Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 210: Wandering Merchant (3)

Milena, who had been resting at the main house, heard that her turn had come and went outside.

As she approached the traveling merchant, she couldn’t help but be surprised.

Ketal was still there, watching the trade, just as he had been when she left.

“Ketal, have you been watching all this time?”

When Milena left, Ketal had said he would watch a bit longer.

She thought he would leave after an hour or two, but it seemed he had been observing all day.

Ketal smiled brightly and said,

“It was so interesting that I couldn’t tear myself away.”

“I-Is that so…”

“Your presence means it’s almost your turn, right?”

“Yes. Let’s go get in line. Maximus, you should come along too.”

“Thank you,”

Said Maximus calmly.

Milena approached the front of the line, where several employees were holding her place.

“Head of the family, over here.”

“You all did well. I’ll give you a week off and a generous bonus.”

“Thank you!”

The employees, exhausted from standing in line all day, left with very happy faces.

They joined the line.

Ketal, with a delighted expression, said,

“I kept watching the trades. They really deal in a lot of things.”

Beyond simple gold and silver, there were items with historical and artistic value, like art and artifacts.

Even senses like taste, and talents, were subjects of trade.

The traveling merchant literally traded in all things of the world.

Among them, one trade stood out in Ketal’s memory.

“They even traded talent in swordsmanship.”

A boy had asked the traveling merchant for an artifact that would protect him in this dangerous world.

The traveling merchant, after observing the boy for a moment, asked for his talent in swordsmanship in return.

The deal was made, and the boy received an artifact that was evidently very valuable.

Maximus spoke up,

“They determine value. The boy’s talent in swordsmanship must have been exceptional. If it were ordinary, they would have refused the trade.”

This meant the boy’s talent in swordsmanship was excellent enough to warrant receiving the artifact.

“The child who traded their sense of taste also must have had an extraordinary sense of taste, beyond that of an ordinary person.”

“That’s truly amazing.”

Trading in talent was something unimaginable.

This led to a curiosity.

“Where do they keep the things they trade?”

And,

“What do they use all those traded things for? Do you know?”

“No. Probably no one does.”

What does the traveling merchant aim for in their trades?

And where do they store all the traded items?

Much about them is shrouded in mystery.

“They’ve been around for a long time, but almost nothing is known about them. All attempts to uncover their identity have failed.”

“How long have they been around?”

“It’s only known that they are very old. From what information is available, they’ve existed since the time of the Magic Wasteland.”

“Hooh.”

An existence from the same era as the White Snowfield.

Ketal’s interest grew even more.

As they talked, the line moved quickly, and soon it was Milena’s turn.

The traveling merchant asked calmly,

[What do you desire...]

“Hoo.”

Milena took a short breath.

One could only make a trade with the traveling merchant once, so she had to be very careful.

She already knew what she wanted to trade. Milena spoke,

“I want an artifact that connects space to space.”

The most important thing for a merchant was the distribution of goods.

No matter how precious the goods were, if there were no buyers, they would just rot in the warehouse.

Buying necessary goods locally at a low price and selling them where they could fetch a high price was fundamental for a merchant.

And the process of moving goods was quite dangerous.

There was a high risk of being robbed by pirates or bandits, and the cost of storing goods was significant.

Many merchants went bankrupt because they couldn’t bear these costs.

That’s why Milena wanted an artifact that could solve this process in one go, an artifact of spatial connection.

“Is it possible?”

[It’s possible... but expensive...]

“How much?”

[One of your weapon warehouses...]

“...Which warehouse exactly?”

[The twelfth one you built...]

Milena swallowed hard.

It was much more expensive than she had expected.

But her hesitation was brief.

“I’ll trade.”

The value of the weapon vault was not insignificant, but the artifact for spatial connection was even more precious.

Trading one weapon vault was a bargain.

The device of the wandering merchant moved.

Clunk.

[It's done... I've taken everything in your weapon vault...]

"I-Is that so?"

The wandering merchant hadn't moved an inch, but he claimed to have retrieved all the weapons from the distant vault.

There was no lie in his words.

For the wandering merchant, distance meant nothing.

[Here...]

The wandering merchant handed two flag-like artifacts to Milena.

[Place one at each location you want to connect... The space will be linked... After using it for an hour, it needs to recharge for a week...]

"The distance?"

[It can handle up to half the continent... Living beings can't be transported... Is that alright?]

"Of course!"

Milena happily took the artifacts.

Being able to connect across half the continent was an exceptional ability, one rarely seen in the world.

Next was Maximus's turn.

[What do you desire...]

"I desire talent with the sword."

Maximus spoke calmly.

He was already at the pinnacle as a swordmaster.

But he wasn't satisfied.

He wanted to reach an even higher level.

The wandering merchant could trade even talents, beyond material possessions.

What Maximus desired was higher talent.

[The cost will be great...]

"I understand."

To attain a talent that could elevate a swordmaster to the next level, a great price was to be expected.

"I am prepared to pay. His Majesty has granted me permission to use the royal vault."

[No... That material wealth is insufficient... I want your future...]

Maximus's eyebrows twitched.

"My future?"

[Yes... I need you to give up your lifespan... Roughly... 20 years...]

"......"

Maximus groaned at the unexpected cost.

He certainly wanted a higher level of skill.

But giving up his lifespan was another matter.

Maximus decided not to proceed with the trade.

"Then I want a very sharp and sturdy sword."

[That's simple...]

Maximus traded treasures from the royal vault for a single sword.

Although he didn't achieve his desired goal, he left with a satisfied expression.

"Is it my turn now?"

