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In the scorching center of the volcano, the air was filled with intense heat.

"What is it?" Jiang Han frowned.

Sure enough, as anticipated, it wasn't a stroke of luck that brought the "Mysterious Merchant" to him; it was the other party who sought him out.

The Mysterious Merchant smiled faintly, his face obscured by the hood of his cloak. "Can you guess?"

"The Fragment of the Moon?" Jiang Han spoke frankly.

Among the treasures he possessed, three items stood out: the Divine Favor Gem, capable of merging two skills to form a stronger one; the Dark Armor, an evolving equipment with immeasurable growth potential; and the Fragment of the Moon, providing a one-time resurrection within a month.

Of these, the Mysterious Merchant should be unaware of the Divine Favor Gem, the Dark Armor being exclusive equipment would likely not attract the other party's coveting gaze. Therefore, the only item Jiang Han could think of was the Fragment of the Moon.

The Mysterious Merchant knew about the Explorers, so the significance of the Fragment of the Moon to him wasn't a secret.

"Smart!" The Mysterious Merchant seemed amazed at Jiang Han's quick response and chuckled, "The Fragment of the Moon might not hold much meaning for you. Hand it over, and I'll allow you to choose an item as compensation unconditionally, how about that?"

"May I choose to refuse?" Jiang Han asked.

He wanted to refuse.

Although he didn't understand the significance of the Fragment of the Moon, his intuition told him that it was a priceless treasure, or why else would it be labeled as "unknown grade."

So, he inquired whether he could refuse, as he seemed to lack the initiative.

"No need for that; I don't want to be enemies with Explorers." The Mysterious Merchant shook his head. "Collecting the Fragment of the Moon is also helping the Explorers."

"Swish!"

Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky but landed lightly, creating a gentle breeze.

The newcomer was elderly, dressed in blue, thin and frail. While not imposing, his nonchalant arrival indicated extraordinary strength.

"Don't you understand?" Ralph, with hands behind his back, gazed at the Mysterious Merchant with cloudy eyes. "Do you still want to force a transaction?"

"Oh!"

Beside him, Vei Qian Duoer was dumbfounded.

Just collecting a Heart of the Magma led to the appearance of two powerful beings?

"Humph," the Mysterious Merchant snorted. "Old man, you've lived long enough!"

Saying this, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jiang Han spoke up to stop him.

"Hmm?" The Mysterious Merchant came back to his senses, somewhat surprised. "Have you changed your mind?"

"No." Jiang Han shook his head.

The Mysterious Merchant claimed to be helping the Explorers collect the Fragments of the Moon, but the fragment in his possession was given to him by Daniel personally. Cheryl mentioned that Explorers would have Daniel's memories!

If so, why didn't Daniel directly hide the Fragment of the Moon and wait to retrieve it later, or inform him beforehand to give it to someone else?

Perhaps it was just an overthinking, but he felt it prudent to be cautious. Besides, from a different perspective, he didn't think an SS-grade item could be more precious than an item with an unknown grade.

"So, why did you stop me?" 

"I want to buy something," Jiang Han said.

"..."

"Ding!~"

System prompt: You obtained the A-grade item [Advanced Sewer Oil]!

"Ding!~"

System prompt: You obtained the A-grade item [Divine Burger]!

While Advanced Sewer Oil and Divine Burger had obvious drawbacks, their effects were powerful. Advanced Sewer Oil could be used to deceive others, while Divine Burger, when consumed, greatly increased movement speed, making it ideal for escaping. Of course, they were expensive, each costing ten thousand gold coins, equivalent to a million in cash.

"Can I only buy one thing?" Jiang Han felt a bit regretful.

In fact, there were plenty of gold coins in his inventory, a total of fifty thousand, mostly given by his good friend Ulyr.

Due to the rules of the duel contract, he received all of Ulyr's wealth.

"Unexpected gains, only one item in total," the Mysterious Merchant waved his hand. "Farewell, I hope to meet you again and that you change your mind."

Now that the Seventh Demon Lord Ralph had coincidentally arrived to quell the destruction of the Wind of Annihilation, the Mysterious Merchant couldn't forcibly seize the Fragment of the Moon from Jiang Han. He had to temporarily abandon the idea.

Watching the Mysterious Merchant step into the void, disappearing along with the vanishing spatial ripples, Jiang Han clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for the rescue!"

"No need to be polite," Ralph shook his head with a smile. "It's not about saving you; he won't take your life. I just happened to be looking for you, not intentionally coming to your aid."

"Looking for me?"

What am I, a delicacy that all the big shots come looking for?

Jiang Han secretly scoffed and asked in confusion, "So, what brings you here to find me?"

"Of course, to thank you!" Ralph rolled his eyes, dropping the strong demeanor.

Jiang Han: "..."

Thank me?

Sounds like it might not be a good thing!

"Cough, if the junior has done well in any way, I hope the senior can forgive." Jiang Han said awkwardly.

Ralph raised two fingers. "Good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

Playing this trick?

Jiang Han's mouth twitched. "Let's hear the bad news first?"

"The bad news is that Longyu Guardian Chang Feng has discovered the dragons in Lake An Ding, and they are preparing to intervene. Once rescued, Longyu will lean more towards the Bright Camp, maybe even fully joining it!" Ralph said unkindly. "In other words, a hundred percent joining the Bright Camp!"

"What about the good news?" Jiang Han hurriedly asked.

Ralph patted Jiang Han's shoulder reassuringly. "The good news is, we've decided to send out two outstanding heroes to turn the situation around."

Perplexed, Jiang Han asked, "Where are these two heroes now?"

"Far as the heavens, near as the front," Ralph combed his beard, answering with a smile.

Oh?

Who are these two?

Vei Qian Duoer pointed to himself, weeping and laughing, "I'm not an undercover agent!"

"But you are undoubtedly a Dragon Knight in Longyu who leans towards helping the Dark Camp," Ralph kindly added.

"Ding!~"

System prompt: You obtained the main quest [Mediator] (Difficulty: SS-grade)!

[Mediator] (Difficulty: SS-grade)

Introduction: If you can persuade Longyu to join the Dark Camp, that person will undoubtedly be a hero of the Dark Camp and will receive supreme honor.

Quest Requirements: Convince Longyu to abandon the idea of joining the Bright Camp.

Quest Reward: Enter the Demon Lord's Treasury and choose two items as a reward.

Additional Reward: Skill impartation from the Wind of Annihilation, Ralph.

Quest Time Limit: Thirty days

Quest Penalty: Pursuit from

 Longyu

...

"As a Dark Swordsman, joining the Dark Camp, you want me to persuade the dragons to join the Dark Camp?" Jiang Han found it unbelievable.

The rewards were indeed generous, especially the additional reward, likely the inheritance of the Seventh Demon Lord, but the quest difficulty was a bit outrageous.

Once the dragons decided to join the Bright Camp, as a negotiator, he would likely have no chance of returning.

"Don't panic!" Ralph raised his hand, gesturing for Jiang Han to remain calm. "Chang Feng is easy to talk to."

Saying this, he took out a ring and handed it to Jiang Han.

"Ding!~"

System prompt: You obtained the task item [Space Ring Filled with Gold Coins]!

A task item?

Jiang Han took the ring, checking its details—

[Space Ring Filled with Gold Coins]

Introduction: A space ring filled with one hundred million gold coins.

Current Status: Task item, cannot be opened, cannot be traded.

One hundred million gold coins?!

Jiang Han swallowed hard.

What a pity!

Too much of a pity!

If the gold coins in this ring could be taken out, I might be traveling the world tomorrow.