Chapter Thirty-Two: The Task of Traveling Together... Complete

A streak of orange lightning was etched across his forehead, and on the backs of both hands were strange golden runes. Not only was he an elf, but seemingly the most difficult class to train: a lightning warlock... Perhaps it was even more than that. A hidden class, perhaps?

Zhao Nan muttered under his breath; his expression was unreadable behind the mask, but his tone remained calm. "Do you need a lot?"

"Let's talk," the young man replied with a slight smile.

At that moment, several burly men at his side quickly drove the crowd away.

"Move fast, those people are from 'Inferno.'"

The faces of the surrounding players changed dramatically. In just a short while, Zhao Nan's stall was deserted—only he, the young man, and his subordinates remained. The men promptly stood guard around the stall.

"Should I take your actions as an attempt to stir up trouble?" Zhao Nan didn't move, his tone as placid as ever.

"No, in fact, I'm bringing you a lucrative deal." The young man smiled faintly, picked up a Glimmer Crystal, and examined it closely. Suddenly, he remarked, "There's still a trace of blood—looks like this was freshly dropped, right? Can you tell me which monsters drop these stones? I'll make it worth your while."

"Sorry, that's commercial confidentiality."

The young man squinted at Zhao Nan, trying to assess him. At this stage, there was no way to view another player's level without being in a party. He couldn't tell Zhao Nan's level, but the complete set of starting gear suggested he was at least level six.

"This can't be from low-level monsters, right?" the young man asked again.

"Are you looking to buy?" Zhao Nan replied without answering.

"How many do you have?" The young man wasn't annoyed; his smile remained.

"Six hundred," Zhao Nan replied after a quick calculation. That was about half of his current stockpile.

Level 7 Undead Rats were the main source of Glimmer Crystals. Frankly, once your level rose, these wouldn't be worth much, and they're only valuable now because they're scarce.

"Deal."

The young man's decisiveness caught Zhao Nan off guard. But as soon as Zhao Nan opened the trade window, the other party had already transferred three thousand gold coins and locked the transaction.

Extravagant!

"My name is Simon Yu. Shall we add each other as friends?" The young man sent a friend request after the transaction.

Zhao Nan hesitated for a moment, then agreed. He packed up and left the stall, moving slowly while keeping an eye on his surroundings. The young man and his guards didn't move at all.

Once he exited the market, Zhao Nan received a message from Simon Yu.

"If you have more Glimmer Crystals, feel free to contact me anytime."

Glancing back, Zhao Nan saw Simon Yu still strolling leisurely through the market, no longer paying him any attention. Wherever Simon Yu walked, players would bow their heads and avoid his gaze, as if in the presence of a king.

Such was the bearing of one who rules supreme.

Simon Yu. Zhao Nan etched the name into his memory, shook his head, and quietly left.

...

"Young master, do you want someone to follow that guy?" one of the burly men asked Simon Yu respectfully in a low voice.

"No need. The mask clearly means he doesn't want his real identity known. Such a person must be familiar with his surroundings. Even if you followed him, I doubt you'd last long. Besides, he stayed calm even knowing we're from 'Inferno'—he must have something up his sleeve." Simon Yu chuckled. "Do you think that many Glimmer Crystals could have been farmed by one person?"

"No. It's only been half a month, and with leveling and quests, it's impossible for just one person to get that many... Unless there's a group behind him?"

"It's certain there is," Simon Yu replied coolly. "And he must have a special method for farming monsters. But what kind of monster drops these stones? Nearly all the monsters in the outskirts of Eastsource City have been farmed... Could it be somewhere at the edges?"

"Should we investigate further?" his subordinate suggested.

"No, I've already added him as a friend. If he or his group really can farm these crystals, they'll surely have more to sell. With this quantity, selling them piecemeal would be a problem. At the current stage, I doubt there are more than three people in Eastsource City who could buy them all, including myself. Besides, I've done nothing to offend him—he'll come to me." Simon Yu spoke with confidence.

At that moment, Simon Yu's bracelet vibrated slightly. He paused before bringing his hand to his ear with a wry smile. "Xiaowu?"

"Brother, did you find what you were looking for?"

"Had good luck today. Bought a bunch of Glimmer Crystals—should be enough to boost your enchanting level by quite a bit."

"Really? How many?"

"Six hundred. Is that enough?" Simon Yu laughed.

