Chapter 144: Tina's Seventh to Ninth Rings
Upon receiving the system prompt, only one word echoed in Su Yu's heart: *amazing!*
This is the true "treasure chest" of the late game! He could only imagine the wealth Dave could bring to the territory over time. Looking at the diligent, unassuming Dave in front of him, Su Yu found himself even more pleased.
"Maybe I should bring Dave into the inner circle?" Su Yu mused.
As for Dave, he was just as thrilled about this new contract. With it, he could finally focus entirely on magical crop research without having to worry about life's basic needs. And he knew it was all thanks to Su Yu.
Kneeling on one knee, Dave pledged his loyalty: "My lord, I, Dave, pledge my undying loyalty to you!"
"Alright, alright, get up! From now on, we're on the same team!" Su Yu grinned as he helped him up.
Su Yu checked the time. There was still an hour before the next part of the Tina line quest began—plenty of time.
With a friendly smile, he suggested, "Dave, why don't I take you to my territory for a tour? I'll select the most fertile land for you to set up a plantation, and I'll introduce you to the others as well."
"Just a moment, my lord." Dave respectfully excused himself, disappearing back into his house.
When he returned, he held out a glittering object—a [Wall of Nuts].
"My lord, I'm incredibly grateful for your support in my plant research. I don't have much to offer, but I hope you'll accept this gift. It's a golden nut wall I happened to cultivate a few days ago. It's the only golden plant I've ever produced! If you don't mind, I'd like you to have it."
"Ding! You received a gift from Dave: [Wall of Nuts (Gold)] X1."
**[Wall of Nuts (Gold, Consumable)]**: Summons a 1.5-meter-tall Nut Wall at the targeted location, with high defense and durability. One use remaining.
"Thank you!" Su Yu graciously accepted the [Wall of Nuts], thrilled by this unexpected bonus.
A golden [Wall of Nuts]—something rare and useful! He'd never even heard of golden plants in his past life, so this was indeed a unique treasure.
"Oh, and Dave," Su Yu added, "if you happen to cultivate another golden plant in the future, remember to save it for me. I'll pay handsomely for it!"
"No need, my lord. If I manage to grow another, I'll give it to you as a token of gratitude," Dave replied earnestly.
"Thanks, Dave! Alright, let's head to the territory."
With an arm around Dave's shoulders, Su Yu led him back toward the territory.
For the next hour, Su Yu and Dave made their way back. Upon arrival, Su Yu gathered his core team and held a grand welcome ceremony for Dave. Afterward, he personally selected the most fertile land available and assigned it to Dave.
With the help of the territory's skilled carpenter, Brooke, they established a plantation on the land, providing Dave with a solid foundation for his work.
Dave was deeply moved by the attention and respect Su Yu gave him, resolving in his heart to repay this trust by cultivating the best magical plants he could. Among them, the [Sunflowers] Su Yu had described—ones that produced abundant sunlight—became his top research priority. He vowed to cultivate them soon to repay Su Yu's support.
With [Crazy Dave] now a part of the team, Su Yu felt his goals advancing. In the days that followed, he remained in the territory to oversee development, and successfully completed the seventh through ninth rings of the Tina questline.
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These next three rings unfolded as follows:
**Mission 7** saw Tina joining the prestigious Unicorn Corps. However, a senior member of the corps, Kimberly, resented Tina, viewing her as an unworthy "country girl" who stole a noble unicorn she didn't deserve. Even worse, Tina's selection had cost Kimberly's younger sister her spot in the Unicorn Knights.
Kimberly's resentment led her to constantly make things difficult for Tina, from sly insults at celebrations to rallying other knights to exclude her. Tina initially tried to avoid conflict, knowing Kimberly came from the powerful Windsor family. Yet, when Kimberly's harassment reached humiliating extremes at a banquet, Tina decided she'd had enough.
**Mission 8** saw Tina challenge Kimberly to a formal duel. Kimberly eagerly accepted, confident in her experience as a third-tier knight at peak strength, while Tina was only at the beginning of the third tier. But the match didn't go as she expected.
In the Unicorn Duel Arena, Tina defeated Kimberly with a single, decisive move. Though Tina held back, sparing Kimberly's life, the impact sent shockwaves through the corps. News of the duel spread quickly, and soon, the entire order knew the name "Tina Garcia."
Tina, however, remained unfazed by her victory. For her, strength wasn't about pride or fame; it was about personal growth. She rejected all the invitations that came from nobles and merchants, determined instead to go on a journey to strengthen herself further.
The **ninth mission** saw Tina, with Su Yu's assistance, enter a treacherous secret realm where they battled hundreds of monsters together. Through her relentless fighting, Tina absorbed their essence, pushing her power to new heights and reaching level 60, becoming a formidable fourth-tier knight.
But trouble continued to stir back in Oran City. Kimberly, humiliated and emotionally devastated, spiraled into obsession over her defeat. She attempted to end her own life several times but failed out of fear. Her desperation eventually drove her to leverage her family's influence to seek revenge.
Kimberly's search ultimately led her to the Unicorn Corps' formidable instructor, Megan. Megan, a fourth-tier knight near her peak, was from a minor noble family and found herself drawn in by both the Windsor family's pressure and Kimberly's substantial offer of 100,000 psionic coins. She agreed to put Tina "in her place."
In public, Megan humiliated Tina and issued her a duel challenge. Tina, reluctant to escalate matters, initially declined. But with Su Yu's encouragement, Tina accepted the challenge, determined to defend herself.
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This led to the tenth and final ring of the questline. The duel was set for the grand arena at the center of Oran City, a venue with a capacity of 20,000 to 30,000 spectators, who would all watch as Tina faced Megan in a contest witnessed by the entire city.
Such was the storyline of the seventh through ninth rings of the Tina questline.
For Su Yu, the rewards of these missions were fairly standard: a skill scroll for **[Summon Rock Elements]**, along with various equipment, potions, and some psionic coins. But he didn't mind—after all, the tenth ring was approaching, and he was well aware that every fifth ring typically offered something extraordinary.
He couldn't wait to see what rewards awaited him in the final challenge.