[Flame Gemstone (Rare): A gem that can absorb fire. Wearing it reduces Flame Damage. Flame Damage reduced by 80%! (Has an absorption limit)]
"A Rare-quality item?"
Su Xuan picked up the ruby in delight. This quest was turning out to be quite fruitful!
"Let's go back."
"Okay!"
After pocketing the ruby, Su Xuan immediately headed for the Teleportation Gate.
The environment here was harsh; he didn't want to stay a second longer.
With a flash of white light, Su Xuan and Ivsha returned safely to the Guild.
"You go take a bath first. I'll pick out a new Nun's Habit for you," Su Xuan said to Ivsha.
The Guild had bathing areas for Adventurers, and the Marketplace had options for purchasing common items.
A standard Nun's Habit only cost five Copper Coins.
"Is that okay? Would it be too much trouble for you?"
Ivsha seemed overwhelmed by his kindness, afraid she was being a bother to Su Xuan.
"Don't be so formal. You completed the quest exceptionally well today!" Su Xuan replied with a smile, his voice full of genuine admiration.
A Rare-quality weapon and a Rare-quality ruby—together, they were worth at least several thousand Copper Coins.
And it was all thanks to Ivsha for taking care of that Level 3 Fiery Fire Rat leader.
"Is that so? It seems I've made Mr. Su Xuan quite happy." Hearing this, Ivsha beamed. "Well then, I'll go bathe. Please wait a moment, Mr. Su Xuan."
"Alright."
Ivsha immediately walked into the bathroom in the back. She needed a relaxing bath to wash away the dust and exhaustion from the battle.
Su Xuan, on the other hand, had no such worries. He sat down at the bar and first purchased a Nun's Habit from the system's Marketplace—one identical to what Ivsha had worn before. Since he already knew her size, he didn't need to ask and placed the order directly.
Next, he took the Flame Gemstone out of his pocket. Since no one else was selling this item on the Marketplace, he couldn't appraise its value.
Su Xuan considered it for a moment. 'An eighty percent reduction in Flame Damage seems like it would only be useful in special situations.'
If the price was right, he wouldn't mind selling this ruby to use as starting capital.
Besides, Ivsha's character quest required a large sum of money.
He copied the Flame Gemstone's information and pasted it into the world chat, adding a message: "Selling for a low price. PM if interested."
When he posted the message in the world chat, it immediately sparked intense discussion and drew the attention of many Players.
HottieA: "Whoa, a Rare Elemental Gem!"
PasserbyB: "That thing's not cheap! It's just a shame its effect is limited. If you can collect all five types of Elemental Gems, you can craft an Elemental Pendant!"
ImTheRealDeal: "An Elemental Pendant? That's an Epic-quality item that reduces all Elemental Damage! It's worth tens of Gold Coins, at least!"
CoolGuy: "Too bad the Elemental Gems are hard to collect. Only three have appeared so far."
HelpfulSoul: "A single Elemental Gem is worth 50 Silver Coins at most. A Flame Gemstone is a little more versatile, so it could probably sell for 80 Silver Coins."
...
'It can sell for 80 Silver Coins?'
Su Xuan's eyes lit up!
The currency conversion rate in this world was 1 Gold Coin = 100 Silver Coins = 10,000 Copper Coins.
Obtaining a Flame Gemstone worth 8,000 Copper Coins from a starter quest was indeed a huge windfall.
'If I could obtain the other four Elemental Gems and synthesize them into an Elemental Pendant, its value would multiply tens of times over!'
The only problem was that a single Elemental Gem seemed difficult to sell.
After all, its effect was limited.
Just as Su Xuan was contemplating what to do with the Elemental Gem, a private message popped up.
"Hm?"
Su Xuan opened the chat window and checked the private message.
Red: "Will you sell me the Flame Gemstone? I'll offer 80 Silver Coins."
Su Xuan was a bit suspicious of their straightforward offer.
"Do you mind if I ask, are you trying to synthesize the Elemental Pendant?"
Red: "No, I just happened to get a quest in a fiery region."
'A quest in a fiery region?'
Su Xuan grew thoughtful. Indeed, for a quest in a fiery region, a Flame Gemstone would be an extremely practical item.
