Great, now we are dead!

Thanks to Yanlong's diligent patrols, there were hardly any groups of monsters on this floor. The few that did appear were dealt with, and the group quickly arrived at the ascending staircase area.

But just then——

boom! ! !

A violent explosion was heard, the ground trembled slightly, and a large cloud of black smoke mixed with flames rose from the distant city!

This startled everyone, especially Marushir: "W-what happened?"

"Calm down, it's far away from us. That location... oh, it might be that the dragon's stomach exploded."

Ye Shou squinted and glanced at it.

"Self-destruction?"

"Although the dragon is dead, some parts will heat up due to decay... It's possible that the dragon's stomach was accidentally ignited."

"Is there such a thing?"

Marushir blinked her clear, large eyes and asked the people around her for help.

Farin shook her head. Leos glanced at Ye Shou but didn't say anything. Sensi also spread his hands. Chilchak seemed to have some recollection of him.

"I have heard that in certain circumstances, corpses must be disposed of promptly, otherwise they may explode due to decomposition... but this is the first time I've seen something like this."

"The world is full of wonders."

As a mage, Marushir felt she had learned something new.

Farine was still a little scared: "Luckily we left in time, otherwise everyone would have gotten hurt."

"yes"

"It's nothing, let's go quickly."

Ye Shou urged everyone to move forward, then glanced back casually.

Why did the dragon's stomach explode? That's amazing!

whee!

Oh, I hope something happens to him.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

【Destiny Coin (Chilcuk) 1】

【Destiny Coin (Senshi) 1】

【Destiny Coin (Leos 2)】

【Destiny Coin (Marusir) 3】

【Destiny Coin (Fallen) 2】

【Destiny Coin (Hisse) 1】

Different characters drop varying amounts of gold coins... It seems the situation hasn't completely turned around yet, and there's still potential to be tapped.

After all, given Leos's obsession with monsters and the peculiarity of his desires, the Winged Lion must have already noticed him.

...Perhaps Ye Shou is the same.

Okay, this phase is complete, let's continue!

Chapter 67 Pay attention, this is how you use money!

Whether they were satisfied with the "little gift" Ye Shou gave them, or simply missed it, the dungeon master, who was supposed to appear on the fifth floor and meet the main group, did not appear until the adventurers left the dungeon.

The return journey was much smoother than the descent, because after resting for a night on the fourth floor, Farin's magic power had recovered considerably. As a vital force in the team, she played a significant role, providing healing, defense, exorcism, and resurrection – she was an almost all-around magic user.

With the dual mage setup of Marushir and Farin, the logistical support of Sensi and Ye Shou, the command of Leos, and the experience and perception of Chilchak, this team's elite level is absolutely second to none in the dungeon!

With Ye Shou's encouragement, Leos also felt a little uneasy. So, apart from the necessary rest, the group did not cause any further trouble and focused on their journey. As a result, they returned to the first floor in just two days!

When they saw the bustling adventurers' market, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although they hadn't escaped the maze yet, this area was generally considered a safe zone.

"Starting from the fifth floor, there are less than three days in total... That's frighteningly fast."

Chilchak chuckled wryly as he rubbed his neck. "I never thought I'd be doing such extreme challenges at my age... Oh well, I can brag about it to my grandchildren when I'm old. It's not so bad now."

"It's all thanks to everyone working together as one."

Ye Shou gave the half-man a thumbs up.

"That's what they say... but when you said you used magic to shield your nerves and force yourself to travel despite fatigue, I really did see you as a demon."

Chilchuk's face twitched: "Thank goodness Farine didn't agree!"

The mage girl, who was once known as "Little Sister," smiled sheepishly. Her eyesight was a little poor, so she often squinted. Her smile gave people a very healing feeling.

She is indeed very skilled in healing magic, and when treating physical injuries, she uses delicate techniques to shield the injured person from pain (this process is usually quite painful).

Ye Shou suggested that everyone use more aggressive methods to travel, and that even if they suffered physical injuries, they could be restored with magic. He could provide ample supplies and guarantee that even if someone died, they could be easily brought back to life—just like speedrunning in some games.

However, Farin did not agree, and Ye Shou did not insist any further.

He could only smile apologetically at Chilchuck's current accusations, but inwardly he was unconvinced.

What's a few days of travel? Do you even know what the daily routine is like for high school students at the East Asia Three-Volume King?!

He's obviously a brat from another world who hasn't been through the harsh realities of the imperial examinations. If there were magic in the 21st century that could block out fatigue, believe me, students would be allowed to sleep only three hours a day!

(Dongda University is only average in this respect; Koreans are truly cultivating immortality.)

"Ye Shou meant well. I also felt there was something fishy about this incident, so it's good that he came back sooner."

For the first time ever, Leos took on the role of captain and actually started to smooth things over.

"However, if we stay on edge all the time in the maze, it's easy to make mistakes and endanger the whole team. So I agree with Chilchuck's point of view: eating well and sleeping well are the foundation of adventure... Anyway, we're finally back safe and sound!"

Upon hearing this, Chilchuk showed a relieved yet slightly lonely expression:

He will be leaving the team from now on.

"Leos, what are your plans for the future? As for Senshi, needless to say, he'll probably continue exploring dungeons and collecting monster ingredients, right?"

Ye Shou looked at the dwarf chef, who confirmed, "There are still some monsters I want to eat that I haven't found yet... But this adventure was very enjoyable, so perhaps I should consider officially joining a team."

"Welcome! We'd love to!"

Leos also said excitedly, "I, Farin, and Marushir will still be adventurers, but we lost all our luggage on the sixth floor, so we'll probably have to work for a while."

"Uh-huh"

The team members all nodded in agreement.

They were indeed famous adventurers, but Leos had no sense of saving money—he'd even lost his voucher on the sixth floor. Farin was a bit better off, but not exactly wealthy either. Only Marusir was not short of money, but she had lost many of her beloved possessions, and getting them back would cost a fortune, which was quite a painful thought.

"Money... Speaking of which, I do have a business deal, I wonder if you'd be interested."

Ye Shou stroked his chin and pondered, "As for the payment, gold will suffice, won't it?"

"Task?"

Leos asked, "Is it related to the maze? We don't want to go any further for now; everyone needs to rest."

"It's true that it's related... Don't worry, there's no need to go through a maze, and the danger is minimal."

Ye Shou turned to look at the halfling and said kindly, "Actually, I mainly wanted to ask Chilchak-san for help."

"I?"

Chilchak pointed to himself: "I don't want to be an adventurer anymore."

"Even non-adventurers can do it,"

Ye Shou said seriously, "You must have a lot of connections among the halflings, right?"

"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 union—"

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... you 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 its 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 with it.

"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 to have turned into zombies and had blank stares, 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!"

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

"No big deal."

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 68 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 bulk of the market consists of 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.