Chapter 40: Taking Advantage

“May I have a look?”

The female mage appeared to be around twenty, her face adorned with an enchanting smile. Though she spoke, her clear eyes remained fixed on me, utterly unruffled, as natural as if she were seeking the opinion of an old friend. It seemed her interest was not in the magic stone itself… but rather in me.

To tell the truth, her tone and demeanor, her gestures, and those luminous, captivating eyes made it nearly impossible to refuse her request. Even Bai Lantern Festival, who’d already met her once, and Black Tea, a woman herself, found it hard to utter any words of polite refusal when the mage appeared again before them; a trace of awkwardness crept onto their faces. After all, they had previously claimed not to possess the magic stone, and now that it had surfaced in the hands of the Scavenger Qilin, it was, in a way, a harmless deception.

Faced with her request, they chose silence.

As for me, I observed her from the perspective of an art appreciator. Even clad in voluminous mage robes, her whole being radiated an indescribable charm and nobility, powerfully affecting those around her. No wonder Poet Sage had been left speechless at the sight of her—she was, indeed, breathtakingly beautiful.

Truthfully, I had no intention of refusing her. After all, she had helped us in Kodo Beast Valley; otherwise, I would never have obtained this magic stone. However…

Before anything else, I said something that left the three present, as well as the approaching giant and elf, dumbfounded:

“I don’t mind lending it to you, but I don’t believe we’re acquainted… Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before asking for something, Miss?” As soon as the words left my mouth, Bai Lantern Festival and Black Tea behind me nearly burst into laughter. They remembered my earlier bold declaration—to always try and learn the name of any woman who caught my fancy. Truly, I practiced what I preached!

With that in mind, the two exchanged a knowing smile, their gazes expectant as they looked toward the female mage: How would she respond?

What they didn’t know was that my real purpose was not to probe for her name or background, but rather to address the abruptness of her request. Her tone and bearing, though not offensive, carried an undercurrent of pride and a forceful implication that was hard to resist.

If I were to agree outright, wouldn’t I be just like Poet Sage?

…

The moment I spoke, the female mage and her two companions were momentarily stunned, surprise flickering across their faces—the giant and the elf exchanged glances, evidently caught off guard by my reply.

Most would either, like Poet Sage, readily and eagerly agree, or, overwhelmed by the importance of the magic stone, refuse with difficulty… Rarely had they met someone who remained so calm and collected.

They could not have known that the three of us had already determined in private that the Kodo Beast Magic Stone was of little value, and so were unconcerned with its rarity.

The female mage was clearly no ordinary person; she recovered in an instant, smiled graciously, and met my gaze. “Qingyu, Earth Mage, level thirty-seven.”

At her introduction, Bai Lantern Festival and Black Tea exchanged a swift glance, their eyes filled with shock and realization.

“You’re Qingyu, the captain of the Qingyu Mercenary Company?” Bai Lantern Festival interjected, and before his words had faded, Black Tea, suddenly awestruck, squeezed forward: “You’re the Qingyu who held the top spot on the Earth Mage rankings for half a month? The second-ranked female mage… Is it really you?!” Her incredulous tone filled the giant and elf behind Qingyu with pride.

Qingyu was slightly taken aback by their enthusiastic reaction. I, too, was surprised to discover her status and renown.

Former top Earth Mage? Second among female mages…

Now I truly saw her in a new light. I had thought her remarkable simply for being a beautiful third-tier player, but her reputation was far greater than I’d imagined. No wonder even her followers were so extraordinary.

But that was not what intrigued me most.

It was her combat ability… How had she so quickly mastered a fighting style completely different from a warrior’s, and distinguished herself among millions of mages?

Qingyu nodded in confirmation to Bai Lantern Festival and Black Tea’s questions, her beautiful eyes glinting with sly anticipation as she fixed them on me.

“Well then, shall you consider lending me the magic stone now?” she asked, her gaze unwavering.

“Ah, I really want to protest this wretched game mechanic—why can’t a level ten commoner introduce himself? Not even a chance to tell a pretty girl my name… What a rotten feeling…”

Sighing with exaggerated sorrow, I shook my head, drawing quiet laughter from the others.

At that moment, I abruptly extended my hand, holding out the Kodo Beast Magic Stone to Qingyu.

She was startled, then shot me a reproachful look—this was the gesture one used for trading a single item with a friend, and such trades inevitably involved personal contact.

Bai Lantern Festival and Black Tea stared in disbelief—plenty of people were shameless, but none did it so “naturally.” They remembered how, in Kodo Beast Valley, Poet Sage had at least politely sought permission before trading, but here I was, offering it over directly—a blatant attempt to take advantage. Unbelievable!

Yet in the end, Qingyu chose to accept. After all, she’d already wasted several evenings of leveling time over this one “Kodo Beast Magic Stone”—if she missed this chance, she’d have to wait another half month.

Resigned, she reached out to take it, and of course I didn’t miss the opportunity, “accidentally” savoring the cool touch of her delicate hand.

Meeting her reproachful glare, I smiled mischievously and teased, “By the way, I forgot to mention, as much as I trust you, Captain, please remember to return it after you’ve seen it.”

“You…”

The giant and the elf, now beside us, pointed at Scavenger Qilin, both rendered utterly speechless. This weak little commoner…

Damn scoundrel!

For Qingyu to ask for something was already him doing her a favor, but this guy carried himself with the nonchalance of a pig unafraid of boiling water—taking advantage and refusing to let go. Shameless!