"Brother, I love you!"

"Save that for your future husband. If you really want to thank me, just give my weapon a good enchantment and I'll be satisfied."

"No problem, leave it to me!"

Simon Yu ended the call and said, "Let's head back. Also, gather some people and speed up exploration of the outskirts. I like to keep the initiative in my own hands."

"Understood, young master!"

...

"Back so soon?"

"Mm, ran into a big client." Zhao Nan stroked Finina's hair as the two lay quietly together on the bed.

Finina rested her head on his chest, eyes closed, savoring the calm.

Zhao Nan was deep in thought. 'Inferno' wasn't a group that had appeared out of nowhere. If things developed as in his previous life, it would become one of the top twenty Chinese guilds, immensely powerful.

Simon Yu was also a top global expert, ranking in the top one hundred. Now that he thought about it, those runes on his hands already revealed his class.

A variant of the lightning warlock: Thunder Warlock. A unique hidden class, with overwhelmingly powerful skills.

At sunset, they left the inn and made their way to the Mage's Hall. Zhao Nan's class advancement had to be done there.

"By the way, Nan," Finina whispered in his ear as they approached the advancement hall, "when you choose your advancement, make sure to pick the twenty-ninth advancement master, okay?"

"Why?"

"Don't ask so many questions, you'll see when you get there." Finina's voice dropped even lower. Zhao Nan couldn't see her expression behind the mask, but he could sense the anticipation in her eyes.

Could it be...

He had his suspicions, though nothing concrete. He simply followed Finina's advice, selected the twenty-ninth advancement master, and entered the advancement chamber.

Inside, Zhao Nan saw a familiar figure... Hadeon, the owner of that remote weapon shop.

"You are..." Zhao Nan's eyes widened. He tried to speak several times but finally fell silent.

"Welcome, chosen one of honesty, courage, and wisdom." Hadeon was now dressed in a pure white robe.

His face remained as fierce as ever, but his gaze was gentle.

Zhao Nan quickly calmed himself, exhaled, and asked, "Should I call you Shopkeeper Hadeon, or Advancement Master?"

"I'd prefer it if you called me Father," Hadeon replied with a gentle smile. "Though I'm not truly Finina's father, I've always treated her as my own daughter."

"What happened exactly?"

"I adopted Finina. She was cursed from childhood, a terrible curse. But now it has been lifted. I could hardly believe that someone would truly fall in love with her, and that she would love in return. But you've done it."

Zhao Nan gave a wry smile. Without those six years in the fantasy instance, he doubted he could have accepted Finina. But now, all he felt was tenderness and love.

Hadeon continued, "I wanted Finina to be happy, so I set a quest. If anyone could bring her happiness, I would offer them a chance to become stronger."

A hidden class—the very one that Duan Tianlang had once obtained. Zhao Nan was stunned; he hadn't expected things to turn around just as he'd nearly given up.

He felt a surge of excitement. With that hidden class, Duan Tianlang had managed to claw his way into the world's top fifty, even without any backing—a testament to its power.

"Here is a class scroll. Are you willing to accept it?" In Hadeon’s hand was an old, tattered parchment, as if beckoning Zhao Nan forward.

Suppressing his excitement, Zhao Nan nodded, his breath a little quick. "I am!"

"Ding! Congratulations, player Zhao Nan, for completing the 'Companions on the Journey' quest. You have received the unique special hidden class scroll: Ancient Arcanist!"

"Not the Legendary Arcanist?" Zhao Nan blurted out.

"Legendary Arcanist?" Hadeon looked at him in surprise. "How do you know about that class? Wait, I suppose Finina told you."

Zhao Nan was thoroughly puzzled.

Hadeon suddenly laughed. "That class does exist—the Legendary Arcanist is indeed a powerful profession. I did intend to use it as Finina's dowry. But when she came to me the other day, curse lifted and happiness shining on her face, I changed my mind."

Hadeon sighed. "I only wanted someone to protect her, not necessarily to love her. So the reward couldn't be too poor, or no one would be interested. But you have exceeded my expectations. Your honesty, courage, and wisdom have led me to grant you another class entirely."

So, Finina’s visit to the Mage’s Hall was not just to buy a mask... She’d arranged everything with Hadeon from the start.

Zhao Nan felt a warmth in his heart. Unknowingly, Finina had already done so much for him.