Chapter 97
“Well, what can I say? Gold can’t hide its shine.” Lu Chuan sighed. “I’d love to keep a low profile, but my strength just won’t allow it.”
Messiah couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
For them, it wasn’t such a big deal. Greater challenges still lay ahead.
The next day, Vivian summoned those interested in entering.
“This time, the dungeon allows for ten slots. If you’re certain, sign a contract with us. Each team can’t exceed five people. For each team that enters, you must give us one S-rank item. Everything you gain inside belongs to you—we won’t interfere.” She laid out the terms.
Xi Jiangyuan’s dungeon slots varied each time, depending on which of his memories they relived. As it happened, Whistle allowed for ten players.
“We’ll go,” Shen Li said immediately. “Me, Edith, Starry Shasha, and Lu Chuan—one team.”
“I’ll team up with Messiah,” gasped Lilus, who had rushed in last-minute, only making it thanks to a teleportation item.
Just the two of them—splitting into separate teams would mean paying for another S-rank item, and those weren’t exactly growing on trees.
Messiah’s other teammates didn’t qualify anyway. Better to go himself than send them to die.
“Captain.”
“Let’s all go together.”
“Yeah, we can protect you.”
His players clearly didn’t want to sit it out.
“Once inside, we lose our memories. No matter how many of you come, it won’t help.” Messiah smiled radiantly. “I don’t need protecting. Don’t worry about me.”
Vivian, watching from the side, found even her eyes stung from his beauty.
Lu Chuan, though, remained perfectly calm—not even sparing him a glance.
No wonder he used to be ranked first on the Newcomer Ranking List—such composure was truly impressive.
“Alright then, your team owes me one item.” Vivian nodded, saying nothing more about this particular lineup.
“Fine.” Shen Li quickly produced an S-rank item.
Handing it over made his heart ache. Even the most situational S-rank item was powerful and irreplaceable. If he didn’t believe Lu Chuan could turn a profit out of this, Shen Li would never have spent one just for a chance to enter a dungeon.
“It’s your guild’s [Return Tonight]. I heard this item can summon players or NPCs who’ve already died in the dungeon to come aid you. Although it only lasts one night, whether for clearing or fighting bosses, it’s extremely useful. I can’t believe your guild would part with something this valuable.” Vivian’s eyes lit up when she saw what Shen Li offered.
“[Return Tonight] is strong, yes, but its drawbacks are heavy.” Shen Li tried to sound calm. “Once the summoned player or NPC realizes they’re already dead, they can fall into madness. Mishandling it could turn them into enemies. And in a supernatural dungeon, carrying it increases the chance of being targeted. Plus, it has a handful of smaller flaws—you’ll just have to deal with those yourselves.”
The real issue was that most players couldn’t use it properly. Summoning a fallen teammate, even for one night, often shattered the group’s morale. And if the summoner had been close to the deceased, it was even worse—their grief would alert the summoned soul, destabilizing the item.
After multiple such accidents, [Return Tonight] had been shelved.
This time it was pulled out only to exchange for entry into Xi Jiangyuan’s dungeon—otherwise, it would never have been risked.
Lilus and Messiah also handed over an S-rank item together. Since they were from different guilds, they each contributed five A+-rank items, combined into the equivalent of one S-rank to pay the fee.
After verifying them, Vivian was satisfied.
“Looks like no one else is willing to enter.” She glanced around—sure enough, no more players stepped forward.
Word had spread that the next challenge was the S-rank dungeon Whistle. With most of the earlier entrants dead or injured, and nothing substantial gained, even elite squads had pulled out. No one wanted to be the next sucker.
“Alright then.” Vivian sighed. “If no one else will go, I’ll take my team inside.”
That filled the quota of ten—no sense wasting it.
Her guildmates already knew her plan, and her three chosen teammates were fully prepared.
Vivian produced a blood-red key and applied to enter the dungeon.
[Memory Key detected. Reminder: memory owner has mutated. Enter dungeon?]
“Enter.” Vivian replied. “Bind players: [Arrival of the God of Wealth], [Walking Along for Ten Thousand of Miles], [Messiah]…”
[Players bound.]
[Welcome to the Memory Key.]
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon—
Numbers 9 and 18 saw their task panel flash again.
More players had entered Xi Jiangyuan’s dungeon.
And this time, his memory instance had finally reached the critical point—allowing them, at last, to join.
Number 9 glanced down at the gold ingot set into his sword hilt, slipping into rare distraction.
Lu Chuan had entered too.
Sometimes, not even the gods could see through the fate of mortals.
—
“This time, once we enter the town, the S-rank dungeon Whistle officially begins. Did you all remember the mission details?” A tall, long-legged man in his mid-twenties, handsome and striking, reminded the squad behind him.
“We know, we know, Captain. You’re too naggy. Who’d believe that the legendary Xi Jiangyuan has such a chatterbox personality? Your admirers would cry if they knew.” A lively youth teased.
“Lilus, must you always backtalk?” The young man—Xi Jiangyuan himself—rapped him on the shoulder in exasperation. “Learn from Lu Chuan for once. Steady, dependable. He joined later than you, but he’s already a higher level.”
“Pfft, he’s just abusing his powers like a cheat.”
The others burst out laughing as the two squabbled again.
Lu Chuan blinked at the bickering captain Xi Jiangyuan and the youngest brother Lilus. Something felt… off. And yet, also perfectly normal.
“Captain, stop hitting him. If Lilus gets hurt, healing costs money—and that’s too expensive.” Lu Chuan blurted out instinctively.
“Lu Chuan, are you worried about the money or about me?” Lilus roared.
