Chapter 340 - 219: The 3rd and 4th Pieces of Equipment
[Description: This is the most foolish gamble in the world! The Princess’s domain is down to a single, drafty tower. She has no heavily armored Royal Knights, no Mage Legion atop her tower, and she’s even short on the Gold Coins needed to buy provisions. In everyone’s eyes, she is nothing but a sacrificial lamb on the altar. But if you can reverse this hopeless game and place her upon the supreme throne, you will receive a reward beyond all imagination.]
[Quest Reward 1: Vassal’s Blood Contract (1/1)]
[Vassal’s Blood Contract]: A single-use alchemical item. This is a contract more binding than the one between a Knight and an Attendant. Once sworn and signed, the vassal will never harbor a single thought of betrayal, deceit, or harm toward you. Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty. But with this, you will have a sharp blade that will never cut its master.
[Quest Reward 2: Shadow Mage’s Smuggling Ring]
[Shadow Mage’s Smuggling Ring]: A spatial item comparable to a luck-based item. Comes with a 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.5-meter subspace storage unit. This space is independent of the physical plane, allows for the storage and retrieval of inanimate objects at any time, and can evade all physical searches and Magical detection in the real world.
This was an item once used by a Shadow Secret Master to smuggle Mithril. It is the ultimate dream of every outlaw. Even millennia ago, before the decline of Magic, this was an exceedingly rare treasure.
Li Wei’s breath hitched imperceptibly for half a second when he saw the last two rewards.
These were what he truly wanted—rule-based items that were completely irreplaceable in the real world.
The other rewards—immunities, work efficiency boosts, once-a-day stat buffs—couldn’t compare.
As for the high difficulty mentioned in the quest—no tower Mages, no Knight Legion under his command?
Li Wei clenched his fists.
’They have no idea what it means to be the only Knight in the world.’
"Knight Don Quixote," he paused. "I have made my choice."
"I will stand with the Princess."
"Since you have made your choice," Don Quixote said, his tone also growing serious, "then may the gods watch over us."
[Ding! Faction locked: Support the Princess]
...
「A few days passed in a flash.」
In Saint Mary’s Park in the South Bronx, the former scene of decay and the dry, abandoned fountain were finally replaced by the roar of heavy machinery.
Several large bulldozers rolled over mud pits littered with plastic bottles, uprooting dead shrubs.
Dozens of workers in hard hats were in the middle of construction, working in full swing.
Not far away, a new rubber basketball court was already taking shape. A few transparent backboards with safety padding reflected the glaring light of the late autumn sun.
And all of this was part of Jin Heon’s plan.
Jin Heon executed her PR plan perfectly. Several influential street-style TikTokkers "coincidentally" passed by, capturing the entire construction site with seemingly shaky, casual phone footage.
Combined with press coverage from her PR efforts, this two-pronged approach caused a new fission in public opinion. The haters couldn’t find anything to criticize.
The investment was real—over 2 million USD in cold, hard cash—and it was being poured into the most chaotic part of the South Bronx. Even the trolls who wanted to accuse Li Wei of putting on a show couldn’t find an excuse.
During the construction, Li Wei drove here alone to meet with Elias Thorne.
He leaned against the door of his black Cadillac Escalade, his gaze passing over the police tape cordon and the excited Bronx residents watching from the sidelines.
Soon, he locked onto a slender figure on the edge of the crowd, wearing a familiar gray trench coat and black-framed glasses.
Elias was still wearing his Johnson Group trench coat. He stood quietly watching the basketball court under construction, the wariness of a startled bird gone from his eyes, replaced by a look of sincere relief and comfort.
"The construction is moving faster than I expected." Hearing a voice behind him, Elias didn’t turn around, but spoke as if to himself. "These kids used to have to play on concrete covered in broken glass. Now, they’ll have a proper place."
"Dude, are you okay?" a strange, confused voice asked. "Why are you telling me this?"
Elias whipped his head around, only to find a Black woman pushing a stroller, staring at him with a puzzled expression.
Only then did Li Wei walk up to him.
"What happened?" Li Wei asked.
"I’m telling you, there’s something a little off with this man, child," the woman said, pointing to her own head. "I was just passing by with my baby, and he started talking to himself."
As she spoke, she recognized Li Wei.
"Wait, are you that big star? The one who paid to fix our park?" she said excitedly. "Thank you, child. May God bless you."
After a round of thanks, she pushed the stroller and left, leaving Li Wei and a mortified Elias standing there.
"Ahem... You kept your promise, Mr. Li Wei," Elias said, clearing his throat. "I’ve seen the changes in the park and the smiles on the faces of the local residents."
As he spoke, he handed Li Wei a heavy file folder.
"Inside is everything on the new telomerase repair peptide chain—the complete underlying logic, the molecular formula derivation process, and the raw data from animal testing," he said, pushing up the glasses on his nose. "I’ve already signed over all the patent rights and formulas. They’re all yours now."
Elias paused, as if feeling it necessary to give one last warning. "But you must remember, it is an extremely dangerous failure. Once injected into a mammal, the geometric spike in metabolism will instantly overwhelm the heart, causing the test subject to die from hyperthermia and organ failure within 10 to 15 minutes."
"Don’t worry, I value my life more than anyone," Li Wei said, patting the folder and tucking it under his arm. "By the way, have the medical schools over in the Celestial Dynasty gotten back to you?"
"They have," Elias nodded, "but I’m planning to postpone my work for a bit. I want to take my family on a trip first, relax a little, and then I’ll figure out what’s next."
Li Wei glanced at the file folder in his hand, then at Elias Thorne, and smiled.
"Well then, I wish you a pleasant journey, Dr. Thorne."
Elias smiled and nodded. He took one last look at the bustling construction site before turning and walking into the crowded streets of the Bronx.
[Series Quest: Ancient Magic Potion - Stage 2 Complete]
[You have received the Stage 2 Reward: Free Attribute Points +0.1]
[Series Quest: Ancient Magic Potion - Stage 3 Unlocked]
[Quest Objective: Concoct the Ancient Magic Potion]
[Quest Reward: Ancient Magic Potion x1]