Beep beep beep beep.

The sound of a phone call came from Chang Long's smartwatch just as her feet touched the grass on the Sky Palace. She lifted her wrist and answered, finding that it was Oliang calling.

"Hey, Oliang,"

Chang Long greeted.

"Chang Long. We've arrived. Where are you right now? We can come find you,"

Oliang said, his voice filled with relief. They were finally off the boat, having experienced severe seasickness for the first time in game, due to the rough waves from the storm in the middle of the ocean.

"I'm on the Sky Palace. You guys can rest in Alexandria for the night, and we can meet up there tomorrow,"

Chang Long suggested, knowing that the three guys were probably exhausted from their journey and did not want them to rush.

"That sounds good. We just recovered from the seasickness. Have you finished your quest yet?"

Oliang asked. Next to him stood a man in a full white cloak, his face hidden behind a white ceramic mask, intently listening to the conversation between Oliang and Chang Long. In fact, he seemed more focused on hearing Chang Long's voice.

"Not yet. I still need to help the royal physician brew some medicine. I don't think it'll take long, but you never know, Oliang,"

Chang Long replied as she followed Kitsune, who led the way to the royal physician's quarters with surprising familiarity, despite having only been there once before. Cat-Faced Angel and Kimhant followed along, chatting amicably.

When they arrived at the royal physician's quarters, he seemed quite surprised to see Chang Long back so soon. She had only taken the quest from him four days ago. Most players, even those who completed the first part of the quest quickly, usually took at least two weeks to gather the necessary ingredients and find the Albino Rhino, which was known as one of the hardest creatures to locate in the savannah.

Though the royal physician seemed surprised, he welcomed Chang Long and her friends into his quarters, even allowing them to rest there. He also granted Kimhant permission to take some photos of his workspace and living quarters. After gathering the ingredients that Chang Long had delivered, along with the guidebook, the royal physician suggested that they rest and return tomorrow to continue the second part of the quest. Chang Long then went to relax in the nearby park, continuing her conversation on the phone.

"Were you waiting long, Oliang?"

Chang Long asked, hearing the sounds of dinner in the background.

"Not too long, just long enough to grab some dinner,"

Oliang replied.

"Uh-huh. By the way, Oliang, I was thinking about taking on the Cave of a Million quest. Are you guys in? I heard that the leader could take the quest, and then recruit members later,"

Chang Long asked. Kimhant and Hulu seemed quite enthusiastic about it, and Cat-Faced Angel had also asked Chang Long to join him in tackling the Cave of a Million. Plus, she was curious about what the cave looked like and what treasures might be hidden inside.

"Sounds interesting. Can's all ears now, especially at the thought of doing another quest with you!"

Oliang laughed, seeing his friend's eager expression.

"So, that's a yes, right? Great. Let's meet tomorrow then. The royal physician is calling me for dinner now, and he's buying. Bye."

Chang Long said before ending the call. The three guys eating in the in-game restaurant looked at each other excitedly. The Cave of a Million quest was something every player who reached the Sky Palace dreamed of doing, and now they were about to get the chance, even if they had not made it to the Sky Palace themselves.

"But if we do this quest with Chang Long, what about our plan to create a romantic situation for Siegfried to confess his feelings to her? What are we going to do about that?"

Wet Trash Can asked, suddenly realizing the dilemma. The three guys quickly went from excited to worried. Doing the Cave of a Million quest could take up who knows how much time, and Siegfried's skin was already starting to show green patches from the transformation.

"Uh... sorry, I got so excited about Chang Long doing the Cave of a Million quest that I forgot about your situation!"

Oliang said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. I want to do the quest too. It's not a big deal. We still have time. This quest shouldn't take more than a week,"

Siegfried replied, trying to sound casual. He seemed less worried than he had been on the ship, despite having only twenty-four days left before the transformation into an orc would be irreversible.

"Even so, we should have put you first since I'm the reason you're in this mess,"

Wet Trash Can said, still looking concerned for forgetting the situation.

