Chapter 24: The Rewarded Young Fox

“Little girl, as a sign of my appreciation, I’ll give you and your companion a small gift. Come up and pick two things,” he said with a gentle smile.

Honey responded with a cheerful “Oh!” and pulled Vinico forward. She didn’t stand on ceremony, swiftly opening the chest and gesturing for Vinico to choose. Anthony Stone and his subordinates looked on in surprise—letting a retainer select from the gifts bestowed by such a distinguished figure?

Vinico, too, made no pretense, examining the contents of the chest closely, gazing at each item, occasionally reaching out to touch one lightly. No one hurried him; after all, when choosing rewards everyone proceeds with caution. This was a minor hobby of Sir Stone’s—he enjoyed watching the jubilation when someone unearthed a treasure from the heap of mixed rewards, and was equally amused by their disappointment upon picking something worthless.

Everything was left to fate… In this temple blessed by the gods, good fortune surely signified divine favor.

“This one—the Sunray Amulet, an ornament that enhances the level of light magic. It suits you,” Vinico said, fastening a sun-shaped pendant around Honey’s neck.

Anthony Stone’s interest was piqued; he knew this amulet was the finest treasure in the little chest.

“As for me… Hm, this is a Regna-standard crossbow with a dark attribute. I didn’t expect to see one here.” Vinico picked up the crossbow and inspected it.

Dark attribute—increased weapon speed and grants a ‘life drain’ magical effect when attacking.

But in the temple of the Lord of Light, why would such an item be here? Vinico was momentarily puzzled.

“It was seized during the investigation of the Thief Prince’s activities. Being the Temple of Light, our acolytes dislike such weapons, so it’s been left here, awaiting a suitable new owner. Since you like it, it’s yours. Still, you did pick out the two best prizes. Sharp eye,” said Sir Stone.

“A devout follower receives the Lord’s favor—it’s not just a matter of sharp eyes,” Vinico replied without embarrassment.

“Indeed. So then…”

“Please grant us the honor of capturing the Thief Prince,” Vinico bowed, “We will devote ourselves to glorifying the Lord and honoring your kindness.”

“Certainly. I promise, if you bring the Thief Prince to me alive, I will elevate your rank to a full priest,” Anthony Stone said, pointing to Vinico.

Vinico bowed again, and together with Honey, withdrew from the temple.

“Strange, why do I feel something’s off about that child…” Anthony shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Something off? Of course—White Mages use ‘white magic.’ Though they possess healing and support abilities, these are spells, not the divine arts wielded by priests.

Once outside, Vinico reset his role and led Honey, who was still playing with a ball of light, to the inn to meet Sophie.

He tossed those miniature gold coins to Honey as if they were toys. Clearly, such tiny, exquisite trinkets, though not valuable, interested her far more than real coin.

After distracting Honey, Vinico knocked on Sophie’s door.

“We’ve requested the task of capturing the Thief Prince from Sir Stone,” Vinico said straightforwardly. “Our next destination is Paradise Freehold.”

“Plans?” Sophie asked.

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” Vinico sighed, scratching his head. “You know, the Thief Prince is just a clever little rogue, but the real trouble is that labyrinthine sewer network—who knows where he’ll hide?”

“Earlier reports suggest the Thief Prince may have powerful backing,” Sophie said.

“That means our search might encounter unexpected formidable foes,” Vinico mused, tapping on the table, his head tilted in thought.

Paradise Freehold was a true metropolis. Its sewer network alone would take more than a day and night to traverse.

That was a real headache…

From White Hat Town to Paradise Freehold was two days by carriage. Vinico didn’t idle those days away.

He made good use of the daily prayer. Additionally, during the caravan’s rest stops, he practiced purification alchemy and crafted sundries, accumulating consumables for himself.

In Vinico’s hand was a card shimmering with golden patterns—a magical artifact born from the fusion of the Lord of Wishes’ divine power and his own wish. As a single-use magical item, it could target someone, compelling them to share their cash equally with the user…

Vinico’s idea was quite amusing—perhaps it was this novelty that caught the Lord of Wishes’ attention.

