Chapter 73 -73-5 Billion Gold Coins Received!

How absurdly overpowered the effects of those two items were was obvious at a glance.

The only real pity was that both came with restrictions on their use.

But when you thought about it, that made perfect sense.

After all, the monsters living in [Umbra]—even a random trash mob you pulled out—would be boss-tier.

If your strength wasn’t enough, going in would be no different from delivering yourself as free EXP.

So yeah. Right now, the most important thing was still to focus on getting stronger.

Caelan stretched lazily, then headed to the Instance Control Center again.

Marov’s efficiency remained as satisfying as ever.

In just three minutes, Caelan’s storage space gained nearly 5 billion gold coins.

Seeing that mountain of gold, Caelan felt the anxiety that had been gnawing at him loosen instantly.

But he didn’t plan to dump all of it into upgrading skills.

Instead, he intended to see if there was any suitable equipment he could buy.

He’d already reached 3-star, which dramatically expanded the range of gear he could use.

Especially since what he was wearing right now was still 2-star equipment—not particularly strong.

Once you hit 3-star, the boost from gear was no longer something you could ignore.

To be honest, Caelan didn’t really care about the raw stats equipment provided.

What he truly cared about were the effects different pieces of gear came with.

Just like the effect of the [Sacred Rings]—sure, it wasn’t as straightforward as pumping a skill to lv99999, but the improvement it brought was still nothing to sneeze at.

To a certain extent, the effects granted by a top-tier piece of equipment weren’t inferior to a lv99999 skill at all.

With that thought, Caelan stood up and, under Marov’s guidance, entered the auction hall inside the Instance Control Center.

In this world, there were two kinds of auction houses.

One was the public auction house—available to anyone who had awakened a class. The one everyone used.

The other kind belonged to specific chambers of commerce, institutions, or organizations—private auction houses or internal marketplaces.

For example, the Ironclad Legion’s store... and the Instance Control Center’s auction house right in front of him.

Marov looked like he’d been waiting for this day for a long time. As Caelan browsed, a warm, enthusiastic smile never left his face.

"Honored Mr. Caelan, you may freely select whatever equipment suits you within our auction house."

"For a distinguished customer such as yourself, we will provide purchasing access free of charge. You won’t need to pay any handling fees."

Caelan froze for a moment.

Not charging a fee when he sold things at the Instance Control Center was one thing—but now they weren’t charging fees when he bought things either?

What were they trying to do?

No way they were actually running a charity.

"Marov, I’d like an explanation," Caelan said. "Or are your prices higher than the ones outside?"

Marov paused, then smiled and shook his head.

"Mr. Caelan, you may compare prices at any time. For high-quality users such as yourself, the Instance Control Center provides subsidies worth tens of billions."

"If you find that any piece of equipment is priced higher than the market, we are willing to compensate you tenfold."

Caelan’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if something clicked. His gaze became sharper.

"So you recruit people like me... just for the hype?"

Marov clearly didn’t expect Caelan to guess that far. He immediately nodded, admiration appearing in his eyes.

"Mr. Caelan, you truly are very intelligent. That’s correct— for the Instance Control Center, having a complete selection of goods is far more important than profit."

"You’ve proven your value. Naturally, you may also gain our friendship."

Caelan nodded and didn’t say more.

Instead, he had Marov bring him—profiles—on several sets of equipment that were currently the best match for him.

In the end, Caelan made his choice.

"Alright. I’ll take a set of [Oathbound Swordsman Set]—no chest armor."

...

Mylanne City.

Lavender Restaurant.

As one of the most luxurious restaurants in the Upper District, the place radiated a pastoral, poetic charm.

At this moment, two figures sat facing each other.

Alyssa looked a little awkward, her fingers gently pinching the edge of her clothes.

Across from her, the man moved with refined elegance, as if he’d received impeccable aristocratic education.

"Alyssa, this restaurant’s flavor is pretty good. It reminds me of our family estate."

"I remember when we were kids—during midsummer, you could always see beautiful lavender in bloom."

"What do you think? Do you like the atmosphere here?"

"If there’s anything you want to eat, feel free to order. No need to be polite—our family not only has a long history, but also considerable wealth."

Hearing him show off like that, Alyssa’s mouth twitched.

The way he said it, you’d think someone else was broke.

But... did his house really have lavender? She clearly remembered lavender blooming in spring and autumn, not midsummer.

"Just order whatever," Alyssa said flatly. "As long as you don’t waste food."

She tucked her hair behind her ear, her gaze drifting absentmindedly toward the window.

Truthfully, she had already lost count of how many blind dates she’d been on.

For the continuation of the family line, even Alyssa couldn’t decide her own fate—or her marriage.

For someone born into nobility, wasn’t that a kind of shackle?

More than once, Alyssa had thought: if she were just a commoner, maybe she wouldn’t have so many worries.

In Alyssa’s heart, she was meant to become the strongest—to become the Knight King!

As for marriage... it wasn’t even on her list of considerations.

But the man opposite her looked thrilled.

Because he never imagined Alyssa would possess the noble virtue of thrift!

Even though his family wasn’t short on money, the richer people were, the more they obsessed over every coin they spent.

"In that case, let’s have two Mylanne beef steaks, and hill fish stew, and—"

Right then, Alyssa suddenly stood up and walked toward the door.

Seeing this, the man panicked.

"Alyssa, what are you doing? Did I order something you don’t like?"

"Don’t go—let’s talk properly."

Alyssa raised her wristwatch, glanced at it, then pointed to the hands.

"My blind date time is over."

"So—goodbye."

After saying that, Alyssa even reached into her storage space, grabbed a handful of gold coins, and placed them on the table.

"That’s my share of the meal. The extra can be your tip."

Then, under the man’s baffled stare, Alyssa walked away alone.

Alyssa strolled down the pedestrian street and couldn’t help letting out a soft sigh...