Chapter 56: Purchasing Your Happiness and Well-being

When Qian Duoduo saw his friend's expression, he was stunned as well. Could it really be so uncanny? Had Old Lu actually guessed right?

After a moment, Ren Jian Ren Ai finally exhaled in relief, looking at Lu Kuan with a meaningful gaze. "Expert, could it be that you’re actually some famous player, just using a different name to mess with us?"

Lu Kuan smiled. "Haha, nothing like that. I’ve always used this ID in other games."

Seeing how tight-lipped Lu Kuan was, Ren Jian Ren Ai sighed helplessly. With all his cards guessed, what was the point in further probing?

The two parties quickly reached a buyout agreement. Vanguard Game bought the attribute screenshot of Ranger’s Oath for fifty thousand yuan. Under Qian Duoduo’s witness, the transaction was directly completed in the official trading area.

"Let’s add each other as friends. Maybe we’ll work together again in the future." Ren Jian Ren Ai took Lu Kuan’s hand, his eyes complex, his tone full of admiration.

Lu Kuan, of course, had no reason to refuse.

This time, he hadn’t driven a hard bargain, mainly wanting to establish a good relationship with Ren Jian Ren Ai and Vanguard Game. The virtual gaming industry was an open circle; with media contacts, many things became much easier.

In his previous life, the first person in the China region to complete the advancement quest was the leader of the country’s largest guild, Holy Armament. The reward was a purple shield for tanks, and later it was revealed that Vanguard Game had offered eighty-five thousand for the buyout.

The incident had been quite the sensation, so Lu Kuan remembered it vividly.

He watched Ren Jian Ren Ai hurry away, then turned to Qian Duoduo with a smile. "This time, I owe you one."

"Oh, don’t mention favors. I was just asked to help out." Qian Duoduo laughed heartily. "If you ever get any good loot, just think of me—especially warrior gear. I’ll make sure the price satisfies you!"

"Of course," Lu Kuan replied readily.

After a few more words, Qian Duoduo left.

In just a few minutes, fifty thousand yuan had been deposited into his account. It seemed simple, but if not for Lu Kuan’s previous efforts and the fame he’d earned by achieving the world’s first, why would anyone pay so much for a screenshot of his equipment’s attributes?

Rather than buying the rights to reveal the ring’s stats, the other party was really paying for Lu Kuan’s reputation and influence.

In fact, when Lu Kuan thanked Qian Duoduo, he wasn’t just being polite. He hadn’t considered this angle before; without Qian Duoduo approaching him, he would have most likely missed this lucrative opportunity.

Lu Kuan wasn’t worried about the attributes of Ranger’s Oath being leaked. The ring simply increased damage and held no great secrets. But if it had been the set bonus of "Valentier’s Legacy," he wouldn’t have sold it for ten times the price.

He then spent another twenty minutes at the auction house, carefully recording the sales data for mana regeneration equipment.

The numbers were promising, showing his previous pricing had been appropriate. Satisfied, he turned his attention to his quest list.

At the very top was a quest he had accepted long ago but never completed: "A Bigger Backpack" (Difficulty: B+).

His next major plan was to leave Molten Fortress, traverse the unknown wildlands, and reach Rapids Port to the south—a city that was also the second largest in the Northern Empire.

Currently, nearly a million players were based in Rapids Port, and the number was still growing, thanks to convenient transportation, a wealth of rare quests, and, most importantly, the presence of a treasure trove that Lu Kuan absolutely could not miss.

But for long journeys, one critical issue was supplies.

In the wilderness, it was possible to go weeks without finding a village. If, after traveling hundreds of miles, he starved in the wild and respawned back at Molten Fortress, he really would weep with frustration.

"That’s why my first priority is to finish the backpack quest, get a ten-slot bag, and prepare for the long trek ahead," Lu Kuan thought to himself.

Leaving the bank, he headed straight for the nearest inn, booked a deluxe room, lay down on the bed, and logged out of the game.

He had been adventuring in the wild for two days straight; his character’s stamina had hovered near the warning line almost the whole time. With nothing urgent to do, he seized the chance to rest.

Two hours of in-game sleep was only twenty minutes in reality. Taking advantage of this window, Lu Kuan used his helmet to go online and opened the Vanguard Game website.

The front page was dominated by a bold red headline: "First Purple Equipment in China Region Revealed—Damage Is King!"

Clicking the news, the first thing he saw was the attribute screenshot of Ranger’s Oath, followed by a detailed analysis. It had been less than three minutes since publication, but the article already had half a million views.

Such was the advantage of virtual technology: important work could be done in virtual offices. In reality, it had only been minutes since Ren Jian Ren Ai received the image, but in the virtual world, the article was written and published instantly.

After reading the news, Lu Kuan logged into online banking to transfer the newly earned fifty thousand yuan to his father’s account.

A few seconds later, his father called.

"Kuanzi, what’s going on? Where did all this money come from?" His father’s voice was anxious, with a rare hint of sternness.

Lu Kuan had expected this and explained the exclusive buyout deal, then said, "I sent a link to your phone. Open the site—the headline equipment is mine."

His father was silent for a while, then, after some clicks, said skeptically, "Just this one picture? You sold it for fifty thousand?"

"Heh, Dad, this isn’t just any picture—right now, it’s the highest-rated piece of equipment in the world. The news is a big deal!"

He gave his father a brief explanation, then added, "The money is for you and Mom. I want you to take two months off work to rest. Is that too much to ask?"

There was a pause, and Lu Kuan thought he heard his father choke up. Emotion surged in his chest, his eyes grew moist.

After a moment, his father said, "Silly boy, what nonsense! But since you’re so capable, your mom and I will lay off the overtime for now. Still, we have to keep up with normal work—we can’t just sit idle."

"Fine, as long as you don’t work overtime," Lu Kuan chuckled, already anticipating this response. That was all he wanted.

He hung up, spirits soaring, checked the time, and logged back into the game.

It was now 2 p.m. in game time. He went to check his mailbox; in just two hours, over three hundred mana regeneration items had sold, earning him a thousand gold coins—and that was only half the stock.

He was about to tackle the backpack quest when his communicator buzzed.

"Lu Kuan, get over here! Help me with my class quest, or I’m going to lose my mind!"