Although he was confused, Luo Ge still revealed himself and spoke calmly.
"Candle Spirit, why have you summoned me?"
Luo Ge had assumed Guagua wanted to ask him some questions.
But to his surprise, the moment she saw him, Guagua pulled a pearl from her inventory.
"Candlekeeper, do you want this?"
Guagua offered the pearl with both hands, looking at him expectantly.
She had come to Luo Ge, of course, to give him a gift. After all, the Faraway Lord had guessed that giving gifts was highly likely to increase the Candlekeeper’s favorability.
Luo Ge was a little surprised, but he quickly realized what was happening—the girl wanted to give him a gift to raise his favorability.
The thought left Luo Ge both amused and exasperated.
However, he also began to consider the feasibility of it. If he accepted, it would undoubtedly send a new message to the player community.
’But I can’t just accept gifts for nothing.’
After all, Luo Ge knew perfectly well what was going on inside these little players’ heads.
’Do they raise an NPC’s favorability because they actually like the NPC?’
’No, they’re just greedy for the quests and generous rewards the NPC might give out. They’re a clever bunch!’
Of course, if Luo Ge was determined to only take and never give, the players couldn’t do anything about it. After all, he held complete control over the Candle Spirits.
But if he did that, no player would likely be foolish enough to give him gifts in the future.
’So, I shouldn’t be thinking about how to profit off the players, but how to turn this into a "mechanism" that benefits both sides...’
’Hmm... most of the players are still just running around in shorts. That can’t go on forever...’
’This is also a good opportunity to reclaim some of the Wax Oil they’ve collected.’
After a moment of thought, a preliminary idea formed in Luo Ge’s mind.
He had no use for the pearl, though. As far as he could tell, it was just a decorative item.
Luo Ge chuckled softly. "I appreciate the kind thought, but I don’t need you to give me things."
"However, you can trade for them with items I find interesting. Or, if you earn my approval, you can use Wax Oil to purchase items from this collection..."
’Gifts are out of the question. A trade where we each get what we need is the best choice.’
As he spoke, Luo Ge raised his hand slightly.
At his gesture, the Spirit Candle’s flame flared. The Wax Oil at its base spread out, bringing forth item after item until it formed a unique "display case" showcasing various weapons and armor.
[Wooden Helmet (Ordinary)]
[Type: Helmet]
[Explanation: A helmet made by the Candlekeeper from Wax Oil. It offers decent protection.]
[Wooden Bow (Ordinary)]
[Type: Weapon]
[Explanation: A sturdy wooden bow that allows you to attack enemies from a safe distance (Note: Requires Arrows!)]
[Candlefire Scimitar (Fine)]
[Type: Weapon]
[Explanation: A sharp, uniquely designed scimitar. Its damage output far exceeds ordinary weapons. Grants +1 Power on Attack.]
In addition, there was also equipment like [Cloth Armor] and [Simple Leg Guards].
Some of these weapons and armor were pieces Luo Ge had retired from his own battles, while others he had crafted recently.
By using the Spirit Candle’s power, he had no trouble consuming Wax Oil to craft simple equipment.
Of course, the [Fine] Quality Candlefire Scimitar was the best he could manage.
As for his Broken Sword, it had come with the Spirit Candle itself. Initially, his Attributes weren’t even high enough for him to lift it.
Back then, because Wax Oil was scarce, Luo Ge had only been able to give the players weapons. Even their shorts were standard issue from the Spirit Candle, making for a rather shabby sight.
He had originally planned to either give these items out as rewards or find a chance to implement a shop feature.
But since Guagua had come to him, it was the perfect opportunity to combine and modify those two ideas.
’I’ll just make a [Candlekeeper’s Mysterious Shop].’
"Whoa..."
Guagua felt as if she were enveloped in a golden glow, her eyes nearly dazzled.
Although this equipment was by no means godly, it was all relative.
’What kind of life had they been living up until now?’
’The male players were all stuck in shorts.’
’Only Guagua, being a female player, had an extra chest wrap.’
’The players looked like a bunch of savages...’
’The gear dropped by the Fish People and Sand Worms was practical, sure—one piece blue, one piece yellow—but... its ugliness was a critical flaw.’
’But the Candlekeeper’s gear, while not exactly stunning, was clearly part of a set and wouldn’t look mismatched.’
So, in that moment, Guagua was genuinely and pleasantly surprised.
’I’m tearing up. I finally don’t have to play this game in a bikini anymore!’
"How much? I’ll buy it!"
Guagua blurted out.
However, Luo Ge gathered up all the weapons and armor and slowly put on the formulaic smile of an NPC.
"You are not yet eligible to purchase items with Wax Oil."
"So, do you have anything that might interest me?"
Guagua’s face fell in disappointment. It seemed she couldn’t just raise the Candlekeeper’s favorability by giving him gifts.
’Eligible... I probably have to raise his favorability to a certain level...’
’Looks like my only choice is to see if I have anything that might interest the Candlekeeper.’
With that in mind, Guagua thought for a moment, put away the pearl, and then pulled two other items from her inventory—things she had caught using Fine Meat Bait.
[Mysterious Wooden Box] and [Magic Coral].
The name [Magic Coral] sounded impressive, but in reality, it only possessed a faint, special power.
Including the pearl, all three of her Fine Meat Baits had landed something good.
This was a stark contrast to a certain angler who could fail a ten-pull three times over and only get ordinary fish with the rest...
In addition, she had some equipment and monster materials dropped from killing the Fishman Leader.
"Candlekeeper, is there anything here that interests you?"
Guagua blinked.
Luo Ge was slightly surprised.
He hadn’t expected Guagua to have accumulated so many items.
Still, only the wooden box and the coral were worth trading for.
"These two items can be used for a trade. See what you want," Luo Ge said after making his selection, nodding slightly at her.
Guagua’s eyes lit up, and she quickly picked out what she wanted, her gaze reluctantly pulling away from the other equipment.
"Can I have these?" Guagua asked, pointing to a complete set of armor and looking at Luo Ge questioningly.
Luo Ge didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he handed her a small candle. "Consider this a memento of our first trade."
[Acquired: Small Candle ×1.]
[Small Candle (Ordinary)]
[Type: Accessory]
[Explanation: Slightly extends the duration your Wax Ash remains after you die.]
"Huh?" Guagua was pleasantly surprised. "Thank you, Candlekeeper!"
Once the trade was complete, Luo Ge vanished again.
At the same time, he sent a notification to all the players.
[Attention: From now on, when appraising items, the Spirit Candle will mark those of interest to the Candlekeeper. These items can be used to trade with him.]
Of course, sending this notification was for Luo Ge’s own convenience.
Otherwise, if players came asking about every new item they found... the thought alone gave him a headache.