WTYTIAAN Chapter 77

Chapter 77

A thick old tree root serves as the main pillar of the entire space. Above, a tarpaulin of unknown origin serves as the roof, covered with thick thatch to barely hold it down. In the corners, a collection of discarded items accumulates – tables, chairs, benches, and various pieces of garbage.

It’s described as discarded because these items all bear obvious signs of repair, and rather ugly repairs at that. The original owners probably preferred buying something new rather than using such unsightly things.

The walls are made of small, broken stones mixed with mud, so crude that Yan Yunqing felt a slightly stronger wind could blow them down.

A tattered cloth hangs in the doorway as a curtain, its color dull, the edges frayed.

“We’re here.” Nika looked at the dilapidated home, then at Yan Yunqing’s luxurious clothes, so out of place here, and seemed a little embarrassed.

She walked ahead, lifted the cloth curtain, and rubbed her hands together, “Actually, it’s quite clean here. The children who stay home are responsible for cleaning.”

As she said this, one, two, three, four, five, six small heads popped out from behind the curtain, peering curiously at the outsider who had suddenly appeared.

“Nika, is this the brother you said would come to our house today as a guest?” A little girl, about four or five years old, tugged at Nika’s clothes, looking at Yan Yunqing with curiosity.

“Yes, Beryl.” Nika patted her little head. “Can you go prepare a cup of hot water for this brother? Use that cup Roco brought back before, wash it first and then fill it with hot water, okay?”

Beryl nodded and ran inside.

Nika turned to the other children and said to them, “Go watch around, don’t let anyone else get close.”

The children all nodded. Even though they were very curious about Yan Yunqing, they obediently ran off, returning to their posts.

Yan Yunqing lifted the curtain and followed Nika into the house. The house that was just right for Nika and the others seemed a bit small for Yan Yunqing.

At his height, he had to bend over to enter. If Yan Yunqing stood up straight, his head would hit the tarpaulin roof.

Yan Yunqing could only find a broken stool to sit on. Luckily, the broken stool was sturdy enough, otherwise Yan Yunqing was afraid that he would break another piece of furniture in this not-so-wealthy home.

Nika didn’t immediately offer to entertain Yan Yunqing. Instead, she walked into the inner room. Yan Yunqing heard her say inside, “Jeff, I’ve brought that big brother back. Are you coming out?”

Several coughs came from the room. A voice said vaguely, “Wait a moment, I’ll be right out.”

Nika came out and also pulled up a small stool, sitting in front of Yan Yunqing and smiling at him, “Jeff will be out soon, brother, please wait a moment!”

Sure enough, after a while, a young man who looked seventeen or eighteen years old, supported by a wooden stick, limped out of the room, lifting the curtain.

His complexion was also pale, with lingering bruises on his face. His right foot was twisted in a strange position, obviously a broken leg that had not received proper treatment, resulting in this state.

He walked out with the support of the wooden stick, moving very slowly. Every movement seemed to require all his strength. Sweat slowly seeped from his forehead. Nika wanted to go up and help, but Jeff refused.

He shuffled to where Yan Yunqing and Nika were, and sat down on the only chair of normal height.

One of the chair’s legs was missing half its length. Yan Yunqing hadn’t chosen that chair because he was afraid of breaking it. It turned out this chair was for Jeff.

This series of movements had exhausted all of Jeff’s strength. As soon as he sat down, he began to gasp uncontrollably. Yan Yunqing was even afraid that he would break his lungs with too much force.

He paused for a moment, and gave Yan Yunqing a friendly smile. “Hello, I am Jeff, the older brother of these children.”

“I heard that you saved Nika yesterday, and those potions were also given to Nika by you. They also saved my life. Without them, I’m afraid I would have passed away yesterday.” Jeff said softly, “I am really grateful to you.”

Yan Yunqing looked at Jeff’s stats, knowing that Jeff was downplaying things, because his status bar was full of debuffs, and his health bar only had a sliver left. Indeed, his Small Blue Bottle had saved his life, barely hanging on with a small amount of HP regeneration.

But without clearing the continuous HP loss debuffs, this Jeff still wouldn’t live long.

Yan Yunqing could almost see his death countdown.

Yan Yunqing pointed it out very bluntly, “That potion of mine doesn’t help you much. If possible, you should go get treatment as soon as possible, or you will still die.”

Nika’s expression immediately tightened upon hearing this, her eyes full of worry as she stared at Jeff. She opened her mouth to call Jeff’s name, but was stopped by him.

