Chapter 63: Complete the quest to earn gold coins and materials to customize your magic wand.

The first thing they did upon returning to the divine tree was, of course, report to the Mission Hall and turn in their mission.

When the passing Fairies saw Siel and the other two adult Fairies returning with five underage Little Fairies, they all came forward to tease them.

“Hey, Anna, you’re back! Did anything interesting happen?”

“Did the amethyst tree grant you any branches?”

“Was the mission difficult?”

Taking children outside was sure to cause all sorts of problems. The little ones might become too tired to fly, start sniffling and crying, beg to be carried, and demand to be comforted.

Anna replied with a beaming smile, “The mission itself wasn’t difficult. We just fought a necromancer.”

“What? Light God above! Why was there a necromancer? What terrible thing happened to you?”

The Fairies were stunned. They crowded around, bombarding her with questions.

Eloquent as ever, Anna gave them a detailed account of how the intruders had sailed a pirate ship through the mist formation and invaded the Faerie Forest. The other Fairies listened in astonishment, exclaiming from time to time. Some were furious and loudly denounced the Dark Elves and necromancer for their vile, shameless conduct.

When they learned that the Little Fairies had faced the Dark Elves alone and had nearly been abducted, the adult Fairies were overcome with lingering fear. They hugged every Little Fairy and rubbed them affectionately. Even Kumandi did not escape, and his hair was thoroughly mussed.

Protected by the little flower crown on his head, Shu Li quickly escaped the Fairies’ “clutches.” He beat his wings furiously and hid in the back room of the Mission Hall.

Those adult Fairies were clearly using the opportunity to smother them with affection. Budno’s round face had practically been rubbed out of shape. Shu Li shed a tear of sympathy for him.

Fortunately, Siel still had some conscience. He rescued the Little Fairies and sent them into the back room.

Finally saved, the little fellows all heaved long sighs of relief.

Budno covered his thoroughly rubbed cheeks and sniffled aggrievedly. They had nearly rubbed his skin off. Boohoohoo...

Sperien had it so much better. His little flower crown had shielded him and spared him the ordeal.

Kumandi kept a taut expression as he straightened his disheveled hair and clothes, his lips pressed into a thin line.

In all his life, this was undoubtedly the day he had been rubbed by adult Fairies the greatest number of times.

Disio and Angel gazed enviously at Shu Li.

They usually thought the little flower crown was overbearing, but now it had finally revealed its true purpose—protecting him from the adult Fairies’ enthusiastic cuddling.

“Ahem. Let’s turn in the mission first!” Ivy cleared his throat. “Once that’s done, all of you should go home and get some proper rest.”

The children had been exhausted over the past two days. They had narrowly brushed shoulders with the God of Death during the previous night’s terrifying ordeal, then spent the day hurrying back, with only a brief nap at noon.

“Okay~”

The Little Fairies nodded obediently.

After handing over the mission, they received payment according to the number of star spirit herbs they had gathered.

The little fellows were beside themselves with joy at earning gold coins from their first mission.

“Wow! I can earn money all by myself now! Hahaha—”

The chubby Budno stood on the table, waving his arms and legs excitedly as he stared at the three stacks of gold coins.

Gold coins were the standard currency of the continent. Each was about the size of a one-yuan coin from Shu Li’s original world, made of pure gold and rich in color. Thirteen coins had been stacked into each glittering golden pile.

Budno had gathered thirteen star spirit herbs. At three gold coins per herb, he had earned thirty-nine gold coins in total.

He had gathered the fewest herbs among the four Little Fairies, but earning money through his own labor for the first time filled him with an immense sense of accomplishment.

He placed the coins into his storage ring one by one, grinning so widely that the corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears.

Disio had gathered nineteen star spirit herbs, while Angel had gathered eighteen. Once they received their respective gold coins, they became just as excited as Budno. Standing on the table, they counted their coins over and over. Only after counting them three times and finally satisfying themselves did they carefully store them in their storage rings.

Shu Li had gathered more than the three of them—a total of twenty star spirit herbs—and received sixty gold coins.

Although he was delighted to earn money on his first mission, this was not his first time handling gold coins.

Dragon King Hamon had previously given him many gold coins as a greeting gift, and they were all stored inside his storage ring.

The three adult Fairies and Kumandi had gathered four or five times as many star spirit herbs as the children. Their gold coins filled heavy pouches of considerable weight.

The children gazed enviously at those pouches of gold and resolved to accept missions frequently in the future so they could earn vast numbers of gold coins.

With the mission complete, everyone left the Mission Hall. After bidding one another farewell, they went their separate ways.

Shu Li remained concerned about the bird eggs and was anxious to send Mr. Serpent a letter through the messenger.

His three companions naturally followed him like little tails.

“Hello, Blake. I’d like to send an urgent letter. Is that possible?”

As soon as Shu Li entered the messenger station, he went straight to the counter and addressed the busy messenger.

