My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 89 - 84: I Am a Man of Some Means

"The devils who were driven out long ago left behind many such things across this land. Behind every Devil’s Contract hides a true devil residing in Hell."

"A Devil’s Contract is extremely tempting. It can beguile humans and any intelligent or powerful creature. Although I hate to admit it, its seductive power is astonishingly strong. For anyone but a specially trained clergyman, the likelihood of an ordinary person being lured in is terrifyingly high."

"Sir, for you to be able to resist a devil’s temptation with your own will... such Spiritual Power is, in the eyes of the Church, one in a hundred, or even one in a thousand."

"I truly admire you. If you were to believe in Tade with such Spiritual Power, I’m certain your achievements within the Church would be limitless."

Fang Zhen was a little surprised.

’Is my Spiritual Power really that strong?’

This certainly changed his perception of himself.

"Priest, is there a difference between devils and demons? You just mentioned Hell, so what about the Abyss?" Fang Zhen asked again.

Perhaps sensing Fang Zhen’s extraordinary talent in Spiritual Power, Matthew became extremely patient and accommodating. "There is a huge difference," he explained.

"Demons reside in the bottomless Abyss. It is a chaotic and disorderly place, full of war and brutality. They pursue brutality, chaos, and destruction, possess great strength and magical power, and are reborn in the Abyss after death."

"Devils, on the other hand, reside in the Nine Hells. While that place is still evil, it has clear hierarchies and ranks. They pursue power, control, and order, achieving their goals through contracts and schemes. They love to acquire power through contracts and conspiracies, often beguiling and tricking humans into offering their souls for power. Their appearances may also be more refined and bizarre."

"Of course, I have never seen a real demon or devil. My knowledge comes from the Church’s teachings and written records."

"Furthermore, it has been over a thousand years since a true demon or devil has descended upon this world. All we see are their indirect influences."

"I see." Fang Zhen nodded.

He had certainly learned something new. So, demons and devils were two different species.

It sounded like one was chaotic evil, and the other lawful evil.

Fang Zhen was very interested in all this. He felt that this knowledge wouldn’t just be useful in the current instance, but might come in handy in future ones, too.

"What about Magic? Or magical items?"

"Priest, do you know how to use them?"

he asked.

"This..." Matthew looked a bit awkward. "Sir, that’s a very difficult question for me to answer."

"In principle, as a clergyman, I shouldn’t be discussing topics related to Magic."

Fang Zhen was slightly disappointed, and he deliberately let it show on his face.

Matthew seemed to be observing his expression. Seeing this, he immediately changed his tune. "Of course, that’s what I should say in principle. However, as an academic discussion... AHEM, an academic *critique*... critiquing matters of Magic with a trustworthy gentleman such as yourself isn’t entirely out of the question."

Fang Zhen smiled at his words.

Although Matthew was a Priest, he didn’t seem so rigid. His principles were relatively flexible, but he clearly still had them.

’He’s quite an interesting person.’

"Mm, I found what might be a magical item in the Redstone Town Mine. How should I put this... I’d like to engage in a ’critique’ of Magic with you in a little while, Priest," Fang Zhen said.

"That should be possible. Using this type of Extraordinary Item isn’t difficult in itself; it’s just that ordinary people rarely have the necessary Spiritual Power," Matthew said. "But you were able to resist the devil’s temptation with your willpower alone. With just some basic guidance techniques, using... er, *critiquing* a magical item shouldn’t be a problem at all."

Suddenly, Fang Zhen felt like things were a sure bet.

His dream of becoming a melee Mage was now one clear step closer.

"Good. We’ll find a place outside of town to examine this later. But before that, there’s one more thing," Fang Zhen said.

"Priest, I want to consult you about something," Fang Zhen said after some deliberation. "Suppose—and I’m just saying suppose—I have a large amount of silver, high-purity silver, in the form of silver bricks and bars, and I want to exchange it for Gold Ropes, or, better yet, for the Extraordinary Items you mentioned. Do you have the channels and connections to help me make that happen?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Of course, you would also receive some well-deserved compensation."

"Huh?" Matthew was clearly stunned, unable to process it for a long moment.

Fang Zhen wasn’t in a hurry. He waited for Matthew to digest this information.

He had realized this discrepancy the moment he learned about the gold-to-silver exchange rate here in Redstone Town.

The exchange ratio between Gold Ropes and silver ropes was twenty-four to one. There was a slight difference in the weight of the precious metals used, but even so, the gold-to-silver value worked out to about thirty parts silver for one part gold.

But in the real world, the gold-to-silver exchange rate was roughly over ninety grams of silver for one gram of gold.

This meant a threefold price gap.

Fang Zhen had already realized that if he could take gold out of the instance world, exchange it for cash to buy silver, then return to the instance world and use the silver to get Gold Ropes or other gold, he could make at least a threefold profit just by flipping it!

There was no reason not to seize such a huge opportunity.

Besides, one of the metrics in the post-instance evaluation was "Instance Development." This kind of activity should raise that score, meaning it was likely encouraged by the "Instance Life Game."

So why not?

He also had a premonition. Having found so many clues in the Redstone Town Mine and been left with such an important lead as the possibly fallen Baron von Kleist, it was highly likely that the third act of this instance would be unlocked.

If the third act really did open up, then the plan to exchange silver for Gold Ropes or Extraordinary Items would become highly feasible.

And it wasn’t just silver. Porcelain, silk, tea... traditional luxury goods from ancient eastern nations, further refined by modern craftsmanship, could all be very marketable if he brought them here to sell.

Matthew came to his senses, his eyes slightly doubtful. "Aren’t you a Wandering Knight?"

"You have that much silver?"

Hearing this, Fang Zhen was suddenly reminded of a famous line.

He gave a reserved and mysterious smile.

"I am a man of some means."