Great, we're doomed now!

"Of course!"

Chilchak crossed his arms, looking very confident: "I wouldn't say I know all the halflings on this island, but I can talk to two-thirds of them... What, do you want to hire a large number of us?"

"Yes, I'd like you to help me contact some reliable people."

Ye Shou smiled slightly: "The more the better."

"The more the merrier... Let me make this clear first: although we have a relationship, I won't give you any special treatment when it comes to the guild—"

Wow~

The clinking of gold and silver broke the market's clamor, and instantly all the adventurers on the first floor, including Chilchak, turned their attention to it.

What poured out of Ye Shou's backpack... no, what "flowed out" was something that adventurers would risk their lives for!

Gold, silver, gemstones, pearls... it's a dazzling array of colors!

Even someone like Leos gaped open!

Ye Shou only put away his bag after it had piled up into a small mountain half a meter high.

Is this enough?

"Enough, enough... idiot!" Chilchak snapped out of his daze and hurriedly spread out his luggage to cover the pile of treasure, but no matter what he did, he couldn't hide all the brilliance. I remember his voice was trembling.

"Don't take it out in a place like this! Are you an idiot?!"

“Yes, that’s too reckless.” Marushir also took off her cherished cloak and covered it up.

"Did you rob some national treasury?"

"Hmm? You guys are being too sensitive. There's no need to worry so much; it's just a small amount of money."

Ye Shou looked around, taking in the adventurers who seemed like zombies with vacant eyes, and couldn't help but curl a playful smile at the corner of his mouth.

"And I think everyone is quite kind."

"...Let's stop joking around!"

Chilchuk couldn't stand being watched by these hungry beasts: "What exactly do you want?"

"It's nothing serious."

Ye Shou straightened up, sweeping his gaze across the group with an aggressive and arrogant air. The adventurers who met his eyes all shivered, involuntarily recalling the powerful nobles of their homeland, and guiltily turned their heads away.

Then Ye Shou shouted loudly, his arrogant demeanor silencing everyone: "It's just about buying this island!"

Chapter 69 The Adventurers' Golden Land

What's it like to buy an island?

Ye Shou didn't think there was anything special about it—it's not like he hadn't bought it before.

However, compared to the islands in the Pacific Ocean, real estate in this other world is a bit more complicated because there is a "labyrinth" on this island. It not only hides the legacy of an ancient kingdom, but also attracts a large number of adventurers to come and excavate, directly boosting the island's prosperity.

This island was once a poor and remote place, and the island owner was just an ordinary village chief. Suddenly, his luck changed and he came to possess mountains of gold and silver.

This is San Francisco during the Gold Rush era. It seems that it won't be easy to get the island owner to hand over ownership.

But Ye Shou was not unprepared; on the contrary, he was very confident:

First, the production of mazes has already decreased significantly.

When the labyrinth was first discovered, it was said that even the first or second floor could yield a large amount of gold and treasures. However, as more and more adventurers came, over-exploitation has gradually depleted the resources here, and now there is nothing of value except for monsters.

Secondly, the island owner was greedy for comfort.

The island owner himself lacked management skills and knew that he was unworthy of his position. People kept trying to get him to hand over ownership and let representatives of other forces take over the management. He was only tempted by the huge wealth and gritted his teeth to stay in this position.

The money is coming in slower now, and with the increased population, the management costs of the island's towns have risen, leading to a surge in various security incidents... He's starting to look like he's about to shirk responsibility and quit.

Third, Ye Shou gave us enough!

This reason is sufficient and compelling enough!

Gold is a hard currency in most worlds, and even Ye Shou cannot obtain it indefinitely. Therefore, it only occupies a small portion of the "treasure mountain," and is made to be eye-catching enough through craftsmanship, making it look like it takes up a lot of space.

The real majority are jade, rubies, silver, diamonds, and pearls!

In Ye Shou's eyes, these were things he could just throw away at will. Whether natural or man-made, he could easily get a lot of them, and the man-made ones were even purer and, objectively speaking, more valuable.

It's a pity that glass already exists in this world, otherwise Ye Shou could have saved money by bringing a truckload of "crafts" over!

He didn't just pile the raw stones together; he had already had them crafted into magnificent jewelry, the exquisite designs of which would leave these country bumpkin adventurers speechless!

The island owner's reaction won't be much better either.

Interestingly, Ye Shou, who had shown off his wealth on the first floor of the maze, did not rush to meet the island lord. Instead, he leisurely followed the Leos team to the ground and experienced the island's local customs and culture.

Information circulates incredibly quickly among adventurers, especially when it's directly related to wealth. So, in less than half an hour, Leos and his companions were astonished to find that the attitudes of merchants on the island, regardless of their business, had completely changed.

Shortchanging customers? Not a chance!

Forced buying and selling? Absolutely not!

Buy low, sell high? We're honest people!