Ketal stepped forward with an expectant look.

The wandering merchant's eyes momentarily flickered.

[You... What are you... Why have you come...]

"Hmm? Why the sudden reaction? Didn't you already know about me?"

Ketal had watched the entire trading process.

He hadn't hidden himself, so it was natural for the wandering merchant to be aware of his presence.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

In fact, he had occasionally felt the merchant's gaze on him.

[I knew... but why have you come to me...]

"I want to trade as well."

Ketal spoke confidently.

The wandering merchant was visibly flustered.

[Uh...? You want to trade with me...?]

"Yes."

[You want to trade...?]

The merchant's reaction suggested that the very idea of trading with Ketal was bizarre.

Ketal tilted his head.

"Is there a problem?"

[Uh...]

The wandering merchant finally regained his composure.

[No... There's no problem... So, what do you desire...]

"I want to wield the mystery."

The merchant was flustered once more.

[Why do you want such a thing...?]

His reaction was like hearing a lion wish for a deer's antlers.

Ketal replied.

"I just want to have it."

[...?]

The wandering merchant looked utterly baffled.

Milena and Maximus watched the scene with awkward expressions.

"Did you know the wandering merchant could be flustered?"

"I didn't, until today..."

"Is it impossible?"

[No... It's possible... If you want to trade, you're a customer...]

The merchant barely managed to regain his composure.

[But if you want to wield the mystery, it will require a tremendous price...]

"I understand."

Ketal's eyes gleamed.

The wandering merchant hadn't said it was impossible.

That meant it was possible for him to wield the mystery.

“A price, then.”

What would he have to pay?

Milena, who had been standing aside, stepped forward.

“Ketal is my benefactor. I can pay a substantial amount for him.”

There was no falsehood in her words.

Milena was willing to pay even half of her family’s wealth for Ketal.

Milena belonged to the largest merchant guild in the Kingdom of Denian.

Their wealth was significant even on a continental scale.

Half of her family’s wealth was, quite literally, an astronomical amount.

[Impossible…]

But the wandering merchant refused.

Milena's eyes widened.

“What, what? You won’t make the deal?”

[The value is vastly insufficient…]

“Oh… then what if I offer my entire family’s wealth?”

[Still insufficient…]

“W-what?”

Even giving her entire family’s wealth wouldn’t be enough for Ketal to obtain the mystery.

Maximus let out a dry laugh.

“It takes that much for this man to wield the mystery? Even if I offer my mastery, is it still impossible?”

Maximus knew how to wield the mystery.

He was beyond a master, a transcendent being of the world.

His level was beyond simple material value.

But the merchant’s attitude did not change.

[Impossible…]

“What?”

[The value is still vastly insufficient…]

“…No way.”

Even sacrificing the mastery of a swordmaster wouldn’t be enough for him to wield the mystery?

Maximus and Milena stared at Ketal with astonished faces.

Ketal pulled a leaf from his pocket.

“Would a World Tree leaf be insufficient as well?”

“A W-World Tree leaf?”

“Where did you get something like that?”

Both were shocked.

The wandering merchant’s answer didn’t change.

[It’s valuable, but… still insufficient…]

“I thought so.”

Ketal smacked his lips in disappointment.

“Is it impossible to get it right away?”

He had roughly guessed it wouldn’t be easy.

After contemplating for a moment, Ketal asked in another way.

What he wanted from the wandering merchant was to wield the mystery.

He wanted it to be possible right there and then.

The price was insufficient.

So he decided to ask for something else.

“It’s impossible to pay the price for wielding the mystery, right? Then is it possible to ask for materials to obtain the mystery?”

[That might be possible….]

The merchant asked calmly.

[What do you want…?]

“A dragon heart.”

Ketal said boldly.

To wield the mystery, Ketal needed a very powerful catalyst.

According to Arkamis and Karin, it needed to be at the level of a dragon heart.

What Ketal desired was natural.

“What?”

“A-A dragon heart?”

Milena and Maximus were stunned.

Ketal asked without concern.

“Or a catalyst equivalent to it. Is that possible?”

[There’s no dragon heart… There is something similar… but you can’t afford it…]

“Well, a dragon heart is…”

Milena stammered.

A dragon.

Its lifespan exceeded thousands of years.

The older and stronger a dragon became, it was known to be as powerful as a hero.

The heart of such a being was extremely precious.

As far as she knew, it hadn’t appeared in the world since it was used in the construction of the Magic Tower hundreds of years ago.

Dragons rarely appeared in the world.

Recently, they hadn’t appeared at all.

If a dragon heart appeared on the market, it would be no exaggeration to say that her entire family’s wealth wouldn’t be enough.

Ketal clicked his tongue.

“Is it impossible even this way? Can I offer myself as a trade? Like the others did, by offering my talent with the sword.”

[That’s impossible…]

“Even that’s insufficient?”

[No… that’s a different issue… You can’t be used as a trade…]

As if to say that Ketal could not be used as a trade.

“Hmm…”

Ketal fell into deep thought.

He had thought he could obtain it, but things were turning out differently than planned.

‘Is it impossible?’

Couldn’t the wandering merchant obtain a dragon heart?

As he was about to feel disappointed, the silent merchant suddenly spoke as if he had an idea.

[There is… one possible way…]

“Oh? Is it possible to pay the price?”

[No… It’s separate from the payment… I’ll give you a proposition… If you accept and succeed, I can give you a dragon heart…]

“Ah.”

Milena made a sound as if she realized something.

Her eyes widened.

What the merchant was proposing wasn’t a trade.

The wandering merchant was about to give Ketal a quest.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]