Chapter 256 About Remuneration
Killing a small octopus will earn you 10,000 gold coins.
Ten thousand gold coins. Sheng Shihua knew what this amount meant.
This meant that she could buy hundreds of dozen of the best quality recovery potions and mana recovery potions. She could be equipped from head to toe with the pair of boots that added 15 agility and 15 attack that she had always wanted, and the silver armor displayed in Old Hans's shop. Ah, that silver armor, that was the armor that Sheng Shihua had been coveting since she was level 30.
Not to mention that its defense value is much higher than that of ordinary armor, the 25% crit that lasts for 8 seconds is enough to make people obsessed. Sheng Shihua knew the price of the armor, and the owner marked a high price of 8,000 gold coins. Old Hans said that it was the treasure of his old store and he would not reduce the price by a penny.
She has survived in this game world for 50 days. Although her level has changed, she is still short of money. The cost of upgrading weapons, maintaining armor, and consuming medicines is increasing as her level increases. In Sheng Shihua's life experience, she has never worried about money since she was a child, and she has always spent money carelessly. Now that she is in the game world, she has experienced for the first time the difficulty of saving money.
Bloody Axe, the legendary warrior famous throughout the kingdom and terrified of countless thieves and monsters, is now a poor man who is as poor as the earth. It can be said that he is so poor that he has to spend every penny carefully.
800 gold coins were obtained by destroying the spider nest in Mount Mineo. According to the prices in this game world, it was enough to buy a small street store in the town, or be equivalent to the living expenses of an ordinary family for ten years. However, when this money came into Sheng Shihua's hands, it was quickly spent on various supplies in less than half a day.
She took another look at the silver armor in Old Hans's shop. The armor shone brightly in the dim shop, and it was covered with delicate and beautiful ancient inscriptions. Old Hans said that these inscriptions had special magic power, and it was this kind of protection that made this armor so precious. He said it was very suitable for a warrior like you, and then he added, "But I won't give a penny."
Sheng Shihua sighed and chose a blue robe. This robe was made of feathers from the blue-faced six-winged bird, a specialty of Pubo Prefecture. This bird was extremely fierce and swift, and was not afraid of fire. The robe made of this bird's feathers was not only light and soft, but also naturally fireproof. The magic tool tailor weaved runes into it when weaving this robe. When Old Hans showed this robe, the cloth, which was faintly magical, emitted a hazy blue light in the air.
"This is very expensive." Granny Lin said immediately.
"Look at the texture. You get what you pay for. This robe was made by a first-class magic tool tailor. The materials used are also the best. It only costs 750 gold coins."
"700 gold." Sheng Shihua said.
"725 is the lowest."
Sheng Shihua did not bargain any more, and she handed the reward she had just earned to Old Hans. In this way, there was not much money left, and if they replenished the medicine and repair equipment, they would become destitute again.
"For me?" Granny Lin said, "Xiao Sheng, don't buy things for me all the time. This money is earned by you, you should spend it on yourself."
Do you think I am willing? If the price of that suit of armor was not too outrageous, I would not spend money on you, Sheng Shihua thought. Since they traveled together, Granny Lin played a very limited role. As an old woman, she moved slowly and was not familiar with spells. After a battle, Granny Lin often killed the enemy with her axe before she could cast a few spells.
I spend money on the elderly, just hoping that she won't always hold me back in the future, Sheng Shihua said to herself. She has always been cold-hearted and self-centered, never thinking about or understanding other people's feelings, and there is no change now. Granny Lin always looks very touched, and Sheng Shihua is too lazy to pay attention to her.
After buying clothes for the old man, Sheng Shihua turned her thoughts to the cat Fifilu and the mushroom elf. Fifilu is just a cat, with no use except meowing and shamelessly acting cute. Although the mushroom elf has no combat ability, it has an equipment slot. Sheng Shihua bought a wooden deer in the grocery store next to Old Hans' store. She bought it because she saw that the deer was marked with +1 luck and only 2 gold coins. She handed the deer to the mushroom elf. In her opinion, this was not a kindness to the mushroom elf, but just the hope that the +1 luck would allow her to pick up some good equipment in future battles.
