Gold Turns to Bronze, Gao Xu's Great Courage

Due to a garbled text error, my recommendation growth was incredibly slow all morning; I suppose I've suffered an unprovoked disaster...

This is the second update for today, and I hope to receive everyone's support!

******

Gao Xu's attempt to act cool didn't exactly stun everyone, but the moment the Golden Treasure Chest appeared, the scene was instantly held in check!

"This... gold... this is a lottery chest that only appears with an S-rank clearance rating!" Shang Yan, standing behind Mr. Yi, gasped, his usually steady hands trembling slightly as he stared at the chest.

As long as a clearance rating reached B-rank or higher, the rewards would include a chance at a lottery: B-rank for a Bronze Chest, A-rank for a Silver Chest, and S-rank for a Golden Chest. Bronze was common, and Silver appeared occasionally, but this was the first time he had ever laid eyes on a Golden-level chest.

"Ahem!" Gao Xu coughed twice, drawing everyone's gaze from the chest to himself, and said solemnly, "I hope you can all swear an oath to the Space, guaranteeing that you will not sell what you are about to see to any intelligence agency, nor reveal it to other Reincarnators!"

The binding power of an oath in the Space was extremely strong; violating it would lead to dire consequences. The group exchanged glances for a moment, but unable to suppress their curiosity, they muttered their compliance one by one.

Gao Xu nodded in satisfaction and opened the chest in front of everyone. A golden roulette wheel emerged from within, divided into different sectors. Common items occupied the largest area, accounting for a full 50%, while equipment and skills each took up 20%, with the remaining 10% reserved for special items.

Qin Fen swallowed hard, envious, and muttered, "There's actually no chance of drawing a blank—an S-rank lottery really is different!"

A B-rank Bronze lottery had a 50% failure rate, meaning there was a fifty-fifty chance of getting nothing at all. Even an A-rank Silver chest had a 20% failure rate; while the odds were low, one could still walk away empty-handed if their luck was bad. Only the S-rank Golden lottery had a 100% success rate, so how could he not be envious?

At this moment, Gao Xu's Emblem had already received a prompt asking if he wished to begin the draw. To everyone's surprise, he smiled faintly and said aloud, "Select: Lower lottery tier, fix reward range!"

"Hidden option 'Lower lottery tier, fix reward range' activated. Executing!"

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, the luster of the Golden Treasure Chest dimmed abruptly, fading until it turned into the color of silver. The options on the roulette wheel were now restricted to special items, occupying 100% of the area instead of retreating to 80%.

"You, you, you... you are... you're squandering a heavenly treasure!" Almost simultaneously, Shang Yan and Qin Fen jumped up, pointing at Gao Xu with trembling fingers, unable to speak clearly.

"It's not over yet~" Unexpectedly, Gao Xu wiggled his fingers and, under the horrified stares of the group, spoke again: "Select: Continue to lower lottery tier, fix reward content!"

"Hidden option 'Lower lottery tier, fix reward content' activated. Executing!"

"Warning: Bronze is the lowest tier. Using this operation again will cause the chest to vanish, resulting in the loss of the lottery opportunity."

By now, Gao Xu had closed his eyes, selecting exactly what he wanted from the vast sea of rewards, while the onlookers stood like clay statues, staring blankly at the drab, earthy Bronze Treasure Chest.

"Done!" Soon, Gao Xu let out a sigh of relief. A flash of light appeared in his hand, revealing a letter, which he immediately set to display status:

Shen Qinghong's Plea for Help: Special Item. Shen Qinghong, Chief Escort of the Sanyuan Escort Agency, is transporting a batch of high-value red cargo. Unexpectedly, news leaked, and he has been targeted by the notorious Twelve Zodiacs. Believing himself unable to repel the enemy, he has issued this plea for help, hoping for the aid of righteous heroes of the Jianghu. Using this letter within the Space allows for a designated entry into the Handsome Siblings world, with the main quest tied to protecting the Sanyuan Escort Agency. Maximum entry: 15 people.

Logically, the biggest problem had been solved, and everyone should have been jubilant and beaming with joy. In reality, however, everyone's teeth ached with regret, their mouths twitching as they inwardly cursed the man for being a spendthrift.

But given Gao Xu's insight and schemes, was he truly the type to engage in a losing business deal?

Gao Xu knew very well that an S-rank Golden Treasure Chest did not guarantee an S-rank item. While the value would certainly be high—a piece of Gold-tier equipment wouldn't be strange, and with good luck, even Dark Gold equipment or items weren't impossible—there was always a limitation: such rewards had extremely high attribute requirements, and in Gao Xu's current state, he wouldn't be able to use them at all!

Therefore, if Gao Xu were a seasoned Reincarnator with deep foundations, he would never use a lottery chest for this. But the truth was, he had only experienced one plot world; his roots were shallow. Even if he obtained a good item early, what of it? Leave it in his Emblem space to admire?

Conversely, now that Gao Xu had paid such a high price to secure the best conditions for the kill, did they really think they could just accept it as a matter of course?

