As 1 silver coin disappeared, the four characters ‘Fierce Mongrel’ beneath the dog’s silhouette became clearer and more solid, even faintly glowing.
Moreover, new small talent words appeared beneath it.
—Early Stage. Fierce Mongrel (Lit).
—Early Stage. Absolute Loyalty: The dog you raise will have Absolute Loyalty and absolute obedience. Requires 1 dog + 1 silver coin to unlock and light up.
—??
Absolute Loyalty.
Luo Lin was delighted.
This must be a good talent.
With such a Mongrel by his side, his sense of security would be directly maximized.
He finally understood the true meaning of ‘Open the door, release the dog.’
Now, he had the money to unlock the Mongrel’s Absolute Loyalty talent.
He just lacked a dog.
“Laotie, you’re a rich man now.”
Fen Shao saw Luo Lin return and followed beside him, speaking.
He was right, this money was a huge sum in the hands of a serf.
He then said worriedly, “But your grain is gone, what are your plans now?”
“Buy a dog.”
“Buy a dog?”
Fen Shao’s eyes widened as he stared at Luo Lin after hearing this.
He said incredulously, “Oh my goodness, you weren’t scared silly by going on campaign with Lord Dorn, were you? Have you forgotten our status? Where do you have the spare money and time to raise a dog?”
From Fen Shao’s perspective, he completely couldn’t understand Luo Lin buying a dog.
Your grain is gone, and you’re still raising a dog?
Crazy, crazy, absolutely crazy.
“I’m not crazy, nor was I scared silly,” Luo Lin looked at Fen Shao, whose face was full of incomprehension, and asked, “If one day you had the chance to become a freeman, what would you do?”
“If that day ever came…” Fen Shao scratched his chin and thought for a moment, then said very seriously, “I would still farm for Lord Dorn. At least in his Land, no bandits would come to rob, and no Barbarians would visit. As long as I pay enough grain, it’s fine.”
“And then?”
“Marry, have children, and continue farming for Lord Dorn.”
“Hmm.”
Luo Lin nodded.
Fen Shao’s thinking was the same as most serfs.
They believed this way of life was only natural.
But Luo Lin had not thought so since the day he transmigrated.
At the very least, he needed a proper name that people could call him.
He needed a piece of Land that belonged to him.
And he needed to protect his future wife’s first night.
“Laotie, don’t think about becoming a freeman by gaining merit on the battlefield. That’s too unrealistic. Living like this is pretty good now,” Fen Shao said, then turned his head and smiled, “Of course, if one day you get lucky and become a free rich farmer, redeem me, and I’ll go farm for you.”
“Alright.”
Luo Lin nodded.
He had long since overturned his plan of leading the serfs in rebellion. After such a long time of getting along and observing, he found that these people’s thinking was severely rigid and simply couldn’t be led.
Therefore, the new plan was to first become a freeman, and then make further plans.
Before long, they arrived at the dog vendor’s stall.
Most of the dogs on the stall were young puppies, with only a few adult dogs.
“Laotie, I know your decision is hard to change,” Fen Shao offered his friend advice, “but I think you should just buy a small Mongrel to play with. You should know that large dogs not only eat a lot but are also expensive.”
“Don’t worry, I have a plan.”
Luo Lin had already thought about how to buy.
What he needed for this trip was immediate combat power, so he couldn’t buy young puppies.
Furthermore, given his status, he couldn’t bring a dog on campaign, so he had to buy an adult dog to ensure it could survive in the wild and secretly follow him.
This was not wishful thinking.
He had understood the travel rules: when a Knight Lord traveled, people were needed to scout ahead and behind and to stand guard.
Therefore, there was a huge scope for maneuver here.
Moreover, war dogs also existed on the battlefield, which made the scope for maneuver even greater (Note 1).
Of course, the reason for this decision was also a gamble on the reliability of the copper skin book.
In his current situation, there was nothing he couldn’t gamble on.
He then pointed to a large black-gray mottled dog about ninety centimeters tall at the shoulder, with a slender and well-proportioned build and muscular physique.
He asked the dog vendor, “How much is this one?”
“2 silver 99 copper. You should know, this is a purebred Erlan Wolfhound.”
“So expensive, can it excrete copper coins every day?”
Fen Shao almost dropped his jaw when he heard this.
