## Chapter 8: Bait, Blade, and the Blackroot Gambit
The familiar stink of the Moss Quarter felt cloying after the chaotic energy of the Mud Market. Back in the clinic, the air was thick with the lingering scent of the bone broth and the sharp tang of ambition. Su Lin placed the heavy ash wood shaft carefully against the wall – the skeleton of a future weapon. The Verdant Void Opal, cool and dense in his pocket, thrummed with potential (`[Talent Points: 6.0]` `[Talent Level: 1 (6.0 / 10)]`). The three silver leaves Wen clutched felt insignificant compared to the sixty silver casually tossed for the Skyfall Crystal, but they were a start. A foothold.
Wen busied himself storing the purchased Frostpetal leaves, his hands trembling slightly, not from fear now, but from a nervous excitement. "Sixty silver... just like that, Su! For a *crystal*! Who *was* that young master? His robes... that circlet... not Falling Leaf style. Maybe from Verdant Fortress? Or even further?" He shook his head, bewildered by the glimpse into a wealth he couldn't fathom.
Su Lin remained silent, examining the ash wood. It was straight, dense, resilient. Good. But it needed a point. A *real* point. The rusty knife lashed to a reed wouldn't suffice against tougher beasts or, potentially, tougher people. "Wen," he said, his voice cutting through the old man's musings. "We need steel. A spearhead. Where?"
Wen blinked, refocusing. "Steel? Proper steel? Expensive, Su. Blackroot Kael, maybe. He runs the smithy near the East Gate slums. Does repairs, mostly. Makes simple knives, spearheads sometimes. But he's... difficult. Charges what he likes, especially to folks from the Moss Quarter."
"Difficult is manageable," Su Lin stated. "We have silver." He looked at the remaining Sunroot bulb resting on the worktable. Its golden hue seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. Bait. "We take the Sunroot. Show it. Tell him we need a good spearhead. A *very* good one. For... hunting rare herbs deeper in the marsh. Dangerous work. Needs a reliable point."
Understanding dawned on Wen's face. "Ah. You want him to see the value. Think we might have more... or know where to find it." He nodded slowly. "Kael's greedy. And curious. It might work. Might also make him try to rob us."
"Possible," Su Lin acknowledged. "But he runs a smithy. He values reputation, however crooked. Open robbery brings City Guard attention, even here. More likely, he overcharges. Or tries to extract information." He picked up the Sunroot bulb. "We go now. While the market buzz is still fresh."
The journey to the East Gate slums was a descent into deeper squalor. The buildings leaned precariously, the air thick with the acrid smell of cheap coal, sewage, and unwashed bodies. The Blackroot Smithy wasn't hard to find – a low, soot-stained building belching grey smoke from a crooked chimney, the rhythmic *clang* of hammer on metal echoing from within.
Inside was stiflingly hot. A massive forge dominated the space, coals glowing fiercely. A hulking man, easily a head taller than Su Lin and twice as wide, stood at an anvil. Muscles rippled under a leather apron stained black with soot and old burns. His face was a landscape of scars and ingrained grime, dominated by a nose that looked like it had met too many anvils. Blackroot Kael. He didn't look up as they entered, finishing a hammer stroke on a glowing horseshoe.
"Whaddya want?" he grunted, his voice like rocks grinding together. "If it's another pot mend, come back tomorrow. Busy."
"We need a spearhead, Master Kael," Wen said, stepping forward, trying to sound confident. "A good one. Strong. Sharp. For... serious marsh work."
Kael finally looked up, his eyes small, dark, and sharp as flint. They swept over Wen, then lingered on Su Lin, taking in his unassuming posture, the lack of visible weapons. "Marsh work? What, pokin' mud lizards? A rusty nail'll do ya." He plunged the horseshoe into a bucket of water with a furious hiss.
Su Lin stepped forward, holding out the Sunroot bulb. "We found this. Near the black pools. Where the Horned Toads are." He kept his voice flat. "Need a spear that can handle more than mud lizards."
Kael's eyes snapped to the Sunroot. Recognition flickered, followed by undisguised greed. "Sunroot? Good size... Where exactly?" He wiped his hands on his apron, leaving darker streaks.
"Deep marsh," Su Lin said vaguely. "Dangerous spot. Need a reliable weapon to go back. Harvest more." He let the implication hang.
Kael stared at the bulb, then at Su Lin, then at Wen. His mind was clearly working. A Moss Quarter herb-picker and his quiet companion finding Sunroot near the black pools? Possible, but lucky. And if they knew where more grew... "Good spearhead costs," he said slowly, tearing his gaze from the bulb. "Proper steel. Tempered. Five silver leaves."
Wen gasped. "Five silver! That's outrageous! A good hunting knife is one silver!"
"Knife ain't a spearhead," Kael sneered. "Steel's steel. Work's work. Five silver. Or take your shiny root elsewhere." He crossed his massive arms, clearly expecting them to cave or leave.
Su Lin didn't flinch. He met Kael's gaze directly, his own eyes cold and unreadable. "Three silver. And we tell you the general area we found the Sunroot. Not the exact spot. But the sector." He was gambling. Kael valued potential information over a one-time sale. He needed them to come back, to potentially lead him to more.
Kael's eyes narrowed. He studied Su Lin, the stillness in him, the lack of fear. It was unnerving. Moss Quarter rats usually cowered or blustered. This one was... calm. Calculating. "Four silver," Kael countered. "And you point me to the *sector* on a map when you pick up the head. Deal?"
Su Lin held his gaze for a beat longer, then nodded once. "Deal. We return tomorrow."
