Chapter 80: Noble or Not

“……”

According to that logic, what exactly could make women reasonable?

Ahem.

It should be fairness, perhaps...

After all, in his own team, there was a new member who valued this greatly.

When it came to fairness, she was exceptionally rational and reasonable.

So, no matter what he, as the captain, wanted to do, he had to appear absolutely fair, impartial, and treat everyone equally.

“All right, Duoduo has been working hard lately, so let’s just treat this as a break for her. You all can do as you please,” Luo Yong said, patting Duoduo on the head and granting her the freedom to act as she wished.

Weir fixed her gaze on Luo Yong’s hand, watching the intimate gesture between the two of them, her expression turning somewhat unusual.

Was that a hint of envy?

Luo Yong was momentarily puzzled but chose not to dwell on it. He simply pretended not to notice and turned to Sally and Fatty.

“Captain, I’ve been studying really hard too…” Sally muttered to herself, but she didn’t sound very confident.

It was only natural for children to be playful.

Besides, the elven sage couldn’t possibly treat Sally the same way she would her own people.

There would always be some differences.

“Sally, you’re the only child in our team for now, but in a while, there may be many… many children joining us. Since you’re the first, you have to set an example for the others!”

Luo Yong also patted Sally on the head.

Even though she was sitting on Fatty’s shoulders.

But that height posed no problem for Luo Yong.

“Mm, I’ll behave,” Sally replied.

Whatever she was thinking, after hearing Luo Yong’s words, her expression grew a little hard to read, somewhat complicated. Then she hopped off Fatty’s shoulders and went off to play with Duoduo and Weir.

“Uh… Captain…”

For some reason, Fatty always felt an invisible pressure when facing Luo Yong these days, making it impossible for him to express himself properly.

“When no one’s around, you can still call me like you used to,” Luo Yong said, watching the three girls gradually walk away. He patted Fatty’s shoulder and lowered his voice. “What level are you now?”

“Uh…”

Fatty was taken aback, clearly unprepared for Luo Yong’s sudden question. But he quickly collected himself and replied, “I’ve used two stamina potions and two energy potions. Now I’m at hero level seven.”

“Good. Once you reach level eight and unlock an active skill, you should be able to go monster hunting,” Luo Yong nodded. “A magic shield can be very powerful, too. Have confidence in yourself and catch up quickly; otherwise, you’ll drag the team down.”

“After all, not every team offers such great benefits.”

“I know! Brother Luo Yong, I’ll work hard!” Fatty promised.

“Good, then I’m relieved. Also, you’ll need to keep an eye on Sally for a while. Once Duoduo gets busy, she won’t care about anything else, and that elf Weir… well, she really doesn’t seem reliable.”

Taking advantage of their absence—no matter how sharp her ears, she couldn’t hear from this far away—Luo Yong took the opportunity to complain.

Who knew how old Weir really was? For all he knew, she might still be considered a child among elves.

Trust her to look after someone?

Forget it.

“Brother Luo Yong, are you leaving again?” Fatty asked, having keenly sensed something.

It seemed that every time Luo Yong was about to leave, he would give him a few instructions. He was conditioned to expect it by now.

“Yes, there are some things I need to handle.”

Having settled on his path, Luo Yong no longer needed to grind for level-ups. As long as he took the elixirs on schedule, he’d be fine, and there weren’t really any side effects.

If there was one, it was that, despite only having the abilities of a level nine hero, he was already thinking of using level twenty spells.

Honestly, that couldn’t be helped.

When a person has a sword in hand, it’s hard to resist the urge to cut something.

Just like back when he was on Blue Star—if Luo Yong had a phone in his pocket, he always wanted to pull it out and check it.

After parting ways with Fatty, Luo Yong returned to the green crystal mine. He didn’t see the elven lady or his female teammates—just a number of elves busy at work.

After thinking it over, Luo Yong left a message, then left the spider secret realm alone.

“Resurrection Spell…”

In Luo Yong’s skill menu, the level twenty necromancer spell was already available.

He hesitated for a long time.

To activate the spell for the first time required not only reciting the incantation correctly but also consumed a huge amount of energy.

At his current level—just a level nine hero—using a level twenty spell was risky and could go seriously wrong.

But if he didn’t use it, the skill was just sitting there, tempting him.

It was like standing before a vault with the door ajar, but lacking the strength to push it open.

The feeling was maddening.

Passing through a certain shady black market, Luo Yong checked in on the little bear iron token he’d put up for sale—or rather, that had been swindled out of his hands without his knowledge. It had already been sold, but he had no idea who now possessed it.

