Capítulo vinte e sete: A fortuna de Hill (Adição por conta da recompensa de dez mil para o Mestre Celestial Inigualável)

Hill, a young man whom his grandfather—a man he trusted with all his heart—deemed naive and adorable, was still diligently studying wind magic. He had no idea how many truths his beloved grandfather and Uncle Adrian had concealed to protect him.

Hill was not truly foolish, but when faced with an eighteen-year-old "little mother," he was naturally inclined to believe in Melanie's innocence and purity. After all, what kind of devious schemes could a teenage girl possibly harbor? This was the classic mindset of a pragmatic engineer: once he formed a belief, unless he witnessed Melanie’s true nature with his own eyes, his favorable impression would only deepen.

Melanie, possessing elven blood, was undeniably pure and beautiful, appearing as delicate as a fairy. Moreover, the warm and attentive care provided by Lina reinforced Hill’s impression that, while Melanie might be unreliable, she was fundamentally a good woman. Hill had had so little contact with noblewomen that someone like Olivia, who strove for self-improvement, was easy for him to read. He would never be seduced by a flamboyant woman like Kassel. Yet, having just arrived in this world, Hill still clung to the perspectives of his past life; looking at Melanie’s young, innocent face, he quickly accepted her supposed helplessness and victimhood. When Melanie would throw tantrums at the Count, crying endlessly, Hill felt genuine sympathy for the teenage girl.

One could only say that everything was a product of fate.

A week later, the "Yangfan Yuanhang" guild sent over a large, semi-circular chest. The spatial box Hill had sent with such high hopes had been intercepted by Bex. After Lister offered the guild a generous reward, he brought the chest before a rather sullen Hill.

"Sir, I have informed the Undead that this transaction is concluded," Lister said. "They tried every possible way to open this chest. No matter how well Bex secures his things, it is best not to trade with them again for a while. I believe the Undead will always find a way eventually."

"Understood," Hill replied. "Bex’s locks have self-destruct mechanisms. They only sent it because they didn't want to offend me. But if the temptation grows, they might not care."

Seeing Hill agree with his decision, Lister smiled and quietly withdrew. Hill examined the strange chest, wondering what material it was made of. After studying it for a moment, he confirmed it was crafted from a large, polished seashell. He placed his hand on the lid and channeled his mana; the lid popped open automatically.

Bex seemed to dislike leaving a chest empty, so it was filled with pearls. These were pearls from shellfish—pink, black, white, and gold were common, while blue, purple, and red were slightly rarer. They were large and perfectly round, packed to the brim. Hill couldn't help but pick up a few to inspect. After moving all the pearls into a small jewelry box, Hill looked at the remaining smaller shell-chests, took a deep breath, and hoped for the joy of discovery to strike again.

The first one made Hill’s eyes widen. This beautiful shell, once opened, revealed a natural spatial container housing large, deep-sea ice lilies trembling slightly in seawater. Hill had heard of these before; it was said that if prepared with a high concentration of holy water, they could delay aging, and if refined with a Saintess’s tears, they were practically synonymous with eternal youth. Hill’s eyes gleamed—if he could offer this, he could give Bex ten times the food and still make a killing. Hill was extremely satisfied; regardless of the value of the rest, his heart was already filled with joy.

When he opened the second shell-chest, Hill let out a gasp of wonder. In terms of sheer value, it might not surpass the ice lilies, but it was breathtaking. A whole specimen of gradient-colored deep-sea coral seemed to emit a soft glow within the water. Upon closer inspection, Hill discovered that the coral polyps still held life—this was a treasure for any water mage. It could be used to create a hundred-square-foot meditation chamber with a concentration of water elements rivaling the deep ocean.

After less than a minute of joy, Hill walked toward the window, looking at the fountain outside, and wondered if he could actually sell such a thing. With a sigh of resignation, he placed the coral back into the shell-chest, deciding to tuck the shell into his delicate orb, and planned to place the spiral pearl on top of the coral. He decided to modify the orb into a necklace for the Goddess of the Lake. As for the pure water spring generated by the water elemental leader, he would keep it for his daily tea. After all, this was harvested from the sea, where saltwater was more suitable, and the coral inside the shell could help purify it.

Hill looked at the fountain helplessly, wondering if Bex had received some mysterious guidance. A diligent tool-user, he performed his role perfectly. Hill sighed, returned to the table, and opened the remaining two chests, ready for whatever surprises or shocks might come.

Well, he thought happily, these were definitely surprises. Several massive pieces of deep-sea amber glittered in one chest. With this material and a shell-chest, Hill could add a small lake to his pendant. This material was precious, existing only at the extreme depths of the ocean, but its function was singular: gathering and purifying water. Buildings made with it could draw water from the void without any magic arrays. However, while mages had arrays that could achieve similar results with water elemental crystals, obtaining this amber required risking one's life; even a legendary figure might not return alive. When Hill first used Bex’s shell to make a pendant, he had dreamed of creating a small lake inside it, but such a luxurious notion felt excessive. Unexpectedly, Hill stroked the amber pieces with a grin—it was a wish come true! Even if he had to care for the delicate guest within the spiral pearl, the rewards were so generous that Hill felt quite willing.

The last chest contained various shells. Although they weren't from Bex, they belonged to high-level sea monsters and could be crafted into beautiful, spacious alchemical cottages. However, as Hill held a few large conch shells and felt the vast space within, he realized that Bex, while seemingly easygoing, was actually quite ruthless. These conchs lived on the ocean floor and didn't interfere with Bex’s life in the upper layers, yet Bex had clearly not spared them.

So, was the octopus the players killed actually someone Bex couldn't defeat, forcing him to share the territory? No wonder Bex was so terrified.

Alchemical cottages were such expensive items that few could afford them. However, after seeing the city lord’s mansion in the Black and White Road, which half a million people couldn't break, Hill felt that any player guild with enemies would certainly be willing to buy his cottages. He rubbed his hands together, ready to draw up several magnificent blueprints and triple the price.

Humming a cheerful tune, Hill walked to the fountain in rhythm and replaced the necklace on the Goddess of the Lake statue with a beautiful new one.