"Of course, I have some conditions too," Li Wei said after thinking it over. "You graduated from the University of Chicago, so you should know the material covered in AP courses, right? Calculus, macroeconomics, that sort of thing?"
"Of course," Don Quixote replied. "You want me to tutor you?"
"Just help me fill in the gaps," Li Wei said, getting to his feet. "I'll ask you whenever there's something I don't understand."
Don Quixote sprang off the sofa and threw his arms around Li Wei.
If Li Wei's strength hadn't increased to 1.1, Don Quixote's foul mouth might have ended up pressed against his face.
After hugging Li Wei, Don Quixote eagerly dashed into the bathroom to shave his beard and spruce himself up.
After washing up, he rushed out of the basement, jumped into his car, and sped off toward Manhattan.
When Li Wei saw Don Quixote again after ten that night, he realized he had never seen him so happy.
Don Quixote swiped through his phone's photo album, animatedly recounting how he'd spent a wonderful afternoon with his little angel.
"Look, this is us in Central Park, and this is on the sightseeing carriage... This is the Frozen Hot Chocolate from Wonder 3. Isn't Lily adorable with chocolate all over her face? Ha! What a pretty little kitten..."
Watching the man before him go on and on about his daughter, Li Wei eventually couldn't help asking:
"What about you?" Li Wei said. "Why aren't you in any of the pictures?"
"I..." Don Quixote rubbed his hands together. "I didn't have the nerve to stand beside her. I was happy just taking pictures of her."
"It was worth it, wasn't it? I mean... I have to save up for a week to afford that three hundred dollars, but I don't fucking regret it." He turned to Li Wei. "I'll pay you back. I promise."
"Okay, okay, save the sentimental stuff for later," Li Wei said, waving him off. "It's almost midnight. Time to sleep."
Don Quixote's carefully prepared speech died in his throat. He watched with some resentment as Li Wei drew the curtain around his bunk.
The bedside lamp went out, and silence settled over the basement.
But Li Wei waited for Don Quixote to fall asleep. Now that he'd spent so much money all at once, he needed to finish the Path of the Knight quest as soon as possible so he could get his money back and move out.
As for Don Quixote, perhaps the emotional highs and lows of the day had drained him. Within a minute, he was sprawled on the half-torn mattress, snoring away.
When Li Wei heard him snoring, he quietly checked the time on his phone. Figuring it was about time, he got up, dressed quietly, and waited for Don Quixote to start sleepwalking.
He'd spent $3,500 on Don Quixote during the day. He needed to squeeze a few more attribute points out of him to make up for the pain in his heart.
After an unknown amount of time, the snoring from Don Quixote's bunk suddenly stopped.
The clanking of armor rang out. Li Wei had timed it perfectly; he pulled back the curtain and slipped out.
"You've come, my dear squire!" Don Quixote declared, brimming with energy. "After investigating, I've learned from the duke how to find the witch!"
"Honored knight," Li Wei said calmly, "may I ask what the method is?"
"Come with me, squire!" Don Quixote strode toward the door. "We must find the Earth Dragon guarding the map!"
An Earth Dragon?
Li Wei wondered what new nonsense this was. What in New York could be mistaken for an Earth Dragon?
Though puzzled, he still followed Don Quixote outside.
Don Quixote had gone to bed early, so he'd started sleepwalking earlier than before. A few people were still hurrying along the streets.
Li Wei glanced around. Fortunately, New York had plenty of oddballs, and no one seemed to think there was anything strange about a man in armor wandering around an alley in the middle of the night.
When he turned around, he nearly jumped out of his skin—
At some point, Don Quixote had opened the car door and squeezed himself into the driver's seat. He clutched the car keys and, eyes closed, was about to start the engine.
Fuck! Could sleepwalkers drive with their eyes closed?
Li Wei took three quick steps and yanked Don Quixote out of the car.
"Squire! What are you doing?" Don Quixote bellowed. "Why are you stopping me from mounting my steed?"
"Uh..." Li Wei hurriedly said, "The forest roads are rough. I suggest we walk to fight the dragon, or something might happen—"
"My horsemanship is the finest in the kingdom!" Don Quixote declared, refusing to let his squire defy him. "Squire, if you're afraid to ride with me, find yourself another mount!"
With that, he tried to climb back into the car.
Li Wei was about to pull him out again, but then he saw Don Quixote's eyelids twitching wildly. He was afraid that he might startle him awake.
After thinking it over, Li Wei used [Clumsy Eloquence] on Don Quixote.
"My lord knight, don't you think riding all the way there would waste too much of your strength?" Li Wei suggested. "Why don't we hire a carriage instead? What do you say?"
With his current mental strength and skill success rate, persuading a sleepwalker wasn't too difficult.
Don Quixote paused for a moment, then said, "How did I not think of that? You certainly have a knack for clever ideas, squire!"
With that, he got out of the car and headed toward the roadside on his own.
Li Wei pulled the keys from the car, locked the door, and hurried after him.
"My lord knight, where exactly is this dragon?" Seeing no taxis nearby, Li Wei opened the Uber app. "We'll get a taxi—er, I mean, we'll take a carriage."
"Where I trained during the day!" Don Quixote said angrily. "That wicked witch hid the map guarded by the dragon right under my nose. Why didn't the duke tell me before?"
He was probably too busy hauling bricks during the day, Li Wei thought as he selected the address of the construction site where Don Quixote worked.
"How much?! The taxi fare is $105!"
Rideshare prices were outrageous in the middle of the night. Seeing that a trip of barely three kilometers would cost him $105, Li Wei nearly felt his heart stop. Even his fingers were trembling.
He'd spent $3,500 during the day, and the round trip tonight would cost another two hundred dollars or so. Could he earn it all back in a month?
But considering that this would definitely trigger a reward quest—and that the quest description made the reward sound generous—Li Wei swallowed his pain and tapped the button to place the order. Then he stood by the roadside with Don Quixote, waiting for an UberX to take them to the construction site to slay the dragon.
Before you continue