CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41

The staff member awkwardly continued breaking the ice block while a group of onlookers watched playfully, as if they were moments away from witnessing a secret being exposed.

The shopkeeper felt the pressure mounting. He was convinced today would end in losses. He couldn’t help but shoot a resentful glare at the scar-faced man.

Noticing the hostility, the man met his gaze with smug arrogance, as if to say, "What are you gonna do about it?"

The shopkeeper clenched his teeth in frustration.

Finally, the ice cracked open, revealing a solid lump of hardened resin. Several spectators leaned in with curiosity as the staff broke apart the resin under their watchful eyes.

As it split open, a sharp, distinctive aroma wafted out. Instinctively, some people took a deep breath. The scent was so calming and pleasant that a few let out involuntary, embarrassed sighs of relief.

The shopkeeper suddenly perked up. The scar-faced man’s earlier accusations were immediately rendered void. Judging by the crowd’s reactions, this item was clearly genuine.

The scar-faced man’s expression soured—it felt like a public slap in the face. He wanted to refute Clayton, but knew this wasn’t the moment.

Once the excitement died down, the shopkeeper stepped forward to inspect the item.

"Congratulations, my friend! You truly are lucky! This is a hundred-year-old agarwood preserved in resin—exceptional for calming the mind and improving sleep. It could fetch double the price of your last find! Once again, congratulations!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm.

The crowd erupted in cheers, almost as if they were the ones who had won something.

Clayton remained composed, offering a polite smile as he accepted the item from the shopkeeper’s hands.

With this, Clayton no longer had to worry about maintaining the focus required for spell scroll crafting once his tea supply ran out. The agarwood could easily replace the regular tea he’d been using to help with concentration.

Satisfied, Clayton began preparing to leave. After all, knowing when to stop was the golden rule of gambling. If you kept chasing wins, ruin was inevitable.

But before he could leave, the shopkeeper eagerly tried to persuade him again.

"My friend, luck is clearly with you today. Why not try just one more? Even if you lose, it’s nothing for someone who’s already ahead. Who knows—this might be your luckiest day yet! You’d regret letting this chance pass you by."

Clayton simply smiled and declined. In his view, he had already gained more than enough. He wasn’t about to fall into the gambler’s trap of chasing the next big win.

Seeing that Clayton wouldn’t budge, the shopkeeper let him go courteously. After all, Clayton had unintentionally drawn plenty of attention to his stall.

Sure enough, several people were now eyeing the mysterious ice blocks with renewed interest.

Just as everyone thought Clayton was truly leaving, he suddenly stopped in front of a much larger ice block. The crowd looked puzzled, unsure what he saw in it.

After a brief moment of inspection, the shopkeeper hurried over.

"My friend, interested in this one? This is a super ice block! It might be hiding an incredible treasure. If you choose this, your payoff could be even greater than before!"

Clayton didn’t respond right away. His intuition was nudging him—this block felt important somehow.

"How much?" he asked.

"Not expensive at all! Just one hundred low-grade magic crystals! For someone as fortunate as you, this might be your best pick yet!"

Clayton blinked. Not expensive? That’s very expensive.

Still, he considered it. Not wanting to draw suspicion, he feigned deep thought, occasionally furrowing his brows.

The shopkeeper waited patiently.

Eventually, Clayton appeared to make up his mind and pointed to the ice block. The shopkeeper beamed—he hadn’t really expected Clayton to buy it, but he did!

This time, the unsealing process went smoothly without interruption.

Crack!

The ice shattered, revealing a black stone within. The crowd leaned in, intrigued. The staff cracked it open again.

Crack!

But... nothing. The stone was empty.

Disappointment rippled through the crowd. Had it contained something, Clayton would have scored three wins in a row. Still, the mood quickly settled. The staff cleaned up the shards and handed them over to Clayton.

"Don’t be discouraged, my friend. What matters is gratitude. You’ve already won big today!" the shopkeeper said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Yeah, I feel the same. I’m grateful," Clayton replied calmly, smiling as he took the shards. He didn’t seem upset at all, earning quiet respect from the bystanders.

But just as he turned to leave, someone stepped in his path.

Clayton’s brows drew together. He looked up—there was the scar-faced man again.

Feigning friendliness, the man said, "Wow, congrats, brother! You’re incredible. I lost quite a bit earlier, myself."

Clayton didn’t respond. He simply nodded, waiting for the man to get to the point.

Annoyed by Clayton’s indifference, the man pressed on.

"Say, brother... how about selling me your prize? It’d really lift my spirits. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you triple the original ice block price."

Clayton scoffed and turned away without a word. Dream on. Sell my treasure for cheap? I’m not a child.

"Brother..." the man called again, his tone tight with irritation.

"Brother..." he repeated, now barely restraining his anger.

"Broth—"

But before he could lose control, a chill crawled up his spine.

He turned—and saw seven mini skeletons staring at him, each with a blank expression, each pointing a finger at him like a gun.

They didn’t look dangerous. If anything, they looked oddly cute. But his instincts screamed: this is no joke.

In the end, the scar-faced man backed off, rage simmering in his eyes as he watched Clayton walk away.

Only after Clayton had disappeared did he exhale in relief. That terrifying pressure was gone.

Still, he had no intention of letting this go. He swore to settle the score—no matter what. Without delay, he stormed off in another direction.

Meanwhile, a young man and an elderly gentleman made their way toward the gambling stalls, scanning the area.

"Is it true someone won hundred-year-old agarwood in a gamble?"

"Yes, Grandpa. But I think he’s already left..."

The old man sighed, eyes searching the crowd.

Elsewhere, Clayton continued wandering the festival grounds. Who knew? Maybe he’d stumble onto something interesting again. After all, the gambling session had been unexpectedly fun.

But after a while, nothing else stood out. He ended up purchasing only a few mid-tier one-star magic scrolls, each costing ten low-grade magic crystals.

He also picked up a water pouch made from animal hide. He had no idea what kind of beast it came from, but it could hold up to three cubic meters of water—despite being the size of a regular canteen.

Its only drawback: it could only store water. Clayton handed one to each of his mini skeletons and kept one for himself to improve the efficiency of their water-based spell attacks.

After finishing his shopping, Clayton decided to head home.

He walked at a leisurely pace, but the farther he went, the quieter the streets became. Eventually, he found himself at a dead end.

But instead of turning around, he spoke aloud:

"All right... stalking me for this long? Might as well say hello."