The Secrets of a Level Three Home: An Instant Return to the City

In the world of "God's Domain", players can build friendly relationships with specific NPCs by completing various tasks.

When this level of goodwill accumulates to a certain value, it often brings unexpected rewards.

It could be Gold Coin, a unique achievement, or a generous reward of experience points.

This is different from the real world.

In the real world, establishing a friendly relationship with someone often leads to a huge pitfall, with very few real returns.

Therefore, knowing how to Person Reading becomes a very important lesson.

However, NPCs rarely have such pitfalls, mainly because it negatively impacts the player experience.

Aside from a few unique games where NPCs are specifically designed to trick players.

Therefore, he continued to interact with Xiaoyaozi and constantly increased his favorability, and unexpectedly learned about the "homeland" from the other party.

It turns out that Xiaoyaozi not only knew how to unlock the Homestead, but also understood many of the gameplay features behind it.

However, to obtain more details, it is necessary to further improve the friendliness level, which requires him to continue spending money at the Welcome Inn.

Indeed, courtesy names are ruthless; everything depends on the original source.

With his pockets dwindling, he was unable to bear the burden alone and had no choice but to inform the guild leader, "Big Gold Tooth."

As expected, Big Gold Tooth was overjoyed upon hearing the news.

In his view, the Home System has huge potential, especially suitable for players like him who focus on life skills.

Not only is it expected to generate substantial profits, but it could also become a solid foundation for the guild's business in the God's Domain.

Its biggest advantage is that it can potentially become a safe point.

So, the usually leisurely president also took out his Gold Coin to contribute, and the two of them invested together to win Xiaoyaozi's favor.

The exorbitant expenses sometimes even made Big Gold Tooth feel the pinch.

Today seems to be the day when the long-term investment finally pays off.

Thinking about how they had spent money everywhere in the game, even generously giving to NPCs, the two couldn't help but exchange a wry smile.

"You two distinguished guests look quite well today!"

Their target— Xiaoyaozi pushed open the door and entered, exchanging pleasantries with a smile.

Since they were important customers, their attitude was always exceptionally friendly.

Despite his name carrying a touch of otherworldly elegance, Xiaoyaozi's appearance bears a striking resemblance to Big Gold Tooth.

The two stood together like brothers: round faces, full earlobes, and a hint of a smile when they spoke, resembling a kind and benevolent Maitreya Buddha.

He is not the same person as the founder of the Free and Unfettered Sect in the novel.

"Brother Xiaoyao, it's been a long time! I've missed you dearly!" The "Slacker" had a hint of complaint in his voice.

This poster is really shrewd; they're nowhere to be found until the required amount of Gold Coin is reached. They must have seen that the spending target has been met before they leisurely showed up.

"Haha, as you two know, things have been very complicated in the building these past few days. I've been busy all day and simply haven't had a chance to get away!"

Big Gold Tooth couldn't contain himself any longer and cut straight to the point. "Brother, could you elaborate a bit more on the matter of the homeland we mentioned last time?"

"You understand, we business people always want a comfortable place to rest, so we don't get kidnapped."

Xiaoyaozi was quite straightforward. Since the conditions were met, he didn't beat around the bush. "A home is a private place of rest for each person."

"To obtain your own home in Fragrant Cloud City, you must first register at the City Lord's Mansion to apply for a home address, and then go to the residential area to claim your ownership."

"You can be teleported directly to your own home from the residential area's management office."

Is everyone eligible to apply? Are there any other requirements?

"Of course, there are requirements."

"The number of Gold Coin required to apply for a homestead varies depending on its level."

"The most common level one homestead costs approximately one thousand gold."

"Level two costs five thousand; level three is even more expensive... higher levels are not out of reach, it just depends on your financial resources."

It seems the fees for housing are quite expensive.

Ordinary players probably wouldn't be willing to invest a large amount of Gold Coin in housing; wouldn't it be more practical to use that money to buy equipment?

Moreover, these amounts often cost thousands of dollars; how many people can actually afford that?

"I wonder what the purpose of this homestead is? And what are the differences between the different levels? I hope you can enlighten me."

"Big Gold Tooth," however, felt that there must be a deeper meaning behind such a high price, and that the price difference between grades should not be limited to changes in appearance.

"The primary purpose of a home is naturally to provide a place for people to rest."

"Warriors travel all day long, and only at home can they get a proper rest, not only to restore their own energy, but also to help their pets recover their strength."

"This kind of energy recovery is incomparable to a normal night's sleep—a warrior with full energy can unleash a completely different level of strength."

