Chapter 18: The True Tycoon

After carefully checking his belongings, the monk player said to Lu Kuan with polite warmth, “By the way, the guild leader asked me to let you know, if you ever want to join a guild, the gates of Dark Paradise will always be open for you.”

“Please thank your guild leader for me,” Lu Kuan replied courteously.

After bidding farewell, Lu Kuan headed straight for the bank. He kept a hundred gold coins on his person and deposited the rest, lest he suffer a great loss should anything unexpected befall him.

“I guess I’m a little rich now, haha~”

An hour later, Lu Kuan arrived at the Radiant Sanctuary in the northern part of the city.

The Radiant Sanctuary served as the priests’ professional hall. Its five-meter-high walls enclosed the building tightly. From outside, one could glimpse the golden, gleaming dome of the temple, and the defensive magic array that protected the sanctuary was currently active.

As he approached the entrance, nearby players cast curious glances his way. Ninety percent of those who came to the Radiant Sanctuary were priests, most of whom were female players—a ranger’s presence here was clearly out of place.

Even Lu Kuan, thick-skinned as he was, felt somewhat uneasy under the scrutiny of so many young women. Yet he soon realized he was not the only “outsider” present.

Not far ahead stood an elf warrior, shading his eyes with a hand as he surveyed the surroundings. He made no attempt to hide the magical glow of his equipment, which shimmered conspicuously.

The man wore at least three pieces of gear radiating a blue light, signifying their excellent quality; this didn’t even count the unseen rings, necklaces, and other accessories he might have. The rest of his equipment glimmered faintly green.

“Whoa… this guy’s the real deal—a true high-roller…” Lu Kuan couldn’t help but smack his lips in awe.

From the equipment’s appearance, Lu Kuan could tell the blue breastplate and bracers were world drop items, each fetching around a hundred gold coins at auction. Since most world drops weren’t soulbound and could be freely traded—and with so few high-level items available—their prices were sky-high.

Outfitting a warrior like this would take at least four or five hundred gold coins.

Lu Kuan only spared him a glance before moving on. He made his way directly to the site of the divination ritual, located on the second floor of the grand hall.

The room before him was lavishly decorated, its walls and ceiling covered in golden reliefs—so ornate one hardly knew where to look. The chamber was spacious and nearly empty, with only four priests standing scattered along the perimeter. At its center sat a purple crystal orb the size of a football, its iridescent surface bathing the room in a soft violet glow.

Lu Kuan approached a sultry, blonde, blue-eyed female elf priestess NPC. After quickly completing their conversation, he immediately triggered the next step of his quest.

“Hey, buddy, I knew you were here for a class quest!” someone called.

As Lu Kuan walked out, head down and reading the quest description, a voice called from the entrance. He looked up—sure enough, it was the high-roller warrior from before.

“You too?” Lu Kuan asked in surprise.

The other man nodded eagerly. Lu Kuan raised an eyebrow. Could this be one of those wealthy players who’d snapped up his auctioned materials in an instant? He certainly acted fast~

Now that they were closer, Lu Kuan noticed the elf warrior looked quite energetic—seventeen or eighteen years old, the sort of handsome young man many girls would find attractive. His gaze, however, was rather lecherous, giving him an air of frivolity.

“It’s a stroke of luck to meet another expert,” the elf warrior said with delight, striding over. “Listen, I’ve been stuck on this step for ages—I just can’t trigger the next part. Did you get the next quest? How did you talk to her? Could you teach me?”

Lu Kuan reflexively glanced at his quest log, puzzled. Unable to get the quest?

This step should be straightforward, shouldn’t it? He couldn’t recall there being any special trick.

The elf warrior, seeing Lu Kuan’s silence, clearly misunderstood. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay you for the help,” he said directly.

Lu Kuan couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve got it wrong. I had no trouble picking up the quest—nothing unusual happened… How about you try talking to her again, and I’ll watch from the side?”

“Great, sure!” The elf warrior, clearly frustrated by his lack of progress, nodded repeatedly and went to speak to the NPC.

Lu Kuan watched carefully and soon spotted the issue. As expected, after only a few words, the elf priestess’s face clouded over with icy disdain and she coldly ordered the elf warrior to leave.

The elf warrior shrugged helplessly at Lu Kuan, his expression saying, “See? I wasn’t lying~”

Lu Kuan couldn’t contain his laughter. He gestured for the elf warrior to come aside and whispered, “Buddy, try again in a minute, but this time, look her in the eyes—don’t keep staring at her chest. I guarantee you’ll succeed.”

“Huh? Seriously?” The handsome elf warrior looked bewildered. “She won’t give me the quest because I was ogling her?”

Lu Kuan chuckled. This guy was something else. He knew he was giving girls that lecherous look, and yet, here he was, blatantly flirting with an NPC priestess in the Radiant Sanctuary. Didn’t he know these NPCs were all old-fashioned prudes?

If he kept trying, he’d probably be hauled out by the guards~

Lu Kuan patted the elf warrior on the shoulder and signaled him to give it another go. Then he turned and left, heading to his next quest location.

“Thank you!” the elf warrior shouted after Lu Kuan’s retreating figure. He turned to look at the impossibly seductive elf priestess, straightened his back, put on a serious expression, and approached her once more.

…

At the easternmost edge of the Red Mist Forest, in a hidden gorge.

This place was deep and tranquil, with ancient trees so thick it would take five or six people to encircle their trunks. Even at midday, a light mist drifted through the woods, and unknown birds called out joyfully from within the haze.

All the crafters from Molten Fortress knew that at the center of this gorge was an abandoned druid camp, marked on the map as “Starlight Encampment.”

At present, Starlight Encampment was occupied by a band of thieves, all between levels ten and fifteen. The key, however, was that more than a dozen types of herbs grew around the old druid camp and refreshed at an impressive rate. There was even a mine in the hills behind the camp that produced iron and copper ore.

With such excellent resources, it was no wonder the crafters of Molten Fortress flocked to this place.

At this moment, a group of crafters crouched scattered in the thick underbrush, combing the roots for steelleaf—a common supporting herb found only near Starlight Encampment.

“The environment here is so wonderful! Even the air in the woods is fresh… If only I could make a home here,” a young girl said, lifting her head and taking a deep breath, utterly enchanted.

“Haha, that’s easy. When property trading goes live, just buy a house in Molten Fortress,” someone nearby joked.

“That’s a long way off. Besides, when that day comes, the in-game housing prices will be ridiculous—no way ordinary people like us could afford one,” the girl said, pouting adorably, clearly tempted by the idea.