“So many Blazing Sun Fruits, who needs them?” The first-level Wandering Immortal was a bit curious. He wouldn’t be doing this task for long; for him, quickly improving his cultivation was the real priority.

“Why are you asking so many questions?” the staff member retorted impatiently.

Chapter Five: Hard to Settle Down

“This task isn’t something a first-level Wandering Immortal can do at all,” Andrew Brooks got angry when he heard this, “The Blazing Flame Turtle may not have woken up, but there were too many powerful creatures along the way. Why didn’t you make that clear?”

“If I didn’t make it clear, you still brought bodyguards with you,” the staff member waved his hand impatiently. “If you’re fine, stand aside and don’t interfere with my work.”

When did I bring bodyguards? Andrew Brooks glanced at him, knowing there was something fishy here, but he wasn’t in a hurry to find out. Instead, he casually posted a task—newly ascended seeking explanations about the Immortal Realm, two spirit stones per day.

The task reward was two spirit stones, and posting the task also cost two spirit stones. With twenty-seven spirit stones, plus two returned as deposit, it was originally twenty-nine, but in the blink of an eye, it became twenty-five.

But this was the official task hall. Spending a bit of money to guarantee absolutely accurate information was still worth it.

Soon, someone signed up—a middle-aged woman with shifty eyes, clearly a clever type.

“I want to know as much as possible, all kinds of information about the Immortal Realm,” Andrew Brooks said boldly. Although he’d just had three Blazing Sun Fruits snatched from him, he still retained some of that feeling of having just ascended from the lower realm.

So he stated directly, “Tell me as much as you can, especially things unknown in the lower realm. If you do well, there’ll be a reward.”

The woman’s eyes darted around, and after hesitating, she asked, “Young master, is this… a family training mission?”

Some cultivation families, in order to nurture talent, would have their members who ascended from the lower realm adapt to the environment first, while the family itself stayed behind the scenes.

The woman guessed this because Mr. Brooks knew nothing about the Immortal Realm, yet was willing to spend spirit stones to post a task—either a wealthy rogue cultivator from the lower realm, or a family disciple.

However, rogue cultivators were known for their frugality, and it was rare to see a wealthy one. If it was a rogue cultivator with a great stroke of luck and an astonishing inheritance, it was impossible for them to know nothing about the Immortal Realm.

“I’m paying to ask you questions, not for you to ask me,” Andrew Brooks said impatiently. “Two spirit stones isn’t a small amount… First, tell me, what level is that Blazing Sun Fruit task?”

“That task… has no level,” the woman shook her head. “It should be considered a combination—first-level plus fifth-level, or you need a special artifact that conceals your aura to complete it.”

It turned out that the fire-breathing rabbit Andrew Brooks encountered in the outskirts was a first-level weak wild beast, the bat was a first-level strong wild beast, the earthworm was a second-level wild beast, and the wild boar in the forest was a third-level wild beast.

The centipedes in the valley were also third-level wild beasts, but there were just too many of them, and there was even a fourth-level centipede king.

And as for fourth-level wild beasts, even ordinary fourth-level Wandering Immortals might not be able to handle them. With so many third-level centipedes as well, to put it bluntly, even one or two fifth-level Wandering Immortals would be lucky to escape such an encirclement.

That’s why the Blazing Sun Fruit task was such a trap. Only high-level Wandering Immortals bringing along low-level ones could complete it. The high-level ones would clear the way through the rabbits, bats, earthworms, wild boars, and centipede swarms, then let the low-level ones sneak in to pick the fruit.

But why would high-level Wandering Immortals care about such a small reward?

No wonder that guy thought I brought bodyguards, Andrew Brooks thought, speechless—if it weren’t for my aura-concealing technique, I’d probably have lost my deposit on the task.

Seeing him at a loss for words, the woman didn’t know what else to say, so her eyes rolled and she asked, “Young master, do you know who posted this task?”

“No,” Andrew Brooks shook his head. “This task is really stupid.”

“It was posted by the youngest daughter of Duoqingzi Nant,” the woman looked around and lowered her voice, “Miss Nancy… She has a white pet mouse, fire attribute, and it loves eating Blazing Sun Fruits. It eats at least three a day, so she’s always buying in bulk.”

“Uh…” Andrew Brooks smacked his lips, wanting to say something, but in the end kept quiet. So all my hard work for more than two days was just to collect mouse food for someone?

This really is ‘the rich feast in their mansions while the poor freeze to death on the streets.’

Mr. Brooks wanted to keep his legal resident status in Bluestone City, which required paying five spirit stones per month.

But Miss Nancy’s pet mouse ate ninety Blazing Sun Fruits a month, worth twenty-seven spirit stones—plus sixty spirit stones per month for posting the task, for a total of eighty-seven spirit stones.

How is anyone supposed to accept that?

Andrew Brooks didn’t dwell on it. Following the middle-aged woman’s advice, he bought a book introducing local flora and fauna, and a map of Jizhou, then, under her guidance, rented a daily apartment.

The daily apartment wasn’t expensive, two spirit stones per day. Inns on the street cost at least three per day, and five for a place with a strong immortal aura—of course, there were also dormitories for one spirit stone a day.

After buying the book and map, Andrew Brooks was left with only ten spirit stones. When he asked about food here, the woman told him plainly that food from the lower realm had too little spiritual energy. In the Immortal Realm, it might make you feel full, but… it really doesn’t stave off hunger.