27: Chapter 27 Is this place legitimate?

The air in the hall seemed to freeze.

City Lord Gao De's refined face was now so dark it looked like ink could drip from it.

Veins bulged on the backs of the guards' hands as they gripped their halberds, their sharp gazes cutting into Chen You like physical blades.

One hundred and eighty gold coins?

How did he dare to open his mouth?

This wasn't just a lion opening its mouth wide; this was someone trying to swallow the entire pride!

In all his years, this was the first time Gao De had encountered such a brazenly shameless Adventurer.

However, faced with this soul-crushing pressure, the smile on Chen You's face only grew more brilliant.

Was he afraid?

A little.

But at the thought of the long string of cold numbers in his bank account and Director Li Guoan's stern face—which was even darker than City Lord Gao De's—that bit of fear was instantly dispelled by his confidence.

Vision!

I represent the country now!

Acting humble before an NPC?

Wouldn't that be losing face for Director Li!

"City Lord, please don't look at me like that."

Chen You spread his hands with a look of "sincerity."

"I'm doing this for the long-term peace and stability of Zhao City."

"Think about it. If I have enough talismans, forget about instructing the Garrison Army—I'll personally clear out those monster camps outside the city that harass the trade routes every day."

"Isn't that a great deed that will benefit generations to come?"

The corner of Gao De's eye twitched violently.

He realized he couldn't see through this young man at all.

The other party's strength was beyond doubt, but his style of doing things was like a...

A dishonest merchant—a top-tier dishonest merchant powerful enough to flip the table at any time.

A deathly silence fell over the hall.

Just as Chen You thought the other man was about to turn hostile and was ready to open the mall to buy a substitute talisman to flee, City Lord Gao De suddenly let out a long breath.

The gloom on his face slowly dissipated, replaced by a forced smile that looked worse than crying.

"Hero Chen You, you're joking."

He waved his hand, signaling the surrounding guards to stand down.

"The City Lord Manor's finances are indeed... a bit tight," Gao De said, choosing his words carefully. "The gold coins cannot be provided."

Chen You raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself: Here it comes, the haggling begins.

"However..." Gao De's tone shifted, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"To commend your righteous act, Zhao City has raised your reputation to 'Friendly'."

"Perhaps you could go visit the Quartermaster."

"With your reputation, you might be able to exchange it for some... things you need."

The implication was obvious.

There was no money, but he could use the "honorary certificate" issued to him to trade for prizes.

Chen You understood instantly.

It seemed that while these NPCs had high intelligence, they were ultimately limited by the underlying rules of the game.

They couldn't conjure gold coins out of thin air, but they could use the "Reputation" authority granted by the system.

That worked too.

Chen You's understanding of the game far exceeded that of any native in this world.

He knew very well that "Reputation" was often more useful than gold coins.

Many top-tier blueprints, equipment, and even special items could only be unlocked once reputation reached a certain level.

This wasn't a bad deal.

"Since the City Lord has put it that way, then I shall accept respectfully."

Chen You's "dishonest merchant" smile vanished, replaced by an expression of "great righteousness."

"For the peace of Zhao City, I am willing to contribute my humble efforts."

[Ding! You have accepted the quest: Trial of the Garrison Army.]

[Quest Content: Head to the East City Training Ground to conduct combat drills with the Garrison Army and demonstrate your combat skills to them.]

[Quest Rewards: 5,000 Reputation Points, Special Title: Friend of Zhao City, 10,000 Experience Points.]

Seeing the quest rewards, Chen You was delighted.

Ten thousand experience, five thousand reputation, and a title!

This deal wasn't a loss at all!

"Very good!" City Lord Gao De nodded with satisfaction, his smile becoming a bit more genuine.

"The training ground is in the east of the city. You can head there whenever you're ready; I've already ordered someone to notify the person in charge there."

"No rush." Chen You waved his hand. "I'll visit the Quartermaster first to restock on 'supplies'."

Gao De made a gesture of invitation, then turned back to his main seat and closed his eyes to rest.

He seemingly didn't want to say another word to this slippery young man.

Chen You shrugged and, under the "respectful" gazes of the guards, turned and left the City Lord Manor's hall.

...

Zhao City's Quartermaster's office was located in a stone fortress on the wing of the City Lord Manor, with two even more burly soldiers standing at the entrance.

Rather than an office, it was more like a massive warehouse.

After showing his identification, Chen You was allowed inside.

The one in charge of resource exchange was a one-eyed man with a hideous scar across his face, looking like someone not to be trifled with.

Upon seeing Chen You, he merely snorted and tossed over a rough stone tablet.

"See for yourself. What you can exchange is written on there."

Chen You didn't mind his attitude. He took the stone tablet and focused his mind.

An exchange list immediately unfolded before his eyes.

At the 'Friendly' reputation level, there really wasn't much to exchange.

Most were blue or green quality equipment, potion recipes, and some basic materials.

His gaze quickly locked onto the materials list.

[Wind-Ground Copper]: An extremely tough metal, often used for the joints of elite soldiers' armor. [Cost: 500 Reputation]

[Sunken Silver Sand]: Metallic sand containing faint energy, which can increase the success rate of weapon enchantments. [Cost: 500 Reputation]

This was it!

Chen You recalled the face of materials expert Qian Zhonghua, which was filled with longing.

"Exchange for one portion of Wind-Ground Copper and one portion of Sunken Silver Sand."

As 1,000 reputation points were deducted, two portions of metallic materials shimmering with different lusters appeared in Chen You's inventory.

Done!

Chen You nodded in satisfaction, turned to leave the Quartermaster's office, and headed toward the east of the city.

The east of the city was Zhao City's military and artisan district.

The streets were narrower than the main roads, and the air was filled with the sound of forging and the fresh scent of wood.

However, before he had gone far, a building that was completely out of place with all the surrounding structures instantly caught his full attention.

It was an exquisite and beautiful two-story building.

It was built entirely of an unknown white jade-like stone, shimmering with a warm luster in the sunlight.

With its upturned eaves and painted rafters, every detail exuded a luxury and nobility that was completely different from the rugged style of this border city.

Compared to the surrounding gray stone and wood buildings, it was like a crystal palace suddenly appearing in a slum, incredibly eye-catching.

A black plaque with gold lettering hung above the door, with three large characters written in a flamboyant style.

—Supreme Tower!

Good heavens.

Just from the name, this didn't sound like a proper place.

What kind of proper place would dare to call itself that?

Chen You's footsteps stopped involuntarily.

He could feel a unique aura faintly emanating from this building.

It was a scent mixed with wealth, power, and some kind of rules.

Through his Spiritual Sight skill, he could even see wisps of 'spiritual energy'—much denser than the outside—being slowly absorbed and exhaled by this small building.

This was definitely not an ordinary NPC's property!

Was it a player's?

Or some higher-level system shop?

Chen You's curiosity was completely piqued.

He checked his gold coin balance: 78 gold coins.

Well, seventy-eight million huaxia coins should be... enough to go in for a cup of tea, right?

The hesitation lasted only a moment.

Director Li said one must have vision.

Exploring the unknown was also part of the mission!

He straightened his novice cloth clothes, stood tall, and mimicked the successful people he'd seen on TV.

With steady steps, he walked toward the gate carved from a single piece of white jade.

He wanted to see exactly what secrets were hidden within this "Supreme Tower"!