Sword of Miracles and the others could think whatever they wanted; Wang Qianduo didn't care in the slightest. Just as he'd said, the only person there who hadn't seen through Lin Qimeng's act was probably Song in the Clouds.
She was a good actress, but unfortunately, she had no story to back it up.
Wang Qianduo had just opened the Rare Equipment Chest and obtained the last piece of equipment he needed: an energy shield.
The item was called [Halo Type II Energy Shield Blueprint], a Level 5 Rare equipment blueprint.
Its finished stats were as follows.
[Halo Type II Energy Shield] (Rare)
Energy Shield
For mechs of Level 5 and above
HP +200
MP +50
Strength +5
Agility +5
Intelligence +5
Defense +10
Energy Shield (Rare): After consuming 50 MP to activate it, a shield of energy surrounds the mech. The shield has durability equal to 12% of the mech's maximum HP, lasts 10 seconds, and has a 15-second cooldown.
Note: Halo Corporation's second-generation product. It perfectly solved the problem of shield activation consuming mana, making it a product that ushered in a new era. It also has some collectible value.
In the game's lore, Halo Corporation was a massive company that spanned the universe, famous for producing all kinds of mech accessories.
This Rare shield was one of their products.
The materials it required weren't rare, so Wang Qianduo easily bought everything he needed from the market, crafted the shield, and equipped it.
At last, he had a complete set of equipment!
After equipping the energy shield, Old Wang planned to use up the rest of his fatigue time and then log off.
Meanwhile, online, Thousand King's name was making a serious splash.
Mark Bokuai was the first boss that all the players in the world could challenge after the game opened to the masses.
It was inevitable that Wang Qianduo would become famous for killing him, but he shouldn't have become this famous.
Still, Old Wang's final Blast Bomb had been impossible to miss. Countless people had witnessed the ten thousand damage and the flattened hill.
What Old Wang didn't know was that he was the first player since the game launched to deal over ten thousand damage to a world boss like this.
And so he became famous, and the name Thousand King quietly spread.
People scouting for talent on behalf of professional clubs soon took notice of him.
But before they could make a move, the Mountains and Seas Guild released an announcement: "Congratulations to our player Thousand King for defeating the world boss!"
A world boss kill alone wasn't enough to warrant an announcement from the Mountains and Seas Guild. But who could blame them, when Wang Qianduo's final blow had been so eye-catching?
The announcement's meaning was simple: He was one of ours, so the clubs could forget about recruiting him.
Wang Qianduo knew nothing about any of this. He used up his fatigue bar, reached Level 6, and ran into a chance encounter on his way back to town.
Now he was faced with a choice!
It all began after he returned to town. On his way to his warehouse, Wang Qianduo spotted an old man with a huge red exclamation mark floating above his head.
It seemed that only Wang Qianduo could see the exclamation mark. The players passing by paid the ordinary-looking old man no attention at all.
"Red~"
Knowing what red represented in the game, Wang Qianduo immediately walked over and asked the old man:
"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
The old man glanced sideways at Wang Qianduo but didn't respond. Clearly, their intimacy level was too low, and Wang Qianduo's classic task-starting line hadn't worked.
"Hey, sir, look, I'm the only one here who can see that you need help. Do me a favor, will you?"
His opening had failed, but Wang Qianduo was a seasoned pro. Had all those years of shameless persistence been for nothing?
"Do you want me to do you a favor?"
The old man had probably been pestered until he couldn't take it anymore. At last, he replied.
"That's right! Do me a favor!"
"Fine! I'll do you a favor!"
As soon as the old man finished speaking, a dialogue box appeared in front of Wang Qianduo, leaving him with a choice.
"System Notification: Old Luo has offered you the quest [Help 1]. Do you accept?"
[Help 1]: Old Luo needs Gold Crystal. Are you willing to spend Gold Crystal to help him?
A: Spend 1 Gold Crystal to help him
B: Spend 10 Gold Crystal to help him
C: Spend 100 Gold Crystal to help him
D: Forget it!
(ー_ー)!!
Wang Qianduo looked at the options in front of him, then at the old man. Was the old geezer a scammer, trying to bait people into handing over their money?
Still, Wang Qianduo wasn't short on cash. He could help the old man, so he picked C without hesitation.
"Congratulations! You have completed the quest [Help 1] and received 100 experience."
