MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player-Chapter 95: A Drop the Old Man Cannot Afford

"Stonehaven, how do you know about the Four Legendary Secret Locations?"

The Appraiser had been preparing to discuss something important with Marcus, but Marcus cut in with that question, leaving the old man staring at him in frustration. Under normal circumstances he would never bother with this boy, yet because he needed Marcus’s help he forced himself to endure it. Even so, hearing Marcus mention the Four Legendary Secret Locations startled him. He himself knew only fragments about those hidden places, so the idea that this young man had heard of them was unsettling.

"I learned about them by chance," Marcus said, keeping his tone casual. "I’m just curious, so I was hoping you could enlighten me."

"Stonehaven, the medallion on your chest, is that Silas the Wanderer’s Explorer’s Medallion?" The Appraiser ignored Marcus’s answer and examined him from head to toe, his gaze settling on the dull iron piece at Marcus’s chest.

Marcus felt a flicker of admiration. He had disguised both the Explorer’s Medallion and the Eagle’s Crest given by Hunter Wayne. To anyone else they appeared as nothing more than cheap iron tokens, yet the Appraiser had recognized one of them purely from their conversation.

’He really is the Chief Appraiser of the Dreamland Continent, quite knowledgeable and sharp to a terrifying degree.’

"Stonehaven, no one knows this continent more thoroughly than Silas the Wanderer, who spent his life roaming every corner of it," the old man said. "Even he could not find the Four Legendary Secret Locations. It is very likely no one ever will. Still, I can tell you the little I know."

He paused to gather his thoughts, then spoke slowly.

The Cloudfall Cascades belonged to the legendary aerial city known as Cloudfall City, a floating kingdom crafted by the Winged Folk out of Cloud Crystal. It drifted unpredictably across the skies of the Dreamland Continent, never lingering in any region for long. Legend claimed that bathing beneath the Cloudfall Cascades allowed a person to gain the power of flight.

The Phantom King’s Temple had once been the secluded sanctuary of a great sage three thousand years ago. Within it rested the Celestial Mirror, one of the Five Great Sacred Artifacts, said to be capable of revealing the presence of all treasures and Divine Beasts across the land.

The Phoenix Canyon served as the dwelling of the super Divine Beast, the Phoenix itself. Within that canyon were rare treasures such as Celestial Fire Phoenixwood, Phoenix Feathers, and Phoenix Fire Crystals, things most people would only ever hear about in myths.

The Elemental Nexus lay within the Elven Canyon and was the origin of the Elven people’s Five-Element Evasion. It was also the birthplace of the Five-Element Elves, yet it was sealed behind the Five-Element Grand Illusion Barrier, a barrier that permitted only exit and never entry.

"Old Man, besides the Elemental Nexus, do you know where the other three secret realms might be?"

Marcus listened with shining eyes, nearly salivating at the thought of so many treasures. He already had a lead on the Elven Canyon and the Elemental Nexus, and the idea of reaching the other three realms stirred a greedy excitement in him.

"Stonehaven, the difficulty of finding the Four Legendary Secret Locations is no less than refining the Pill of Ascension and Creation," the Appraiser replied. "If I knew where they were, do you think I would be working here as an Appraiser? My advice is that you abandon the idea, or you may suffer the same terrible fate that befell Silas the Wanderer."

’He’s looking down on me again,’ Marcus thought, his irritation rising. He opened his mouth to argue, but the Appraiser quickly changed the subject before he could get a word out.

"Stonehaven, where is your Divine Beast, the Dark Violet Sky Dragon?" the old man asked, his voice tinged with annoyance. He could not allow this boy to keep steering the conversation around, and the feeling of being led by the nose was getting on his nerves.

"Oh, the Dark Violet Sky Dragon? It’s here, but it hasn’t hatched yet," Marcus said cautiously. The Appraiser’s sudden interest in the creature made him wary. What angle was the old man working? Was he planning something? Marcus chose his words with care and kept his answer vague.

"Stonehaven, I have something I want to discuss with you. Would you be willing to give me a drop of your Dark Violet Sky Dragon’s blood?" The Appraiser smiled so brightly it looked unnatural, as if he were trying to charm a child.

"I... uh..."

"Well, that is..."

"That’s quite the..."

’I swear,’ Marcus thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. ’He really thinks I’ll just hand it over because he asked? Not happening.’ He hemmed and hawed, deliberately avoiding a straight answer.

"Stonehaven, if you can give me just one drop of your Dark Violet Sky Dragon’s blood, I will identify five pieces of equipment for you every day, free of charge. How about that?"

’Is he serious?’ Marcus thought again, his irritation rising. The old man was trying to fob him off with crumbs. Even if he identified five Divine Artifacts a day, Marcus would save only around five hundred thousand gold coins at most, and that was assuming he even had that many items to identify. Rare equipment did not fall into his lap every day. The offer sounded generous, but for Marcus it was useless. No deal.

Besides, Marcus had been squeezed dry by this man often enough. The arrogant, shameless Appraiser had taken plenty of gold from him. Marcus was not about to let this opportunity slip by.

"Oh, is that all? Well, Old Man, I’ll need to discuss it with my Dark Violet Sky Dragon first, alright?"

The Appraiser nearly choked. Pets obeyed their masters without question. Stonehaven obviously meant no, so what was there to discuss with a pet that hadn’t even hatched yet?

"Stonehaven, wait, do not leave. We can negotiate. Tell me what your conditions are." The old man’s voice rose in panic. He had expected Marcus to bargain or concede something, but Marcus simply turned to walk away. The Appraiser, unwilling to lose the chance to obtain the rarest blood on the continent, rushed forward and grabbed Marcus’s arm.

’Got him.’ Marcus hid a smirk. He could feel how desperate the old man was. The moment Marcus pretended to leave, the Appraiser panicked completely.

"Stonehaven, it is only one drop of Dark Violet Sky Dragon’s blood. It will not harm your pet at all. It is a tiny matter for you." The Appraiser spoke in a pitiful tone, practically begging.

"Really? It will not affect my Dark Violet Sky Dragon in the slightest?"

"I guarantee it. Absolutely no effect." Seeing a sliver of hope, the Appraiser looked at Marcus with tearful sincerity, as if his entire life depended on this moment.

’I swear, the old man’s mood changes faster than a summer wind,’ Marcus thought. ’Fine, I won’t make it impossible for him.’

"Well, Old Man, if it is like that, then I do not have any unreasonable demands, a simple request actually. I only find your appraisal technique fascinating, so I was wondering if you could teach me a thing or two."

Marcus had barely finished the sentence when the Appraiser’s warm expression collapsed. His face went pale, then darkened, as though every muscle fought the urge to explode. He stared at Marcus as if the boy had just asked him to donate both kidneys.

"What is wrong? Is that too troublesome? You cannot even manage this small thing? Well, forget it then." Marcus turned as if he were ready to walk off again, fully aware of what the Appraiser’s expression meant.

The Appraiser trembled with suppressed rage. ’This wretched, cunning little... The boy has the look of a hero but he is a black-hearted little devil with a venomous mouth.’

A small thing, he calls it. A simple request, he says. If the laws of the Imperial City did not forbid him from harming players, he would have already cast a Forbidden Spell on this boy and blasted him back to Level 0.