Chapter Sixty-Six: The Mask of Restraint

The scale of the Dungeon Management Association’s branch in Saint Ross Harbor was on an entirely different level compared to the one in Rogue Town—after all, the resident population here exceeded three million. Moreover, this city was famed as a resort destination, with the transient population far surpassing the number of locals, and a total area of over twenty thousand square kilometers.

Such a vast expanse meant that several dungeons were scattered throughout the city, so naturally, the number of adventurer teams here was immense: more than eight hundred squads ranging from E to A rank, totaling nearly ten thousand people.

Thus, the branch was housed in a uniquely designed five-story wooden building, said to be the masterpiece of an elven life mage from decades past.

Usually, it was Jeros who came here to check in, but today he had other matters to attend to, so the task of collecting their wages and browsing the trading platform fell to Zhao Tianhe.

“Hello, there are thirteen messages on the trading platform for you to review.” The receptionist manipulated the crystal ball before her, and a string of text appeared on the glass window in front of Zhao Tianhe.

The mage equipment Jeros had listed yesterday was a fine elite staff, so the exchange price was naturally set at a piece of C-rank elite armor of similar value, specifically lower body armor or a helmet.

As he browsed the list, Zhao Tianhe saw offers to trade several ordinary pieces of armor, others proposing a different piece of elite armor, and even one offering gold coins for the staff.

“None of the armor stats are particularly impressive… Except for these gloves. My fire-resistance gloves, which I traded for especially, are now utterly useless here. Hm?” Suddenly, Zhao Tianhe noticed a message offering a trade but requiring him to add extra value. Curious, he examined it closely—it was a D-rank boss helmet.

Restraint Mask, D-rank boss accessory
All Resistances +2
Base Defense +6
Constant Curse, True Illusion: Isolation, Agility -2, Base Perception reduced by 20%

The stats on this piece were actually excellent. Even with the negative effects, it was still a dream item for any main tank: high defense, and the all resistances attribute was exceedingly rare. In comparison, perception wasn’t a significant stat for most hardcore main tanks.

But Zhao Tianhe would never wear such an item—perception was his lifeline, his very means of survival. He’d even allocated his two recent free attribute points into agility.

But then… Zhao Tianhe suddenly remembered something: Elay’s passive skill. If the curse could be weakened by the power of the Ancient Soul, then the negative effects would be negligible.

Besides, with him around, Elay hardly needed perception anyway!

He checked the location of the person offering the trade, and to his delight, they were in the same city. That settled it—he was determined to get this piece of equipment for his wife!

This must be a sign from above. Besides, his current situation seemed to be steering him toward a more magical path, so defensive gear was no longer as important. Zhao Tianhe made up his mind and left a message proposing a meeting the next day, offering to add twenty more gold coins to the trade.

He didn’t have much cash on hand, but this branch of the association had a special department for adventurer loans. With his credentials, securing an interest-free loan of a hundred or two hundred gold was no problem.

But then… Zhao Tianhe suddenly felt a pang in his chest. All that combat training he’d done before—was it all for nothing now? The thought left him a little unwilling.

After arriving at a newly opened large billiards hall, Zhao Tianhe summoned Elay and explained the situation to her.

“Equipment, huh? That’s fine… Wait, did I wear the wrong outfit today?” Elay looked around at the casually dressed people in the hall, suddenly self-conscious about her swimsuit.

“It’s fine, you look wonderful,” Zhao Tianhe replied with a smile. “But you might want to throw something over your shoulders—you’re getting a little too famous! Hahaha…”

After the swimsuit showcase, posters of Artoria and Elay had been plastered outside the Brannier Swimwear Shop and on billboards across several blocks. She’d even gifted Artoria the very swimsuit she’d worn at the show.

Artoria, however, wasn’t fond of it—she thought it was too much trouble to put on.

“Oh, you’re impossible! Still… Maybe I should change my hairstyle. Cut it a bit shorter? And what about sunglasses?” As Elay spoke, a black top and a pair of black-and-blue striped denim shorts appeared on her, and she touched her hair thoughtfully.

“You look beautiful with any hairstyle, but I still prefer your long hair,” Zhao Tianhe said after some thought. “It’s how you were from the start, and I like it best.”

“You rascal…” Elay squinted and gave him a playful jab in the ribs. “You’re getting bolder, aren’t you?”

They laughed and teased each other until a teenage girl recognized Elay and asked for her autograph.

No helping it—less than three hundred meters from the billiards hall was a life-sized billboard of Elay herself. Zhao Tianhe was beginning to regret letting Artoria and the others sign with Brannier on their own; clearly, they’d been taken advantage of over their image rights.

Using my wife’s likeness for advertising should start at a minimum of ten thousand gold! Zhao Tianhe pulled Elay into a reserved private room to escape the crowd.

By the time Zhao Tianhe emerged, Elay’s time was up and she’d already returned. The people lingering outside didn’t dare to trouble Zhao Tianhe, a bona fide C-rank adventurer, and dispersed obediently.

Elay’s affection score had already reached 9, and Artoria’s was close to 10—so… which one should I confess to? Zhao Tianhe wandered the streets, killing time with idle thoughts.

When he came to his senses, he found himself standing in a department store, staring blankly at a magical steamer.

Right—now that I have this passive skill, I can’t just use magic cooking anymore. I’ll need some new kitchen gadgets… Even if they’re a bit expensive… He patted his forehead, realizing he’d practically turned into a househusband. Have I really gotten used to cooking for Artoria? It almost feels like we’ve been married for years… Going shopping with Elay even gives me the subconscious feeling of sneaking around with a mistress, though I haven’t actually done anything…

Maybe I’ll put off confessing for now—this is nice enough as it is. Carrying two magical kitchen appliances, Zhao Tianhe made his way back to the adventurers’ apartment and started preparing dinner.

Meanwhile, above the dungeon that had previously been sealed by an unknown spell, a construction crew was leveling the ground in preparation for a new building.

“What are you putting up here?” a middle-aged man walking his dog asked one of the workers. “This place has a bad reputation. I heard that serial killer lived here not long ago—the patrol burned down his house and everything, because he was caught with dangerous magical artifacts!”

“Oh, don’t worry, what we’re building is even spookier,” the construction worker replied with a grin. “We’re putting up a funeral home.”