Shi Feng stared at Xia Lian's current stats for a good while, completely at a loss for words.
Xia Lian had leaped from an 8th-level NPC in Red Leaf Town to a 20th-level Tier 3 Priest, then climbed from a 20th-level Tier 3 Priest all the way up to a 180th-level Tier 3 Priest.
Now it was even more absurd — she had directly become a 200th-level Tier 4 High Priest.
Her power was no less than that of Tier 4 Warlock Wiseman.
"Lady Xia Lian, may I ask what you need of me?" Shi Feng said reluctantly once he'd recovered his composure.
Whenever he got involved with Xia Lian, Shi Feng felt like his wallet was in mortal danger — especially when she flashed that holy smile…
He had a nagging feeling he'd come to the wrong place. He should have gone to the Star Moon Royal City.
"I do have something I need you for, but the task can only be completed inside the Valley of Xuan Moon. Outsiders aren't allowed to enter lightly, and bringing you in carries enormous risk on my part. However, since you're an acquaintance, I can cover five hundred gold of the thousand-gold deposit. The remaining five hundred you'll have to pay yourself — otherwise these black-clad knights will have to escort you out, and even I won't be able to do anything about it." Xia Lian sighed helplessly, spreading her hands.
Shi Feng shot her a withering look.
Money-grubbing again!
It was the first he'd ever heard of needing a deposit to enter the Valley of Xuan Moon.
He'd only brought a little over seven hundred gold with him this time, and five hundred of it was about to vanish in an instant.
The thought made Shi Feng's heart sting, but he had no choice but to pay up. There was absolutely nothing he could do against Xia Lian — she was far too cunning, always finding his weak spot. He needed to enter the Valley of Xuan Moon to find three Tier 4 NPCs. He had other plans, but they weren't guaranteed to work and would take considerable time.
Reluctantly, Shi Feng pulled five hundred gold from his bag and handed every last coin over to Xia Lian.
"What's with that look? It's just a deposit — it's not like I'm not giving it back." Xia Lian's eyes lit up at the gleaming gold coins, and she smiled brightly. With a wave of her delicate hand, all the coins disappeared into her pocket.
In his mind, Shi Feng gave her the finger.
If it was a deposit, why was he paying her instead of the administrator of the Stargazer's Tower?
Xia Lian seemed to read his thoughts. She smiled faintly and produced a Silver Moon Badge, which she fastened to her chest. The inscription on the badge read: Administrator of the Stargazer's Tower…
"Are you kidding me — how many jobs does this woman hold?!" Shi Feng stared at the Silver Moon Badge and understood with perfect clarity that the five hundred gold was gone for good. Not even a sliver of hope remained.
It was an entrance fee, plain and simple.
A five-hundred-gold entrance fee at that…
"Hmph, now you see it, right? I wasn't tricking you, you little dummy." Xia Lian tapped the Silver Moon Badge and beamed. "All right, come with me."
Shi Feng sighed and followed Xia Lian up to the upper floor.
As for the Stone-in-Sword matter, he could deal with that after accepting whatever task Xia Lian had in mind.
The second-floor hall of the Valley of Xuan Moon held numerous locked rooms. The entire space resembled a residential apartment, with the corridor leading all the way to a massive, sealed stone door. Countless patterns were carved across its surface — each one with its own story and meaning. Combined together, the stories formed the totality of the door itself.
"Behind that stone door lies the deepest secret of the Stargazer's Tower. Don't you want to take a peek?" Xia Lian pointed at the enormous stone gate in the distance, as though she could see straight through Shi Feng's thoughts, and smiled.