Vol. 1 Chapter 14 – Hidden Persuasion Quest

【Ding… The village chief of Novice Village 60001 has asked you to collect 100 wolf fangs. Task details: Ordinary, no time limit. Task reward: 1,000 experience points, one random Level 5 Iron-tier piece of equipment. Note: Originally a Level 5 task, completion may result in additional rewards.】

Wolves… again with wolves. First, it was wolf eyes, and now it’s wolf fangs. Ye Tian Xie accepted the quest, and the village chief nodded approvingly, “Young man, I await your triumphant return. Here, take these to help you.”

【Ding… You have received 10 small recovery potions, 5 apples, and 5 mantou from the village chief of Novice Village 60001.】

Small Recovery Potion: Instantly restores 100 HP, cooldown time: 5 seconds. Cannot be stacked with similar recovery items.

Apple: A common fruit. Restores 50 HP, reduces hunger by 10.

Mantou (Steamed Bun): A common food. Restores 10 HP, reduces hunger by 30.

As expected, there were additional rewards. Ye Tianxie stashed the items away and said to the village chief, “Thank you, Chief.”

“Hehe, before you go, let me teach you a basic survival skill.” The village chief raised his old hand, and a faint white light appeared between him and Ye Tianxie.

【Ding… You have learned 『Basic Gathering Skill』 allowing you to collect low-level items from monster corpses.】

“Master, Master! That apple thing looks like it can be eaten! I want to eat it, I want to eat it!” Guo Guo, who had finally been quiet for a while, started pulling at Ye Tian Xie’s ear, whining loudly again. Ye Tian Xie, feeling his veins throbbing with irritation, whispered, “Be quiet!”

“Oh? Did you say something just now?” the village chief asked, looking up in confusion.

Ye Tian Xie returned the same confused look, wearing an innocent expression devoid of any flaw, and replied, “I didn’t say anything.”

The village chief, now wondering if his old age was affecting his hearing, didn’t pursue the matter further. Instead, he smiled warmly and said, “By the way, Old Wang at the blacksmith’s seems to need some help. You should go check with him.”

Ye Tian Xie nodded, said his goodbyes, and headed toward the small hut where the sound of steady hammering could be heard.

“Waaah, Master, I want to eat that apple! You promised you wouldn’t bully the cutest and most obedient Guo Guo anymore, waaah…”

The pitiful expression, teary eyes, and the soft pleading voice, combined with the starry gaze that promised a flood of tears if denied, forced Ye Tianxie to give in. He pulled an apple from his inventory and placed it in Guo Guo’s tiny hands. The moment the apple landed in her hands, Guo Guo’s body dipped sharply as if she would fall to the ground, but she managed to float back up, struggling to hold the apple with both hands.

“Wow! It’s so big, and it looks really tasty,” Guo Guo exclaimed as she opened her small mouth and took a bite. It took her a great deal of effort, but she finally managed to make a tiny dent in the apple’s skin, and she began to eat with visible delight, making soft, contented sounds as the sweet taste filled her mouth.

Watching this little girl devour an apple almost the size of her head was both endearing and amusing. Even Ye Tian Xie couldn’t help but smile faintly at the sight.

“Hello, blacksmith. Is there anything I can help you with?” Ye Tian Xie asked, entering the blacksmith’s shop.

The blacksmith turned at the sound of his voice, a smile breaking across his soot-stained face. “Greetings, adventurers from another world. I do have something I need help with. My supply of forging materials is running low. Can you help me collect some wild boar tusks?”

【Ding… Due to your high charm, Old Wang the Blacksmith’s favorability towards you has increased by +20. Old Wang the Blacksmith has asked you to collect 20 wild boar tusks. Task details: Ordinary, no time limit. Task reward: 200 experience points, one random Level 3 Pale-tier piece of equipment. Will you accept?】

As the sounds of Gugu munching on her apple—《crunch, crunch》—filled the air, Ye Tian Xie realised that ever since the apple had been handed to Guo Guo, the sound had not stopped. Luckily, it seemed that just like Guo Guo herself, the apple was invisible to others. Otherwise, seeing an apple floating in midair and disappearing bite by bite would surely throw people into disarray.

Ye Tian Xie thought for a moment, then smiled at the blacksmith and said, “Uncle Wang, while wild boar tusks are certainly good for forging, I believe wolf fangs are even tougher. How about I collect some wolf fangs for you instead?”

Wild boars were Level 2 monsters, and their territory was currently swarmed with players grinding and completing quests, making the collection of 20 boar tusks potentially a time-consuming task. On the other hand, Ye Tian Xie had just accepted the village chief’s quest to collect wolf fangs—an ideal overlap.

The blacksmith’s eyes lit up, and his smile deepened. “It’s rare to meet such a considerate young man like you. However, wolves are far more dangerous creatures, and collecting wolf fangs would be much riskier. Are you truly willing to gather 20 wolf fangs for me?”

【Ding…Old Wang the Blacksmith’s favorability has increased by +10. The task has been changed to collecting 20 wolf fangs. The task’s time limit and rewards remain the same. Will you accept?】

“Of course, I’d be happy to. I’ll bring the wolf fangs to you as soon as possible,” Ye Tian Xie replied with a smile. Although the task’s rewards remained unchanged, the +10 favorability was enough to make him feel satisfied. As he turned to leave, the blacksmith called out to him, “Young man… sigh, it’s rare to meet someone so approachable and helpful. Could I ask for just a bit more of your time to help with something else? Perhaps you can do what others could not.”

Ye Tian Xie stopped in his tracks, putting on a smile as he replied, “Helping others is my honour.”

If anyone who knew of Ye Tian Xie’s reputation heard him say this, they would likely respond with an outpouring of disbelief and mockery.

The blacksmith put down his hammer and sighed deeply. The weathered lines on his face became more pronounced, and a profound sadness filled his voice. “I have a seven-year-old son. He is the most precious thing to me and my wife. But a month ago, a giant bat, entirely black, suddenly appeared in the sky above Novice Village. It circled for a long time before swooping down and snatching my son in its massive claws, flying off towards the distant south. That bat was a demonic creature, likely one of the evil beings that escaped from the Tower of Destiny. From the moment my son was taken, I knew I would never see him again. No one could survive in the hands of such a terrible monster… Young man, could you please try to comfort my wife? Since our son was taken, she has changed completely. Every day, she grows thinner, weaker, and more mentally unstable. She spends her days mumbling our son’s name over and over again. If this continues, she’ll soon leave me, just like our son… Everyone in the village has tried to console her, but nothing has worked. Will you help me? Even if it doesn’t change anything, I will still be forever grateful to you.”