Chapter 48

When Xudong was about to stand up, he instinctively pulled back his steps upon hearing the term "adventurer qualification certificate." He had no knowledge of adventurers and didn't even know it could be a profession.

Later, it was because of the mysterious adventurer beside him, whose origin and purpose were unknown, that his curiosity about "adventurers" was piqued.

Upon hearing the term "adventurer qualification certificate," his heart suddenly stirred, and he thought to himself, "This adventurer profession is truly strange, requiring a qualification exam. But what does this adventurer mean? She herself is an adventurer, so why does she need a qualification certificate?"

For a moment, he couldn't figure it out, and instead found the actions of adventurers increasingly inexplicable, truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Yang Shaoting seemed to have heard of the term "adventurer qualification certificate" and understood its significance. A hint of anger flashed across his face, but he didn't act on it.

Xudong noticed this detail and quickly came to his senses. If someone under his command was hiding an adventurer qualification certificate, it naturally meant they had the intention of seeking better opportunities, and Yang Shaoting was naturally unhappy about it.

However, from this, it wasn't hard to see that the income of adventurers was at least higher than that of a bodyguard or a thug.

The female adventurer's face and limbs were shrouded in a large robe, with only the tip of her chin exposed. Strangely, the wide outer robe had never been stained by the mud on the ground, remaining very clean.

She slightly lifted her face, and although her eyes were under the hood, it still gave the impression that her gaze was sharp, slowly scanning over everyone's faces, as if her eyes could see through the thick, wide hat.

Under her gaze, everyone involuntarily recalled that terrifying moment when she smashed the mad bull's blue steel shield with a single punch and then used a hand strike to shatter the mental attack of the intelligence-type Awakened.

With just a punch and a strike, both were severely injured.

Although the adventurer did not reveal any powerful aura, no one dared to underestimate her, and no one dared to refuse her.

Soon, the intelligence Awakened, the round-faced man, trembled all over and cautiously reached into his back waist to pull out a small bag. After opening the bag, he took out a palm-sized rectangular thin sheet wrapped in a silk handkerchief.

After removing the silk handkerchief, the letter, with its edges inlaid with gold thread, appeared exquisite and luxurious. The thin letter was not opened, and the opening was sealed with a small, intricate metal disc. Unless one used brute force to tear it open, it was impossible to see the content inside the envelope.

Of course, the Awakened man, who was being extremely cautious, would never force it open.

The adventurer pointed to the exquisite letter and nodded, saying, "Yes, that's what I'm looking for. Come, give it to me."

The round-faced man clenched his teeth. This adventurer qualification certificate had cost him nearly 200 gold coins, almost bankrupting him for a mere qualification. It was easy to imagine how he felt, as if a dull knife was cutting into his heart.

Seeing that he was hesitating, the adventurer's voice remained calm, "Either you hand it over to me, and I'll let you go, or you can try to destroy it. Whether you succeed or not, I will kill you. Believe me, I am working hard to become a man of my word."

The round-faced man had no choice but to hand over the certificate.

The adventurer, not knowing what she was thinking, casually took a handful of gold coins from Xudong's box and tossed them into the Awakened man's pocket, about twenty in total.

This move was so skillful that it left everyone in awe. The most striking part was her next words, "I don't like robbery or theft. Now, I'm buying the certificate from you for 22 gold coins, which is a fair transaction."

The round-faced Awakened man, already severely injured, found it even harder to recover mentally than physically. He could only stand there, fueled by his anger. When the adventurer finished speaking, a surge of rage welled up in him, and he fainted, unable to contain it.

Xudong happily dragged his box out of the door. The adventurer casually tucked the certificate into a pocket inside her robe and followed him out.

After going out, Xudong was so happy that his face almost bloomed with a dogwood flower. He calculated that one gold coin was worth about 10,000 RMB, and there were 128 gold coins, which meant over 1.2 million RMB. In his previous life, Xudong's monthly salary was less than 3,000 RMB, and saving 10,000 RMB in a year was considered a fortune. He never imagined he would become a millionaire one day.

Of course, the main focus of this harvest was not the gold coins but the reward for completing the side quest, which was the big prize!

Before meeting North Corner Bear, Xudong found a place and immersed himself in thought.

Side Quest: The Wishes of the Disaster Victims

Quest Description: South Corner Village has suffered from natural disasters and human calamities, and the villagers are in dire straits. Please rescue them from their suffering.

Quest Deadline: 10 days

Quest Completion Reward: Unknown

You have completed the side quest: The Wishes of the Disaster Victims...

