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Qiyu lay quietly amidst the pile of magic crystals. 

The magical energy he had depleted a few days earlier was rapidly recovering, enveloped by the rich wood element. His mental energy was also soothed by this immense life force.

He didn’t need to open his eyes—not far away, every move made by Gareth and his sister was within his perception.

“Why isn’t he here yet?” Gareth whispered.

Although they had seen with their own eyes that Qiyu had been “knocked down” by the wave of magic crystals, neither of them believed he was truly unconscious: with a physique comparable to that of a martial artist, how could he possibly be knocked out by something so trivial?

Mia wore a dreamy expression: “If I were to be submerged by magic crystals, I’d gladly swim in an ocean of them. This mundane world isn’t worthy of my presence!” 

She took a deep breath, trying to soak up the good fortune and magical elements filling the cave. She nudged her brother with her elbow: “Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up and get out, hurry up and get out!”

She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, her martial spirit would be thrown into disarray. 

Damn resource zone.

Why did something this good have to fall into the hands of a mage who’s not exactly short on money? Darn it, can’t the god of wealth show some favor to a poor warrior who’s truly in need of gold coins?

The aura gradually faded.

Qiyu watched them leave in silence, curled up in a pile of magic crystals. Too lazy to get up for the moment, he decided to take advantage of the abundant elemental energy and began cultivating right then and there.

One hour later.

The mage, now fully restored to peak condition, emerged from the cave.

The brother and sister were noisily working as miners; upon seeing him approach, they congratulated him.

“Congratulations,” Gareth said sarcastically. “Mage, you’re rich now.” 

By then, more than half the time since they’d entered the magic crystal vein had already passed.

Qiyu asked them, “Want to team up?” 

“What kind of partnership?”

Qiyu: “I’ll point out a spot for you guys to mine. If you find more than 100 crystals, give me two.”

Gareth was puzzled: “What about you?” 

Qiyu: “I’ll go dig somewhere else.”

That way, he could earn a share of the magic crystals.

Mia asked curiously, “Do you really have some kind of special way of sensing things?”

Qiyu thought for a moment: “Maybe it’s because I’m a natural at magic and I’m lucky, so I’m more sensitive to magical elements.” 

Gareth and his sister:?

How could he say something so boastful in such a matter-of-fact tone? 

Moreover, from the way he spoke, it was clear he wasn’t trying to show off—he was simply stating a fact.

Now Mia was feeling a bit envious: “I get it. You’re not just a rich mage—you’re also a rich mage with good luck.” 

That said, the siblings still happily accepted Qiyu’s proposal: Come on, who wouldn’t fantasize about being the one lying in a pile of magic crystals if they found themselves in a situation like that?

Qiyu pointed to an area based on his intuition, but he was honest: “This spot might not be as good as the last one.” That intense sixth sense had only kicked in once.

“Master Mage, as long as the haul is decent, we’ll be satisfied,” Gareth said loudly. “Never mind—we can’t really argue with people like you who’ve been favored by fate!”

“He’s a mage who worships the Goddess of Nature,” Mia corrected him. 

Twenty hours later.

“Dear, generous, kind, and friendly Mage Qiyu,” Gareth sang tenderly, cupping his hand over his heart. “I will never forget your kindness.” 

Mia nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes. It’s just a shame that 24 hours went by so fast. It’s really a pity we didn’t get another resource zone card.”

Qiyu had one left.

As he pulled it out, he saw the heartbroken expressions on Gareth and his sister’s faces.

It was then that he realized: it turns out you can’t “renew” your stay in the resource zone. Furthermore, you only get one chance to decide how many days to stay there.

In other words, when they encountered that alchemy automaton staff member, if Qiyu had wanted to use up the entire duration, he would have had to hand over all his cards to the automaton.

“What if my cards are different colors?”

Gareth told him, “When the time is up, you’ll be randomly teleported to the corresponding area.”

However, he also mentioned that the cards wouldn’t go to waste; it was just that once this month’s resource zone access period ended, he would have to wait until next month to use the remaining card. 

Right now, there was less than an hour left before the exploration of this resource zone began.

The three of them were lying there, not wanting to lift a finger.

“I’m so tired,” Mia said.

“But it’s a happy kind of exhaustion,” Gareth sighed. “If I could get this much—no, even just half—of magic crystals every day, I’d be happy to perform such glorious work every day.”

The three of them began chatting casually.

They told Qiyu that they were from Ambner city, the capital of the Aora Empire. 

Qiyu told them that he was from the Forest of Stars. “Have you ever heard of it?”

“The Forest of Stars?” Gareth pondered. “It sounds a bit unfamiliar, but I feel like I’ve heard of it somewhere.”

Qiyu wasn’t at all surprised by his reaction, so he added, “It’s a mysterious magical forest—the former home of the elves.”

“Ah, I think I have a vague memory of it,” Mia said. “Little—”

Gareth seemed to have had the same thought; he exclaimed in shock, “I thought that was just a legend! Is it real?”