Allegedly, the buyer had paid a hefty price.

Of course, for a brand-new secret realm that even the elves coveted, paying a high price was worth it.

If used well, the returns would be even greater.

For now, Luo Yong heard that no team had yet explored the new secret realm.

But his main concern now was to collect what was due to him at the camp.

So Luo Yong used a teleportation scroll and returned to the Gaoge Camp.

Magic Shop.

“Honored customer, please present your membership card.” The wily shop assistant immediately recognized Luo Yong—after all, he too had profited greatly from that shady transaction.

“I lost it,” Luo Yong replied coldly, making it clear he was busy and didn’t have time for pointless formalities.

“Ah, apologies, but without your membership card, I can’t process the transfer for you—it’s a large sum of wealth, after all. I hope you understand,” the assistant said.

“Understand? What for? You have my purchase record! Why do I need to show you a card?” Luo Yong snapped in annoyance.

They were obviously trying to take advantage of him.

“Sorry, honored customer. Without your membership card, we have no way to prove the secret realm key is yours.”

“That membership card…”

Just thinking about it made Luo Yong angry. This damned chain magic shop used exclusive little symbols to fleece regulars.

The more you spent, the higher their prices!

“Can’t you just issue a new one?”

“Sorry, each membership card is unique, imbued with a magic mark, and cannot be replaced.”

“So what now?” Luo Yong rolled his eyes.

“Sorry, without it, you simply cannot claim that wealth.”

“Can’t you make an exception?”

“Sorry…”

“……”

Luo Yong was thoroughly infuriated.

After taking a few deep breaths—

“Do you walk home at night? Alone?” he asked quietly.

“Do you have family? Do they walk home at night?”

Hiding beneath his hood, Luo Yong let out two faint sighs. The sound wasn’t loud, but it sent chills down the assistant’s spine.

“Uh, what… what did you just say?” The assistant stared in confusion, wondering if he’d misheard.

“Nothing,” Luo Yong responded coolly, calming himself. It really wasn’t worth it to get so dark over a swindling shopkeeper.

He still had a bright future ahead.

And a beautiful fiancée, the Elven Judicator Yan Bao’er—

Ahem.

Mainly, he was afraid that if she ever put justice before family and he couldn’t beat her, he’d be doomed!

So, some things were best left as passing thoughts.

Fleeting flashes in his mind, leaving nothing behind.

“If I found a ‘Truthsayer’ from the Hero Association, could they confirm the secret realm key is mine?” Luo Yong asked.

“Um… How would they do that?” the assistant replied.

“I’d state that the Bear Island secret realm key originally belonged to me, and that at your urging, I put it up for sale through you on the black market.”

“She would only need to verify that I’m telling the truth.”

After saying this, Luo Yong squinted at the assistant, waiting for his decision.

“Uh…”

The assistant thought quickly. To settle this, he’d have to trouble the Hero Association—and that woman with the Book of Truth.

“By the way, I also know a ‘Judicator’ from the Mage Guild. I’m sure she’d be happy to notarize the matter.”

“What?! Uh… actually…” The assistant suddenly grew flustered, his eyes darting about as he weighed the truth of Luo Yong’s words—and the potential gains and losses.

For all he knew, Luo Yong might be bluffing.

But what if he wasn’t?

Who wouldn’t want a wealthy, naïve customer like him? Knowing a lot of people was normal, too.

“I don’t take advantage, and I don’t like being cheated.” Luo Yong tapped the table lightly, speaking languidly. “And my patience is limited.”

“This… honored customer, by procedure, without your membership card, I can’t process this matter, I hope you understand.” After a moment’s thought, the assistant steeled himself and decided to take the gamble. As the saying went: men die for wealth, birds for food.

Fortune favors the bold!

Who asked you to lose your membership card? Who else is to blame?

What he didn’t know was that Luo Yong had thrown it away on purpose.

Ever since that day, he’d had no fondness for this magic shop or its swindling staff.

“So much for ‘honored.’ Fine, as you wish—let’s do it by the book!” Luo Yong nodded, left the shop, and used a teleportation scroll to head to the Hero Association’s outpost.

The Hero Association’s headquarters was in the city, but the closest branch to the camp was a semi-permanent outpost, which had been stationed there for who knows how long.

Normally, it wouldn’t be relocated.

Here, heroes could register, have their stats tested, and undertake various other tasks.

But Luo Yong wasn’t interested in any of that.

“I need to see the Truthsayer. I have a request,” Luo Yong said to the guards at the gate.