Chapter 127: Predicament and Chain Quests

Back after a trip out this afternoon. Heh, feels pretty good to get a free ride.

Back in my apartment, I soaked in cold water, still mulling over what had happened. For some reason, everything from Niu Tao's sudden appearance to the enthusiasm Meng Lu showed felt a bit strange.

Eventually, I realized a few inconsistencies. For example, the drastic shift in Niu Tao's behavior, and the fact that Meng Lu had seen right from the start that I was stronger than him. As I pondered this, my thoughts drifted: Could a girl like Meng Lu actually be interested in me? Impossible. I made such a fool of myself at dinner; who could fall for a guy like that in such a short time? Or was it, as she claimed, just an interest in my combat skills? Was she planning to drag me into some "community boxing team"? I wouldn't mind giving her a few pointers in my spare time, but I don't have the energy for anything else. Whatever, forget it. I’ll know more once I go back to the gym tomorrow.

Better get into the game quickly. I wonder how excited Dr. Ye will be after class-changing into a hidden profession.

As soon as I appeared on the wasteland outside the Mysterious Mausoleum, the system immediately notified me of new messages in my inbox. I opened it and, wow, there were quite a few!

Qing Yu? And Xiao Ai... uh, Poet Saint... Big Bear? Falcon, White Valentine, Red Tea—good grief, even Prodigal Son returned? What is going on? Did everyone I know decide to message me all at once? I opened the inbox, feeling somewhat flattered:

"You bad boy, you're in trouble again! Last time it was the Supreme Mercenary Corps, this time it’s the Dark Legion... You really have some nerve, specifically picking on powerful mercenary groups!"

Qing Yu’s tone sounded both angry and helpless. I couldn't help but smile; I didn't expect such a beauty to be keeping tabs on me. My vanity surged.

"You helped the Dragon Flame people blast four members of the Dark Legion... Do you realize how much trouble you've caused? It’s not just the Dark Legion; the Dragon Wolf Knights have also issued a notice to hunt you down on sight and kill you until you're level 20. Are you happy now? Everyone in Xuanshuang City knows the name 'Scavenging Qilin' now. You’re truly famous! You’re the first person in all of 'Magic Era' to be targeted by three major mercenary groups at once!"

Hearing Qing Yu’s warning, my heart sank slightly. Is it really that bad? I only shot those four guys once or twice each. I didn't even kill them. Is it worth such a massive mobilization? Why waste a precious bounty warrant on me?

However, if Qing Yu’s words were just meant to scare me, the next few messages gave me a genuine sense of unease:

"Brother Qilin! It’s bad! Don't leave the city, whatever you do!"

Xiao Ai’s hurried voice was full of anxiety:

"Brother Qilin! Where are you now? Please, don't leave the city! The Dragon Wolf Knights and the Dark Legion are asking about you everywhere, saying they want to kill you back to level 20... Wuu, I'm sorry, I didn't know they would target you like this! Really! I'm so sorry. If I had known, I never would have asked you to come... Now you're being hunted, wuu... wuu... I'm sorry... I transferred eight hundred gold coins to your bank account. Use it for return scrolls or better gear, just hide outside for a while, okay? Wuu... wuu..."

By the end, the self-reproaching girl was actually crying. It seemed she realized how much trouble her plea for help had brought upon Scavenging Qilin.

I chuckled to myself. Actually, the situation wasn't as dire as Xiao Ai and Qing Yu thought. Since I’m a lone wolf, avoiding one mercenary group is the same as avoiding three—it doesn't make much difference to me. Besides, I’ve spent most of the last two days in Green Valley, which is isolated. As long as I’m careful, they won't find me even if they send ten more groups! Even if I ran into them on the road, unless they had high magic and physical resistance while being faster than me, they couldn't catch me, let alone kill me. And even if they did, I still have a return scroll left. If things get truly desperate, I’ll have enough time to run.

So, as long as I want to, they can't do much to me in the short term. As for killing me back to level 20, that’s just talk to scare others and save face.

Of course, it’s not without trouble. I’m already level 28; in another day, I’ll be due for my tier-three advancement quest! If the quest Hoetz gave me requires me to stay in the Xuanshuang City area, it might be hard to complete. After all, with three major groups keeping an eye out for me, I’d have to run the moment any of them spotted me. But once I complete the advancement, dealing with this trouble will be much easier.

After that, Poet Saint and Big Bear mostly offered empty words of comfort, likely just reaching out because the incident involved their own mercenary group. Their 'good-natured' leader, Prodigal Son, was much more generous. Besides thanking me again, he transferred a level 27 silver ring and four hundred gold coins to my account. White Valentine and Red Tea also sent two hundred gold coins, urging me to hide in a more distant city and offering to accompany me if I couldn't handle it alone.

Heh, I didn't expect Xiao Ai’s message to bring me both trouble and a decent fortune. Between the gear dropped by the Dark Legion archers, the unidentified items from the garrison leader, the current fourteen hundred gold coins, and the silver ring, my net worth is quite substantial now.

However, I definitely cannot accept the money from White Brother and Red Tea. They weren't exactly wealthy in the game before meeting Qing Yu, and those two hundred coins were probably all they had earned in the last two days. As for Xiao Ai, she's a little rich girl, and the two pieces of gear I gave her are worth much more than that. I don't feel guilty about taking the money from Prodigal Son, as it wasn't an excessive amount.

Green Valley was already in sight. Just then, the second half of Falcon’s message caught my attention:

"Qilin, not online? Whatever, you'll see it later... Heh, congrats on taking down those Dark Legion guys and showing off in front of them. You have no idea how many people admire you now! Too bad you're in a tough spot, otherwise you'd have tons of girls looking for you... *cough*... anyway, let's talk business."

"Remember that quest I told you about? The one to collect 'Undead Notes' outside the Forgotten Castle? I went back yesterday and got the second phase from the old man—to enter the castle and find the 'Lost Chamber.' I searched for half the day and couldn't find it; I suspect it's a chain quest! Check it out if you have time... Damn, forgot you're being hunted. Forget it, I'll keep looking alone. Oh, and good news: my Piercing skill reached high level yesterday! I'm a tier-three expert now! Haha! Congratulate me!!"

The message ended with a string of triumphant laughter. My interest was piqued. A chain quest? I hadn't encountered one yet; could it be part of the hidden quests?

I quickly sent a message to Falcon, and he replied immediately:

"Not sure, depends on the difficulty and the stages. Generally, more stages mean higher difficulty, but the rewards get better. The harder the quest, the closer it is to being a 'hidden' one regardless of the label."

"But overall, chain quests are much better than normal ones. If it turns out to be a hidden quest with a hidden storyline, we'll be rich!"

Falcon sighed, "Too bad you've offended the Supreme, Dragon Wolf, and Dark Legion groups. They're everywhere in Xuanshuang City right now, and they're keeping the peace, so there's no chance of them fighting each other... Otherwise, you could come back and help me find this chamber."

He added, "I just hope nobody else finds this quest in the meantime, or I'll have been wasting my time for nothing!"