A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night-Chapter 199
The moment Shang Zhen saw the fragment, a chill ran down his spine.
He remembered this thing.
In his previous life, when this mysterious item first appeared, it caused a storm across the entire Arcana World Online world. Hundreds of guilds fought over it. His own Assassin Alliance joined the chaos, but someone else got it in the end.
Even after the Alliance rose to power and eventually collapsed, they never discovered who had secured the fragment.
Yet here it was. Hanging casually in a tiny novice village blacksmith shop.
Moving his finger slightly, Shang Zhen said quietly. "I want that. The piece next to the bronze longbow."
The white-bearded grandfather's eyes flickered with an odd light as if he had been waiting for someone to choose it. But the glimmer faded a second later, replaced by calmness.
"Oh? You want that one?" He chuckled softly. "Well… fate comes on its own schedule. If it wants to be born, no one can stop it. Take it then. Good luck, young one."
He lifted his hand, and the fragment floated from the hook, drifting gently into his palm. He then passed it to Shang Zhen with a casual flick
The shard felt rough in Shang Zhen's grip. It doesn't seem like metal or even like stone. It felt something different. And there was also a faint scene lingering on it.
He immediately submitted it to system detection. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
Five seconds later
*Ding!
System: "Unknown item. Insufficient pieces. At least two fragments are required for identification."
A rare smile tugged at Shang Zhen's lips.
If the system couldn't detect it, then it was definitely valuable.
He stored it safely in his backpack.
*
A Hidden Quest
"Grandpa," Shang Zhen said casually, "do you have any more tasks?"
The white-bearded grandfather's expression changed immediately. His eyes dimmed, seemingly heavy with something buried deep. Sadness? Worry? It was hard to tell.
Shang Zhen's heart skipped. He could feel that there was a hidden quest here.
He leaned forward quickly. "If something's troubling you… Maybe I can help?"
The old man hesitated. His fingers tightened around the arm of his rocking chair. Then, slowly, he began explaining his story.
His grandson had disappeared a month ago while collecting frost elemental stones in an ice cave. The old man couldn't leave the village for certain reasons (which he refused to reveal to Shang Zhen). All he could do was wait… and hope someone powerful enough would pass by and search.
The reward he promised was a family heirloom, a space ring.
*Ding!
[You stumble upon a hidden quest.]
Shang Zhen accepted before the old man finished speaking.
The grandfather handed him a detailed map. Not only the route to the ice cave, but every notable spot around the novice village, like safe zones, monster nests, and hidden corners. It was also a treasure by itself, atleast in the eyes of players.
While the map was a quest item, which will disappear once the quest is over, the Quest didn't have any time limit or penalty either. Hence, there is no demerit for Shang Zhen either.
Tucking it away with a smile, he then started his preparations.
He sold extra lootlow-tier items, spare skins, and teeth to the blacksmith at 80% of market price. Painful, but necessary. His coin pouch jumped to fifty silver, which can be considered a small fortune at this stage.
Then a place popped in his head, Broken Wind Valley, a secret training ground which could be dangerous, but filled with treasure chests.
Those treasure chests will definitely contain an experience book. In the early game, nothing leveled players faster than experience books.
Very risky, but worth it.
He bought kite materials from the white-bearded grandfather. Kites were expensive, and he couldn't afford pre-made ones. That left him with 20 silver.
He then asked: "Grandpa… do you sell treasure chest keys here?"
As if luck nudged him again, the grandfather's eyes brightened when Shang Zhen spoke those words. The old man nodded, "Yes, I do have two keys, one black iron, one bronze. I'll give both to you for fifteen silver."
Shang Zhen's mouth twitched. "A very generous price," he thought sarcastically.
Normally, a black iron key costs 1 silver. Bronze keys, 5 silver at most. Paying 15 silver for both of them is like he was being robbed, but Shang Zhen needed them. He wasn't a thief class yet, and so, chests required keys to open.
So he paid.
The old man, perhaps remembering his conscience or the fact that Shang zhen's familiarity increased with him due to a quest's completion or the hidden quest trigger, tossed in one more key, a rusted bronze key with a 50% success rate.