Quest Evaluation: S

You will receive an Awakened-level item: 1 x Leech Worm

Leech Worm: The Leech Worm is a recognized magical creature that can extract a certain unit of life energy from plants and store it. This unit of energy can be used to heal the user's external injuries or maintain the duration of a flesh armor.

Leech Duration: 30 minutes, cannot be interrupted, interruption will cause the energy to dissipate.

Stored Energy: 0/100

Usage Times: Infinite

After receiving the reward, Xudong felt a slight itch in his palm and instinctively looked. A worm-like creature, about the thickness and length of a finger, was lying on his palm.

Seemingly sensing Xudong's gaze, it slightly retracted its head and quickly curled into a small ball the size of a finger.

Seeing that North Corner Bear and his group were organizing the team and couldn't spare the time to bother him, and the adventurer was sitting on a rock, gazing into the distance, Xudong, feeling restless, secretly found a large tree that two people could barely hug and quietly placed the Leech Worm on the trunk.

The worm, sensing the tree's presence, quickly attached itself to the trunk. Despite its soft body, it moved its head and bit down, and with a fine rustling sound, the tough bark was quickly gnawed into a small hole.

The Leech Worm, which looked plump and would surely be loved by Timon and Pumbaa, quickly entered the hole.

After waiting for fifteen minutes, several dark green leaves on the branch visibly turned yellow and were blown off by the wind, rustling as they drifted away.

After the leaves turned yellow and fell, the old tree, with its deep roots and towering height, showed no visible changes on the surface, but Xudong could keenly sense that its vitality was rapidly fading.

Finally, after half an hour, the large tree, which two people could barely hug, was left with only a faint trace of life. A plump, lively worm, which had grown to more than twice its original size, squeezed out of the hole it had bitten.

Seeing it wriggling, Xudong felt a bit uncomfortable and instinctively pinched its head with two fingers to pull it out of the tree trunk.

After absorbing a large amount of the tree's vitality, the Leech Worm's body even emitted a faint glow.

Xudong placed the worm in his palm and easily felt that the stored energy in the Leech Worm had reached 100/100. As he pondered how to use this energy, the Leech Worm, as if sensing his thoughts, suddenly opened its mouth and bit into Xudong's palm.

Xudong first felt a slight pain, and in the next second, a vigorous life energy surged through the wound. He could clearly feel a warm current flowing through his blood, starting from his arm, passing through his heart, and spreading throughout his body. When the warm current passed over the wound, a strong tingling sensation emerged.

Then he noticed that the Leech Worm's stored energy was rapidly depleting.

The entire process lasted ten minutes. When the Leech Worm's stored energy dropped to 0, all his wounds had scabbed over.

Only then did Xudong realize how powerful the Awakened item rewarded by this side quest was! This power was absolutely worth all the effort to complete the damned task!

At this moment, North Corner Bear came over, his face full of excitement, and shouted to Xudong, "Dongzi, everyone is here, we can return to North Corner Village."

Return to North Corner Village?

Xudong suddenly paused, wondering if he should return to North Corner Village.

Seeing Xudong standing there dumbfounded, North Corner Bear couldn't help but laugh, "What are you standing there for? Now that North Corner Village no longer lacks the most needed people, we just need to pay this year's tribute, and next year, North Corner Village will surely recover its prosperity..."

The more he spoke, the more excited North Corner Bear became. But when he finished his last sentence and saw Xudong slowly turn to look at him, he suddenly froze.

A breeze blew, lifting the unshed leaves from the tree, which rustled and fell, passing between them in a desolate manner.

A bitter smile finally appeared on North Corner Bear's face, and he softly asked, "You're finally leaving, right? Today is the day you're leaving, right?"

Xudong felt a bit melancholic. The people and events of North Corner Village flowed quietly through his mind like a stream, and the ripples they caused would eventually dissipate.

He sighed, looking up and trying not to show his reluctance, "Someone has to go to Blood Helmet City to pay the tribute for North Corner Village. Besides, there's no feast that doesn't end... Uncle Bear, thank you for your care these past days..."

North Corner Bear quickly extended his hand to stop Xudong from speaking, "Compared to what you've done for us, my care is too insignificant to mention... I knew you wouldn't stay in North Corner Village. This small pond is too small, so we won't try to keep you. But the sky of North Corner Village will always echo your name."

Xudong didn't know what to say, just softly replied, "Thank you."

North Corner Bear left, Daliang left, and the hundreds of villagers from South Corner Village also left. Xudong and the well-fed Winding stood by the roadside, watching them disappear from sight, and a feeling of not wanting to speak stirred in his heart.

PS: The initial chapter has come to a perfect conclusion. Next, Xudong will embark on a more splendid journey.

As usual, I request recommendations and collections.

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