268: Chapter 268 Think it's too expensive? I think it's too expensive too!

Chen You's gaze was locked tightly onto the butcher shop owner's oily, shiny face.

The other party remained calm and composed, even carrying a hint of "you haven't seen the world" pity.

Thirty gold coins.

What on earth did this animal grow up eating?

It wasn't that he was unwilling to spend the money.

The main thing was the feeling of being a total sucker; it was just too frustrating!

Chen You looked at the butcher expressionlessly.

The butcher felt a bit unnerved by his gaze, and his grip on the deboning knife tightened.

"What? You think it's expensive? I think it's expensive too!"

"This stuff was already this expensive when I bought it; I'm only making two copper coins off you," the butcher said, stiffening his neck.

Chen You suppressed the urge to draw his blade and directly opened the dialogue menu.

[Pay 30 gold coins]

[Yes/No]

His finger hovered over the "Yes" button for half a second.

"Dammit..." he cursed inwardly.

Ultimately, he still clicked it.

[-30 Gold Coins]

The wariness on the butcher's face instantly transformed into a smile as bright as a blooming chrysanthemum.

He nimbly packed up the Three Sacrificial Animals.

"Take care, honored guest! Please come again!"

Chen You put them into his backpack without a word and turned to leave.

He swore he would never set foot in this shop a second time.

He mounted the Big White Rabbit, his face as grim as water, and headed to the next procurement point.

Unsurprisingly, every subsequent step perfectly replicated the "high-end consumption" experience of the butcher shop.

"A premium platter of seasonal fresh fruits, including longans from the East Sea, honey peaches from the West Mountain, and snow pears from the Northern Frontier, symbolizing perfection and sweetness. That will be twenty gold coins."

"Special sacrificial candles with wicks made from century-old Lantern Grass. Ten gold coins per set."

"Special spirit money issued by the Heaven and Earth Bank. Every single bill is officially stamped by the Meng De's Manor to ensure it can be received 'down there.' Five gold coins per bundle, ten bundles needed in total, for a grand total of fifty gold coins."

...

Chen You paid the money mechanically.

His expression went from twitching at the start, to numbness, and finally to complete tranquility.

It was as if the account being operated wasn't his own, and the money being spent wasn't his either.

When he walked out of the "Heaven and Earth Bank," he glanced at his gold coin balance.

Just for all this miscellaneous junk, he had spent nearly two hundred gold coins.

Nearly two hundred million.

Just to visit the graves of the Meng De's ancestors.

"Meng De, you'd better not let me down!"

To be able to dump such a scammy process onto someone else without batting an eye—this Meng De was truly someone meant for great things.

He opened the quest list once more.

[Current Phase: Prepare the offerings required for the sacrifice (Three Sacrificial Animals, seasonal fresh fruits, candles, spirit money...)]

Every item was now marked with a green checkmark.

Only one item remained.

[Tall Incense]

Chen You breathed a sigh of relief; it was finally about to end.

Following the guidance, he arrived at a general store in the farthest corner of the East Market.

The shop was tiny and dimly lit. An old man with snow-white hair and beard was dozing on the counter, looking as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

The vibe here felt a bit different.

Chen You's heart stirred.

When things are out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy.

He walked in and lightly tapped on the counter.

"Boss, I'm here to buy incense."

The old man slowly raised his head, opened his cloudy eyes to glance at Chen You, and then slowly sat upright.

"Oh, buying incense, are you?" His voice was raspy and slow. "Young man, what kind of incense do you want?"

Chen You thought to himself, isn't there just one kind? What other tricks could there be?

"Tall Incense for the sacrifice."

The old man nodded and held up three withered fingers.

"I have three types here."

"Ordinary Red Incense, one gold coin per bundle. As long as your heart is in it, it's enough."

"The better Silver-Thread Incense, ten gold coins per bundle. It'll give your ancestors more face down there."

"The best is Jade-Gold Incense, one hundred gold coins per bundle. It's said to be able to communicate with heaven and earth, bringing the sacrificial effect to its peak."

After finishing, the old man just watched Chen You quietly, saying no more.

Chen You was left with a face full of question marks.

Is this how you scam people out of money?

No!

He understood instantly.

The previous items were just appetizers, the "payment threshold" for this quest.

The true core, the real trigger point for a hidden quest, was right here!

These three types of incense definitely corresponded to three different quest outcomes.

The Red Incense would likely just complete this ordinary quest and grant the basic rewards.

The Silver-Thread Incense might offer some extra rewards but wouldn't trigger any key plotlines.

And the Jade-Gold Incense...

All sorts of experiences since he started playing the game flashed through Chen You's mind.

The core logic of the Source Realm had always been: you get what you pay for. One cent for one cent's worth of goods, ten cents for ten cents' worth, and a hundred cents... for a surprise.

Pay-to-Win is always the only shortcut to the path of the strongest.

The current goal was a super-large-scale monster siege. If he saved money here and caused the monster scale to shrink, wouldn't the hundred-plus gold coins he spent earlier be wasted?

The sunk costs were already invested; stopping now would be the greatest loss.

Furthermore, he vaguely sensed that behind this "Jade-Gold Incense," there might be something even deeper involved.

Chen You's thoughts completed a "self-justification" in a flash.

He looked at the old man before him. The man's eyes were as calm as a deep well, as if he were just encountering a normal transaction on a normal day.

But Chen You knew that beneath this calm lay a fork in the road leading to a storm.

"I understand."

Chen You spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying the resolve of careful consideration.

"I want the Jade-Gold Incense."

The old man's face remained expressionless; he simply nodded.

"Good."

He turned slowly and, from a dusty wooden box behind him, carefully brought out a bundle of incense bound with golden silk threads.

The incense was dark gold all over, with what seemed like flowing light swirling on its surface, emitting a strange, delicate fragrance.

Just smelling it made Chen You feel his spirits lift.

It really is good stuff.

Chen You thought to himself, it's truly worth a hundred gold coins.

He was about to pay when he saw that the old man, after placing the gold incense on the counter, wasn't in a hurry to take the money but asked another question.

"Young man, how long do you want to buy?"

Chen You was stunned.

What the heck?

He looked at the bundle of Jade-Gold Incense, which was about thirty or forty centimeters long, and then at the old man.

"Buy... how long?"

Isn't this stuff sold by the bundle?

The old man acted as if he didn't see the shock on Chen You's face and explained in his raspy voice, unhurriedly.

"That's right."

"Jade-Gold Incense also comes in different length specifications."

Chen You's eyelids began to twitch wildly; he had a very, very bad feeling.

He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound like he wasn't about to curse.

"How... how much does it cost?"

The old man held up one finger, then pinched his fingers together to gesture "ten."

"Ten gold coins per meter."

"..."

Before Chen You could speak, the old man added.

"It's stackable, up to ten meters."