Online Game: Crazy Skeleton-Chapter 851 - 773: Money Makes Things Easier

"Old man, I came in a bit of a hurry this time, and I haven’t saved up much money, so let’s start with just two pearls, any quality will do,"

Su Ran said offhandedly. He was collecting pearls only to establish a good relationship with the village elder and prevent the old man from being hostile towards him. Right now, pearls were of no use to him whatsoever.

"Alright, I’ll find some for you, cough cough."

After saying this, the village elder exerted himself for quite a while before finally taking out two small pearls and handing them to Su Ran, "Since we know each other, the regular price is fine, one gold piece each."

Upon inspection, Su Ran saw they were of quality 1, the worst kind of pearls...

This old coot really knows how to calculate!

However, Su Ran didn’t bother to haggle with him. Time was pressing and the task urgent, so he simply handed over two gold coins to settle the matter.

"Young hero, now that our transaction is complete, if there’s nothing else, this old man will be heading back inside. Spitting everywhere outside isn’t nice to see."

The village elder pocketed the gold coins with a nonchalant look at Su Ran before turning to return to his dilapidated thatched hut.

Sweat... So spitting outside isn’t good, but it’s fine inside the house?

This mental image was too much for Su Ran to bear, and he felt disgusted just thinking about it.

"Old man, please wait." freёwebnoѵel.com

Su Ran quickly stopped the village elder, saying hastily, "I have another favor to ask of you on this visit."

"Hmm?"

A glint of sharpness flashed through the elder’s murky eyes. After coughing a few times, he weakly said to Su Ran, "I’m not well and can’t stand for long, young hero. If there’s something you want to say, say it quickly."

"Old man, there’s a place on this fishing island, the Mysterious Road, this..."

Before Su Ran could finish, the village elder interrupted him.

"Have you been there?"

The village elder showed a look of horror; the panic in his eyes was unmistakable. He said to Su Ran in a trembling voice, "That is a Cursed Land, bringing misfortune to all! Leave, get away from the village at once, and don’t spread your bad luck to others!"

What?

A Cursed Land?

Could it be that the task locations related to Elf Forest are all cursed?

Su Ran was utterly baffled.

For now, he put aside what might come later in the plot and focused on getting through the current challenge!

"Old man, why are you so nervous? Is there something you can’t share, that you might tell me..."

Again, Su Ran was interrupted by the village elder.

"Get lost! This fishing village doesn’t welcome you! I don’t want to see you ever again!"

The village elder glared at Su Ran, shaking with rage, tapping his cane on the ground. The resulting coughing fit was so intense that he might have a cerebral hemorrhage if he kept getting so upset.

"Old man, I want to buy a large quantity of pearls."

"Okay, young hero, how many would you like?"

The village elder suddenly brightened up, completely changing his demeanor from just a second ago.

"..."

Watching the village elder’s infuriating behavior, Su Ran suppressed the urge to walk away. He understood that this task was not as simple as he had imagined. No wonder the system gave him ten days to complete it; turns out there were challenges waiting for him! But it didn’t matter, there’s nothing money can’t solve. If there is, just double the amount.

Throwing money at the game is the quickest shortcut.

This is also why RMB players have always had smooth sailing.

"First, acquire ten of them, and if I’m in a good mood later, I’ll get 20 more."

"Sure thing, young hero. Here are ten pearls, please take care of them."

Fearing Su Ran would back out, the village elder hurriedly took out the pearls and passed them over.

After the transaction was completed, Su Ran held the initiative, but he didn’t hurry to speak. Instead, he waited for the village elder to speak first. The elder would surely not want to anger him if he wanted to trade again. The pit was dug; it was just waiting for the elder to jump in.

"Cough cough."

The village elder coughed heavily a few times, struggling within himself for quite a while before choosing to lean towards money. With a complex look at Su Ran, he sighed deeply. After enough drama, he finally spoke earnestly to Su Ran, "Young hero, it isn’t that this old man wants to stop you from contacting the Cursed Land, but the Power of Curse is so vile, anyone who touches it could be risking their life!"

As he said this, the village elder slammed his elmwood walking stick onto the ground with anger, "The appearance of the Cursed Land on my fishing island is all because of that accursed Elf Forest!"

Elf Forest?

Accursed?

In just a few sentences, Su Ran had picked up quite a few useful pieces of information.

Why does this feel ominous...

The village elder held an antagonistic attitude towards the Elf Forest, while Su Ran needed to complete a mission there. Now that’s troublesome.

The opening of the Mysterious Path was destined to be filled with hardships...

"Elder, don’t get agitated, speak slowly, lest you hurt the fetus, er, lest you injure your vital energy."

"Cough cough cough."

Another bout of severe coughing resounded, with the village elder’s chest heaving. After a while, he finally recovered, "Young hero, since you have already come into contact with the Cursed Land, there’s no harm in telling you. However, you must promise this old man not to bring disaster upon the fishing island!"

"Ding! Mysterious Path mission extended: eradicate the source of the disaster to protect the fishing village from calamity."

The system prompt sounded, bringing joy to Su Ran’s heart—finally, the mission prompt appeared! This village elder was indeed a key figure in the mission!

Luckily, he hadn’t completely offended the elder. This was the very embodiment of the old saying, "Leave room in your actions, so you may see each other in the future..."

"Elder, rest assured, I will definitely not let the disaster harm the fishing island at all!"

Su Ran quickly made his stance clear with a promise, but then his tone shifted as he asked doubtfully, "But you must tell me, what is the source of this disaster?"

"This requires lengthy discussion..."

The village elder cast his gaze into the distance, sinking into memories, and began speaking slowly, "Hundreds of years ago, there was a connection here to the Elf Forest, and we had close dealings with the elemental elves, never experiencing any conflicts. However, unexpectedly, the Elf King of the Elf Forest violated an ultimate rule, and a curse descended from the heavens, turning their territory into the Cursed Land, and even the fishing island suffered the consequences!"

"The linked area was also corrupted by the Power of Curse, and by the time the ancestors discovered it, it was too late. The land had already spawned a powerful Curse Demon, plunging the fishing island into peril. The ancestors, along with the power of others, sealed the Curse Demon underground and forcibly extracted three Energy Crystals to strengthen the Sealing Power. As long as the energy doesn’t fade, the seal remains eternal, ensuring this Curse Demon never rises again!"

Three Energy Crystals?

Hey, that’s the exact number needed!

Su Ran’s spirits lifted, and he couldn’t help but interrupt the village elder’s recollection, "Elder, the Energy Crystals you mentioned, are they the grey stones embedded in the coconut tree?"

"Eh? How did you know?"

The village elder looked at Su Ran warily, his voice growing cold, "No wonder you lad have been inquiring about the Cursed Land, you’re aiming for the Energy Crystals!"

"No, no, you’ve got it wrong!"

Seeing that things were going south, Su Ran quickly explained, "I wish to visit the Elf Forest and strive to eradicate the source of the curse, to prevent this ’cancer’ from becoming a ticking time bomb that leaves everyone on edge."

"Elf Forest?"

The village elder cried out in alarm, "Absolutely not! If the path is opened, it will bring ruin to the entire fishing island!!!"