Chapter Thirty-Six: Elemental Crystal

"Enough! Keep it low-key! Low-key! There are so many people watching!" Lin Zheng tugged at Yang Qi, who was still basking in her excitement.

"When you play games, you have to be flashy! Why be low-key!? That’s not my style!" Yang Qi said with a boastful flair, intentionally activating the glow of her equipment, terrified that others might not realize she was wearing Gold-tier gear! Lin Zheng rolled his eyes and hurried away, feeling as though his own stature diminished just by being seen with this weirdo.

"Hey—why are you walking so fast!?" Yang Qi finished her showboating and quickly chased after him.

"Little Linzi, what Dark Gold gear did you get?" Yang Qi asked as they walked.

"A necklace, Elemental Crystal. Here, take a look!" With that, Lin Zheng tossed the item’s profile to Yang Qi.

Elemental Crystal: Level Requirement 40, Dark Gold-tier.
Physical Attack 200, Magic Attack 200.
Physical Defense 100, Magic Defense 100.
Intelligence: +25.
Brilliance: Intelligence +43.
Elemental Mastery Level 4: Magic consumption -40%.
Elemental Call Level 4: Magic casting time -40%.
Elemental Vitality Level 4: Magic damage +40%.
Attached Skill: Elemental Barrier.
...

"Holy crap!" Yang Qi’s eyes widened, her speechlessness reflecting her shock! Dark Gold gear varies in quality, primarily judged by the auxiliary stats attached. Sometimes, an item comes with useless stats—like Energy or Accuracy—which are utterly mediocre. When such stats appear, the item’s rating drops significantly, sometimes even falling below high-quality Silver gear, like Lin Zheng’s Night Raid Boots. Generally, most high-level gear carries one or two useless stats, but Lin Zheng’s necklace was completely free of them, and every single stat was incredibly overpowered! Every attribute was tailored to create a powerhouse magic turret! This was absolutely one of the top-tier Dark Gold items in existence! It was very likely unique.

"It’s blinding my pay-to-win eyes!" Yang Qi exclaimed. "If this were auctioned, imagine how many mages would tear each other apart for it!"

"Why would I sell it?" Lin Zheng said nonchalantly. "Yuki is a mage; this is perfect for her!"

"You’ve got to be kidding me!?" Yang Qi was stunned. "Do you have any idea what this is worth? You’re just going to give it to a girl? Isn't that a bit too much effort for a pickup move?"

"Pickup move your head!" Lin Zheng knocked Yang Qi on the head hard. "Yuki is my little sister. What’s wrong with a big brother giving his sister a gift?"

"Damn! I consider you a brother too, why don't you give me a few pieces!?" Yang Qi asked shamelessly.

"Who do you think gave you that Jiaotu Sword in your hand, you jerk!"

"Well, about that… haha!"

"You shameless jerk, I’m logging off. I’m going to get something to eat; I’m starving!" With that, Lin Zheng opened the system interface, clicked exit, and left the game.

As soon as he logged off, Lin Zheng heard his phone vibrating. He grabbed it and saw it was Wang Yu calling.

"What is it?" Lin Zheng answered.

"Boss, you finally picked up! I’ve called you several times!" Wang Yu’s voice came through.

"Cut the crap, I haven't even eaten yet!"

"What? It’s this late and you still haven't eaten?"

"Are you still talking?!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll stop!" Wang Yu said quickly. "It’s like this: this afternoon I asked the Big Sister to help, and we found all 21 young ladies. However, many of them have severe psychological trauma and don't want to stay at Dragon Garden. Only 8 are willing to stay. What do you think we should do?"

"Only 8?" Lin Zheng mused. "Eight girls are too few to manage a school. You find some people to help watch over things for now, and at the same time, focus on training a new generation of young ladies. Future management of Dragon Garden will be selected from those you train. As for those who don't want to stay, handle it however you see fit! At the very least, arrange positions worthy of them!"

"Got it! I understand!"

"Anything else? If not, don't call me again until later!"

"Um... there is, there is one more thing!" Wang Yu said, sounding a bit bashful.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't act shy; you think this is the first day I’ve known you?"

"Well..." Wang Yu was still shy—or rather, embarrassed and blushing! He said, "I want to ask for one of the young ladies!"

"Crap!" Lin Zheng swore directly. "I just told you to deal with the scumbags eyeing them today, and now you’re the one eyeing them!?"

"No! That’s not what I meant..." Wang Yu panicked, rushing to explain: "I, I’ve fallen for one of the young ladies. I mean, can I try to pursue her?"

"Damn! I should spray you with insect repellent!" Lin Zheng laughed, feeling annoyed. "Can’t you finish a sentence in one go?"

"Hehe—" Wang Yu just chuckled foolishly.

