In the next two days, Mark spent most of his time teaching Muay Thai to the members of the Unbreakable Valor Brotherhood. His cultivation barely improved and his rankings in the leaderboard also dropped significantly. However, Mark didn't care about any of this. He believed that there was always time to increase his cultivation.
After being expelled from the game world, Mark received a phone call from the boss of the delivery company he was working for.
"Mark, what's going on? Why didn't you drop by last time?" The voice on the other end of the phone sounded worried.
Mark felt guilty since this boss treated him well. When he had almost nothing to eat, this boss would give him some cash to buy food. "I'm really sorry, boss. The pastry shop that I'm working for has closed down and I had to settle some things. I think I don't have time to work as a delivery personnel anymore."
Mark apologized and gave a roundabout excuse. His boss told him that he could work as a full-time delivery worker, but Mark only answered perfunctorily.
"Is that so? If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. You have my personal number so feel free to call me anytime. I will handle your resignation documents. You can receive your last salary at the end of the month."
"Yes, boss. Thank you so much!" Mark was grateful. Only a few people helped him when he almost had nothing and this guy was one of them. He vowed that he would repay this favor one day.
Mark became emotional after the call.
He took a cold bath to calm his mind.
Now, he could fully focus on the game. After taking a bath, he checked the value of the game currency on the official Ethereal website.
When he last checked, the exchange rate was 700 dollars per 1000 Orbes. He wondered how much the value had changed.
"Holy sh*t!" Mark's eyes widened.
Looking at the current exchange rate, his hands trembled in excitement. "1000 dollars for 1000 Orbes! That makes it a 1:1 ratio!"
The buyer was only willing to buy in bulk so they used 1000 as the lowest exchange rate.
Mark almost had the urge to sell his in-game currency, but he held back this temptation. He believed that the value of Orbes would continue to rise because of the huge influx of new players.
Mark closed the website and began his workout.
Time passed and when the clock hit 6 p.m., Mark logged in to the game.
It was already the third day since he last spoke with Elder Wilcon. It was also the deadline to give his answer. Mark asked Jason if he still wanted this opportunity to go to the city of Dipmore, but the latter said that he had already gained a lot from him in the past two days. He said that learning Muay Thai alone had already made his deal with Elder Wilcon worthwhile.
Mark headed to Elder Wilcon's office that morning.
When he arrived in front of the office, he knocked on the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Not long later, someone opened the door. It was Amira Wilcon, the elder's youngest daughter.
Mark smiled at her and greeted her with a nod. The other party didn't say anything and just nodded at him in response. She then brought Mark in front of Elder Wilcon.
"You finally have time to visit me. So have you made a decision?" Elder Wilcon gestured for him to sit down.
Mark took his seat and nodded. "I accept your offer."
Elder Wilcon smiled when he heard this. "It seems like you have spoken with Jason. Anyway, there is still a month before Amira returns to Dipmore. You have to settle everything here before the day comes when the group has to depart."
"Yes, Elder Wilcon."
"Alright. Take this before you go." Elder Wilcon gave a signal to Amira.
Seeing this, Amira grabbed a small box and handed it to Mark.
Mark had question marks on his face as he looked down at the box in his hands. 'Wait. This smell…'
"I believe you can tell by now from the smell. Inside that box is some Golden Chai powder. Take it as a greeting gift from this old man."
Mark raised his head and saw Elder Wilcon staring at him with a light smile. He didn't act pretentiously and accepted the gift. "Thank you for the gift, Elder Wilcon."
Elder Wilcon chuckled as he waved his hand. "You may leave."
Mark stood up and bowed to the elder. He then nodded at Amira before leaving the office.
Mark returned to his room and inspected the Golden Chai powder. He noticed that it was quite different than the Golden Chai served to him two days ago.
+ 1 Qi
"Huh?!" Mark was stunned when he saw his Qi increase by one point after inhaling the scent of the tea.
"What kind of tea is this?" Mark realized that the tea gifted to him was of premium quality! It could actually increase his Qi. He wondered what would happen if he drank the tea. Thinking about this, he went down to the dining hall and asked the waiter to bring him a pot of hot water, a teacup, a teaspoon, and a saucer. This was just a minor request so the waiter readily agreed and brought everything he ordered to his room.
Mark gave him 5 Orbes as a tip, a very generous amount.
After the waiter left, Mark took some of the powder and dissolved it into the hot water. His actions were very practiced, looking very graceful and refined.
Soon, his room was filled with the fragrant aroma of the Golden Chai.
+ 1 Qi
"I haven't even drank the tea, but my Qi has increased again. How powerful!" He muttered as he inhaled the delightful smell of the tea.
Mark took a small sip before putting the teacup back on the saucer. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the unique flavor that assaulted his tongue.
"Beautiful…" Mark smiled.
+ 5 Qi
Mark ignored the increase in his Qi and continued to enjoy the tea.
+ 4 Qi
+ 3 Qi
+ 2 Qi
+ 1 Qi
Mark only opened his eyes when his teacup was already empty. "Just this cup alone is already comparable to a day of cultivation. This gift is too valuable... Just what is the elder's intentions?"
Mark thought that it was just an ordinary gift so he accepted it without hesitation. Who would have thought that it was actually a valuable treasure?
There was still a lot of golden tea powder inside the box. Mark sighed as he closed the box.