Chapter Forty-One: Plucking Leaves, Scattering Flowers

Fortunately, at the time, that cheap trinket—no, the little golden mountain—could not be removed no matter how hard he tried. Otherwise, if it had ended up in the toilet, Luo Chen would truly have felt desperate enough to jump off a building.

But to be fair, the value of the Dingdang Bag was relative to the high-tech research projects of that era. In today's world, who would be willing to exchange six hundred tons of gold coins for it? Moreover, who could possibly be so wealthy? With this thought, Luo Chen finally calmed down a little.

The Dingdang Bag was actually quite practical; he could carry many useful items with him. Luo Chen had no intention of selling it—never mind whether it could be removed or not—what would he do with six hundred tons of gold anyway?

With just six hundred gold coins, he could buy himself a decent house and have more bread than he could ever eat. Six hundred tons of gold would buy tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of houses, and an endless supply of bread. But what sense was there in living in a different house every day? Would endless bread be of any use if you could only eat so much before you burst?

This was Luo Chen’s philosophy: once money reached a level that allowed him to enjoy life, that was enough. Anything beyond that lost its meaning. Far better was the utility of this portable storage; the items in the Dingdang Bag might even save his life one day.

Having the Dingdang Bag open all the time did obstruct his view a little, but closing it was simple. Luo Chen merely had to silently recite “Sesame, close the door,” and imagine the door closing.

First, he received his wages, and then he discovered the wonders of the Dingdang Bag—Luo Chen was overjoyed, his mood exceedingly bright as he hummed a tune and walked briskly into Slo City. This time, he did not rush back to the academy right away, for tonight’s deliveries were fewer than usual, his work finished quickly, and there was still time before Ellie’s tutoring session. Luo Chen headed straight for a weapons stall near the docks.

This stall sold only cheap, shoddy white-grade equipment—the true definition of street merchandise. The vendor, Barton, was half a blacksmith at best, his skills rough. He forged these items with low-quality iron ore, catering to poor psionic warriors. Luo Chen was a regular; his new sword had been found here as well.

Because Luo Chen was a frequent visitor, Barton recognized him and greeted him warmly, “Hey there, student, you’re back! Got a fresh batch of new goods this week, take your time and have a look.”

Today, Luo Chen was looking to buy several concealed weapons, having lost all his previous ones in the Forest of Fear.

Though not a major course, every psionic warrior carried a few hidden weapons for self-defense—it had become a habit. Perhaps they were not much use in ordinary times, but in critical moments, they could very well save a life. At the very least, carrying a few made one feel secure. Now that Luo Chen was a Level Four psionic warrior, he could infuse his weapons with psionic energy, greatly enhancing their power. With some savings in hand, Luo Chen was eager to replenish his supply.

Barton, seasoned merchant that he was, quickly deduced Luo Chen’s intent and picked up a shuriken, saying, “Take a look at this, student. This shuriken is really quite good. To be honest, although I only sell white-grade gear, even among those there’s variance in quality. The iron ore used for this one is a little better.”

Luo Chen took the shuriken and infused it with psionic energy. A faint aura shimmered along the blade. Barton was right—the material was indeed superior compared to the others.

Barton paused for a moment before congratulating him, “Student, I see you’ve broken through to Level Four psionic warrior!”

At Level Four, a psionic warrior could channel energy into weapons and easily judge their quality—no need for Barton’s sales pitch to find the good stuff. Fortunately, Barton was honest; seeing Luo Chen was a student, he wanted him to have better hidden weapons for protection, with no intention to deceive. Otherwise, he would have been exposed.

“There’s also this throwing knife, this iron caltrop, this triangular spike—all forged from the same batch of ore as the shuriken, all pretty decent.” Barton picked out seven or eight items from the pile. “If you want them all, I’ll give you a discount—three silver coins and forty copper coins. You know, that’s already a very low price!”

After three years at Weston Academy, Luo Chen had visited nearly every weapons stall in Slo City and knew the market well. Eight decent white-grade concealed weapons for three silver and forty copper coins was indeed a bargain; Barton was straightforward and generous, and Luo Chen felt embarrassed to haggle further. He paid promptly.

“Thank you for your patronage—come again next time!”

Bidding farewell to the proprietor, Luo Chen summoned his spatial bag and tossed all the concealed weapons inside. Though the price was not high, Luo Chen felt a pang—this was his hard-earned money, after all. If he faced a formidable monster and had to throw them to save his life, they’d be gone for good, with no chance of recovery.

Just then, Nicole said, “Master, actually you could consider using other hard objects, like stones, as concealed weapons. That would save you a lot of money.”

“Stones?” Luo Chen replied, “That won’t work. The hardness of ordinary stones is insufficient to injure monsters unless you infuse them with psionic energy. But stone is a very poor conductor for psionics. Except for super warriors and a few hidden weapon prodigies, most people can’t infuse energy into them. Even if forced, it’s costly and time-consuming, and the destructive power is limited.”

Super warriors were a level above psionic warriors; they could unleash combat techniques with sheer willpower. For instance, a super warrior could emit wind blades from afar, arms folded, using only their mind. This meant that, when fighting a super warrior, one had to contend not only with direct attacks but also with techniques triggered by mental force—a troublesome prospect.

Additionally, infusing psionic energy into stone was another ability unique to super warriors. Thus, super warriors never worried about running out of concealed weapons—anywhere with stones was an endless source.

But Luo Chen was only a Level Four psionic warrior; the gap between him and super warriors was vast. Using stones as concealed weapons was a distant dream.

“It’s possible, Master. The reason others can’t use stones as concealed weapons is because they lack the right technique.”

Luo Chen was greatly intrigued. If he could use stones as hidden weapons, it would be wonderful—he could throw to his heart’s content when facing monsters, never worrying about wasting money.

Still, he was dubious. “Nicole, do you really have a way for me to easily infuse psionic energy into stones?”

“In theory, yes. Not only stones—even wood, water, leaves, and other materials are possible.”

“Leaves?” Luo Chen nearly fainted. “Are you joking? That can’t be!”

If Nicole was telling the truth, then plucking leaves and tossing flowers could genuinely injure someone.

[Once again, I’ve taken a beating—feeling a bit frustrated. The competitors on this week’s rankings are either powerful or have double recommendations or are featured on Sanjiang, while the Thief has just received next week’s recommendation. No Sanjiang, no double push—just grinding on. But let me say this upfront: The Thief will never falter because of this. Next week’s updates, still three chapters a day, not a single one less! I am determined to turn my reputation from negative to positive with this book—never giving up! Of course, I hope my readers will continue to support me. No Sanjiang, no double push, but with your support, the Thief has enough!]