Ye Chuan responded casually to the man's greeting before turning his attention back to the quest board. If possible, he wanted to take on higher-difficulty missions—not only would the rewards be better, but it would also speed up his advancement as a registered adventurer. Tasks like cleaning or unclogging drains held no appeal for him.
The man didn’t seem surprised by Ye Chuan’s indifference. After all, in his experience, mages were generally hard to approach.
"I’d like to commission a Gold-rank or higher adventurer to escort our young lady to the territory of Count Kangong," the man said.
"Gold-rank or higher, is it?" Eisien replied. "Certainly. Our guild currently has sixteen registered Gold-rank adventurers, but they’re all out on assignments at the moment. If you post the quest, we should have a response within a week."
"A week?" The man frowned slightly before turning to the silver-haired young woman behind him. "My lady, if it takes a week, I’m afraid we won’t make it in time..."
"My apologies," Eisien said with a regretful expression, though her gaze subtly shifted toward Ye Chuan, who was still browsing the quest board. "Gold-rank adventurers are rare, after all. If the matter is urgent, perhaps..." She trailed off before adding, "If you’re interested, you could inquire with that gentleman over there—Sir Ye Chuan."
At her gesture, both the man and the silver-haired woman turned to look.
"Is he... a Gold-rank adventurer?" the man asked, recalling Ye Chuan’s earlier display of skill.
"Silver-rank," Eisien clarified.
Hearing this, the man’s expression dimmed slightly. Most Silver-rank adventurers were only at the second or third tier—not weak, but hardly sufficient for their needs.
"However," Eisien continued, "Sir Ye Chuan recently hunted a mutated Glowspider Queen."
"A mutated Glowspider Queen?" The man’s eyes widened in surprise. "Shouldn’t that require a Gold-rank party?"
"Indeed," Eisien nodded, her tone implying much about Ye Chuan’s strength. "He only registered as an adventurer last night and has only completed that one mission so far."
The man immediately grasped her meaning. After a brief hesitation, he turned to the young woman for her opinion.
"Torres, go ask him," the girl said from beneath her hood, her voice clear and melodious.
"My lady, his background is still unclear..."
"Go."
"As you wish."
Just then, Ye Chuan plucked a quest slip for hunting a slime swarm from the board—only for the man who had greeted him earlier to approach once more.
"Sir Mage," the man said, placing a fist over his chest in a gesture Ye Chuan didn’t recognize, "I am Torres, a paladin."
"What can I do for you?" Ye Chuan asked, wary.
Had he changed his mind?
Did he want his money back?
Torres didn’t seem bothered by Ye Chuan’s cold tone—typical for a mage, he supposed—and instead bowed slightly. "I’d like to formally invite you to accept my commission."
For a moment, Ye Chuan just stared before breaking into a grin. "Now we’re talking."
As long as it wasn’t about taking money back, he was all for it. Better yet, if it meant more money.
Torres blinked at the sudden shift in Ye Chuan’s demeanor. What just happened?
"Shall we discuss this seated?"
"Sure."
The adventurer’s guild doubled as a tavern, with plenty of tables for conversation. Once seated, Torres remained standing—a towering figure at nearly two meters tall, his short hair and sharp features giving off an air of reliability.
Instead, the silver-haired girl took the seat across from Ye Chuan, while Torres stood respectfully at her side.
Ye Chuan guessed she was young from the glimpse of her hands beneath her sleeves—pale, slender, and delicate. Even with her face hidden, he could imagine her beauty.
"Isabella," she said.
"Hm?"
"My name."
"Miss Yi, then."
"Miss... Yi?" She paused, then dismissed the odd address. Adventurers were eccentric by nature, after all.
"I’d like you to escort me to the territory of Count Kangong."
"An escort mission? No problem." Still, Ye Chuan asked, "How far is it?"
"About three days’ journey," Torres answered.
"Three days?"
That was manageable. As long as it wasn’t too long, he could handle it.
"Fine. What’s the pay?"
"One hundred gold coins."
"One hundred gold..." Ye Chuan wasn’t entirely sure of the conversion rate between gold and silver, so he asked outright, "How many silver coins equal one gold?"
Even Isabella seemed taken aback by the question.
"Under the current exchange rate in the Hill Empire, one gold coin is roughly a thousand silver," Torres explained.
"Ten thousand succubus visits?" Ye Chuan muttered, finally grasping the amount.
"Succubus?"
"When do we leave?"
"Tonight."
"Tonight? Alright." Ye Chuan stood. "I’ll meet you back here at the tavern by evening. See you then."
With that, he strode off without another word, as if he had urgent business elsewhere.
Once he was gone, Torres knelt on one knee and spoke in a hushed tone. "My lady, that mage... he’s suspicious."
"Not only did he just register last night, but he doesn’t even know the exchange rate between silver and gold."
"I suspect—"
Before he could finish, Isabella cut him off. "Torres, strange as he may be, what matters is his strength."
"He’s powerful."
"Gold-rank adventurers are generally at least fourth-tier," Torres argued.
Isabella gazed out the window, her eyes following Ye Chuan’s retreating figure. "No. He’s likely far beyond that."
"When the earth dragon went berserk earlier, I sensed his mana."
She lowered her lashes, her voice soft but certain. "His power... is like an abyss. Unfathomable."
Torres stiffened. Was she serious?
"How is that possible? He looks so young... Could he be a disguised archmage?"
"No. He truly is young."
"Then..."
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