He placed three silver leaves on a relatively clean part of a workbench. "Deposit." He kept the fourth silver and the Sunroot. Kael grunted, scooping up the coins without comment, his eyes lingering on the bulb in Su Lin's hand.
As they left the oppressive heat of the smithy, Wen let out a shaky breath. "Four silver! Su, that's nearly all we have! And promising him a location...?"
"He gets a general area," Su Lin said, walking briskly. "The Whispering Marsh is vast. A 'sector' could be miles across. And by the time he sends someone, if he does, we'll be gone." *Or the Horned Toads will discourage them.* "We get a proper spearhead. That's vital." He felt the weight of the Void Opal. "Tonight, we use the broth again. We get stronger."
Back at the clinic, Su Lin drank another cup of the potent, tarnished-bronze sludge. The process was less violently transformative than the first time, but no less profound. The residual Skyiron energy and the perfected technique guided the Qi deep into his Mid-Level foundation. He felt his bones resonate with renewed density, his tendons tighten like cured leather, his marrow hum with vitality. When the heat subsided, his status reflected the growth:
`[Host: Su Lin]`
`[Talent Level: 1 (6.0 / 10)]`
`[Realm: Body Tempering (Mid-Level - Progress 15%)]`
`[Attributes: STR 9 | CON 9 | AGI 9 | SPI 7]`
`[Techniques:]`
` - Essence Gathering for Body Forging (Perfection)`
` - Iron Mountain Stance (Perfection)`
` - City Guard Basic Spear Form (Perfection)`
`[EXP: 32]`
`[Talent Points: 6.0]`
Constitution (`CON`) reached 9, Spirit (`SPI`) edged to 7. The solidity was becoming ingrained. He spent the evening practicing spear forms with the heavy ash shaft, integrating his enhanced stats. The movements were faster, more powerful, the wood an extension of his will. He visualized the steel point it would soon bear.
The next morning, they returned to the Blackroot Smithy. Kael was waiting, holding a cloth-wrapped bundle. He unwrapped it with a flourish, revealing a foot-long spearhead. It was simple, unadorned, but the steel was dark and smooth, the edges honed to a wicked sharpness, the socket solidly forged to fit the ash shaft. It looked brutally functional.
"Good steel," Kael stated, though it was clear he'd used the bare minimum. "Tempered. Won't snap on bone." He held it out. "Four silver. And the map."
Su Lin handed over the final silver leaf. Wen produced a crude, hand-drawn map of the marsh fringes Su Lin had sketched earlier, marking a large, vague area miles from the actual Sunroot location and perilously close to known Horned Toad habitats. "Here. Near these rock formations. But the Toads are thick there now. Be careful."
Kael snatched the map, his eyes scanning it greedily. "Hmph. We'll see." He eyed Su Lin, who was carefully fitting the spearhead into the ash shaft socket, securing it with rivets Kael provided. "You handle that like you know which end's pointy. Unusual for a herb-picker."
"Lucky," Su Lin said, hefting the completed spear. The balance was good. The point gleamed, hungry for flesh. He paid no more attention to Kael, testing the weight and feel. It was a real weapon now. A tool for harvesting more than herbs.
As they left, Su Lin felt Kael's gaze boring into his back. The smith was hooked, but suspicious. He might send thugs to follow them, or to scout the marked sector. It was a calculated risk, adding another variable. But Su Lin needed the spear. And he needed distractions.
Back in the Moss Quarter, Su Lin didn't go to the clinic. He stopped at the communal well, a known hub of gossip. Wen looked at him questioningly. Su Lin leaned his new spear conspicuously against the well's stone rim. He pulled out the remaining Sunroot bulb, holding it up so the weak sunlight caught its golden hue. He spoke, not loudly, but clearly, to Wen, ensuring nearby washerwomen could overhear.
"Found another cluster, deeper than the first," Su Lin said, his voice carrying just enough. "Past the Silverbend tributary fork. Bigger bulbs. But the Razorbacks... they're nesting nearby. Aggressive. Need to be careful when we go back next week." He made a show of carefully rewrapping the bulb and tucking it away.
Wen caught on instantly, playing along. "Aye, dangerous spot. But the yield... worth the risk, if we're prepared." He shook his head. "Hope no one else stumbles on it first."
They walked away, leaving the whispered speculation buzzing behind them – Moss Quarter scavengers finding a rich Sunroot patch deep in Razorback territory. The bait was set. Greedy ears like Kael's, or desperate souls, might hear. Some might try to find it, facing the beasts Su Lin had described. Others might watch *him*, hoping to follow when he went "next week."
Su Lin returned to the clinic. He placed the spear carefully in a corner. He took out the Void Opal, its verdant depths swirling with silver. It was time. He needed to close the gap. He focused.
`[Consuming: Verdant Void Opal - High-Grade Natural Treasure]`
`[Talent Points Gained: 3.5]`
`[New Talent Points: 9.5]`
`[Talent Level: 1 (9.5 / 10)]`
*So close.* One last push to reach Talent Level 2. He looked at the remaining bone broth, potent but unlikely to provide the final fractional point. He needed another treasure. Soon.
He picked up the spear again, feeling its solid heft, the lethal promise of its point. The Blackroot Gambit had yielded a weapon. The wellside whisper had sown seeds of distraction and opportunity. The Void Opal had fueled his ascent to the brink of a breakthrough. The Cautious Sovereign was no longer just surviving in the shadows. He was setting traps, forging tools, and patiently, relentlessly, stacking the deck in his favor. The hunt for the final fragment of power began now. His gaze turned towards the southern horizon, beyond the city wall, where the Whispering Marsh deepened into the true wilds. That was where the next High-Grade treasure awaited. And this time, he had a real spear to claim it.