A huge thanks to all our Kofi supporters: Jazi, GreenKiTea, Angee, and an anonymous ko-fi supporter for their support! Enjoy these bonus chapters!

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01 Main Server Regional Channel.

【Need A Little Money to Save Me: (Image) (Image)】

The images show a massive, imposing, and elegant building from various angles.

This clearly isn’t something a player’s territory could possess.

【Liver Emperor: ? Yu went out exploring? @Need A Little Money to Save Me】

【Reaching for the Moon in the Heavens: Is this the natives’ territory?】

【I Am Lily: @Need A Little Money to Save Me, can you share the intel? I’ll pay.】

……

【Cockroach Taste Is So Weird: Holy crap, so you big shots are just too lazy to reply to messages normally? When you come across something interesting, you all go full speed ahead.】

【Need A Little Money to Save Me: Hehe, I was out exploring, but I hitched a ride with some top players using a party scroll. 】

【Need A Little Money to Save Me: I don’t really have any intel to share, so I’ll just show everyone in the zone channel some photos.】

【Need A Little Money to Save Me: (Photo) (Photo)】

The photos posted this time are clearly of some kind of rest area.

He’s sitting on a plush sofa, with several plates of exquisite pastries on the table in front of him, along with a drink that looks like milk tea.

The angle is perfectly captured—it looks both expensive and high-quality.

【Need A Little Money to Save Me: The boss went off to do some serious business, leaving me here to eat and drink for free. When I just walked in, the staff member even went out of their way to mention that the game’s boss really enjoyed the pastries here last time he visited, so they prepared a little extra.】

【Need A Little Money to Save Me: Wow, is this the joy of hanging out with the big shots?】

He posted a few more photos, showing bookshelves lining the walls, as well as a shot that appeared to be taken from the window, offering a view of the neat streets outside, where many locals dressed completely differently from the players could be seen.

【Liver Emperor: Last time? Is this a place the game big shot has already explored? Can you actually go there a second time? But I’m curious about what the top player actually did during his last exploration—wasn’t it supposed to be limited to 24 hours? Why does it sound like such a VIP experience?】

【I’m Lily: Watching that clown’s exploration last time had me on the edge of my seat. Compared to that, the top player’s style is completely different.】

【Need a Little Money to Save Me: I don’t know. Maybe some people get what they deserve? Anyway, I’m just waiting for the Game Master to come back right now. I’ll show everyone some photos of him later.】

The Gold Hole City Mages Association had already been deeply impressed by Qiyu, the young mage from the “Forest of Stars.”

Not long ago, news arrived from the Royal City of Ophelia: this mage named “Qiyu” was suspected of being a legendary elf and was backed by an Elven magic saint—the entire Gold Hole City Mages Association was in an uproar!

No matter who Qiyu really is—whether he’s human or an elf—one thing is certain: he’s a fully registered mage in Gold Hole City!

The fact that the Royal City of Ophelia went out of its way to notify them says it all: in short, from now on, Mage Qiyu is a golden goose that has flown the coop from Gold Hole City!

So, when Qiyu—who had been missing for a month—reappeared at the mages association in Gold Hole City, word immediately reached the association’s higher-ups.

President Frederick rushed over with a few others. Upon learning that Qiyu had come to have his mage rank re-certified,

A group of gray-haired mages: !

If memory serves, he had only just been certified as a Level 3 mage last month.

Just—just one month, and he’s already advanced a level?

Could this be the talent that His Holiness the Magic Saint had taken notice of?

Truly terrifying.

Jin Qian was just a naive kid with no worldly experience. Following Qiyu, he encountered this large group of elderly people and couldn’t tell at all that they were high-level mages; he cheerfully greeted each of the grandpas and grandmas the whole time.

Then, he watched as this group of grandpas and grandmas suddenly swept his in-game leader away.

Blinking in surprise, he was led by a smiling staff member to the lounge, where he enjoyed the food alone.

Qiyu’s purpose in coming to the mages association this time was simply to check his mage rank and collect his extra living allowance.

However, before he could take the magic power test, President Frederick called him over.

Acting all mysterious, he led Qiyu to a quiet corner.

“Young friend Qiyu, tell me honestly—is the age you registered with actually true?”

Strictly speaking, he shouldn’t have asked that.

The mages association possessed professional testing arrays; the age verbally reported by mages taking the test didn’t count for much. The testing array would assess the examinee’s innate aptitude and cross-check it against the information they had filled out.

Last month, Qiyu’s test results did indeed show him to be 19 years old.

But if he truly possessed the talent of a magic saint as his teacher, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to cast a little illusion on such a trivial matter.

