"Captain, why is learning skills so expensive? Can you make it cheaper?"
"Hehe, Stone City, you're the first player to become a knight. As a reward, I'll teach you knight skills for free."
No wonder the great knight is so straightforward and generous. Hearing this, I was thrilled—looks like I saved a pretty penny.
"Ding dong, Stone City, Knight Captain Marco will teach you knight skills. Would you like to learn?"
"Learn."
"For the glory of the knights."
Knight Captain Marco shouted loudly, and a beam of light flowed from his hand into my body.
"Ding dong, player Stone City has been instructed by the Knight Captain and learned the skill Taunt."
"Ding dong, player Stone City has been instructed by the Knight Captain and learned the skill Heavy Strike."
"Thanks, Captain." I was naturally very grateful.
"Hehe, Stone City, no need to be polite. Heaven rewards diligence—that's an unchanging truth. I hope you keep working hard to spread our knight spirit and contribute to Tianmeng Continent."
"Okay, Captain, I'll do my best."
"Stone City, other skills can only be learned when you reach the required level, and you can continue to learn them for free then. But the skills I teach you are just basic aids for your growth—the lowest level. The key is to comprehend skills that suit you based on your own abilities, or seek out legendary divine skills to stand out and unleash your full potential."
"Thanks for the advice, Captain. May I ask how to comprehend better skills？"
The captain was very helpful to me and shared some experience—absolutely useful—so I quickly humbly asked for guidance.
I knew about seeking legendary divine skills—that's about killing monsters to drop high-level skill books, like the 'Sleepwalking' skill book I got from the golden war bear Chálàlà.
But comprehending skills on my own is very difficult. There are currently no hints or training paths, so I had no idea how to do it, which is why I unashamedly asked for advice.
"That question of yours is key. Mastering skills requires not only high inherent luck, but also good fortune and opportunity. But regardless, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and a towering building rests on its foundation—basic skills are the key. Only by being familiar with basic skills can you perform better." The Knight Captain Marco nodded with satisfaction at my sharp question and answered happily.
"Alright, Stone City, this is all the guidance I can give you. A few days ago, Wang Cai, a merchant from Tianlong City, came to me saying he ran into some trouble at the Blackstone Tower five days ago and asked me to investigate. But I've been busy with work lately and haven't had time to go. If you have time, could you go and look into this for me？"
"Ding dong. Knight Captain Marco has entrusted player Stone City with investigating Merchant Wang Cai's trouble. Accept？"
"Accept."
For the Knight Captain to entrust us with a quest, it couldn't be just any ordinary quest. Otherwise, according to his duties, he's only responsible for players' job changes and skill teaching—how would he have quests?
"Ding dong. Player Stone City has accepted the Unique Quest: Merchant Wang Cai's Trouble. First, go find Merchant Wang Cai to understand the situation."
Sure enough, it's no ordinary quest—it's actually a Unique Quest. That means it completely disappears once completed. Looks like this quest is meant for the first player to change class.
"Stone City, take this letter and see Merchant Wang Cai. He'll tell you the whole story."
"Alright, Captain. I'll give it my all and complete this quest."
I took the letter and, confirming there was nothing else, left the training hall, ready to start life in Tianlong City.
Leaving the training hall, I ran to the weapon shop to buy a set of level-10 knight gear. After all, I'm level 12 now, but I'm still wearing level-5 soldier equipment—way too shabby.
But after checking the gear at the weapon shop, I was frustrated. A single piece of level-10 white-quality gear cost 5 gold coins. How rip-off！
Looking at the complete knight outfit： helmet, top, bottoms, shoes, shield, and weapon—it cost 30 gold coins in total, and the stats weren't much better than my current level-5 blue-quality gear.
Forget it, Longfei Group, you're ruthless. I'll just take it.
I'm already level 12 now. I'll swap equipment when I hit level 15. Plus, my stats are strong enough—I don't even care about the few stat points low-level gear adds.
In the end, I spent 10 gold coins to buy a Knight's Bronze Helmet and a Bronze Shield. I didn't have these two items, and equipping them gives me a nice stat boost.
As for the other gear, forget it. I really wanted to wear a full set of knight equipment and look cool for a while, but as a newbie, funds are tight. For now, I'll save where I can.
I ran to the potion shop to stock up on red potions. I spent 30 gold coins on 10 medium reds and two Town Portal Scrolls.
Everyone says war runs on supplies—it's all about consumption and gold. So when it comes to restocking potions, I can't be stingy.
In the blink of an eye, I spent 40 gold coins. Suddenly I realized that while making money in this game is fast, spending it is just as fast. Looks like Longfei Group is about to make a killing.
Complaints aside, since they set the rules, I have to follow them.
I went to the warehouse keeper and stored the top-tier gear from my backpack in the warehouse. Keeping it on me isn't as safe as storing it, and I can't even use the expensive gear right now—it just takes up space in my inventory.
Damn！ I never thought I'd need more gold coins. Every step requires gold coins. This is so frustrating！
The system gives each player 50 storage slots. To upgrade the warehouse space, you have to pay. Every 10 extra slots costs 1000 gold coins—not only do you need money, but it's also expensive.
What's worse is that storing items in the warehouse also costs gold. Trash gear is fine—blue equipment at level 10 only costs 50 silver coins, not too bad. But my divine artifact, the Adamantium Greatshield, costs 100 gold coins just to store once!
Such a rip-off！
Looking at the Adamantium Greatshield lying in the warehouse, I only had a pathetic 60-something gold coins on me. I couldn't even take it out.
Alright, still feeling frustrated, I stored the Adamantium Greatshield, Wolf Fang, Bear Battle Armor, Thousand-Year Bear Gall, and 2 Blessing Gems in the warehouse. For the other items—Eagle Emblem, Rabbit Path, and Tianmeng Continent Map—I'll carry them with me. These are undroppable equipment, so there's no danger keeping them on me, and who knows when they'll come in handy.
There are still 3 Tianmeng Gems. I immediately took out the hammer, used the forging skill, and with a clang and a clatter, added them to Dudu Rabbit's visor.
"Ding-dong, forging successful. Dudu Rabbit's visor level increased by 1. Forging skill proficiency increased."
"Ding-dong, forging successful. Dudu Rabbit's visor level increased by 1. Forging skill proficiency increased."
"Ding-dong, forging successful. Dudu Rabbit's visor level increased by 1. Forging skill proficiency increased."
Hehe, three consecutive successful forges. Given my luck, it'd be weird if it didn't succeed. But that "ding-dong" sound is really pleasant—I like it！
Let's take a look at the stats of Dudu Rabbit's visor now：
Dudu Rabbit's Visor： Ghost Equipment Level 4, a precious gift from the Golden Rabbit King to Dudu Rabbit. Requirements： None. Agility 50, Movement Speed +3, Attack Speed +2. Skill： Leg It—allows use of a town portal scroll in combat. Agility +40.
Hehe, it's a shame Tianmeng Gems can't be added to rings, necklaces, or ornaments. Otherwise, I'd put these three Tianmeng Gems on the Greed Ring, and I wonder what stats they'd add.
Alright, now I'm pretty much ready. I can go find Merchant Wang Cai to finish the quest.
It seems Merchant Wang Cai is very famous in Tianlong City. I just asked a random passerby and found out where Wang Cai lives.
Now that's a merchant for you！ Looking at Wang Cai's luxurious courtyard, it's obvious he's a big tycoon in Tianlong City.