Evidently, this card resembled a modified version of the mind-controlling spells, particularly the enslavement spell, but it focused on a single behavior and was crafted with the Lord’s divine power, resulting in a much higher success rate.

However, using it would provoke strong hostility from the target, so it was advised not to attempt this risky magic on allies or powerful individuals.

Another card was the result of Vinico’s wish on the second day of travel: Talent for Accuracy. This card was also a magical artifact, a blend of divine power and wish. When Vinico held it between his teeth, he would gain an ability he didn’t originally possess—a talent for accuracy.

At that moment, Vinico would have the vision, steadiness, and hand-eye coordination of a trained archer.

The only flaw was, due to Sophie’s lack of divine power, the card’s duration was limited—in other words, its durability was low.

But it was enough.

Additionally, Vinico had used the program for an autonomous mechanical wooden horse to prototype a mechanical bull. This creature was larger, heavier, could carry more, had better defense and greater impact force than the wooden horse, though it looked uglier and moved slower.

Upon arriving at Paradise Freehold, Vinico folded the mechanical bull into a large leather trunk and left it at the inn behind the caravan guild. He then pulled the mechanical wooden horse along, its sides laden with pills and sundries he had crafted during the journey, and strolled through the shopping district.

He quickly found his target: the Smugglers’ Guild.

“Kid, you—” The burly man guarding the door reached out to block him, about to speak when Vinico kicked him.

“Idiot, it’s me,” Vinico retorted, his nickname being the Young Fox. “It’s me, the Young Fox from New Sopig Town.”

“Who knows you!” the burly man roared, lunging for Vinico’s neck.

“Pirates’ Den, fool,” Vinico snapped, landing another kick. He lacked strength without transforming, so the blows weren’t damaging, but Sophie was beside him.

The girl extended her greatsword, pressing it onto the burly man’s shoulder, forcing him to his knees.

“It’s you—the little strategist from Pirates’ Den,” said a smuggler who recognized Vinico, laughing as he stepped out from the room.

“I thought he’d recognize me,” Vinico joked, spreading his hands and pointing to the autonomous wooden horse behind him. “Here, appraise these and sell them on the spot.”

“In a hurry?” the small boss asked.

“No rush. Sell most of it within a week. Anything unsold, you can buy cheap—including the mechanical golem,” Vinico said generously. “No need for me to appraise the value, right?”

He glanced sideways at the small boss, hinting at a challenge.

Appraisal? The small boss thought it over and shook his head. No need. Vinico wasn’t a novice—the Pirates’ Den of New Sopig Town had some reputation, and for someone so young to be a strategist there, Vinico’s insight and intelligence must be exceptional.

What the small boss didn’t know was that Vinico hadn’t mastered the world’s unique commerce skills; his appraisal ability came from his newly acquired Eye of Insight.

“This is my list. Prioritize items from the first column—if they’re out of stock, substitute with items from the second,” Vinico handed over the list he had drafted during the past two days.

The small boss smiled after a glance: “I see you haven’t been underestimated. The prices of these items are probably comparable to what you’re offering.”

“Of course,” Vinico said proudly, tilting his chin. Yet, given his age and stature, the gesture was more endearing than arrogant.

The small boss looked at the girl with the greatsword behind Vinico, and at the little girl, young but clad in bright armor and surrounded by a constant glow. He shook his head, perplexed.

Had the Pirates’ Den developed so much in recent years? The strength of these two—likely even the top fighters in the Smugglers’ Guild wouldn’t dare guarantee they could handle them, even if it were ten against two.

As for the Young Fox before him, he seemed frail, but the iron-plated wooden horse and all those assorted medicines… Anyone capable of creating such things surely wasn’t a mere ordinary person.

The two exchanged glances, each harboring their own schemes, but their faces wore harmless, cheerful smiles.

“See you soon… By the way, if I want to meet the Thief Prince, is there a way?” Vinico asked as he turned to leave.

“That gentleman?” the small boss hesitated.

“He’s just a thief leader—no more noble than you or me,” Vinico said softly.