"Hey, have you forgotten that it was Chang Long who decided to take the quest? If we don't join her, we'll have to split up. Isn't it better to stick with her and do the quest together?"

Siegfried reminded his friends, bringing them back to their senses.

"You're right. Sticking together is the best plan. Plus, it might give you some alone time with Chang Long!"

Wet Trash Can said, cheering up immediately.

"Yes, even if there isn't a chance for a romantic gesture yet, you might still be able to gauge how Chang Long feels about you!"

Oliang agreed.

With that thought, a plan to set up a romantic confession started taking shape, with Oliang and Wet Trash Can brainstorming while Siegfried simply listened, not wanting to interrupt. At this point, Siegfried did not care about anything else; he was just eager to see Chang Long soon.

After finishing their meal, Oliang and Wet Trash Can continued working on their plan back at their room, while Siegfried decided to take a walk around the city. It was not too late, and he did not want to listen to the duo bicker about their plans. As he strolled, he frequently glanced at his watch but hesitated to check it properly. Eventually, the watch, which he had been staring at for a while, started ringing. Without checking who was calling, he answered.

"Yes,"

Siegfried responded shortly.

"Brother Siegfried, where are you? What are you doing? Why haven't you come back to the guild, and why did you drag Oliang and Wet Trash Can along?"

Peach Blossom's loud voice blasted through the receiver, almost knocking Siegfried off balance. He instantly regretted answering the call.

"I get why you're calling about me not being at the guild, but why are you asking about Oliang and Wet Trash Can?"

Siegfried shot back, his mood souring. He recalled telling Rafael and Draco that he was on an important quest. Or maybe they did not tell her?

"Well... Oliang promised to buy me a pink gemstone bracelet, but he still hasn't gotten it for me, so I'm calling to remind him!"

Peach Blossom stammered before answering.

"You already have a ton of jewelry. Why do you need more? Anyway, I'm in the middle of a quest, and Oliang and Wet Trash Can are helping me. You don't need to worry about us. That's it, I'm tired!"

Siegfried snapped, irritated that he had to deal with his bossy, demanding sister instead of the person he was actually thinking about.

"No! Brother Siegfried, don't hang up yet, or else I'll..."

Peach Blossom started to say, but Siegfried hung up before she could finish. He lost all desire to continue his walk and headed back to the inn to rest so he could set out to find Chang Long early the next morning.

Beep beep beep beep

The sound of his watch ringing again made Siegfried roll his eyes in frustration. Was his stubborn sister really calling again? This time, he decided to give her a stern talking-to so she would stop bothering him. With that thought, he picked up the call without checking the caller ID.

"Enough already. I told you I'm on a quest. Can't you understand that? Stop bothering me!"

He snapped, finally losing his patience.

"Oh? Sorry to bother you. Bye."

As soon as the voice on the other end finished speaking, the call was abruptly disconnected, leaving the young man frozen in place. That voice—if he was not mistaken—was Chang Long, the woman he loved. And he had just scolded her. Siegfried began to berate himself, wondering why he had not checked the caller ID first, why he had not been more patient. His mind was flooded with questions and worries as he wandered aimlessly, as if his spirit had left his body.

"Chang Long rarely calls, and I. What have I done..."

Siegfried mumbled to himself as he walked. Even though he caught the attention of several female players who were clearly intrigued by the mysterious, tall, and handsome aura, he did not notice them at all. Eventually, he decided to call Chang Long back and apologize, but when it came time to press her name on his contact list, he found that he could not muster the courage.

Beep beep beep beep

Chang Long groggily woke up to the sound of her wristwatch ringing. She squinted to see who was calling at 1 AM. When her blurry eyes finally made out the name of the caller, she sighed and answered.

"What's up, Siegfried?"

Chang Long answered sleepily.

"Ch-Chang Long, were you asleep? You sound so groggy…"

Siegfried asked, his voice soft.

"Uh-huh, it's 1 AM. What's so urgent that you had to call me at this hour?"