Jeff sighed softly, “I know… it’s just that the family really doesn’t have that much money to treat me… Even if we did, it would only barely save my life. Am I supposed to stay home like a cripple, waiting for them to support me?”

A hint of bitterness appeared on Jeff’s face, “If I’m going to live like a cripple, I’d rather die.”

“Jeff!” Nika stood up abruptly, anxiously saying, “No, you won’t become a cripple. Have you forgotten what you said before? Even if the body is a little worse, it doesn’t matter, as long as everyone is still here, we won’t give up on any brother or sister.”

Her speech was too fast, so that after saying this long passage, her chest began to rise and fall violently, with signs of difficulty breathing again.

Jeff patted her back reassuringly to calm her down, “Don’t worry, don’t worry… Breathe slowly, Nika, you know, the gods have given you the ability to remain calm, you must make good use of them.”

Nika closed her eyes, but obediently followed Jeff’s rhythm, slowly easing her emotions. Her heartbeat, which had been too fast, gradually slowed down, and her breathing was no longer rapid.

“Good child.” Jeff touched Nika’s cheek with the back of his hand. “Our Nika will always overcome the demons.”

Yan Yunqing quietly watched this scene, not saying a word.

Jeff soothed Nika’s emotions and said apologetically to Yan Yunqing, “I’m sorry, Nika gets like this when she gets emotional. Let’s go back to the previous topic.”

He looked at Nika, and then at Yan Yunqing, “Presumably Nika has already explained the reason for inviting you over.”

Yan Yunqing’s eyes flashed, and he nodded slightly, “She said you could help me. I’m also very curious. I myself don’t even know what my purpose is, but you say you know why I came here and even want to help me?”

Even though Nika had previously guessed that he was going to Mantipel, Yan Yunqing still didn’t confirm her statement, preparing to probe further, preferably to find out the source of their information.

“Actually, we don’t know why you came here. All of this is Nika’s speculation.” Jeff touched Nika’s head. “Nika, why don’t you tell us how you guessed it?”

Yan Yunqing’s surprised gaze fell on Nika, who was clinging to Jeff’s side, “You? Guessed it?”

Nika hesitated, and under Jeff’s encouraging gaze, she nodded, “Yes, I guessed it.”

She lowered her head slightly, and narrated her deduction process: “Your clothes and appearance show that you are not from Freedom City, nor do you seem like a resident living in a nearby city, so I think you should be from a farther place.”

“There are many outsiders who come to Freedom City, generally divided into several categories. One type is from mercenary groups, because the headquarters of the Bounty Hunter Association is located here. Many mercenary groups also consider Freedom City as a base. I’ve seen many of those mercenaries. They have a lingering bloody scent on them, which you don’t have.”

“So I think you shouldn’t be a mercenary, nor are you here for the Bounty Hunter Association.”

Yan Yunqing didn’t know how Nika made that judgment. Mercenaries weren’t always taking on killing missions. Most of them still targeted magical creatures. These days, countless magical creatures had died at Yan Yunqing’s hands. Of course, he had killed many people too. Before, in Bato Vita, he was one-shotting ‘red-name monsters’.

“Remaining in Freedom City, apart from some association personnel stationed here, only those preparing to enter Mantipel are left.”

Nika said quickly, “Those people from the associations all carry an air of superiority. To them, being stationed in Freedom City is a hardship. From the day they enter the city, their emotions become irritable and angry. Not to mention forgiving Rocco and the others for stealing money bags, even if a child accidentally bumps into them, those big shots will severely reprimand them.”

“You are too gentle…” Nika shyly pinched the flesh of her palm. “From the beginning, I judged that you were preparing to go to Mantipel. People who go there will bring a lot of wealth, so we later wanted to follow you, to steal a little money…”

Her voice became lower and lower towards the end, almost inaudible when she said the last sentence.

Yan Yunqing nodded, “I reluctantly accept this explanation. But how can you be so sure that I’m going to Mantipel? What if I’m just here to play around?”

Nika’s logic wasn’t very rigorous. In fact, many of her assumptions were based on wishful thinking. A slight change in variables could overturn the entire conclusion. It was just that Yan Yunqing was indeed going to Mantipel.

It seemed that these children really didn’t have any other forces behind them. All the things he had thought about before were purely him scaring himself.

Yan Yunqing’s rebuttal made Nika raise her eyes in astonishment. She was a little hesitant, “Come to Freedom City… to play?”

Nika tilted her head, very puzzled, “Why would anyone want to come to Freedom City to play? Here, even killing people isn’t punished. What if you get killed?”

