Chapter 9: The Spirit of the Magic Mirror

Back in the room, Qin Yuan sat down to map out his next steps.

He opened his interface and noticed that the countdown at the bottom had changed.

[Time remaining until current return: 23:59:30.]
[Main quest "Banquet of the Twisted Forest" will commence on the night of the 5th, at which point you may choose whether to enter the dream world, "Twisted Forest."]

So, the main quest had arrived, though it did not appear to be mandatory. He also noted that his next entry would not be limited to twelve hours; he would be staying for an entire day.

"Will this duration continue to increase in the future?"

The question in his mind remained unanswered. Qin Yuan began to deliberate on his course of action. It was clear that he was, to some extent, bound to this world and would frequently be appearing in this realm of magic and monsters. His most pressing priority now was to increase his own strength. At the same time, because players were granted two respawn opportunities, there was a certain margin for error.

After some thought, Qin Yuan decided to collect his bounty reward first, take a brief tour of the village to purchase supplies, and then, with Feather's assistance, head into the forest to grind monsters and level up.

With this in mind, he immediately summoned Feather and explained his plan to head into the forest.

"I see." Feather, who had become more familiar with him, stretched as if just waking up and signaled: "I suppose that's fine, but..."

"Alright, I understand!"

And so, he first took Feather to visit several restaurants in the vicinity, where they enjoyed a hearty meal. Afterward, having asked a few passing villagers for directions, Qin Yuan quickly located the guard captain’s house—a small wooden cabin situated on the eastern side of the village.

He knocked gently on the door. A moment later, a middle-aged man in armor pushed it open. It was Richard, the guard captain he had met before.

"The traveler from yesterday?" He seemed somewhat surprised to see the young man who had entered the village the previous night, but his attitude remained warm. "Come in."

Qin Yuan followed him inside and looked around. The decor was modest. Richard sat on a chair, using a rag to apply maintenance oil to his longsword.

"Is there something you need?" After seating Qin Yuan, Richard brought over a cup of water and placed it on the table before asking about his purpose.

Qin Yuan spoke unhurriedly. "I’ve come to claim the bounty regarding the blood-draining monster."

"Oh?" The guard captain’s brows arched, his expression turning serious. He asked tentatively, "Did you gather some intelligence?"

"No, I have already slain it." With that, Qin Yuan took the curled-up corpse of the vampire directly out of his storage bag.

The vampire, with its withered skin and a height of one meter seventy, appeared on the floor. A scent of blood permeated the room.

"Wait a moment, let me examine it."

The guard captain’s expression became stern and focused. He crouched down to inspect the monster carefully, especially its facial features. Two minutes later, he stood up, exhaled slowly, and a smile reappeared on his face.

"That’s correct. This must be the blood-draining monster that has been prowling the surroundings lately. I almost caught her once, but she was too cautious and escaped."

"Well done. Your technique was clean and swift; cutting off her wings directly was quite unexpected." The guard captain praised him sincerely, eyeing the cleanly severed wounds on the creature's back.

*It wasn’t actually me... I was just as stunned as you were at the time...* Qin Yuan thought to himself, though he did not betray his true feelings. Unless absolutely necessary, he would not easily reveal Feather's existence.

"I will give you the reward you deserve now."

Having confirmed the identity, the guard captain took out a storage bag, removed two shimmering gold coins, and handed them over. The entire process had gone much more smoothly than he had anticipated.

"Thank you."

After accepting the coins, Qin Yuan let out a soft sigh. In truth, if the bounty reward hadn't been so generous, he wouldn't have wanted to take such a risk.

With the matter concluded, Qin Yuan took the opportunity to ask about the general situation in the village. The guard captain was patient and pointed out several important locations in Ironstone Village. Before he left, Richard added, "At any time, the village welcomes experienced adventurers like you."

After expressing his thanks, Qin Yuan left the cabin and headed toward the south side of the village. There, he found an alchemy shop, a small branch office established by the Mage Association, which sold alchemy potions and other items needed by mages. Additionally, the village housed a weapon workshop set up by the Warrior Guild, primarily catering to the warrior class.

Along the way, he saw many villagers and dusty, travel-worn adventurers. Qin Yuan observed the scene with keen interest. At this stage, he held a fairly positive impression of the local residents. Based on his brief observations, it seemed that thanks to magic, food was abundant, meaning people didn't need to struggle for their livelihood.

A notification sound suddenly rang out.

[You have encountered other players.]

He quickly noticed a player rummaging through items inside the weapon workshop on the side of the street.

This was a system notification, not text from the Eye of Revelation.

"So, if I encounter other players here, the system will tell me directly..."

Qin Yuan scrutinized the player's back, hesitated for a moment, and chose not to approach them. Having spent a significant amount of time browsing forums, he already had a general understanding of the players' situation. Approaching them would likely be a waste of time, and he had important matters to attend to.

Soon, he arrived at a shop entrance. A wooden sign hung above, with the words "Alchemy Shop" clearly written upon it.

The air was filled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs. On the counters lining the room were bottles of various colors, and several blue crystals hung from the ceiling, emitting a soft, gentle light. The interior was classical and ornate, quite different from the tavern or the guard captain's cabin he had seen earlier.

The only strange thing was... there wasn't a single person inside.

"The owner isn't here?"

Just as Qin Yuan looked around, feeling puzzled, a pleasant, melodic humming sounded nearby.

"When the sun rises once again, a new guest arrives here~"
"May I ask what you require?"

Qin Yuan turned his gaze toward the source of the sound. A doll-like, exquisitely cute face had appeared on a mirror resting on the counter; the voice had come from there.

"I am the shop assistant here. You may call me Babula~"
"Would you like me to introduce you to the shop's wares~"

Her speech rhythm was like a song, filled with distinct pauses and a sense of melody. When he had entered, his attention had been on the shelves, and he hadn't noticed the mirror. Now, the Eye of Revelation provided new information.

...
[Mirror Sprite (LV9): A special sprite cultivated by the Mage Association, used in small branch locations to greet guests and sell goods.]
[Abilities: Magic Craftsman (LV1), Alchemist (LV1).]
...

Level nine? That was quite high...