There's a skeleton dungeon connected to my basement.

Chapter 365, Miscellaneous Matters
Xiao Yang was in the starting point, below the Temple of Rest, in that scarlet crystal cave.

He built a treasure vault here.

All sorts of things are placed here.

Some collectible items: the newly acquired greatsword, the adventure journal, and equipment whose names have been lost.

Some artifacts that have gradually lost their usefulness: Adventurer's Heart, Badge of Atrocities, Eye of the Vision.

There were also some miscellaneous items.

Unidentified material, the fur of a plague rat swarm, a parchment scroll?

Why is there another parchment scroll?

He muttered something strange to himself.

Xiao Yang quickly put the problem aside.

Such a treasure trove.

"Perhaps it could be offered as a final reward to adventurers who clear the starting point."

There were many good things, but the treacherous Xiao Yang still left some traps.

"To obtain powerful treasures, one needs keen eyesight and courage."

Inside the treasure vault, all perception and exploration skills are prohibited; one can only use their eyes to see.

The items displayed before you could be powerful artifacts, legendary equipment, or materials that connect you to the gods, or they could be useless junk.

For example, the thing placed in the very center of the treasure vault was nothing other than a straight wooden stick that Xiao Yang had picked up from somewhere.

This wooden stick is also one of Xiao Yang's collections.

He actually quite liked the stick.

"No man can resist a straight stick."

Placing it in the very center, occupying the prime spot, is quite appropriate.

However, this suitability only applies to Xiao Yang.

But what if a player who has completed the game chooses such a straight stick?

That's all I can say.

Congratulations, you've struck gold!

………….

Xiao Yang's missing agility attribute was finally compensated for.

[Agility: 298]

All attributes have reached the limit of Under-Legend.

Xiao Yang could vaguely sense that the boundary had become blurred.

He can start advancing to the next level at any time if he wants.

In the center of the City of Hope, Xiao Yang wasn't wearing his signature scarlet armor. That armor was too distinctive; if he wore it here, all he would be greeted by cheers from people with radiant expressions.

"A great hero!"

"Savior!"

"hope!"

To be honest, people are really fickle creatures; not long ago, Xiao Yang wanted just this kind of cheering.

"How much time has passed?"

The monotonous cheers became somewhat tedious to listen to and also made it difficult to see clearly.

So today, Xiao Yang removed his Crimson Slayer Armor, put on his remaining Adventurer's Set, and pinned the Justice Comfort to his waist, arriving in his own city just like an ordinary adventurer.

Our first stop: the distinctive architecture of the City of Hope.

[Hope City Tavern]

Or

【Carnival Rye Tavern】2
On rows of simple, dilapidated wooden tables, glasses of darkened ale were placed, people shouted loudly, drank, and all sorts of figures gathered here.

The City of Hope has recently seen a surge in several new types of visitors.

The children of the mountains, the lizardmen, and a new wave of human visitors, yet another remnant of the former human empire.

Now, these two leaders have gathered together in the tavern, seemingly due to some conflict.

The lizardman's side was an extremely tall, red lizardman with vertical pupils characteristic of dragons.

To be honest, Xiao Yang felt that these lizardmen were actually quite similar to those half-dragons, not only in appearance but also in their bloodline.

But in reality, these guys are extremely difficult to get along with.

"I don't understand."

However, these lizardmen don't only have conflicts with the half-dragons; they also seem to have some conflicts with humans.

At that moment, inside the tavern, a tall, red lizardman was breathing fire from his nostrils, mocking the figure opposite him.

"A weak empire that has occupied the valleys, plains, coastlines, and even the Middle-earth, and yet only you, a mere baron, have returned to your homeland?"

The bearded man opposite the red lizardman was momentarily speechless at the words of the red lizardman, but he quickly evaded the question.

"Yes, we humans are weak, but don't forget that the master and founder of this city was also human. Are you saying that hero was weak too?"

The sharp words that came out immediately left the red lizardman speechless.

In this situation, there's not much to say; it seems there's only one solution left.

"Let's have a fight!"

The two sides quickly started fighting. Instead of stopping them, the surrounding crowd cheered, seemingly enjoying the spectacle.

Xiao Yang was also watching the spectacle, but he didn't go to cheer on the chaotic fight.

Several wild elves jumped onto the table with bone harps in their hands.

Although their lifestyle and personality seem to have changed a lot, as elves, they are still quite proficient in music.

A sexy elven woman, holding a seven-stringed lyre made of yellowed animal bones, plays it while stomping her feet on the table, performing a lively and eye-catching tap dance.

Xiao Yang now understood why the tables and chairs in the tavern were all dilapidated.

