Yelena’s tails were finally extinguished. Fortunately, Anna and Iwitte handled it in time, only burning a few small tufts.
Anna wiped the last black mark off her face with a wet towel.
The personal maid’s subsequent words still lightly tapped Yelena’s dazed heart.
“Lady Yelena, your current assets are eighty-seven gold coins, not counting the debt on the space ring.”
“Got it, got it…”
Yelena answered weakly, her fox ears drooping, nine fox radishes dragging listlessly on the ground.
“My little money, ugh…”
Iwitte lifted her by the back of her collar, carrying her like a cat.
“Let’s go, it’s still early. Let’s go back to the Guild to turn in the quest and see if there are any new jobs.”
“What are you doing?! Let me go! If you don’t let go, I’m going to bite!!”
Yelena, being carried, flailed her limbs wildly, looking like an old cat.
…
The Antal City Adventurer’s Guild was as bustling as ever.
The three pushed open the heavy oak door, and the noise flooded over them.
In the center of the hall, a giant bulletin board had just posted the latest bounty. A few mercenaries crowded at the front, pointing and commenting.
“Hey, did you hear? The Capital Knight Order released an A-level timed quest!”
“Really? A-level? How long has it been since Antar City got one of these?”
“The reward is the Silver Flame Chef’s Blade! That legendary top-tier kitchenware!”
Hearing “legendary top-tier kitchenware,” Yelena’s fox ears instantly perked up.
She tiptoed, pushed through a few burly men, and squeezed to the front of the bulletin board.
[A-level Timed Hunt: Lava Colossus appearing near the Abyssal Fissure.]
[Location: South Lava Canyon.]
[Time limit: 48 hours.]
[Reward: Top-tier kitchenware·Silver Flame Chef’s Blade ×1, Gold coins ×300.]
Silver Flame Chef’s Blade.
Yelena knew this thing from playing games in her previous life. It was said to be forged from mithril and groundfire essence, cutting meat with built-in constant temperature preservation, capable of all frying, stir-frying, boiling, and deep-frying, and the dishes made with it had extremely high stat bonuses.
‘Isn’t this tailor-made for her?!’
“Iwitte!” Yelena spun around, grabbing the Red-Haired Sword Saint’s wrist, her fox eyes sparkling. “We need this! We have to get it!”
Iwitte looked down at her, slowly leaning in and saying a word.
“You really want it?”
“Of course I want it!” Yelena stomped her foot anxiously. “With this knife, my cooking will improve by at least two tiers! Just think, the meals I’ll make for you in the future will be…?”
“Fine, the captain decides.”
Iwitte raised her hand and neatly tore off the task list.
“We’ll take this one.”
The elven lady at the front desk was about to say something, but Iwitte had already slapped three gold coins on the table and turned to leave.
“Wait…” the elven lady paused. “Lady Iwitte, this quest requires registering the team name and members…”
“Phoenix Nirvana Team, three members, leader Yelena Moon Tail.”
Iwitte didn’t look back.
Yelena was being dragged out by her, her eyes suddenly turning into dot eyes, not yet processing.
“J-just like that?! Don’t we need to discuss it?”
“Discuss what?” Iwitte pushed open the Guild’s large doors, sunlight falling on her fiery red hair. “You want it, I’ll get it for you.”
Anna followed behind, her voice calm. “Lady Yelena, I just checked. Lava Colossus is an A-grade demon creature, body surface temperature over a thousand degrees, can spray lava flows, slow movement but extremely high defense, physical attacks are almost ineffective.”
“Ugh…” Yelena’s excitement faded a bit. “That troublesome?”
“Not troublesome.” Iwitte turned her head and grinned. “Just need a little preparation.”
Yelena was about to complain when suddenly a commotion came from the Guild hall.
Turning around, four familiar people stood at the entrance.
The platinum-haired Hero, the bespectacled mage, the gentle priestess, and that new battle maid.
Ai Sha’s team.
They also saw Yelena.
Several gazes fell on Yelena, then slid to the quest list in Iwitte’s hand.
Ai Sha’s expression was blank, her fingers gripping her sword tightening.
“You… also took an A-level quest?”
Iwitte stuffed the quest list into her bosom, said lazily: “What, is the Lord Hero also interested?”
“The Capital Knight Order released this quest, so the Golden Lion Holy Alliance naturally has a need to participate.”
Ai Sha stepped forward, her ice-blue eyes fixed on Iwitte. “Moreover, the Silver Flame Chef’s Blade…” Her voice paused, she looked into the distance with a tender gaze. “I need it.”
Yelena was stunned.
“You need it?” she blurted out. “What do you need kitchenware for? You can’t cook.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ai Sha regretted it.
Ai Sha didn’t need it for herself.
Ai Sha wanted to give it to Ye Lian.
That fox tribe boy she had driven away.
Ai Sha’s face showed difficulty, after a few seconds she said in a low voice: “I have my reasons.”
[Ding, collected key person, mild regret emotion]
Kai Te pushed up her glasses. “Ai Sha, why waste words with them? The quest list doesn’t say only one team can take it.”
Xi Er Wei Ya quietly advised: “Kai Te, don’t be like this…”
“Xi Er Wei Ya, don’t indulge the other side!” Kai Te glared at her, then turned to look at Yelena, her tone very unfriendly. “Hey, masked fox, do you really want that knife?”
Yelena pursed her lips and didn’t speak.
Iwitte stepped forward, blocking Yelena.
“What, you want to snatch it?”
“Snatch what?” Kai Te hugged her staff and rolled her eyes. “A-level quests are public bounties, anyone can take them. Our Golden Lion Holy Alliance took it, your Phoenix Nirvana also took it, so it’s whoever completes the task first.”
“Right.” Ai Sha nodded, her tone steady. “Fair competition.”
Yelena poked her head out from behind Iwitte, looking at Ai Sha.
‘Fair competition?’
She almost laughed out loud.
Two years ago, she had also thought that way.
Fair competition, gaining others’ recognition through her own efforts, spending effort to earn teammates’ trust.
So, what was the result?
Ruthlessly abandoned.
“Alright.” Iwitte spoke, her voice very small. “Then we’ll compete fairly.”
After turning, she winked at Yelena.
“But before that, we need to prepare.”
“Prepare what?”
“Come with me to a place, you’ll know soon.”
…
Half an hour later, Antal City Auction House.
Yelena stood in this resplendent hall, her mind still dizzy.
“The preparation you mentioned, is it going to the auction house?”
“Right.” Iwitte sat cross-legged on a leather chair in the VIP booth, lightly tapping a gold coin with her finger. “The Lava Colossus’s weakness is its abdominal Molten Core. But it’s in the lava, so to approach it safely you need an Advanced Fire Resistance Potion.”
“Are fire resistance potions expensive?”
“Market price is 300 gold coins per bottle.”
“Three, three hundred?!” Hearing this, Yelena’s fox ears shot up high.
“But today’s batch of potions has an auction starting bid of one fifty.” Iwitte looked up, with a playful smile. “So we’re here to snatch them.”
“But do we have enough money?”
“Trust me, we definitely have enough.”