บท 8: Chapter8-System Achievement

"You know information about Charles?"

With the bindings removed, Xina Bella still harbored a murderous intent in her eyes, but restrained by the contract, she dared not act.

Hearing Ranch claim knowledge about Charles, a look of surprise crossed her face.

Ranch produced a sharp dagger.

The dagger bore burn marks, but the name etched upon it was clear.

Xina took it, examining closely, and confirmed, "This dagger indeed belongs to Charles."

"In that case, I'll gift this dagger to Miss Xina," Ranch offered warmly, considering it a reciprocal gesture.

After all, he had taken so much from Xina Bella; giving a dagger as a gift seemed quite generous.

After speaking, he left with Sophia, no longer paying attention to Xina.

In the dungeon, Xina Bella held the dagger, her hands glowing with blue magical energy.

Using star magic to sense the location of the dagger's owner, she stepped out of the dungeon.

Her magical power surged, seemingly crossing a new threshold, transitioning from a novice magus to an intermediate magus, her strength greatly amplified.

"Charles Molin!"

Xina silently recited the name, ready to unleash her pent-up fury on this fugitive of the Tribunal.

…

In the spacious bedroom of Colinmanor.

Ranch lay exhausted on the bed, toying with the storage ring.

After murmuring the incantation, he spilled its numerous contents out: over a dozen pieces of women's clothing and undergarments, exuding a faint fragrance, a few bones of spellbeasts that didn't seem very valuable, and over five thousand gold coins.

This unexpected bounty delighted Ranch immensely.

Just then, Sophia approached and sat beside him, glancing at the feminine garments sprawled out and couldn't resist teasing, "Ranch, you certainly have some strange tastes."

"Thank you for the compliment, Sophia."

Ranch deliberately responded this way, instantly causing Sophia to clench her fists, pondering if this down-on-his-luck noble youth cared not a whit for his reputation.

However, she wasn't in the mood to continue the banter.

"Ranch, I have to go back," Sophia suddenly said.

This made Ranch sit up straight away, and Sophia explained, "I've been away from House Muir for many days now. If I don't return, your brother, Hawk Muir, will surely send someone else to investigate. Once he discovers my connection with you, we're both dead."

Sophia knew all too well Hawk's cruelty; he never showed mercy to those who betrayed him.

Yet, she felt a dependence on Ranch and didn't want to leave.

Ranch felt a pang in his heart too.

In just a couple of days, he had gained the strength of a knight trainee and become a pharmacist, but he still felt it was too slow.

Most importantly, Sophia's safety was not assured once she returned.

"Sophia, give me a moment to think."

Ranch forced himself to calm down and then accessed the system.

[Current Information]

[Ranch]

[Profession: novice knight trainee]

[gold coins: 9283]

[Attributes]

[Strength: 8; Spirit: 5; Stamina: 10]

[Evaluation: As a knight trainee, you have substantial room for improvement, but at least you're not a rookie who can be easily slaughtered!]

After obtaining over five thousand gold coins from Xina's storage ring, subtracting the expenses for purchasing goods and the deposit given to Old Rock, the count of gold coins once again climbed to over nine thousand.

This amount was already sufficient to pay the eight thousand gold coins owed to Old Rock, and his spirit attribute had also increased by one.

In the marketplace, all the refreshes for the day had been used up; he would have to wait until tomorrow for a new refresh.

Ranch glanced at another system explanation.

[The host can receive system rewards by buying low and selling high to make a profit. The higher the profit, the more substantial the system rewards.]

This piece of information related to the Traveling Merchant System's achievements.

Ranch wasn't sure how much profit he needed to make to trigger the achievement, but securing the treasure of the dragon would definitely suffice.

He didn't want Sophia to go back; thus, he needed sufficient strength.

And then there was the necromancer...

He deliberately left the dagger with Xina Bella intending to use her power to force Charles out, creating trouble for Charles and delaying the time he himself might be targeted again.

