Chapter Seventeen: The Crimson Beauty Blossom

“Hey, another newcomer wants to go up to the second floor.”
“What an idiot. The guild master is upstairs—you think you can just meet him whenever you want?”
“Exactly. I heard unless you receive a special quest, you can’t even get up there.”
“Yeah, yesterday some woman named Spirit Fox Shenyue got a quest and went upstairs, but she’s a level 25 expert. This little rookie healer here, hmph.”

A group of players watched as Ye Chen was blocked by two NPC soldiers in front of the staircase, their words dripping with mockery. Clearly, they all looked down on him. Aside from his staff, the rest of Ye Chen’s equipment was embarrassingly shabby, obviously purchased from the bargain bin—plain, white-grade junk. No one believed that a greenhorn like him could possibly have a worthwhile quest.

Ye Chen paid no mind to their jeers. With a faint, serene smile, he handed a golden letter to one of the soldiers and said quietly, “Please deliver this letter to Guild Master Kornos. I believe once he reads it, he’ll invite me upstairs.”

The soldier’s expression changed the moment he saw the golden letter. He hurriedly accepted it, bowing respectfully. “Please wait a moment.” With that, he dashed up the stairs. Even a fool could see a quest had been triggered from the NPC’s reaction, and the crowd that had just been sneering broke out in gasps of surprise and excited chatter.

“He actually triggered a quest.”
“That rookie healer is awesome.”
“Hey, healer brother, where did you get that golden letter? What kind of quest do you have? Mind telling us?”

“Yeah, yeah, tell us, will you?”

Ye Chen had no interest in these snobbish onlookers. He gave them a cold glance before turning away, not bothering to respond. By the time he looked back, the NPC soldier had already returned, bowing respectfully. “The guild master invites you upstairs.”

With a casual nod, Ye Chen followed the soldier up the stairs. The crowd immediately started whispering again, but this time their words were filled with amazement rather than ridicule.

Once Ye Chen reached the second floor, the NPC soldier turned and left. Ye Chen stood at the top of the stairs, taking in the surroundings. The second floor was clearly far more luxurious than the first. Crystal chandeliers lined the narrow corridor, and the polished marble floor gleamed underfoot. Following the soldier’s directions, Ye Chen walked through the corridor to the main hall, where he quickly found the man he sought—Alchemist Kornos, who also happened to be the president of the Alchemists’ Guild.

Ye Chen hurried forward and bowed respectfully. “Greetings, esteemed Guild Master Kornos.”

The silver-haired old man was indeed Kornos. At Ye Chen’s words, he nodded absently, glanced at the golden letter in his hand, then looked up at Ye Chen. “Young man, I once promised the author of this letter that if someone ever brought it to me, that messenger would have a chance to become a noble alchemist. So tell me—do you wish to become a noble alchemist?”

Ye Chen’s heart skipped a beat. He nodded at once. “I do, honored Guild Master.”

Kornos nodded gently. “But becoming an alchemist is no easy feat, boy. You should know that I am the only alchemist in the whole of Fierce Mountain City. If you want to become the second, you must complete a trial quest. If you succeed, congratulations—you will become a noble alchemist. If you fail, I’m afraid you’ll lose the chance forever. So, young man, do you accept this trial?”

“I accept.” Ye Chen’s answer was crisp and decisive—he really had no other choice.

“Good. I like brave young men.” Kornos stroked his white beard with satisfaction, smiling as he pulled a small silver spade from beneath the table and handed it to Ye Chen. “Recently, I’ve been working on a potion called ‘Beauty’s Elixir.’ Oh, don’t misunderstand—it’s not for cosmetic purposes. It’s a pill that can rapidly boost an adventurer’s strength. You adventurers like to call it ‘experience pill.’ According to my calculations, each pill should grant fifty thousand experience points, and this batch should produce thirty pills. I’ve prepared all the other ingredients, but I’m missing the main component—Beauty’s Blossom. If you can collect thirty of these flowers for me, you’ll pass the trial and become a noble alchemist. Of course, if you succeed, I’ll reward you with ten Beauty’s Elixirs as well.”

Beauty’s Elixir! Ye Chen’s heart pounded. He hadn’t expected this quest. According to the system, Kornos offered three different trial quests at random, and of the three, the Beauty’s Elixir quest was the most difficult—but also the most rewarding. Ten Beauty’s Elixirs meant half a million experience points, enough to propel a level 20 player up two entire levels instantly. The best part? Not a minute of grinding required; as soon as you swallowed the pills, you leveled up.

At this stage, such pills would be worth a fortune. Conservatively, ten Beauty’s Elixirs could fetch several hundred gold coins. Fierce Mountain City had well over a hundred thousand players, many of them wealthy. With the chance to jump two levels instantly, plenty of rich players would gladly spend thousands for those ten pills.

As for using them himself, Ye Chen had considered it. But the thought of swallowing thousands of gold in one gulp made his heart ache. Far too extravagant—utterly wasteful. Besides, he had the system’s guidance and plenty of ways to level up. There was no need to squander these rare elixirs; better to sell them for cash. Treating his amnesia would require a lot of money—if he didn’t want to spend his whole life as an amnesiac, he’d better be frugal.

A system prompt chimed: “Would you like to accept the quest [Collect Beauty’s Blossoms]?”

Only a fool would refuse. Ye Chen immediately accepted. He glanced at his quest log: collect thirty Beauty’s Blossoms. For most, this would be a daunting task—the quest didn’t even hint at where to find the flowers. But with the system’s help, Ye Chen already knew exactly where to gather them.

Gripping the silver spade, Ye Chen bade farewell to Kornos and headed down to the first floor, leaving the Alchemists’ Guild. He wandered the city for a while, finally shaking off a group of gossipy players tailing him from the guild.

After making sure no one was following, Ye Chen left Fierce Mountain City through the south gate, heading toward the endless mountains in the distance.

The Fierce Sun Range—the Beauty’s Blossoms were hidden somewhere in those vast, misty mountains.