After deducting the system's cut, Rupud received more than three hundred gold coins after selling the potions—enough for him to live the good life for several months.
"Ding! Rupud's Belief + 10!"
"Ding! Rupud's Belief + 10!"
In a string of system messages, Rupud's Belief toward Meng Jingtian instantly soared to 50 points!
The mission was 50% complete. Now, he just needed to address the difference in language between Rupud and the residents of Seaside City to finish it!
But this was a rather difficult problem, as players could innately understand what NPCs were saying. And it wasn't like he could teach Rupud the language of Seaside City!
"Did you really sell out of your potions?" Only now, after all the players had dispersed, could Luo Yang come up to ask this question, stupefaction written all over his face.
Meng Jingtian looked at Rupud. After all, he wasn't the one who had made the potions.
"Oh! Thank you for your visit. It's been a very long time since I last made potions. These were all potions that I had stored up. But I can make another batch tomorrow!" Rupud excitedly said.
"Please come by early tomorrow!" Meng Jingtian looked at Luo Yang and smiled.
"You weren't the one who made those potions?" Luo Yang questioned.
"When did I ever say that I made the potions?" Meng Jingtian innocently said, spreading apart his arms.
Luo Yang pushed aside Meng Jingtian and spoke to Rupud, a faint hint of disdain on his face. "Rupud? In the future, why don't you directly sell your potions directly to our Beacon guild? What about it?"
All players were a little arrogant when speaking to NPCs. After all, in the eyes of players, NPCs were nothing but piles of data.
"My apologies! I don't plan to sell your lot a single potion!" Rupud's face fell the moment he saw Luo Yang rudely push aside Meng Jingtian, and his reply was ice-cold.
At the same time, Luo Yang heard a notification at his ear: "Ding! High-level Alchemist Rupud's Friendliness has dropped by 10!"
"Pft!" Meng Jingtian couldn't help but laugh. Luo Yang's situation could be described as trying to pick a watermelon and losing even the sesame seeds. People really shouldn't go too far with their demands!
"Fine! You've got guts!" Hearing the laughter, Luo Yang sullenly turned on Meng Jingtian and angrily said, "If you weren't the one who made the potions, why didn't you explain earlier?!"
His group had clearly come first, but they hadn't gotten a single potion. How could he not be sullen?
"This place is not welcome to you! Please leave at once!" Rupud was already Meng Jingtian's believer, and he immediately acted to protect Meng Jingtian and tried to drive Luo Yang's group away.
"Ding! High-level Alchemist Rupud's Friendliness toward you is now negative!" Luo Yang once more heard a system notification.
"Pah! You think I want to stay around in this shabby place?" Luo Yang huffed before turning to leave.
But to his surprise, these words enraged Rupud so much that he immediately threw a potion bottle.
Oinkoink! Luo Yang's group that had just been about to leave had been transformed into small pigs! Even their voices had turned into oinks and grunts.
Meng Jingtian's eyes brightened as he exclaimed, "Transformation potion!"
Other games also had potions like this that could change a character's form, and they were normally high-class potions!
After all, what would happen if an enemy that had been bursting with stats was suddenly changed into an animal without a single skill?
"Correct! This is a high-level potion that I kept away for many years. Using it on you is truly a waste!" Rupud appeared rather smug as he glanced at Luo Yang's group.
"Do you still have this sort of potion?" Meng Jingtian couldn't help but ask.
"Uh… My apologies, Great God, but I only had one left. But if Great God needs it, I can make some more! But… I need some boar tusks!" Rupud awkwardly replied.
"Ding! Transformation Potion: A high-level alchemist requests that you gather some boar tusks for him!
"Mission Time Limit: 1 day.
"Mission Reward: Transformation Potion x3, Level + 1."
A couple of offhand remarks from Meng Jingtian had somehow landed him another mission.
This left him stunned. Ah, high Friendliness lets you do whatever you want!
Rupud, as a westerner in an eastern setting, could already be considered a hidden NPC. Ordinary players would probably have to waste ages just raising his Friendliness in order to get his mission!
For example, Zhang Defa got shooed out from Rupud's home every time.
"I'll bring back some boar tusks, and I'll also find a language teacher in Seaside City. You can just stay here and make potions!" Meng Jingtian said, coming back to his senses and taking the mission.
"Thank you! Great God, I'll offer you my sincerest belief!" Rupud was so overcome that he started crying. Today, he truly felt that he had been saved!
His potions were finally useful, and he had also gotten a lot of gold coins! This filled him with confidence. No longer did he have to be a beggar eking out a living in the slums!
Meng Jingtian chuckled. Your sincerest belief? This doesn't count! The mission is only fifty percent complete!
Meng Jingtian began to run around Seaside City, on one hand looking for possible believers and on the other hand seeking a language teacher for Rupud.
The blacksmith Mister Zhang, the pill pavilion apprentice Qing Feng, the waiter Little Stone from Fragrant Pavilion… As Meng Jingtian completed the missions they gave him, he gained believer after believer.
But their levels of Belief were not equal. Some were at ten-some points while others were at seventy to eighty, which was at the level of a pious believer.
After finding a toy for a girl called Little Flower, he finally reached ten believers and finished his main quest mission.
In a flash, several system messages rang out.
"Ding! Congratulations! For completing the mission, you have obtained stat points + 10, and 1 Stupa (divine weapon)!"
"Ding! Congratulations! Level up!"
"Ding! System Announcement: The shrine system is now unlocked. Players, please find shrines where you can make offerings, obtaining the blessings of the gods!"
The series of miscellaneous missions had boosted Meng Jingtian to Level 15. The mission system stated that he could only unlock the second main quest mission when he reached Level 20.
Meng Jingtian opened his stat panel and began to distribute his stat points.
Basic Stats Panel:
Strength: 15
Agility: 10
Constitution: 15
Spirit: 20
Divine Power: 25
Believers: 10
The two blue potions had boosted both his Strength and Constitution by 5. From what Meng Jingtian understood, gods should favor magic, so he placed all 25 of his free stat points in Spirit and Divine Power.
Meng Jingtian then excitedly inspected the divine weapon he had just obtained, Stupa. After all, it was a freaking divine weapon!
It had been only half a day since the servers had opened and he already had a divine weapon! He was so excited he could hardly contain himself!
Stupa (Growth divine weapon) Rank 1: A divine weapon embryo born from the world. It is currently at the lowest rank. It can absorb the souls of Gold-grade Beast Kings or higher to grow.
Stats: Attack + 1000, Critical Hit + 10%, Penetration + 10%
Passive: Wounding effect on damage, dealing 5% of the remaining HP every second for 5 seconds. Can trigger once every 10 seconds.
Growth: 0/100