"President, he's being so vague. How can we know the effect just by imagining it? Why don't we find a way to have him take us to experience it firsthand?" The Slacker quietly sent a private message to Big Gold Tooth.

"Brother, we haven't personally experienced the wonders of our homestead, so it's really hard for us to decide which level to purchase."

"Would it be possible for you to show us around?"

After a moment's hesitation, Xiaoyaozi finally nodded in agreement and agreed to take them to visit his home.

"You should not linger here. After all, this is private property, and outsiders are never welcome to set foot here."

"We'll just take one look and leave!"

Xiaoyaozi then led the two through the residential area of Fragrant Cloud City.

Few players frequent this area; apart from the occasional merchant passing through, it is quiet and still.

He stopped in front of a wooden house.

"This is the entrance to your home; from here, you can step into your own private world."

The wooden house in front of them was simple and unadorned, even a little shabby, and the two couldn't help but feel that the entrance was too casual.

Following Xiaoyaozi into the house, there was nothing mysterious inside, except for an NPC named "Li Jing" who was looking down at the ledgers and remained silent at the arrival of the three.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Xiaoyaozi led them directly to a wall covered with wooden plaques.

It's unclear what he triggered, but the three figures flickered and vanished from the spot simultaneously.

Big Gold Tooth and his companions suddenly felt darkness before their eyes, and in an instant they found themselves in a Liu Guang hall, instead of the simple wooden hut.

Everywhere you look, there are tables, chairs, tea sets, screens, and ornaments that gleam with gold; the dazzling luxury exudes an overwhelming sense of vulgarity.

"How about it? Dazzling, isn't it? Never seen anything like this before, have you? This is my humble abode."

"The upstairs area is for resting, so it's not convenient to invite guests upstairs. You are welcome to wander around the first floor. Please make yourselves at home."

Seeing their stunned expressions, Xiaoyaozi's face flashed with barely concealed smugness.

Looking around the space, which was several hundred square meters, the two felt that the crude wooden reception hut they had just left was completely out of place here.

Big Gold Tooth quickly realized that the world here was far more than what was inside the house—the faint sound of flowing water could be heard outside the window.

Peeking out, I saw a lake with shimmering blue water, where birds gracefully rose and fell.

Could this be Secret Realm created by the Game System?

The trees and flowers outside are lush and green. Perhaps it was my state of mind, but being there made me feel refreshed and completely free of fatigue.

"How are you? Do you feel Abundant energy?" Xiaoyaozi raised his eyebrows and smiled.

His secret home in Fragrant Cloud City is indeed unique.

"Is this the effect of restoring energy to the home base? I feel like I can fight in the wild for a whole day and night!" The Slacker felt completely comfortable and couldn't hide his amazement.

"May I ask, brother, what level is this homestead? We've only been here a short while, yet we already feel so much."

"Haha, to my shame, my residence is already the highest level in Fragrant Cloud City —Level Three! Even the City Lord's mansion hasn't reached this level; only I possess it."

"Aren't you envious?" he asked without a hint of modesty.

"What about the effects of level one and level two? If the only goal is to restore energy, is a basic homestead sufficient?"

Xiaoyaozi immediately put on a stern face:

"Ridiculous! How can a basic-level homestead compare to mine! A level three homestead not only restores energy but also enhances cultivation!"

"Level one has only a slight restorative effect, and requires prolonged stay to see results; level two can restore energy, but offers no other benefits."

"Level three even has additional benefits? Did you notice that you were just slacking off?"

The Slacker focused intently on checking his own status and was suddenly surprised to find that his experience points had increased by a barely perceptible amount compared to before.

This discovery greatly encouraged him—his home could actually enhance his cultivation!

"Holy crap, guild leader, look at the system interface!"

"My experience points have increased! Though extremely slight, it's definitely a change!"

"We can rest and recuperate at home while accumulating experience!"

Upon hearing this, Big Gold Tooth hurriedly checked himself and found that his experience points were indeed slowly increasing, albeit at a small rate, but they had been gained out of thin air.

Even when players are not fighting in the wild, they can still improve their cultivation by handling affairs in their homestead. This alone is enough to attract many people to apply for high-level homesteads!

"What a great Level 3 Homestead! I want to apply for one too!"

Big Gold Tooth immediately decided to purchase a level 3 homestead—his accumulated Gold Coin were not unaffordable.

Xiaoyaozi scoffed at this:

"Do you think just anyone can apply for a Level 3 Homestead? Otherwise, how could I be the only one in Fragrant Cloud City to possess one?"