Shang Zhen accepted it gratefully.
*
Next, he went to the medical shop.
Here, the black-bearded grandfather was humming lazily on his rocking chair. He opened one eye as Shang Zhen approached. "Came to turn in the task?"
"Yes," Shang Zhen said, placing all the rat skins down. Including the Rat King's.
The old man raised a brow at the Rat King skin but showed no surprise… only mild interest.
"Since you over-completed the task," he said calmly, "I'll increase the reward. High-level poison for you."
System:
"Task completed. Reward: 1 High-Level Poison.
EXP +600.
Alchemist Grandfather's Favorability: 20."
*Ding!
[You leveled up]
Shang Zhen leveled up immediately to Level 4.
Two free attributes were given, and he put both into Luck.
Luck: 13.
His luck has reached thirteen points, which is equivalent to wearing two pieces of top-tier luck gear.
"Not bad," Shang Zhen murmured. "This alone could change everything."
He spent 2 silver to buy four Intermediate Poisons. Then the remaining 3 silver coins on 30 loaves of bread. Bread restored hunger and 2 HP each.
His money pouch was empty again.
"Back to being broke," Shang Zhen sighed. "Typical."
No matter.
Time to farm.
*
Forty minutes later, Shang Zhen reached the edge of a towering cliff. The winds over there were quite fast. This was Broken Cliff, a barren ledge with nothing to hunt.
But at the bottom of the cliff lies the location that Shang Zhen wants to go, The Broken Wind Valley, a treasure chest paradise, one that is filled with death traps, and a place for the desperate players or the bold ones.
Shang Zhen crouched down and began assembling the kite. It took more than ten minutes to tie the frame, secure the cloth, and prepare the rope.
When he finished, he stood at the cliff edge. As the powerful winds tried to push him down, he tightened his grip on the kite.
"Time to fly."
Shang Zhen stood at the edge of the cliff and stared down. The bottom of the valley couldn't even be seen clearly from the top. All he could see were shadows, enormous trees, and the faint glitter of treasure chests scattered like stars across the terrain.
"Okay… take a deep breath."
He gripped the kite's frame with both hands, steadying his breath.
Now.
He jumped at once.
Wind slammed against his back, twisting his cheeks, pushing him forward. And the Kite sped up, gliding forward like a plane.
Soon, as he descended, the valley opened beneath him.
And it was nothing short of a treasure trove.
At least five treasure chests sparkled in his expanded field of view thanks to Primary Detective. But surrounding them were herds of level 8 to 10 monsters, dozens in every pack. This was no beginner's playground indeed.
But first, he needed a clean landing.
Shang Zhen scanned the ground quickly.
There, a giant tree was seen slanted against another trunk near the cliff base. Beneath it, an enormous Lazy Piggy was sleeping, snoring with its belly rising and falling steadily.
Perfect.
He angled the kite down, skimming its frame along the top of the tree. At the exact moment he passed overhead, he released it and jumped.
He landed with a soft thud on the thick branch, grabbing the trunk before he could slip. From there, he crawled slowly, inch by inch, toward the nearest treasure chest.
It took ten whole minutes to reach it without alerting anything.
A black iron treasure chest.
A very good start indeed.
Shang Zhen pulled out a black iron key, inserted it carefully, and twisted.
With a crisp click, the lock was opened. And inside...
There were two experience books, one black iron Flame Staff, and a handful of silver coins.
He didn't waste a second in claiming the books.
"Consume Experience Book +2000 EXP"
"Consume Experience Book +2000 EXP"
Four thousand EXP lifted him to nearly level 5. One more book, and he would level instantly.
He inspected the staff. It was excellent, but useless to him.
[Flame Staff Black Iron, Top Tier]
+10% casting speed
Skill: [Small Flame] 22 fire damage + 5 burn per second for 5 seconds
Consumes 5 MP, cooldown 3s
Any mage who saw this would lose their mind.
But Shang Zhen's attention was elsewhere. it was on...
