Chapter Three: This Money Was Well Spent!

"Thank you so much for this!"

Just moments ago, he had equipped the proof of a former top spender: the title "Chosen One," but it seemed Celia hadn’t noticed.

He really wanted to point above his head and declare with righteous indignation, “See, this is the little money I spent for you. Can you return it? Even half would be fine.”

But if she didn’t see it, then forget it.

At the same time, Celia mentioned the lodging fee, which caught his attention—a hundred gold coins!

It was such a small number. Could it be that the value of gold coins in the continent of Arad was different from the in-game currency?

Yelin had often wanted to complain about the game’s currency inflation, which was beyond belief. For example, a high-level piece of equipment could cost a million just to rent from Kelly once, and accidentally dropping a level 12 item could mean billions.

So by this logic, wasn’t he a multimillionaire?

Suddenly, a wave of bitter regret surged through him, flooding his mind and spreading throughout his limbs, leaving him chilled to the bone.

What a blunder!

As the former undisputed supreme of the Grandy Brick Factory, it was utterly disgraceful that he only had twenty million gold coins on him—unworthy of his title.

If he could go back, he would definitely buy game currency!

Eight hundred million!

About half an hour later, Yelin finally saw the inn Celia ran.

Unlike the tree hole in the game, this was a proper three-story inn located at a key traffic junction along the Elven Defense Line.

Its pure white walls, simple yet elegant doors and windows, a clearly written signboard, and a blacksmith’s forge blazing nearby.

However, the blacksmith, Linus, wasn’t there—he seemed to be out.

Outside the inn stood a large bulletin board, where travelers often paused briefly, reading the notices before hurrying off.

“That’s the Bellmar Duchy’s bulletin board,” Celia explained. “They often post tasks there. Inside the Grandy Forest, crazed feline spirits have been appearing frequently, even the minotaurs are acting strange. It’s odd—they used to be friendly.”

A hint of pity glimmered in her eyes. Being an elf, she possessed a pure and kind heart.

“It’s because of Shilock... no, Second Sister!”

Yelin rolled his eyes. Given that the current timeline was Arad year 990, not only had the great Grandy Forest fire passed five years ago, but the Fifth Apostle, the stealthy Shilock, had been decisively cut down by Luxi ten years earlier.

The mutations had begun from that point onward.

In the clearing before the inn, a few adventurers basked in the sun. One man caught Yelin’s attention—fierce eyes, a scarred face, and wearing a half-sleeve blue shirt.

His left arm was unnaturally twisted into a grotesque shape, the skin deep red, fingernails sharp and somewhat withered.

Two chains, one above and one below, restrained the further progression of his Kazan Syndrome mutation—essentially, the Ghost Hand!

Those who possessed the Ghost Hand endured immense pain but also gained terrifying power—a double-edged sword.

It was clear Celia was well-liked here; those sunbathers were concerned about the dirt and blood stains on her, warning her not to venture out alone next time.

They also greeted Yelin with warm smiles for helping Celia.

“Tana, are you there?”

Celia called out but received no answer.

“Tana’s probably washing clothes in the backyard,” a lazy sunbathing adventurer said.

“Tana is my assistant and a dragonkin. We run this inn together.”

Celia led him inside. The lobby was simple yet neat and refreshing, rows of tables and benches neatly arranged, with a vase of budding fresh flowers on each table.

“Dragonkin? Could it be the Blue Guardian Tana?”

Yelin’s expression twisted slightly. The original Tana was from a parallel world—now she was Celia’s assistant?

But thinking about it, it didn’t seem that odd. Celia raked in countless riches, and dragonkin loved shiny things—a perfect match, an unbeatable duo.

Celia produced a bunch of keys and pointed to a corridor beside the lobby.

“There aren’t many fully furnished rooms, and they’re expensive, but I’ll waive your fee.”

“Huh? Fully furnished… what do you mean?”

Yelin instinctively smelled something familiar—a whiff of paying real money.

Paying real money was the only way to get a better experience!

Celia blinked her big eyes charmingly and briefly explained the inn’s pricing. Yelin sighed, facepalming—clever move!

Without a system shop, she had found another way to earn money.

There were single and multiple occupancy rooms. The multiple rooms cost a hundred gold coins per night; the singles, two hundred.

Though the multiple rooms provided thick free blankets, a full bedding set required extra payment…

The Elven Defense Line saw steady traffic; no shortage of customers.

Besides, the blacksmith’s forge next door supplied handy weapons for adventurers—an unspoken perfect partnership.

Celia handed Yelin a key, a hint of reluctance briefly crossing her delicate face.

“This is the best room besides mine and Sister Tana’s. It usually costs five hundred gold coins…”

“I get it!”

“This is five thousand gold coins. I’ll rent it for ten days!”

Yelin took a wooden box from his pocket and calmly placed it in Celia’s hands.

He still had over twenty million gold coins in his backpack; compared to renting Kelly once, this was just sprinkling water, a mere drop in the bucket.

“Oh, I don’t feel comfortable accepting this. I said it was free…”

Celia shook her head shyly, but her tender hands unconsciously gripped tightly onto the box.

If you’re uncomfortable, then at least let go!

Give me back my money!

“How about this—you help me pick a weapon from Uncle Linus’s forge as payment for your help?”

“Sure, no problem!”

A damaged katana: (Common) (Usable at level 1) (Long Sword)

Physical Attack +22

Magic Attack +26

Attack Speed +8%

Casting Speed +4%

Hit Rate -1%

Celia brought him a gleaming katana, though the blade had a few small chips—not enough to affect its use.

The blade contained no magical energy, so it had no additional attributes.

Celia went to the backyard to find Tana, while Yelin approached the bulletin board, reading through each job posting to see if there was a task he could easily pick up.

Leveling up!

Without upgrading, how could he protect Arad? How could he beat that beast Barn? How could he make Kay’s legs weak?

That frivolous, sharp-witted female gunslinger, a member of the Arden Highlands Guard, was famous throughout the Wasteland for her lightning-fast draw.

He didn’t want to get a bullet in the forehead before accomplishing his life’s goals.

Task: Collect goblin hand bones, 2 gold coins each.

Task: Collect cat spirit claws, 30 gold coins each.

Task: Collect minotaur hard horns, 200 gold coins each.

Task: Collect minotaur hair, 50 gold coins each.

After some thought, Yelin shrugged awkwardly.

At level 1, challenging a muscular minotaur wielding a massive door plank axe was probably courting death.

Better to go after goblins—be a goblin slayer for a while.

He asked Celia for a detailed map, then set off alone back to Lorand.

Looking at the goblin corpse before him, he was silent...

A goblin that should take two magic star bullets to seriously injure had died from a single strike—what on earth was going on?

The broken weapon’s attribute bonuses were minimal; it was just easy to wield.

Could it be...

Yelin shuddered, suddenly summoning the interface and looking at his title slot:

Proof of a Top Spender — “Chosen One”!

This title, nearly crushed within a year in the game, now granted him tremendous attribute boosts, giving him the power to instantly kill goblins.

“Damn, maybe my money wasn’t wasted after all?”