Paragon of Skills

Chapter 275

Jacob finds a wizened man looking at him with severe eyes.

“You!” The man says, stomping toward him, followed in turn by the True Diamond man.

Well, Master Brendev, I suppose.

“How do you dare?!” The old man says. “Do you have any idea what you’re trying to do, you little sniveling—”

“I’m sorry,” Lancelot walks in front of Jacob. “Who are you?”

“Master Brendev,” the deep voice from behind says, scrutinizing Jacob and probably realizing he can’t feel his true aura with a frown. “Let’s hear what this man has to say before creating a ruckus.”

“Hear what he has to say?!” Master Brendev’s eyes almost pop out of his sockets.

Jacob is not particularly worried for his safety, not even in front of this man.

What he’s worried about, honestly, is something else: the corruption.

Where is the Corruption coming from? he wonders.

“He’s not even listening to us!” Master Brendev shouts.

Jacob smacks his lips and raises a hand.

“I’m sorry,” he says toward the duo. “I’ll talk to you about Thalric Ashenvale later. I am here to gather some ingredients and talk to Master Velnaris.”

Jacob pushes past Master Brendev, with the other man having to grab the old man by the arm before he can lunge after Jacob. But then, when the renowned Tutor realizes that he can’t legally attack someone on the streets just because they allegedly stole a student, which is not a crime by itself, his expression turns malicious.

“Anyone here,” his voice amplifies with Mana, “who’ll conduct any business with this man will be forever barred from my services, and with them, their entire family!”

All the present merchants know Master Brendev very well. Either they hope of getting their children instructed by him or they are looking forward to personally receiving instructions. And even those who are not actively seeking his services right now, do hope one day of having one of their descendants apprenticed to Master Brendev.

Jacob sees at a glance the damage that Master Brendev has just done. He looks around and all the merchants avoid his gaze.

“Don’t deal with that guy,” a shopkeeper tells the young man at the front of his stall. “Master Brendev is not to be trifled with.”

In moments, the air shifts in the market at Lily Hall. People have come here to get some of their treasures appraised by Master Brendev and to sell some of their usual wares in the meanwhile. They come from all around Ashenmere. Under normal circumstances, they would have happily conducted business with Jacob. Yet, all it took was one word from someone belonging to an upper class of people to shut everything down.

If Jacob was a better person, he wouldn’t judge them. In fact, they are just doing what was most convenient to them. But Jacob is not in the business of convenience; he’s in the business of justice.

“Master Brendev,” Jacob says, stepping up to the grinning, malicious old man. “I have not offended you. I have not said one besmirching word toward your persona. Yet, just because your disciple has made a choice which is nothing more than his own right, you want to stop me from going on about my own business here?”

“I am only making sure that a trickster like you, a filthy impostor who cons people, is not going to rob anyone here of their livelihood,” Master Brendev says, extremely self-pleased with himself, projecting an aura of benevolence. “And the most important thing to me is the health of my students. I couldn’t survive knowing that Thalric suffered because I didn’t stop you, Mr. Cabbage.”

“That’s Master Brendev for you,” someone sighs. “This Mr. Cabbage managed to con his student, and he’s staking his own reputation, his own face in order to help the poor student!”

“And it’s not just any student, that Mr. Cabbage snatched Thalric Ashenvale, the most promising warrior of Ashenmere!”

“It makes me sick that someone like Mr. Cabbage is allowed to ruin people’s lives like this.”

Lancelot and Korim look at Jacob, about to jump on the stupid crowd, but he gestures at them to do nothing. It’s only natural that someone with the standing of Master Brendev has gathered so much approval over the years. And so, Jacob tries to stay calm and argue his point.

“I am looking for herbs that are needed for your ex-disciple,” Jacob says. “I could give you the recipe right now if what you really cared about was the health of Thalric. You could even ask Master Velnaris about the recipe itself if you don’t believe me. I truly am interested only in having Thalric healed.”

Master Brendev narrows his eyes and curls his lips in disgust as if he had just eaten rotten meat—that’s how disgusting he found Jacob’s proposal.

“You are nothing,” Master Brendev says, “you spout nonsense about health. Thalric is perfectly healthy. There is nothing he needs from someone such as yourself.”

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Jacob sees the True Diamond-ranked man perk up when he hears about Thalric, but he says nothing.

“I don’t think you understand the severity of the damage that Thalric suffered from. This could cripple him. If you’re a good Tutor, take this matter seriously.”

Jacob takes out a slip of paper from his Interspatial Ring and offers it to Master Brendev.

“Here, this is the recipe. Feel free to buy the ingredients yourself and brew the elixir. Even a toddler could do it. Double-check it with all Alchemists you know. I have nothing to hide.”

That seems to take aback most of the crowd.

If Mr. Cabbage is a fraud, why does he seem so staunch in wanting to heal Thalric Ashenvale? Is there something that perhaps they’re not understanding?

“If one healed an injury that didn’t exist, then would they be a miracle healer or a fraud, Mr. Cabbage? This is a con as old as time. Make someone sick and sell a fake cure. You disgust me.”

“Right! That’s why Mr. Cabbage wants Thalric to be cured! Thalric is not sick at all!”

