ALL NOVEL Chapter 261: Bribe
Aur's brows furrowed as he meticulously sifted through each document in the second area. Finally, he set down the last paper with a sigh of resignation.
"Truly, this has broadened my horizon," Aur mumbled, his expression thoughtful. However, his mood was considerably sour.
Despite gaining information about the outside world and acquiring many things, he had yet to uncover the most important piece of information he sought.
What had caused that terrifying explosion? It remained a great mystery that Aur was determined to solve. Otherwise, he and his family could perish without ever knowing the truth.
He had a faint feeling it was because of William.
The Tier Four wizard had captured him, and Aur couldn't possibly stand against such power.
His only recourse was to identify the cause of the explosion and eradicate it at the source.
Or, he could attempt to flee the villages with his family.
However, even as a strength comparable to an Tier Two wizard or even slightly greater, he lacked the confidence to traverse the wilderness without support.
Carrying his family along would only make the endeavour more impossible.
With these thoughts weighing on him, he shook his head.
"One step at a time, Aur," he whispered to himself, his gaze inevitably drifting to the floor before refocusing on the door leading to the third floor.
He stood up and slowly approached the door. Discover hidden stories at m,v l'e|m-p| y r
As he anticipated, a cold voice immediately pierced the silence.
"Halt! You are not permitted to proceed to the third floor. Only the village leader has access to it."
Aur hastily bowed, his expression nervous.
"Yes, but I am truly eager to go. Would it be possible for me to gain access?" he inquired with pure curiosity, his demeanour akin to that of a child.
"No."
"Sorry, senior," Aur smiled, "one mana-gathering potion."
"Do you think that wealth can sway me? Do you realise the consequences of attempting to bribe me, and the potential repercussions if the village were to discover this? It is no different from committing a felony."
Aur didn't hesitate, maintaining a light tone. "Five mana-gathering potions."
The voice seemed to pause, its tone still firm. "My loyalty to the village is unwavering."
"Is that so? Ten mana-gathering potions," Aur countered.
"Ten!?" the voice exclaimed, a hint of tremor evident.
"No, I don't need it. I am truly loyal to the village."
"Senior, as you know, I am the only alchemist in the village now. If you allow me to skim through the place for just ten minutes, I will provide you with ten mana-gathering potions, which can significantly elevate your cultivation."
"Hmph, trying to buy me with wealth? These chumps' change is not enough for selling favor…" the senior chuckled.
Aur's expression grew cold when he heard this. "Fifteen mana-gathering potions."
The person was tempted to accept, but he still refused vehemently. "Not 'enough'."
Hearing this, Aur smiled. "You are right, senior. Your dedication to the village is unwavering and must not be challenged. How could the little wealth of this junior entice a senior who is indifferent to wealth?" His tone was filled with righteousness. "Fourteen mana-gathering potions," he added.
The person who was secretly watching was stupefied upon hearing this, remaining silent for ten seconds.
Aur calmly spoke again. "Thirteen mana-gathering potions."
These words left the man truly stupefied. Aur continued unperturbed without even letting him think for long. "Twelve mana-gathering potions."
The man gritted his teeth in frustration, but he was a smart person and immediately gave a sigh.
"Wait."
"What is it, Senior?" Aur innocently asked.
"Give me fifteen mana-gathering potions, and I will allow you to enter," the senior replied.
Aur chuckled. "How could I dare to doubt the loyalty of the senior? It's fine, eleven mana-gathering potions."
The person gritted his teeth in frustration. "You lower it again, you damn bastard," he thought to himself.
"Fine, eleven mana-gathering potions it is," he finally relented.
"But didn't Senior say that he will not sell to resources and your royalty is unwavering?" Aur spoke curiously.
"Times change, and I urgently need the potion for my breakthrough. If I don't, I might die. I have made sufficient contributions to the village, so…"
Aur rubbed his ears, listening to the rambling of the old man. He was talking nonsense that didn't make much sense at all.
"Alright then, Senior. It is eleven mana-gathering potions, and I will remember the favour. Whenever you want a potion, come to me. I will sell it to you at a discounted rate," Aur confidently stated.
The man was satisfied when he heard this, but he warned in a low tone, "Remember, you are only allowed for ten minutes. Nothing more."
"Yes, Senior," Aur nodded seriously.
"Good."
As the old man's voice fell, the door parted itself, revealing a narrowed pathway.
Aur walked inside without hesitation and swiftly entered the third floor.
This place was even more spacious than the second.
However, the records here were even fewer than the second floor.
But that didn't mean they weren't valuable; instead, there were few records that contained precious information important to the village.
Aur looked at one of the records and blew the dust away from it.
The place was relatively clean, with only some dust and no insects in sight.
There might be some spell here which eradicates all the bugs and insects, so the place only had dust.
However, the accumulation of the dust was very minimal; at most, a person might have come here a year ago.
But these places only allowed the Village Leader to enter.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Aur's face. A person's heart was unpredictable like the waves of the sea.
Just like Aur, who bribed his way through, why can't the others bribe the person guarding here?
As he thought of this, he slowly flipped open the records and read them one by one.
For him, whose life level has increased to tier one, he could roughly go through the book in just half a minute, while there were only fifteen or so records, which was plenty of time for Aur.