If he had powerful strength of his own, he wouldn't need to resort to such measures.

Ranch quickly devised a plan in his mind:

"First thing tomorrow, I'll go see Old Rock, secure full ownership of the manor ruins, and then figure out how to retrieve the treasure of the dragon. It takes about five days to travel from the House Muir territory to the City of Crimson."

"If Sophia doesn't go back, Hawk will surely send stronger subordinates here, likely an intermediate knight. That means I need to acquire the power to defeat an intermediate knight within five days, and there's still some chance for that."

After careful contemplation, Ranch felt a sense of relief in his heart.

He reassured Sophia, "Alright, let's sleep. If that guy Hawk really sends someone, I'll make him regret it. As for you, just stay obediently by my side."

Ranch's sudden assertiveness gave Sophia a sense of security.

So, she didn't bring up the matter of going back again, thinking worst comes to worst, they could just flee into the forest with Young Master Ranch.

That was elf territory, and Hawk wouldn't be able to catch them easily.

The two of them slept embraced, and the night quickly passed.

…

Colinmanor.

Upon waking, Ranch met with Colin Rein and spent half an hour turning the herbs Colin had gathered into twenty potions, netting Ranch another two thousand gold coins.

Not only that, but Colin Rein also contributed a peculiar herb.

"Mr. Ranch, this was found yesterday when I specifically asked some adventurers in the nearby camp to collect herbs. It seems to be a very rare herb," Colin Rein said, bowing respectfully.

Ranch took the herb, also somewhat surprised, "This is a 1-tier herb, called wolfsbane, useful for crafting a 1-tier gale potion."

"Gale potion?!"

Colin Rein was very curious.

After pondering, Ranch spoke, "Considering your diligent efforts, I guess there's no harm in sharing. The gale potion can significantly increase a person's movement speed, like a gust of wind, but its ingredients are hard to gather. Among the 1-tier potions, the most miraculous is the knight blessing potion, which can greatly enhance one's physical condition and even offer a chance to grasp the essence of knightly combat aura, allowing you to rely less on other potions in the future."

Colin Rein listened excitedly; only three bottles remained of the Energy Reagent that Mr. Ranch initially traded with him.

Having experienced the sensation of being brimming with energy, he couldn't imagine living like he used to.

However, Ranch no longer had any extra Energy Reagent.

Colin Rein wondered if he managed to gather the ingredients for the knight blessing potion, whether Mr. Ranch, the pharmacist, would help him make it, even if it cost a great deal.

Ranch was indifferent to what Colin might be thinking.

The potion knowledge he shared was something he had come across while still at House Muir.

According to the pharmacists' guild categorization, he was barely a novice pharmacist at best; there was a high likelihood of failure in crafting a 1-tier potion, so informing Colin Rein was merely offering the grain merchant a glimmer of hope.

"Sophia, let's go out for a bit."

After Colin left, Ranch called Sophia, and they once again sought out Old Rock.

Ranch promptly paid the remaining eight thousand gold coins, Old Rock drafted a new contract, both signed their names, and after invoking the Contractual God's witness, Rock Manor Ruins in the City of Crimson officially became Ranch's private property.

At that moment, a string of notification messages appeared.

[You have spent eight thousand gold coins!]

[You have purchased Rock Manor Ruins located in the City of Crimson. After evaluation, Rock Manor Ruins are found to contain a treasure of the dragon, a complete Dragon Corpse, a special potion formula, the corpses of five 3-tier spellbeasts... with a total value exceeding one million gold coins! You invested ten thousand gold coins and earned over a million gold coins in a single transaction!]

[Your operation is visionary! Achievement unlocked: Turning Little into Much!]

[Achievement Title]

[Turning Little into Much (Permanent): Any battle skill, magic, etc., you utilize will receive a 10% increase in potency and a 5% reduction in consumption.]

[Congratulations on obtaining your first achievement, the achievement template is now unlocked! The system shop can be upgraded!]

[You receive system rewards…]