Though quests were assigned randomly, he couldn't guarantee he would never encounter a mission in a fiery region himself. The Flame Gemstone's value would definitely show itself at some point.
After a moment of thought, he replied, "I can rent the Flame Gemstone to you for 1,000 Copper Coins."
Red: "Rent?"
Red: "..."
Red: "Fine. But aren't you afraid I won't return it?"
"You trade me 8,000 Copper Coins first. I'll give you 7,000 back when I get the gem."
Red: "Deal!"
[Player 'Red' has initiated a trade with you!]
[Trade successful!]
[Flame Gemstone -1]
[Copper Coins +8,000]
As soon as the trade was complete, the other player immediately closed the chat window.
Su Xuan simply gave a faint smile.
Suddenly having a huge sum of money on hand was exciting, and an indescribable feeling of satisfaction washed over him.
'Money really does bring peace of mind,' he thought.
"Mr. Su Xuan?"
Just as Su Xuan was basking in the joy of his newfound wealth, Ivsha's voice came from the bathroom.
At the same time, the sound of flowing water drifted out, causing him to subconsciously start imagining the scene inside…
Ahem!
"Is something the matter?"
Su Xuan asked.
"Excuse me, is there a bath towel?"
"Hold on!"
Su Xuan immediately bought a bath towel from the Marketplace, walked to the bathroom door, and knocked lightly.
The bathroom door opened a crack, and a rich, unique fragrance washed over him along with a cloud of rising steam.
Ivsha hid behind the door, shyly extending an arm as fair as jade to take the snow-white towel from him.
"Thank you."
After her brief thanks, the bathroom door closed once more.
Su Xuan didn't think much of it and was about to turn and leave.
But then he remembered he needed a better understanding of Ivsha's character quest and asked casually, "What was your reason for joining the Guild? Can you tell me?"
As he spoke, he also turned in the quest he had just completed.
[Copper Coins +50, Experience +100!]
[You have received one free trait reroll.]
With the experience from two quests plus the kill on the Fiery Fire Rat leader, Su Xuan's Guild Experience Pool now held 350 experience points.
It was enough to get Ivsha to Level 3.
He acted on the thought immediately, helping Ivsha raise her Level.
"My reason for joining the Guild?"
Ivsha was in the bathroom, hot water streaming over her fair, jade-like skin. She tilted her head up slightly to gaze at the light above, and its faint glow was reflected in her clear eyes—eyes that seemed to hold a thousand words she yearned to speak.
After a moment of silence, she spoke softly. "The Nuns at the church are worried about money. I thought that if I could earn some funds, even if it isn't enough to cover the entire deficit, I could at least lighten their burden."
Though that was what she said, she didn't reveal the full truth to Su Xuan.
She had accidentally overheard the church's leadership preparing to make a dirty deal with a wealthy town merchant, one that would have the church's Nuns go to the merchant's mansion for a "group confessional prayer."
Fortunately, two senior, well-respected Nuns in the church had stopped it in time, and the plan was never carried out.
But recently, the church's deficit, combined with other matters, had forced it to once again bow to the wealthy merchant's President.
This meant the dirty deal might be back on the table.
Wanting to prevent this from happening, she signed a contract with the world.
She became an Adventurer in service to a Guild created by a Player. However, the people of her world were unaware of the existence of Players; they simply referred to them all as Guild Presidents.
"I see. So, how much money do you need?"
"About 50 Silver Coins."
"Fifty Silver Coins? That's not a lot. As long as you work hard for me here, you can earn that much within ten days."
Su Xuan was confident he could get Ivsha her 50 Silver Coins within ten days. He also wasn't worried about her leaving. If an Adventurer defied their Guild President and left on their own, they would suffer a worldly punishment—a penalty most people couldn't possibly bear.
"Only… ten days?"
Hearing this, Ivsha pressed her legs together slightly, her delicate body trembling.
Fifty Silver Coins was the church's entire annual revenue, and she could earn it in just ten days in Su Xuan's Guild?
This was far beyond her wildest estimates!
And just as Ivsha was reeling in astonishment, a pillar of white light descended from above, gently washing over her skin. It nourished her very soul and, at the same time, granted her a boost in combat power.
[Your Adventurer, Ivsha, has been promoted to Level 3!]