Wang Qianduo: "..."
One hundred Gold Crystal for 100 experience? What a monumental rip-off. But whatever. He'd see what came next. This was probably just the starting quest!
After losing 100 Gold Crystal, Wang Qianduo accepted the new quest, [Help 2].
[Help 2]: Old Luo needs Gold Crystal. Are you willing to spend Gold Crystal to help him?
A: Spend 1 Gold Crystal to help him
B: Spend 10 Gold Crystal to help him
C: Spend 100 Gold Crystal to help him
D: Forget it!
Wang Qianduo: "..."
Damn it!
Are you freaking scamming me? Aside from changing the 1 to a 2, did anything else about this quest change?
But Wang Qianduo refused to believe it. He handed the old man another 100 Gold Crystal. After all, he wasn't short on money!
That's right! He wasn't... short... on money!
Then something even more infuriating happened. After [Help 2] gave him another 100 experience, the quest changed to [Help 3].
Aside from the 2 becoming a 3, nothing else had changed.
"Old man, are you messing with me?" Wang Qianduo said in exasperation.
He had money, sure, but that didn't mean he could let someone toy with him like this!
"Didn't you ask me to give you a chance? I gave you one, and you still couldn't get the job done!"
The old man gave Wang Qianduo a scornful look and ignored him, but the quest remained on the screen.
"Fine! Now you've got me fired up!"
Wang Qianduo said, then completed the quest again with another 100 Gold Crystal. Three became four, then five, six, seven... ninety-nine, one hundred.
He spent a total of 10,000 Gold Crystal to push the quest all the way to 100. At last, the reward changed.
"System Notification: You have completed [Help 100] and received 10,000 experience and 1 Mysterious Crown."
Wang Qianduo: "Huh!!! It finally changed?!"
After he completed the quest, the old man's quest didn't refresh anymore. He looked at Wang Qianduo with an expression that was almost amused and said:
"Fine. You're bold and you've got money. Become my disciple, and I'll look out for you from now on!"
"Become your disciple? What's in it for me?" Wang Qianduo asked, looking at the old man, whose brow carried a hint of disdain.
"What's in it for you? Plenty. For starters, I can teach you how to use the crown you got!" the old man said casually.
"The crown?" Wang Qianduo said, looking at the crown he'd gotten in exchange for 10,000 Gold Crystal.
[Mysterious Crown] (Epic): ??
"..."
Wasn't this a freaking rip-off? Ten thousand Gold Crystal could buy a house in the capital. Was this thing worth a whole house?
"Have you made up your mind? You won't get another chance once you leave!"
"Fine, I accept.
Master!"
Wang Qianduo bowed to Old Luo..
Old Luo: "... You really don't hesitate, do you!"
Wang Qianduo had his reasons. This old man could offer a quest like that, so he was bound to be no ordinary person.
Red corresponded to Epic-grade items in this game. An NPC who could offer an Epic-grade quest couldn't possibly be ordinary.
And becoming someone's disciple probably wasn't all that restrictive.
"It's the information age. Everything's got to be faster. Master, what does this thing do?" Wang Qianduo asked, looking at Larot.
"You... Fine, I was going to take you in anyway. Keep this safe. From now on, you're my disciple, Larot Xinasfante.
"My Chinese name is Old Luo. I like that name better."
Old Luo handed Wang Qianduo something that looked like a token.
One of them had become a disciple on a whim, and the other had accepted him just as casually.
How great!
As soon as Wang Qianduo took the token, the system notification appeared, just as expected.
"System Notification: You have become a disciple of Larot Xinasfante!"
See? Look at the length of that name! There was no way this master of his could be ordinary!
"Master, what exactly is this thing?" Wang Qianduo put away the token, then brought out the crown, which stood taller than his waist, and asked Old Luo again.
"This is the Elemental Crown, a mech advancement material that came into existence alongside the first Mana Mechs. It's the key to breaking through a mech's limits."
"The Elemental Crown? Shouldn't it be called the Mysterious Crown?"
"See the seven holes in the crown? Fill all seven, and it'll reveal its true name."
"I see!"
"That's right. And it can only be used when a mech reaches Level 10 and undergoes its first evolution. If you use it later, it'll be useless!" Old Luo said with a complicated expression. He'd missed his chance.
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