53: Chapter 53 Girl, shouldn't you reconsider?

The entrance to the Wailing Valley dungeon.

Dead silence.

All the players, whether they were the solo players who had just been desperately seeking a party, the elites from the Moon Gods Radiance Guild, or those who were purely there to watch the show, were all frozen as if hit by a paralysis spell.

Their eyes were wide open, mouths slightly agape, expressions solidified on their faces.

Their gazes were locked tightly onto the ancient wooden plaque at the dungeon entrance.

Six minutes!

A Level 10 dungeon, one that was universally agreed upon to require a well-coordinated five-person elite team and take at least twenty minutes to clear.

He, alone, only took six minutes.

"Six... Six minutes? Has it really been six minutes?"

A Werewolf Warrior rubbed his eyes, his voice dry.

"Gulp..."

The Minotaur Warrior beside him swallowed hard, his huge bovine eyes filled with shock.

"From the entrance to the deepest BOSS room, that should take about this long, right?"

"He... He wasn't fighting monsters; he was taking a stroll!"

"My god, how many Exorcism Talismans must he have burned? One hundred? Two hundred?"

"More than that! Wailing Valley has at least a hundred Wraith-type monsters, plus Elite Monsters and the final BOSS, that guy has a massive health pool!"

"To flatten everything in six minutes, I estimate... it would take at least three to five hundred gold coins!"

Three to five hundred gold coins!

This number hit the crowd like a massive boulder, eliciting a collective gasp.

Just to clear a novice dungeon once?

What kind of concept was that?

This wasn't just being rich; this was burning money like it was waste paper!

In an instant, the way everyone looked at the dungeon entrance changed.

It was no longer the gaze reserved for a rich newbie, nor was it for a lucky nouveau riche.

Instead, they looked up at an incomprehensible existence from another dimension.

Money truly could buy anything.

At this time, Chen You, inside the dungeon space, was unaware of the huge storm he had stirred up outside.

He was currently frowning, looking at the system prompt before him.

[Ding! The destruction condition for [Wailing Valley] has been met!]

[Congratulations, you have successfully cleared the dungeon 'Wailing Valley'!]

[Gained Experience Points: 2000]

[Gained Zhao City Reputation: 3000]

Destruction Mode?

Chen You fell into contemplation.

This should be something like a hidden challenge or a hard mode.

Higher risk, higher reward.

He glanced at the few pieces of equipment in his inventory that were too worthless even to bother dismantling, and curled his lip.

The drops from Normal Mode were indeed not worth expecting.

It seemed that if he wanted good items, he still had to rely on this 'Destruction Mode'.

However...

"When in doubt, ask Xi Er," Chen You muttered to himself.

Besides, he hadn't drawn his supreme member lottery for the day yet.

Having made up his mind, Chen You willed it, and chose to exit the dungeon.

...

A flash of light, and Chen You's figure reappeared at the entrance of Wailing Valley.

"He's out!"

Someone shouted, and the previously noisy crowd instantly quieted down.

Hundreds of gazes focused uniformly on Chen You.

Awe, envy, greed, curiosity... various emotions intertwined, forming an invisible pressure.

Chen You frowned slightly, not wanting to waste any more time here.

Just as he was about to summon his mount and leave, a figure blocked his path.

It was Yue Ying.

This proud maiden of the Elf God Clan, the regional manager of the Moon Gods Radiance Guild, no longer had the arrogance she possessed before.

Replaced by an almost fawning, utterly radiant smile.

During the six minutes Chen You was clearing the dungeon, her intelligent mind had figured everything out.

This man, despite his seemingly erratic behavior and lavish spending, was definitely not foolish!

He simply had so much money that he didn't consider it money anymore!

What did this mean?

It meant he was even more worthy of being courted for cooperation!

Two hundred gold coins a month? That was small thinking!

If they could negotiate a long-term cooperation, it would definitely be worth more than two thousand gold coins!

And right now, she had a perfect opportunity to cater to his interests.

Thinking about how she had unhesitatingly ordered the recall of the spirit essence sand, Yue Ying couldn't help but admire her own shrewdness!

As a manager, one needed such foresight!

As for being rejected and ignored earlier...

Those who achieve great things disregard minor details!

"Big Shot Chen You! Congratulations! Congratulations on your unparalleled divine might, sweeping through [Wailing Valley] with thunderous force, creating an unprecedented, and likely unrepeatable, miracle!"

Yue Ying's voice was crisp and pleasant, her flattery undisguised.

It was as if the person who was publicly rejected and turned pale with anger just moments ago was not her at all.

The few Moon Gods Radiance Guild members behind her were completely petrified.

What did they see?

Their aloof, ice-maiden goddess, who regarded all males as beneath her notice...

Was actually... actually smiling at a man?

