Chapter 49

"Is it over?" The adventurer had approached Xu Dong without his notice.

The wind-up toy was very close to the mysterious woman, and after glancing at her, it ran over to rub against her long boots. The woman bent down to pick up the wind-up toy, gently teasing its chin, making the wind-up toy close its eyes in comfort, showing a look of great enjoyment.

Xu Dong let out a light sigh, the feeling of parting in his heart dissipated somewhat. He planned to leave this place and head for Blood Helmet City.

The journey from South Corner Village to Blood Helmet City would take almost two days. Fortunately, there was still a relatively generous amount of time before the main quest ended. Of course, before setting off, Xu Dong had some questions that he hadn't figured out.

He glanced sideways at the female adventurer: "Who are you, and what are you up to?"

Actually, the appearance of the adventurer was, upon careful consideration, absolutely strange. She first appeared in North Corner Village, then left.

Not long after, when Xu Dong was in contact with Yang Shaoting and was at a loss for what to do, she suddenly appeared again, facilitating a crucial gambling match.

Finally, it was she who displayed formidable strength, crushing Yang Shaoting's last line of defense, allowing both sides to sit down for an equal negotiation...

If the adventurer's actions were just a momentary impulse, it wouldn't make any sense at all.

But if she was after some wealth on Xu Dong, she ignored the most expensive divine fruit, which naturally piqued Xu Dong's curiosity. Hence, he asked this question.

The adventurer teased the wind-up toy, and because the wide head covering obscured most of her face, Xu Dong could only see a section of skin below her lips, which was not rough from wind and sun, but rather delicate and white, as if she had been kept in a secluded boudoir and received meticulous care.

Xu Dong could see her lips slightly downturn, and then a clear and composed voice sounded: "You don't need to know who I am. What's important is that you understand who you are and what you truly want."

The simple words were like a sharp sword, piercing directly into Xu Dong's heart, stirring the waters of his heart, causing ripples to spread. He was stunned, involuntarily recalling his initial entry into this world.

Why was it him who had been transported here? Why was it him who received the task system and the talent system, such wondrous abilities, yet why did he have to complete five main quests in a row to survive?

All these questions pointed to only two: First, who summoned him here? Second, what does the "it" that summoned him want him to do?!

Xu Dong had been busy with the tasks he had to complete.

From his initial weakness to his current awakening, every step had been exceptionally difficult. Without courage and wisdom, without luck and opportunity, he absolutely could not have accomplished these things.

Therefore, at the beginning, he had also thought about these two questions, but gradually, he unintentionally ignored them. Now, being hit by a pointed remark, they were rekindled, how could he not feel a sense of helplessness?

Thinking deeper, who was this adventurer, and why did she seem to know everything about him, always speaking with a sense of holding back, as if guiding him in a certain direction?

And why did he have a mysterious sense of trust in her, and what was the basis for this trust?

Xu Dong couldn't figure it out. The only thing he knew was that this adventurer had no ill intentions towards him, so she was worth trusting.

Seeing Xu Dong's silence, the adventurer didn't continue with this mysterious topic, but changed the subject, speaking softly: "I believe that the profession or identity of an adventurer is extremely convenient for you to find yourself. First, adventurers can enter various countries without hindrance."

In other words, obtaining the status of an adventurer is like getting a passport that allows free entry into all major human kingdoms, without the need for a visa.

"Second, after becoming an adventurer, you can accept quests through the Adventurer's Guild. After completing quests, you can obtain various equipment, cultivation methods, items, and a large amount of wealth."

Xu Dong understood that this meant that after becoming an adventurer, not only would his own strength have a great potential for improvement, but he would also have a source of funds to live a comfortable life.

He didn't know what the lives of the knights were like. But things are always interconnected. Just as athletes aim for the Olympic gold medal, entrepreneurs aim for the Fortune 500, and losers aim to become rich and handsome and win the heart of a beautiful woman—knights' goal is definitely to become the world's strongest!

"Third, and most importantly, the mission of adventurers is to discover the world's undiscovered secrets, including secret realms; or, in other words, they are also seeking their own purpose, a macro-level meaning and value of life. Don't you want to know the secrets hidden behind the ultimate blood armor?"

Through these words, Xu Dong also gained crucial information. The size of this world was likely astonishingly large, with a vast amount of unknown places waiting to be discovered, and the most valuable of these places were called secret realms.