The mushroom elf looked particularly happy. Its two little hands tightly held the little deer, and its little face under the mushroom cap was rubbing against it. Sheng Shihua saw that there was a little deer in its equipment column. She had seen its joyful look before. It was her Jing Jing...
On Jingjing's birthday, she casually gave her a music box. It was not a gift of love for her daughter, but a perfunctory gift. It was a small piano-shaped music box. As long as the lid was opened, the music box would automatically play Canon in D major. She still remembered Jingjing's smile when she opened the gift box. Her little face was swirling with smiles, and her crystal eyes were shining with ecstasy. How happy she was at that time.
But it was this smile that made her feel even more painful.
This is not Jingjing's fault, nor is it Wei Hongzhuo's fault, but why must I be the one to experience and endure all this?
…
…
"Xiao Sheng!"
"Xiao Sheng! Are you okay?"
Sheng Shihua came to her senses and saw Granny Lin standing beside her, looking at her worriedly.
"I'm fine," she said stiffly.
After returning to the inn, Sheng Shihua began to prepare her equipment for the next battle. They were about to set out to defeat the little octopus. Judging from the reward for this mission, this must be the BOSS among BOSSes. This will definitely be a tough battle. Sheng Shihua dared not neglect it at all. She planned to make all preparations. Granny Lin sat aside and stroked Feifeilu, and the fire in the fireplace flickered. This night will pass quietly like before. After Sheng Shihua finished her repairs and lay on the bed, Granny Lin in the other bed suddenly said, "Xiao Sheng, are you worried about something?"
“…”
"You must be worried about something."
"I didn't," she said coldly.
"I can see that. You're just immersing yourself in these fights, the things you young people call missions. You're just trying to get your mind off of something, right? No, you don't have to deny it, I can see that."
“…”
"I know everything."
“……”What do you know? No one in this world can understand my pain.
"I don't know what you've been through. But you feel very painful when you think about it, right? Xiaosheng, I feel that way too. You don't have to deny it, I know it all. In the first few years after my granddaughter disappeared, I didn't dare close my eyes every day, because as soon as I closed my eyes, I would think about those things, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I would keep questioning myself why I lost Mu Li. If I hadn't asked her to come to me that day, if I could have been better that day. Xiaosheng, every time I think about it, it's so painful, it hurts so much that my heart and lungs seem to be broken. It's like this every night." Granny Lin's voice was very calm, "During those years, Mu Li's parents and I ran around the country like crazy looking for people, one province after another. As soon as we heard the news of a similar girl, we would immediately buy a ticket and run over. Because we had to find something to do, as long as we stopped, our minds would stop thinking about it, and later I wanted to dig my brain out. In the end, Mu Li's parents and I couldn't bear it anymore."
“…”
"Xiao Sheng, I've been through it all. I know that you're so active in being a warrior just to find something to fill your mind so that you don't have to think about certain things."
“……” Sheng Shihua didn’t say anything.
She recalled every tough battle she had since entering the game. Over the past few days, the beasts and monsters she faced had become stronger and stronger. Unconsciously, every battle was like licking blood on the tip of a knife. Before the battle, all her attention was on thinking about her own tactics and the movements of the monsters. When the battle began, it was all blood, panting and screaming. After a fierce battle, she didn't even have the strength to speak, and fatigue swept over her whole body. Her mind was empty, she gasped and fell on her back on the ground. At this time, she would be surprised that she was still alive, and then she would think of nothing. This was the peace she had always dreamed of.
The battle left her with nowhere to escape, and only battles and upgrades could excite her brain a little. When her body and mind were exhausted to the extreme, she felt an unusually relaxed sense of stress relief. Then, the girl would no longer enter her senses and would no longer make her suffer so much.
The old man was right. Sheng Shihua thought, yes, I am just seeking temporary relief for myself.
"So, did you get over it later?" Sheng Shihua asked.
Granny Lin shook her head, "No, I don't. Neither do Mu Li's parents."
“…”
"I haven't gotten over it. It's just that so much time has passed that I've become numb to the pain."
