Green Monster Epic

“Hello, Grandpa Pheroque!!”

Aileen greeted the elderly, increasingly frail old gnome Pheroque very politely, and gently walked to the old man's side, feigning support while actually helping him, slowly strolling in the large garden belonging to the Oakleaf Merchant Guild behind the dark alley.

“You're such a good girl, Aileen. Where's Koer, that little rascal?”

Ten years had left deep marks on Pheroque. The old man, who used to walk slowly but steadily, now had to rely on a slender cane just to stroll around the garden. When he saw Aileen coming to greet him, the wrinkles on the old man's face instantly brightened, and even his cloudy eyes sparkled. The middle-aged female gnome who was always responsible for taking care of him even felt a little jealous of the young Aileen.

Allen had never forgotten his promise to the old man. Every time Koer and Aileen came to Thornsburg, he would tell the two girls to be sure to greet old man Pheroque and bring some local specialties from the wilderness. Even the new generation of Stoneborn, Treeborn, and Bush, these little guys from the village, had been brought to greet old man Pheroque.

However, only Aileen and Koer were the old man's favorites. Seeing them always cheered him up for days.

Of course, Allen's efforts were not without reward. Among the shops operated by their tribe in the four districts of Thornsburg, two were Pheroque's own properties, and the remaining two were rented through the old man's connections, with very affordable rents. Thornsburg was, after all, a prosperous border city. Any merchant team that came from afar was much richer than the Greenwood Tribe. The profits from a single long-distance trade were probably more than what the Greenwood Tribe could earn in several years without eating or drinking.

Many merchant teams also wanted a stable foothold in Thornsburg, where they could sell or purchase goods, which was a long-term and stable source of profit. As long as the person in charge was properly selected, they would basically not lose money. Therefore, Thornsburg's properties had always been very valuable, and there were many people seeking them. However, the Greenwood Tribe, a wilderness tribe with no strength or background, had benefited greatly from old man Pheroque and Master Oscar.

As the chief appraiser of a large merchant association like the Oakleaf Merchant Guild in Thornsburg, old man Pheroque's abilities and skills were naturally second to none. Unfortunately, his experiences in his early years had deprived him of the ability to have children, so he had no descendants to inherit his wealth, only a dozen or so gnome disciples whom he had adopted and trained over the years.

The teacher was excellent, but the disciples were not very outstanding. Gnomes were not lacking in intelligence, but few had the talent for appraisal like Pheroque. The dozen or so disciples adopted by Pheroque had not inherited their teacher's talent, and most of them were now doing some mid-level ordinary work in the merchant guild.

“Sister Koer went to the Oakleaf Temple to challenge Faron. She said she would come and greet you, Grandpa, after she finishes the challenge.”

Aileen gently supported the old man as he walked in the garden, answering his questions in a gentle voice.

“Hey, that girl only knows how to fight and kill all day long. She's not like a girl at all!!”

Old man Pheroque scolded with a smile, but the smile on his face was still bright, and he was not annoyed that Koer went to fight instead of coming to see him.

“And you, if you had half of your sister Koer's temper, I wouldn't worry about you being taken advantage of when you go out to explore in the future!”

After talking about Koer, the old man turned to Aileen. Aileen had been very gentle since she was a child, and even though she had advanced to a Shadow Walker, she still hadn't changed her nature. In addition, her rare talent made Allen consider her a treasure. He couldn't bear to let her take risks and do dangerous things, so Aileen was still harmless like a docile goat, unlike other young people from Greenwood who had gone out to explore and fight.

Although Aileen's temperament made the old man feel close to her, the Ferman world was never a peaceful place, and the wilderness was full of barbarism and slaughter. Aileen's personality might cause her to die young, which was something the old man was unwilling to see, so he had always been worried about Aileen.

“Recently, it seems that there is a big problem with the humans. Many human adventurers are gathering in Thornsburg, and there seem to be fewer human merchant teams coming and going. I heard that it's because the Rose Principality and the Spring Country, several border countries of the humans, have been plagued by evil gods. It seems that the world is going to be in chaos again!!”

As a high-level member of the Oakleaf Merchant Guild, the first-hand information that Pheroque could obtain was far beyond what Allen, a native chieftain in a remote area, could compare to. At this time, the smile on the old man's face gradually faded, and a few dark clouds slowly hung on it.

