Chapter 247: Chapter 245: Scamming People—Rose Is a Professional
The rewards for exploring the ruins are neither too much nor too little, usually calculated per person. For the teams exploring the ruins, both the Ista Royal Family and the Holy Court will separately fund, with each person receiving around two to three hundred Gold Coins.
For typical Mercenary Corps, this amount is quite substantial.
But for a skilled mercenary team capable of completing the quest, it’s actually just so-so. What truly holds value is the various worthwhile items obtained along the way and the subsequent benefits from developing the ruins after a successful exploration.
Take the Lost Lighthouse for instance; after Hilia and her five companions successfully explored it, the Lost Lighthouse was taken over by the Holy Court. It is well-suited for cultivating various low-tier materials and may later be used as a base for growing medicinal herbs, providing Hilia and her companions with certain returns from future outputs.
However, this will take a substantial amount of time because the pollution and demons in the Lost Lighthouse have not been fully cleared. Currently, some mercenaries are still active, but the scene is not as bustling as before the exploration; the number of people is gradually decreasing, and the camp is developing towards a planting base.
This invisible benefit attracts countless people to strive for the exploration of ancient ruins.
Normally, Hilia would not sell the certificates for the twelfth level.
Because the twelfth level is infinitely close to success, the value after success far exceeds the paltry Gold Coins rewarded by the Empire.
She is quite willing to sell the ninth level, confident she will be faster than Pascal.
The decision to sell was made based on an unconditional trust in Rose.
Rose told her to sell, so sell it is!
Lord Rose must have his reasons, just like when he advised against selling the ninth level certificate. Hilia thought.
In the end, after a round of bargaining due to Hilia’s firm attitude, Pascal hesitated for a long time, gritted his teeth, and agreed.
Subsequently, a deposit of 200 Gold Coins was directly handed to Hilia.
After deciding, Pascal finally displayed royal generosity.
Watching Pascal leave, Hilia touched the gleaming Gold Coins and looked to the side, at Rose’s immaterial projection.
Rose smiled and said, "Are you wondering why I asked you to do this?"
Hilia nodded.
Rose calmly stated, "Did you ever think that the person perceived as a stingy miser, who always seeks a refund even for buying information, suddenly became generous, wanting to spend 500 Gold Coins to buy your ruins certificate?"
Hilia thought for a while and said, "I feel his intention isn’t as simple as exploring the ruins, but I’m unclear about what exactly he wants. So my original plan was to sell to him and see what he intends to do."
Rose said, "Thinking like that makes you fall into the other party’s trap. His plan is to confirm something by purchasing the certificate from you; in fact, he hadn’t intended to buy it at all."
Hilia paused, let out a light snort, "There’s indeed no decent person in the Royal Family."
Rose continued, "He actually already knew you are the Holy Daughter Hilia, but was unsure of the reason for your elf disguise, hence using the purchase of the ruins certificate to confirm your purpose of the elf disguise."
Hilia blinked, "I don’t have much purpose for disguising as an elf, just wanting to avoid being recognized."
"If you don’t have the identity of the Holy Daughter, this isn’t a problem, but with your identity as the Holy Court Saintess, disguising as an elf and teaming up with elves to explore native ruins, will stain the ruins with alien marks. Think about it, what will the Holy Court do? Do you think Pascal, as the Prince, will publicize your disguise to others?"
Hilia frowned, her face paling the more she thought about it.
Rose sighed and said, "It’s normal not to anticipate such malice; you don’t have to get involved in intrigue, just remember next time to learn to disguise and erase traces. True disguise not only involves adopting a foreign appearance but also erasing disguised traces to prevent others from tracing them."
Hilia earnestly nodded, "I understand."
Speaking of which, she curiously asked, "Has Pascal confirmed it? I still don’t quite understand what he’s confirming, why not just pretend not to know and expose me directly after I’ve completed the ruins?"
Rose faintly smiled and said, "He doesn’t know the exact reason behind your disguise; hence, he didn’t dare to rashly expose it. Think about it; if your disguise isn’t due to personal reluctance to recognition but a directive from the higher-ups of the Holy Court, do you worry about your disguise being exposed?"
Hilia shook her head, "Of course not."
She was merely naive but not stupid. With Rose’s explanation, she understood the general idea.
Yet, there was still something she was curious about.
"Why did Lord Rose ask me to refuse the sale of the ninth level, yet let me sell him the twelfth-level certificate?"
Rose slightly smiled and said, "With ill intent like his, if we don’t do anything, you wouldn’t accept it; neither would I."
Hilia: "?"
"This ancient ruin is different from others," Rose said, "It’s a ruin that cannot be conquered."
Hilia was stunned, "What?"
Rose calmly stated, "Literal meaning, the creator of this ruin might still be alive. If he doesn’t wish to surrender the ruins to others, no one can obtain control over it."
"The creator of the ruins is... still alive?" Hilia was dumbfounded, then reacted, "Is the creator of the ruins a God?"
Rose shook his head, "Not only Gods can live long. Once humans break through extreme tiers, their lifespan extends. Though you haven’t seen them, there exists in secrecy many old antiques from the Era of Calamity; they have extraordinary power, having hidden due to various reasons, never resurfacing. Maybe the owner of this ruin is one of them."
"So all activities conducted by us within the ruins are observed by the owner?"
"Your exploration with Elina is definitely seen," Rose slightly smiled, "The twelfth level might be where the ruin’s owner resides; they are awaiting your arrival."
"The ruin owner is waiting for us..." Hilia couldn’t help but feel nervous.
"So, apart from the benefits acquired during the puzzle-solving process, you gain nothing post-completion. Given your elf disguise, you can’t demand rewards from the Holy Court. You might as well sell the certificate to that Prince, swindle him for twelve hundred Gold Coins as a ’reward’ and a penalty for his attempt to offend."
Hilia nodded, thinking about her aggressive stance along the way, then about being watched by the ruin owner...
The ruin owner meticulously designed so many complex traps probably intending for people to follow the riddles, suffering and laboring within them for enjoyment.
And they directly barged in...
The girl began worrying about whether she would be beaten by the ruin owner upon reaching the twelfth level.
Rose lightly chuckled, "No need to worry. If he dares harm you, I’ll drag him with me."
Just like Ethel.
To construct the Endless Abyss.
