“Wait a minute!” Leslie snapped out of his daze and shouted, “You’re only nineteen years old?” 

“Oh my goodness!” He buzzed around Qiyu like a little bee, circling him twice in disbelief. “I can’t believe I’ve met a genius who, at just nineteen years old, has become a Level 3 Mage!” 

He looked at Qiyu expectantly: “If I told you right now that I’d pay for everything you just bought, would it still be too late to curry favor with you?”

Qiyu：？

“I’ve already paid for everything,” he said.

He emphasized, “I have gold coins.”

Lots of them.

I’m not short on money.

However, more than one person has called him a genius. Duo Ju had praised him that way before, too, but he’d assumed it was just a merchant’s sales pitch and hadn’t taken it seriously. 

He asked Leslie, “Am I a genius?”

Leslie: “Without a doubt!”

If his father knew Lord Qiyu’s age—which is so young—he’d drive the price up even higher.

Befriending a magician with such a promising future would bring benefits far beyond what a few tens of thousands of gold coins could ever match.

Qiyu suppressed the slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth and said earnestly, “Even if you’re not trying to ride my coattails, you’re still my friend.” 

Leslie let out a “Whoa.”

What a sweet little mage. 

Finally, upon learning that Qiyu’s “seventy-year-old” friend was an artifact forger, Leslie suggested that Qiyu buy some forging materials.

Blue-quality items, costing a total of 100 gold coins.

What a haul!

By the time they finished shopping, it was almost dark.

Learning that Qiyu had nowhere to stay in Gold Hole City,

Leslie warmly invited him to the Borg Mansion and made an outrageously extravagant offer:

“How about I give you a house? That way, you’ll have a place to stay next time.” 

Qiyu: “…No, that’s not necessary.” He was planning to head home.

Gold Hole City was great, and he really liked it there. The mages association was very generous, and the Borgs—father and son—were wonderful people. But none of these places felt like home.

The Star Forest isn’t this bustling, nor does it have so many delicious foods, and it rains constantly. That’s his domain, with his subjects—some of whom started from dilapidated wooden cabins and built beautiful little houses—and it’s the place where he can truly relax. 

Even though I’ve only been gone for a day and a night, he already misses it. 

He said goodbye to Leslie and headed toward the city gates. He opened the Survival Panel, went to the drifting bottle quest, and selected “Return.” 

Just as he stepped out of Gold Hole City, he heard a familiar clatter of hooves. Four snow beasts were pulling a wilderness wagon as it raced past.

This was at the foot of the Black Rock Mountain Range; though night was falling, people still passed by from time to time.

Strangely, no one cast a glance at this peculiar wagon or the mage, as if their presence were concealed by some mysterious force.

Qiyu climbed into the wagon, and the familiar sensation of swaying washed over him.

In the blink of an eye, the wagon swayed to a stop.

He opened the door, and a familiar damp mist hit him in the face, accompanied by a cold wind. At that very moment, the bright sky suddenly darkened.

Qiyu got out of the carriage, pulled a watermelon out of his backpack, and held it out to the horse: “Thank you for bringing me here. Would you like to eat this?” 

The horse tilted its head to one side; Qiyu guessed that was a sign of refusal. 

Before he could look for something else for them to eat, the four horses turned in unison and, in the blink of an eye, vanished into the darkness. 

“They’re gone,” Qiyu muttered to himself as he walked into the bright sunflower light.

As soon as he entered the territory, he spotted several glowing orbs.

These were mutated creatures that had been drawn to the area while he was away. Qiyu collected them.

【Obtained 20 Mutant Swift Feathers, obtained 200g of Mutant Swift Meat.】 

【Obtained Feather Necklace (Green).】

【Feather necklace: A beautiful ornament; wear it, and rain will not bother you.】

Equipment?

However, for Qiyu, who already possesses the Guardian Robe, the effect of this equipment is somewhat useless.

It’s kind of like a prop version of a raincoat—it should sell well later on.

Even with the territory module in place, he still went to check on the plants myself to make sure they were all growing well. Among them, the mist star flower gave me a huge surprise.

On that plot of prime farmland, only the gold apple sapling and that single mist star flower seed were planted. 1 The gold apple sapling looked just the same as always.

As for the mist star flower, aside from continuing to bloom beautifully, the ground beneath it had actually begun to emit tiny specks of silver light, as if stars had fallen into the earth.

They were seeds.

At some point, so many Mist Star Flower seeds had fallen.

Qiyu checked their condition; every single one showed signs of vibrant life.

He thought happily: “Then, by the time the next Duo Ju harvest comes, there won’t just be one mist star flower here—it’ll be a whole sea of them. The kitten will surely be very happy.”

Relying on the Guardian Cloak, he roamed freely through the downpour. 

After finishing his patrol, he cast a wide-ranging blessing spell over the territory before heading to the shelter.

He turned on the wall lamp, and the warm room lit up. 

After just leaving the bustling Gold Hole City, this place was so quiet. 

Next up: the joyful time for gift-giving.

He opened his survival panel. While in Gold Hole City, although he could access the survival panel, he had hardly ever had a moment to spare—unless it was an urgent message, he simply didn’t have time to check it. 

He opened the panel, intending to check my friend’s messages first. However, a notification caught my attention.