He poured the rye beer into his mouth while watching the chaotic scene unfold.

Recently, the City of Hope has also welcomed some special guests.

Wearing a jumble of random clothes, these furtive, lurking figures were players who had come from the real world.

Right now, there is a player right opposite Xiao Yang.

The City of Hope does not currently have a formal currency, but Lena is already preparing for it.

In order to gather more resources, not everything is free, especially when it comes to these guests who gather from all over the wasteland.

Squatting in the corner of the tavern, with a few dried salted fish in front of me, I watched the commotion unfold.

Xiao Yang ordered a drink for the player.

The person opposite seemed somewhat surprised when the rye wine was handed over by the snake-woman maid in the tavern.

He met Xiao Yang.

Soon after, this guy moved closer to Xiao Yang.

"Hello, boss!"

They greeted each other very naturally.

Xiao Yang didn't say anything, but simply raised his chin slightly in response.

He had a rather aloof demeanor, but in reality, he was just a bit socially awkward and didn't know what to say.

The fight was nearing its final stages.

The wild elf ladies are also extending an invitation: whoever defeats them in a battle will be granted the right to buy them a drink.

Yes, buy them a drink.

However, it's not just about a drink. If you win their favor, it's hard to say whether there will be any special events after that drink.

Xiao Yang was chosen.

Even though Xiao Yang has removed his signature attire, he is still quite outstanding in terms of charm and attractiveness alone.

An elven woman with tanned skin and a lithe figure cast an incomparably ardent gaze at Xiao Yang.

Interested in playing a round?

The words rang out directly, even with a hint of heavy breathing.

Xiao Yang refused.

He put down his cup, smiled, shook his head, and waved his hand in refusal.

Undisturbed again, the wild elves, though quite different from the elves of our memories in many ways, retained their proud nature.

After being rejected, it raised its head high like a peacock.

Then, quite arrogantly, she chose the player next to Xiao Yang as her target.

Not long after, the young player who had been selected and was eager to try his hand at arm wrestling suffered a crushing defeat, falling flat on his face with a loud bang.

The chaos continues.

This will continue until dawn.

As dawn broke, Xiao Yang had seen most of the entertainment taking place in the tavern.

Stepping out of the tavern, Xiao Yang, dressed in ordinary adventurer attire, walked through the City of Hope.

At dawn, the city was already bustling with activity.

Even though agriculture is gradually recovering, Xiao Yang's food subsidy program cannot be stopped until it reaches a certain scale.

Of course, although all of this was supplied by Xiao Yang, there was a limitation: it wasn't a completely unlimited and free supply.

Xiao Yang can support this city for free.

However, both Lena and the residents of the city actively refused Xiao Yang's unlimited support.

A pot of steaming meat soup—this is the free breakfast provided by City of Hope, and the only meal offered free of charge that day.

Every morning, a dense crowd of all kinds of figures would emerge from those almost identical houses and line up neatly to drink meat soup.

This broth is also available to adventurers in the City of Hope.

Xiao Yang mingled in the crowd and took a bowl.

The taste was so-so, but we didn't waste any.

The work has begun.

The main force consists of the survivors, these highly promising special personnel who can be easily transformed into a group of qualified combatants.

But now, a large portion of them have switched to farming.

A series of underground channels were built connecting to the central fountain in the city, through which clear, cool spring water was channeled into the fields cleared along the edge of the city walls.

More than that.

Beside a well in the center of the city, a small, swaying white flower appeared out of nowhere and never withered after it bloomed.

This is a blessing from the will of the world.

Logically speaking, with the blessing of the world's will and the abundant spring water blessed by the god of springs, planting should be a very simple matter in the City of Hope.

However, in practice, the situation is somewhat different.

After spending the morning catching decaying insects in the wheat field as a hired pest control worker, Xiao Yang received a small bag of rye as payment.

During his work, he saw a small man carrying a medical kit.

The short man looked familiar, but Xiao Yang couldn't remember who he was even after thinking for a long time.

He opened the cloth bag in his hand, grabbed the green wheat inside, put it in his mouth, and chewed it heartily.

After finishing the free broth served in the morning, these green barleys were the rest of the day's food.

"It's not bad, it's sweet."

Just as Xiao Yang was chewing the green wheat, not far away, an elderly survivor seemed to recognize something, his eyes widening as he looked at Xiao Yang.

Repeatedly confirm until finally, truly confirm.

He spoke with ecstatic joy.

"A great hero!"

Such excited words attracted the attention of others on the field, who all turned their heads to look, and in an instant, the focus became the center of attention.

But when the elderly survivor stood up fervently, ready to get closer to the great hero, the place was already empty; there was no one left.

(End of this chapter)