Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Since the other party had laid it out so plainly, he could only hesitate and say, "The reward must be quite substantial, of course, but... well..."

By now, Qin Han had finally pieced it together.

He said in disbelief, "Were you planning to hold my Job Change hostage, extort 100 Gold Coins from me, and then use that money to offset the mission reward once I gave in?"

As if his scheme had been exposed, the Village Chief’s face flushed red all the way to his ears.

Anyone else would have denied such an embarrassing accusation outright, but this man actually nodded heavily.

"Mm-hmm!"

Qin Han was stunned. His understanding of the Village Chief’s stinginess had deepened yet again.

"Only you could come up with something like this."

The Village Chief sighed. "Ah, child, you know how it is. To save my dear granddaughter, I’ve emptied my coffers and sought help everywhere. Now, I’m completely penniless."

"I hope you won’t hold this against me."

Qin Han: "..."

If Thunder Poison Island weren’t such a treasure trove, he would’ve outright refused this mission.

Let someone else deal with it.

With shameless persistence, the Village Chief pressed on, "So, child... will you help me with this or not?"

Qin Han sighed. "Fine, I’ll reluctantly take it on. Consider it a good deed to save your granddaughter."

The Village Chief immediately beamed. "You’re such a kind soul. Good people always get their rewards."

As he spoke, he took out a Sandalwood Token and handed it to Qin Han.

"Child, though this matter is urgent, Thunder Poison Island is extremely dangerous. Make sure you’re fully prepared before heading there."

Qin Han accepted the token and gave a slight nod. Finally, after all this time, the old man had said something halfway decent.

At the same time, the system issued a prompt.

[Epic Quest: Rescue the Sword Maniac’s Wife. Travel to Thunder Poison Island’s High Priest and bring her back safely.]

Seeing the system’s notification, Qin Han was instantly unsettled.

This was actually an Epic Quest?

What kind of joke was this?

Every Epic Quest was not only unique but also came with rewards beyond imagination.

Take the Archery Instructor’s mission or the one involving the rogue physician Hua Que— the minimum rewards were practically on par with a Treasure.

But this current mission?

All it involved was rescuing someone, and the stingy Village Chief wasn’t even planning to pay a single coin.

What did this have to do with being "Epic"?

Filled with suspicion, he turned to the Village Chief.

"Village Chief, are you hiding something else from me?"

The Village Chief looked puzzled. "Child, no, I’ve told you everything. Just go to the island and bring her back."

"No, no. It can’t be that simple."

"Wait, let me think."

Qin Han replayed the details of the mission in his mind.

Then, in a flash of realization, he understood something.

"You said earlier that the Sword Maniac loves his wife dearly. If someone rescues her, he’ll grant any request?"

"Any request at all?"

The Village Chief nodded, "That's right, it's exactly like that. Although the Sword Maniac is a bit rigid, he always keeps his word."

Upon hearing this, Qin Han immediately understood, "Village Chief, if I truly complete this mission, what if I make the Sword Maniac agree to become my retainer? Then, as his master, I could order him to help you. Wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?"

The Village Chief shook his head at once, "That probably won’t work. The Sword Maniac has never submitted to anyone in his life. If you try to make him a retainer, it might backfire."

Qin Han nodded slightly—his idea might have been too idealistic.

Everyone has their limits. Some things, people would rather die than do.

Trying to control him like that would be forcing him to his death.

But if he couldn’t bend the Sword Maniac to his will, what benefits did this quest even offer?

Without substantial rewards, it simply didn’t live up to being an Epic Quest.

After pondering for a moment, Qin Han asked again, "You mentioned the Sword Maniac’s divine artifact—what exactly is it? If I asked him for it, would he give it to me?"