All of my friend’s belongings sold for less than 9 silver coins.
You want 3 silver coins for one dog?
The dog vendor saw the two men’s appearance and knew they were attached farmers from a Dorn Knight’s estate.
He then glanced at the two, sneering, “Heh, 2 silver 99 copper is still expensive? If it weren’t already five years old, it would sell for at least 4 silver coins.”
Luo Lin used to know a bit about dogs.
Large dogs of this type generally didn’t live long, with their prime being from one and a half to four and a half years old.
Although it was already five years old, it could still guard a home.
2 silver 99 copper was indeed a bit expensive, but not outrageously so.
However, the money in his purse didn’t allow for reckless spending.
Not to mention how much it would cost to unlock other talents later.
He also needed to keep some money for himself.
So expensive, he decisively gave up.
He looked at another one: “How about this one?”
“3 silver 39 copper.”
“That one?”
“3 silver 29 copper.”
“…”
After asking around, Luo Lin pinched his money bag and pondered.
There were cheaper ones, but those were either too old or too disabled to be immediate combat power.
If it really came down to it, he could only grit his teeth and buy an expensive one.
“Are you buying or not? Don’t just keep asking for prices.”
The dog vendor was a bit impatient.
These attached farmers were poor and loved to ask for prices.
Very annoying.
“Damn you, Soros, give me back my money!”
At this moment, a freeman hunter angrily walked over.
Dragging a dog with a muzzle made of coarse linen, he came before the dog vendor and roared, “This is a crazy and stupid dog! It doesn’t listen to commands and bites poultry and livestock indiscriminately! No wonder you sold it to me for 2 silver 50 copper! You’re treating me like an idiot! You’d better give me back my money now!”
“That can’t be, my friend, it was very well-trained by me.”
“See? Is this what you call well-trained?”
The tall and robust hunter picked up a tattered, utterly dead hen.
He continued to roar furiously, “This chicken of mine laid eggs every day, and it was bitten to death just like that! Not only do you have to return my money, but you also have to compensate me!”
“I can return the money, but I can’t compensate you.”
“Then do you want to taste my iron fist?”
The hunter’s eyes widened, and his fierce demeanor instantly emerged.
Luo Lin stood by, carefully examining the dog the hunter brought. It had a coarse linen muzzle, which prevented it from acting wildly while also ensuring breathability.
It was about 80 centimeters tall at the shoulder, with a well-proportioned skeleton, solid muscles, and weighed around 60 kilograms. Its fur was black and fine-textured, with tan-yellow markings on its face, chest, and the ends of its legs.
Seeing this, Luo Lin’s heart stirred. In this world, such dogs were called Mongrels, but its appearance was exactly like the Mongolian Mastiffs of his previous life.
Especially the pair of brown, symmetrical, round spots above its eyebrows, also known as “Mongolian four-eyes.”
This hunter said it was crazy and stupid. Could it be infected with rabies?
Thinking of this, Luo Lin carefully observed the dog again.
If it was truly sick, from the perspective of biting poultry indiscriminately, it would have already entered the furious stage. However, there were no signs of hydrophobia, photophobia, muscle tremors, ataxia (staggering, falling), or drooling and difficulty breathing.
Instead, it tilted its head and stared at Luo Lin, who was carefully examining it.
After their gazes met, Luo Lin confirmed that this dog was simply not properly trained.
Or perhaps, it was waiting for its true owner.
Especially when their eyes met, a slight buzzing sound occurred in his mind, the rare buzzing that a person experiences when seeing something new.
Luo Lin made a decision: he had to seize this opportunity.
The dog vendor and the hunter argued for a long time, eventually returning the money and paying an additional 10 copper coins.
The dead chicken was also given to the vendor.
Only then was the matter settled.
“Damn it, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my dog! He just wanted to extort money from me,” the dog vendor started cursing after the hunter walked away. He then bent down, grabbed a wooden stick, and pointed it at the dog that had made him lose money, “You Mongrel, you made me lose money! I’ll beat you to death today!”
“Wait a moment.”
Luo Lin stopped the vendor.
The latter, with anger on his face, asked irritably, “What are you doing? Do you want to cause me trouble too?”
“No, I want to buy this dog.”
“You buy it?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure.”
“Oh?”
The dog vendor put down the wooden stick and re-evaluated the person in front of him.