Chang Long replied, sitting up as she fumbled around for her water bottle in the dark.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I didn't check the watch before answering. Please go back to sleep, Chang Long!"

Siegfried's face turned pale as he realized she was right—it was indeed 1:15 AM.

"Well, I'm awake now, so just say whatever it is. Waking me up just to not say anything would make me even angrier!"

Chang Long's tone turned stern.

"I… I wanted to apologize for scolding you earlier this evening. I thought it was Peach Blossom calling to bother me again, so I answered without checking who it was…"

Siegfried admitted, his voice filled with regret. Chang Long was a bit taken aback; she did not think something so minor would trouble him so much that he would call her in the middle of the night just to apologize.

"Haha... You're such a goof. It's no big deal. I knew you misunderstood, so I just hung up because I figured you were busy with your quest,"

Chang Long replied.

"So, you're not mad at me?"

Siegfried asked, his voice suddenly filled with excitement and relief, a stark contrast to his earlier tone.

"Well, I was a bit mad. I mean, you did yell at me,"

she teased, causing Siegfried's mood to plummet once again.

"I'm really, really sorry. What can I do to make it up to you, Chang Long? I'll gladly do anything you ask!"

Siegfried said, his voice filled with urgency.

"Really?"

Chang Long asked, her tone suggesting she was quite pleased.

"Yes, I mean it. I'll do anything to make you forgive me, no matter how difficult it is,"

Siegfried responded earnestly, making Chang Long smile to herself.

"Tomorrow, when I come down from the Sky Palace, you have to be the first person I see. Can you do that?"

She asked, and then hung up immediately. Once Siegfried realized what had just happened, he wasted no time. He did not even bother waking up Oliang and Wet Trash Can, who were still fast asleep at the hotel. Instead, he rushed off toward the Sky Palace. Strangely, he did not feel sleepy at all, even though it was late. The game's system, which should have forced him to feel fatigued, seemed to be non-functional. Siegfried felt as if he had just woken up and took a shower, refreshed and energized. Now, he had to hurry if he wanted to make it in time to be the first-person Chang Long saw when she descended from the Sky Palace...

At seven o'clock in the morning, Chang Long groggily woke up. She had an appointment with the royal physician to begin the second part of her quest, which involved helping him brew a potion using the materials she had gathered. The royal physician beamed when he saw Chang Long emerge from her room. He led her to the potion-brewing room, a restricted area where unauthorized individuals were strictly prohibited. Inside, there were three large, round brass cauldrons, each as big as a dragon jar, simmering over low flames. The first cauldron contained a clear blue liquid, the second a clear red liquid, and the third a transparent, colorless liquid.

Chang Long guessed that the three cauldrons contained mana crystals, blood crystals, and rejuvenating crystals, but they were still being simmered until they reached the desired state. On a nearby table, there were two smaller cauldrons, each about the size of a regular bowl. These glass cauldrons were also simmering over low flames. The first glass cauldron held a golden-yellow liquid that resembled molten gold with shimmering pearlescent specks mixed in. The second glass cauldron contained a clear liquid that looked like plain water, but with a faint rainbow glow that appeared intermittently, mesmerizing Chang Long.

In the royal physician's workspace, there were dozens more potion cauldrons of various sizes, some as large as dragon jars, others as small as dessert bowls. Assistants were stationed at each cauldron, carefully tending to them all the time to ensure the brewing process was flawless. The royal physician led Chang Long to a table equipped with various tools, including knives of different shapes and sizes, a traditional medicine grinder, and a large stone mortar with a pestle for grinding tough ingredients like the Albino Rhino horn.

"Welcome to my workshop. First, I'd like you to clean the taro roots thoroughly, then dice them into cubes and place them in the mixing basin here,"

the royal physician instructed. This first task was straightforward enough for Chang Long, except for the part where she had to handle the saliva-covered taro roots from the Warthog boars. Her expression while dealing with the sticky, gooey roots was priceless.

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