Chapter 25: Mounts, An Astronomical Price

Fu Chen was naturally well-aware of the "riding pet" situation, but he feigned a look of confusion as he turned toward her.

Qin Yumo continued with a smile, "You're close to leveling up, aren't you? Let's get that done first; besides, there's another quest waiting."

"Alright, let's level up first, and then I'll take a look myself," Fu Chen agreed, playing along perfectly.

Qin Yumo charged straight toward the Iron-Tail Mountain Cat ahead. After closing to within ten meters, she skillfully unleashed a [Dragon Appearance].

Fu Chen, following close behind, served not only as a combat assistant but also as a "skill master." He did his best to explain his own understanding and insights regarding the skills to help Qin Yumo master them faster and more effectively.

"Pay attention to the mechanics of the movement. Your execution of [Dragon Appearance] must be swift, and your strikes must be fierce..."

"Don't panic when a monster gets close. Your internal energy (Qi) flow must be smooth and continuous. If you panic, your energy will stagnate, and the skill will be nothing more than an empty shell."

"Once you've used your three skills, keep your composure. Focus on dodging while you weave in basic attacks."

Through their practical combat session—one teaching and one practicing—Fu Chen’s cultivation quickly broke through to level 10.

[Banlian Hongchen, Level 10, Martial Arts]
[Realm: Foundation Establishment]
[Cultivation: 21/5750]
[HP: 360]
[Qi: 207]
[Spirit: 5849]
[Remaining Attribute Points: 5]
[Remaining Talent Points: 5]
[Constitution: 5]
[Spirituality: 5]
[Strength: 30]
[Agility: 60]
[Physical Attack: 57-106]
[Magic Attack: 9-9]
[Critical Strike Rate: 3%]
[Attack Speed: 0.83 hits/sec]
[Critical Damage: 200%]
[Physical Defense: 106]
[Five Elements Defense: 155]
[Accuracy: 600]
[Evasion: 600]
[Movement Speed: 5m/s]

At the same time, Fu Chen received two quest notifications:
"Accept Quest: Acquire a Riding Pet"
"Accept Quest: Revisit the Elder"

The iconic, dazzling white light of leveling up did not escape Qin Yumo’s notice. She looked over with a joyful expression and asked, "You got the quest notifications, right? Shall we head straight back to Sword Immortal City now?"

Fu Chen chuckled, "Yes, let's head back and see what new tasks the Elder has for us."

"The most important thing is the riding pet quest. I hope it grants us a mount; I’m finally tired of running on two legs," Qin Yumo said, full of anticipation and sentiment.

"I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed," Fu Chen muttered to himself, though he smiled and agreed aloud, "Let's hope so."

The two returned to Four Directions Village and teleported back to the crowded Sword Immortal City. Thinking about the prospect of having her own mount, Qin Yumo was in high spirits and took the initiative to chat with Fu Chen.

"Have all the people gone out to do quests? The city doesn't look as packed as it did yesterday; it’s much more comfortable."

Fu Chen didn't answer immediately; instead, he looked at her with curiosity. "You don't seem as reserved or socially anxious as you were at the beginning, do you?"

Qin Yumo’s face flushed red. She quickly lowered her head and whispered, "I was never like that. I was just unfamiliar with everything before."

After a pause, Qin Yumo hurriedly changed the subject: "For the riding pet quest, we need to find the Pet Care Master. Do you know where she is?"

"I do!" Fu Chen nodded. "When we did the cultivation quest last time, I saw her standing behind the Empty Daoist."

Qin Yumo beamed, "That’s great. She’s in the same place as the Elder; that saves us from running all over the place."

They headed straight for their destination at full speed and found the Pet Care Master inside the Elder's Hall in Sword Immortal City.

For once, Qin Yumo took the initiative to step forward and turn in the quest: "Senior, we are here to complete the quest and, incidentally, to acquire a riding pet."

The Pet Care Master chuckled, "Young lady, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and riding pets are not free either."

"My shop is open for business and advocates for equivalent exchange. As long as the price is right, everything is negotiable."

