Chapter 343: End of the Instance

Chapter 343: Chapter 343: End of the Instance

The smiles on Lyra Lowell’s and Alaric Hawthorn’s faces froze for a moment, but they quickly returned to normal.

In a dungeon, strength was everything. In the situation just now, without Seraphina Sinclair and Fayestar, their chances of survival had been slim to none.

Being asked for a protection fee was unexpected, but it was also reasonable.

Alaric Hawthorn was the first to nod. "As long as you leave me with enough items to survive, I’ll give you whatever you want."

Lyra Lowell, however, was hesitant. The reluctance on his face was obvious, but Alaric had already agreed. If he refused...

At that thought, he subconsciously shrank back before slowly saying, "I guess I’m willing, too..."

Fayestar pretended not to notice his reluctance. She skillfully produced two trade contracts, made a few simple changes to the contents, and then had Lyra and Alaric sign them.

Alaric Hawthorn signed readily. Although Lyra Lowell looked miserable, under Fayestar’s "gentle" gaze, he had no choice but to sign as well.

After they both signed, Fayestar took the agreements, wrote her own name, and then handed the contracts to Seraphina Sinclair.

Seraphina read the contract from top to bottom, making sure Fayestar hadn’t set any traps and that her signature was only needed to split the supplies evenly. Only then did she lift her hand and write her name.

Fayestar also seemed to know that signing a fake name on a contract was still valid. When she saw the name "Serafelle Sinclair," she didn’t even bat an eyelash.

She looked up and gazed into the depths of the hallway. "The boss is dead. We should be able to exit the dungeon now, right?"

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t answer. The dungeon should have ended the moment the boss died. Since it hadn’t, that meant there was something else it needed to show those who cleared it.

’And this so-called "demonstration"...’

Seraphina followed Fayestar’s gaze into the depths of the hallway.

The source and victims of the Embers had already been purified; all that remained was a bit of the corrupted environment.

As the two of them watched, the last trace of corruption was cleansed, and a notification panel popped up in front of all four of them:

[The corruption of the Embers has been completely purified! The dungeon has ended. Now exiting...]

The brief message had just appeared on the panel when the surrounding environment began to change.

The sensation of teleportation washed over her again. The light before Seraphina’s eyes distorted, and everything around her looked like an ink painting soaked in water.

The last image to register was Fayestar’s probing gaze, cast in her direction.

The next moment, a feeling of weightlessness came over her.

Seraphina’s eyes shot open.

The dim environment of the hallway was gone, replaced by her familiar, simple little cabin.

’I’m back.’

She immediately sat up and looked down at her chest.

The small leather pouch was still hanging securely around her, with Sunflower resting safely inside.

She couldn’t see it clearly in the dungeon, but now that she was back in a familiar place, Seraphina noticed the difference in Sunflower.

Its flower head was fuller, its color a brighter gold. Its leaves were thicker and a more vibrant green, with a faint, jade-like luster shimmering across them.

Noticing Seraphina’s gaze, it gently nuzzled the back of her hand. Its thoughts echoed in her mind, full of dependence and sated contentment: "So... full... sleepy..."

’It seems devouring the Rotsea Emberfiend was even more beneficial for Sunflower than I imagined.’

Pleased, Seraphina gently stroked Sunflower’s flower head, soothing the lazy drowsiness that came from being so full.

Other than moving, she had nothing else to do. She could afford to take a moment to rest with Sunflower.

During that time, the Gloom Hatchling also tried to cozy up to her, but Seraphina kicked it away.

That kick woke her up quite a bit. There was no way she could sleep now, so she decided to open the regional channel to see if there was any new information.

The other survivors seemed to have gotten out much earlier than them; no one was discussing the dungeon anymore.

What they were discussing now was the matter of the Expansion Crystals.

Artemis and her group had been monopolizing them for several days. Even people who paid no attention to the market would have noticed something was wrong by now.

With a little prodding from those in the chat who had long been fed up with the situation, the discussion in the regional channel immediately exploded!

"Damn it! I can’t take it anymore! How many Expansion Crystals did that group hoard? There isn’t a single one on the market!"

"No kidding. I tried to trade two E-level knives for one, but no one even answered me! What the hell are they trying to do?"

"What else? A monopoly. Besides, are E-level weapons even worth anything now? Doesn’t everyone have a D-level Weapon already?"

’Everyone has a D-level Weapon now?’

Seraphina’s pupils dilated for a second. She subconsciously took out the Mist-Dyed Longsaber from her Silver Moon Earrings.

Once, its grade was certainly top-tier, but now...

Seraphina was silent for a long moment before quietly putting the longsaber away and continuing to read.

"Everyone has one? Where’s mine, then?! Hand it over!" ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Yeah, seriously! Where’s mine!"

"Sob, my cabin really needs an upgrade, I’m out of space... Can any big shots spare an Expansion Crystal for me? I can trade food for it..."

"Stop dreaming, buddy. Anyone who gets their hands on one of those is a hot commodity now. If this keeps up... it’s going to be a real pain for us to buy any Expansion Crystals."

"Who the hell is it? They could monopolize anything, but they had to monopolize this?!"

"They’re monopolizing it precisely because everyone needs it."

"If they dare to create a monopoly, do they dare to come out and sell them? If they do, we’re not to be trifled with, are we?!"

"Exactly, whether we can beat them or not, we have to try! Otherwise, how are we supposed to get by in the future? All the resources will be choked off by these monopolists!"

"That’s right! We have to band together! If anyone dares to sell, we’ll make them see we’re not to be messed with!"

"Yeah! Count me in!"

"Count me in, too!"

"+1!"

They talked a big game, but Seraphina knew the truth.

The moment those top players revealed their names, these people would all back down immediately.

Unity? An alliance?

The Arena Certificate was for one-on-one use, and it was impossible for a third person to interfere during a duel.

It sounded good now, but when the time came, everyone would know it was a suicide mission. Who would be willing to be the first to die?

The so-called alliance would fall apart on its own.

The logic was simple; even the people posting in the regional channel could figure it out.

The reason they were still posting was, one, to incite the truly brainless ones to act as their pawns and scapegoats.

And two, it was purely to vent their frustrations.

When you’re feeling resentful, you have to say something, and the regional channel was the best outlet.

But to Seraphina, it was just a place filled with junk information and pointless venting.

She opened the Chrona group chat to take a look. That woman, Fayestar, had said with her own mouth that she was also in this group chat.

Seraphina was still a little curious about who this person really was.