Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Crystal of Flames

The flames on Pasteur gradually subsided, revealing to Ye Chen and his companions a humanoid figure with fiery red skin. In his eyes, it seemed as though flames were constantly flickering. “Creatures of the human world, greetings. I am Pasteur, a viscount lord from the Fire Elemental Realm. Thank you for helping me break free from the altar’s restraints. However, you should leave as soon as possible, or else that damned Fire Elemental Giant will come looking for trouble.”

“Honorable Viscount, do you mean the owner of this heart? Don’t worry, we’ve already slain that wretched creature,” Ye Chen replied, pulling the Heart of Flames from his backpack.

“My goodness, you have already defeated it! That’s wonderful.” Pasteur’s excitement was evident. “That monster summoned me to this world and sealed me in the altar, constantly draining my power to sustain this flaming magical domain. If you had come any later, I would have perished on this altar.” After expressing his gratitude, Pasteur glanced somewhat awkwardly at the Heart of Flames. “Although I shouldn’t ask for more, without my powers, I cannot return to the Fire Elemental Realm. Could you give me that Heart of Flames? If I absorb its power, I’ll be able to return. Of course, as compensation, I can assist you in defeating the most formidable monster here—the Stone Lord. I presume that’s why you’re here?”

Ye Chen was well-versed in the guides and familiar with this scenario. He immediately handed the Heart of Flames over to Pasteur, who took it joyfully. With a gentle squeeze, the Heart of Flames transformed into wisps of fire that merged into his body. Then, from nowhere, he produced a palm-sized fiery red crystal and handed it to Ye Chen. “This Flame Crystal will help you defeat the Stone Lord. Keep it well. Farewell, creatures of the human world.”

With that, Pasteur turned into a ball of fire and shot up into the sky, disappearing in moments.

[Flame Crystal] (Quest Item): Throw it at the target to inflict special damage. Effect: All attributes reduced by 30%, duration: half an hour.

Item restrictions: One-time item, can only be used in the Stone Forest instance. Disappears automatically upon leaving the instance.

“No experience reward at all,” Dragon Galloping Bull muttered discontentedly as the NPC vanished. The other team members were also somewhat disappointed—they had expected a challenging quest to yield a good amount of experience, only to find they’d received none.

“Be grateful. Without completing this quest, we couldn’t even clear this instance,” Ye Chen said with a chuckle, understanding their feelings.

“Brother Ye Chen, what’s that red crystal? Can it really help us defeat the Stone Lord?” Dragon Galloping Star sidled up to Ye Chen, and The Thief Never Leaves Empty also looked on curiously.

“The Flame Crystal is a great item. Let me share its attributes with you,” Ye Chen replied, sharing the crystal’s stats in the team channel.

“Such a powerful item, pity it’s single-use and only works inside the instance. If only we could take it out,” Dragon Galloping Star grumbled. If it could be brought out, they’d have the guild members farm it in the easier modes and then go after wild bosses.

“Stop dreaming. If we can clear the king-level instance, that’s more than enough,” The Thief Never Leaves Empty commented, his eyes shining as he looked at the Flame Crystal’s stats. He shook his head, not regretting that the crystal couldn’t be taken outside, but rather that Ye Chen refused to sell the method for crossing the Bridge of Flames. Without that, no matter how many secrets they knew, they still couldn’t clear the king-level Stone Forest. Thinking this, The Thief Never Leaves Empty couldn’t resist asking Ye Chen, “Brother Ye Chen, are you sure you won’t consider selling the Bridge of Flames manual? We’re willing to pay a high price.”

“As I said before, maybe when the new instance opens,” Ye Chen shook his head in refusal. The manual was too valuable. He planned to share it with his team so they could farm king-level instances for more good gear to sell. If he sold it to Dragon Gallop, their elite teams would farm king-level instances, and level 20 gear would quickly lose its value—a situation Ye Chen, running a studio, did not wish to see.

The Thief Never Leaves Empty was somewhat disappointed, but Dragon Galloping Star’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Brother Ye Chen, will you be running instances with us in the coming days?”

Everyone’s eyes brightened at his words, looking eagerly at Ye Chen. They all knew that teaming up with Ye Chen meant tackling king-level content. The Thief Never Leaves Empty also thought it was a good compromise and promptly said, “If Brother Ye Chen joins us, I’ll make sure he gets priority on all caster gear.”

The team members exchanged glances, none objecting—even the casters were full of anticipation. In their view, running king-level instances with Ye Chen, even if he took the lion’s share, was far better than running normal content on their own. Moreover, Ye Chen’s gear was so rare that anything he fancied was at least bronze-tier; if they could just snag some rare gear for themselves, it would be a cause for celebration. Many outside had never even seen rare gear.

“No problem. I’m not tied to a team for now, so I’ll join you for a while,” Ye Chen replied casually. His team didn’t lack members, and as long as he provided them with guidance, they could manage on their own. If he went, it would mean some of the girls couldn’t get a spot.

The team erupted in cheers at his response, already imagining the gear flowing their way and their status in the guild rising. Running instances with Ye Chen was truly exciting.

Watching them celebrate and crowd around him like stars around the moon, Ye Chen felt a moment of dizziness, excitement, and thrill. Ultimately, all these feelings condensed into a single sentence he sent to 2058: “Thank you.”

Unexpectedly, 2058 quickly replied, “You’re welcome.”

Ye Chen closed the dialog box speechlessly and handed the Flame Crystal to Dragon Galloping Bull. “Here, take this. Use it first when we fight the Stone Lord. Once you use it, the aggro will stabilize right away.”

Dragon Galloping Bull nodded enthusiastically and carefully stowed the Flame Crystal. “With the Stone Lord’s attributes reduced by 30%, I could tank it with my eyes closed.”

“You’re overestimating yourself. The king-level Stone Lord is no ordinary foe. Even with its attributes lowered by 30%, it just means there’s hope of defeating it. Don’t go weak in the knees when you see it,” Ye Chen laughed, patting Dragon Galloping Bull’s shoulder. The king-level Stone Lord was a formidable golden-tier boss.

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