Sheng Shihua said bitterly: "Listening to your narration, it has been more than 20 years, and you still..."
“Some pains just can’t be overcome.”
“…”
"I just learned how not to let myself be defeated by this kind of pain, that's all." Granny Lin said softly, "Xiao Sheng, I don't know what you've been through, but sometimes speaking out your thoughts may make people feel better."
“…”
"It doesn't matter if you don't say it." Granny Lin said, "After all, telling someone who is in deep pain not to be sad and to be strong is just like talking without any pain. However, telling others about your worries can sometimes help alleviate some of the pain."
"... "
"What I meant was that if you tried too hard and fell down, an old woman like me would be left alone in this world ."
"I won't fall so easily!" Sheng Shihua turned around and retorted loudly. She saw the gentle smile on the old woman's lips. This old woman was really cunning.
She turned over and lay down again. The mushroom elf had fallen asleep beside her without her noticing, its little hands folded on her body. The moonlight coming in from the window outlined its hazy outline. Granny Lin was breathing steadily on the other bed. For some reason, she suddenly felt a little relieved.
Maybe, maybe one day in the future, she would tell this cunning Granny Lin about her past experience.
…
…
The next day, Sheng Shihua set off.
Her mission objective was to kill the little octopus worth ten thousand gold coins.
According to the mission description, this little octopus is the leader of a newly emerging illegal religious organization. The neighboring town of Kennan has been completely occupied by that illegal religious organization. According to the city, that place has become the territory of the Octopus Cult.
According to her experience, the Octopus Cultists themselves should not be scary, the trouble may be the monsters they summoned through some secret rituals. This game world is a magical fantasy world, no matter what is summoned, it is not strange. Her level is about to reach level 90, and being able to trigger this quest should also mean that she has reached the level to fight against it.
At noon that day, she arrived outside Kennan Town. To her surprise, the people in this town looked no different from any ordinary townspeople. No one came up to attack her until she entered the town.
The faces of the townspeople here are filled with peaceful smiles, and the town looks clean and prosperous.
It's very ordinary, not at all like the cult territory described in the mission, Sheng Shihua thought.
She entered the town and went into a grocery store to inquire about the news, curiously asking him for information about the Octopus Cult.
"Oh, you are an adventurer from outside, right?" the shop owner said enthusiastically, "Please go directly to the Municipal Center, where someone will be there to receive you."
Hmm? Does this illegal religion still have an external reception?
Sheng Shihua was full of doubts, and Granny Lin told her that she felt this town looked more prosperous and orderly than any other town they had been to before. She disagreed, and according to her experience, the more orderly and prosperous a place looked, the more likely it was that there was some shameful darkness hidden inside once it was associated with an illegal religion.
Following the owner's instructions, she and her group arrived at the Municipal Center. As soon as she entered the gate, a girl at the door greeted her politely. After learning that she was an adventurer, she took her to an office. A middle-aged man with a stern expression sat behind the desk in the office. The girl told Sheng Shihua and Granny Lin that this was Rubin, the person in charge here.
After seeing Sheng Shihua, Rubin showed surprise on his face, "You are actually level 89, you are a master."
In this world, some people can tell her level, while others can't. Sheng Shihua suspected that this might be a skill that the characters in the game need to practice. Seeing that the other party could tell her level and profession at a glance, Sheng Shihua explained her purpose. She was too lazy to play fancy tricks. Anyway, the people here were all evil octopus believers. If they showed hostility, she could kill them all.
"Oh, the king's bounty is 10,000 gold coins?" Rubin laughed.
"Um."
Rubin stared at Sheng Shihua, "I heard that there is a very powerful legendary warrior named Blood Axe recently. Could it be that you are that Blood Axe?"
Sheng Shihua nodded and said yes.
"Okay, then I have a suggestion."
"Um?"
"We are willing to hire you for 20,000 gold coins and will not let you kill any innocent people. What do you think?"
Twenty thousand gold coins? ?
Sheng Shihua immediately said: "Okay, no problem."
Sheng Shihua and her partner Granny Lin joined the Octopus Cult.
