Chapter 81 - 72: Fiercely Rewarded by the Evil Dragon Fafnir

Chapter 81: Chapter 72: Fiercely Rewarded by the Evil Dragon Fafnir

Fang Xiu froze at the sound of the voice.

He truly hadn’t expected to hear such a wonderfully familiar sound at a time like this.

A moment ago in the store, nothing he saw could be used for a Sacrifice.

But at this very moment, something had actually caught the System’s attention.

This forced Fang Xiu to re-examine the small suitcase before him.

[Ding! This is a fantastic set of books. Lately, the Evil Dragon Fafnir and Lu Yu’Er have been having a blast, completely inseparable. It’s just a shame they’re lacking a bit of entertainment. Sacrifice it to the Evil Dragon Fafnir, and He will reward you fiercely.]

’Reward me... fiercely?’

Fang Xiu felt a shiver of fear when he read those words.

’That’s the Evil Dragon Fafnir we’re talking about.’

’If He were to reward me fiercely...’

’...would it cure my years-long constipation?’

"How much for this stuff?"

Fang Xiu asked in a low voice.

He’d never actually bought anything like this.

’I never would have thought.’

’This stuff can actually be used for a Sacrifice.’

"Hehehe, I knew it. Print is definitely better than the alternatives."

The old man, seeing Fang Xiu’s interest, couldn’t help but let out a lecherous chuckle.

He looked as sleazy as humanly possible.

Fang Xiu couldn’t be bothered with that right now.

The old man held up one finger.

"One hundred?"

Fang Xiu was taken aback. ’That’s a bit steep. Aren’t they just a few Liu Bei books?’

But the old man shook his head.

"A thousand?"

’I can’t believe it,’ Fang Xiu thought. ’Has the price of Liu Bei really gone up this much?’

’It wasn’t this expensive before I came to this world!’

’But then again,’ he thought, ’it’s for a Sacrifice to the Evil Dragon Fafnir.’

One thousand wasn’t a huge sum for Fang Xiu, so he nodded. "Fine, a thousand it is!"

But the old man still shook his head.

Fang Xiu froze. ’Is he taking me for a sucker?’

"Old man, ten thousand is pushing it. Even if I’m rich, I’m not spending ten thousand on these!"

Fang Xiu glanced at the books. They looked a bit dated. As a young man, he wasn’t really into this sort of thing.

"No. One Goblin Essence Pearl!"

The old man’s words were astonishing.

Fang Xiu was stunned as well.

"You... you’re a Gate World merchant?"

Fang Xiu had always thought that Gate World merchants would only appear within the Gate Worlds.

’Why would one show up here selling Liu Bei?’

"Mm, that’s what some people call me."

Hearing this, the old man nodded slightly, admitting his identity.

"Don’t try to rip me off. Are these things you’re selling really worth a Goblin Essence Pearl?"

Fang Xiu was still a bit skeptical.

’Some random old man just pops up and claims to be a Gate World merchant.’

’If I just hand over a Goblin Essence Pearl, I’ll look like a total idiot.’

"I’ll admit, it’s not easy to believe. However, I only appeared because I sensed you were carrying a Goblin Essence Pearl."

The old man explained calmly.

"If you’re a Gate World merchant, why didn’t you appear in a Gate World?"

Fang Xiu still didn’t believe him.

If possible, he’d rather just buy this set of Liu Bei with cash.

After all, a Goblin Essence Pearl could be exchanged for other, more meaningful things.

’This stuff is a dime a dozen.’

’As long as you have the money, you can buy it anywhere.’

"I don’t know!"

In response to Fang Xiu’s question, the Gate World merchant shook his head and spoke.

"You don’t know?"

Fang Xiu’s brow furrowed slightly.

’You don’t even know the connection, yet you’re trying to make this trade?’

"I can sense what my customers need. I don’t know what you need it *for*, mind you. I was even a bit surprised when I sensed it. Who even needs this stuff anymore!"

The old man was surprisingly honest, saying, "But when I saw that the one holding the Goblin Essence Pearl was just a young punk, I knew I’d brought the right item!"

Fang Xiu: ...

’What the hell does me being a "young punk" have to do with this being the "right item"?’

’Is he out here trying to corrupt the youth with this stuff?’

’Wait a minute, who’s the kid?’

"I have a very strong feeling. What you’re trading for right now is what you need most. Even if better things come along later, you won’t need them with the same urgency."

The Gate World merchant said very seriously.

Fang Xiu’s brow twitched. "Even if I need this, I can buy it somewhere else!"

"It’s not the same. I know you need *this specific item* urgently. A copy you buy somewhere else won’t be an adequate substitute."

The old man spoke very seriously.

This made Fang Xiu a little curious.

’Could it be... that other ones can’t be used for a Sacrifice?’

Fang Xiu could believe that.

After all, even for the same item, there was a distinction between what could be Sacrificed and what couldn’t.