And smiling so... obsequiously?

Has the world gone mad?

Chen You was also stunned.

He looked at the young woman before him, whose attitude had performed a 180-degree turn, and for a moment, he couldn't quite process it.

As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face.

With the other party being so humble, calling him 'Big Shot' and 'Miracle' repeatedly, even Chen You felt a little awkward.

He waved his hand and asked plainly, "Something you need?"

"Of course, something important! A huge matter!"

Seeing Chen You respond, Yue Ying's smile became even more genuine.

She stepped half a pace closer, lowered her voice, and spoke with the tone of sharing a massive secret:

"Big Shot, I know you've been collecting a material called 'spirit essence sand', right?"

Yue Ying looked at Chen You with eyes full of appreciative understanding—'I get you'—and camaraderie—'We are kindred spirits.'

Chen You looked at her expression of 'everything is under control' and felt a strange sensation in his heart.

spirit essence sand?

He did need it before, but that was to take back to the real world for Elder Qian and the others to research.

He remained impassive and faintly replied with an "Mm."

Receiving the affirmative answer, the light in Yue Ying's eyes intensified.

She puffed out her chest, her tone carrying a perfectly calibrated sense of self-satisfaction and desire for credit.

"To be frank, after you swept through the auction house, I immediately realized the extraordinary value of this material."

"I have already dispatched all the main forces of the guild and secured all the production sites of spirit essence sand outside of Zhao City."

"Now, all the spirit essence sand circulating on the market, apart from what you currently possess... is all in my hands."

She paused, extending her olive branch.

"Big Shot, I know your ambitions are grand, and the amount of material you require must be astronomical."

"I am willing to transfer all the spirit essence sand I have to you at cost price—no, at a price below cost!"

"I only have one small request: I hope to establish a long-term, stable cooperative relationship with you in the future."

"The Moon Gods Radiance Guild is worthy of your trust!"

After speaking, she looked at Chen You expectantly, awaiting his ecstatic reaction.

In her view, her actions were akin to sending charcoal in snowy weather, a stroke of commercial genius.

It showcased her value, presented a massive favor, and paved the way for future cooperation.

Perfect!

The surrounding players also heard the conversation, causing an uproar.

"My god, what a huge move! She actually monopolized the spirit essence sand?"

"She's trying to deeply bind herself to that super tycoon!"

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! This is the mindset of a top-tier player!"

Amidst the gasps of amazement from the crowd and Yue Ying's determined gaze, Chen You finally spoke.

He looked at Yue Ying, his eyes carrying a hint of... confusion?

As if looking at a performance artist.

He shook his head.

"No need."

Three simple words, delivered lightly, without any emotion.

Yet, they struck Yue Ying's head like three bolts of profound lightning from the heavens.

"Wh-what?"

The smile on Yue Ying's face instantly froze.

She suspected she had misheard.

She had used all her wisdom, gambled a large portion of the guild's resources, and tailored a massive gift for him, yet he said... no need?

This defied logic!

"Big Shot, you... did you not hear clearly?"

Yue Ying's voice trembled slightly.

"I said, I have all the spirit essence sand on the market, and I can sell it to you cheaply..."

"I heard you clearly."

Chen You interrupted her, his tone still flat, "I said, no need."

"Why?!"

Yue Ying could no longer maintain her composure and blurted out, "You clearly need this material so much!"

Chen You looked at her delicate face, contorted by shock and incomprehension, and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.

He thought for a moment and decided to satisfy the other party's curiosity.

"The amount I bought the other day is enough."

Enough?

You cleared out the entire auction house's stock, and now you tell me... it's enough?

That was over five thousand portions!

What on earth do you plan to use it for? To pave your bed?!

Yue Ying felt her mind go blank.

All the logic she meticulously constructed, all her assumptions, were shattered in that moment by his casually uttered 'enough'.

She felt like a mere clown.

Performing a brilliant one-woman show on a stage she thought was hers.

While the audience below hadn't even bothered to lift an eyelid from beginning to end.

A tremendous sense of humiliation washed over her like an icy tide.

Chen You paid no further attention to the stunned, wooden-faced young woman.

With a thought, he activated the automatic pathfinding function exclusive to supreme members.

"Poof~"

With a soft sound, a giant rabbit, comparable in size to a calf, pure white with blood-red eyes, wearing a golden bell around its neck, appeared out of thin air before everyone.

Chen You took one last look at the pale-faced Yue Ying, feeling it was best not to push things too far.

Always leave a way out for future encounters.

He added one more polite phrase.

"Thank you for your kindness."

"If I need anything, I will look for you."

With that, he gently patted the rabbit's back.

The giant rabbit's hind legs pushed off forcefully, turning into a white streak of lightning, carrying a gust of wind, and vanishing at the end of the avenue.