“My goodness, this Mr. Cabbage is truly an evil mastermind! I would have never thought of it! Thankfully, Master Brendev is truly an otherworldly well of wisdom.”

“I wonder how a man can live with himself after living his life like this!”

Jacob hears the crowd talk all this trash and, for a moment, considers letting all of Ashenmere burn. He knows that whatever plan the Dark Champion had for this city, it would be accelerated the moment he shows himself or the Dark Champion finds anything overly suspicious. The Mr. Cabbage identity is already creating way more ripples than he had intended for.

All this labor, all this work for some ungrateful bastards.

But then, the same way that thought came, it goes away.

When he looks in the crowd, he does see a lot of angry faces, some of them even shouting profanities at him. But what he also sees is a lot of tired people trying to stay out of it, trying to make their living for their families, and just about a bunch of people powerless to do anything.

It’s true. A part of Jacob would love to kill Master Brendev on the spot. It would allow him to heal Thalric and then, he’d just rush into the mines, doing his best with his Skills to fix the problem.

But a bunch of people would die.

And among them, innocents.

And, most importantly, unlike those who are powerless to change things, Jacob just needs to cultivate his patience.

Jacob looks at the smirking Master Brendev and then at the appraisers, disciples of Master Velnaris, who are coming forth with a dark face. They have been making quite the scene so far.

“What’s happening here?” A woman asks with a frown, looking between Jacob and Master Brendev.

Jacob is surprised to feel a powerful Early True Diamond ranked aura from her.

“I’m sorry, Lady Delilah,” Master Brendev bows slightly. “I was just dealing with a nuisance of an impostor. I should be almost done. Please, bring my sincerest apologies to Master Velnaris.”

The woman, imposing, tall, and extremely beautiful, scoffs at Master Brendev.

This Master Velnaris must be stronger than I thought, Jacob thinks, if this woman is his disciple.

“Lady Delilah,” Jacob says with a smile. “I’m Tutor Ocabj, and I was having a discussion with Master Brendev about reagents and ingredients. Since you’re here, would you mind bearing witness to a little exchange between us? We just need to settle a little thing.”

“We won’t bother Lady Delilah with such frivolities!” Master Brendev says, irated. “And since Thalric is not here, how do you think you can even—“

“In fact,” Jacob says, cutting Master Brendev off, “I don’t plan on asking questions about the recipe. That would be, as you said, not indicative of our knowledge or honesty. How about, instead, we have a little appraisal competition?”

“You are both wasting my—“

Jacob produces a hundred True Diamond Coins and drops them in Delilah’s lap, making her eyes bulge. Even though she’s been traveling with Master Velnaris, rarely she gets to see so much money at once.

“I come from a good family,” Jacob says. “And I have my savings on me. I’m curious, Master Brendev, would you be open to a little competition in appraising herbs?”

Master Brendev, who feels he’s the most qualified person here beside Master Velnaris himself, has to keep himself from laughing out loud. He’s been training as an Alchemist and an Herbalist since he was a child! What does this pipsqueak think he can do?!

But after seeing how much money this fool is carrying with himself, Master Brendev has even forgotten about Thalric. With all that money, he could buy enough ingredients to break through to True Diamond Rank finally!

Salivating, Master Brendev tries to dissimulate.

“I don’t know, Mr. Cabbage,” Master Brendev says nonchalantly, “I don’t think that’s enough money to move me.”

At that point, Delilah almost faints.

What does that old bald man mean it’s not enough money?! she thinks. I am a True Diamond Ranker and I have not seen this much money myself!

Jacob, among other things, had sold a lot of Runic Notation at Diamond Rank. Those had sold like hot moon essence infused cupcakes.

“I’m sorry, I only have a hundred more,” Jacob says, pulling out a hundred more True Diamond Coins.

Master Brendev starts choking on his own saliva and nods eagerly.

“Of course, of course. Then, I shall enter this competition if that’s what you’re willing to stake,” Master Brendev says, failing to hide a wide smile.

Master Brendev is already walking forward to count his newly-found fortune when he hears Jacob’s voice innocently say, “but Master Brendev, what are you going to stake?”

Master Brendev goes pale at that. His whole account at the bank only totals at ten True Diamond Coins. He has no way to bring an equitable sum to the table.

“Tutor Ocabj,” Delilah says, frowning, “are you sure—“

“How about…” Jacob interrupts her. “How about you renounce your Tutoring Token, are forever banned by the Guild, and will receive three slaps from me?”

Master Brendev, who has been immersed in thoughts of all the elixirs he’s going to buy with that money, suddenly darkens.

“What did you just say to me?” The old man asks.

“I’m sorry, was it not clear enough?” Jacob smiles innocently. “I said, you’ll need to renounce your role as Tutor, be forever banned by the Guild, and you will be slapped thrice.”

“Well, kid,” the bald man says, raging, “if you want to be a dead vegetable, you just had to ask. How about you stake your life on this on top of all your money? If you—“

“Sure,” Jacob says, shutting the old man up and making the entire crowd balk at him.

“Has he lost his mind?!”

“He’s too young to die like this!? What the hell is he doing?!”

“Master Brendev is a living encyclopedia of herbs, that guy is dead!”

Master Brendev had initially decided not to go this far, but licks his lips and nods curtly. “Very well, I accept.”