The adventurer specifically emphasized the term "secret realm," which made Xu Dong think of the discovery of various continents in the Age of Exploration in his previous life.

The benefits brought by these new lands, as can be inferred from historical clues and traces, were an enormous amount of wealth!

As for seeking one's own purpose, this was also not hard to understand. There are always people in the world who don't know where they come from, what they are, or where they are going.

Because of this unknown, there is fear, and thus exploration. Then there are anthropologists, biologists, and other social roles.

Although Xu Dong wasn't interested in these social roles in his previous life, in this life, he couldn't deny the fact that he really wanted to know the answers to those three questions. Not out of curiosity, but out of fear!

It had to be said that the adventurer's three reasons moved Xu Dong. He finally had a clear goal in his heart: he also wanted to become an adventurer.

The adventurer saw the look on Xu Dong's face and knew his intentions. She casually threw the adventurer qualification certificate she had just obtained to him. This was a qualification certificate worth 200 gold coins, and the adventurer threw it to Xu Dong as if it were a piece of scrap paper!

Then, the adventurer spoke again: "You are quite lucky. The Adventurer's Guild branch in Blood Helmet City will be holding an adventurer qualification exam. However, before the exam, you must first obtain a certificate. Unfortunately, the exam to obtain the certificate has already been completed. Fortunately, a poor sap just happened to have such a thing on him."

Xu Dong subconsciously took the certificate in his hand, occasionally looking up at the adventurer, increasingly feeling that this person was meticulous, often preparing everything silently and waiting for the prey to fall into the trap. He swallowed, and cautiously asked: "What do you want from me?"

The adventurer didn't answer, but just looked at him, the meaning of her words clear: What can you give me? Don't be too presumptuous.

After a while, Xu Dong sighed and put the item away, "I owe you a huge favor. I know you are a powerful knight, and I am still relatively weak. If you need anything in the future, just say the word, and I will do my best to help."

Since everything was planned, Xu Dong naturally wanted to set off immediately. Unexpectedly, the adventurer was also heading to Blood Helmet City, so the two of them and the dog set off together.

On the way, Xu Dong didn't idle, constantly practicing his talent skills and improving his skill proficiency.

After gaining combat experience, Xu Dong naturally had a deeper understanding of the skills. Along the way, he was extremely diligent, and soon, his powerful skill proficiency reached 100%, and his insight skill had long been perfected. The devouring skill was slightly behind, but it was estimated that it would take at most a day to reach the highest level.

Two days later, at noon, a small dot suddenly appeared in Xu Dong's line of sight. He was mentally refreshed, knowing that the small dot was Blood Helmet City. His pace quickened unconsciously.

For over half a month, Xu Dong had lingered around the countryside, and the roads he saw were all compacted mud roads, with houses mostly one-story, built of yellow mud and stones. Having seen these, Xu Dong naturally yearned for some new and different things.

As he got closer, the rough outline of Blood Helmet City finally came into view.

The first thing that caught his eye was the ten-meter-high stone wall. The gray wall had a grand and imposing presence under the bright sun. On the wall, watchtowers were placed at intervals, with figures moving inside, some carrying bows and arrows, others holding swords and knives, patrolling diligently.

Looking over the wall, a tower tip stood out. According to the adventurer Lola's introduction, this tower tip was the Mondo Temple in the city.

Xu Dong later understood that Mondo could be considered the first king in human history. The Great Star Moon Empire he founded was extremely powerful, and he himself was a person of great strength. Even though he had passed away, there were still many of his temples and statues among humans, and the people believed that through worship and prayer, they could receive Mondo's protection.

As for why the Mondo Temple had this pointed architectural style, it was likely similar to the architectural style of churches on Earth.

Only such a pointed, sky-piercing building could give people the feeling of being able to touch the heavens.

On the way, the number of people on the road increased. Among them were farmers from the countryside selling goods in the city, as well as city dwellers going out for leisure or work.

It was easy to distinguish between country folk and city dwellers, one by their clothing, the other by their demeanor.

Like Xu Dong, wearing a set of clothes with holes all over, he clearly didn't look like a city dweller. When he was about to pay the gate tax to enter the city, the guards' eyes almost popped out, not even looking at him, and said, "Entry fee, one silver coin."

One silver coin? Xu Dong thought he was joking. City dwellers didn't need to pay to enter the city, and farmers and merchants selling meat and vegetables only needed to pay ten to twenty copper coins. Why should he have to pay one silver coin? Isn't this clearly bullying?