The siblings turned their heads in unison and stared intently at Qiyu, as if trying to see right through his mage’s robe to check whether he had pointed ears underneath. For once, Qiyu was on the same wavelength as them: “Don’t worry, I’m a human.” 

“Oh!” they sighed in unison, their voices filled with disappointment. 

“We were hoping it might actually be a legendary elf.”

“The last time I heard anything about elves was, I think, seventy years ago?”

Qiyu asked curiously, “So where do the elves live now?” 

Gareth: “I don’t know.”

Mia: “I heard that His Majesty the King has only one elven tutor.” 

Gareth: “If that rumor is true, then this elf must have served as His Majesty’s tutor for quite some time now.” 

Mia: “Who knows? After all, elves are said to be immortal—it wouldn’t be strange for them to have seen off dozens of kings.” 

As they spoke, a cheerful laugh broke out for no apparent reason. 

Qiyu couldn’t quite grasp what they found so funny, so he asked, “Do you know about the Golden Desert?” 

Gareth: “Huh? Isn’t that a place mentioned in our ancient Olar ballads?”

Mia hummed softly: “The Golden Desert, land of plenty, land of curses… Weary traveler, if you see the blood-red moon and the golden desert, do not linger—leave at once…” 

Though called a ballad, it sounded more like a story.

In the story, it’s a cursed land, yet at the same time incredibly rich. They say gold and pearls are hidden in the sand, and God Has No Form beneath the desert lie ores even more valuable than gold and pearls. 

“A folk song,” said Qiyu. “Are there any other rumors about the Golden Desert? If it’s really that rich, I’d like to go explore it too.” 

“It’s just a song—nothing more,” Gareth said, laughing. “A fictional story—how could a place like that possibly exist?”

Qiyu remained noncommittal: “The Forest of Stars is also a legendary place—and yet it exists, doesn’t it?” 

Mia said with a smile, “If the Golden Desert really exists, curse or no curse, I’d definitely go there to pan for gold. Poverty is a martial artist’s greatest curse.” 

That brought the topic to a close.

Knowing that Qiyu came from the Ancient Forest, they understood his lack of common knowledge. They told Qiyu about the resource zone.

Just as they were about to be teleported out, Mia snatched her brother’s communication bead right off his neck. 

She said earnestly, “None of our communication orbs are bound yet, so please, do accept this one. If you ever have the chance to visit Ambner in the future, be sure to let us know so we can treat you properly.”

Gareth didn’t seem the least bit upset that his communication orb had been snatched; instead, he gave his sister an appreciative look that said, “You’re so clever.” 

Qiyu accepted the communication orb: “You probably won’t be able to find the Star Forest, but I, too, hope to have the chance to visit Ambner.”

The main city, huh. 

It sounded grand just from the name—certainly bigger than Gold Hole City. He was still curious about this world.

The 24 hours were up. 

Beams of light enveloped the three of them.

Qiyu had thought he would return to the square where he’d come from, but to his surprise, when he came to a stop, he found himself standing on that mysterious path.

There was no way back; he could only go forward.

So, it turned out that leaving meant being sent straight back. 

It was still a ten-step journey; Qiyu took a step forward.

The surroundings behind him began to change; the mysterious path vanished without a trace, and the forest reappeared.

A damp, chilly wind swept in, accompanied by a cold, icy rain. Qiyu, who had just emerged from the climate-controlled resource zone, shivered violently. The Forest of Stars seemed to have grown even colder.

The Guardian Mage Robe had ten thousand God Has No Formefits, but its one flaw was this: it didn’t keep you warm.

But Qiyu thought to himself that perhaps even the master who crafted this semi-divine artifact never imagined that such a treasure would one day end up in the hands of a lowly Level 3 mage like himself.

Once practitioners reach high levels, they’re no longer affected by the seasonal changes of the realm.

It’s not a flaw of the Guardian Mage Robe—it’s his own problem. 

Glancing hurriedly at the residents of his fiefdom, he saw that the cold hadn’t sapped their vitality, but a small portion of the plants had already developed the “slowed growth” debuff. Qiyu cast a wide-area Bless spell and decided to stop by the Guild Shop later to see if there were any magic arrays that could maintain a constant temperature in the fiefdom. 

After seeing the price of the elemental array last time, he’d completely given up on them.

Now it’s a different story.

He’s now a mage who can make money! 

Back at the little house.

The effect of the brocade flame ornament made the temperature inside the small house much more comfortable.

Qiyu lit the fireplace as well; as the golden flames burned, the temperature inside gradually rose.

Qiyu sat down and opened the survival panel.

【Current Location: Star Forest.】

【Today’s Weather: Rain, -5°C to 0°C. Wind Force 4.】

The temperature has actually dropped below 0 degrees—no wonder it’s so cold. 

The current time is 2:00 p.m.

Qiyu’s gaze swept over the information on the panel, then suddenly paused. His stats panel had changed.

His attack points had increased.

Before entering the resource zone, it had been 48; now it had risen to 50.

In just one day.

Qiyu reflected on what he’d done that day: …

So swinging a staff can actually boost your attack stats.