Chapter 11
Chapter 11 A Windfall Beyond Imagination
84
Finished
The chair was too large to fit in Joanna’s backpack, causing it to drop right beside her with a soft thud.
For a brief moment, Joanna’s breath hitched.
A Silver-tier item had dropped.
The Desolate Castle was a Level 10 dungeon. The highest-tier equipment it could produce was Silver-tier, with a drop rate so minuscule it might as well be one in a million.
What was the difference between this and hitting the jackpot?
Moreover, this Phantom Crimson Throne was a mount-type item, suitable for the vast majority of terrains and dungeons.
Special-category items were worth far more than ordinary Silver-tier gear.
Most importantly, it was a unique drop.
That meant the entire Desolate Castle could only ever produce one Phantom Crimson Throne. There would never be a second identical item.
This alone put its value at no less than two million Starcoins.
In that instant, all the burdens weighing on Joanna, the anxiety and fear lurking in her heart, vanished completely.
Almost simultaneously, a stream of notifications appeared before her.
“Your level has increased to 10 p>
“Summoner Class Bonus: Vitality +1, Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +37
“You have gained 5 Free Attribute Points p>
“You have cleared the dungeon. Clear Time: 39 minutes, 12 seconds p>
“Would you like to save the current record? The current clearing party is: Shattered Dawn p>
“Save p>
That made three dungeon records.
And the third was the Desolate Castle.
Once they completed two more new dungeons, Shattered Dawn would officially qualify to apply for university.
Joanna was ecstatic.
“We’ve struck gold, we’ve really struck gold this time, Nighthowl! This chair could sell for 2 million. It could pay off the summoning array loan and the 100,000 Starcoin registration fee. It’s all here p>
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11:18 Wed, Jan 28 MR.
Chapter 11 A Windfall Beyond Imagination
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Finished
Nighthowl circled the Phantom Crimson Throne once. A simple thought drifted through his spiritual link.
Pretty.
“You sit first,” Joanna said with a laugh.
She felt a twinge of temptation.
Mount-type items like this were incredibly rare, and this one was so beautiful.
Regardless of whether she sold it later, she could at least try it out first.
She sat down immediately. The seat was spacious-far more so than the duchess’s gown ever needed. Even with all that room, there was still space to spare.
“Come on, Nighthowl p>
She patted the seat beside her.
IN
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Nighthowl leapt up. One human, one wolf, squeezed together on the throne. With a flick of her mind, Joanna willed the crimson throne to rise and began moving through the castle.
Its top speed was about 75 miles per hour.
It handled lateral movement with remarkable agility, capable of swaying side-to-side and adjusting its altitude. Its maximum hover height was around 65 feet, roughly six stories high.
But the most important feature of a mount wasn’t speed. It was endurance conservation.
The Fang Imp dungeon, for instance, stretched about 1.2 miles. Walking through it, scouring for loot, over ten runs would cover 12 miles.
Even with datafied human bodies, stamina was a vital stat. Walking too much would deplete it, eventually affecting all other attributes.
“We’re not selling the throne for now,” Joanna decided. “If we’re short on money when it’s time for the SAT, then we’ll sell it p>
She even had a faint premonition.
At her current rate of earning, she might not need to sell it at all.
Seated comfortably on the floating throne, Joanna began thoroughly looting the dungeon.
The Knight’s Longsword and the Gentleman’s Hairpiece would fetch around 68,000 Starcoins.
And there was so much more to collect.
“Duchess’s Red Wine (Iron-tier): Distilled from blood. Vitality +1, Charm +1, Lifespan -1 year p>
An item with a negative effect. Its price would be lower, maybe 20,000 Starcoins, but some people wouldn’t mind losing one year of their lifespan.
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11:18 Wed, Jan 28 MR
Chapter 11 A Windfall Beyond Imagination
84
Finished
Inside the bedroom, a rusted jewelry box still held gemstones that had survived the passage of time, even though the metal fittings had long corroded.
The vanity table was thick with dust, but a quick wipe revealed exquisitely crafted, elegant details.
The wool carpet could be cleaned and reused as well. Joanna remembered people making money from carpet-cleaning videos. This alone could sell for 500 Starcoins.
The castle held 24 bronze floor lamps. Selling just the metal, at about 9 Starcoins per pound, would bring in roughly 110,000 Starcoins.
The banquet hall was the main treasure trove. All the food had long since rotted away, but the tableware remained exquisite.
Some metal pieces were oxidized, but many of the specially crafted porcelain dishes were perfectly preserved. These porcelain plates sold for 50 Starcoins each. Joanna collected over 1,000 of them from the buffet carts alone.
After ransacking the kitchen, she collected clay pots, stainless steel utensils, and more.
Not only that, she also found the wine cellar.
There were 102 intact crates of red wine.
Any wine with over 13% alcohol content could be stored indefinitely. That was why legendary vintages like the famed ’82 Lafite remained liquid gold even decades later.
Whether it was hype or not didn’t matter.
As long as she could list these wines on the exchange, they were valuable.
Six bottles, per crate. At least 800 Starcoins per bottle. That amounted to nearly 490,000 Starcoins!
Joanna was practically shaking with excitement.
Is this what true dungeon pioneering feels like?
She spent a full two hours combing through every corner, looting the Desolate Castle down to the last usable item.
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