NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15 - Receiving a Token - Part 1
Chapter 15: Receiving a Token – Part 1
[Translation By Divinity]
It wasn’t particularly difficult, but he had no immediate plans to grow southern crops. He was already busy enough with the wheat farming. Such things needed to be done calmly, so Lee Han set the Sunstone aside.
“Anyway, I need to keep collecting them steadily.”
“Then you’ll have to keep growing Honey Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Radishes too, nya?”
“I guess so.”
“More work to do, nya!”
There was no rest. But for Lee Han, who was used to a busy life, this was nothing. Shredder chuckled at him and got up from his seat.
“I’ve heard that humans have always lived busy lives, and you seem to be no different.”
“Shouldn’t I work while I can? That’s how you get to relax later.”
“Is that so…? Anyway, let’s do it that way… What did you say you needed?”
“Things like spices and seasonings. And some clothes would be nice too.”
If he was going to trade with those outside the Great Forest, they must have things they used. Lee Han, thinking of getting those things to enrich his life, saw Shredder smirk.
“Alright. The elves will be coming soon, so how about meeting them then?”
“I heard the Bladed Winds are harsh outside the Great Forest. How do they come here?”
“If they apply a special treatment to their Elven Silk, it can withstand attacks with the wind attribute, nya!”
“Wow… that’s amazing.”
“It’s nothing special. We just use our bodies.”
“Don’t compare it to beastfolk fur. Anyway… let’s trade with them then. When will that be?”
“Tomorrow. How about going together tomorrow?”
“Sounds good.”
“With me around, there’s no need to worry about danger. No, wait. You can use magic, so there’s even less to worry about. Then I’ll leave this here; see you tomorrow.”
Shredder waved lightly and walked away. Lee Han watched him go, then looked at the piled-up sweet potatoes and sweet radishes before getting up.
“What’s wrong, nya?”
“No, it’s just that carrying all this seems a bit difficult. I was wondering if we should make a cart or something.”
“Nya? Can you make a cart, nya?”
“I’ll try my best using the Crafting skill.”
Normally, it would take quite a bit of time, but if he used the special properties of the Crafting skill, it might be possible if he gathered the materials. Lee Han immediately headed into the forest. He cut down a suitable large tree, trimmed it, and returned. Imagining the shape of a cart, he gathered the materials and tools and used the Crafting skill.
[Lightweight Wooden Cart]
[A cart made of wood. It has two wheels for easy transportation of goods.]
[Made lighter by the effect of Gaia’s Hammer.]
[Crafting Difficulty: ☆☆]
The nails and wood disappeared, and a wooden cart appeared. Unfortunately, it didn’t have any special options attached to it. However, thanks to Gaia’s Hammer, it had the ‘Lightweight’ option.
“Let’s see…”
He had thought it would be quite heavy since he used a large tree as material, but thanks to the Lightweight option, the cart wasn’t that heavy.
“If only we had a horse, we could pull the cart around.”
“Nya nya. How about trying to tame an animal, nya?”
“That’s easier said than done…”
It wasn’t like he could start animal husbandry right away. While Lee Han was feeling disappointed, Seolmyeong climbed onto the cart and grinned.
“By the way, if you can make a cart just by gathering materials, can’t you also make a house by gathering logs, nya?”
“I tried that once, but it didn’t work.”
Lee Han, who had postponed building a house since it wasn’t urgent, started organizing the piled-up sweet potatoes and sweet radishes.
“Anyway, the elves… I wonder what kind of people they are.”
The next day.
Around the time he finished breakfast, Shredder came to visit. He looked at the sweet potatoes and sweet radishes loaded on the cart and exclaimed in admiration.
“You organized all of this?”
“We need to hurry if we want to go quickly.”
“That’s true, but… you must have worked hard yesterday.”
“I picked out only the good ones, nya!”
“That’s something to look forward to. We should get a good price for them.”
“By the way, are we getting paid in currency?”
“No. We basically trade on a barter system. Shall we go then? Get on the cart.”
When Lee Han and Seolmyeong got on the cart, Shredder grabbed the handle. After pushing it back and forth a few times, he seemed satisfied and started running with the cart at full speed.
“Oh! This is well made?! Can I borrow it later?”
“Sure. I guess it’s fine.”
His strength was put to good use here. Lee Han replied nonchalantly, and Shredder, seemingly pleased, quickened his pace.
How long had they been running?
After passing the river, crossing the forest, and running through the plains for a long time, they saw the sky gradually darkening.
“Is that it?”
“Yes. That’s the cursed land.”
