"Do you need a guide, sir? Just one Magic Stone!" Several young boys and girls crowded around him.
"No!" Leilin immediately refused.
After visiting many markets, he realized that these guides didn't actually need that many Magic Stones — some were even arranged by families to guide newcomers for free.
The first time he'd entered the market, giving that boy a Magic Stone had been a total rip-off.
As for ordinary markets, they were relatively small and could be thoroughly explored in just a few laps. There were also signposts and the like, so under normal circumstances, you barely needed guides at all.
Leilin wandered aimlessly through the market before making his way to the largest potion shop.
"Welcome, honored guest!" A white-bearded old man smiled and bowed.
"I'd like to sell a batch of potions — high value!" Leilin was very direct.
"Please, follow me!" The old man blinked slightly in surprise, then led Leilin to a small private room in the back.
After closing the door, Leilin could even feel the faint fluctuations of a magic-warding array.
"Our shop guarantees complete customer confidentiality, and we have the most thorough security measures..." The white-bearded old man explained with a smile.
"Not bad!" Leilin nodded. Being able to avoid as much interaction with beastkin as possible was quite beneficial for him.
Inside the small room were two sofa-like seats, with a small wooden table between them holding two cups of a steaming beverage.
"Please, have a seat." The old man gestured with his hand.
Leilin sat down, sinking into the sofa, and picked up the cup for a light sniff. "Tiran bean powder, blended with black pearls — it's quite helpful for apprentice meditation!"
"Your expertise in potionology is truly remarkable!" A flash of surprise passed through the old man's eyes.
"Anyway, I've been in my laboratory conducting a very important experiment. I haven't come out for over a year. Help me appraise these potions."
Leilin placed a package in front of the old man.
The old man opened the package, then let out a surprised "Oh!"
Inside the package were all the potions Leilin had left to sell — row after row of glass tubes glowing with brilliant light.
"Please wait a moment." The old man pulled out a pair of monocle-like lenses from his breast pocket and placed them over his eyes.
After roughly half an hour, the old man finally put the glasses away and rubbed his temples with a tired look.
"Thirty-seven Staunching Blood Potions, forty-five Antidote Potions, Silence Potions... These are all of excellent quality and well-maintained. I can offer you nine hundred Magic Stones for them!"
"Very fair." Leilin nodded slightly.
The old man promptly packed up the potions and left, then returned counting out nine high-grade Magic Stones to hand over to Leilin.
"You must be an apothecary? Please accept this — you'll enjoy a ten-percent discount at our shop from now on. And for any potions you produce, we're prepared to offer premium prices..."
As he spoke, the old man handed Leilin a purple crystal card with both hands.
Leilin took it, gave it a glance, and tucked it away. "I'll remember that."
The white-bearded old man then escorted Leilin out of the shop. As they parted, Leilin asked casually, "You know, I've just finished my experiment and come out. Is there anywhere I can get the latest news from the Marsh Duchy?"
The old man paused for a moment, then replied, "If you'd like to learn more secrets and intelligence, Gando's general store is definitely your best choice. He's a bit of an odd character, but his information is second to none..."
Following the old man's directions, Leilin made his way to Gando's general store.
The moment he stepped inside, it was indeed incredibly cluttered — all sorts of things were strewn about, including many items that even the Chip couldn't identify.
But one thing was clear: none of these were fakes, which piqued Leilin's interest.
"Who's there?" A voice came from behind the counter, and an old man who looked like he could drop dead at any moment suddenly appeared behind it.
"The old man at the potion shop sent me. I'd like to ask about some recent intelligence on the Marsh Duchy."
"Same rules as always — here, you have to buy something first before you can get any information." The dying-looking old man's lips didn't move, yet a strange, eerie voice emerged from him.
"Fine. I'll just pick something at random." Leilin was about to choose an item.
"No — I'll pick for you." The old man let out a raspy cackle.
"Figured business would be this bad." Leilin nearly rolled his eyes. "Alright, then pick away."