Chapter 112 - 107: The Village Chief’s Mysterious Reward_2

Chapter 112: Chapter 107: The Village Chief’s Mysterious Reward_2But the two did not have the fate to become immortals, and ultimately, after they grew old and weak, they returned to Ginkgo Village, where they built this ancestral hall and established the Gathering Spirit Array. This allowed the memorial tablets enshrined within to gather the power of worship and thought, accumulating form and spirit and bringing down blessings. They also left behind 108 incense sticks for future generations, which could be used to make wishes to the ancestors for help in times of danger to the village. Now, after seven hundred years, only a few remnants remain. Xiao Jie muttered to himself, wondering if it was really as exaggerated as they said, because when they gave him one, it didn’t feel this overblown. "Then, the one that the old man gave me..." "Although I am not versed in Immortal Law, I do have a little understanding of face reading. That day, I saw you had the air of a Hidden Dragon in the Abyss about you, destined for greatness, so I begrudgingly gave you one, hoping to form a good relationship. Now, however, I have no more to give." Xiao Jie felt more and more that the village chief was spouting nonsense, similar to the fortune-tellers in the parks, instinctively thinking the old man was pulling one over on him, probably just unwilling to part with the incense. Nevertheless, it was not his place to press the issue, so he could only sigh and say, "What a pity." "Ah, don’t talk of pity just yet. I have an idea that might satisfy you. Hear me out. The world is in chaos now, rife with demon havoc. The State Mansions are defending their own territories, and our Ginkgo Village can only hold out as we are. I see you have both courage and strategy, the right talent for an official. Why don’t you learn how to manage the village with me and do some tasks for me for the time being? If my time comes to join my ancestors, I will hand over the position of village chief of Ginkgo Village to you. What do you think? Although the role of village chief is not grand, it is still an official position after all, and this would be your reward." [System Prompt: Hidden Task triggered [Village Chief Apprentice], do you accept? Yes/No.] What the hell, there’s such a task? Village Chief—Apprentice? Why does that sound so weird? It seems like it could have a great future, but after hesitating for a moment, Xiao Jie did not accept. The prospects of this task are certainly impressive. Xiao Jie speculated that once he became the village chief, there may well be follow-up promotion opportunities. If the Military General profession can be promoted, then as the village chief, the lowest level "Wen" official, perhaps there could also be opportunities for gradual promotion. However, enticing as the task might be, it would require staying in Ginkgo Village. He still had vengeance to seek, skills to learn, levels to grind. Staying in this tiny Newbie Village, how could that be acceptable? And besides, who knows when you, Village Chief Huang, would die? If you don’t die, wouldn’t I just be working for free? This kind of uncertainty feels too much like being offered an empty promise. "I am sorry, but fame and wealth are to me as fleeting as clouds. I have no real interest in being an official. I only wish to suppress demons and restore peace to the world. So here’s a counteroffer—since those ancestors of yours were disciples of an Immortal, do you happen to have any Immortal Dao secret books or the like handed down? Just give me a couple of them as a reward." "Ah, that is a difficult request. In seven hundred years, even if there were one or two secret books, they would have been dispersed and lost long ago. There’s no finding them." "Since you are reluctant to accept this task, here’s what we can do: I happen to have a Ginkgo Village house deed here. Let this be your reward. If you ever tire of the outside world, you can come back here to visit." [System Prompt: You have received the task reward [Ginkgo Village house deed]. You have acquired a house and unlocked the home building feature. This feature is a hidden gameplay element of the game. You can increase your house’s decor by purchasing furniture, and you can add facilities related to professional skills.] Huh? I actually got something like this. Xiao Jie opened his backpack to take a look. [House Deed (Scroll) Use: Check the location of your property. Item Introduction: A certificate for a house, located in Ginkgo Village. It’s a document of immense value.] Xiao Jie clicked to view and found that this property was right behind the village chief’s home, next to the ginkgo tree and the ancestral hall. The location was quite good, essentially within what you might call the ’first ring’ of Ginkgo Village. Well, it might not be the incense or secret books he wanted most, but it should be of some value, right? Xiao Jie stepped out of the village chief’s house, and the three people outside immediately gathered around him. "How did it go, what reward did you get?" "A house deed. I’ve got a house now." Xiao Jie said with a smile, his heart couldn’t help but feel somewhat speechless, keeping in mind that he hadn’t even bought a house in reality. Ye Luo said enviously, "This is really good stuff, if you don’t want it you could sell it for money, and it’s worth a lot." "How much is it worth?" "Not sure, but selling it for several hundred thousand shouldn’t be a problem." Holy cow, that much? Isn’t that more expensive than an actual house in reality? Jiangbei City is a third-tier small city with always relatively low housing prices, especially now that the real estate market has been sliding, a sixty to seventy square meter house only costs about four to five hundred thousand, so this item is even pricier than real houses. "What rewards did you guys get?" "I Want to Be Immortal" said, "My reward is a map of Fengyin State, I asked the village chief how to get to Bixia Mountain Baiyun Temple, and the village chief gave me this, after using it, much of Fengyin State’s map was revealed, but it’s not fully disclosed, a few high-level danger areas are still blacked out." Xiao Jie thought that this item was not bad, as the maps in this game were all blacked out, and destinations could only be shown after exploring them, now that much of the map was directly unlocked, it would be of great help to short-term adventuring and leveling up. Dongfang Sheng said, "My reward is an [Introduction Letter], which can be handed to the State Governor to raise my reputation with the State Mansion." Xiao Jie immediately realized Dongfang Sheng’s plan, "You’re planning to change your profession to General?" Dongfang Sheng said, "That’s right, now I just lack Riding Skill, as long as I learn it before Level 10, I will be able to change my profession to General, I’ve heard Riding Skill is quite expensive, but luckily I’ve saved some money, it should be enough." The Military General profession should be considered a rather high-end existence among the Basic Professions. "Congratulations." "Haha, I should be thanking you guys for letting me join the battle." Ye Luo also mentioned, "I received a [Donkey Whistle]." "Donkey Whistle? What’s that?" "It’s a Mount, you can use it without needing any Riding Skill." Having said that, Ye Luo blew a loud whistle, and a donkey was summoned out of thin air, trotting over to Ye Luo, who leaped onto it and rode around the village chief’s house, surprisingly fast indeed. Wait for Ye Luo to ride the donkey back to the trio. Xiao Jie couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Why did you go for such a thing?" "I’m about to leave Newbie Village, having a Mount is convenient, I’m waiting here to say goodbye to you." Although mentally prepared, Xiao Jie felt a slight sense of sadness when he heard this news. "Does that mean we are parting ways?" "Don’t make it sound so sad, it’s only a matter of time before we leave the Newbie Village, you’re already Level 9, you’ll probably be leaving soon too, after I complete my Profession quest I should be leveling around Luoyang Town, and when you arrive at Luoyang Town, we will most likely bump into each other again." "Then let’s group up then?" This time, Ye Luo didn’t refuse as he normally did. "We can, but you’d better hurry up leveling, I’m not keen on carrying you if the level difference is too big." "Haha, don’t worry, we are only two levels apart now, I’ll catch up with you sooner or later." "That’s up to your skill," Ye Luo said roguishly, "Then I bid farewell to you all." After saying that, he sped off on the donkey out of the village. Even though they would eventually meet again, watching Ye Luo disappear beyond the village gate gave Xiao Jie an inexplicable sense of parting sadness. Gathering his thoughts, Xiao Jie told himself there’s no need for sentimentality and to focus on leveling up quickly.