A completely different sight from the fertile land they had seen so far unfolded before their eyes. The land itself was stained black and completely dead. As soon as they entered the dark land where life seemed impossible, Lee Han smelled the surrounding odor and pinched his nose.
“What’s that smell?!”
“The smell of the undead. You’ll get used to it soon.”
“Ugh… Oh?! Look there!”
He saw white skeletons moving. The undead, a procession of those rejected even by death.
“The effect of the holy relic is great, nya!”
Thanks to the holy relic Lee Han possessed, the undead didn’t approach them even after seeing him, Shredder, and Seolmyeong. They just glanced at them indifferently and passed by.
“Undead usually hate the living and attack indiscriminately. Low-ranking undead won’t attack because of the holy relic’s effect, but… be careful. High-ranking undead don’t care about such things.”
“How do you distinguish between low and high-ranking?”
“It depends on whether they have intelligence or not. Vampires are high-ranking undead.”
“I see.”
Vampires were powerful monsters that Lee Han had encountered in the tower. Just thinking about the struggles he had to face against them made him grind his teeth. He wondered what kind of creatures the vampires in this world were.
‘If they have intelligence, I hope they avoid unnecessary fights.’
“Ah, there it is.”
Just then, Shredder pointed to one side.
There, they saw a group fighting fiercely against the undead.
“Are those the elves?”
“Yes. They look similar to humans, but with long ears. And they use various amazing techniques.”
“They certainly look impressive…”
The elves were fighting quite well. One of them used a single sword to smash dozens of undead with a single strike. Another used a staff to create flames and burn the undead. Some even created winds to protect their allies.
After wiping out the undead for a while, the elves noticed Lee Han, Shredder, and Seolmyeong and quickly cleared the remaining undead around them.
“You’re late!!”
“That can happen. We have a lot of items to trade this time.”
“Hmm… But who’s that on the cart? A human? Why is a human here?”
A long-eared man with a scar on his face stepped forward, scanned Lee Han from head to toe, and spoke as if curious.
At the mention of a human, the other elves behind him also looked curious and started to surround Lee Han.
“Greetings. I am Night Lord Leon.”
“Greetings. I am Lee Han.”
“A human… It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a human.”
“Hmm? Are there no humans outside the Great Forest?”
“Yes. As far as I know, humans no longer exist in this world.”
‘A world where humans are extinct?’
He thought they were just absent from the Great Forest, but he didn’t expect humans to be completely gone. While the bewildered Lee Han was speechless, the elf tilted his head and asked awkwardly.
“Is there a problem?”
“No. I just didn’t expect there to be no humans… Why did they disappear?”
“Well, I don’t know the details either. They just disappeared one day. Anyway, how about the trade…?”
“Ah. I’ve been cultivating Honey Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Radishes.”
“Oh!! A human who knows how to farm! This is wonderful! Let’s see… Oh my…! These are top quality! And the quantity… huh?”
Leon’s expression changed as he saw the amount of sweet radishes and honey sweet potatoes Lee Han had brought. It was a joyful expression mixed with embarrassment.
“This… This is too much.”
“Is that so?”
“I usually trade foraged items, so it’s difficult to trade for this quantity and quality.”
Shredder looked quite proud. Leon, frowning at him, looked troubled and then gestured behind him.
A moment later, an elf approached with several pouches in his hand.
“As I heard before, you needed spices and seasonings. Here is pepper, red pepper powder, and Elvenstock, a seasoning made by us elves. However, we didn’t anticipate a trade of this scale, so we haven’t brought a large quantity.”
One pouch of pepper, one pouch of red pepper powder, and one pouch of Elvenstock. Compared to the amount Lee Han brought, it was woefully insufficient. No matter how rare spices and seasonings were, this wasn’t a fair trade.
“Then, could you bring more spices and seasonings when you come next time? Other things are fine too. Let’s continue the trade then.”
Sweet radishes and honey sweet potatoes could be stored for about a month after harvest without any major problems. Leon seemed pleased with Lee Han’s suggestion and nodded.
“Thank you. We should be able to bring enough goods by next week at the latest.”
“I’m glad our first trade is going smoothly without any conflicts.”
Leon’s expression was quite bright. He seemed very happy to be able to trade for so many sweet potatoes and sweet radishes.
“Then we will bring the goods by next week. And please accept this as a token of our promise for a good trade.”
Leon drew the sword from his waist and offered it to Lee Han. Lee Han, puzzled, accepted it and couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
[Legendary – Saint Elven Blade]
[A sword made by processing mithril and orichalcum. It exhibits powerful strength when used by an elf. Imbued with holy power, it demonstrates immense power when slaying undead and monsters.]
“I swear on this holy sword that we will prepare a trade that will satisfy you.”