“Alright, I’ll leave you guys off on your own. If you need anything, feel free to contact me directly,” Nie Yan said. He added Han Lei as a close friend. Only this friend group could whisper him at any time.

“Alright.” Han Lei nodded.

Nie Yan turned around and left. Han Lei and the others followed his back with their eyes as it disappeared into the crowd. Only then did they snap out of their daze, as if they had woken up from a dream.

They looked at their equipment. Level 110 Akador Mana Robe, Level 115 Lasosi Radiant Chestplate... Even now, it still felt like a dream.

This kind of equipment could only be found in level 100+ high difficulty dungeons. Without passing certain stat requirements, it was impossible to enter them. Every item from one of those places was a precious treasure to Han Lei and the others. But they were just another item to be dumped into the guild treasury to Nie Yan.

Honestly, if these items were lying on the ground, Nie Yan might not even bother to spare them a glance.

“Hey, hey, Boss. Tell us, how do you know Nirvana Flame?” Hottie asked.

Fatty and Doctor immediately stared at Han Lei with curious eyes. This was something they wanted to know as well.

“We went to elementary school and middle school together. Our trio was nicknamed the three musketeers. We pretty much did everything together. But my parents moved, so I had to go to another school,” Han Lei said, reminiscing the past.

“Wait, trio? Who’s the third?”

“Well you’ve already met one, Nirvana Flame. The other is a player who dominated the level leaderboards for over half a year, Young Sparrow Hawk.”

“W-what!?” Hottie and the others gasped. These were two of the most famous characters in the entire Viridian Empire!

“Ah... It’s embarrassing. Out of the three of us, I’m the most useless,” Han Lei said. He clenched his fists. From now on, he would give it his all to catch up. Nie Yan and Tang Yao were already lofty figures in the Viridian Empire while he was still just a nobody. If things continued on like this, he wouldn’t even be able to look at himself in the mirror. He firmed his resolve.

Nie Yan walked along the streets of Okoron. After passing through several winding paths and alleys, he finally arrived at a certain shop tucked away in a remote corner of the city.

This shop looked quite sketchy. Two large, burly NPCs guarded the entrance.

Nie Yan looked up and down at the NPCs. They matched Guo Huai’s description. Their figures reminded him of War God Kelo. This uncanny resemblance was clear proof they were barbarians.

The front door was closed. There was also no signboard or anything else indicating this was a shop.

Fragrant wine fears no dark alley. In other words, quality goods need no advertising. This was the type of feeling these secret shops gave off. They were opened up in remote parts of town, the items they sold were expensive, and one had to meet strict requirements to purchase from them. However, many players visited them, and their business flourished. This was undoubtedly because they sold unique and rare items.

Nie Yan was extremely excited that such a shop had opened up in Okoron. These kinds of secret shops often attracted players from all over. The longer players stayed in the city, the more they would spend. This would be a huge boost to all businesses here.

Around a dozen players were gathered outside the entrance of the secret shop. Most of them wore cloaks, hiding their appearances. The rare few who showed their armour all had high quality equipment, with many pieces being Sub Legendary-grade.

These players quietly whispered among one another.

Nie Yan scanned his eyes over these players. Most of them weren’t wearing guild emblems. However, one was from Asskickers United and another from Sapphire Shrine. They were all high level elites.

“The requirements for buying from this shop are too high. Are any of you a Marquis?”

“No, I’m just a Baron. I’m still far away from becoming a Marquis.”

“Looking for a Marquis! I’m willing to pay a 30% commission.”

Several people proposed enticing offers to have others buy on their behalf. They were clearly rich players not lacking in gold. But sadly, no one among them was a Marquis.

So, even though they knew the secret shop sold good stuff, they couldn’t buy any of it. One could imagine how depressed they were.

There were still more players walking over.

“With so many people coming here, I refuse to believe not a single person is a Marquis! Let’s keep waiting!”

“That’s right! There should be a few of them.”

Nie Yan walked up to the entrance where the two burly barbarian guards stood. He wore a large black cloak and hid his guild emblem. No one could identify him.

After seeing Nie Yan, the two guards immediately became respectful and guided him inside.

Seeing the guards treating Nie Yan so respectfully, the crowd of players gathered outside the shop hurried over to the entrance of the shop and peered inside.