—Leos ​​had never experienced such a warm welcome in his life, to the point that he began to question his existence.

Well, he actually dislikes humans quite a bit. It's not that he hates any particular person, but rather that he has a certain aversion to the "human" species itself, including himself.

Because from the beginning, he had no idea what other people were thinking, and he couldn't learn how to communicate with strangers, which led to him being ostracized wherever he went, and he always felt like an "outsider".

Even though everyone communicates using language, why can't he understand the unspoken meaning and make friends?

This is probably one of the reasons why he likes monsters:

I can't find a sense of belonging among my own kind.

But today he truly witnessed just how far human kindness can go towards strangers... It even gave him the illusion that he was very popular!

"It's good to be rich!"

Walking down the street, Leos, expressionless, murmured a few words.

He was the only one who could remain calm; the others, whether elven mages or dwarven cooks, were not used to being watched openly or secretly by so many people.

"Isn't this too conspicuous?" Marushil asked anxiously, clutching her staff. "Won't we get robbed if we go to a less crowded place?"

"Don't worry, Marushir."

Leos offered some words of comfort: "We've bought too many things along the way, a lot of which were unnecessary purchases, and some even seem to be deliberately inflated in price... Normally, people wouldn't flaunt their wealth like this in places where adventurers gather. Ye Shou must have his own reasons for doing this."

"Really?"

Marushir looked up at the figure in front of her, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I just think he seems to be having a lot of fun~"

“Um… Mr. Ye Shou?” Farin looked around and asked Ye Shou curiously, “Where did Chilchuck go?”

"I gave him the letter of authorization, he should have already sent the mission to the Half-Body Artificial Guild."

Ye Shou paused, then pointed forward: "Alright, we've arrived!"

—Lord's Hall.

The front is the office space, and the back is the lord's private residence. Representatives from various industries on the island usually gather here to discuss matters and pay taxes regularly. Because of the maze, the facilities in this village now rival the scale and luxury of a noble mansion.

"Are you really going to buy the labyrinth?" Marushir was still skeptical. "You're not just going to eat monster food, are you? That's completely unnecessary!"

“No, Ye Shou probably doesn’t really want to buy it.” Leos calmly refuted the elven mage’s words.

Although he considers himself to be socially inept, he actually has a lot of social experience; he just doesn't want to spend too much time on interpersonal relationships.

Therefore, he was able to see things from Ye Shou's actions that Marusir could not:

If you really want to buy something, don't make it known to everyone!

In any transaction, the true price is best known only to the buyer and seller. If there's a deliberate attempt to advertise it, then there's definitely an ulterior motive.

If Ye Shou wants this island, he can just secretly take the treasure to see the island owner. Maybe the landowner has been secretly changed, and the adventurers won't know for another ten days or half a month.

But now that Ye Shou has made such a "show," everyone on the island knows that a big spender is interested in the maze, and the island lord is no exception.

The island owner might try to raise the price arbitrarily, and Ye Shou might have to pay a much higher price than the actual value!

Based on their interactions over the past few days, Leos felt that Ye Shou didn't seem like an innocent young master, so he concluded that Ye Shou had ulterior motives!

Ye Shou chuckled upon hearing Leios's words, offering no further explanation.

He opened his backpack and took out one beautifully crafted gold and red box after another, handing them to his companions one by one.

"Wait a moment and cooperate with me..."

As Ye Shou recounted the story, Marusir's eyes slowly filled with dizziness: "Why...why do this?"

"Just a negotiation tactic."

"Huh? Why don't you just pay directly?"

Marushir was truly puzzled, but seeing that Leos and the others were also bewildered, she felt much relieved.

Fortunately, it wasn't that I was too stupid; it was just that Ye Shou's actions were too incomprehensible!

"I'll explain everything to you later. Don't ask any questions now. Just do as I say."

……

The adventurers watched as Ye Shou and his companions each carried two chests of treasure into the hall, and they became excited and couldn't help but start discussing it.

If this island could be given a wealthier lord, he might be willing to raise the price of monster materials or give adventurers more quests, which would benefit them.

Especially since this guy seems like a fool with too much money!

The news spread quickly throughout the island, and before long, representatives from all the unions had gathered outside the hall, both openly and secretly, with countless eyes eagerly watching the entrance.

However, after a while, the door was kicked open and Ye Shou walked out angrily, his dissatisfaction obvious. Behind him, Leos and the others hurriedly followed, carrying the original box.

Judging from this... does it mean the deal didn't go through?

The adventurers speculated that the foolish island owner must be asking for an exorbitant price.

Marushir walked beside Farin, stealing glances to her left and right, her throat bobbing a few times, taking a deep breath to make up her mind—

"oops!"

The elven mage let out a dramatic shout, then fell to the ground like a salted fish, the treasure chest in his hand crashing to the ground, its glittering jewels exposed to everyone's view.

——! ! !