"City Lord Song, to be honest, I have more pressing matters at hand right now and really can't spare the time!"
Jiang Yuan looked apologetically at the City Lord of Peace City and said helplessly.
"Oh? What important matter does Warrior Jiang Yuan have? Do tell, perhaps I can lend a hand."
Song Shichang listened, looked at Jiang Yuan, and asked curiously.
"My Celestial Punishment set is missing just one piece. I'll be focusing most of my energy on that for now. But I can promise you, City Lord Song, that once I've gathered the full set, I'll head to Anyang Town immediately to check things out."
Jiang Yuan explained his situation to Song Shichang. Until he completed the [Celestial Punishment] set, nothing else could hold his interest.
Like most online gamers, Jiang Yuan had a bit of an obsession with collecting gear. Seeing the four pieces of [Celestial Punishment] he already wore, his heart itched like a cat scratching, desperate to get the final piece of the set as soon as possible.
"Heh! Warrior Jiang Yuan, I can actually help you with that!"
Song Shichang smiled. To him, Jiang Yuan's problem was hardly an issue at all.
"Really? That's great! City Lord Song, if you help me gather the last piece of the set, I'll set off for Anyang Town right away!"
Jiang Yuan immediately grew excited upon hearing this, looking at Song Shichang with a serious expression.
"Ding! Do you accept the main quest 'Demon Extermination in Anyang Town'?"
At that moment, the system prompt sounded again, and Jiang Yuan decisively chose "Accept!"
Seeing Jiang Yuan take the quest, Song Shichang, the City Lord of Peace City, slowly said, "I have a good friend living in seclusion in Shadowmoon Valley. Recently, he's run into some trouble and is looking for a suitable person to help him out. Once it's done, he'll offer a reward—and that reward happens to be exactly what you need most right now, Warrior Jiang Yuan!"
"And what kind of reward is that? Can you be more specific?"
Jiang Yuan immediately pressed for details.
"You'll only know after you've helped my friend resolve his trouble. But I can write you a letter of recommendation, stating your request in it. Take my letter to him, and he'll surely grant your wish."
Song Shichang finished speaking, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then set it down and smiled at Jiang Yuan.
"Ding! Do you accept the main quest 'Visit Shadowmoon Valley'?"
Another main quest prompt chimed in, and Jiang Yuan accepted it as well.
"Alright! I'll leave it to you, City Lord Song!"
After accepting the quests, Jiang Yuan nodded politely to Song Shichang.
Song Shichang then ordered a servant to bring paper and brush. He swiftly wrote a few lines, sealed the letter in an envelope, and handed it to Jiang Yuan.
"Ding! Congratulations! You've obtained the quest item: City Lord Song's Recommendation Letter*1!"
Just as Jiang Yuan reached out to take it, the envelope turned into a beam of white light and flew automatically into his backpack, followed by another prompt in his ear.
"I'll set off for Shadowmoon Valley right now. Farewell, City Lord Song!"
With the recommendation letter in hand, Jiang Yuan's mind was entirely on the new main quest. He quickly stood up and bid Song Shichang goodbye.
Leaving the City Lord's Mansion, Jiang Yuan wasted no time. With a well-fed and contented Meow Meow in tow, he walked out of the city, summoned a majestic Dragon-Tiger Beast, mounted it, and sped off toward Shadowmoon Valley as indicated by the quest marker.
Shadowmoon Valley lay about fifty miles southeast of Peace City. It was a level-90 map, only accessible to players who met the level requirement; otherwise, it would appear as a patch of black fog on the minimap.
The Dragon-Tiger Beast Jiang Yuan rode was not only imposing in appearance but also incredibly swift. In less than ten minutes, it had brought him to the location marked "Shadowmoon Valley" on the map!
Jiang Yuan's destination was a place called "Shadowmoon Manor" at the valley's center. He urged the Dragon-Tiger Beast forward for nearly twenty more minutes until the outlines of buildings gradually came into view.
Shadowmoon Manor sat halfway up a mountain. Above a stone archway, the four characters "Shadowmoon Manor" were inscribed in bold, vigorous calligraphy.
A long stone staircase led up to the archway. As Jiang Yuan climbed the steps, he was surprised to find that such a large manor had not a single servant sweeping or doing chores!
After wandering through most of the manor, Jiang Yuan still hadn't seen the face of the Shadowmoon Manor Lord.
"Meow meow!"
Meow Meow, following Jiang Yuan, seemed unusually excited. Perhaps because it had eaten its fill at the City Lord's Mansion, it jumped down from Jiang Yuan's arms as soon as they arrived, sniffing around here and there, letting out cheerful cries.
The pair explored nearly every building in Shadowmoon Manor, yet still couldn't find the so-called old friend of City Lord Song Shichang!
"Could that guy have tricked me?"
Jiang Yuan felt a bit annoyed, but the two main quests clearly displayed in his quest log seemed to hint that the NPC "Shadowmoon Manor Lord" really existed!
"Strange, where could he be?"
Jiang Yuan circled around to the back of the buildings with Meow Meow, still finding no trace of the person he sought. He frowned, puzzled.
"Meow!"
Meow Meow, walking ahead, suddenly turned back to look at Jiang Yuan, raised a front paw to point forward, then gestured to its own perked-up cat ears.
