"This is insane..." Li Wei was still thinking about it on the subway. ’They’re trying to use for an ad.’
He had just left Franklin High School and was on his way to his part-ti job.
Just before, Coach Miller had held him back, trying with all his might to persuade Li Wei to work with him. Li Wei wouldn’t even have to actually use the product; he just needed to cooperate with the promotion.
"Look at your physique," he said, waving the clipboard in his hand. "You’ll beco a huge star on TikTok! You’ll be the most famous high school student in the entire United States of Arica! Together, we can make hundreds of thousands, even millions of USD!"
"Well said," Li Wei said. "So how much are you planning to pay ?"
"For every person we bring in," Miller said, "I’ll give you a 20% commission."
"20% is too low," Li Wei said. "I want 90%!"
"Fack, you greedy brat! Get out!"
...
Li Wei had just thrown out the 90% figure randomly. It wasn’t that his conscience wasn’t for sale—it was just that Coach Miller’s current offer wasn’t high enough.
’How much money can you really make off of poor people, anyway? How much could you possibly squeeze out of students from Brooklyn and Queens? If I’m going to sell my conscience, it had better be for rich people’s money.’
If Miller had offered him a million for every person they signed up, he might have hesitated a little longer.
Right now, if he wanted to make money, it seed his options were to either rely on his own efforts to earn it from those rich ladies or to hope that Don Quixote would rise again and carry him to success.
Li Wei couldn’t help but think of Elizabeth llon, whom he’d t before.
The thought that her monthly allowance alone was over a hundred thousand USD filled him with a sense of longing and anticipation. It even gave him more energy for work.
He wondered when this super-rich young lady would visit the buyer’s shop again. Ideally, she would buy a one-million-USD bag in one go, stuff a 5,000-USD tip in his hand, and just like that, he’d pocket 20,000 USD in after-tax commission and tips. Combined with his scholarship, that would be enough to cover his first year’s tuition.
Cherishing such hopes, Li Wei arrived at Delores’s buyer’s shop.
Unfortunately, the super-rich young lady, Elizabeth, did not pay a visit. Emma, however, was in the shop today, looking exhausted and like death ward over.
"Why weren’t you at work the other day?" Li Wei asked casually. "Were you sick?"
"Suka Bulie—YAAAWN—don’t even ask," Emma let out a huge yawn. "Lady Delores has had running errands for her lately. I’ve been running all over the place."
Li Wei recalled Lady Delores’s instructions and warnings, resolving not to ddle in others’ business. But there was no stopping Emma, who was a huge gossip and willing to tell Li Wei everything.
From Emma, Li Wei learned that Lady Delores had a friend she was on bad terms with. This friend had recently gotten into a dispute with Lady Delores and ended up stealing a very valuable piece of jewelry from her ho.
And for the past few days, Emma had basically been helping Lady Delores keep an eye on this friend to see if they could get the jewelry back.
"Can’t she call the police?" Li Wei asked nonchalantly. "Shouldn’t she go to the police if sothing was stolen?"
"Lady Delores and her friend are both respectable people," Emma said, shaking her head. "They don’t want to blow things out of proportion. They’re hoping to resolve it privately. After all, they all know each other, at least superficially, and don’t want to make things ugly."
"Forget it," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "It’s all trivial stuff. Co on, I had Lady Delores switch our dessert supplier. I was getting sick of the macarons. Try this Basque cheesecake..."
After another afternoon spent slacking off at Delores’s buyer’s shop, Li Wei returned ho that evening.
There was still no word from Jose. Don Quixote suspected he might have left New York.
Late that night, Don Quixote began to sleepwalk again.
"Knight Don Quixote," Li Wei said with a nod. "Long ti no see."
"Long ti no see???" Don Quixote said in surprise, his eyes still closed. "Didn’t we just see each other this morning?"
’Damn it! Who the hell knows how ti flows in your dream world?’ Li Wei complained internally.
’Last ti, not seeing each other for ten days beca ten months in the dream. I wonder what it is this ti.’
"This morning we cleared out the Hell Red Dwarves," Li Wei said, deciding to cut to the chase. "What are we doing now?"
"We cleared out the Hell Red Dwarves," Don Quixote said in a low voice. "Now, we must enter the Demon Forest. We have to be extrely careful. There are not only slumbering dragons inside, but also Dark Elves."
Suddenly, he looked Li Wei up and down, his brow furrowing.
"My friend," he said, "you don’t know how to use Stealth, do you?"
"I’m a Knight," Li Wei said, spreading his hands. "Why would I need to know Stealth?"
"Even though you’re a Knight," Don Quixote said with a frown, "you still need to take Stealth as an elective skill. Otherwise, how will you deal with the Dark Elves who hide in the shadows?"
With that, he raised his hand and aid it at Li Wei.
[Knight Don Quixote offers to teach you the skill ’Stealth (Temporary)’. Do you wish to learn it?]
[Yes/No]
Li Wei’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
’Seriously, dude? You can do that?’
[You have learned the skill ’Stealth (Temporary)’.]
[Stealth (Temporary): For 60 seconds, your form is hidden. You cannot be detected by the naked eye unless a special detection magic is present.]
Li Wei was inwardly delighted.
’This Stealth skill is practically god-tier! Does "detection magic" refer to caras? Does this an that as long as there are no caras, ordinary people won’t be able to see ?’
"What other skills do you have?" he asked hurriedly. "Can you teach them to ?"
"That’s enough, my friend," Don Quixote said, waving his hand dismissively as he turned to leave. "I can only let you experience the effects of this power for a short ti. Whether or not you can truly master it is up to you. Now, let us proceed toward the Demon Forest."
[You have received a quest: Traverse the dark Demon Forest.]
[A species of Dark Elf lives within the Demon Forest. They are foolish and lazy, with an incorrigible penchant for theft, yet they are physically powerful. As a subspecies of elf, they often boast of being "orthodox" elves themselves. Once, after a Dark Elf was executed for theft, they launched a massive movent called "Dark Elf Lives Matter."]
[Quest 1: Traverse the Demon Forest.]
[Quest Reward: Constitution 0.1]
[Quest 2 (Optional): Capture a Dark Elf.]
[Quest Reward: Permanently master the ’Stealth’ skill, Agility 0.1]
[Skill Description: Black is my gift. The night is my camouflage.]
?
A question mark floated in Li Wei’s mind. ’Are these supposed to be actual Dark Elves? Are we sure this isn’t describing Brother Ni?’
Just as he was thinking this, Li Wei saw that Don Quixote had once again produced the iron pipe he’d found sowhere and was heading out the door.
Li Wei didn’t have ti for further thought and could only hurry to follow behind Don Quixote.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse in the clear, crisp air.
A sea breeze blew in gusts as Li Wei and Don Quixote walked down the street, one behind the other.
Although the system had never been wrong before, Li Wei couldn’t help but have his doubts as he looked at the empty street.
"Knight Don Quixote," he called out, stopping him. "Are we actually going to run into Dark Elves?"
"I’m not certain, Knight," Don Quixote replied without turning his head, iron pipe in hand. "But be careful. They blend easily into the dark—Aha!"
Before he could finish his sentence, he let out a great shout and pointed forward with his iron pipe.
Li Wei followed his gaze and saw a figure, pitch-black and almost one with the shadows, furtively climbing out of a house under the glow of a streetlamp.
"A Dark Elf!" Don Quixote roared, charging forward. "Stop! How dare you commit such a vile act in the presence of two Knights!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers