"What is that?" Ranch wondered, leaping into the air to retrieve the strange crystal.
At that moment, several prompt messages appeared.
[Detecting a precious treasure, appraisal function activated. Do you wish to appraise the current item, costing 2000 gold coins? Note: The appraisal fee varies with different items. The more valuable the item, the higher the appraisal fee.]
"Appraisal function!"
Ranch examined the crystal in his hand, realizing it was undoubtedly a precious treasure.
Such an item was certainly worth the cost of appraisal.
"Appraise!" Ranch declared.
[Appraisal successful!]
[Crystal of Immortal Sword Qi: Legend tells of a formidable warrior who slew a fearsome dragon with a single strike, and the sword intent attached to that strike never dissipated. Over time, the sword qi condensed, forming the Crystal of Immortal Sword Qi. It can be used to forge weapons, bestowing them with an immortal trait, making them indestructible. Additionally, battle skills executed with the forged weapon receive a 100% enhancement.]
[Ding! You have obtained the precious Crystal of Immortal Sword Qi!]
[First-time acquisition of a treasure, achievement unlocked: Collector!]
[Collector lv1]
[When precious treasures appear in the Store, you can purchase them for less gold, current discount: sale price * 98%. (Note: Collect five treasures to level up the Collector rank.)]
One pleasant surprise followed another, leaving Ranch in a state of extreme contentment.
He secured the Crystal of Immortal Sword Qi and turned his attention back to the pile of gold and treasures, feeling even more delighted.
"Charge it all to my account!"
Ranch declared loudly, and the heaps of gold coins vanished while the numbers in his gold coin tally soared.
Finally, only a few items remained on the ground as the numerous gold coins amassed by the dragon were fully charged into Ranch's system account.
[gold coins: 96375]
Ranch didn't overlook the remaining items on the ground; he walked over and picked them up one by one.
A transformation potion recipe, twenty-eight 3-tier spellbeast magicrystals, several chunks of star silver ore, and a lantern made from a special metal...
Ranch specifically spent three hundred gold coins to appraise the lantern.
[Guiding Glass Lantern: Can provide direction in the Land of Mist, has no other functions.]
"Land of Mist? Where is that?" Ranch had never heard of the Land of Mist.
Furthermore, people within the Dark Empire always seemed reluctant to speak of places beyond its borders, as if the world outside harbored various terrifying creatures.
This piqued Ranch's curiosity, but now was not the time to delve into it.
The dragon's treasure was fully collected, and the corpses of the dragon and the spellbeasts, due to the unsealing of the Dragon God Vessel, had their essence completely absorbed, leaving nothing but a pile of decayed ashes, devoid of any value.
It was time to leave.
Ranch scanned the cavern, eventually finding a path leading out.
...
At Rock Manor Ruins, Sophia and Xina sat on stones, facing each other.
Time had passed from noon to evening, and the sun was about to set, but Ranch had not returned, causing them both to worry.
Of course, Xina was more concerned about the Tribunal's lost treasure, still in Ranch's possession.
During the wait, the two struck up a conversation.
"Sophia, being an elf, why choose to become a knight? As far as I know, elves, as children of the forest, are born with a sense of the wind element in the air, natural magi," Xina asked deliberately, her curiosity about Ranch and Sophia enduring.
Sophia's expression darkened, seemingly stirring unpleasant memories.
She didn't want to answer, replying with a cold sneer, "Miss Xina, that's none of your business."
Xina continued, unperturbed, "I saw a record in the Tribunal's archives, mentioning an elf tribe surviving in the Eternal Night Forest. The tribe's priests desecrated the deities, leading to divine retribution. The elves of that tribe were stripped of their magic abilities, turning the once-powerful elves into the weakest beings in the Eternal Night Forest. To please the gods once more, the tribe had no choice but to send several elves to the human realms seeking a solution."
"Enough! Xina, shut your mouth!" The truth seemingly touched upon, Sophia became agitated.
At that moment, a pair of hands gently rested on her smooth shoulders, followed by consoling words: "Sophia, there's no need to be upset."
"Lord Ranch!" Sophia turned around in delight, embracing the returning Ranch.