"Not only do we have to pay for the house, but we also have to bear the cost of repairs."

"Homesteads require regular maintenance depending on their level. The repair costs for a level three homestead... I'm afraid they'll scare you if I told you!"

"It costs a full thousand gold coins every month!"

"This is what they mean by being able to afford to buy it but not being able to afford to keep it... President, it's best to give up on this."

"Actually, level one or two housing units are sufficient."

This is similar to real-world property management and various taxes; there are plenty of people who can afford to buy a house but can't afford to maintain it.

Seeing the dejected looks on their faces, Xiaoyaozi spoke leisurely, yet he also offered a glimmer of new hope—

"There is a way to reduce the money and time spent on repairs—just improve the quality of your home and add more furniture."

"Furniture? Beds, tables, and chairs? That's not too difficult."

Hope was rekindled in their eyes.

"You think it's that simple! You think just any table and chair will count? Look at the furnishings in my room, every single piece is the result of my hard work and painstaking searching!"

"It's not that easy. Furniture that isn't of a special grade won't work at all."

They examined the almost dazzling tables, chairs, and benches once more. The system labels indicated that most of the furniture was of the second or third tier, and the more glittering the gold, the higher the tier.

I initially thought Xiaoyaozi simply had peculiar tastes, but now I realize that perhaps the higher the grade of the furniture, the more precious it is?

That's a misjudgment of him.

The old man is too cunning.

"Brother, so these pieces of furniture are so dazzling because they're of a high rank? We've learned something—but where did you get these second and third rank pieces of furniture?"

Xiaoyaozi waved a folding fan he had produced from who-knows-where, looking quite pleased with himself. "Some of these were specially made by craftsmen in the city."

"These are all unique pieces of furniture customized to my specifications; some are finished products that I won at auctions in various cities, and I can have craftsmen adjust their appearance after acquiring them."

"It is through this kind of management that my residence has achieved its current grandeur!"

They weren't wrong about him—this man's taste was indeed extraordinary.

Since he could have craftsmen modify the exterior, the current style of decorating the room with gold and jade was obviously his own idea, and it matched his image quite well.

"Guild Master, it seems that some players in our guild have inherited the 'Craftsman' skill, which is a relatively unpopular crafting profession that hasn't shown much use until now. It might come in very handy now!"

In the "Showoff Guild" of life skills players, almost everyone has a secondary profession, usually an alchemist, blacksmith, or cook—professions that directly benefit the player.

As for secondary professions like craftsman, few people specialize in them unless they have a personal passion for crafting furniture, and guilds happen to gather most of the current craftsmen.

Big Gold Tooth immediately realized that this was an opportunity for the guild!

As long as they recruit craftsman players first, their guild will become the object of everyone's vying to win them over once the Home System is officially released!

"Contact the guild management immediately and recruit all crafting players. Also, have them level up their secondary professions as soon as possible."

"I remember they can only make simple furniture right now? Nobody can make anything with a tier yet, right?"

"Indeed, no. If someone could do it, they would have reported it long ago."

"To make furniture of a certain quality, I'll probably have to contact the craftsmen in the city."

The two were discussing in hushed tones when Xiaoyaozi began to see the guests out.

"Have you seen enough? If there's nothing else, let's go out."

"If you want your own home, hurry up and buy one!"

"Let me tell you another secret: the homestead has other secret uses, but you'll have to find out for yourselves what those uses are."

"Thank you for your guidance, brother. We'll take our leave now."

"Next time, we'll definitely Welcome Inn to properly thank you!" The two men were itching to do so, wishing they could beat the old man up, but they had no choice but to play along.

Xiaoyaozi was pleased to hear this and laughed heartily, "Of course! I'll make sure to have a fine private room ready for you!"

After leaving Xiaoyaozi's residence, the two hurried to the city lord's mansion and found the clerk in charge of daily affairs.

Previously, some players speculated that he might know how to activate the Home System and had come to test him, but unfortunately, the clerk ignored them because the prerequisite quest was not triggered.

Upon seeing Big Gold Tooth and his companion arrive, the clerk seemed to have anticipated their arrival and directly stated their purpose.

"Are you two here to purchase a land deed? Xiaoyaozi already mentioned it to me; he recommended you buy property here, didn't he?"

"To feel a deeper sense of belonging to Fragrant Leaf City, you need a home of your own! Have you decided what level of house you want to buy?"

Seeing that the clerk already knew, the two didn't beat around the bush.