A Pay-to-Win Online Game Déjà Vu (Please Vote!)

"What kind of crappy quest is this!? Are you deliberately looking to get me beaten up?" Ron could not help rolling his eyes. "And isn't this reward way too insincere?"

System: "Daily quests are trigger-based. The system will automatically trigger relevant quests based on the host's subconscious expectations, thereby fulfilling the host's needs. Therefore, there are no additional rewards."

Ron immediately narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by 'subconscious expectations'!? Are you saying I really want to lift other people's skirts?"

"I'm not a pervert!!!"

System: "The host need not feel ashamed or inferior. Such subconscious expectations are normal for everyone, but they are usually constrained by social morality and legal regulations, so they are not fully stimulated. The system merely gives form to these expectations. The host may choose whether to complete them."

"..." Ron covered his face. "What kind of bullshit function is this..."

System: "If the host is unable to complete the quest due to shame or other factors..."

Ron looked wary. "There's a punishment?"

System: "No. If the host cannot complete the quest, the system can do it on the host's behalf."

[Shop]

[A breeze perfectly suited to lifting a passing elf's skirt]: 10 Wealth Points

(Temporary item, automatically removed after 1 minute)

Ron stared speechlessly at the information on the panel, feeling as though ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his heart.

What was with this overwhelming sense of a pay-to-win online game!?

To be honest, he was a little tempted, but poverty limited his ability to act.

Ron glanced at the basic panel, where it clearly displayed—

Wealth Points: 0

"System, what are these Wealth Points? Money?" Ron asked.

System: "After the host obtains currency through legitimate means, the system will convert it into Wealth Points at a certain ratio. 1 Wealth Point = 1 gold coin = 100 silver coins."

Ron asked again, "After it's converted into Wealth Points, do the gold coins disappear?"

System: "The conversion process does not consume currency. Wealth Points are an independent virtual currency that increases as the host's currency holdings increase, but the two are spent separately."

"So that's what it means." Ron nodded in understanding, only then realizing that he was actually a penniless pauper!?

The dignified Seventh Prince of the Human Empire was actually broke!?

Ron had a bit of a headache.

But after thinking carefully, the original owner had lived in the palace, wanting for neither food nor clothing. It really did seem like he had never had any need for money.

But now he had been expelled from the palace!

Didn't his cheap father have anything to say about that?

With that thought, the elf girl outside the window suddenly did not seem so appealing anymore.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just as Ron was fretting, someone knocked on the door.

When he opened it, a burly middle-aged man with a reserved expression stood outside. He nodded to Ron. "Prince Ron, may I come in and speak with you?"

The moment he saw the man's face, Ron remembered. This was Webster, captain of the Glorious Mercenary Group, a seventh-rank Legendary Warrior.

He quickly nodded. "Captain Webster, please come in."

The Glorious Mercenary Group was a mercenary group established by the Human Empire, and it was also one of the top mercenary groups on the Rexis Continent.

Captain Webster answered directly to Andre III and was an important figure who could report directly to the emperor.

Moreover, as a seventh-rank Legendary Warrior, his own strength alone was enough to place him at the pinnacle of the continent.

By comparison, aside from being the Seventh Prince, Ron was completely incomparable to Webster.

The two sat facing each other by the window.

"Prince Ron, the caravan is expected to arrive in Chaos City tomorrow afternoon, so there are some matters I need to explain to you in advance." Webster did not waste time on pleasantries and went straight to the point.

To him, escorting Ron was merely a minor task. If Andre III had not personally ordered it, he would never have personally led a small caravan just to escort him.

As for flattering words, there was even less need for them.

Ron did not feel offended either and nodded for him to continue.

Webster said, "His Majesty has arranged a villa for you. As for servants, once we arrive in Chaos City, the mercenary group's office there will help you hire them."

"Additionally, the mercenary group will provide you with 100 gold coins in living expenses every month. That should be enough to cover a month's expenses."

"Other than that, do you have any questions?"

Ron was somewhat stunned as he looked at the burly blond man before him, feeling as though happiness had come far too suddenly.

One hundred gold coins every month meant an extra hundred Wealth Points. That was ten free chances every month to lift young ladies' skirts!

Pah!

Ron silently spat at himself, then remembered the main quest issued by the system, which required him to own a Flower Shop in Chaos City.

But making such a request outright would be a little too direct, so Ron asked, "Was all this... arranged by my father?"

His Majesty had only said, 'Make sure he has no worries about food and shelter. Try to satisfy any small requests he has.' As for the details, naturally they were to be handled by his subordinates.

That was what Webster thought, but it was not what he said aloud. "Yes, it was all arranged by His Majesty."

Since his father had already given him a villa, then surely one Shop would not be a problem, right? Thinking this, Ron asked, "I want to open a Shop in Chaos City. I need a storefront. Can you arrange that for me, Captain?"

Webster frowned. After a moment of silence, he said, "Prince Ron, His Majesty only instructed me to arrange the matters I mentioned. As for a Shop..."

"Chaos City lies at the border of the four races—the humans, dwarves, elves, and gnomes—and is the most prosperous trade city on the continent. Therefore, even storefronts in slightly better locations are absurdly expensive."

"Even I cannot simply promise a Shop in Chaos City to you, Prince Ron."

Ron was momentarily at a loss for words.

"How expensive is a Shop in Chaos City?" Ron asked curiously.

Webster thought back. "Leaving aside the ones in extremely remote locations, an ordinary Shop would cost at least several hundred gold coins to buy. Of course, if Your Highness only wishes to rent one, ten to twenty gold coins a month should be enough."

So he would need to save for at least several months... Ron estimated.

As for renting one, that was not within his considerations.

After all, the quest clearly stipulated that he had to buy a Shop.

And only after completing this first main quest could he receive the quest reward—the seeds and cultivation method for the Nether Orchid—and gain the Flower Shop's first product.

Otherwise, he would not even know what to sell.

Thus, he put on a pained expression and gritted his teeth. "I can give up the villa and exchange it for a Shop of equivalent value. Would that work?"

Seeing that Ron was willing to cut off flesh just for a Shop, Webster was somewhat surprised. After thinking it over, he took a step back as well and proposed, "In that case, how about this?"

"Your Highness's villa will temporarily be mortgaged to the Glorious Mercenary Group. In exchange, the mercenary group will sell a Shop to Your Highness. Once the Shop earns profits in the future, you may redeem the villa."

Ron pretended to ponder for a moment before agreeing. He nodded. "All right."

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