Rich people!

Sid's opening bid was a heavy one: five hundred gold coins.

Gong Qiying had gained some understanding of the purchasing power of currency in this world over the past few days.

People most commonly used copper and silver coins, and only used gold coins for large transactions. Gold coins had quite strong purchasing power.

He had taken over a shop on the commercial street near the Gourmet Market two days ago. The rent for a year, plus renovation and other miscellaneous expenses, only added up to a few dozen gold coins.

A small piece of a rotten Rainbow Fruit selling for five hundred gold coins seemed quite a bargain.

"Add another hundred, and I'll tell you how I avoided the monsters," Gong Qiying said.

"No problem," Sid agreed readily.

He had truly run into a rich person this time.

After a short while, Gina brought a check from the Magic Crystal Bank. The check could be cashed for gold coins at any time.

Gong Qiying recounted his method for avoiding the monsters, even drawing a shortcut map on the spot. He added a lot of luck to his story, making his method seem difficult to replicate.

In reality, it wasn't that complicated at all. The monsters in the dungeon wouldn't attack him; he had simply strolled over to the Rainbow Fruit and torn off a small piece.

But if he didn't make the process sound difficult, how could it capture people's interest?

"You really are lucky," Sid said with emotion after listening.

Gong Qiying didn't say anything. Even the shortcut he had just drawn was made up. He would just modify the map temporarily when he returned to the dungeon tonight.

Of course, even if he created a shortcut specifically for Sid and his group, the difficulty wouldn't decrease significantly. At most, the distance would be a bit shorter, and there might be one or two fewer monsters than elsewhere.

"However, luck is also a part of strength. If the Guild is going to form a Rainbow Fruit exploration team, I hope to invite you to join," Sid extended an olive branch. "Do you have a place to stay in Bede City? It would be convenient for future contact."

"Actually, I just recently took over a shop and plan to sell some items produced in the dungeon," Gong Qiying wrote down his address on a piece of paper and casually slid it in front of Sid.

"A prop shop?" Sid looked at the address and asked casually, "You already have a storefront, why are you still setting up a stall on the street?"

"Because places with more people have better promotional effects."

"Hmm, that's true," Sid nodded. Promoting treasures on the street could indeed attract customers to the shop. This was a common tactic used by businessmen.

However, Gong Qiying's real intention was to attract more people to their deaths in the dungeon.

The promotional effect had actually been achieved. As soon as the Rainbow Fruit was revealed, it showed incredible allure. It was likely that everyone who smelled the fragrance at the time was now restless and eager to explore the dungeon.

Furthermore, the sensation caused by Sid's display of high-level magic in the market even overshadowed the Rainbow Fruit. People would discuss a mysterious expert displaying their strength in the market, and why would he display his strength? Because of a fruit produced from Zane Dungeon! What kind of fruit could attract the attention of an expert? If I could get it too...

See, the promotional effect was already here.

After leaving the Guild, Gong Qiying planned to spread the news that the fragment of the Rainbow Fruit had been sold for the sky-high price of six hundred gold coins, adding fuel to the promotion.

The meeting concluded with both parties satisfied. He left the Adventurers' Guild accompanied by Gina.

A moment later, when Gina returned to the reception room, a sweet fragrance almost made her lose control of her saliva. She saw Sid opening the box and staring at the Rainbow Fruit in thought.

Frowning in thought while swallowing hard, the scene was quite amusing.

"Sir, is it worth spending six hundred gold coins to buy a fruit whose use is unknown, and just a small piece at that?"

"It is absolutely worth it,"

Sid slowly closed the box, licking his lips with lingering desire. He said,

"When I look at it, there's a voice in my head that keeps telling me to eat it, eat it. Once I relax my mind, that voice gets louder and louder. Even using the Tranquilizing Spell can't suppress that thought."

"You mean..." Gina understood something.

"Just this one piece of fruit can have such a significant effect on my mind, it's worth the price."

Sid showed a hint of a smile and said, "If it's used to make illusion-type items, what kind of effect will it have? I'm really looking forward to it."

"..."

Seeing the old man's smile that resembled a behind-the-scenes villain, Gina finally couldn't hold back and whispered,

"Um, sir, you're drooling..."

"What? I was clearly trying hard to control it!"

"Should I cut a small piece of the Rainbow Fruit for you to try?"

"This is precious research material, it can't be eaten."

"You don't want to try it?"

"Heh, it's you, little girl, who wants to eat it, isn't it? Don't use public office for private gain and tempt me here."

"You really don't want to try it?"

"..."

"Then I'll take it away."

"Wait... cut me a little."

Sid covered his forehead helplessly. He had never wanted to eat something so much before.

Then he thought of what Gong Qiying had said before leaving:

"The sweetness of the Rainbow Fruit is unimaginable to humans. If you want to taste it, I suggest mixing its juice with water. As for the ratio, one drop of juice needs to be mixed with an entire swimming pool of water."

He had originally scoffed at these words, thinking it was just the other party boasting, but now he was a little hesitant.

He said to Gina:

"Where's the nearest swimming pool? Take me there. Also, call the people from the Guild to come along. We can have a meeting."

Later, the Bede City Adventurers' Guild was closed for a day for some reason.

It was said that the staff drank so much juice they fainted and were all sent to the hospital.

But because this explanation was too ridiculous, no one believed it at all.

Returning to Gong Qiying's perspective, he arrived at a commercial street called "White Whale Street" and found the shop he had taken over.

It was a shop that was neither big nor small, just the right size, located in the middle of the commercial street. To the left and right were a potion shop and a fashion store, and the foot traffic was quite good.

The consumption level on this street was slightly above average in Bede City. Adventurers accounted for the vast majority of the people who frequented it, and there were also some customers who were rich but not that rich. Simply put, they were petty bourgeoisie. Ordinary people would occasionally come here to browse.

Originally, there were no vacant shops on this street. Gong Qiying was lucky; he happened to encounter the owner of this shop urgently transferring it, so he took it over.

This shop can be used in the future to sell some specialties from the dungeon, which can also be considered a channel for external information output.

He wasn't interested in doing business; opening a shop was just an experiment, so naturally, he wouldn't focus his attention here.

The shop was still being renovated and was expected to be completed in a few days.

He bought some fruits and drinks for the workers, received their thanks, found an out-of-the-way corner, pulled over a lounge chair, and lay on it, pretending to be asleep.

In reality, his consciousness had returned to the dungeon. He could switch between the bodies of Gong Qiying and Godwyn at any time and could promptly sense what was happening around both bodies.

It was quite uncomfortable at first, but he slowly learned to accept it.

"Let me see what new tricks the Adventurers have come up with today,"

He looked towards the food area, where something unexpected was happening.

Fishing rods, buckets, stools...

The food area was actually packed with fishermen.