Chapter 17: A Golden Opportunity to Make Money

At this point, Lu Kuan had no other choice but to throw out another ten gold coins.

“Shiny gold coins~ Such wonderful things~” The old blind man cackled, drawing the attention of other players in the appraisal hall.

Lu Kuan didn't waste words. The old blind man then stated several additional requirements, but Lu Kuan was already prepared and handed over the requested items along with the centipede potion.

The appraisal process at this level was carried out in complete secrecy; at least, players were nowhere near privileged enough to observe it yet. After taking the items, the old blind man disappeared into a back room and did not reemerge for about ten minutes.

When he finally returned, he looked thoroughly exhausted. The once-bright blue-green scales on his skin had dulled, and the broad fin along his back drooped lifelessly.

“Here you go. Now get out,” the old blind man snapped, tossing Lu Kuan the bag containing the ogre teeth and waving him away impatiently. “Go back and tell that old fossil Lohr not to come to me with things like this again! Some money you can earn, but you might not live to spend it…”

By the end, his voice was barely a whisper, and with a shake of his head, he left, sighing.

The first time Lu Kuan had done this quest, he had noticed nothing out of the ordinary. But now, reliving the same scene, he realized that many details in the quest hinted at the dangers to come.

Shaking off these thoughts, Lu Kuan took the ogre teeth in hand. What had once been pitch-black was now a dark gray, with tendrils of inky blackness slowly seeping from the teeth. Where his fingers touched the surface, there was a faint, burning sting.

At the same time, the quest log updated its description.

“Without a doubt, these broken teeth contain necromantic power. Ever since the blue dragon Tydagoth settled in the Frostfire Mountains and wiped out the undead gathered there, such dark energy has not appeared in the Green Basin for a long time. Even the old blind man, who has lived more than a century, was clearly shaken by this familiar yet terrifying aura. Bring them to Lohr, adventurer—Magma Fortress needs your strength.”

Lu Kuan read the log as he hurried to the auction house. As he opened the auction list, just as he had expected, many had already spotted the business opportunity and begun selling the relevant materials at sky-high prices.

But these were mere small-time speculators. Those who truly controlled the market were always the ones who held the greatest resources—like Lu Kuan himself.

Sticking to his plan, he placed the remaining materials—some spare ogre teeth and the newly acquired ogre traps—up for auction.

These were all urgent items for the current quest stage. Barely seconds after he listed them, someone paid a fortune of ten gold coins apiece for three ogre teeth.

Lu Kuan could almost hear the coins clinking as they poured into his pockets—a truly delightful sound.

Most players by now had completed the first two steps of the quest. From step three onward, each class’s advancement quest required hunting monsters in the wild. Naturally, competition flared up: players marking territory, malicious PKs, snatching monsters and treasures—the first great wave of open-world PK since the game’s launch, much to the players’ collective frustration.

But none of this concerned Lu Kuan. At this moment, he stood within the class hall, ready to claim his quest reward.

“System notification: Quest ‘Unveiling the Truth’ completed.”

“Quest completed in under five hours—rewards doubled.”

“Received 150 experience points.”

“Received bonus reward: Swift Leather Boots.”

“Gained 1 skill point.”

“Current class advancement quest ranking in Magma Fortress: 1. Lohr’s favorability towards you +1.”

A string of notifications flashed by, putting Lu Kuan in an excellent mood. He immediately pulled the newly acquired boots from his inventory.

“Swift Leather Boots (Excellent)

Soulbound on pickup

Equipment requirement: Level 10

Durability: 100%

Armor +6

Beginner’s Swiftness: Increases running speed by 1%.”

At last, he thought, I can finally change these shoes... He glanced down at the rookie boots on his feet, patched up over a dozen times. In the real world, the soles would have worn through long ago.

He invested the new skill point in his Listening skill, knowing it would soon be needed.

“Well done, young man.”

Lohr, usually cold and stony, actually managed a faint smile. “According to our sources, a mysterious figure in a black cloak has been spotted near Magma Fortress. I suspect he’s the true culprit behind the ogre hatchings. The warlocks of the Radiant Temple are conducting a divination ritual—you should go there and investigate.”

Seeing Lohr’s hard features twist into an awkward smile, Lu Kuan was so startled he broke out in goosebumps and quickly made his exit.

That’s the effect of a single point of favorability—but little else; it offered almost no real benefit.

Lu Kuan stopped by the weapons shop next to the class hall to restock on arrows, then headed toward the Radiant Temple. He had barely taken a few steps when a message flashed across his vision.

“Old Deer, I’ll pay double for every ogre tooth at the auction house—take them all. Do you have any extra materials? —Eternal Night of Paradise.”

Reading the message, Lu Kuan couldn’t help but marvel. Indeed, as expected of a future top guild, their financial resources were astonishing. In order to seize the initiative over other guilds, they were willing to pay any price.

For Lu Kuan, such wealthy buyers were always welcome.

He replied, then hurried back to the auction house, withdrew his remaining items from sale, and waited in the small plaza outside for the buyer to arrive.

It was nearly noon. Standing outside the auction house, he took in the scene—the plaza was half-filled with player-run stalls, crowds bustling about, haggling and bartering, the place alive with activity.

Magma Fortress was still just a small city, its buildings mainly simple stone or wood, radiating the charm of a prosperous little town. In the future, when it upgraded to a medium-sized city, it would be an entirely different sight.

Before long, members of Dark Paradise found Lu Kuan.

“Master, apologies—our guild leader is occupied and couldn’t make it.” A monk-like player greeted Lu Kuan, four wary companions in tow.

Lu Kuan nodded, indicating it was no problem. With a guild as large as Dark Paradise, it was only natural that they’d have plans for the new instance, “Wild Desert.” Eternal Night had far more on his mind than just his own quest.

Lu Kuan still had over a dozen ogre teeth and about thirty sets of quest materials in his bag. He sold them all in a bundle for a total of 600 gold coins. With his previous earnings, his assets now totaled a staggering 3,000 gold!

If Eternal Night knew this, he’d be dumbfounded. Even for a guild as powerful as Dark Paradise, their guild bank held less than ten thousand coins at present.

Of course, once the guild leveled up and could recruit members en masse, the guild bank’s funds would soar. But for now, there was no doubt: Lu Kuan was a veritable tycoon.