Taking Meow Meow's hint, Jiang Yuan listened carefully and faintly heard the sound of flowing water from the woods ahead.
"Meow Meow! Lead the way!"
Jiang Yuan remembered reading a book in the university library that said animals like cats and dogs have hearing several times sharper than humans. He waved his hand, told Meow Meow, and quickly followed behind the cat, moving forward toward the sound.
Following the rugged mountain path behind the buildings, led by Meow Meow, Jiang Yuan arrived at a secluded valley. Beside a green pool sat an old man with white hair, holding a fishing rod, quietly by the water's edge.
[Third-Rank Loose Immortal: Shadowmoon Manor Lord] Level: 120 HP: 100,000,000 ?????? (Due to the large level gap, detailed information cannot be viewed.)
Jiang Yuan's gaze fell on the old man, and the information immediately appeared before him—this was the NPC he had been searching for so long!
"Greetings, elder!"
Jiang Yuan cautiously called out to the old man, who sat motionless as if turned to stone.
"Who are you? Why have you come here?"
The old man slowly turned around. On his aged face, a pair of cloudy eyes squinted slightly as he looked at Jiang Yuan and asked.
"My name is Jiang Yuan. The City Lord of Peace City sent me to find you."
Jiang Yuan then took out the recommendation letter from Song Shichang from his backpack, held it by the two bottom corners with both hands, and offered it to the old man.
The old man extended his bark-like hands, trembling as he took the letter. At that moment, a system prompt sounded in Jiang Yuan's ear.
"Ding! Quest 'Visit Shadowmoon Valley' completed! Gained 500,000 experience points!"
The old man tore open the envelope, squinted his dim eyes, and read the entire letter. Then he looked at Jiang Yuan and asked, "Brother Song says you can help me with my trouble. Is that true?"
Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "Please, elder, tell me in detail what trouble you're facing. I'll do my utmost to help you!"
"Good!"
The Shadowmoon Manor Lord nodded, and a new quest prompt immediately sounded in Jiang Yuan's ear.
"Ding! Do you accept the quest 'Mystery of Shadowmoon Valley'?"
After Jiang Yuan accepted the quest, the Shadowmoon Manor Lord slowly began to explain the whole story.
"Over a month ago, a demon suddenly appeared in Shadowmoon Valley. It has no physical form, only a pitch-black shadow, so I call it the 'Shadow Demon'! Ever since it appeared, it has ravaged all the living creatures around. After learning of it, I searched for three days across dozens of miles of Shadowmoon Valley before finding its trail. I fought it for a whole day and night, but not only did I fail to subdue it, I was gravely wounded by that beast. Worse still, it chased me back to my Shadowmoon Manor and slaughtered my servants mercilessly. To prevent more deaths, I dismissed everyone from the manor, ready to fight that beast to the death!"
As the Shadowmoon Manor Lord spoke, a resolute glint flashed in his cloudy eyes!
"Elder, where is this 'Shadow Demon' you speak of? I'm willing to help you destroy it!"
Hearing the old man's tale, Jiang Yuan's sense of justice surged. He patted his chest and assured the old man.
"Young friend, that beast is extremely troublesome. Defeating it won't be easy. First, do a few tasks for me. I need to forge a 'Demon-Slaying Needle.' Once it's ready, our chances of killing it will greatly increase!"
The Shadowmoon Manor Lord shook his head, stopping Jiang Yuan from rushing off to find the Shadow Demon, and spoke to him.
"Alright! Elder, just tell me what you need me to do!"
Jiang Yuan nodded, vowing solemnly to the Shadowmoon Manor Lord.
"First, hunt some Shadowmoon Dire Wolves and collect their fur for me."
As the Shadowmoon Manor Lord finished speaking, the "Shadowmoon Valley" main quest in Jiang Yuan's quest log immediately updated, and a new prompt sounded in his ear.
"Ding! Congratulations! You've completed the quest 'Mystery of Shadowmoon Valley'! Gained 500,000 experience points!"
"Ding! Auto-accepted quest: 'Kill Shadowmoon Dire Wolves, collect fur*100'!"
"Elder, where can I find the Shadowmoon Dire Wolves? I'll go right away!"
Jiang Yuan, having accepted the quest, looked at the old man and asked. Such a task was very easy for him.
"North of Shadowmoon Valley, there's a place called 'Shadowmoon Mountain.' It was originally the habitat of the Shadowmoon Dire Wolves. But they are cruel, bloodthirsty, and pack animals—be very careful!"
Seeing how young Jiang Yuan was, the Shadowmoon Manor Lord felt a bit uneasy and offered a warning.
"Don't worry, elder. They're just wolves. Leave it to me."
Jiang Yuan nodded to the old man, then bent down and said to the Persian cat Meow Meow, "Meow Meow, wait here for me. Don't run off, got it?"
"Meow!"
Meow Meow's attention was entirely on the faintly visible fish swimming in the pool. Hearing Jiang Yuan's words, it didn't even turn around, just gave a symbolic nod and let out a meow, as if to say: Got it!
"You little foodie, can't resist fish at all!"
Seeing Meow Meow practically drooling, Jiang Yuan smiled helplessly. Then he said goodbye to the Shadowmoon Manor Lord, turned around, and set off for Shadowmoon Mountain to hunt the Shadowmoon Dire Wolves!