The Great Thief

”A Kodo seems good; I want a black one. The Stonehorn tribe likes black,” Lu Li muttered loudly enough for the old man to hear before entering the pound.

There were several adult beasts in the pound. There were a dozen mountain goats, more than two dozen Kodos and some other creatures as well.

”Here it is! Keep moving forward!” Hachi Chan was trembling with excitement. Fortunately, she wasn’t a

complete idiot and kept her voice to a whisper, just in case she disturbed the old Tauren. If she shouted, both of them would be turned into jerky in a heartbeat.

”Calm down. Give me an approximate location,” Lu Li said as he obediently moved forwards.

He didn’t dare to make his purpose too obvious. The old Tauren seemed to be quite knowledgeable, so he might find a reason to distrust Lu Li.

Deeper into the pound, there were female beasts that were responsible for nursing the young. They watched Lu Li vigilantly as they made menacing sounds with their mouths.

”In the cabinet on the left,” Hachi Chan decided, based on the information given by the detector.

On the right was an enclosure where some livestock was being kept, and on the left were some cabinets that looked like a warehouse. They were all locked up.

Lu Li didn’t immediately turn left, and instead acted like he didn’t care where he was going. He caught a glance at a half-grown Kodo poking through the cage fence and loudly said, ”How many gold coins for the black Kodo in row 18?”

He didn’t say this just for the act. If he could actually buy it, he wouldn’t want to pass up an opportunity for a mount.

Kodos were mounts that were exclusive to the Tauren, but that did not mean that other races couldn’t ride them. If your reputation with them wasn’t high enough, they wouldn’t sell one to you. Other races were also unable to enter transactions to sell race-exclusive mounts.

Regardless, there were still a few ways to get a race-exclusive mount.

The first was from festive activities. In the Brewfest for example, a player could acquire two exquisite mounts – the Swift Brewfest Ram or the Swift Brewfest Kodo. The second way was from a Boss drop and the third was a special circumstance like this one.

”One hundred and fifty gold. If you want, I’ll even give you 10 Kodo feed. You only need to take care of it for a little longer before you can ride it,” the Old Tauren offered as he slowly walked over.

Lu Li quickly added up the cost in his mind. It probably costed 30 gold for the warriors to catch the Kodo. They would have taken care of it for probably two months which was unlikely to cost more than 2 to 3 gold. Even if the cost of the workers was included, it wouldn’t be more than 50 gold. If he was selling it for 150 gold, that was a 200% profit.

Tauren didn’t do business like the Goblins, but that didn’t mean they were stupid.

”Fortunately, I caught a small Druid so I can sell it for some money. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to buy it.” Lu Li appeared to speak carelessly, as if he understood business very well. ”But do not expect to fool the greatest future warrior of the Stonehorn tribe.”

The Old Tauren’s heart sank; this reckless calf was going to bargain.

”You must give me a saddle, and it must be your newest one,” Lu Li said as he stared at the Tauren’s round dark eyes and puffed his nose.

Sure enough, this was just an inexperienced calf. The old Tauren sneered and calmly said, ”Alright, there’s a saddle next to the blacksmith. I’ll go get it for you. You wait. I’ll be right back.”

Although he was a little agitated, he glanced at the cabinets to the left to make sure they were locked before leaving.

Lu Li waited for him to leave before asking Hachi Chan which cabinet to unlock.

Lu Li appeared to be a Tauren Warrior, so it seemed like there was no way for him to get into the cabinets without breaking them. This caused the old Tauren to let down his guard a little. However, in reality, Lu Li was Thief and Unlock was one of his special skills.

As long as it was of a high enough level, any lock could theoretically be opened.

Lu Li anxiously watched the countdown end and the locked cabinet open. There was a clear container inside with a glowing dragon egg that had a colorful luster. This was what they had come for.

Lu Li was afraid to take out the dragon egg, fearing that he would harm this fragile life. He held the container and put it directly into his backpack.

Fortunately, he was allowed to put it in his backpack, although it required four spaces.

”It’s mine! Its mine!” Hachi Chan was a little anxious when Lu Li put it into his own backpack. She hated that her hands and feet were tied and was prepared to bite him.

”If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll do it for you,” Lu Li threatened as he closed the cabinet and replaced the lock that was on it.

He then returned to the enclosure and pretended to tease the Kodo.

”This is the best saddle I have. It’ll cost me a dozen gold coins but you’ll be able to sit tight on it.” Before long, the old Tauren had returned and showed the saddle he had brought.

Lu Li almost cursed at him – this was clearly the most low-end saddle. This seemed like the workmanship of a craftsman from Stormwind City.

The Old Tauren wasn’t worried at all that Lu Li could tell the difference.

Lu Li looked like he had quite a bit of money but was insisting that he knew it all despite his young age.

In fact, most Tauren who just left the tribe were like him. The exception were those simple and honest fools who were even easier to cheat.

”How do I take it? Will taking this pet affect my fighting? Members of the Stonehorn tribe who don’t fight will feel very uncomfortable,” Lu Li kept on spouting nonsense in fear that the old Tauren would check the cabinets.

The lock that had been unlocked by the Unlock skill had been internally destroyed. It was incapable of being closed again and this could be noticed if the old Tauren looked carefully. One gentle pull, and the door would be destroyed.

Once discovered, the consequences would be disastrous. If that happened, Lu Li could only pray and accept his fate.

The old Tauren smiled contemptuously, apparently bemused at Lu Li’s ignorance.

He slowly walked towards the cabinets and Lu Li’s hard skipped a beat. He tried to weigh up the strength of the Tauren, but there was no way to determine who would win in a fight.

Fortunately, the old Tauren didn’t stop at the cabinet with the destroyed locks.

He went to the innermost cabinet and took out a bunch of keys from his belt to open the cabinet.

Of course, Lu Li already knew that the mount that he bought would just be summoned, but his fuss appeared to satisfy the old Tauren’s vanity.

The Old Tauren took out a poker and prepared to brand the Kodo that Lu Li wanted, but first, he indicated that Lu Li should pay.

Lu Li took out a leather bag and poured its contents onto the table. He halved what was there, which came to exactly 150 pieces of gold. Lu Li had prepared this beforehand.