The Hunter's Guide to Monsters

There were two ways to upgrade a village into a town.

Two ways that would work for the draculkar nation in Redlands anyway.

The first is to apply for a charter from the Cyzar, once the wealth of the village grows and can pay the base trade taxes and the survey of territory that would become town land. 

The second was for a noble to acquire the territory the village was in and then grant 'town rights' to the village.

In human and mafmet territories, a village can buy a town charter for themselves. Unfortunately, the government of the draculkar Cyzar didn't allow that.

Krow was currently surveying the village.

Acquiring a territory in Redlands cost hundreds of thousands of drax. Millions, to maximize the developments and upgrades.

Could he bear the cost?

There were three draculkar towns that were as close to the border of the Forest as Cerkanst.

Krow could start his journey in one of them, easily.

But not one of the said towns had the sheer potential of Cerkanst for monster hunting.

They didn't excite Krow as much as this place did.

But he would rather enter Zushkenar with less money and security than he expected, fully entrenched and influential in another town, than stick to Cerkanst and enter Zushkenar with the responsibility of a weak town on his shoulders, not having grasped its full potential.

So he was searching for a reason.

What would make Cerkanst worth it for him to hitch everything on the future of the village, when it would take from him enough blood and sweat to paint half the sky red before it would be ready for the Quake?

Location was not quite enough.

He needed a product.

Tasseline Verdant Herbs were Rare, but sold at just 3 silver serpens per bundle on the Bourse.

Not enough.

The tradition of herb-growers though, that backstory had some potential. Still not enough.

He left the village proper and traveled the surrounding land.

Rainbow Rattler Snake. No.

Triceratop Forest Rat. No.

Jaderocktail Watersnake. Huh. No. That tail was more 'rock' than 'jade'. 

Otherwise, the jade would sell at 4 serpens per kilo of pebbles. How many snakes was that? Maybe twenty or so, to gain a full kilogram.

Glassmouth Mole. No.

Wait.

Mole Quartz.

This was the source of mole quartz, right?

He took out the Tradebook, did a search. Mole quartz was Uncommon.

C-quality mole quartz, 1 serpens per kilogram. Used in Good Leather Armor Polish, 7 serpens per fourth-jar. Profit: 4 serpens per jar.

B-quality mole quartz, 2 serpens per kilogram. Used in Good Metal Armor Polish, 12 serpens per fourth-jar. Profit: 6 serpens per jar.

A-quality mole quartz, 5 serpens per kilogram. Used in Superlative Armor Polish, 56 serpens per fourth-jar. Profit 27 serpens per jar.

These were current prices.

A fourth-jar meant a quarter-litre of volume or 250ml.

Assuming a cuirass, vambraces, and greaves, a fourth-jar would be used up in a week.

Armor polish increased the Durability of armor items by 50% . The recommended application was every three days. It maintained an increased Durability of 50% on the first day, 30% on the second day, and 15% on the third day.

A consumable item, relevant to the current climate.

An item only likely to grow in relevance in the coming months.

Wasn't it fortunate that he, who was a leatherworker in another life, knew the formula for Leather Armor Polish? 

As of now, only craftmasters and NPCs sold armor polish.

One kilo of C-grade mole quartz to create three litres of Good Leather Armor polish.

A single Glassmouth Mole could produce 5-7 kilos of mole quartz.

There was also a more specialized recipe. One kilo of B-grade mole quartz to create four litres of Superior Leather Armor polish.

Krow tilted his head, surveyed the area, the holes in the mountain, the traces of clear rime on the lower leaves of certain plants. He knelt on the ground, reached to pick up the 'rime'.

It was hard, like stone.

Glassmouth mole saliva, his mind supplied the information.

Hardened in contact with certain solutions.

Krow lifted the thick thorned leaves of the succulent, to see the pale red underside. 

Like the sap of the Hidden Dawn Watermaguey plant.

He stood.

The leafblade was as long as he was tall, tapering to a sharp spike at the top, and as wider at the base than he was. The edges of the succulent leaf blades had curved thorns at regular intervals.

Waermaguey was common in the wetlands.

The fibers were used to make rope, twine, and sacks.

Far above, to his right, were the cliff pillars that Cerkanst was built on.

Was this enough?

No.

But just within ten kilometers of the village, he'd found three monsters with fair earning potential and one that he could earn good profit from.

And a plant with fair potential.

In the sixty-five kilometer radius between Cerkanst and the nearest town of Rakaens, how many monsters were there that he could list in the 'good to excellent profit' column?

Not to mention going deeper into the Forest?

If he could find just three more before the craft upgrade….

He calculated, head tilted, fingers drumming on his thigh.

It would be enough to buy the village and some of the surrounding land.

But not much else.

Cerkanst was a hub of the monster material trade.

This was true.

Everbud Fern, Untoxic Salamander, Amethyst Turtle, Bellear Wolf, Swordhorned Elk, Greatrose Eagle.

Uncommons, Rares. Superior materials.

But all that material had lesser value now, than after the craft update.

Seven months.

June of 2096.

The craft upgrade would change the way Redlands was played.

Would he make it?

Judicious scouting and questions earlier told him that there were 300 people in the village, 37 families.

A quarter of the families farmed grain, another quarter grew herbs, and the rest were divided among various professions.

The village had a general merchandise shop, a tavern, a crafting shop, and a blacksmith.

The crafting shop was only there because of the herbs that the villagers grew, it sold mostly paper and books, with several shelves of potion-making paraphernalia. 

Also, with the herbgrowers, there were likely to be hidden apothecaries.

Could he work with that much, for a start?

Krow took a deep breath, mind going through, once again, the list of what was needed for a town.

Could he?

Krow smiled.

He was willing to make a wager.