Chapter 55

Cleao emerged from the spatial rift, his eyes quickly scanning the faces of those present, and finally saw Cole, who was barely breathing, sitting in a chair. Instantly, tears streamed down his face. "Cole, Cole! What's wrong with you? Don't scare your father! Wake up!" He called out while shaking Cole.

Yang Ye, standing to the side, began to check Cleao's attributes—

Cleao Caswell

Level: ?

HP: ?/?

...

Description: The renowned Cleao Caswell of Rainfall City, whom the mayor respects greatly. He has been famous in Rainfall City since childhood and has unique insights into scroll-making...

(Hidden: Bringing back Cleao's youngest son Cole will earn you Cleao's gratitude.)

Yang Ye finished reading Cleao's attributes, while the old man was still shaking Cole. Unable to bear it any longer, Yang Ye stepped forward and said, "Mr. Cleao, please calm down. Cole is fine for now. He was poisoned by a flower spirit's pollen, a chronic type. He said you could save him, so I brought him back."

Hearing Yang Ye's words, Cleao finally calmed down. Yang Ye was speechless; wasn't he a powerful NPC? How could he be so...

Cleao calmed down and resumed his usual stern demeanor, but the excitement in his eyes was hard to hide. He stood up straight, extended his right hand toward Cole, and a surge of energy poured into Cole...

After a while, Cleao's face turned pale as he withdrew his hand. In contrast, Cole's complexion had improved significantly.

"Someone!" Cleao called out.

"Here!" the servants responded.

"Take the young master to his room and have two maids clean him up."

"Yes!"

The servants followed orders, taking the stabilized Cole back to his room. Yang Ye was then led to the reception room by Cleao.

Cleao sat in a chair, took a sip of tea, and his expression eased. "Hero, I, Cleao, am deeply grateful for your great kindness. You know, I have been searching for my youngest son for months. I... but now he's finally back, thank you! Please accept my gift of gratitude!"

[System: You have completed the task: Escort Cole back home! Task reward: EXP +2,200,000, Gold +2,000, Reward: Abyssal Rift Expansion Scroll]

[System: Your task: Kill the Abyssal Eye of Sin has made progress! New task 2: Enter the Abyssal Rift and find the hidden Abyssal Eye of Sin! This task can be done in a group, with a maximum of two people.]

[System: Please use the Abyssal Rift Expansion Scroll at coordinates 66977:87971:11 to enter the Abyssal Rift.]

Nonsense, how could he not accept it? Yang Ye didn't care about Cleao and took out the scroll to check—

Abyssal Rift Expansion Scroll: A rechargeable item that can expand a small Abyssal Rift at a specific location, allowing two people to enter. Remaining uses: 1/3.

(Hidden: Recharge with Abyssal Core Particles.)

Hmm, this is it!

Confirming the item, Yang Ye felt more inclined to chat with Cleao, "Mr. Cleao, you don't have to be like this. Regardless of whether you are Master Cleao, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. I would save anyone I see!"

Such a noble heart made Cleao unable to resist. His lips trembled as he said, "Good, good! Rainfall City needs people like you. With your help, we will surely win the upcoming battle!"

Hmm?

"Master Cleao, what 'battle' are you referring to?" Yang Ye敏锐地抓住了Cleao话中的关键。

"Cough, cough... This... I can't say much, but I can tell you that the battlefield offers military merit points... Hero, I, Cleao, have another request..."

Well, since you've said this much, Rainfall City will participate in a competition as a city. This competition is the battlefield, and you can earn military merit points on the battlefield. Once you have enough military merit points, you can buy a shop.

"Master Cleao, please continue!" Having obtained a very important piece of information, Yang Ye felt even more relaxed.

"My son Cole was poisoned by pollen. He must have gone to the Fallen Star Forest. The pollen poison is a chronic type, but this time it's not ordinary pollen poison; it's the poison of the Empress Flower, which is very dangerous. I ask you to help me find the Empress Flower's sap to make the antidote. The Empress Flower is in the Fallen Star Forest, but I am constrained and cannot go there, so I beg you for your help!"

[System: Do you accept the task: The Luminous and Deadly Empress Flower? Task description: The Empress Flower is the queen of flowers, the empress of all flowers. She can command all flowers, and her pollen is equally deadly! Task requirements: Cole was poisoned by the Empress Flower's pollen. Only the Empress Flower's sap can be used to develop the antidote. Go to the Fallen Star Forest, find the Empress Flower, and obtain her sap! Task reward: A shop in Rainfall City from the Caswell family, as specified by the player. Empress Flower sap obtained: 0/1]

Why not accept a task that comes to you?

Accept!

[System: You have accepted the task: The Luminous and Deadly Empress Flower!]

Yang Ye didn't care about what the Empress Flower was, but the reward... it was a shop!!!