Yan Yunqing was speechless. What she said seemed to make some sense. How could anyone run to Freedom City unless they were extremely wicked or had a purpose? It was too chaotic here. Maybe just a little argument on the road could lead to someone being killed directly.

There was no law to speak of here.

Although… in those empires, nobles could also kill commoners at will, but at least there was a guard as a decoration. Commoners shrank back, not provoking those notoriously fierce nobles, and generally wouldn’t face a threat to their lives.

Yan Yunqing followed Nika’s logic and realized that he really could only be here for Mantipel. Other possibilities could be ruled out.

Really… was this how he was exposed?

He was just saying that he hadn’t even touched Mantipel, and had only strolled around the city for half a day, so how could he have been discovered?

Yan Yunqing sighed, “Okay, I am indeed here for Mantipel. Then what do you mean by saying you can help me?”

Nika looked at Jeff. Jeff nodded to her, and she continued, “Brother, I know you must also be here for the Dragonbone Sword, right?”

Yan Yunqing was stunned.

What Dragonbone Sword? Was he also applying for a monthly pass? Where did the Dragonbone Sword come from?

No, how did this Dragonbone Sword suddenly pop up? What does it have to do with him going to Mantipel?

“…Can you explain in detail?”

“A month ago, Mantipel suddenly released a message that they would award the legendary Dragonbone Sword, made from the bones of a radiant dragon, as an honor to the most outstanding ‘Midas Touch.'”

Yan Yunqing blinked. Made of dragon bones?

Nika didn’t notice Yan Yunqing’s unease and continued, “As soon as this news came out, the people in Freedom City went crazy. I don’t know if Mantipel really has this legendary sword, but some of the pretty children among us were selected to go to Mantipel as pageboys. When they came back, they did say that Mantipel’s display platform had a very beautiful sword.”

“That sword is pure white, like carved jade, and it faintly emits golden light. Many customers who go to Mantipel are very interested in it. That’s probably the real Dragonbone Sword.”

“In the past month, many outsiders have come to Freedom City, all aiming for that Dragonbone Sword. I can see the madness in their eyes.”

Yan Yunqing suddenly understood: No wonder Nika would guess he was here for Mantipel. It wasn’t because of the reasons she had said before, but because Mantipel had suddenly created a prize, and recently most people coming to Freedom City were there for that prize.

As for Yan Yunqing? He had just happened to come here at this time to take the Sigrit Academy’s recommendation entrance exam.

This was a true case of a blind cat running into a dead mouse, coincidental to the extreme.

Yan Yunqing: “You think I’m also here for the Dragonbone Sword, and you want to help me get that Dragonbone Sword? How can you help?”

Nika nodded solemnly, “I just said that some of our children are working as pageboys in Mantipel. They’ve spent a lot of time inside. I can let them assist you in winning those gambles.”

“You may not understand Mantipel. The bookmakers and gamblers inside are very cunning. They will let you win very smoothly when you are cautious, but when you throw out all your bets, they will swallow all of yours.”

Nika said, “My companion once watched a noble man mortgage his manor in Mantipel, and finally lost everything, even his peerage, to Mantipel.”

Yan Yunqing: “…Wait, can a peerage also be lost?”

Nika looked at Yan Yunqing strangely, “Yes, some small nobles’ peerages can actually be bought and sold. I heard that a viscount from Romunike sold his peerage to a merchant… um, but I just heard about it, I haven’t seen it with my own eyes.”

Yan Yunqing was shocked. These peerages could be bought and sold, so why was Xavier’s request to inherit a barony rejected by the royal family? No, someone must have secretly set a trap for Xavier, right?

Yan Yunqing felt that this identity was becoming more and more troublesome, but he was now in a difficult position. In order to get the perks from the Sigrit Academy, he could only use this identity to complete the entrance exam in order to enter the academy.

Yan Yunqing’s expression changed unpredictably. Nika cautiously looked at him a few times. In the end, Yan Yunqing could only suppress the inexplicable irritability in his heart and let out a long sigh.

He consoled himself: It’s okay, the worst case scenario is to change identities and run away. Getting the perks is the most important thing!

“You mean—” Yan Yunqing said, “Your companions can help me win those gambles?”

Nika nodded repeatedly, “My companions are very powerful. They’ve been in Mantipel for a long time and have also learned some ways to manipulate the gambles. I can let them teach you, and then cooperate with you to win the gambles.”

“What are your conditions?”