Nie Yan walked up to the counter. Manning the shop was an old burly man. He had the highest status among all the barbarians here. After seeing Nie Yan, his eyes lit up with excitement, and he respectfully bowed.

Nie Yan inspected the old man with Transcendent Insight.

Tribe Elders were highly revered existences to barbarians. More often than not, they were the oldest person in the tribe.

Nie Yan was somewhat puzzled by the respectful welcome of this elder. He might be the lord of Okoron, but something was off about the behaviour of this old man and the two barbarians outside.

“Oh, Great Prophet, I have an extremely presumptuous request. May I please take a look at your left hand?” Vaigus asked in a sincere tone.

Left hand? Nie Yan suddenly recalled the Holy Spirit Imprint. This mark was related to War God Kelo. Perhaps it was a special symbol to the barbarians.

Vaigus could faintly sense the Holy Spirit Imprint.

“Sure. Have a look.” Nie Yan extended his left hand.

Seeing the Holy Spirit Imprint on Nie Yan’s hand, Vaigus’ face lit up with elation. “T-t-this. It’s already 96% complete! The long awaited day for a saint to appear is soon! War God Kelo prophesied that the saint will guide us to glory...” Vaigus muttered with tears streaming down his face.

Vaigus could barely get the words out, but Nie Yan got the gist of it. Just as he suspected, this was related to War God Kelo.

Nie Yan wondered if Vaigus would give him a quest.

“Great Prophet, thank you. Before War God Kelo departed, he left behind a message. Every person with a Holy Spirit Heart is the leader of us barbarians. We’ve followed his wishes ever since. We’re also to assist anyone with a Holy Spirit Imprint in obtaining a Holy Spirit Heart,” Vaigus explained before bowing deeply again.

After hearing Vaigus’ words, Nie Yan was stunned. He didn’t expect for there to be such a development. At that time, prior to his final battle with Dragon King Zennarde, perhaps War God Kelo understood he wasn’t his match. But at the same time, Zennarde couldn’t kill him. He probably predicted this conclusion and formulated a plan. And so, he left behind a message to the barbarians. When someone finally came to save him, he would give that person the Holy Spirit Imprint. Worried that the person he had chosen would fail to complete the Holy Spirit Heart, he told his descendants to help that person.

Nie Yan was the chosen one.

“Does that mean I can ask for your help?” Nie Yan asked. He didn’t know how strong the barbarians were. Seeing the three NPCs in the shop, one Level 180 Lord and two Level 180 Elites, he assumed they couldn’t be weak. After all, they were a race known for their battle prowess. The continent’s most powerful Warriors all came from their race.

"Yes, as long as the cause is just, we’re willing to do anything for you, even if it means the sacrifice of all our tribes,” Vaigus solemnly said.

Nie Yan nodded. “How large of a force does your tribe have?”

“We have 500 Warriors and 1,100 women, children, and elderly,” Vaigus said.

500 barbarian Warriors, this was an unexpected windfall for Nie Yan.

“Have them come to Okoron. I’ll provide them with housing and food free of charge and help them get settled in,” Nie Yan said.

“T-thank you, m’lord!” Vaigus said excitedly. The area their tribe occupied was one of the most barren in the Abernathy Great Grasslands. They would often go days without eating. However, they strictly followed War God Kelo’s teachings. They didn’t prey on the weak or snatch land from the more fortunate. Nie Yan allowing them to move to Okoron was undoubtedly a huge blessing.

Nie Yan faintly smiled. He couldn’t be happier with the barbarians moving into Okoron. Like this, the barbarian Warriors could be assimilated into his army.

“I want to buy some things.” Nie Yan glanced at the items on display inside the glass counter. Then, his eyes flickered with surprise.

Only now did he understand why the crowd outside were so eager to buy the items in here!

Not only was there a large assortment of goods, but they were also extremely rare; each and every single one of them. For example, the totems, runes, gems, and so on were all top quality items. There were also many high level materials and crafting blueprints for sale. They could be used to craft Sub Legendary or even Legendary-grade leather equipment. Any player would go mad with greed.

Nie Yan’s bag and personal storage were filled with rare items, but many of the things for sale here still tugged at his heartstrings.

Among all the items here, one in particular attracted his attention. It was actually the finger bone of a person. It was covered in all sorts of delicate characters.

Nie Yan inspected the item with Transcendent Insight. It was called Lich King Insar’s Finger Bone.