Frederick wasn’t doubting Qiyu’s talent, but rather… Qiyu’s status.

A 19-year-old human Level 3 mage could certainly be called a rare genius.

But a 19-year-old human Four-Star mage—that man would be one in ten thousand, a prodigy of unparalleled brilliance, a peerless genius unmatched even in the five thousand years of Gold Hole City’s history.

It’s no exaggeration to say that, if this were true, their small Gold Hole City mages association would most likely go down in the annals of the mages association, with every word of its legacy passed down for generations to come.

Their greatest achievement would be: discovering this peerless genius, Qiyu.

And if this peerless genius were not to perish prematurely, and had the chance in the future to become an archmage or even touch the threshold of a magic saint… then the Gold Hole City mages association could pack up and prepare to ascend right on the spot!

Provided, of course, that all of this is true.

If Qiyu truly follows the path of the elves, there’s no way his age of “19” could be accurate.

As everyone knows, the elven race is immortal.

If Qiyu is truly an elf, then at 19 years old, he should still be an elf cub no taller than the thigh of an average 19-year-old human.

However, when President Frederick asked this question, he was actually quite calm inside.

He wasn’t the least bit anxious.

If Qiyu’s information is true, then their Gold Hole City Mages’ Guild will welcome an unprecedented genius—a true “Master” of the Guild!

And if Qiyu’s registration information turned out to be false—and, conversely, the information from the Royal City of Ophelia was true—well… that would be absolutely wonderful.

Their Gold Hole City mages association would be welcoming an elf as a member!

What’s more, this elf mage would have a magic saint as his teacher!

Hehe.

No matter how you look at it, this is a total win.

Qiyu wore a puzzled expression—out of politeness, he had removed his hood upon entering the mages association.

At that moment, his bewilderment was laid bare before Guildmaster Frederick:

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He said, “The information I provided when registering with the mages association is genuine.”

President Frederick lowered his voice slightly: “Then tell me, did you go to the Royal City of Ophelia in the Kaila Empire a few days ago?”

A hint of curiosity tinged his tone: “I heard there was a Dragon Knight accompanying you?”

At first, when he heard that a young man was accompanying Qiyu, he’d assumed it was that legendary Dragon Knight.

But the moment he saw the person, he knew it wasn’t him.

Qiyu:?

Do rumors spread that fast among you natives?

Taking advantage of the fact that the other party couldn’t see him, he silently opened the Survival Panel and tapped on the Reputation Rankings.

In first place, the reputation points for the Star Forest had actually reached 5,000.

He tapped the contribution list—apart from a single entry from “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens,” the rest were all earned by Qiyu alone.

He closed the survival panel.

All right, he finally understood why Guild Master Frederick had asked that question: news of him posing as an elf in the Royal City of Ophelia had actually made its way all the way to Gold Hole City.

With his lie exposed right to his face, he felt a bit embarrassed and quickly explained, “I did go there. It was because I’d received a commission—Duke Nodding’s daughter was gravely ill and near death, and her dying wish was to see an elf.”

“I was the one pretending to be an elf.”

President Frederick narrowed his eyes: he wasn’t some naive old man—he wasn’t that easy to fool.

The mages association in the Royal City of Ophelia must have investigated the matter thoroughly before sending the news.

Besides, so many powerful individuals had witnessed it with their own eyes that day.

He asked, “Was the Golden Dragon a fake?”

Qiyu shook his head. “It was real.”

President Frederick asked again, “I’ve received word that a magic saint intervened on your behalf to intimidate the powerful figures of Ophelia. Is that false?”

Qiyu shook his head once more; Aegnor’s appearance was genuine.

He paused, looked up, and met Frederick’s knowing gaze.

Qiyu suddenly realized something.

The dragon was real, and the Elven magic saint was real. So the “elf” who appeared alongside them couldn’t possibly be fake.

President Frederick cleared his throat and said gently, “Aren’t you supposed to go get your mage certification? You’d better hurry.”

Qiyu: “……”

He tried to salvage the situation: “I’m human.”

Chairman Frederick said cheerfully, “That’s right. According to your personal information on file, you are indeed human.”

Qiyu: “…I really am human, and I’m really 19 years old this year.”

President Frederick: “I promise, I really believe you!”

Liar—he’s clearly just brushing me off.

Qiyu was a little upset, but he didn’t want to get angry at an elderly man who might be hundreds or even thousands of years old, so he could only walk away sulkily.

He took the magic aptitude test, and about half an hour later, he received his new mage badge.

Four gleaming golden stars surrounded the totem—it looked beautiful.

The slight setback that had dampened his mood instantly cleared up.