Yan Yunqing didn’t believe Nika’s words at all. None of these children living in Freedom City were innocent and kind. Yan Yunqing didn’t believe that the other party would return such a large reward just because of his few bottles of potion.

To put it nicely, it was helping him, but to put it bluntly, it was letting her companions risk their lives to betray Mantipel in order to provide him with assistance.

Could her companions agree to that? Without any benefits, Yan Yunqing, if he were in their position, definitely wouldn’t want to.

Nika wasn’t surprised that Yan Yunqing would discover that she had other purposes.

“The ‘Midas Touch’ in Mantipel has great power. In Mantipel, the ‘Midas Touch’ can enjoy everything, including the waiters and pageboys, as long as they pay enough gold coins.” Nika said, “One of my companions… named Nana, has been targeted, and, and…”

Nika looked at Jeff, her eyes revealing sadness and anger.

Jeff sighed and took over Nika’s words: “Nana is about the same age as Nika. She is beautiful, and was selected to go to Mantipel when she was very young.”

“To be honest, living in Freedom City is not as good as being selected to work as a pageboy in Mantipel. At least that way you can eat and dress warmly, and you don’t have to worry about getting sick and not having money for treatment.” Jeff said, “I was once very happy for Nana.”

“A month ago, being selected to go to Mantipel was still a good way out. Although there were some risks, they were still young, and those ‘Midas Touch’ were more willing to have older waiters accompany them. Nana and the others were also very smart, and nothing had happened in recent years.”

“But that changed a month ago.”

Yan Yunqing said in a low voice, “Because of that Dragonbone Sword?”

Jeff nodded helplessly, “Yes, it’s because of that Dragonbone Sword that attracted too many people to Freedom City and entered Mantipel. With more ‘Midas Touch’, Nana and the others’ situation has become much more difficult.”

“Nana and the others want to leave Mantipel, but Mantipel won’t allow it. They were originally children bought and cultivated by Mantipel, and Mantipel has spent a lot of gold coins on them. How could they let them leave before they get a return?”

“This matter has been dragging on. Fortunately, Nana and the others are still alert and haven’t been hurt.” Jeff shook his head. “But recently a group of mercenaries came, also aiming for the Dragonbone Sword, called Black Serpent.”

“Their reputation is not good. The most powerful one among them successfully advanced to become a ‘Midas Touch’ and then… took a fancy to Nana.”

Yan Yunqing frowned. Black Serpent?

That name sounded a little familiar… He recalled it. Wasn’t it the group of people the children had mentioned to him when they thanked him, the ones who injured Jeff?

Yan Yunqing’s gaze fell on Jeff’s twisted right leg. The degree of curvature meant that it was basically completely useless without treatment.

“One of the children in Mantipel ran out to ask me for help, but when I rushed over, Nana had already been taken away.” Jeff’s eyebrows showed undisguised pain. “I wanted to bring Nana back, but… alas.”

Jeff’s shoulders slumped. He closed his eyes and couldn’t help but cover his face with his hands. “As the children’s brother, I’m really useless.”

Nika, however, held Jeff’s hand in return. “Nana… Nana never blamed you, Jeff.”

Yan Yunqing interrupted them, “So, what are your requirements?”

Jeff wanted to speak, but Nika preempted him, “We will do our best to help you win every gamble. The condition is that during this period, you help us protect those children in Mantipel. After you win the Dragonbone Sword, please help us redeem them… and Nana.”

“Mantipel allows the ‘Midas Touch’ to spend money to buy waiters and pageboys. Compared to waiters, the price of pageboys is not expensive. Of course, you don’t have to worry about that part of the price. Our companions will help you win more gambles, and that money will be used to buy them.”

“And, kill everyone in the Black Serpent mercenary group.”

Hate flashed in Nika’s eyes, as if she wished she could skin and dismember those people she was talking about, devouring their flesh and blood raw.

This was contrary to Yan Yunqing’s first impression of Nika, but after thinking about it, Yan Yunqing could guess that Nika’s weakness in front of him was also mostly feigned.

Being able to survive in this Freedom City, even children couldn’t be too simple. They had long had their own set of survival rules.

Compared to these children, it was this brother who…

Yan Yunqing looked at Jeff and couldn’t help but sigh: This brother was truly kind.

On the way here, he had heard these children chattering and had a general understanding of why these children had formed such a well-organized little group.

The Jeff in front of him could only be considered half a resident of Freedom City. His parents had both been mercenaries, but when he was eight years old, they died in the wild due to an encounter with a magical creature.

