Over 20,000 unread messages lay in Mike's voicemail, and the number was still skyrocketing with no signs of stopping! Mike had no choice but to set his Lone Wolf badge aside, boot up his computer, and log into the Wolf's Den forum.
As soon as he entered the forum, Mike saw a post highlighted in red and bold, flaming with attention.
Hot: [Paid equipment appraisal, including hidden perks, price negotiable...]
"Strange, wasn't this post published a while ago?" Mike remembered clearly; he had wanted to make some money by appraising equipment to lift the lineage restrictions of the Inhibition Orb. After posting, the response was lukewarm, with only Charlotte reaching out to him.
"Let's see what's going on." Mike scrolled through the post rapidly. In the beginning, most people thought it was a scam, except for a user named [36E Big Breasts] who wanted an equipment appraisal. Initially, that was it, and Mike's post slowly sank into oblivion.
In the afternoon, [36E Big Breasts] posted again, stating that the equipment had been appraised and she was extremely grateful, wishing she could give fifty stars. This sparked a new wave of attention! Some were swayed, others speculated that [36E Big Breasts] was a shill, and the two were staging a scam.
[36E Big Breasts]: "We conducted the transaction in the Trade Secret Realm, here's a copy of the transaction contract!"
When the transaction contract was presented, most skeptics were silenced. Such documents couldn't be faked! Still, they remained skeptical about the 'tier one Battle Soldiers' appraisal capabilities.
That was until another user, [HammeredHearts], commented.
[HammeredHearts]: "The OP's appraisal skills are at least Master-level, personally tested!"
This single comment ignited the entire Wolf's Den forum, sparking countless discussions.
"Am I seeing this right, [HammeredHearts] actually replied!"
"He's a master smith, though his creations sometimes have a limited duration, he's a bona fide master smith!"
"Wow—didn't expect the OP to actually be a Master-level appraiser! This isn't a scam, it's real!"
"Dear master, please appraise an item for me!"
"I was here first, dear master, I have a Battle Chief-level weapon I'd like appraised..."
"..."
From there, it spiraled out of control.
After watching the whole drama unfold, Mike felt a bit helpless. "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."
Posting this was originally meant to solve his own money problems. Now, Mike had a report list worth 10 million gold coins. For now, money wasn't an issue for him.
"Still, paid appraisals could be a steady stream of income." Mike mused, "Reporting is a one-time deal; you can't report a person twice."
As Mike's power grew, so would his consumption of various resources! If converted into gold coins, the amount would be astronomical. Having a stable side income was crucial for his future growth.
Decided, Mike dialed up Wolf's Den again.
"Hello, how may I assist you?"
"I'd like to cancel, or rather, modify the commission I posted this morning."
"Alright, what would you like to change it to?"
"I can offer equipment appraisals, with the following fees: a forbidden spell imprint by a Battle Chief-level expert on a special item; crafting a potential Battle Chief-level melee weapon; repairing the durability of special items. Choose any one of these."
Mike stated his demands, which were things that couldn't be valued in gold coins.
"Also, please add that I can appraise 5 pieces of equipment/items per day, and I have 2 slots left today."
"Okay, we are registering this for you now, please hold..."
Mike had already drafted this speech in his mind. He knew that offering unlimited appraisals would draw too much attention and lead to unnecessary trouble. Thus, he thought of a disguise!
[Sharp Eye], an S-tier talent! Originally, this talent could only be used three times a day. However, Mike noticed in the notes that [Sharp Eye] could be trained and strengthened to be used up to nine times a day!
Claiming he could perform five appraisals per day was within the realm of normal for these Lone Wolves. To them, Mike was 99.99% likely to have the S-tier talent [Sharp Eye].
[I'm a prestigious SSS-tier talent, and now I have to disguise myself as an S-tier, how demeaning!]
Clearly, [Eye of Truth] was not pleased with Mike's approach and protested. However, the protest was in vain. To keep his identity secret, all these precautions were necessary.
"Your changes have been made. If there are any related messages, they will be forwarded to your voicemail."
"Thank you."
After hanging up, Mike cleared all the previous 20,000+ messages. His new requirements would filter out most people. Each of the three options required a Battle Chief-level expert to intervene!
Even so, Mike soon received nearly 10 new messages, which he reviewed one by one.
"I can get a Battle Chief-level Priest to imprint a Priest's forbidden spell!"
"I can repair items, adding 10-30 points of durability, hoping to exchange for 2 equipment appraisals."
"I can craft a potential Battle Chief-level melee weapon, materials provided, price negotiable."
"...."
Mike prioritized based on his immediate needs.
"Equipment crafting can wait; I only have one main material and no idea what to craft yet."
"Durability... The Forbidden Spell Scroll still has 55 durability, good for 11 uses, so that can wait too."
What Mike needed most was to imprint a forbidden spell!
From the messages, Mike selected two people and sent them meeting invitations. One responded quickly,
"No problem, I'll wait for you in the Trade Secret Realm!"
Without much thought, Mike activated his Tower of Truth mark and entered the Trade Secret Realm. A flame awaited at the designated spot.
Upon seeing the person, a note appeared above the flame:
[Blaze Morrow, Jessica's grandfather, Battle Chief-level expert, nickname: Blazing Fury.....]
"Ah, this." Mike hadn't expected to meet Jessica's grandfather here!
"Whatever, he doesn't know my real identity. I'm just here to imprint a Warrior's forbidden spell, and I can always avoid dealing with this old man in the future."
With resolve, Mike approached for his first direct interaction with a Battle Chief-level powerhouse. Legends said that Battle Chiefs had earth-shattering abilities, and the best among them could even breach lower-tier planes!
Seeing Mike approach, Blaze Battle Chief guessed his identity and spoke with utmost respect,
"Dear master, hello!"
Mike smiled knowingly.
So polite? I like where this is going!
Keep talking!