Qin Yumo was stunned by this. She switched to the team channel and complained: "I thought the quest reward was a riding pet, but who would have thought I’d just walked into an advertisement? Does the Perfect World even engage in marketing?"

Fu Chen, having experienced this in his past life, was not surprised; he only found Qin Yumo’s reaction as adorable as a child's. He replied with a smile, "The Perfect World is no less advanced than the Blue Planet. Just think about how many people have entered in the last two days—they couldn't afford to give them away for free."

"I hadn't thought of it that way. I was just being naive," Qin Yumo admitted, nodding. She turned to the Pet Care Master and said, "We’d like to see the riding pets and their prices first."

No sooner had she spoken than the riding pet shop interface appeared before them. It displayed various exotic beasts, including horses, deer, lions, tigers, leopards, and dragons. The variety was dizzying. Each species had different speeds, and the price tags varied wildly.

Among them, the horse-type pets were the rarest, consisting only of the Wuzhui, the Red Hare, and the Dilu. Their movement speed was also the slowest among all riding pets—9 meters per second at max level—with a price of 5,000 Gold.

The price range for other types of riding pets was terrifying. Pets of the same tier as the Five-Colored Deer had a max-level speed of 10 meters per second and cost 300,000 Gold. The top-tier riding pets, with a max-level speed of 12 meters per second, carried a staggering price tag of 8,000,000 Gold.

In his three years in his past life, Fu Chen had only seen top-tier riding pets a few times; he hadn't even dared to dream of owning one himself.

After a brief scan of the shop, Qin Yumo looked dejected. "Even the cheapest horse costs 5,000. If I buy a mount, I'll be practically broke. Saving money is so hard."

Fu Chen felt a vein throb in his forehead. He helplessly reminded her, "Look closer, that's 5,000 Gold, not coins."

"Ah?" Qin Yumo looked blankly at the screen, then quickly re-examined the price, asking in surprise, "Where are we supposed to get this 'Gold'?"

Fu Chen began acting again, shaking his head as if he were completely ignorant. He turned to the Pet Care Master and asked, "Senior, may I ask how one acquires Gold?"

The Master replied, "You may go to the Auction House and find the auctioneer to exchange currencies. The rate is 10,000 coins for 1 Gold."

"Furthermore, for those of you who have arrived from other worlds, you may re-enter the Perfect World after midnight tonight and purchase Gold directly using the currency from your original world."

This answer came as a complete surprise to Fu Chen. In his past life, his and Yang Siyao’s leveling speed had been quite average. By the time they needed to buy mounts, the currency systems of the two worlds had already merged and were freely convertible, so he hadn't paid attention to the timing.

Qin Yumo was overjoyed. "Hongchen, did she say we can buy Gold directly with real-world money?"

"Yes, after 11 PM tonight, we just need to log back in," Fu Chen confirmed.

"You don't seem very excited," Qin Yumo noted, puzzled.

Fu Chen gave a wry smile. "Even if we can buy Gold with real money, we don't know the exchange rate yet. Let's finish the Elder's quest first."

Even so, Qin Yumo remained in high spirits as she followed Fu Chen to the Elder.

The Elder of Sword Immortal City was lying on his chair as usual, motionless, as if he had been in a deep slumber for years. He spoke through telepathy, "Trouble yourselves to go to the outskirts and gather some raw materials for this old man."

"Before you depart, you can purchase a mining pick from the merchant to facilitate the collection of raw materials."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two of them received the [Production Materials] quest simultaneously.

[Production Materials]
[Quest Giver: Elder of Sword Immortal City]
[Required Materials: Logs (0/5); Sandstone (0/5); Pig Iron (0/5); Coal Powder (0/5)]
[Quest Reward: Unknown]

After reading the quest, Qin Yumo asked, "Why is there a gathering quest, and the reward isn't even specified? Can we skip it?"

Fu Chen knew this was a prerequisite quest for [Production Skills]. If one wanted to learn production skills, this task was mandatory.