Lia was in a foul mood. She'd clearly returned the money she owed, settling the matter once and for all, but the frustration lingering in her chest refused to fade.
As she exited Galewind City's gates, a picturesque scene unfolded before her: verdant mountains rolled like dark green waves, and gurgling streams meandered through the valleys.
Fresh breeze carrying the scent of grass and trees brushed against her face, finally easing her irritation a little. The damage from the meteor strike had long since faded away completely.
On a narrow wooden bridge ahead, a young NPC girl in a white dress was humming a soft ballad, her melodious voice drifting on the wind. Curious and amused, Lia quickened her steps, eager to listen to this enchanting tune in the game.
But the next second—
Splat!
"Ow! I fell over!"
"Waaaah!"
The NPC girl collapsed onto the ground in an instant, clinging tightly to Lia's calf and wailing at the top of her lungs. "Adventurer assaults innocent girl! Come quickly! A grown-up is bullying a minor!"
"You hit me, and you wanna run? Pay up! No 1,000 gold coins, no leaving this spot!"
Lia: "…"
---
Twenty minutes later, Kalis reached Boulder Town.
The town was about the same size as Silverpeak Hamlet; calling it a town was generous; it was more like an enlarged village. A few flagstone paths crisscrossed the area, flanked by scattered shabby shops. Barely any players wandered around; most of them were casual gamers taking their time to explore.
Kalis stopped a passing player and asked: "Hey buddy, you know where the bard Dafiona is?"
The player looked up, his eyes widening as he spotted Kalis's level. He gasped in shock: "Whoa! Level 59! You're Kalis, the number one on the level rankings!"
"Yeah, that's me," Kalis replied with a perfunctory smile, pressing for an answer. "So—do you know where Dafiona is?"
"You're so awesome!" The player completely ignored his question, crowding closer excitedly. "Can you take me grinding levels? Your gear looks so cool. Can you give me a piece?"
"Uh… never mind."
Kalis turned on his heel and walked away without hesitation, abandoning the idea of asking for directions. He decided to search house by house instead. Bards like Dafiona usually hung out in taverns.
Sure enough, right in the center of the town stood a tavern with a sign reading "Boulder Barrel". Kalis pushed open the door, and the sound of a rich, magnetic baritone singing accompanied by a harp drifted out, wrapping around him instantly.
"Why is it a guy?"
He glanced at the singer, and a character info panel popped up: Algernon, Level 80, Class: Bard, definitely not the Dafiona he was looking for.
The tavern was surprisingly quiet. Besides Algernon singing and the landlady wiping mugs behind the counter, the only other person was an elderly woman with a blindfold sitting in the corner.
Kalis was about to approach the landlady to ask about Dafiona when his gaze accidentally fell on the old woman. Another info panel flickered into view:
[Lunar Bard — Dafiona]
Level: 150 (Mythic Boss)
HP: 13,700,000/13,700,000
(Target level too high—additional attributes unavailable)
"Whoa, she's this old?"
Kalis blinked in surprise. From the name, he'd pictured an elegant, sensual woman no older than thirty-five. But the woman in front of him looked easily twice that age.
Just then, Algernon finished his song, set down his harp, and turned to Kalis with a warm smile. "On such a sunny afternoon, it's a pleasure to meet a valiant adventurer like yourself, sir. Care for a ballad? Only 30 copper coins—just enough to buy me a glass of rum."
"Sure," Kalis agreed readily, paying him 30 copper coins on the spot.
Algernon plucked the harp strings again, and a melodious tune filled the tavern once more. His rich baritone wrapped around the notes, making it quite an enjoyable experience.
"Landlady, bring a round of drinks, meat, and fruit for me, this elderly lady, and the bard here," Kalis said, pulling out a handful of glittering gold coins and slamming them onto the counter. With over 700,000 gold coins in his pocket, he was more than happy to splurge.
Algernon, who was in the middle of singing, caught sight of the pile of gold coins. His fingers stumbled over the strings, faltering mid-note, his eyes widening with shock.
The old woman in the corner, Dafiona, slowly turned her head. Her blindfolded eyes "fixed" on Kalis, and she nodded slightly without a word.
