Trading Sequence

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Another adventure transferred from MSPA.

You are a young trader. You are just about to embark on your glorious trading career.



Inside your Trader's Bag, you have one Yoshi Doll. You must find someone to trade it to at once!



In the immediate vicinity, there is a Shady Individual, a Young Lady, and an Elderly Aristocrat. Which one will you approach for your first trade?

Shady Individual

You speak to the Shady Individual.

"Hey there! I've got this Yoshi Doll to trade. What'll you give me for it?"
"Ooh! I like that quite a bit. I'll give you this Sword of Ultimate Power in exchange."
"You've got yourself a deal!"



You have received the Sword of Ultimate Power! With this, you can slay any foe and even cleave a path through mountains!
Oh man, somebody is definitely going to want to trade something good for this!



The Shady Individual leaves as you admire your new trading item. The Young Lady and Elderly Aristocrat have also wandered off. With nobody to trade with, you check the sign to help you decide on your next destination.

Where will you go?

> Cut down sign, bring with you for trading purposes.

What? This sign is somebody's property! You can't just STEAL it, that would go against the Trader's Code!

Besides which, you're only a Level 1 Trader! You can't carry more than one item in your Trader's Bag until your level goes up. Honestly, it's like you don't even know anything about being a trader.

Perfectly Harmless Village

You head east, arriving in the Perfectly Harmless Village. What will you do now?

Tackle the Man In Blue. He clearly wants to eat your brain, as he's actually Rebecca the Zombie Queen.

This is utterly ridiculous. Instead, you have a civilized conversation with him like a normal human being.

"Welcome to our town, stranger! I'm the Mayor, and I'd just like to say that I appreciate your stopping by!"
"Thanks! Hey, do you have anything to trade for this Sword of Ultimate Power?"
"A Sword of Ultimate Power? Now what would I want with that thing? No, I want the Fire Orb from the Deadly Cave of Fire! It would be a great boon to me - I mean, to our little town here! I'd definitely make it worth your while if you could bring that to me!"

Oh well. Still, you found out about a potential trade opportunity! You should keep an eye out for that Orb of Fire.

Trade with the man with the hat.

You offer the Farmer your Sword of Ultimate Power.

"Hey! I have this Sword of Ultimate Power. You want to trade for it?"
"Now what would I do with somethin' like that? No, what I need is a good shovel so I can dig up these crops!"

Darn, looks like you'll have to try somebody else.

Barge into the northern house with wild abandon.

You enter the northern house.



Inside, you find a Timid Homeowner.

"Eek! Don't hurt me!"

It suddenly occurs to you that entering a house uninvited while holding a Sword of Ultimate Power might give somebody the wrong impression. You'll probably have to calm the Homeowner down if you want to do any trading with her.

What will you do next?

> Exit, knock on the door, then offer trade when she opens it.

You sense that your sales pitch didn't go so well, so you quickly leave to give it another shot.



Let's try this again.



"Eeek! It's the thief! And he... knocked politely?" She seems confused.
"Wait, wait! I'm just a trader! I'm sorry about the misunderstanding!"
"Then... why do you have that sword?"

> Also, offer it as a means to stop intruders from breaking in.

"Oh, this? It's the Sword of Ultimate Power! If you had this, you wouldn't have to worry about any intruders breaking into your house again! And luckily for you, I'm offering it for trade! What have you got to offer?"
"...why would you trade away a Sword of Ultimate Power?"
"Because I'm a trader! Lady, are you paying any attention at all?"
"...well, uh, I guess. How about... um... this playing card that I found on the floor?"
"Seriously? You're asking if I'll trade my Sword of Ultimate Power for your Ace of Spades?"
"...yeah, I guess that's kind of..."
"It's a deal! Pleasure doing business with you!"
"What?"



You trade the Sword of Ultimate Power for the Ace of Spades! Man, you can't believe your luck! Somebody's probably lost this card and they'd be willing to trade something great to get it back!



The woman goes back inside. She seems a little confused. Oh well. You made your second successful trade! What will you do next?

>Ask the guy in front of you if he dropped his card.

"Hey! Would you like this Ace of Spades, Mr. Mayor?"
"What? No! I already told you, I want the Orb of Fire! If you don't have the Orb of Fire, I'm not interested!"

Well, that didn't go so well. Maybe you should try something else?

>Go look in the fountain

You take a look in the fountain.



Whoa! There's somebody living in the fountain? Looks like you just found a potential customer!



"Hey there! How would you like an Ace of Spades?"
"BLORP!"
"Uh... Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"
"BLORF!"



He jumps back in the fountain. You don't have any idea what he just said.

You'll probably have to learn a new language to trade with this guy! Guess you'll have to figure out how to do that later.



"AAAAGGH!"
Suddenly, you hear a scream! What are you going to do now?

