Upon returning home at 2:30 AM, Ming, ever the cautious soul, cast a vigilant eye upon his surroundings, only to find that all remained in its normal, unremarkable state.
Discovering the tiny crab poised like a valiant sentinel atop the roof, Ming took solace in its ability to communicate effectively with the frogs. Indeed, its intelligence was to be recognized, for it knew to guard their home.
Returning to the rooftop, Ming set the frogs aside and reclined on his newly constructed bed, ready for slumber. With tomorrow's second shared BOSS battle scheduled for 9 AM, he closed his eyes, simultaneously inspecting his newly acquired exclusive skill:
[Exclusive Private Prescription: Prescribe a remedy to a target who must accept. Randomly obtain a percentage of the target's total wealth in gold coins. If the target's gold coins are depleted, their personal belongings or warehouse items will be used to settle the debt. Cooldown time: 5 minutes. Consumption: 1 catty of spiritual power stone, 50 mental strength.]
"How delightful!" Ming chuckled. If used well, this skill could rob gasping zombies and other people. To his delight, there has an appraisal card. He took out the alligator skin shoes collected by Foodie and proceeded with the appraisal:
[Appraisal fee: 100 gold coins.]
[Proceed or not]
"..." Ming was disgruntled.
It was a money trick, right?
Nevertheless, he still said yes, go on.
The appraisal was complete:
[Exclusive Luka's Alligator Skin Shoes (Durability 30/30)]
[Constitution +10]
[Strength +10]
[Agility +20]
[Spirit +30]
[Exclusive Attribute: Earn an extra 5% gold when killing zombies wearing these shoes.]
ƥαṇdα-ηθνε|·ƈθm [Exclusive Attribute: When paired with an alligator skin coat, earn 10% additional gold when killing mutated creatures.]
[Exclusive Attribute: Gain an extra 10 points of spirit while wearing these shoes.]
"Marvelous shoes!" Ming slipped into the footwear, a grin spreading across his face as he drifted into the land of dreams.
At 7:00 AM, Ming glanced at the soundly sleeping frogs and rose to make his way to the district center. Residing in the North District, he rarely encountered anyone, which suited him fine—no disturbances.
As he neared the district center, he caught the scent of earthy David.
"Morning!" they greeted each other simultaneously.
"Here, your share," David handed over a 10-catty piece of refined gold. "I visited a different area a couple of days ago and picked up some refined gold, so that I won't be asking you any money this time."
"You made only this money selling information?" Ming stowed the gold in his warehouse, thinking the crafty merchant was proactive this time.
"It's bound to be less in the beginning; the real money comes later," David explained, glancing around. "To make Money, you must first give your customers a taste of the sweet life. Gradually increase the price; you'll scare them off if you start too high."
"Hmm..." Ming eyed David, who exuded the essence of a dishonest merchant.
David noticed Ming's bare left arm and asked, "Why aren't you wearing a cloth band?"
"Band?"
"Here, let me give you one." Davie handed Ming a red cloth band and explained its significance.
District 109 had agreed upon a special attire for the day's monster encounter via the previous night's chat channel. Everyone would tie a cloth band around their left arm, choosing from one of three colors: black, white, or red.
"Keep an eye on the chat channel when you're free."
David watched Ming secure the red band and sighed, "Money isn't easy to come by these days. The regional map has abundant resources, so those who return from it have some capital. It's not as easy to make Money as before, but weapons, equipment, and design modules are still valuable."
"Don't even think about targeting my gear or profiting off me," Ming cast a sidelong glance at the wily merchant.
"Uh..." David felt awkward, and embarrassed by his exposed intentions.
He quickly turned and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't lay a finger on your equipment. I just wanted to say that you can consult me if you ever sell something. I've studied the value of various equipment for a long time. Consider me as your consultant."
Ming asked, "For free?"
David smiled, "I've got to make a living, don't I?"
"I'll see."
"..."
David maintained his smile, thinking that this fellow was genuinely tight-fisted. However, that made this all the more challenging; he then offered, "I'll give you a piece of news for free: you've become quite the celebrity in District 109."
"..."
Ming was speechless. Did he need David to deliver this news? He could have guessed it himself.
At the district center, residents of the old city, newcomers, and non-human entities gathered, exchanging and conversing. This was evidence that the previous shared boss event had reduced some prejudices. Still, the non-human entities and Elementalists kept themselves well-covered.
Everyone wore a cloth band around their left arm to identify themselves during the shared monster encounter. They discussed battle strategies, generally sticking to traditional tactics with the Barrier in front and the long-range fighters behind.
After the discussion, they checked the time. They had 30 minutes until the shared monster's arrival, and the conversation naturally turned to Gutmann.
"How come Gutmann hasn't arrived yet? I won't feel confident without him."
"Yeah, as long as he's here, my fighting power has increased."
"Could he be trapped in a personal instance?"
"Don't jinx it! Gutmann is so powerful; how could he get trapped in an instance?"
"I was just guessing. Why are you getting so worked up?"
"Enough, stop arguing. This is the apocalypse; nobody can guarantee their safety forever. I would feel more at ease with Gutmann here, but we still have to face this if he can't make it due to unforeseen circumstances!"
"That's true. It's the apocalypse, and we can't place our hopes on someone else."
"..."
"Gutmann is here!"
At that moment, someone pointed to the distance. Everyone turned their heads to see a man clad in a crocodile leather jacket, dress pants, and crocodile leather boots appear, accompanied by an earthy companion.
The crowd cheered collectively.
"Gutmann is here!"
"We've been waiting for you!"
"We thought you weren't coming!"
"To the rational man from earlier, why are you so excited now?"
"He's here; of course, I'm excited!"
"..."
"See, everyone has been waiting for you." Davy laughed, nudging the person next to him, who stepped back with a pretending disgusted expression, brushing the sand off themselves.
"..."
Ming entered the crowd, greeting the people around him. Honestly, he felt embarrassed being surrounded and praised by so many people.
To the lady who said she liked me, please remove your hand from me; your claws are sharp, you know?
To the brother who came up to shake my hand, I know you're an earth-Elementalist whose handshake is muddy. Don't you think it's sticky?
Can we not do a close-up greeting to the sister with spikes on her face? It hurts!
"Gutmann, how are we going to fight today?"
"Today, we'll all follow your lead!"
"As long as you give the order, we promise to cooperate."
"Yeah, just say something."
"..."
Ming glanced at the sky and said to the crowd lifting him, "Maybe you should put me down first before we talk."
...
Alan held a telescope, saying to Mike beside him, "The man being held up there is my big brother. Take a look."
Upon seeing the person in the telescope, Mike took the telescope and said, "He's my big brother too."
The two looked at each other, stunned. "What a coincidence~."
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