Matthew's gaze swept over the goods being carried out, feeling highly satisfied.
“It's been nearly half an hour, and they still haven't finished moving the goods. This really is an effortless windfall!”
It was like a hunter who had accidentally wiped out a massive nest, gaining a harvest far exceeding expectations.
Just then, Uncle Delank walked up to Matthew, pulling several heavy coin pouches from his bosom and handing them over: “Matthew, these are the coins I found in those goods and the bandits' pockets. There are about two gold coins, over three hundred silver coins, and quite a few coppers.”
He paused, glancing back toward the cave. “There isn't much left inside. After sorting things out for a little longer, we can set off.”
Matthew took the coin pouches, feeling a surge of joy. Another five gold coins in the bag! He handed the pouch containing the copper coins to Uncle Delank. “Distribute these among Aidan and the others. Moving these goods isn't easy work.”
There weren't many copper coins, probably around two hundred at most.
But Aidan and the other boys acting as his hype crew had put Matthew in a great mood. Besides, they had actually done some work! Since they worked, they deserved to get paid.
Uncle Delank didn't decline. He nodded and said, “Alright, I'll hand them out later. Those boys were scared out of their wits earlier, but now they're more energetic than ever.”
He tucked the pouch away and looked at the two donkey carts, which were almost piled high with goods. After a moment of hesitation, he finally voiced the idea that had been on his mind: “Matthew, is it possible to... sell these things to the village?”
“Can the village afford so many goods?”
“Don't worry! When the village purchases goods, it's to secure our minimum reserve. Usually, we don't dare buy too much to avoid tying up our funds. But now we have these high-quality, ready-made goods, and they're all daily necessities. We can definitely take them!” Uncle Delank patted his chest, a confident smile spreading across his face.
Hearing this, Matthew nodded. Since it would benefit the village and save him the trouble of finding a buyer, it was naturally a good thing. “In that case, we can just sell them to the village at cost, or even a bit lower,” he said casually, as if these plundered goods were meant to be handled this way all along.
Uncle Delank froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Matthew to offer a discount on his own initiative. He opened his mouth, wanting to object that Matthew would be taking too much of a loss, since these were spoils won at great personal risk. But seeing Matthew's calm expression and looking at the supplies that the village desperately needed, he swallowed his words.
Seeing this, Matthew smiled, a touch of genuine warmth in his expression. “Uncle Delank, don't refuse. Instructor Calm has taken great care of me, and the village is like my second home. If these things can make life a bit easier for everyone in the village, that's better than anything else. You can go ahead and arrange it.”
These words came from the bottom of his heart. After all, Instructor Calm had promised to help him obtain a Blue quality one-handed sword, and the price difference for that alone far exceeded the value of these two carts of goods. This was a debt of gratitude he had to repay. Since he couldn't help the instructor directly for the time being, what was the harm in letting the village benefit a little?
Uncle Delank nodded solemnly, promising to calculate the accounts as soon as they returned to the village and deliver the money to Matthew as quickly as possible.
Matthew watched the older man walk away. Putting those thoughts aside, he turned to look at the old man sitting on a nearby donkey cart—it was none other than Old Joel, who had been missing for days!
At this moment, Old Joel looked haggard. His face was bruised, and his clothes were covered in dust, but his eyes shone with the excitement and gratitude of a survivor as he stared at everyone in disbelief.
Matthew had already learned of Old Joel's whereabouts from Scarface. Old Joel had indeed gone to town initially, but he had been robbed by Scarface's crew on his return journey, and the bow happened to be intercepted at Mute Pass!
At this thought, Matthew looked down at the longbow in his hand. The bow was a deep oak color throughout, its limbs sleek and resilient, with polished antelope horn plates inlaid at both ends to enhance its draw power.
The moment his fingertips brushed against the cool bow, several familiar lines of small black text suddenly appeared in the center of his vision:
【Equipment: Forest Shadow Hunting Bow】
【Quality: Green】
【Equipment Requirements: Strength 7.5, Agility 5】
【Description: A hunting longbow crafted by a senior artisan in Anda Town. Its limbs are made of composite pressed yew, making it extremely sturdy, with polished antelope horn plates inlaid at both ends to reinforce the draw structure.
The only drawback is its exceptionally high requirement for the user's arm strength; one must possess sufficient Strength to draw the bow steadily and unleash its optimal performance.
Effect: Slightly increases the training efficiency of Basic Archery; when in forest terrain, shooting accuracy and arrow speed are slightly increased.】
Matthew's gaze swept over the panel, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile.
“Good things really do take time. That saying is spot on!”
A solid wave of joy welled up in his heart.
Although this 【Forest Shadow Hunting Bow】 had gone through many twists and turns, nearly slipping through his fingers, holding it now, feeling its solid weight and the latent tension ready to spring, gave him an incredibly strong sense of fulfillment from reclaiming what was lost.
What satisfied him even more was that the bow's traits were a perfect match for his own attributes.
Granted, the bow's requirement for the user's arm strength was extremely high—Equipment Requirement: 【Strength 7.5】.
One had to keep in mind that the Green quality one-handed sword he had seen before only required 5 points of Strength.
This hunting bow, however, required a full 7.5 Strength. This proved that the physical effort needed to draw it far exceeded ordinary weapons, making it a significant hurdle for novice archers, who might find it impossible to control.
After all, 7.5 was merely the requirement to equip it. To fully draw it and truly master the bow and arrow, one would need strength far exceeding 7.5!
But for Matthew, this was not a problem at all; instead, it was an advantage!
A high strength requirement meant its arrow speed and accuracy would be top-tier!
“It's practically tailor-made for me!” he praised in his heart, his smile deepening as his eyes fell on the last line.
“When in forest terrain, shooting accuracy and arrow speed are slightly increased.”
This perfectly aligned with his upcoming goal of entering the forest to explore the goblin nest!
After thoroughly reading the attributes of the 【Forest Shadow Hunting Bow】 twice more with great satisfaction, Matthew temporarily suppressed his excitement.
He turned to Scarface beside him and asked, “Was there anything off about what those two said just now?”
Scarface shook his head, indicating there was no issue. “They left for Grey Rock Town a week ago, which happens to be exactly when the Mute Pass bandits vanished.”
“They only returned yesterday, so it seems normal.”
Hearing this, a question arose in Matthew's mind, and he turned to ask Piccolo, the short bandit: “What is the strength of your bandit boss? And what about the rest of the gang?”
After being beaten half to death over the past half hour, Piccolo was in a state where he would answer whatever he was asked. “My... My Lord... Our boss goes by the nickname 'Black Tooth.' He has trained in a breathing technique and is incredibly strong.”
“Our gang... originally had nearly twenty people. Pierce and I ranked in the top six in combat strength.”
...
...
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