Kaizen was intrigued by Nix's offer of help. Curiosity about the mysterious substance in those sewers still haunted him, but the prospect of getting back to Tretidian quickly was too tempting. That way, if there was a chance of getting a Teleportation Crystal back home it was even better than having to travel for a day to the Royal Capital of Mibothen.
"Actually, there is something I'm interested in and you might know how to help me. Would you really be interested in helping me?" Kaizen inquired.
Nix looked at him and suddenly blushed, hugging himself to hide the bulges in his shirt. "You're not thinking of anything perverted, are you?"
Inevitably, Kaizen laughed. "What? Of course not, I have a girlfriend."
Then Nix took a deep, relieved breath. "Alright, you can tell me what you want."
"I'm looking for Teleportation Crystals to the Tretidian Kingdom to get back home fast." said Kaizen, explaining his situation. "They are rare in this region and I was told that they are hard to find in smaller cities like Pokkir. So my intention was to go to the Royal Capital, where I believe I will have a better chance of finding them."
Nix nodded understandingly. "I see... Indeed, the difficulty of finding Teleportation Crystals in smaller cities is enormous and since these are very valuable resources it is not normal. However, I learned that some time ago a foolish player tried to make money from selling them here in Mibothen."
"Make money?"
"He would buy Teleportation Crystals in Tretidian and bring them here using a Mibothen Teleportation Crystal, aiming to sell them for three times the price here, and he would do the reverse process as well."
"Sounds great to me."
"At first the idea does indeed sound very good. But it's not feasible in the short term and not very profitable if you consider the work of finding buyers. As you might imagine, the turnover of expensive and spendable products like these is not very high. Still, in fact, the Royal Capital would probably be the best option for finding them."
"That means you don't know how to help me."
"I didn't say that. I know someone here in Pokkir who might be able to help us, a fool who's Teleportation Crystals to Tretidian would appreciate in value over time, but as the number of players traveling all over Midgard only increases, they're actually dropping in price."
Kaizen's eyes lit up with hope. "Really? Who is this person?"
"We call him 'Old Roderick'. It's an NPC." Nix said. "He's a traveling merchant who passes through Pokkir from time to time, selling rare and valuable items. He's well known among the local players and has helped many of us with his offerings of items to complete quests."
Kaizen was excited about the possibility of meeting this traveling merchant. "So, do you think he might have Teleportation Crystals that I need? If so, I'm willing to help you on your quest to secure one of those crystals."
Nix smiled, seeming to appreciate Kaizen's offer of help. "I appreciate your willingness to help me. I can't guarantee that he still has exactly what you're looking for, but it's certainly worth a try. Old Roderick is a mysterious man, and his stockpiles are always surprising."
Kaizen nodded. "Good. Where can we find him?"
Nix pointed to the sewer exit. "He usually sets up his wagon near the exit.... Wait a minute, I can't tell you. You're strong. What would stop you from leaving after you get what you want?"
"Actually, I already have what I want. All I have to do is ask in any square how to find that Old Roderick." Kaizen said, smiling villainously.
Kaizen's words left the woman dumbfounded. She was so busy bragging about her knowledge that she didn't remember she was in the middle of a deal.
"Come on, I'm a man of my word. You can trust me. I just want to know where this man is because if you die to some creature while we're here, I won't have to go asking around." Kaizen declared.
"Fine, I say, but you must make a deal with me by shaking my hand." Nix said, extending his right hand.
Kaizen looked at Nix's outstretched hand, somewhat surprised by the condition she imposed. However, he understood that the woman wanted to ensure that he fulfilled his part of the agreement, and decided that it was okay to shake her hand.
"All right, let's sign this agreement." Kaizen said, extending his own hand and shaking Nix's. "I'll help you on your mission and you'll guarantee me a Teleportation Crystal to Tretidian, even if it's not with Roderick."
Nix seemed satisfied with Kaizen's answer and released the handshake. "Good. Then let's finish this mission soon. Any guesses where we should head next? If you saw infected rats, they probably got infected somewhere."
"Can't it be here?" Kaizen pointed to the bit of green goo on the ground.
Nix looked and shook his head negatively. "No, that looks more like something that fell off one of the rats or, since it's inside the crack, it must be coming from somewhere."
"You're right... Come to think of it, I guess we could go down a few levels of the sewer. Do you know how to do that?"
"Of course I do... Follow me." She said, walking towards one of the tunnels on their right.
As they entered yet another tunnel, Kaizen noticed a strange smell in the air, more acidic, only he didn't say anything about it. He preferred to bring up a subject so as not to remain in the awkward silence."
"So, Nix, how did you meet Roderick?" asked Kaizen, curious.
She smiled a little wistfully. "I met Old Roderick a few months ago, when I first arrived in Pokkir. I was on a difficult quest and he offered me a special item that helped me complete it. Since then, we've met a few times, and he's helped me out on several occasions."
"I see. It seems you two have a special relationship." commented Kaizen.
"Something like that." replied Nix with a thoughtful look. "He's a mysterious man and can be a bit enigmatic at times, but he's someone you can trust."
"You know, I have a store."
"Really, of what?"
"Blacksmithing."
"Yeah, that explains why his sword looked so good and sharp when it was pointed at my chest."