Adventurer of Many Professions-Chapter 107: Deal With A Thief!

Raymond couldn’t help but smile as he watched Sylph and Lorene’s reactions. He nodded and said softly, "Yes, you should have recognized it. This stone is the magic-guiding material ’Black Iron’, but it’s still in its raw ore form."

Once Raymond confirmed it, both Sylph and Lorene exchanged a look of understanding. They now realized why Raymond had been so serious about this.

Lorene, still processing, let her hand drop from Sylph’s shoulder. She stared at the black iron ore on the table and said, "Even though it’s raw ore... this piece is probably worth over a hundred gold coins!"

"Raymond, how did you get it?" Sylph asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I found it in the territory of the crazy baboons and brought it back along with these weapons," Raymond explained briefly.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I discovered this ore when I entered the Moonlight Forest alone, but since we were all working together on the mission, I don’t feel right keeping it to myself. So I was thinking..."

"Wait!" Lorene interrupted him quickly, shaking her head.

Her face turned slightly red with embarrassment for cutting him off, but she pressed on, "This black iron ore was found at the risk of your life, Raymond. It has nothing to do with me or Sylph, so… we can’t take it."

"Yeah," Sylph agreed quickly, her voice firm. "You can’t ask us to take this. If the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t want to either."

Raymond understood their feelings. If it were him, he would feel the same way. The black iron ore was far too precious, and taking it would feel wrong, especially since the three of them were not the selfish type.

Raymond tried to argue, but seeing how determined they were, he sighed and relented. "Alright, but you can accept the proceeds from selling these two weapons and the herbs in the backpack, right?"

Just as they were about to refuse, Raymond looked at them seriously and said, "If you refuse this too, I might have to reconsider our team."

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After a brief pause, Sylph and Lorene exchanged glances. Realizing how serious Raymond was and not wanting to argue further, they nodded in agreement.

"Alright, fine," Sylph said, reluctantly.

Raymond’s expression softened into a smile. "Great. But for now, I’ll hold onto the longbow and giant sword. I’ll see if Arya can use them when she wakes up... but I’ll definitely calculate their value and share the money with you."

With Raymond’s background as a craftsman, he had seen plenty of weapons from dwarven craftsmen before. He could roughly estimate the value of the longbow and giant sword. However, the giant sword was badly damaged, so its value had dropped considerably.

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Sylph and Lorene agreed, but Sylph added, "It would be great if Arya woke up as an archer or hunter. Our team could really use someone like that, and this longbow is still in good condition!"

Raymond and Lorene laughed. The chances of Arya awakening as an archer or hunter were extremely slim.

The odds of awakening as any adventurer were less than one percent, and the chance of her becoming an archer or hunter was even smaller.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Raymond put the herbs from his backpack into Sylph’s, then placed the black iron ore back into his own pack. He grabbed the longbow, and the three of them headed out to sell the herbs at a pharmacy, leaving the giant sword behind for now.

"Ah, how is it full again!" Sylph’s familiar voice echoed down the street, filled with frustration.

Raymond and Lorene exchanged a look and sighed helplessly.

The three of them had just walked out of a pharmacy, but once again, it was a dead end. Every last herb in their backpacks had been sold out, leaving them empty-handed.

This was already their fifth stop! Each pharmacy they visited had bought up their herbs, but for far less than the commission price; only 90% of what they should have received. Raymond suspected it was because the potions made from those herbs couldn’t be taxed, which might explain the lower purchase price.

As for the ’Blood Vine Grass,’ it was a little more valuable, and they had managed to sell six stalks to the first pharmacy at the full commission price. But after that, things went downhill. The second store didn’t want the herbs because they didn’t know how to make the "Intermediate Physical Recovery Potion." The third store bought up all their remaining ’Blood Vine Grass.’

Even the other herbs didn’t do much better. The ’Blue Spirit Grass’ a key ingredient for the ’Primary Magic Recovery Potion’ only sold three stalks in total.

"Raymond, what should we do?" Sylph groaned, her mood sinking. "I don’t think anyone will want to buy these herbs anymore."

She slumped down onto the ground, defeated. Lorene looked just as stunned.

Raymond couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It was frustrating, sure, but not unexpected. He glanced across the street, spotting an adventurer wearing leather armor with a dagger at his waist. From the nameplate hanging on his belt, Raymond could tell he was a bronze-level adventurer.

This man had been following them ever since they left the second pharmacy. Raymond quickly assessed the situation, he was a thief, and his tracking skills weren’t bad. But with Raymond’s abilities as a hunter, he could tell right away that the man was tailing them.

Raymond knew exactly what was going on. This wasn’t just coincidence, this guy was likely here for a reason.

Turning back to Sylph, Raymond replied, "Someone will come soon and buy all our herbs."

"Really?" Sylph perked up instantly. "If someone’s willing to take everything at once, I’ll sell to them, even if it’s at a lower price!"

"Of course," Raymond said with a smile.

Lorene tilted her head, still unsure why Raymond seemed so certain.

Raymond didn’t glance at her; instead, he focused on the street. The bronze-level adventurer was now walking toward them.

Sylph and Lorene quickly noticed too.

The two exchanged confused looks, their surprise written all over their faces. Raymond, seeing their reaction, chuckled and explained, "If you pay attention to the surroundings, you’ll start noticing things like this."

By this point, the thief had reached them and greeted them respectfully, "Are you the dual-class practitioner Raymond, the explosive magician Sylph, and the priestess Lorene?"

"That’s us," Raymond confirmed, then asked directly, "Are you here to buy our herbs?"

When the thief heard Raymond speak so directly, he was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled with a hint of bitterness. "I didn’t think Raymond would notice me so quickly… But I thought neither the ’Fighter’ nor the ’Warrior’ had enhanced reconnaissance abilities. Are all dual-profession adventurers this sharp?"

He shrugged and admitted, "Yes, I do want to buy the herbs from you, but let’s discuss it somewhere a bit more private."

With that, he led Raymond and the others to a nearby tavern. Though the place was bustling with activity, the thief seemed unfazed. It appeared he’d reserved a private room in advance. He guided the three of them to a secluded room on the second floor.

Once they were inside and the door was shut, the thief spoke. "Let me introduce myself first." He smiled. "You can call me Manik. I’m a thief by profession and a retired adventurer."

"Retired?" Sylph raised an eyebrow, glancing at the bronze-level adventurer’s nameplate on his waist.

"Ha! Well, that was my previous rank," Manik explained with a smile. "But I haven’t taken on any commissions for the past five years."

Raymond studied Manik’s every movement, considering the truth behind his words. From his appearance, he appeared to be in his thirties, and that age was not unusual for someone who’d retired from adventuring.

Adventurers generally start young, and few remain active after 30. Many who have earned enough over the years retire from the dangerous work. Those who don’t save enough and continue taking on missions often don’t come back after one of them goes wrong.