"Alright! The young ladies aren't my private property. Pursue whoever you want; why are you asking me? As long as you don't mess around and discard her later, I don't care who you chase!"

"You agree!?" Wang Yu was overjoyed. "Thank you, Boss! Boss, you’re truly great!"

"Alright, save the flattery. Now that you’re a suitor, watch over Dragon Garden well. If there’s any more trouble, I’ll skin you alive!"

"Don't worry, Boss!" Wang Yu’s tone suddenly turned cold. "If anyone dares to bother the person I like, I’ll make them regret ever being born!"

Hanging up the phone, Lin Zheng felt a sense of relief as he boiled water for instant noodles. It was ironic that after a lavish lunch, he was eating instant noodles for dinner. But according to Yang Qi, this was the early stage of the game, and leveling up was the priority. Once this craze passed, they could go out for comfortable meals every day!

Having finished his meal, the two logged back in. As soon as Yang Qi logged in, she went back to her quests. Although she was currently at the top of the Tianshuang City rankings, those behind her were catching up fast. She had to work hard to be the first player to complete the second class advancement!

Lin Zheng was more relaxed. Although he planned to start a guild later, Yang Qi could be the figurehead; he didn't need to push himself so hard. After logging in, Lin Zheng leisurely consigned his gold coins and then turned his attention to his gear. The quest to kill the Demon Wind gave him two pieces of equipment, and he now had the full Night Raid set, completely replacing his previous Ice Ape set. Excluding the Night Raid Boots, the stats of the other pieces were as follows:

Night Raid Leather Armor: Physical Defense 220, Magic Defense 220, Physical Defense +120, Stamina +21, Agility +22, Damage Reduction 10%.
Night Raid Gloves: Physical Defense 80, Magic Defense 80, Attack Speed +5%, Strength +18, Agility +21.
Night Raid Bracers: Physical Defense 100, Magic Defense 100, Physical Defense +100, Magic Defense +100, Agility +18.
Night Raid Leggings: Physical Defense 70, Magic Defense 70, Strength +20, Stamina +18, All Basic Stats +10.

After equipping the full Night Raid set, Lin Zheng’s stats underwent a massive transformation!

Yiping Daoist (Sword Fighter)
Level 40
Strength: 211
Intelligence: 11
Stamina: 151
Agility: 91
Energy: 11
Physical Attack: 1412-2235
Magic Attack: 602-780
Physical Defense: 1472
Magic Defense: 702
Health: 8305
Mana: 1650
...

The lack of physical defense had been patched up, and he was now quite the tank! His attack power had also increased significantly; his overall strength was now at least as strong as, if not stronger than, Yang Qi’s! Admiring himself with satisfaction, Lin Zheng opened his friends list and found that Xiaomeng had logged in.

"Xiaomeng, come to the city gate!" Lin Zheng said.

"Brother Shengun, are you giving me medicine?"

"Yeah! I made a lot this afternoon. Come take some and distribute it to the others!"

"Great! You wait, I’ll be there right away!" Closing the call, Xiaomeng appeared in Lin Zheng’s line of sight shortly after. Lin Zheng didn't waste any time and immediately traded 10 stacks of yogurt to her. Seeing the 10 stacks, Xiaomeng couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! So much yogurt!"

"Hehe! Besides being used for quick recovery, this can be drunk as a beverage. There's plenty, so if you like it, drink as much as you want!"

"Really?" Xiaomeng was delighted. She immediately took out a bottle and began drinking happily. "So good! I love yogurt! But, Brother Shengun, why is there only yogurt? Is there nothing for health recovery?"

"I don't have the materials for that yet, but don't worry. I’m going to gather some materials now, and by tomorrow, I’ll have health-restoring food ready for you!"

"Okay! We’ll look forward to your cooking then! I’m going back to level up with Yuki!"

"Go on!"

...

After sending Xiaomeng off, Lin Zheng began preparing to gather Tier 3 cooking materials. There were two types: strawberries and chicken. Strawberries were for strawberry milkshakes, which also required milk, making it a bit troublesome; it was a Tier 3 mana-restoration dish. Chicken could be used for boiled chicken, which restored health; it was simple and didn't require any seasonings. So, Lin Zheng decided to gather chicken!

Chicken meat could be gathered from any chicken-type monster. This tier was likely the easiest to level up because chickens were everywhere in the game! Even in the Breeze Forest, one could occasionally find a few domestic chickens walking around, and killing them yielded meat! Not to mention the areas just outside the newbie village where chickens were abundant. Once he reached Tier 3, reaching Tier 4 would likely take only a few hours or less! There were places near Tianshuang City that spawned high-level chickens, but Lin Zheng chose to go back to the newbie village to level his cooking skill as quickly as possible.