Run to the scream go go go!

CHARGE!

Screams are none of your business, you're a trader not a scream collector.
Now go and try to give the ace of spades to that guy who wanted a shovel. Spades are pretty similar to shovels.

>Trade whoever screamed your assistance in whatever problem they might be having in exchange for their assistance in helping you trade things.

Go in the opposite direction from where the scream seems to be coming from! Okay, yeah, someone might need help, but you're just a trader with nothing but a trading card! You should probably just keep out of trouble =o

Screams are none of your business, you're a trader not a scream collector.

It's true, you probably shouldn't get involved. You're here to trade, after all, and you're pretty sure screams aren't tradeable. Your top priority is trading this card to someone who needs it!

Now go and try to give the ace of spades to that guy who wanted a shovel. Spades are pretty similar to shovels.

This seems perfectly logical to you! You head over there. Although it seems this is getting you closer to the screaming.



"Excuse me! Could I interest you in this Ace of Spades?"
"Now what would I want with that? I want an honest-to-goodness shovel! Quit wasting my time!"

Huh. That's surprising! I guess you'll have to check back with him later. Now what?

>A scream of frustration, perhaps, from someone trying to finish a game of Solitaire when they have a card missing from their deck?

Wait... Yes! That scream could be coming from someone who desperately needs your Ace of Spades! Oh, how could you have ignored them for so long? You can't keep making mistakes like that if you hope to be the best trader ever!



Well, you'd better investigate... wait, the screaming seems to be coming from that house you were in earlier...



"Lady, listen! I'm not trying to cause trouble! I was just looking for my..."
"Out! Out!"
"I'm going! I'm going!"



"Yeesh. Where'd she get that sword, anyways?"

The screaming seems to have stopped. What are you going to do now?

Okay you are not doing very well at trading the ace of spades. You are clearly not being aggressive or creative enough. If people wanted to buy things they would seek traders out. So chances are they don't. Therefore it's your job to convince them they want what you have to offer.

Practice your sales pitch on the fountain man. He seems like a good person to try stuff out on because he doesn't seem to understand you. You can mess up all you like.

Accost this new person. He's going to take this card off you whether he likes it or not (as long as he gives something in return, that is).

Might also be worth asking him if he knows anything specific about the Deadly Cave of Fire, or where you could find a shovel.

See if this new person is in town looking for an ace of spades. Also, ask if he knows where you can find a shovel.

Accost this new person. He's going to take this card off you whether he likes it or not (as long as he gives something in return, that is).

Might also be worth asking him if he knows anything specific about the Deadly Cave of Fire, or where you could find a shovel.

Oh yeah! This guy's the only person you've seen in town who you haven't already spoken to and can understand, so it makes sense to trade with him. At the very least, you might hear about another trading opportunity!



"Dammit, I know I dropped it in her house. But how am I supposed to get in while she's waving that sword at me?"



"Good day, sir! Can I interest you in..."
"Leave me alone, kid! I'm in a real jam here, and I gotta think hard about what to do!"



"But I have a special deal today and..."
"GO AWAY! Whatever you're sellin', I ain't interested!"



Well, that didn't go so well. It doesn't sound like he's going to want to tell you about the Cave of Fire or a shovel, either. Why's he in such a bad mood, anyways?

Okay you are not doing very well at trading the ace of spades. You are clearly not being aggressive or creative enough. If people wanted to buy things they would seek traders out. So chances are they don't. Therefore it's your job to convince them they want what you have to offer.

Practice your sales pitch on the fountain man. He seems like a good person to try stuff out on because he doesn't seem to understand you. You can mess up all you like.

Now there's a thought. Your approach must be off.



So you'll need to practice. And the strange guy in the fountain is the perfect test market! If you can get him to trade with you even though neither of you understand a word the other says, then you're set!



"BLORK!"
All right, you've found him again, and it looks like you've got his attention. Time to get down to business.

What are you going to say to him?

"BLORT?"

"Good sir, I know that you are a possibly insane vagabond, one that likely is completely unaware of how money, words, or value works, let alone what any of this means, but I believe that I have something that you want, and that I have something that you want. Now, see here? This is a card? A card is what this is. Now, I know that you don't know what that is, but you see this card is an Ace of Spades. Now, I hope that you are at least aware of the concept of beating things. Yes, no? How about being better? Victory? Yea, I'm sure that you know that. Okay well this one beats everything. Every other card that there is loses to this one. You would win at everything with this card. You would be a champion. YOU COULD BE A GOD. Do you not see the power of this card? I think that you know what is right."

Just speak louder. "I HAVE AN ACE OF SPADES! IT IS A CARD FOR A TRADE!"

Not a suggestion for right now, but instead of trying to sell someone your ace of spades, challenge someone to poker. Use the ace of spades to cheat.