He immediately put on a smiling face: “My friend, you have good taste. This Mongrel is a good dog, it’s just disliked by people who don’t understand it. But I must make it clear to you, once bought, it cannot be returned.”
Fen Shao, standing beside him, quickly winked at his friend.
A dog that bites poultry and livestock shouldn’t be bought; it’s a menace.
This dog vendor is a cunning merchant.
“Of course.”
Luo Lin had no intention of returning it.
Owning a dog was necessary to unlock the 【Absolute Loyalty】 talent.
Now, the key was just the money issue, so he immediately said, “However, you have to sell it to me cheaper.”
“Since that’s the case…” The dog vendor rubbed the beard on his chin, “I’ll sell it to you for 2 silver 30 copper. Consider it my loss.”
“Then you’d better just beat it to death.”
Luo Lin didn’t even bargain, and added, “You should know, no one wants to buy a dog that bites poultry and livestock. I don’t have to buy it; I just feel sorry for it being beaten by you.”
After speaking, he turned and walked away.
For a dog that bites poultry and livestock indiscriminately, the dog vendor only had two choices: kill it or sell it cheaply.
Moreover, everyone around knew his dog had a problem because of his recent argument with the hunter, and this point had to be held firm.
Fen Shao walked alongside him, also breathing a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, his friend accepted his advice.
“Hey, hey, don’t be in such a hurry to leave.”
The dog vendor chased a few steps, grabbed Luo Lin’s hand, and said fawningly, “My friend, your compassionate heart has touched me. I’ll sell it to you for 2 silver 10 copper, no lower.”
“1 silver 50 copper.”
“Oh, you drive a hard bargain! 1 silver 95 copper, that’s truly my limit.”
“1 silver 60 copper, that’s my limit too.”
“My friend, you’re trying to kill me! One price, 1 silver 85 copper. You can’t make me lose too much.”
“Hmm, it’s still a bit expensive, but…” While bargaining, Luo Lin deliberately squeezed Fen Shao’s shoulder, where his hand rested.
The price could still go down, after all, in this era, a dog that bites poultry and livestock was a great menace.
Fen Shao, after his shoulder was squeezed, was a bit slow to react at first, but as the squeezing turned painful, he understood.
He immediately pretended to have a sudden realization and exclaimed, “Oh, Laotie, you forgot! You’re going on campaign with Lord Dorn the day after tomorrow. Who’s going to raise a dog for you?”
“Oh, you reminded me! Then I definitely can’t waste money.”
“My friend, 1 silver 75 copper, deal.”
“No, I don’t have time to raise a dog.”
“Then let’s go with your offer of 1 silver 60 copper. I really can’t go any lower.”
“Sigh…” Luo Lin feigned difficulty, letting out a deep sigh, “Sigh, who made me so soft-hearted? I can’t bear to see it so pitiful. I’ll just take the loss. Oh, and you have to give me that dead chicken too.”
“Deal, my friend.”
The transaction went smoothly. After giving 1 silver 60 copper coins, the dog leash, tied to the Mongrel, was already in Luo Lin’s hand.
The tattered dead chicken was also hanging from his waist.
“Laotie, you really are willing to spend money foolishly,” Fen Shao followed his friend away from the dog stall.
But he lagged far behind, because when the dog fell into his friend’s hands, it seemed even fiercer than before. Clearly, this dog was even more unfriendly to strangers.
He followed behind, looking at the large and robust dog, and said, “If this dog were truly a good dog, it would never sell for so cheap. Look at its eyes now that it’s in your hands; they’re so fierce, it looks like it wants to eat people.”
“I know, but I always feel a certain understanding with it.”
Luo Lin led the dog ahead.
The dog becoming fiercer in his hands was due to the effect of the ‘Fierce Mongrel’ raising talent.
When he had just bought the black dog, a ball of light, visible only to him, floated out of its body and drilled into the copper skin book in his pocket.
Below the dog’s head portrait on the inner page, a small head portrait of the black dog appeared.
And at that very instant, a wisp of light rose from the four characters ‘Fierce Mongrel’ within the copper skin book and landed inside the black dog’s body.
This indicated that the talent tree empowerment was successful.
Giving the black dog the ‘Fierce Mongrel’ talent.
—
Note in Author’s Notes.