“Of course the money. Money’s priceless.” Lu Chuan answered without hesitation. “Even if I sold you by the pound, you wouldn’t fetch much.”
Lilus screeched in outrage.
“Alright, alright, settle down and let the captain finish. Captain, don’t get angry—just tell us what we need.” Messiah, the vice-captain, soothed. With Shen Li, the elder, chiming in, the group finally quieted.
“Check your items and potions again, make sure your abilities activate smoothly. Speak up now if anything’s wrong.” Xi Jiangyuan quickly regained his cool authority. “Whistle is extremely dangerous. The system’s only requirement is to survive until the whistle blows ten times. The simpler the condition, the deadlier the dungeon. Be cautious—triple cautious. Understand?”
“Understood!” the team chorused.
Lu Chuan double-checked his gear and tested his power.
He was a cleric, his ability [Memory Rewind], allowing him to learn what an object had experienced up to three minutes earlier. Crucial for solving dungeons—and the reason Xi Jiangyuan had recruited him. But also dangerous: the more secrets you probed, the greater the peril. Still, with Xi Jiangyuan as captain, his survival chances rose.
The others’ abilities were formidable as well:
Lilus, though young, was a Swordbearer, strong enough to fight like an army alone.
Shen Li, another cleric, wielded [State Swap], restoring allies to a prior condition temporarily—even from mortal wounds—though the damage returned when it ended.
Vivian bore the demonic power [Speech Demon], commanding others through words.
Messiah’s [Safehouse] could pull allies into his domain to shield them from harm.
And finally, their captain Xi Jiangyuan, with the rare power [Dream Prophet]: seeing through his surroundings and glimpses of the future via dreams. It was this gift that had rocketed him to fame, making even the Five Great Guilds take notice.
As long as they cleared this dungeon, Xi Jiangyuan would ascend to the Master-Rank List.
And when their captain rose to godhood, wouldn’t wealth pour in endlessly?
Lu Chuan’s heart raced with excitement.
…Wait.
Since when did he care about money this much?
Xi Jiangyuan, unaware of his teammates’ wandering thoughts, inhaled deeply as the fog-shrouded town loomed ahead.
His instincts screamed danger.
But he had no choice—without clearing this, he couldn’t claim godhood, and all his efforts so far would be wasted.
“Let’s move.” At his command, all ten marched into the town together.
[S-rank dungeon Whistle has begun. Survive until the whistle blows ten times. After the tenth, return to the town’s exit to leave the dungeon.]
The system’s prompt rang out, but the team was unfazed.
As they crossed the threshold, the scenery transformed.
From outside, the town had been smothered in mist, like a horror-movie set. But inside, the sun shone bright, laughter filled the streets, life bustled with energy. Townsfolk busied themselves with errands, utterly ignoring the ten newcomers.
“Eggplants, cheap! Come get your eggplants!”
“Fresh greens, one yuan a bunch!”
“Slippers, ten for three pairs! If they don’t fit, money back!”
They’d arrived just in time for the town’s bustling market.
Chaotic but full of human warmth—these people looked every bit alive.
“What are you people standing around in the middle of the road for, blocking the way? Move aside.” An old man looked at Xi Jiangyuan and the others with displeasure. Only after they stepped back a couple of paces and cleared the way did he leave, satisfied.
“This town doesn’t feel right. The safer it looks, the more dangerous it probably is. Let’s find a place to stay first… Lu Chuan—Lu Chuan, what are you doing?” Xi Jiangyuan turned his head only to realize Lu Chuan was missing. Then he spotted him squatting at a stall selling slippers at ten yuan for three pairs.
“Ten yuan for three pairs. We’ve got eleven people. How about this—I’ll pay thirty yuan, and you give me eleven pairs.” Lu Chuan crouched down, bargaining with the stall owner.
“No, no, no. Thirty yuan gets you ten pairs at most. That’s already at cost price.”
“These slippers are such poor quality, the price I’m offering is more than fair.” Lu Chuan gave them a touch and instantly knew the quality was bad. “Smell that—there’s a strong stink to them. I’ll have to wash and air them thoroughly before they can be worn.”
“Alright then, thirty-three yuan for eleven pairs, how’s that?” the vendor countered.
“Just thirty. Not a cent more. If you won’t sell, I’m leaving.” Lu Chuan stood up and pretended to go.
“Fine, fine, thirty it is!” The boss finally gave in.
Lu Chuan happily paid, then came back lugging a bundle of slippers. “Captain, look—summer’s so hot, it’s much more comfortable to wear slippers. Since this is for everyone, it counts as a team expense, right? You’ll reimburse me.”
Xi Jiangyuan rubbed his temples. “Lu Chuan, since when were you this good at haggling? You never even looked at the price tags when buying things before.”
“Impossible. Captain, you must be remembering wrong. My life motto has always been: better to buy cheap than to buy expensive.” Lu Chuan said righteously. “Maybe you’re mixing me up with someone else?”
“Really?” Xi Jiangyuan felt his memory couldn’t be wrong, but seeing Lu Chuan so confident, he started doubting himself.
“Of course.” Lu Chuan nodded. “Let’s go find a guesthouse. This town’s so small, it doesn’t look like it has any hotels. We’ll switch into slippers too—the ground here is filthy.”
Xi Jiangyuan glanced down and noticed their shoes were indeed caked with grime.
The crowded morning market, packed with people and all kinds of vendors, had puddles of dirty water everywhere—how could shoes stay clean?
If Lu Chuan hadn’t pointed it out, they might’ve ignored it, but now everyone suddenly felt they couldn’t stand the filth either. They agreed it was best to settle down quickly and change shoes.
