Actually, the so-called Pink Book is quite similar to the Book of the Dead; it records certain extraplanar creatures, as well as various spells and divine arts—all intended for pleasure.

Indeed, this is why this book is called the Pink Book, sharing a forbidden status with the Book of the Dead—of course, they are of totally different natures.

Reading the Book of the Dead, one can only gain indescribable despair and collapse.

While reading the Pink Book, one will experience pleasures and happiness never before imagined.

Hmm...

Duanmu Huai looked up again, examining the gaunt figure of the store owner who looked as though he might have been affected by drugs.

... It seemed he understood.

"You want to sell me this book?"

"Yes, distinguished guest, as you see, I have... no longer the capacity, while you... are young and strong. And since you’re aware of the Pink Book, that shows you’re one of us, tasked with spreading joy and pleasure across the world."

Listening to the store owner’s tearful explanation and observing his gaunt hand pressed against his waist, Duanmu Huai was moved to respect. He looked at the great work of love and dreams before him, fell silent for a moment, then looked at the store owner and made his decision.

"I’ll take it!"