Hearing the voice of his “regular customer,” Blake immediately stopped working and emerged from behind the counter. With a kindly smile, he said, “Of course.”

Shu Li clapped happily. “That’s wonderful!”

He took out an envelope he had written and sealed with wax in advance, then solemnly handed it to Blake.

“This is a letter for Mr. Serpent. Please make sure it reaches him tomorrow morning. If he writes back, please notify me immediately.”

It was rare to see the child looking so serious. Blake accepted the letter and nodded. “No problem.”

Relieved to see the messenger accept it, Shu Li took out twice the usual postage and placed it on the counter. “Thank you, Blake.”

Hopefully, once Mr. Serpent read the letter, he would honestly explain where the eggs had come from.

Blake looked at the extra postage and raised an eyebrow. He took half and returned the rest to Shu Li. “This is enough.”

A five-year-old Fairy was not yet old enough to earn money. Charging a token amount for postage would suffice.

“The rest is the urgent-delivery fee,” Shu Li said earnestly.

Seeing that the child insisted, Blake had no choice but to accept it.

Once his business was complete, Shu Li left the messenger station with his companions and headed to the weapon shop.

When the shopkeeper saw the familiar little customers enter, he asked in surprise, “Hello, little cuties! I heard you went on a mission with Siel. You’re back already?”

“Good afternoon, Zoren.” Shu Li nodded. “Yes, we went to the amethyst tree with Siel, Kumandi, and the others.”

Zoren glanced at the setting sun outside. “It’ll be dark soon. Aren’t you in a hurry to get back for dinner at the school cafeteria?”

Disio rushed to answer, “We want to commission high-grade magic staffs!”

Angel’s eyes curved with his smile. “We prayed to the amethyst tree and successfully received branches.”

Budno rubbed his somewhat flattened stomach. “It doesn’t matter if we miss dinner at the school cafeteria. We can have a feast at a restaurant in the commercial district later.”

He had earned gold coins today and was feeling flush, so he planned to order an enormous platter of delicious food as a reward for himself.

Zoren stared in astonishment at the children, whose faces still retained their baby fat.

Five-year-old Little Fairies wanted to commission high-grade magic staffs?

They had received branches the very first time they prayed to the amethyst tree.

Remarkable. Truly remarkable!

The younger generation was not to be underestimated!

“All right. Let me see the materials you brought.” Zoren rubbed his hands together, eager to discover what quality of amethyst branches the children had obtained.

Shu Li glanced around the shop, which was crowded with display counters, and hesitantly said, “Could we move somewhere larger?”

Each branch was two meters long. The shop’s limited space probably could not accommodate them.

Understanding immediately, Zoren led them into the rear courtyard.

The courtyard was spacious enough to hold ten branches.

The four Little Fairies promptly removed their amethyst branches from their storage rings and placed them on the ground one after another.

“What?” Zoren’s eyes nearly popped out as he stared incredulously at the crystalline branches.

Light God above!

These... These were high-grade branches!

No, no, no. They might be far more than merely high-grade.

Zoren quickly took an object resembling a magnifying glass from his storage pouch and pressed it close to the branches for a careful examination.

After a while, he raised his head and regarded the four young, innocent Little Fairies with a complicated expression. Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes, he never would have believed that these exceedingly rare, top-quality branches belonged to them.

Had it simply been too long since he last prayed to the amethyst tree?

Had the amethyst tree somehow become so warm and approachable that even five-year-old Little Fairies could obtain top-quality branches?

However, when Shu Li subsequently produced an enormous chunk of crystal ore, Zoren was genuinely dumbstruck.

“S-Sunstone!” he cried, his voice cracking.

The piece of crystal ore before him, as large as a melon, was actually an invaluable Sunstone!

Sunstone was a supreme material for crafting magic staffs. It was unaffiliated with any element and could absorb them all, making it a blessing for mages who possessed two or more elemental affinities.

Zoren had lived for nearly a thousand years, yet this was the first time he had seen such a large Sunstone. There was enough to make four magic staffs.

Moreover, his many years of experience told him that the Sunstone was seventh-rank in quality.

Zoren marveled aloud.

Sunstone was found in the deepest strata of the Woba Grand Canyon, more than five thousand meters underground. How had a Little Fairy obtained it?

Seeing Zoren react so strongly, Shu Li scratched the back of his head.

He had not expected to obtain two types of supreme materials at once. His luck had been incredible.

The amethyst branch was especially extraordinary. An ordinary Fairy might pray for five hundred years without receiving a seventh-rank branch, yet Shu Li had obtained a ninth-rank branch on his very first attempt.

Disio and the others had been exceptionally lucky as well, receiving eighth-rank branches.

The amethyst tree had treated them wonderfully.

Zoren wiped his face and finally calmed down. He raised a thumb toward the four Little Fairies. “You truly are fortunate Little Fairies.”

“Thank you.” Shu Li grinned.

He thought he was very fortunate too.

Ever since coming to this other world, he had gone from a hopelessly unlucky player to absurdly lucky.

