Oh, playing tricks, are we?
Sid smiled as he looked at the stall owner before him—the mysterious goods, the impressive-sounding Rainbow Fruit, and that weighty rhetorical question: "It's expensive. Do you want to buy it?" Though the tone was perfectly flat, it somehow carried an air of looking down on people (he was completely overthinking it), enough to make one grit one's teeth in irritation.
This was practically the most common marketplace trick!
First, stir up the customer's emotions, keep them in suspense, then take the opportunity to pitch your goods and sell something worthless for far more than it was worth.
Sid had seen this sort of thing countless times, so he remained utterly unfazed. Combined with his fierce appearance, he looked like someone who might overturn the stall at any moment.
"Tell me what you're selling first," he said with a smile. "Let me see what kind of treasure could possibly be sold at such an outrageous price."
Gong Qiying glanced around, picked up the box, and said, "I've been sitting here all morning, and you're the first person to ask about the price. Here, open it yourself."
The box was simply shoved into Sid's hands, leaving him stunned for a second.
This... didn't seem quite like the trick he had imagined.
Normally, this kind of scheme was like those classic construction-site softshell turtle scams. The seller would first make up some bizarre story, then casually mention that he only wanted to earn a little money. Seeing that the buyer sincerely wanted it, he would reluctantly sell it at a discount, when in reality the price was far above market value.
Sid glanced at Gong Qiying and tested him. "I'm opening it, then?"
"Open it."
"I'm really opening it?"
"Go ahead, go ahead."
"You're not going to stop me?"
"Are you sick?"
Gong Qiying raised his eyes and sized up the old man before him. He clearly looked shrewd and capable, so why was he such an idiot?
Somewhere deep down, Sid felt that he might have misunderstood Gong Qiying. But having come this far, he could only stubbornly continue opening the box.
Let's see what incredible thing is inside this box!
The moment the box opened a crack, seven-colored light spilled out. It was a rainbow.
Then, an indescribable fragrance wafted forth. It was an extraordinarily sweet scent; one whiff made people feel as though they had been soaked in honey. The desire to eat it, eat it, eat it surged wildly in their hearts!
At some point, a crowd had gathered around Sid, drooling as they urged him to open the box.
What exactly is in here...? Sid swallowed and snapped the box fully open.
And what lay inside was different from what he had imagined yet again.
It looked like a piece of crushed fruit flesh, only half the size of a fist, as though it had been hurriedly torn from the fruit's true body. Its surface shimmered with flowing colors, and the seven-colored rainbow seemed to be the flesh's own color.
"Wh-what is this?" Sid asked. He could no longer restrain his saliva. If not for his formidable self-control, he would have bitten into it long ago.
"I told you already. A small piece of Rainbow Fruit." Gong Qiying stood up and raised his voice to the onlookers. "This is the fruit borne by that Giant Plant in the deepest part of Gourmet Paradise!"
"What? That plant? The area around it is full of monsters! How could anyone break through them?"
"The veteran adventurers I knew all died halfway there! The closer you get to that plant, the stronger the monsters become!"
"I remember the fruit being round. You aren't trying to fool us, are you?"
Gong Qiying shrugged. "Believe it or not. I barely managed to slip past those vicious monsters, but I was discovered just as I was about to pick the fruit. Before I died, I barely managed to tear off this tiny piece."
"I believe you." Sid snapped the box shut, and the fragrance instantly vanished without a trace. He was afraid he would lose control. "May I ask what effects this fruit has?"
He had automatically switched to honorific speech.
"Why should I tell you if you aren't buying it?"
"I'll buy it!"
Sid declared decisively, "Please come with me. It's inconvenient to talk here."
"Fine." Gong Qiying nodded, but the crowd was unhappy.
"You want to keep it all to yourself, don't you? How selfish! What happened to an adventurer's virtues?"
"Exactly! What's wrong with talking about it here?"
Sid calmly looked at the noisy crowd and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, all sound within five hundred meters vanished.
A high-level Mass Silence Spell? Gong Qiying watched him with interest. It seemed this old man had quite the background.
"This way, please." Only Sid and Gong Qiying could still make sound. It was quite a strange feeling.
The crowd automatically made way for them. It was not by choice; Sid was controlling them.
The two of them walked all the way into the Adventurers' Guild. When the guild's Staff Members saw Sid, their faces filled with alarm, and they hurriedly summoned the person in charge.
The person in charge was startled as well, but just as he was about to say something, Sid silenced him too.
Only after Sid and Gong Qiying entered the third-floor reception room did sound return downstairs.
The receptionist asked in confusion, "What is that big shot doing? And who's the person with him?"
The person in charge gave a bitter smile.
"How could we possibly understand Branch Guild Master Sid's thoughts?"
In the lavishly decorated reception room, Gina served the two of them hot tea, then silently retreated behind Sid.
"Allow me to offer this belated introduction." Sid folded his hands in Commander Ikari's signature pose. "I am Sid, one of the Adventurers' Guild's Branch Guild Masters, and I will soon take over the guild branch in Bede City."
He smiled and continued, "You may also call me 'Silent Words' Sid. Before retiring from my adventuring career, I barely made it to Gold rank. It is one of the few prides of this old body of mine."
As expected, Gong Qiying revealed a "shocked" expression and hurriedly extended his hand. "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Ma Lei Da, just an ordinary adventurer. I never expected to meet such an important person as you."
The shock was all fake.
This was Gong Qiying's third day out of the dungeon, and he had only just figured out some basic common knowledge about this world. He had no idea what kind of status an "Adventurers' Guild Branch Guild Master" actually held.
But seeing how proud Sid looked, he simply went along with it and flattered him. The effect was fairly good.
Three days ago, Si Telan had gathered enough magical materials according to his request and delivered them into the dungeon. As payment, Gong Qiying once again taught her, step by step, how to use Shield Poke.
The moment Si Telan left, he immediately began preparing to cast the Corpse Rebirth Technique.
As for where the corpse came from?
It was Jack's.
Not long ago, a group of people dressed in church robes had suddenly delivered Jack's corpse into the dungeon. They performed a simple ritual that Gong Qiying could not understand, then left.
Not wanting to waste it, he had used Jack's corpse to be reborn.
The Corpse Rebirth Technique was indeed miraculous. Jack's corpse melted into a mass of flesh and blood, and once Gong Qiying's soul entered it, it immediately transformed into his appearance from his previous life.
But for some unknown reason, he also looked somewhat like Godwyn at his most robust. In the end, his appearance leaned more toward the people of this world, with only his black hair and black eyes seeming somewhat rare.
With a body, he immediately tried to see whether he could leave the dungeon. The result was a pleasant surprise—he really could get out!
And his absolute control over Zane Dungeon remained intact!
Over the following days, he practically ran wild outside, cramming himself full of knowledge about this other world.
As for why he was setting up a stall in the marketplace, that was another matter entirely.
"I'm already retired. Now I'm just an ordinary old man." Sid was very satisfied with Gong Qiying's reaction.
He smiled, though his expression remained serious, and asked:
"How much do you plan to sell this Rainbow Fruit for?"
(We'll be returning to the dungeon storyline soon~)
The dungeon storyline will be back soon~
Before you continue