The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

In short, although Old Groot, as the village chief of Emerald Wood Village, was powerful and deeply respected by the Spirit Clan, he had a terrible reputation among adventurers.

The tasks he assigned either required collecting rare materials or taking care of eccentric plants and animals for extended periods of time, but the rewards were always pitifully meager.

The guides on the forum even specifically stated: "Unless absolutely necessary, it is not recommended to accept Old Groot's quest."

But for Moran at this moment, this greedy old man was a shortcut tailor-made for him.

She lightly leaped onto the rope ladder next to the giant tree at the village entrance, and in a few quick movements, she climbed onto the vine bridge more than 20 meters above the ground.

Even though Greenwood Village isn't very popular among adventurers, there are still a few adventurers resting in the village at this moment after completing their missions.

Moran's signature beginner-level blank nightgown, coupled with her agile and unnatural movements, attracted the attention of two beast-speakers.

"This tree-climbing speed... I can't even match it after learning climbing skills. It's definitely an elite prospect trained by the Federation."

"She must have gone to the liaison point to collect resources. Once she changes into the suit, who would tell she's a newbie?"

"Let's follow them and see what goodies the Federation will give to the elites..."

The two beast whisperers transformed into squirrels and stealthily followed behind, only to be dumbfounded at the corner.

Instead of heading towards the contact point with the Federation flag, Moran went straight towards the village chief's treehouse.

"She actually went to see that miser?!" The gray squirrel's tail bristled in shock. "When I first came here, I didn't believe in such things either. The old man issued a 'Longing for a Loved One' quest. I saw that the quest reward included 'relatives of a loved one,' and I thought I might get some equipment. I painstakingly went into the forest to find a moon orchid for him and completed the quest. But the 'relatives of a loved one' reward was just a sock that smelled like my father—just a stinky sock!"

"Tsk tsk, this is going to be interesting!" The brown squirrel excitedly grabbed its tail.

Moran was now standing in front of the treehouse door, which was carved with vine patterns.

The moment the knocking ended, the wooden door was flung open, and old Groot's face, covered in bark-like wrinkles, peeked out.

The old man's eyes immediately clouded with disappointment when he saw her shabby beginner's clothes.

"A new adventurer?" He scoffed, his root-like beard twitching impatiently. "I don't have any quests suitable for you here. You'd better go find those village brats, groom them, and water them!"

Moran smiled slightly and slowly opened her palm upwards. A shimmering silver coin gleamed in her hand, causing old Groot's pupils to suddenly contract.

“Mr. Groot, I heard you recently lost some Dream Coins?” Her voice carried a perfect amount of hesitation. “I found this silver Dream Coin at the village entrance and thought it might be yours, so I brought it over for you to see…”

The old man's expression instantly shifted from disgust to ecstatic joy: "That's right! It was me who dropped it!"

He grabbed the silver coin with lightning speed, wiped it on his sleeve, kissed it several times as if it were a treasure, and finally carefully stuffed it into the bulging money pouch at his waist.

Whether he actually lost money or not is unimportant! As long as the money is in his pocket, that's all that matters.

Because of this dream silver coin, he found this weak and poor new adventurer a bit more agreeable.

Old Groot's favorability +10

Seeing the notification pop up on the panel, Moran felt slightly relieved, but couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"This old guy is indeed as outrageously stingy as the forum guides say. I spent a Dream Silver Coin and only got a measly 10 points of favorability, without even a polite word, let alone any substantial reward."

However, 10 points of favorability is ultimately too few.

Although Moran possessed the method to create Dream Coins, he did not want to fuel Elder Groot's greed.

Her eyes darted around, and she said mysteriously, "Mr. Groot, I actually have a special talent for finding lost items. If you're willing to sign a settlement guarantee for me, allowing me to become a member of the Spirit-Transforming Clan, I can help you find all the other lost Dream Coins..." Old Groot's cloudy eyes darted around a few times before he quickly realized what she meant. A sly look appeared on his wrinkled face, and he stroked his beard with feigned nonchalance:

"Well... I did lose a Dream Coin, can you help me find it?"

Are you going to assign me a task?

Moran wore a perfectly timed look of surprise on his face, but inwardly he sneered.

That old fox is indeed cunning. The first dream coin was just a test, and now he wants to get something for nothing.

Without a formal mission as a guarantee, she wouldn't be foolish enough to spend any more money.

Seeing that Moran wasn't taking the bait, old Groot cursed under his breath and reluctantly brought up the mission panel.

With a flash of light, a new mission invitation popped up:
[Accept the quest "Lost Gold Coins"?]

Moran clicked on the details to view them carefully:

[Quest: The Lost Gold Coins]

[Difficulty: Easy]

[Content: Help poor old Groot find his lost dream coin.]

[Rewards: Groot's Favorability +50, Settlement Guarantee Certificate x1, Experience Points x50, Little Groot's Treasure]

The list of rewards was exactly what she expected.

She actively requested the favorability rating and the guarantee letter, and 50 experience points were the system's minimum guarantee for simple tasks.

The only change was that the original reward of 5 Dream Copper Coins was replaced with the so-called "Little Groot's Treasure," which was probably some junk that this miser had dug up from some obscure corner.

Moran originally wanted to save money and trouble, so he didn't mind these things. Others wouldn't be as shameless as old Groot!

"I accept." Moran readily clicked to confirm.

As the mission officially took effect, she took out a gleaming golden dream coin from her backpack and waved it in front of the old man's suddenly dilated pupils: "Look, is this it?"

Old Groot's breathing quickened, and his withered, bark-like hands trembled as he reached for the gold coin: "Yes, yes, that's it! My dear gold coin..."

As soon as the gold coins reached Old Groot, Moran received a notification that the mission was complete.

The quest "The Lost Dream Coin" has been completed. Rewards: Groot's Favorability +50, Settlement Guarantee Certificate x1, Experience Points x50, and Little Groot's Treasure.

Moran glanced at "Little Groot's Treasure," which was just a small pebble. The item information stated that it was "Groot's most cherished pebble from his childhood."

"..."

Not surprising at all!
Fortunately, I've already gotten what I really wanted.

Groot's favorability rating reached 60, and he also obtained the residency guarantee.

She took out the household registration guarantee letter: "Mr. Groot, this is my household registration guarantee letter. Could you please preside over the ethnic conversion ceremony for me? Also, could you please help me purchase the materials needed for the ceremony?" (End of this chapter)