Being born in the Faerie Forest and becoming one of the Fairies was itself an incredible stroke of fortune.

“Hehehe~~~”

The other three Little Fairies laughed foolishly.

They had benefited from Sperien’s good fortune and received the Goddess of Fortune’s favor alongside him.

The Sunstone was large enough to be divided into four pieces.

Sperien was exceedingly generous and was willing to give three pieces to them so they could make high-grade magic staffs.

Although they were young, they knew they could not accept something so precious from a companion without giving anything in return. They all offered to exchange items of equal value with Sperien.

However, Sperien adamantly refused to make an exchange.

He said, “If you’re my brothers, accept them.”

Brothers?

The word “brothers” had always held special meaning for them. It was a name reserved exclusively for the four Little Fairies.

Being “brothers” brought them closer together.

Compared with the other Little Fairies, the four of them shared a much more intimate friendship.

As Sperien put it, brothers should share both blessings and hardships.

Five-year-old Little Fairies were simplehearted and harbored no ulterior motives.

Since Sperien insisted, they happily accepted. They resolved that whenever they obtained something good in the future, they would share it with their brothers as well.

Zoren carefully put away the precious amethyst branches and high-grade Sunstone. After accepting a partial deposit, he signed an agreement with the Little Fairies guaranteeing that he would craft the finest possible magic staffs for them within two months.

He warmly saw his four little customers out, then stood in the shop’s doorway with an emotional expression.

Sperien truly was a unique Little Fairy.

The Sunstone clearly belonged to him, yet he had generously shared it with his companions.

Such magnanimity was extraordinary.

By the time they left the weapon shop, darkness was approaching. Multicolored magic-stone lamps lit up throughout the commercial district, reminding Shu Li of the neon lights in his original world.

“I’m so hungry~~~~~~” Budno weakly covered his stomach, looking utterly pitiful.

“Let’s go to that restaurant over there!” Shu Li pointed to an establishment ten meters away.

In truth, he was hungry too.

Not only was he hungry, but he was also sleepy.

For a child’s body, the past two days had been an immense strain. If he did not replenish his energy soon, his body would go on strike.

The four ravenous Little Fairies feasted at the restaurant and did not stop until they were burping.

Well fed and content, they leisurely flew back to the dormitory district. After wishing one another good night, they returned to their respective homes.

The moment Shu Li entered his home and lit the magic lamp, he threw himself onto the carpet and refused to move.

He was so tired and sleepy. He wanted nothing more than to lie there and fall asleep.

But he could not.

He had to bathe.

After spending two days and one night in the forest, he felt as though his entire body had gone sour.

He did not want to attend school the next day reeking of sweat, so he forced himself to crawl upright, staggered into the bathroom, and scrubbed himself clean.

At last, he finished bathing. His entire body felt refreshed, and half his energy had returned.

Shu Li changed into loose-fitting sleepwear and sat at his desk with his hair still half damp. Then he took out his notebook.

He needed to write in his diary.

His first mission had been tremendously significant, and the experience had been both dangerous and thrilling. He had to record it.

“Dear Mom and Dad, eldest brother, second brother, and third brother... Yesterday, Disio and the others and I went on a mission in the Faerie Forest with Kumandi and three adult Fairies...”

Scratch, scratch, scratch—

The sound came from the quill moving over the paper.

Shu Li wrote quickly and beautifully. Before long, he had filled an entire page.

Today’s diary entry was extremely long. One page was not enough to recount everything that had happened over those two days and one night, so he turned to the next page and continued writing.

Before he realized it, the moon was hanging above the treetops. He had written eight full pages by the time he finally finished.

Putting down his quill, he massaged his slightly aching fingers. After reading the entire entry from beginning to end, he closed the diary in satisfaction and stored it inside his storage ring.

With everything completed, his mind instantly relaxed. He stretched lazily, extinguished the magic lamp, and returned to his bed. He threw himself onto the soft covers, rubbed against them vigorously, and fell asleep at once.

The next morning, Shu Li was awakened by rhythmic knocking at the door.

At first, he did not realize what the noise was. He pulled the blanket over his head and continued sleeping.

The knocking persisted, however, and he had no choice but to throw off the blanket in misery.

Immediately afterward, Sif, his living alarm clock, opened her beak and began chirping at the top of her lungs.

Shu Li jolted and instantly became alert.

His hair resembling a bird’s nest, he yawned as he opened the door.

“Who is it—?”

“Good morning, Sperien. I’m sorry to disturb you.” Blake stood outside with an amiable smile.

As soon as Shu Li recognized him, he became fully awake. His pale-green eyes widened as he gazed expectantly at the messenger.

The messenger did not disappoint him. Blake removed a letter from his storage pouch and handed it over.

“This is the magical serpent’s reply. Please sign for it.”

“Ahhh, thank you so much!”

Overjoyed, Shu Li accepted the envelope, which was nearly as tall as his front door.