’Is it possible that only the content of this specific set is suitable to be Sacrificed to the Evil Dragon Fafnir?’

’Thinking about it... it doesn’t seem impossible.’

"How do you expect me to believe you?"

Fang Xiu wasn’t in a hurry. He just looked at the old man and asked.

"Hehe, you don’t need to believe me. It’s just that after ten minutes, what you need most will no longer be this," the old man chuckled.

This made Fang Xiu even more curious.

’Right now, what I need most is this set of Liu Bei.’

’So what will I need in ten minutes?’

’Is there a time limit on the Sacrifice?’

’That seems to be the case!’

Fang Xiu suddenly thought that if he had directly Sacrificed Lu Yu’Er to Fafnir back then, the reward he received might not have been the Succubus Summoning Scroll.

It might have been something else.

And if Lu Yu’Er hadn’t been a virgin when he Sacrificed her, perhaps the Sacrifice would have been impossible.

All of it was due to time and various other factors.

’So if I don’t Sacrifice this thing to Fafnir within ten minutes...’

’...will something change?’

[Ding! Reminder to the Host: Fafnir will enter Sage Mode in ten minutes!]

Just then, the System’s voice chimed in.

Fang Xiu immediately understood.

So, it turned out that during this ten-minute window, Fafnir was getting busy with Lu Yu’Er.

Ten minutes from now, this stuff would be useless to him.

In other words, even if Fang Xiu waited and bought an identical set, he wouldn’t be able to Sacrifice it.

"Fine, I’ll trust you this once!"

Fang Xiu no longer hesitated and looked at the old man.

"Hehe!"

The old man didn’t say anything, just chuckled slyly.

Obviously, he knew Fang Xiu would cough up the Goblin Essence Pearl for the trade.

"Here!"

With a sense of resignation, Fang Xiu took out the Goblin Essence Pearl and traded it with the Gate World merchant for the set of Liu Bei.

"Hehe, young man, take care of yourself, now! Don’t overdo it. See you around!"

The Gate World merchant accepted the Goblin Essence Pearl from Fang Xiu, letting out another sly chuckle.

Then he turned, walked into the Gate World Passage he had just materialized, and disappeared.

Fang Xiu was left holding a full set of physical books.

He felt a little apprehensive.

After all, parading through the streets holding this stuff seemed a bit too brazen.

’Whatever, I’ll just head home and check it out.’

Fang Xiu looked around.

This was a small alley.

Although there weren’t many people coming and going...

...people still passed by occasionally.

If Fang Xiu performed the Sacrifice right here, he would likely attract unwanted attention.

Fortunately, he wasn’t far from his home.

It was less than a five-minute walk from here.

Fang Xiu planned to wait until he got home to perform the Sacrifice.

So, he could only clutch the set of books and hurry toward the villa district.

On the way, he happened to pass by a few women.

"Hey, hey, did you guys see that handsome guy?"

"I did, I did! He’s so handsome!"

"But I think I saw him holding... *that* kind of book!"

"What kind of book?"

"Liu Bei. Uncle Liu!"

"Hiss... Really? You don’t think that handsome guy... Say, do you think I’d have a chance if I went and hit on him?"

"Mmm... doubtful. Hot guys are always so aloof. They’d probably rather take matters into their own hands than hook up with you."

"..."

The women chatted with almost no attempt to conceal their conversation.

Hearing them made Fang Xiu’s footsteps speed up quite a bit.

’Damn it, why did that old man have to make the covers so damn explicit!’

Fang Xiu felt helpless.

He wanted to hide them, but there were ten books in the set.

Even if he covered some, other parts were still visible.

It might be fine from a distance, but anyone passing close by would get a clear view.

There was nothing Fang Xiu could do about it.

He could only pick up his pace and rush home.

Fortunately, he didn’t encounter any more similar situations afterward.

Of course, those women didn’t come up to hit on him either.

"Phew!"

At last, Fang Xiu reached the vicinity of the villas.

However, just then, Fang Xiu suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

’How is he here?’

Fang Xiu’s brows furrowed tightly.

That familiar figure was none other than Principal Yue Tianrui.

Fang Xiu never would have thought that Yue Tianrui would be in this area.

’Is this another coincidence? Or has he been waiting for me?’

Fang Xiu’s heart was filled with doubt.

Not many people knew that he had left the store.

’Could Uncle Zhao know the principal? No, impossible. If that were the case, the principal would have gone directly to the shop to find me. Besides, this is too much of a coincidence. Uncle Zhao had no idea I was coming to see him!’

Fang Xiu shook his head, dismissing the thought.

But at the moment, Yue Tianrui hadn’t noticed him yet.

Fang Xiu signaled Kajimi to come over and fly him back at top speed.

There were less than four minutes left of the ten-minute window. Fang Xiu had to hurry up and make the Sacrifice.

He really wanted to know what being "fiercely rewarded" by the Evil Dragon Fafnir was like.

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