Yang Ye always thought that shops could only be bought from the system, but now it seemed that wasn't the case. However, he didn't know when he could obtain the Empress Flower's sap. The longer it took, the lower the value of the shop would be. He needed to get it as soon as possible!

Could Cleao give it to him in advance?

Yang Ye rubbed his hands and said, "Mr. Cleao..."

Cleao was delighted that Yang Ye had accepted the task. Seeing the hero hesitate, he immediately said, "Hero, speak your mind. There's no need to be polite with me, Cleao!"

In that case... I'll say it, "Mr. Cleao, could you give me the shop in advance? I can pay for it..."

Cleao was taken aback. Giving the task reward in advance? That wouldn't do! He immediately waved his hands, "No, no, absolutely not!"

"But... Mr. Cleao, you know the current situation. The earlier I get the shop, the better I can equip myself with good gear, and the more capable I will be to find the Empress Flower..." Yang Ye tried to persuade him.

"No, absolutely not, I can't give it to you in advance..." Cleao was firm.

It's just not possible... can't give it in advance... can't... give it in advance...

Yang Ye suddenly had an idea, "Mr. Cleao, how about leasing the shop to me first, and then giving it to me when the task is completed? If I fail, I'll pay the rent. That would work, right?"

"But..." Cleao hesitated.

"Mr. Cleao, this will definitely work! The system allows it..." Yang Ye brought up the system.

Sure enough, Cleao immediately agreed!

"Alright, I'll lease one to you. I'll give you the full shop when the task is completed. Choose which one you want."

Yang Ye excitedly brought up the shops in Rainfall City and checked the Caswell family's shops. He immediately set his sights on a shop near the central teleportation array, one of the best locations in Rainfall City.

"This one!" Yang Ye pointed.

Cleao looked at Yang Ye's choice and his face turned sour, "Good boy, your eyes are sharp. This is one of the best locations in Rainfall City, and you don't even have to pay rent..." Although Cleao was reluctant, he still leased the shop to Yang Ye—

[System: Congratulations! You have obtained the operating rights to a shop in Rainfall City from the Caswell family, and received a Caswell family shop lease certificate ×1]

Yes!

Successfully obtained, Yang Ye couldn't wait to go and check it out.

After a few pleasantries with Cleao, who kept urging Yang Ye to get the Empress Flower's sap as soon as possible, Yang Ye left the Caswell residence and headed straight to the shop with Lilina, forgetting about the task.

The central teleportation array in Rainfall City was surrounded by a cluster of buildings, with eight prime locations. The trading hall occupied one, the system's NPC families occupied three, and the remaining four were player-owned shops. However, one of them now temporarily belonged to Yang Ye.

Rainfall City was as bustling as ever. Vendors didn't need much to set up; they could just lay their items on the ground, put up a sign, or shout to start selling, and there were no transaction fees.

Outside Yang Ye's shop, there were seven or eight players shouting—

"Level 12 premium bronze longsword, attack stats off the charts, with a powerful effect, come and take a look..."

"Silver scale chest armor, blue quality, five pieces for the price of one, first come, first served! Hey, buddy, want a silver scale chest armor?"

"High prices for all kinds of minerals, any amount! Also selling large quantities of herbs, looking for buyers!"

"Knives Guild is recruiting! No gear required, no level requirement, just a passionate heart, join us!"

...

Yang Ye pushed through the crowd and entered his shop. Ah, leasing is great; everything was complete, except for the goods, which had been reclaimed by the Caswell family. They were quick to act.

But it didn't matter; having a shop was enough!

He pulled up the shop interface and clicked on the name to think of a name...

Hmm, Prosperous Shop?

Damn, how俗!

Walmart...

Will I get sued for copyright infringement?

Troublesome, since it's the first, let's call it the First Shop.

Thus, the first shop in the Chinese region was established...

[System: Congratulations! The first shop in the Chinese region, the First Shop, has opened in Rainfall City!]

...

The system announced it three times, mercifully without mentioning the name. Otherwise, everyone would have been speechless seeing the ID "Promise of Battle"...

The name "First Shop" also drew a lot of criticism—

[World] Little Chrysanthemum Mom's Classroom: Wow, the first shop, what a name! I really want to criticize it...

[World] Chicken Sweat: Don't push me, I want to criticize your ID too...

[World] Kungu Fragrance: Don't push me either...

[World] Wooden Leaves: Damn, who is Whosodiao? Could it be Song of the Dragon? No, his shop name wouldn't be that. Must be Promise of Battle?

The world was buzzing, with one group criticizing the name "First Shop" and another trying to find out who the shop owner was.

However, when people checked the shops in Rainfall City, they found that none were missing! So where did this shop come from? The other shops were all owned by NPCs. Could it be that he got it from an NPC?

Speculations flew, and "Promise of Battle" became the main suspect. Even some guild leaders couldn't resist their curiosity and came to ask Yang Ye.

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