My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 112: I Do Not Love Money

To be honest, Kong Hua didn’t expect it, and neither did Li Rui—how could they receive rewards even before accepting the mission?

"Heavy reward? Surely it’s not going to be silver, right?"

"What’s the point of that?"

Huo Yun scoffed, saying that to them, gold and silver are useless, as they’re not inhabitants of the Secret Realm World.

Hearing them speak, Marshal Huang was greatly impressed: "You two treat money as dirt; truly, you’re heroes of our time."

Li Rui awkwardly chuckled: "Marshal, I have something to ask."

"Young brother, feel free to ask."

"Our Prince Zhen Dong, is he a legitimate royal blood relative?"

Marshal Huang nodded in assent, but internally pondered what ’legitimate royal blood relative’ really means—could anyone dare impersonate? He must be tired of living.

Li Rui had already made up his mind, smiled, and nodded.

As long as the surname is Wu, it’s enough.

He turned his head to gaze out, and saw that the beast hordes had temporarily retreated and were unsettled about a dozen miles away.

According to the strategy, every time this situation arises, everyone receives a brief respite.

After Marshal Huang went to inspect the wounded, the three of them sat down to eat, preventing the negative state of hunger, while Kong Hua dizzily tallied the spoils.

The rewards from killing three mini-bosses and other enemies altogether contributed to 42,000 experience points, 8 attribute points, and some miscellaneous consumables.

"My goodness, 8 attribute points, I’m almost at level 18—this is too fast!"

Li Rui commented: "Don’t get too excited; it’s not much for an eight-star Secret Realm, there’ll be more later."

It’s only the first few hours of the first stage; if this continues, there’ll surely be more gains.

After he finished speaking, he glanced upwards.

Huo Yun asked: "What are you looking at?"

"I’m checking why Prince Zhen Dong hasn’t arrived yet."

.....

Wu Yun had already reached the front lines, starting to motivate the soldiers and comfort the wounded from section A1.

Hong Lu and the other teammates were feeling quite bewildered.

"Did any strategy mention this kind of storyline?"

"No, normally, Prince Zhen Dong only appears at the end of the storyline."

"If he shows up on the battlefield in the third stage to personally beat the drums, it means success is imminent."

Hong Lu shrugged: "That’s strange, the first stage isn’t even over—why is he here personally?"

"Don’t know, maybe we’ll ask more later; we might trigger a hidden storyline?" the flatterer said optimistically.

A hidden storyline, whether offering more rewards or help in defense, even granting a positive buff would be useful.

Before long, Prince Zhen Dong and accompanying guards arrived at the rear of Hong Lu and team’s defense line.

"Prince, these are gallant heroes who generously came to support."

The deputy of section A1 smilingly followed, introducing the situation.

Wu Yun maintained a formal smile throughout, trying to appear warm and personable to boost morale, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but look again.

"These are the ones?"

The deputy didn’t understand the implication, and the commander wasn’t aware of the front-line situation, so both resorted to hesitant explanations: "Yes, they’re the ones."

Wu Yun quickly stepped forward, warmly grasping Hong Lu’s arm—a movement that made the guards tense.

"Heroes, I’ve heard that you’ve consecutively slain three Barbaric Beast leaders at the front, turning the tides and stabilizing the battle. Xiaowang is here to express gratitude."

With those words, he bowed swiftly, like a flash of lightning.

But Hong Lu and the others were puzzled—what nonsense? What leaders?

Still, at that moment, a buff appeared in their status bar.

[Blessing of the King: All attributes increased by 10%.]

They all tacitly chose not to clarify.

Buff or no buff, the main concern was avoiding awkwardness.

But at this time, the "insensitive" deputy stepped forward and said: "Prince, we haven’t seen any Barbaric Beast leaders here."

Wu Yun paused, turning to look at Hong Lu, who executed the fastest impromptu response of his life.

"Huh? You mean the Earth-Splitting Rhinoceros we killed wasn’t a leader?"

"..."

Having learned royal etiquette from a young age, Wu Yun has many rules to follow; if not, he might’ve rolled his eyes long ago.

He said nothing despite their proactive support of the front lines and silently walked away.

However, Hong Lu and the others noticed that the King’s Blessing had vanished, replaced by a negative status.

[Prince Zhen Dong’s Nagging: All attributes -1.]

"Looking on the bright side, at least this negative status doesn’t impact much," the flatterer said.

Bluntly continued revealing the truth: "Then the question arises—who is the hero Prince Zhen Dong is truly seeking?"

"....."

Everyone understood but felt it was inappropriate to say it openly.

Hong Lu internally vowed: "If a Barbaric Beast leader shows up here, we can kill it."

Bluntly: "Leaders are mini-boss level Barbaric Beasts."

"We’re all level 20! Plus we have those soldiers helping! No big deal."

"What if there are three mini-bosses?"

"Shut up! You’re too talkative!"

...

"Brave heroes, accept Xiaowang’s bow."

After clarifying identities, Li Rui and the group received the King’s Blessing.

Huo Yun and Kong Hua exchanged glances, beaming—ten percent increase in all attributes is substantial.

Wu Yun realized who among the three was leading and proactively said: "Young heroes with formidable skills and generous support, truly fortunate for my Liangting. Xiaowang presents gold worth a hundred taels as a token of gratitude, hoping the young heroes accept with a smile."

He summoned attendants who carried over a tray with several gold ingots.

As the upcoming battles still require the support of these ’heroes,’ Prince Zhen Dong adopted a very humble stance.

Huo Yun and Kong Hua naturally remained silent; Li Rui took a step back and stated confidently: "I rushed to the front lines for the sake of the people within the borders, not for material gains. I kindly ask the Prince to take it back."

Everyone accompanying Prince Zhen Dong had mercenary motives, never encountered someone like this, assuming it might be insufficiently rewarding, so additional jewels and accessories were brought, though they weren’t certified Secret Realm equipment.

Li Rui wondered why this fool wasn’t getting it, shouldn’t he be asking what I truly need?

He intensified his hinting: "All my life, I’ve pursued the path of true meaning and cannot accept gold and treasures. It might corrupt my true intent."

Not being blunt, Prince Zhen Dong instantly grasped the hidden implication and smiled: "Since that’s the case, Xiaowang has a few martial arts manuals—if something piques your interest, feel free to take it."

Li Rui initially sought Community Thunder clues, but given the attractive offer, he promptly agreed to check it out first.

And soon, an attendant presented a brocade box, containing three books.

Li Rui approached to look, as three options surfaced before him.

[Spear Staff Skill: Dragon’s Head Swing, Quality: Rare.]

[Bow Crossbow Skill: White Rainbow Piercing the Sun, Quality: Rare.]

[Hidden Weapon Skill: Silver Flower Shedding Earth, Quality: Rare.]