78 In-Game Purchases

"Let's not worry about all these small details, you guys are cluttering the shop," Shou complained. He shoved all the guests from the reception hall into the artifact room. If they had any problems, they should pay money first, then discuss it at the leisure of their own time.

Meanwhile, a new quest had arrived for him, popping up as a familiar window. Even though it hadn't been that long, he had already longed to see more quests. Was that the fun of discovering the unknown? He couldn't help feeling excited, thinking about what rewards, punishments, and tasks Si personalized for him.

[Chain Quest - Run a successful business.

Third Chain Quest: Find Your Roots II.

Description: Earn a total of 600 spirit crystals. 475/600.

Reward: New instance: 'Tale of a King']

"Is it time for a new story already?" Shou read through the text. 'Tale of a King', he felt curious to know what exactly this new instance was. It held an interesting title, though it was too general for him to differentiate what kind of king was meant. He had met many types of kings, and become one quite often already, thus there was really no guessing to it.

Si said, "You don't like it?"

"I suppose, with Li Yinyi reaching 50% completion rate, and Mei Xue absolutely burning through the plot, it is about time we get something new," Shou spoke. "Also, the wall in the reception is looking rather bleak. I'd love to fill it with more paintings." He looked around. "We have to upgrade the size of this store first though. It seems there are more people than artifacts here."

"I told you the first time that we should upgrade it, but you did not believe me," Si complained. "I will think of something [sigh]. Really, why do I have to work so hard when I am just a young girl?"

"Child labor is no joke," Shou said. "But it does make me wonder about the new updates within the Deadly Witch Hunt. You didn't add some random story aspects which weren't originally there, right?"

"Just go check for yourself then [shrug]. Did you not want to showcase the illusory world to everyone else?"

"Oh yeah, that is right. It slipped my mind with all the tumult going on." The youth scratched his head. He moved to the area with the cores, the place where everyone else stood. There, he saw a confused Lan Jiu carefully scrutinizing the equipment. Even with several explanations, he did not seem to understand what was going on.

Zhang Yong shook his head, he said to Shou, "This dude is hopeless, he doesn't understand anything at all. It would be a waste to let him use these priceless artifacts."

"You didn't get it in the beginning either," the youth responded to him with a small smile. He still remembered when that burly man walked in and threatened to smash his store. In contrast, it would be weird if anyone understood these things without experiencing them themselves. "Well, luck is on his side today. I will show him how to use it."

"Oh, that is right!" Zhang Yong's eyes instantly lit up, forgetting about the despicable scum next to him. "Are you going to enter right now?" His shout gathered all the attention of the other guests.

Li Yinyi seemed a little disappointed. "Eh, but I wanted to enter the right now? But I can't watch if I did that. . . what should I do?"

"Can't you just wait a few hours," Li Yangyi advised her. "Let's see if the owner really has the skills to run this little store, shall we? I can't wait to see him get obliterated by the witch."

"I don't think that is going to happen," Mei Xue spoke. She crossed her arms and said with a smile. "Unlike us, he has the unfair advantage of knowing what exactly lays within the world, no?"

"You guys, stop setting me up for failure," Shou told them. He took a chair, then placed his hand on the artifact injecting some Spiritual Qi to enter the illusory world. Right after, he was met with a different, yet familiar world. He stood in front of the witch once more. This time, they did not start fighting on sight. He used the chance to check the new rewards. "Status window open."

A message, similar to those provided by Si, appeared right in front of his face. The only difference was that this page was black in color, with golden engravings at its edges, giving it an expensive appearance.

║Name: Shou • Age: ??? • Species: Human (?) • Level: 0 • Bloodline: Shou • Affinity: ???

Cultivation Base: -

Skills: ...(999+) click to expand.

Conquered Instances: -║

"The hell is this?" Shou tilted his head, reading the messages. "Half of the page is full with question marks."

"What do you want me to do? I am not almighty. How am I supposed to quantify what cannot be understood," Si asked while gritting her teeth. "Don't worry though, the others will have no problem accessing the page. They aren't a weirdo like you after all."

"Well, in addition, I don't think the others will appreciate having all their info displayed for everyone to read, out in the open." Shou pointed at the page.

"You think I am stupid? Obviously, for those watching from afar, this thing is obviously censored." Si scoffed. It was true though. Mei Xue and the others only saw a black page with nothing written in front of them. They were confused about what the purpose of that thing was.

"That's good to know that you aren't a complete dumbass." Shou nodded, genuinely surprised. "And I suppose the level here is my cultivation stage?" And he thought to himself, the cultivation base must be his Qi gathering technique. It would make sense how he had none, as he was still at stage 0.

"You aren't that slow either. That is nice," Si jabbed back. "Moving on, the conquered instance will showcase the illusory worlds they have cleared. There will be more future updates from here on out, as more things get discovered."

"I think this is already enough to shock them, so it is fine," Shou replied. "Where is the other reward then?"

"It's DLC."

"It's what?" 

"You have to pay extra to access it," Si spoke. "You can try opening the premium shop or buy it at the counter. Unlocking it will cost another 10 spirit crystals."

"You are a goddamn money-grubber, Si. I want you to know and understand that." He pointed his fists at the heavens. "How desperate for money are you to add in-game purchases? IT's the first instance, and you have already ruined our integrity."

"It's not an in-game purchase! It's a continued story one can do after they've completed their fate here and have nothing else to do. It's additional content, not some micro-transaction, okay? The only difference is that this does not directly relate to their fate," Si shouted back. "Also, you should pay attention to the things happening in front of you."

"Oh sh—" Shou dodged to his right. 

An orange-colored liquid brushed past him, and instantly, he felt a few degrees hotter. The air turned arid, devoid of any water, and he felt his skin blister. The drop of pure heat continued forward, completely destroying everything within its path.

The witch observed Shou. She had given up on killing him, but she still felt annoyed, seeing that he was ignoring her. The youth brushed his hair back and exhaled. He lifted both his hands. "I am not here to fight," he spoke. "I know you wish neither to talk nor be friends, but I do come in peace."

The witch squinted her eyes. She did not speak. If it weren't for Li Yinyis' encounter, he'd think she was a mute.

"You see, I think I have found a solution that somewhat fits me," Shou spoke. "I've been too preoccupied with changing my own fate, but that is not what this is currently about. It was just like Zhang Yong when he wanted answers to cultivation stages he wasn't part of. First, to change my own fate, I should learn to change the fate of other people." He laughed, then pointed at her. "So, let's do what the Store of Fates came here to do. Something unique to only me. Let us change your fate. Not mine." He paused. "Yours."

The witch did not understand what Shou spoke of, but she felt it was not favorable to her. For the first time, a hint of impatience appeared behind her ever tranquil eyes. She placed both her hands together, and when she separated them again, a giant glowing orb, that could blind anyone watching, appeared in between. She threw it into the air, and from the orb, it exploded, as if firework, and innumerable rays of light shot out, some curving, all guided towards Shou. It looked like a meteor shower from hell.

"You know that won't work on me." Shou welcomed the rain with a grin. He stretched his arms out. The fiery drops fell on him, bursting parts of his body open, but he did not die. Interestingly, none of the attacks hit the field on the ground.

When the attack subsided, which took quite a while, the witch had disappeared into her house and tightly locked the door.