Ranch hadn't expected that the other exit from the dragon's treasure would lead through the Wolf Fang Mountains, costing him hours of travel.
The correct way to leave might have been to cross back through the barrier, but the Bizarre Scales were already used up, and the Dragon God Vessel didn't belong to the dragon bloodline, unable to pass through the barrier.
Meanwhile, Xina remained silent.
Ranch smiled, releasing Sophia before turning to Xina and saying, "Miss Xina, although you couldn't help with the barrier, this item should still be returned to you." He retrieved an odd, disc-shaped object from his storage ring.
The disc was engraved with complex patterns that seemed to form an extremely intricate magic array, while the back depicted a relief of worshippers offering sacrifices to a deity, imbued with a mysterious aura.
From the beginning, Ranch never intended to keep this item for himself.
The end Charles met was still vivid in his mind, and since Xina was merely one of the Tribunal members pursuing it, possessing this item would only spell trouble.
Most importantly, Ranch had spent a full thousand gold coins to appraise this item, receiving an incredibly bewildering piece of information, which was a significant reason for his decision to return it.
[Blasphemous Tablet of the Three-eyed Dark God: One of the five tablets used to worship the dark god.]
Only a brief piece of information was revealed, but it hinted at a secret profoundly astonishing.
This disc was used in rituals dedicated to the dark god, and considering the recent events in the Dark Empire, Ranch harbored an ominous suspicion…
He had no wish to be drawn into a vortex of conflict.
Ranch handed over the disc, and Xina, filled with gratitude, accepted it.
"Ranch, you've helped me this time. When you go to the imperial capital, come find me at the Bella family. No matter what it is, I'll definitely help you," Xina promised.
A smile appeared on Ranch's lips as he bid farewell to Xina, but not without a reminder, "Miss Xina, I've helped you, but don't forget you still owe me a hundred thousand gold coins!"
"You—"
The mention of the debt immediately infuriated Xina, but all she could do was watch Ranch and Sophia depart.
With Charles dead and the Tribunal's treasure reclaimed, it was time for her to return to the imperial capital.
...
Ranch and Sophia returned to Colin's estate.
"Colin, wait a moment!"
In the bedroom, Ranch stopped Colin Rein, who had finished his greetings and was about to leave.
He took out ten bottles of Energy Reagent from his storage ring and said to Colin, "I've got a batch of Energy Reagent here."
"Mr. Ranch, how much do you have?"
Colin's breathing became rapid, well aware of the potency of the Energy Reagent as a user.
Ranch smiled and said, "This time, there's no limit!"
"What!"
Colin Rein exclaimed in astonishment, almost fainting with happiness.
He hurriedly said to Ranch, "Mr. Ranch, please leave the selling to me. I will definitely satisfy you!"
"Here are two hundred bottles, I'll sell them to you for 400 gold coins each. How much you can sell them for is up to your skill."
Ranch had purchased over a hundred bottles from the Store, adding to the leftover Energy Reagents to make up two hundred bottles, which he placed on the ground.
The emanating aura of vitality was refreshing.
Colin gritted his teeth, decided to take them all, and personally went to the estate's treasury to withdraw eighty thousand gold coins to pay Ranch.
This gave Ranch an almost surreal feeling.
He had obtained about the same amount of gold coins from acquiring the dragon's treasure, even though the most precious items from the treasure were the Dragon Corpse and the Crystal of Immortal Sword Qi.
But now, just from one transaction with Colin, he had eighty thousand gold coins credited to his account.
Subtracting the purchasing cost, the net profit was seventy thousand gold coins.
Indeed, trading in bulk commodities was the right way to harvest gold coins!
Ranch accepted the gold coins and then said to Colin, "I will be staying in the City of Crimson for three more days. If you need more Energy Reagents during this time, you can continue to come to me."
"Yes, Mr. Ranch!" Colin responded loyally, carefully carrying away the Energy Reagents.
At that moment, he was immensely grateful.
Mr. Ranch not only proactively reduced the price of Energy Reagent by a hundred gold coins but also supplied them without limitation, showing tremendous trust. He must not fail Mr. Ranch's expectations!
However, Colin's determination was unknown to Ranch, who was now opening the system to check the newly appeared achievement.