“Also, you must pay attention to your wilderness recently. It is said that many cultists of evil gods have appeared in the Mansa Central Plain, slaughtering the local natives to sacrifice to the abyss demon lords and devil grand dukes. When you go back this time, remember to remind your patriarch to pay attention to the surrounding movements and be as cautious as possible.”

“Okay.”

Aileen nodded gently, keeping this matter in mind.

“By the way, when you go back this time, please tell your patriarch that I want him to come to Thornsburg when he has time. I have something to tell him.”

Pheroque, who had no children, was now over 70 years old. Among the gnome race, such an age should be considered a long life. Except for those legendary powerhouses who had broken through the limits of mortals, very few gnomes could naturally live to be over 70 years old, especially in the wilderness. Old gnomes over 50 years old were extremely rare. Most of these old fellows would be exiled to the wilderness to fend for themselves, or simply be slaughtered by the gnomes in the settlement as meat.

Therefore, Pheroque had already begun to plan his funeral arrangements. After so many years of hard work, he had accumulated some wealth, and naturally hoped to leave it to someone he valued. His dozen or so students were not up to par. Even if he gave them this wealth, they might not be able to protect it. Don't think that the Elven Kingdom looks very civilized and pays attention to rules. In fact, they are just hiding their barbarism in the deepest place. People without a certain strength and status are not qualified to possess unmatched wealth.

Of course, deep down in his heart, the old man still wanted to see more gnomes live better lives. After wandering outside for so long, he still had not forgotten the miserable and desolate years when he struggled in the wilderness, and why his parents, brothers, and sisters had died one by one.

This was the greatest pain in the old man's heart, and it was also the reason why he had been secretly funding and helping those gnome clansmen who seemed to be very capable all these years.

“Cough cough! Cough cough!”

Years were unforgiving. After just walking a few steps, Pheroque felt a little breathless and began to cough softly.

“Grandpa, how about we…”

“Grandpa Pheroque, I'm here!! Did you miss me!!”

Just as Aileen and the middle-aged female gnome were about to persuade Pheroque to return to the house, a clear and loud voice came from afar. At the same time, a tall figure with a fresh scent of sweat flew over like the wind, and then stood in front of old man Pheroque, revealing Koer's excited and joyful face.

"What do I want you for? You came to the city and didn't even think to see me first, and you went off to fight with others!!"

Old Man Philo deliberately put on a stern face, gently scolding the tardy Coer.

The not-so-small garden quickly became lively again. With the addition of the clever and lively Coer, the warm atmosphere in the garden became even more pronounced.

On the other side, Linus, who had just received a replenishment of funds and supplies, came to a store with practiced ease, putting on an act and shouting at the busy elf clerk in the hall: "Hey, you guys, a customer is here, why don't you know to greet them?"

"Oh, it's Mr. Linus. Are you here to sell materials again this time?"

Because Linus was short, the front desk in the store was a bit high, so the busy clerk didn't notice his arrival. However, at this reminder, he lowered his head and saw that it was the stupid and showy big spender. He immediately gave Linus a bright smile.

"What else would I be doing?"

The only time Linus could show some confidence and self-assurance in front of the elves was probably now. Therefore, even though he knew that the purchase price offered by the other party was not very reasonable, just to obtain the enthusiasm and flattery feigned by the elf, he was willing to sell the materials in his hands to him. At this time, Linus's small face was full of arrogance, just like one of his elven second-generation rich friends.

"We must thank Mr. Linus for often taking care of our small shop's business. Let me see what kind of materials Mr. Linus has brought this time."

The clerk had long figured out Linus's temperament. For the sake of money, he naturally didn't mind making some unnecessary expressions. After all, although this young man looked unreliable, the materials he sent every few months were indeed good things. For example, the dozen or so crimson flame grasses that the clerk took out now were well-preserved and picked at the best time, with one plant being worth a gold coin, but their small shop only purchased them from him at a price of 50 silver coins.

Who wouldn't welcome such a sucker!

"Well, the materials this time are not much different from the last time. Let's buy them at the same price as last time, how about that?"

The clerk roughly estimated the value and gave a price.

