Vol. 1 Chapter 19 – The Deal

Steel-grade equipment typically comes with 1-2 additional attributes compared to Pale-grade equipment, and its basic stats are slightly stronger. After glancing at the items, Ye Tian Xie casually tossed them back into his backpack and continued wearing his novice gear as he ventured deeper into Wolf Valley. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to equip them—he couldn’t. All the items required a melee class to wear, but he didn’t meet the requirement. Why? Because he didn’t even have a class.

He hadn’t walked far before a pack of wandering wolves came into view. These were the lowest-level fierce wolves in Wolf Valley. Aside from having a slightly larger aggro range, their stats weren’t much different from the wild wolves Ye Tian Xie had already slain. He walked forward slowly, drawing three wolves toward him at once, then swung The Mark of Destiny.

He hadn’t forgotten about the five recovery potions he had given away to Red Leaf Iron Wall. Taking something from him always came at a hefty price.

*

At the novice village respawn point, the five members of Red Leaf Alliance reappeared one after another. The trainee warrior, who revived alongside Red Leaf Iron Wall, ground his teeth in frustration, “Seventh Brother, when have we ever been humiliated like this? We can’t just let this slide. I’ll call a few of our brothers to take him down right now. And that weapon of his…”

“Don’t speak yet” Red Leaf Iron Wall raised his hand to stop him. “I need to inform the leader about this. He’ll definitely be interested in that weapon.”

In the world of Destiny, the communication device was a wristband worn on the arm. It allowed players to communicate within the game world as well as with the real world, and it had other functions like checking time, taking photos, and recording video. The wristband could also be hidden or summoned at will. Red Leaf Iron Wall raised his wrist to the communicator and said, “Leader, I was just killed by a level 1 player. Not just me, he killed all four of us…That guy is only level 1 but can deal over 100 damage.”

“Oh?” A male voice responded through the communicator.

“Leader, I’ll send you a picture, and you’ll understand.”

He sent a photo he had quickly snapped earlier—one that captured Ye Tian Xie holding The Mark of Destiny. It was taken when Ye Tian Xie had attacked the trainee mage.

There was a long silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by a voice, “That’s a very domineering weapon. Even though it appeared in the novice village, it’s definitely the kind of weapon that would drive all warrior classes insane. That player must have triggered some hidden quest…A-Qi, I’m very interested in that weapon. You must get it for me. If it really has the powerful attack strength you mentioned, it would be a huge asset for me… Try to negotiate with him first. If you can buy it or trade for it, that would be ideal. Even if the price goes beyond a million, it’s worth it. Whoever can trigger and complete a hidden quest in such a short time isn’t someone we want as an enemy right now.”

“I understand, Leader” Red Leaf Iron Wall replied, then turned off the communicator. Raising his hand, he called out, “Let’s go, back to Wolf Valley. He’s probably still there!”

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【Ding… Your level has increased to 2. HP +10, MP +10, and you have gained 5 free attribute points.】

Ye Tian Xie allocated all 5 points to strength, raising his attack power to 116. The fierce wolves, which previously required two or three strikes to kill, now fell easily in just two hits. Occasionally, a critical hit would one-shot them.

Another small pack of fierce wolves collapsed and Ye Tian Xie walked over to their scattered bodies, his face expressionless as he used basic gathering techniques:

【Ding… You have gathered two wolf eyes and three wolf teeth.】

【Ding… You have gathered two wolf eyes and one wolf tooth…】

Looking at his inventory, which now held more than fifty wolf eyes and wolf teeth, Ye Tian Xie casually took down a few newly respawned fierce wolves and then turned to head back. He wasn’t in a rush to complete the tasks from the village chief or Old Wang the blacksmith, but the quest from that peculiar old lady had piqued his interest slightly.

Since the novice village didn’t have return scrolls, all travel had to be done on foot. Just as Ye Tian Xie left Wolf Valley, five familiar figures appeared ahead—none other than the Red Leaf Alliance members whom he had killed and sent back to the novice village earlier. Ye Tian Xie’s steps didn’t falter, his expression unchanged, as if he hadn’t even seen them.

“Xie Tian, we’re from Red Leaf Alliance…How about we make a deal?” Red Leaf Iron Wall exhaled slightly in relief when he saw Ye Tian Xie, stepping forward and speaking directly, avoiding mention of their previous conflict.

“A deal?” Ye Tian Xie chuckled lightly, sweeping his gaze across the five of them before speaking with disdain, “I’m not interested in making deals with people who break their word.”

Everyone who felt his gaze pass over them couldn’t help but tense up. The trainee archer, who had suffered both physically and mentally, shrank behind the others, clearly still traumatised by the earlier encounter.

Red Leaf Iron Wall’s face darkened, but he kept his composure as he said, “What happened earlier was a misunderstanding… Let me be frank. Our leader, Red Ye Lie Feng, is very interested in that weapon you’re holding. As long as you’re willing to hand it over, we can consider any conditions you might propose. Our leader has even personally spoken, saying that if you agree, you can join Red Leaf Alliance and become one of our branch leaders!”

While Red Leaf Alliance may not compare to the two dominant giants of the virtual gaming world, Divine Domain Alliance and Wings of the Overcast Sky, its name is still well-known and feared, with overall strength ranking in the top ten. Few dared to provoke them lightly, and mentioning the leader’s name added even more weight to their reputation.

“Oh…” Ye Tian Xie’s face showed a hint of interest. He raised The Mark of Destiny thoughtfully and then looked up slowly. “100 gold coins!”

“100 gold coins?!” Red Leaf Iron Wall’s eyes widened in disbelief. After a brief moment of shock, he clenched his teeth and said, “Alright! That’s straightforward. We’ll gather the coins right away… Let’s go!”

Red Leaf Iron Wall didn’t waste any more words and left with his team. One hundred gold coins, which could be exchanged for one hundred Huaxia coins once the currency exchange was enabled, meant nothing to the entire Hong Ye Alliance. However, at the beginning of the game, when every copper coin was precious, one gold coin was already a significant fortune. It was nearly impossible for a player to save up for even one gold coin. Even after killing the Giant Fierce Wolf that dropped fifty copper coins, Ye Tian Xie’s total assets amounted to only six silver coins.

Ye Tian Xie didn’t bother to look at them again and headed straight for the old man with his legs sealed.

“Leader, he wants 100 gold coins, actual gold coins, not real-world currency,” Red Leaf Iron Wall said into the communicator.

“Oh? 100 gold coins? He doesn’t seem to be a particularly ambitious person. Mobilise everyone in the same novice village to gather the coins immediately. We must collect 100 gold coins in the shortest time possible. Even if we have to accept a 1,000-to-1 exchange rate with Huaxia coins, that’s fine. Go!”

“Understood.” Red Leaf Iron Wall replied and quickly ran back to the novice village. Even at a 1,000-to-1 exchange rate for one gold coin, 100 gold coins would only amount to 100,000 Huaxia coins. However, acquiring that weapon would allow them to outpace other players during the novice phase. The influence and additional benefits that came with it were not something that simple monetary value could measure.