Seeing that she didn't react with any signs of the potential Eternal Hatred Curse, Kalis quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Good—she wasn't a devout follower of the gods.
Soon, the landlady brought over sausages, bread, fruit, and ale, placing them one by one on the table where the three sat. Food and drinks in the game didn't boost any stats; they existed purely to satisfy players' sensory experiences.
Dafiona didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up the ale and a sausage, eating slowly.
After Algernon finished his second song, he set down the harp and said: "To thank you for your generosity, noble adventurer, let me sing you another one! First, a toast!"
As he lifted his wine glass, his fingers quickly snatched a gold coin from the table. The move was stealthy and practiced.
Kalis watched the whole thing unfold but didn't call him out, simply sitting back and listening to the song in silence.
When the third song ended, Algernon was about to pull the same trick again, but Dafiona happened to finish her ale. She turned to Kalis and said: "You've come to see me, haven't you?"
"Yes, I have a favor to ask of you," Kalis replied without beating around the bush, stating his purpose directly.
The smile froze on Algernon's face. He'd thought Kalis had been drawn to his singing, which was why he'd sat down and thrown around so much gold. The realization that the adventurer had actually come for the old woman in the corner hit him like a ton of bricks, filling him with deep disappointment.
Dafiona noticed his reaction and sighed softly: "Being a bard is no easy way to make a living."
Kalis's eyes lit up—he instantly recognized this as the trigger for a quest. He nodded in agreement, following her lead: "You're absolutely right. Wandering through mountains and seas, seeing all the joys and sorrows of the world, tasting every bit of hardship and bitterness—yet you can only record it all in songs, powerless to change a single thing."
When dealing with elderly NPCs, starting with the hardships of life was always a surefire way to gain their approval. As for what a bard's real life was like, Kalis had no clue—he was just spouting generic lines he'd made up on the spot.
Algernon, who had no idea what was going on, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and said: "It's not that bad, really. I'm just a bit poor, and sometimes I go hungry—but that's about it."
Dafiona chuckled at his words, nodding in deep sympathy.
Kalis immediately got the hint. He pulled out 1,000 gold coins, placed them on the table, and pushed them toward Algernon. "Take this. With this money, you won't have to go hungry anymore."
"Th… this is…"
Algernon's pupils shrank to pinpricks as he stared at the mountain of gold coins in front of him, completely dumbfounded.
A thousand gold coins! In this tiny town where a mug of ale cost only 20 copper coins, the average NPC's monthly living expenses were barely a few silver coins. A thousand gold coins would make him the wealthiest person in Boulder Town by a mile!
The gesture stunned not only Algernon but also the landlady behind the counter, who froze mid-motion, her eyes glued to the glittering coins. Even Dafiona raised an eyebrow in surprise, speaking up at last: "Young man, you're far too generous. This isn't helping him—it's harming him."
"Would it attract bandits, by any chance?" Kalis asked with a smile.
The old woman shook her head slowly, speaking bluntly: "Wealth is the easiest thing to erode one's integrity. Sudden, massive fortune only clouds people's minds and leads them down a path of corruption."
Kalis shook his head gently in response: "Not everyone is like that. Those who fall to corruption because of wealth never had any integrity to begin with."
"Oh? What makes you say that?" A flicker of curiosity crossed Dafiona's face.
Kalis smiled: "I'm someone who just came into a huge fortune recently—far more than a thousand gold coins, hundreds, even thousands of times more. But I'm still me. Money has only chased away the troubles of daily life; it hasn't blinded me."
It was the truth. Thanks to his Ultimate Amplification talent, he'd amassed wealth far beyond that of ordinary players. His personal experience lent weight to his words.
Dafiona fixed him with a thoughtful gaze, studying him for a long moment before slowly nodding: "You're a remarkable young man, your willpower is far beyond most people's. No wonder you're worthy of being a Celestial Mage."
Now they were finally getting to the point.
Kalis deliberately put on a troubled expression and said: "Unfortunately, I've offended the gods. They've denied me the chance to undergo the Second Class Advancement. I came all this way to find you specifically, hoping you could guide me to become a Grand Mage."