Selling Dreams, Selling Big Dreams

"So you mean that after defeating two Gargoyles and entering the next area, you fell off a cliff and died before you even had time to explore?"

Bede City, the City Lord's manor, top-floor room.

A dignified old man adjusted his glasses and scrutinized the elf before him suspiciously.

Si Telan's little face had flushed red with shame.

"Seriously?"

Si Telan wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.

"Aren't you Silver Rank?"

Si Telan wanted to die.

"My second son hasn't even come out yet, but you died before him? He doesn't even have a Mid Rank class."

Si Telan nearly bent down to the floor and shouted, "We are deeply ashamed! We have no right to accept the commission fee!"

"Ah..."

Count Philip, the City Lord of Bede City and head of the Bede Family, sighed. He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His face already showed signs of age.

"Forget it. You'll receive the commission fee as usual. The Bede Family never goes back on its word, and besides, you did gain something."

Aside from Vierde and Ka Rong, everyone else in Si Telan's party had returned. Though they all looked shaken, each of them had unexpectedly made some gains.

The Map Expert had drawn a small portion of the Swamp Area's map and brought back intelligence that lighting the beacon would open the Fortress Gate.

The Medicine Expert had brought back Moss Balls in all sorts of colors, proving that these inconspicuous little things had detoxifying effects comparable to Upper Rank potions. However, Moss Balls of different colors seemed capable of curing different poisons.

The Ore Expert had accidentally activated a Teleportation Trap and wandered into the Underground Mine, where the Crucible Knight chopped him in half. But before dying, he had seen Bloodstone ore scattered all over the ground, including Purple Rare Blood Crystals worth a hundred times more.

The other experts had encountered different monsters and brought back intelligence, which barely counted as gains.

Other than protecting the experts, Si Telan and the other adventurers had contributed about as much as the specialists.

That was why she felt so ashamed.

Everyone they were supposed to protect had died. This was undoubtedly one of the greatest failures of her adventuring career.

And she had ended her dungeon expedition in an especially humiliating way.

The scene returned to when she and Xiu En had first entered the dungeon. The moment they stepped into Plague Village, both of them felt an unbearable chill and discomfort all over their bodies.

They had barely taken a few steps before monsters swarmed them: huge rats covered in pustules that splattered fluid whenever struck, and grotesque flesh monsters made from unknown chunks of meat mashed together, resembling Slimes but far more disgusting. Even getting slightly close to them meant smelling a nauseating stench, let alone fighting them.

Si Telan had practically sprinted all the way out. She felt as though her Spirit Power had suffered a severe blow.

She used to have a peculiar fondness for monsters. She thought imposing monsters looked cool, and even the uncool ones had their own distinctive traits worth appreciating.

But after coming to Zane Dungeon, she learned for the first time that monsters could be both so abstract and so disgusting.

I, Si Telan, am a Monster Killer desu. All monsters shall be slain. No mercy!

Actually, the huge rats and flesh blobs were child's play. They were startling at first glance, but after looking at them a couple more times, one could get used to them.

What she truly could not tolerate were the monsters they encountered while crossing the Suspension Bridge.

They were several nimble monkeys, difficult to hit even with her superb archery.

Most importantly—

They threw shit.

Fresh, steaming clumps of shit, one after another.

When they could not squeeze any more out, they would even pull out jars filled with shit and throw those at people.

When Xiu En was forced to use his beloved shield to block the shit, Si Telan clearly saw tears in his eyes.

Facing the rain of feces, when a huge clump was about to hit her square in the face, Si Telan chose to jump off the cliff and kill herself.

Xiu En followed right after her. The honest, burly man wore an expression of liberation.

After returning, he threw away his shield.

Si Telan changed all her equipment as well.

The two never mentioned the experience. They only said that they had triggered a trap and the Suspension Bridge had broken halfway across. Otherwise...

They would probably have spent the rest of their lives being mocked by everyone.

There was every reason to believe that the Spirit Power they unleashed when attacked by those monkeys was no less than what an ordinary person would release upon death.

"Ahem."

Count Philip's cough pulled Si Telan's thoughts back to reality. Only then did she realize there was nothing left to do, and it was time to leave.

Her sense of responsibility had driven her here to return the money, but generous Count Philip refused to take it back. That was wonderful.

"Then we'll be taking our leave. I wish you all the best, Mr. Philip."

Si Telan gave an elegant bow and turned to leave. Her mind was now filled with Zane Dungeon.

If she did not clear it at least once, it would probably become a knot in her heart that she could never escape for the rest of her life.

But with the strength of her group, they would likely have to die dozens of times before clearing it.

Waste time trying to clear the dungeon? Did they still want to take commissions and earn money? Without money, they could not even afford Teleportation Crystals!

So she came up with a good idea—call for backup.

"Dear Sister:"

"How is Elven Forest lately? I'm sure the warrior squad under your leadership can drive away every danger. Is our mother still serving as Queen? Your little sister has encountered something she wants to accomplish no matter what..."

Bang.

As the reception room door closed, Count Philip put his glasses back on and once again read the reports submitted by the mineral experts.

"We discovered that this mine-like area possesses astonishing Bloodstone reserves, with massive quantities clustered together, even forming lotus-shaped crystal clusters. This would have been unimaginable in the past. I still remember the old Zane Dungeon: Miners would labor with Mining Picks for half a day just to dig out a Bloodstone the size of a palm from the rock walls. Then they would have to travel a great distance to the next collection point. Their total harvest for an entire day was pitifully small. Once the dungeon refreshed the next day, they had to dig through the rock walls all over again, wasting manpower on meaningless work."

"If we can find a way to reach the mine area quickly, Blood Therapy Potion production will grow explosively. Your wealth will rival that of a duke. Even Pasi Prince, the proudest prince in the southern Empire, will invite you to his banquets."

Light flickered in Count Philip's eyes.

"But the monsters in that area are far too powerful. I encountered a Giant Lizard with Blue Crystals covering its body, as well as the most terrifying Mysterious Knight. Even after using an Upper Rank defensive magic scroll, I could not block his attack. With just one slash, I lost consciousness entirely. He will be the greatest obstacle to your Bloodstone mining operation."

"But please, Count, do not give up. You absolutely must not give up. I discovered Purple Blood Crystals—purple! You surely know what that means. With those, perhaps we can create that supreme potion which has existed only in theory! Do you remember the King's strange illness? Perhaps it can be used for that! If it truly works, you will become the first newly appointed duke after the war ends!"

"What we mean is, do not let the Miners stop working. We must invest more manpower. Even if only one person manages to bring back Purple Blood Crystals by sheer luck, we will still make a guaranteed profit."

"Our expert group unanimously proposes sending at least five hundred Miners into Zane Dungeon every day."

Count Philip set down the report in his hands and lifted his teacup for a drink, only to discover that his hands were trembling.

He was excited. He believed the grand dream the experts had sold him.

"Go. They can all go. I'll recruit every Miner in my territory!"

Knock, knock, knock—

Someone suddenly knocked at the door. Just as Philip, his train of thought interrupted, was about to lash out, a familiar voice sounded from outside.

"Father, I'm back."

Please keep reading and vote with your monthly tickets. The results haven't been great, and my resolve is about to collapse.