【Player has successfully explored the “Gold Hole City” area, unlocking the map feature.】

A vast map unfolded before Qiyu. The green area right in the center was the Star Forest, where he was currently located.

The green dot is surrounded entirely by gray areas, with only a black area far, far to the south, labeled “Black Rock Mountain Range.” 

In a corner of the Black Rock Mountain Range, a green light flickers—that is 【Gold Hole City】. 

【Explored area. Players may visit once per month and may stay for no more than 24 hours.】

Qiyu：！

His first thought was: I’ve become a wandering merchant in Gold Hole City. 

This was immediately followed by delight—if he could visit Gold Hole City every month, I could do business with the Borg Chamber of Commerce for a long time. 

He could also visit the mages association frequently without worrying about being unable to return the books he borrowed.

Open. 

He opened the chat window again.

He sent a message to every friend.

When he clicked on them, he realized he had become number one on the wealth rankings for Server 01.

He replied to everyone with a simple “thank you.”

The Civil Engineering Brother posted the most, and his messages were peppered with a bit of gossip.

The gist was that Qiyu’s rise to the top of all three leaderboards had sparked a heated argument in the District 01 channel, and it seemed there was even some internal strife brewing over at the Temple of Gods.

It sounded pretty complicated. Qiyu didn’t get involved in the commotion.

He opened his friend page with God Has No Form to let him know he was safe—God Has No Form was the only one who knew about his “trip.”

【I Love Survival Game: Me too.】

【God Has No Form: Made it home safely? Congratulations, congratulations.】 

Dan Xingyu had just arrived at the shelter as well. Seeing that his friend had made it home safely, he was thrilled and was just about to suggest preparing a big dinner later to celebrate when he saw a new message:

【I Love Survival Game: Is Your Backpack Big Enough? Does It Keep Food Fresh?】

Dan Xingyu:? What do you mean?

【God Has No Form: Are you asking me to store some items for you? I actually have plenty of space.】

【Your friend “I Love Survival Game” has sent you a trade request.】

【Your friend “I Love Survival Game” has sent you a trade request.】

【Received 500 kg of rice, 300 kg of flour, 200 kg of cooking oil, and 50 sets of seasoning packs…】

Dan Xingyu: ???

【God Has No Form: Holy crap, bro, did you finally give in and rob Survival Game?】

In his frustration, he even let slip a curse word. 

【I Love Survival Game: Survival Game is my best friend—I’d never rob Him.】

【God Has No Form: ?】

【God Has No Form: So I’m not your best friend after all?】

Qiyu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to tell the truth. 

【I Love Survival Game: Survival Game is the best; you’re second best.】

When Dan Xingyu saw this message, he burst out laughing right there in the shelter. 

How could someone be this funny? With such an obviously joking tone, he actually answered so seriously.

He couldn’t resist teasing the other person:

【God Has No Form: Damn it! You’ve hurt my feelings!】

【God Has No Form: You’ll never know what you’ve lost!】

Qiyu:?

It’s a bit of a dilemma, but there is a way.

【I Love Survival Game: Don’t be sad—I’ll treat you to something delicious.】

【Your friend “I Love Survival Game” has initiated a trade with you.】5

【Your friend “I Love Survival Game” has initiated a trade with you.】

Dan Xingyu：？

Faster than his brain could process.

【Received 300 cold pool snow fish, 100 jin of Green Salt Shrimp, 100 jin of Pink Cherry Blossom Crabs, and 100 jin of Glutinous Rice Octopus.】

Whoa! 

【I Love Survival Game: Are you feeling a little better now?】 

Dan Xingyu said, “I’m not feeling better—I’m scared.” 

【God Has No Form: Bro! My real bro! You’re just sending me all this seafood without even asking where you got it from?】

【God Has No Form: Do you have any idea that in the survival game, these items are worth more than many people’s lives!】

You’re testing me with this, aren’t you? 

【I Love Survival Game: Hurry up and put them in your backpack, or they’ll thaw on their own in three minutes, and the horse will eat them.】 

While obediently packing his backpack, Dan Xingyu continued to put on a brave front:

【God Has No Form: Just you wait. As soon as I’m done collecting the loot, I’m deleting you as a friend and keeping it all for myself. I’ll show you what it means to be ruthless!】

Qiyu finally realized he was joking. 

【I Love Survival Game: That’s too bad—then you won’t get the gift I prepared for you.】

A gift? Dan Xingyu’s ears perked up. 

Without even realizing it, a quiet sense of anticipation welled up inside him when he heard the word “gift.”

【I Love Survival Game: Is my friend God Has No Form still here?】

Dan Xingyu: …

He stared at the line of text in astonishment, reading it over and over.

Is this a joke? Even that old stick-in-the-mud finally knows how to joke around?

【God Has No Form: I’m still here. I’ll delete this after you claim the gift.】

【Your friend “I Love Survival Game” has sent you a gift.】

【Received 1 Ice Silk Robe, received 1 Alchemical Cooler.】

After reading the descriptions of the two items, Dan Xingyu was taken aback. 

These two gifts were truly something else.

He remembered he’d only casually complained that the weather was getting hotter and hotter, but he never expected the other person to actually take it to heart. Not only did they take it to heart, but they also went out of their way to prepare these gifts just for him.

【I Love Survival Game: It was only because I entered a survival game that I was able to meet you. So, please don’t compare yourself to a survival game, okay?】