So the eight-year-old Jeff guarded his parents’ inheritance and began to struggle to survive in Freedom City. At first, people from his parents’ mercenary group took care of him, but later those people also died, and Jeff became alone.

He was optimistic, and lived well enough on his own. Because he had good genes, his martial strength wasn’t low either, so he joined a mercenary group and occasionally went out on missions with the team.

Later, he picked up the first child in a village attacked by magical creatures. Jeff brought the child back and raised him as a younger brother. From then on, he began a life of constantly picking up children.

The inheritance his parents left him was difficult to support him with, let alone raise this group of children. Jeff actually sold his parents’ house and moved into the slums with the children he picked up, building this little nest that belonged to them.

Jeff’s story was quite famous in Freedom City. Everyone knew that there was a silly young mercenary who liked to pick up children. Later, some families who didn’t want children even left them on Jeff’s usual path after giving birth. He actually picked them up too.

Nika, Rocco, Fedi… they were all brought back by Jeff in this way.

This was simply the orphanage director of another world! The Virgin Mary!

After listening, Yan Yunqing only felt that if Jeff went to their Blue Star, even the Leshan Giant Buddha would have to get up and give him a seat.

After hearing what Jeff had just said, Yan Yunqing couldn’t help but wonder: Could this guy have lost his parents at a young age and, because he lacked love, his desire to protect other orphans had gradually become abnormal?

There was indeed a type of person who, after experiencing suffering, couldn’t bear to see others experiencing the same suffering, so they would rather sacrifice themselves to help others.

Anyway, Yan Yunqing himself couldn’t do that.

Faced with such a pure, even abnormally good person, Yan Yunqing only felt awe.

Yan Yunqing’s gaze swept over Nika and Jeff, “Are these all your requirements?”

After saying that she would kill everyone in the Black Serpent mercenary group, Nika felt uneasy. She knew that the mercenary group was very strong. The person in front of her might not be able to successfully kill those people.

But Nika had no way to go. She couldn’t find a second person who was as kind and powerful as Yan Yunqing.

Yes, she had figured it out later. Rocco’s skill [Stealing] was very hidden. They had even successfully stolen the purse of a level 58 mage before, and the mage hadn’t noticed it at all.

But this time Rocco had only gotten close and was caught red-handed. This seemingly ordinary brother must be very strong. Perhaps he had a chance to win against the Black Serpent gang.

But Nika wasn’t sure if he would agree. She could only bet that Yan Yunqing was determined to get the Dragonbone Sword and also wasn’t good at gambling, so that her little partners working as pageboys in Mantipel could become the conditions for their cooperation.

She thought in her heart that if the brother in front of her wasn’t willing to kill the Black Serpent people, it didn’t matter, as long as he agreed to buy Nana and the others back in the end, they could still cooperate.

“I agree to your conditions.”

As Yan Yunqing’s voice fell, not only did Nika’s eyes light up, but several missions also appeared on his game mission panel.

[Rescue Nana]

Description: Nana, a flower that blooms beautifully but is about to wither, she grows out of corrupt gold coins, and will also wither in that brilliance. You can’t bear to see her fall, and decide to lend a helping hand.

[Protect the Children’s Troupe Members in Mantipel (11/11)]

Description: Nika cooperates with you. The members of the Children’s Troupe in Mantipel will help you become the ‘Midas Touch’. At the same time, you must take on the responsibility of protecting them. During this period, more than three deaths will be considered a mission failure.

[Redeem the Children’s Troupe Members in Mantipel (0/11)]

Description: You promised Nika that at the end of everything, you would bring her companions back. She has placed all her trust in you. Can you fulfill her wish?

[Annihilate the Black Serpent Mercenary Group (21/21)]

Description: Nika narrated Nana’s and Jeff’s experiences. She entrusted you to kill these sinful mercenaries. After listening to their story, you decided to lend a helping hand.

Yan Yunqing glanced over them and found that the rewards given by the system for these four missions were actually quite a lot. Calculating the experience, it was enough for him to level up twice. He had to know that he was already level 44 now. From level 30 onwards, the experience bar required for each level doubled.

And these four seemingly ordinary missions could actually directly allow him to level up twice?

Accepting these missions was a good deal. He really sympathized with these children’s experiences, and being able to complete them was a win-win situation.

Nika excitedly jumped up from the small stool, “Good, then we will also do our best to assist you in winning every gamble. The Dragonbone Sword will definitely be yours!”

Yan Yunqing paused, his eyes flickering.

He really wasn’t here for the Dragonbone Sword… He still had a whole set of weapons and armor made of radiant dragon bones lying in his backpack.