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Chapter 76 - Mazamut's Smith Store

The streets in the Expert District were much cleaner and the buildings more luxurious but the best part was the absence of the players. It seemed like the district structure was common in all Lands, giving the players a goal to work hard for. 

Thankfully, players wouldn't be able to afford the permit at least for the next few days so Liu Ye could enjoy some freedom of movement. 

"Alright, I guess it's time to clear this area of all quests," Liu Ye muttered as he stretched before a hard night in front of him. Now that he was Level 26, he met the requirements for so many Unique Quests that the whole Expert District's map was filled with yellow exclamation marks. 

It seemed like each player had 3 random daily quests assigned to them in each district but aside from that, one could claim a Unique Quest that appeared periodically on the map. It was first come ,first served so since no one has ever appeared in this place, Liu Ye could enjoy them all. 

It didn't hurt to accept all the quests without a time limit which he could do whenever he wished. 

"Excuse me, Ma'am, I noticed you are distressed. Is there something I can help you with?" Liu Ye questioned an old lady with a quest available and she immediately burst out into tears. 

"Thank God! Please, help me young man! My son hasn't returned from hunting since yesterday and I'm worried about him. Could you please search for him? I will pay you 100 gold if you can find and bring him back home." 

"Oh no, do you know where he was hunting?" Liu Ye questioned as he patted her on the shoulder with sympathy. 

"Yes! He gathered a group of Benders and planned to kill the King Scorpion in the Sand Canyon. I advised him not to but he didn't listen. Please, I can only count on you!" 

[Ding! New Unique Quest available: Lost Son.] 

[Lost Son]

[An old lady asks you to bring her son back home. Search the Sand Canyon area and find the King Scorpion Lair to locate them.] 

[Difficulty: A] 

[Quest Clear Conditions: Bring the Old Lady's son back.] 

[Clear Reward: 100 gold, 2000 Experience, Appreciation gift.]

[Would you like to accept the Quest?]

It was definitely a Field Boss!

It was the first Quest he found and it immediately led him to a Field Boss. Liu Ye's eyes shone but thinking of the reward, it just didn't seem right. The Sand Canyon would probably have no water he could use so he was handicapped by nature. 

What if he tried to haggle over the reward? 

If one could change the outcome of the quest with good persuasion, it should be possible to change the details of the quest even before one accepts it. 

"Hmm, King Scorpion is extremely dangerous," Liu Ye muttered in hesitation as he tried to bargain. "How about 500 gold? If I can get this much, I will bring your son back home before the sunrise." 

The old lady squinted her eyes as she looked at him up and down. He thought he would be rejected when the old lady nodded. "I can accept that but with this much money, I want you to also bring all my son's group back safely and help them kill that King Scorpion."

The virtual window with the quest vanished only to reappear with a new proposal. 

[Lost Son]

[An old lady asks you to assist her son's group in killing the King Scorpion and then bring them all back home safely. Search the Sand Canyon area and find the King Scorpion Lair to locate them.] 

[Difficulty: S+] 

[Quest Clear Conditions: Defeat King Scorpion and escort the group back home safely.] 

[Clear Reward: 500 gold, 10000 Experience, 50 Fame, Appreciation gift.]

[Quest Failure: -1 Level, -50 fame, Quest canceled.] 

[Time Limit: 07:21:53]

[Would you like to accept the Quest?]

Liu Ye blinked in surprise as he read the quest details. It seems like it was impossible to haggle in the end. Even though he got the money he wanted, the game AI simply adjusted the difficulty to his demands. Now he had to protect all the NPCs and even kill the Field Boss to succeed. 

"Alright, sounds good," Liu Ye replied after a moment of hesitation and accepted the quest. Even though the quest got much harder, 500 gold was actually a good deal for him. 

High reward, high risk was perfect if Liu Ye wanted to push himself to be the best. Too bad, every other time he tried to haggle, the Quest received a time limit which forced him to cease his practice. 

It took him a whole hour to gather all available quests in the Expert District but it was all worth it knowing he received the locations of the next 4 Field Bosses. He couldn't kill them all today so he decided to postpone it to the next day together with the other quests he received. They weren't about killing but rather involved gathering resources and information which he could do anytime. 

The only thing left for Liu Ye was the Mazamut's Smith Store which happened to be still open and lit up despite the late hour. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a grand display of various weapons and jewelry made with multicolored crystals. 

"Hello? How can I help you?" The Store Assistant approached him and Liu Ye pulled out two rings from his inventory. 

"I'm here with those two rings. I found them in the hands of bandits after I killed them."

"Oh!" the Store Assistant exclaimed at the sight of the rings and quickly disappeared to the back of the store. "One second please!"

He came back with a tall middle-aged man who still had black goggles covering his eyes. His body was massive and his skin was dirty from work. 

[Mazamut - Lvl. 80] 

"Show me the rings," Mazamut ordered as he took the ring to inspect them and nodded, "Yeah, just as I thought. I made a few sets of those rings for the Royal Family's Envoys. If you found them in the hands of the bandits, it means they are probably dead." 

Mazamut opened his goggles and looked at him carefree, "Visit me again tomorrow. We will go to the Royal Palace together and explain the situation. If the Envoys are really dead, this matter could lead to some serious complications."

[Ding! You received a unique quest: Royal Meeting.]

Mazamut didn't wait for Liu Ye's reply and simply turned around to return to work. Liu Ye couldn't help but frown.

"I think you forgot about something," Liu Ye reminded, "I found those rings so they are mine now. If you want to take them, you have to give me something of equal value." 

Mazamut didn't even turn around as he simply waved his hand to the Store Assistant, "Let him choose two items of the same value. I don't have time." 

It couldn't be more perfect for Liu Ye as he immediately looked down behind the glass counter to inspect the items. "Can you show me the items that strengthen Water Elements?"

"Right away, Sir." 

The attendant quickly gathered the items from under the counter and presented him with numerous options. Liu Ye knew exactly what he was looking for so it wasn't a hard pick. 

[Waterfall Necklace]

[Description: A beautifully crafted Elemental Necklace made entirely out of a Water Stone. The piece is perfect for any Waterbender who wishes to speed up their training.]

[Effects: The wearer gains 50% more Elemental Mastery with each Water Ability used.]

[Requirements: Lvl. 25, Waterbending, 5 Wisdom, 10 Intelligence] 

Liu Ye needed a buff that would help with his Elemental Mastery and damage so his second item was the same as the other Mazamut's rings. He would deal +50% damage from Water Abilities which would help him greatly. 

"Nice," Liu Ye commented as soon as he equipped them and said his goodbyes. He only had 6 hours left to defeat King Scorpion but thankfully it wasn't far away from the Capital. 

He sprinted his way towards the Expert District entrance only to stop a moment later. A lonely player was walking towards him and he also stopped when he saw Liu Ye. 

[Blood Devil - Lvl. 19]

[HP: 290/290]

[MP: 100/100] 

Liu Ye immediately recognized him as one of the top rankers who was slowly catching up to him. All of them had the same level so it was impossible to hide his identity anymore. 

"This is the first time I see someone here. Grind God, right? No one else has a higher level than us," Blood Devil commented as he lifting a stone from the ground. "I have been waiting to face you for a while. How about a duel?"

Despite looking like a guy, Blood Devil's voice was too feminine to belong to a man which got Liu Ye confused. He didn't reply to the proposal and simply wrapped water around his arms to prepare for a battle. 

It was best to show the top rankers who was the true king of the jungle.