Days passed by uneventfully.
Rimuru convened battle meetings daily, but seven days had passed since the Lizardmen were annihilated by the Orcs, and still, no concrete plan had been formulated.
The Orc Lord’s forces would attack one location, then another, but they deliberately avoided causing trouble in the Monster Country.
This further solidified Bai Ye’s suspicion: the number of Chosen Ones was insufficient!
Without enough people, the hidden quest couldn’t be triggered, and they could only wait. It was akin to the city’s chaos zone, which remained inactive until the player count exceeded one hundred.
Thus, Bai Ye continued his aimless wandering.
However, since the news of the hidden quest spread, the Chosen Ones had become much busier, all occupied with searching for it.
Truth be told, there wasn’t a huge sense of anticipation; it was mainly that being aimless all day was boring, and everyone needed something to do.
Remarkably, the fifth and sixth scepters were soon produced. The fifth came from the Goblins, and the sixth from the Fang Wolves.
The Monster Country was only so large, and the number of Chosen Ones loitering there was also limited. Therefore, it quickly came to light that these two scepters were acquired by the Chosen One who had found the scepter quest earliest. This brought his total to five scepters.
Yet, only Jin Xiangchuan knew that he possessed not five, but six scepters!
While others searched for scepters, Jin Xiangchuan continued his own search and had obtained the Elven scepter. He was now only missing one.
But…
He had scoured almost every corner of the Monster Country, yet Jin Xiangchuan couldn’t find any trace of the last scepter.
Based on the clues from other quests, Jin Xiangchuan believed the seven scepters should correspond to the seven most populous races in the Monster Country. Therefore, the final scepter should belong to the Lizardmen.
After the Orcs annihilated them, the surviving Lizardmen had all come to the Monster Country, becoming residents among the top three most numerous races there.
However, Jin Xiangchuan had searched through all the Lizardmen and found no news of a scepter.
Jin Xiangchuan was in a quandary. Without the final scepter, possessing six was useless. If he couldn’t complete the quest, he’d just be left with scepters to play baseball with.
And while Jin Xiangchuan was agonizing over this…
“Hey!”
Someone suddenly patted Jin Xiangchuan’s shoulder, startling him. He quickly spun around.
“Bai Ye?”
Upon seeing the person, Jin Xiangchuan realized it was someone familiar.
As the earliest arrival in the Monster Country and the only Chosen One who could freely enter and exit Rimuru’s mansion, Bai Ye was quite well-known.
Bai Ye, holding a bowl of shaved ice, asked, “How’s your scepter collection coming along?”
Jin Xiangchuan casually replied, “Almost there.”
“Almost how much?” Bai Ye chuckled. “Missing one?”
Jin Xiangchuan paused, then said, “Missing two.”
“Oh,” Bai Ye nodded. “Then keep up the good work. I’m going to continue wandering!”
Jin Xiangchuan’s heart skipped a beat. Bai Ye’s words seemed to imply something.
“Wait, wait!” Jin Xiangchuan quickly called out to Bai Ye. “Bai Ye, do you have a scepter?”
Bai Ye replied, “That depends on how many scepters you have.”
Jin Xiangchuan looked confused. “What do you mean?”
Bai Ye explained, “If you have six scepters, then I have the Lizardmen’s Ruby Scepter. If you don’t have six, then I don’t.”
Jin Xiangchuan was utterly bewildered. “Do you have it, or not?”
Bai Ye pressed, “Do you have six scepters?”
Jin Xiangchuan considered for a moment and honestly nodded. “I do.”
Bai Ye then said, “Then I have the Lizardmen’s Ruby Scepter. Do you want it?”
Jin Xiangchuan’s eyes lit up. “Of course, I do.”
Bai Ye stated, “At least a black-quality item for exchange.”
Jin Xiangchuan nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He stared at Bai Ye in disbelief. “Those scepters are all green-quality weapons!”
Bai Ye smiled. “So, now you understand why I asked if you’d collected six scepters, right?”
Jin Xiangchuan was stunned again, then blurted out, “Damn it, you’re price gouging!”
Bai Ye nodded. “That’s right. You just figured that out?”
If Jin Xiangchuan hadn’t possessed six scepters, it would mean there were multiple parties involved in the exchange. In such a scenario, whether he was missing one or two, Bai Ye would have no leverage for price gouging. This was because, regardless of whether he obtained the Ruby Scepter, the other party wouldn’t be able to complete the hidden quest.
However, since Jin Xiangchuan already had six scepters, then…
Bai Ye could dictate the price, and even toy with him, humiliate him, torment him, and tease him. Jin Xiangchuan would still have to force a smile and call Bai Ye “Grandpa.”
This was because, with six scepters in hand, Jin Xiangchuan would never let go of the last one.
Jin Xiangchuan was speechless. “But these are just green-quality items.”
Bai Ye replied, “That’s right, no problem. But collecting seven of them won’t be just green-quality anymore.”
“But I have the other six,” Jin Xiangchuan exclaimed in frustration. “I got them all through my own efforts, and I found the hidden quest myself. You only have one!”
Bai Ye countered, “But without the one I have, you can’t collect seven. And as long as you can’t collect seven, you’ll only have six green-quality weapons.”
Jin Xiangchuan gritted his teeth. “Do you know what rewards you get for collecting all seven, that you dare to ask for such an exorbitant price?”
Bai Ye replied, “Black-quality items.”
Jin Xiangchuan couldn’t help but freeze, because Bai Ye had hit the nail on the head.
Jin Xiangchuan asked, “You found this quest too?”
“Not yet,” Bai Ye said with a smile. “But even though these scepters are green-quality, their effects are permanently strengthening. They should definitely command a premium, more than blue-quality items, right? You’ll admit that.”
Jin Xiangchuan nodded. “I admit it!”
Bai Ye continued, “Collecting seven blue-quality items still doesn’t get you a black-quality item. Is that still considered a hidden quest?”
Jin Xiangchuan said with a wry smile, “My quest reward is only one black-quality item. Are you saying it’s reasonable for you to demand one black-quality item in exchange for one of your scepters?”
Bai Ye said, “It’s not reasonable.”
Jin Xiangchuan replied, “Exactly…”
Bai Ye interrupted, “But without my scepter, you won’t get any black-quality items.”
Jin Xiangchuan’s anger flared. “This excuse is inescapable, isn’t it?”
Bai Ye spread his hands. “Without my scepter, you cannot complete the hidden quest.”
Jin Xiangchuan: “…”
Damn it, can’t you stop harping on this point?
Jin Xiangchuan took a deep breath. “You have no use for that thing. Just be straightforward. How can I get it from you?”
Bai Ye stated, “A black-quality item.”
“Damn it!” Jin Xiangchuan cursed. “I’ll give it to you!”
“Anything less than a black-quality item, I…” Bai Ye suddenly stopped, then exclaimed in surprise. “You’re actually going to give it to me?”