Soon, Mr. Yi and Qin Fen realized this, exchanged bitter smiles, and sent trade requests to Gao Xu.

Gao Xu accepted the 5,000 and 3,000 points they traded over without changing his expression, then shook the letter and said, "The cost of the crusade scroll is settled. As for the additional value of this special item, count it toward my team contribution; don't ask me for points to purchase supplies. Furthermore, I have one last requirement!"

A requirement, not a request. Both team leaders understood Gao Xu's meaning perfectly and said in unison, "Speak!"

"I want priority choice over the contents of Wei Wuya's treasure chest!"

As soon as Gao Xu finished speaking, Qin Fen asked with a bitter face, "Brother, are you the boss or am I? Why does it feel like the roles are reversed?"

"Everyone is used to weak employees and strong bosses..." Gao Xu smiled leisurely. "But when the initiative is in the hands of the employee, a reversal of status is not strange at all!"

"It seems Brother Gao has grand designs!" Qin Fen nodded thoughtfully and said quite decisively, "Fine, I have no objections!"

Mr. Yi naturally agreed. After the group signed a contract with high-level permissions, they began discussing the entry time.

"Having this letter doesn't mean everything is set; we still have many things to prepare in the coming time. As for those two vacant spots, you two can decide how to divide them; I don't need them!" Gao Xu pondered for a moment, a smile suddenly appearing on his face as he winked. "We can wait for the day the Space opens the Handsome Siblings world on its own. We'll watch Brother Hou, that living Lei Feng, enter the world first, and then use the scroll—it won't be too late..."

The group broke into a cold sweat, silently mourning for the man in the white robe. This person before them was truly someone not to be offended!

******

In the days that followed, Gao Xu began to enjoy the privileges of being a veteran of the Worker Alliance. He called it "working hard for the sake of the boss," but in reality, he ordered the members of Mr. Yi's team to run errands in turns, camping out in the trade district to collect various information and report it back to him.

He sweated profusely in the training grounds to hone his skills, while information from the trade district was constantly relayed by Su Mei's small mouth—truly, he was managing both perfectly.

And it must be said, he really did manage to snag two good items at a low price:

Spirit Pet Bracelet: Blue-tier equipment, inferior quality, accessory. A bracelet for housing spirit pets, containing one pet slot. The loyalty of a spirit pet kept inside the bracelet drops extremely slowly, and it can emerge on its own to protect its master at critical moments. Cooldown: 1 minute. Can be exchanged for 1,000 points.

Compared to the pitch-black, dead silence of the soul space, a soul bracelet that allowed the pet to observe its master's movements was undoubtedly more suitable for the lively Su Mei. This bracelet sold for 3,000 points in the Space, which was not something an average Reincarnator could afford. The seller was only selling it because their spirit pet had unfortunately perished, leaving them greatly weakened, and they were forced to sell the bracelet to recoup some losses.

His opening offer was 2,800 points, slightly below the Space price, but it had gone ignored for days. After all, spirit pets were rare in the first difficulty, and even those who had them weren't necessarily willing to buy it. Gao Xu had only asked once, then let the seller cool his heels for a few days; the second time he negotiated, it was much easier, and he finally closed the deal at 2,300 points.

Secret Manual: Flower Dance: Special item, inferior quality. Allows the user to learn the movement technique Flower Dance (Fragmented). Learning requirements: Agility 15, Intelligence 15, Ancient Martial Arts system Reincarnator.

Flower Dance (Fragmented): B-rank active skill, low-tier, a signature skill of the Twin of Brothers world. Flower Dance is the movement technique of the Flower Sect within the Demonic Sect's two paths and six ways. It emphasizes fluid, circular motions and graceful turns, appearing incredibly elegant and dashing when performed. This skill is a fragmented version, and its power is somewhat reduced. Increases movement speed by 10% and allows for arbitrary turns and changes in direction mid-air, ignoring gravity and inertia. Cannot be stacked with the boost effects of basic skills. Consumes 1 point of Spirit every 3 seconds, no cooldown. Skill effect automatically stops when the Reincarnator's Spirit drops to 1.

Movement techniques were precisely Gao Xu's current weakness. As a Reincarnator of the Ancient Martial Arts system, both internal energy and movement techniques were indispensable. Although this Flower Dance manual was a fragmented version, its utility was extraordinary; the movement speed bonus and the ability to change direction at will were extremely practical. More importantly, it was precisely because the manual was fragmented that it was even possible for him to acquire it given his current financial situation.

Gao Xu seized upon the two major drawbacks—the harsh learning requirements and the high Spirit consumption—to haggle. The normal trade price for this manual was at least 7,000 points, but because very few Reincarnators in the first difficulty could actually raise their Intelligence to 15, the seller couldn't get rid of it. After several twists and turns, Gao Xu secured it for 5,300 points. He invested all four of his free attribute points into Agility, exactly meeting the learning requirements, and finally obtained his first active skill.

Gao Xu spent money like water; the 8,000 points he had just acquired were nearly gone in the blink of an eye. Amidst this compact and efficient life, the opening day of Handsome Siblings soon arrived...