Days passed by uneventfully.
Rimuru held strategy meetings daily, but seven days had passed since the hobgoblins annihilated the lizardmen, and there was still no clear plan.
The Goblin Emperor’s forces attacked here and there, but they never bothered the Monster Country.
Thus, Bai Ye’s earlier speculation was reaffirmed – the number of Chosen Ones was insufficient!
Without enough people, the hidden quest couldn’t be triggered, and they were stuck in this stalemate.
It was akin to the City Chaos Forbidden Zone, where if the player count was below a hundred, they could only wait.
And so, Bai Ye continued his life as a wanderer.
However, since the news of the hidden quest spread, the Chosen Ones had become quite busy, all occupied with searching for it.
To be honest, it wasn't that they held immense expectations, but constantly idling around was boring, and they needed something to do.
Indeed, the fifth and sixth scepters were soon forged. The fifth came from the goblins, and the sixth from the fang wolves.
The Monster Country was not that large, and the number of Chosen Ones loitering there was limited. Therefore, news soon spread that these two scepters were acquired by the Chosen One who had found the scepter quest earliest, bringing their total to five scepters.
However, only Jin Xiangchuan knew that he possessed not five, but six scepters!
While others searched for scepters, Jin Xiangchuan continued his own search and obtained the elf tribe’s scepter, leaving him just one scepter short.
But…
He had almost scoured the entire Monster Country, yet Jin Xiangchuan could not find any trace of the final scepter.
Based on the hints from other quests, Jin Xiangchuan believed that the seven scepters should correspond to the seven most populous races in the Monster Country. Thus, the last scepter should belong to the lizardmen.
After the hobgoblins annihilated the lizardmen, the remaining lizardmen had all come to the Monster Country, becoming one of its top three most populous monster races.
However, Jin Xiangchuan had searched every single lizardman and found no news of the scepter.
Jin Xiangchuan was in a terrible headache. Without the final scepter, possessing six scepters was useless. If he couldn’t complete the quest, he’d be left with scepters to use as baseball bats.
And as Jin Xiangchuan was racking his brain…
“Hey!”
Someone suddenly placed a hand on Jin Xiangchuan’s shoulder, startling him. He spun around abruptly.
“Bai Ye?”
Upon seeing the newcomer, Jin Xiangchuan realized it was someone familiar.
As the earliest arrival in the Monster Country and the only Chosen One who could freely enter and exit Rimuru’s mansion, Bai Ye was quite well-known.
Bai Ye, holding a bowl of shaved ice, asked, “How’s your scepter collection coming along?”
Jin Xiangchuan replied casually, “Almost done.”
“Almost done means how many?” Bai Ye smiled and asked, “One short?”
Jin Xiangchuan paused, then said, “Two short.”
“Oh,” Bai Ye nodded. “Then keep at it. I’m going to keep wandering!”
Jin Xiangchuan’s heart sank. Bai Ye’s words seemed to carry a hidden meaning?
“Wait, wait!” Jin Xiangchuan quickly called out to Bai Ye. “Bai Ye, do you have a scepter?”
Bai Ye replied, “That depends on how many scepters you have.”
Jin Xiangchuan was confused. “What do you mean?”
Bai Ye explained, “If you have six scepters, then I have the lizardman’s ruby scepter. If you don’t have six, then I don’t have it.”
Jin Xiangchuan was utterly bewildered. “Do you have it, or not?”
Bai Ye asked, “Do you have six scepters?”
Jin Xiangchuan considered for a moment and honestly nodded. “I do.”
Bai Ye then said, “Then I have the lizardman’s ruby scepter. Do you want it?”
Jin Xiangchuan’s eyes lit up. “Of course, I do.”
Bai Ye stated, “A black-quality item exchange at least.”
Jin Xiangchuan almost spat out blood. He stared at Bai Ye in disbelief. “Those scepters are all green-quality weapons.”
Bai Ye smiled. “So, now you understand why I asked if you had collected six scepters?”
Jin Xiangchuan blinked again, then blurted out, “Damn it, you’re price gouging!”
Bai Ye nodded. “That’s right. You just realized?”
If Jin Xiangchuan hadn’t collected six scepters, it would mean there was more than one party involved in the exchange. Whether he was short one or two scepters, Bai Ye wouldn’t have the right to price gouge.
This was because, even without the ruby scepter, the other party could still complete the hidden quest.
But now that Jin Xiangchuan had six scepters, then…
Bai Ye could set the price, even toy with him, scorn him, torment him, and tease him, and Jin Xiangchuan would still have to smile and call Bai Ye grandpa.
Because, having collected six scepters, Jin Xiangchuan would never give up on the last one.
Jin Xiangchuan was speechless. “But these are just green-quality items.”
Bai Ye replied, “That’s right, no problem. But collecting all seven won’t be just green-quality anymore.”
“But I have the other six in my hands,” Jin Xiangchuan said, exasperated. “I got them all through my own efforts. I found the hidden quest myself. You only have one!”
Bai Ye retorted, “But without the one I have, you can’t complete the set of seven. And if you can’t complete the set of seven, you’ll only have six green-quality weapons.”
Jin Xiangchuan gritted his teeth. “Do you even know what rewards you get for collecting all seven scepters, that you dare to demand such an exorbitant price?”
Bai Ye replied, “Black-quality items.”
Jin Xiangchuan couldn’t help but pause, because Bai Ye was correct.
Jin Xiangchuan asked, “You found this quest too?”
“Not exactly,” Bai Ye smiled. “But although these scepters are green-quality, their effects offer permanent enhancement. They should definitely be valued higher, enough to exchange for blue-quality items. You have to admit that, right?”
Jin Xiangchuan nodded. “I admit it!”
Bai Ye continued, “Collecting seven blue-quality items and still not being able to exchange for a black-quality item… can that still be called a hidden quest?”
Jin Xiangchuan gave a wry smile. “My quest reward is only one black-quality item. You’re asking me to trade one black-quality item for your one scepter. Does that make sense?”
Bai Ye said, “It doesn’t make sense.”
Jin Xiangchuan replied, “Exactly…”
Bai Ye interrupted him. “But without my scepter, you won’t get any black-quality items.”
Jin Xiangchuan said angrily, “This excuse is inescapable, isn’t it?”
Bai Ye spread his hands. “Without my scepter, you cannot complete the hidden quest.”
Jin Xiangchuan: “……”
Damn you, can’t you stop harping on that point?
Jin Xiangchuan took a deep breath. “You can’t use that thing anyway. Just give me a straightforward answer. How can I get it from you?”
Bai Ye stated, “A black-quality item.”
“Damn it!” Jin Xiangchuan cursed. “I’ll give it to you!”
“Anything below a black-quality item, I…” Bai Ye suddenly stopped, then said in surprise, “You’re actually giving it to me?”
…