The next morning.
Gentle morning light spilled into the room. A finger, peeking out from under a woolen blanket, trembled slightly.
The first thing to return was consciousness, then pain.
A searing, crawling pain, like ants under her skin, violently yanked Bai Ya from the depths of her stupor. Her weak breathing hitched.
Her eyelids felt as heavy as lead. After several struggles, she managed to pry them open a crack.
Through her blurry vision, she saw unfamiliar dried herbs hanging from a bark-covered ceiling beam. Where the beam met the roof, a large spiderweb was spun, a furry spider resting in its center.
A dull ache continued to spread from her abdomen, and fragments of memory pierced her mind, restarting a brain that had been shut down all night—
The dim forest, Kobolds with glowing green eyes, her companions fleeing in panic, the cold glint of a weapon...
Then, endless darkness and the sensation of falling.
’I’m still alive.’
Staring blankly at the spiderweb, this was the only thing Bai Ya could be certain of at the moment.
But this realization didn’t bring her much joy, but rather a sense of confusion.
She desperately wanted to understand what had happened, but her extreme weakness made even turning her head a difficult task. She could only close her eyes and rely on her other senses to perceive her current surroundings.
The bed beneath her wasn’t soft, and the sheets felt like linen.
The air was filled with the faint smell of medicine, as well as a trace of the unique body odor of a Dwarf... Having lived for generations in the sweltering underground, their sweat glands were exceptionally active, so they always carried a pungent, metallic, rust-like scent.
She could hear the crisp, cheerful chirping of birds, and occasionally the RUMBLE of wheels rolling over a stone-paved road.
Everything was so real and familiar.
It was as if last night’s heart-pounding brush with death had never happened.
CREAK~
Suddenly, the door hinges made a soft sound.
Bai Ya quickly opened her eyes again and struggled to turn her head.
She saw a young girl in a gray cloth dress walk in, carrying a wooden basin.
Seeing her awake, the girl paused for a moment, then said joyfully:
"You’re finally awake... Ah, don’t move, don’t move! Your wound is very deep. My master had a hard time stitching it up, and he certainly doesn’t want to do it all over again."
"You’re so lucky! It’s a good thing Big Brother Lu Wei found you when he did. Any later, and I’m afraid only the Goddess of Life herself could have saved you."
"I’m going to change your dressing now. Please try to bear with it if it hurts, okay?"
The girl placed the wooden basin on the table, chattering on and on, her voice as cheerful as a chickadee.
Lu Wei...
’Was he the one who saved me...’
Since she was lying flat on her back, Bai Ya couldn’t see what the girl was doing, only feel a cool sensation on the wound on her abdomen.
"Thank you..."
Her pale lips trembled as she forced out two words. After a brief pause, she added with difficulty in a low voice:
"Is he here?"
"He? Oh, oh, you mean Big Brother Lu Wei."
The girl kept her head down, answering as she changed the dressing, "He went back home after bringing you to the clinic yesterday. He said he would come back today."
"I imagine he’s probably not even awake yet, or maybe he’s off taking care of other things. It’s hard to say."
"Honestly, you are so, so lucky to have run into someone as kind as Big Brother Lu Wei."
"He carried you all the way back from the forest by himself, you know? And he even paid for your medical fees..."
The girl’s incessant chatter echoed in her ears. Besides admiration, there seemed to be some other emotions mixed in.
Outside the window, the morning light grew a little brighter. Bai Ya listened quietly, a ripple spreading through her heart.
Though she had never seen Lu Wei, the girl’s tone alone was enough for her to sketch an image of her savior in her mind.
Sincere, reliable, upright, and brave.
He would stand tall and have a pure, honest smile.
Perhaps he even had a head of dazzling blond hair.
’All in all, he must be a truly good person.’
...
...
"ACHOO!"
"Huh? Who’s badmouthing me?"
「Across town, in the central square.」
Lu Wei rubbed his nose and muttered, his gaze returning to the public notice board in front of him.
The wooden board was plastered with densely packed notices. Aside from a few Kingdom bounties, the rest were all sorts of commissioned tasks.
Most were posted by the Town Hall and various trade associations.
There were a lot of them, but very few were related to Giant Spider Silk Glands.
Not a single one met Lu Wei’s requirements.
After all, this kind of Low-Level material was extremely common. Even if someone needed it, they would usually just buy it directly from the market rather than post a task.
[Material Collection — Giant Spider Silk Gland]
[Task Level: Ordinary]
[Client: Kalin Port Magic Products Association]
[Time Limit: Long-term]
[Task Details: Long-term acquisition of mature Giant Spider Silk Glands! Requirements: Length must be at least 8 inches! No damage! Minimum purchase quantity of 20 per transaction!]
[Reward: 25 Copper Coins/each]
[...]
’A minimum of 20... Ugh, forget it.’
Lu Wei looked away from the notice in the corner and shook his head with a sigh of resignation.
The five Silk Glands from last night were still hidden in the forest. He had originally planned to accept a suitable task first before going back to retrieve them so he could earn a little extra.
He searched and searched and finally found one.
But it turned out he didn’t meet the requirements.
’No choice, then. I’ll just have to sell them to a material salvager.’
’Huh?’
’Speaking of which, should I register with the Adventurer Association, too?’
’There aren’t many tangible benefits, but I’d be able to see more tasks.’
’And I hear they have pretty female receptionists...’
Squeezing his way out of the crowd, Lu Wei glanced at the Heitai Town branch of the Adventurer Association not far away, hesitating for a moment.
Then he immediately gave up on the idea.
The reason was simple—
’No money.’
Registering as an "Adventurer" cost one Silver Coin, but right now, he couldn’t even scrounge up a single copper plate.
He had used all his savings to pay for the medical fees.
’I should’ve saved some money for breakfast.’
’I wonder if she’s woken up yet.’
Turning his head to look in the direction of Daffodil Lane, Lu Wei subconsciously touched his chest.
The hard object he felt confirmed the Soul Pendant was still hanging around his neck.
So, strictly speaking, he wasn’t penniless.
In fact, his net worth probably far exceeded that of 99% of the people in the square... including those big shots who looked so impressive in their brand-new Equipment.
After all, a piece of ordinary Equipment or a Weapon cost a few Silver Coins at most.
A budget of two Gold Coins could get you armed to the teeth.
So, if Lu Wei wanted to, he could instantly outfit a large Adventurer Squad of over a dozen members with top-tier gear.
Or he could buy twenty heads of cattle, or thirty not-so-healthy slaves.
In short, while the monetary Value of 37 Gold Coins couldn’t compare to winning the lottery’s first prize in his past life, it definitely fell into the category of "getting rich overnight."
The only problem was that there probably wasn’t a single salvager in Heitai Town capable of handling such a large transaction.
Besides, Heitai Town was just too small.
If he really sold the Pendant in town, Lu Wei was sure that before the next day even arrived, the news that "that kid Lu Wei struck it rich by some dumb luck" would be known by everyone.
That would inevitably attract a lot of trouble.
And even danger.
’Looks like I’ll have to find a chance to make a trip to Kalin Port.’
’I can ask about Skill Books while I’m there.’
’Even if I can’t get any Professional Skill Books, learning some Universal Skills would be a good start.’
The image of Furen leaving a goblin Divided in Two with a single sword strike surfaced in his mind. Lu Wei couldn’t help but quicken his pace, walking toward the town exit full of anticipation.
’I hope today is another day blessed by the Goddess of Fortune!’