Chapter 159: Procurement

"Heh, I’m a merchant. Just tell me what magical materials you need."

Rosalia had already reached Tier 2, and the Divine Guard she provided could also advance to Tier 2. But unlike before, upgrading a Divine Guard now required not only Tier 2 potions, but also a large quantity of rare ingredients.

Phield took out a list. "I need Blood Serpent Grass, Calamity Flowers..."

"No problem, but the price will be high—fourteen hundred gold coins in total." The merchant nodded repeatedly. "Many of these are magical plants; it’ll take time to gather them. But I don’t have Calamity Flowers—you might want to ask around for those."

"Being able to find this many materials already exceeds my expectations."

Phield nodded in satisfaction. In theory, no one could contract corrupted Divine Chosen, so there was no need to upgrade Divine Guards—making these materials extremely difficult to obtain.

They settled on the price, and Phield paid without hesitation. It was a fair deal.

"Quite wealthy, aren’t you? You must be a lord somewhere. Adventurers or mages wouldn’t have this much money, nor would they need such quantities."

Having been a lord for so long, Phield had stopped treating gold coins as real money. Fourteen hundred coins felt trivial to him. In truth, fifty coins were enough for an ordinary person to live worry-free.

Phield blinked. "Just like you said earlier—don’t pry into my little secrets."

"Of course."

They clinked glasses and took a sip, each harboring their own thoughts.

"Rare demi-humans for sale! Guaranteed you won’t find these on the market. Interested gentlemen, come take a look!"

Another merchant entered the black market. He seemed to have just finished some business—his steps were unsteady. He dragged a group of demi-humans bound in chains. Their expressions were numb with despair; the youngest looked no older than five or six, their tearful eyes pitiful to behold.

"Oh? Pink catkin, hmm... and blue weasel-folk. Quite rare—I thought they’d gone extinct." The merchant woman casually handed her glass to a servant, swaying her graceful waist as she stepped forward. "You must be the infamous ’Hunter,’ right?"

"Didn’t expect my reputation to spread this far. That’s right—I’m the Hunter, specializing in capturing rare slaves."

"Let me see... They don’t look very healthy. Feels like they could die any moment. How much anesthetic did you use?"

The merchant woman prodded and examined them, even grabbing a catgirl and kneading her repeatedly.

"Don’t touch if you’re not buying. Get your hands off." The Hunter drew a gleaming blade, smiling coldly. "Want to buy? Adults are a thousand gold each. Minors, five hundred."

"You’re insane—like a flaying demon. At prices like that, I can’t afford them."

The merchant woman rolled her eyes, waved dismissively, and turned away.

"Filthy mutt, reeks like a beast—just like demi-humans."

The Hunter licked the edge of his blade before sheathing it, then turned to Phield with a sinister grin. "Interested, sir? These kinds of demi-humans are nearly extinct. If you don’t enjoy them now, you’ll regret it later. They’re highly collectible—perfect for entertaining guests in the future."

"Sorry, none of this is what I’m looking for."

Phield lifted his gaze slightly, nodded politely, and walked away.

A thousand gold coins—every slave in the Nightfall Domain combined wasn’t worth that much. The black market prices were absurdly inflated.

"The uncontracted Divine Chosen isn’t in the market. The marker’s clearly nearby—why can’t I find it? Could it be underground?"

After wandering around twice without locating the green marker, Phield frowned. "Probably some noble... that makes things tricky."

Kidnap a noble and take them back? It sounded insane—but not impossible. Phield had already begun weighing the pros and cons.

As he walked, lost in thought, he suddenly spotted something he had been hoping for.

"Ruijin Prairie Giant Wolves for sale."

"Giant wolves? Finally found them."

A burly woman was herding a pack of wolves. The largest stood half a person tall and about two and a half meters long. Their mixed-colored fur made them look more like huskies. Compared to the imposing and majestic Drakewolves, they were on a completely different level.

Phield had imagined encountering a formidable, awe-inspiring pack—but these looked rather... goofy. Even their size was underwhelming.

"How much for this one?"

He quickly stepped forward, pointing at the largest wolf.

"This one’s not for sale. He’s my husband."

"???"

Phield froze.

So the string of smaller wolves behind her... are those your children? That’s a biological violation!

"Haha, don’t look so shocked. Ever heard of Druids?" The woman waved her hand. "Druids don’t just turn into bears or eagles—they can become wolves too, even sea creatures."

Phield nodded in realization. "I see."

"I’m just joking. They’ve got nothing to do with Druids."

"???"

Phield’s face darkened. "That wasn’t funny."

The woman burst out laughing. "Just a joke. I’m from the distant plains. This one’s the alpha—he’s not for sale. The others are. Pick whichever you like—three hundred gold each. All healthy pups."

"I should mention—this breed is great for herding and hunting, but don’t expect to ride them. Their backs are fragile and can’t carry heavy loads. They’re basically like dogs—feed them scraps and organs, and they’ll survive. The cost of raising them is low."

"Thanks for the advice."

Phield sighed inwardly. Even in this world, wolves weren’t suitable mounts.

But if they were infused with draconic blood—say, that of a black dragon—and enhanced by Ashina’s Divine Chosen power, who knew what they might become? After all, Drakewolves were anomalies—massive as bears, easily carrying two heavily armored knights.

Living artifacts were among the most valuable because they could give rise to entirely new species.

With enough selective breeding, perhaps even something like a Godzilla-type wolf could emerge... though the odds were practically zero.

Phield bought ten in one go. Three thousand gold coins slipped through his hands just as quickly as he’d gotten them.

"My lord, the wolves will be temporarily kept at Baron Simon’s ranch. You may retrieve them at any time."

Servants led the wolves away.

"Very convenient."

Phield tipped them five silver coins.

At that moment, the green marker on the minimap moved. His attention snapped to it immediately.

After all, it represented a contractable Divine Chosen—if he could secure her, the benefits would be immeasurable.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a new survival game has begun! Place your bets! Guess which pet can last the longest against the Bloodfang Savage Bear!"

"There!" Phield noticed the marker had moved toward the entertainment district. "She must’ve been in the basement earlier—now she’s been brought to the arena."