"How is that possible? I personally counted this time, and there are many more materials than the last time. Don't even think about tricking me!!"

This time, Linus had his eye on a good item and was thinking of selling this batch of materials for a good price, then quickly getting that good item into his hands. At that time, he would definitely receive countless envious glances in the temple school.

"You are a regular customer of our store. How could I possibly deceive you? It's just that the market is not good recently, and the prices of many of your materials have fallen!"

With a few words, the clerk dispelled Linus's suspicion, and the smile on his face completely hid any flaws.

"No, if that's the case, then I won't have enough money to buy that thing!!"

Although he no longer suspected the other party, when he thought about selling the materials at this price, he wouldn't have any living expenses for the next few months. Linus decided to go and see the purchase prices of other stores, even a few more gold coins would be good.

Thinking of this, Linus got up from his seat and instructed: "Help me pack up the materials. I won't sell them here this time. I'll take care of your store next time."

"Hey, Mr. Linus, wait a minute…"

The clerk became anxious and quickly raised the price, then after a series of sweet words and deceptions, he finally raised the price of this batch of materials to 50 gold coins, and then watched Linus leave triumphantly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what an easy sheep to fleece!!"

The clerk was even happier. The actual purchase price of this batch of goods should be at least 100 gold coins. Even if he deducted some from it, he could still pocket a dozen or twenty gold coins. How could he not take good care of Linus, this big fat sheep?

After selling all the materials he had originally prepared for studying spells, Linus turned around and ran into a pet shop on another street.

"Hey, bring out that mutated white wolf that you guys caught last time. This young master wants to buy it!!"

As soon as he entered the door, Linus shouted loudly at the clerk who was daydreaming in the store.

Hearing that business had arrived, the elf clerk repeatedly raised his head, cheered up, and began to greet the customer: "Oh, it's you, sir. Do you have enough money this time?"

"Would I dare come to your store if I didn't have enough money? Hurry up, don't dawdle with me!!"

Linus replied casually, completely like a nouveau riche.

"Okay, please wait a moment, I'll go and get it for you!!"

The clerk smiled knowingly, then turned around and took out a beast cage from the back of the beast rack. Inside the cage was a snow-white juvenile white wolf, baring its teeth and making defensive gestures.

"Sir, that will be 40 gold coins, thank you."

"Here you go!!"

Linus reluctantly took out the money bag he had prepared earlier and poured it onto the counter, waiting for the other party to finish counting.

"Okay, have a nice day!"

Money comes quickly and goes just as quickly. In just half an hour, Linus had spent most of it, leaving only a meager 10 or so gold coins for living expenses. Thinking that he would have to rely on this little money for at least three months, Linus suddenly felt a headache.

"Little guy, I've sacrificed a lot for you!!"

As a druid apprentice, Linus has learned a lot over the years. He cast a spell of soothing animals on the little white wolf, and the other party's eyes became blurred, then slowly lay down and curled up in the cage, actually showing less hostility towards Linus.

However, originally, Allen's plan was to have Linus learn more about druid spells and knowledge related to plant cultivation and improvement. After all, there were still two crystals in the clan related to magic plant and magic alchemy, so they couldn't just be wasted.

However, Linus disliked the plant spells and knowledge as being boring and tasteless, and there weren't many good-looking elf girls in that field, so he secretly put more effort into animal spells.

Compared to dealing with plants every day, with the possibility of becoming a natural healer in the future, a druid who learns animal-related knowledge and spells can transform into a powerful berserker lion, iron-backed bear, and other huge beasts to fight. That is the path that a real man should take!! Of course, a raptor druid who can transform into birds is also good, but it still cannot contain Linus's heroic heart.

Most importantly, understanding and learning the physiological structure and habits of animals is the foundation for becoming a claw druid. And like the fluffy little guy in front of him, who is snow-white all over, is both a help for learning and the most popular with girls. When he tames this little white wolf and takes it to school, won't he make those elf girls in the school die of envy!

When the time comes, taking advantage of the little white wolf's popularity, he can have a good exchange of learning with several female elf classmates. Wouldn't that be a natural thing to do?

Thinking of this, Linus's eyes burned like a fire, and he couldn't wait to tame the little white wolf immediately and then take it out to show off!!