Among thousands of listings, those three posts were the ones Mo Bai had picked out. The first post could be used to earn money, while the other two were exactly what she needed most.

But they were just too expensive!

Mo Bai clutched her chest as she looked at the prices. She could trade the weakness of the 'Enhanced Mutant' for 10,000 points, then use that money to buy the 'Phantom Butterfly' intel. It was like exchanging information about Daddy's mistress for Daddy's own information.

It all made perfect sense.

But what about the 20,000 points needed for 'The Count's Castle'?

Mo Bai couldn't help but think that she could've earned 30,000 points by just clearing the three beginner instances, and honestly, it felt like her heart was breaking a little.

Still, she didn't regret it. In the situation she'd faced during the 'Playing House' game, there was no way she'd bow her head and beg for survival in front of Mommy and Daddy. That just wasn't her style.

Mo Bai decided not to waste time regretting what she didn't have, and instead face the future head-on.

"Xiao Qi, does the system offer loans?" Mo Bai asked.

Xiao Qi: "No, it doesn't."

Mo Bai: "Why not? Is the Main System doubting my ability to clear dungeons?"

Xiao Qi replied helplessly, "Player, based on what I have searched, loans are a profit-making activity, right? Banks lend money to individuals and businesses to earn interest, not out of charity. Points are rewards from the system, and spending them in the Infinite World is also how the system recycles points. Even if the system lent a player 100,000 points and took 100% interest back, the system would still not make a profit, because all the points originated from the system in the first place. There is just no point to lending."

It actually made perfect sense.

Xiao Qi continued, "Players in the Infinite World are under threat of death and could die at any time in a mandatory dungeon. At that point, you cannot even get back the principal, let alone the interest. It would just be a huge pile of bad debt. Even if lending could make a profit, the system still would not lend."

Mo Bai had no choice but to give up on borrowing points from the system.

She thought about her two B-level cards. They could at least be sold for 20,000 points, but those cards were also her trump cards. She wanted to keep them for the next dungeon, so she couldn't just sell them off easily.

Being short on money was really a pain. Even a hero can be brought down by a lack of funds. Mo Bai's gaze couldn't help drifting over to Gu Tiandong.

Gu Tiandong did seem to have a fair amount of money.

He was also checking out some listings, focusing on topics like "future of the Observation Group,""can Observation Group switch to Combat Group," and "how can Observation Group keep their title advantages but avoid further mutation."

Unfortunately, all those messages were for bounties that had been posted for over six months, and still, no one provided any information.

Sensing Mo Bai's hot gaze, Gu Tiandong closed his screen and glanced at her. At a glance, he immediately spotted the three posts that Mo Bai selected and highlighted.

"You're just a newbie. Why are you paying attention to all these A-level and B-level monsters? You'd be better off looking up beginner dungeon tips. That kind of info is cheap," Gu Tiandong said.

Mo Bai laughed dryly.

She was debating whether to tell Gu Tiandong about her thrilling and bizarre beginner instance experience when Gu Tiandong suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, there's intel for 'The Count's Castle' here! That's my next forced dungeon!"

Mo Bai: "Huh?"

Gu Tiandong explained, "That dungeon opens in seven days. I'm almost at my forced period, so I'll be assigned to that dungeon. In seven days, we'll each go into our own dungeon: mine is a high-death-rate forced instance, while yours is a newbie dungeon with a 100% clear rate."

What a coincidence! Mo Bai stared at Gu Tiandong, nearly popping her eyes out.

The system assigned her to a room right next door to Gu Tiandong. They were both in the Observation Group, and now they were heading into the same dungeon. When you put all those together, it was almost unbelievable.

"It's not a coincidence," Xiao Qi interjected. "I just unlocked the team info permission, and I found out that when the system assigns newbie rooms, it actually tries to put people who will go into the same dungeon together. It's a thoughtful service to make it easier for players to team up and overcome tough dungeons."

"There's a service like that?" Mo Bai said.

"Yeah, it is a newbie benefit. Some people struggle with making friends or finding teammates. If they wait until the dungeon, it might be too late. The system helps players get to know their teammates in advance," Xiao Qi answered.

Now, the 20,000 points didn't seem so impossible.

She could split the 20,000 points with Gu Tiandong. He could pay up front, and then once Mo Bai entered the dungeon, she'd equip him with the "Corrosive Claw" B-level card from Mommy so he could use it, which would cancel out 10,000 points of debt.

The "Ironhide Skin" was out of the question. It would only attract the Phantom Butterfly's hostility, and Mo Bai didn't want to drag Gu Tiandong into that mess.

Mo Bai had the whole plan figured out, but she still wasn't sure how to bring it up with Gu Tiandong.

She would have to explain how a total newbie like her would be entering the same dungeon as a level "Beginner-9" player like him.

It was a pretty complicated situation.

While Mo Bai was mulling it over, Gu Tiandong had already read the Castle intel post over and over and was muttering to himself.

"What are you looking at?" Mo Bai asked.

Gu Tiandong looked a little worried. "Regular dungeons can be repeated. As long as someone survives the dungeon, even if they don't clear it, they can sell info about it, and others can try to figure out the best strategy. So the walkthroughs for regular dungeons are reliable.

But forced dungeons are one-time only. Whether or not anyone clears it, even if all the survivors die, it never resets. So there shouldn't be any existing guides or information for unopened forced instances."

"Then that post was a scam?" Mo Bai felt a little disappointed, but also relieved that she wouldn't have to spend points.

"Not necessarily." Gu Tiandong answered. "It might be real."

"How could someone have intel about a dungeon that hasn't been opened?" Mo Bai asked.

"Foresight and deduction abilities," Gu Tiandong explained. "Those two kinds of abilities can 'see' or 'calculate' some information inside a dungeon. These abilities are extremely rare, and every team wants to possess and protect them. However, you only gain that kind of foresight if you're at an intermediate or advanced level. Beginners can only use their powers after entering the dungeon, and even then, the foresight is usually really short, sometimes just a second or two. Most of the time, the team might already be dead before the time the prophecy even finishes."

"Are those abilities found in the Observation Group or the Combat Group?" Mo Bai asked.

"Mostly Combat Group. I only know of one Observation Group Player who has that kind of power. He works solo, takes mercenary gigs from other players, and is the biggest information broker in the entire trading market. No one knows how much money he has, just that he's already 'Intermediate-9' and almost qualified to move to Neverland," Gu Tiandong replied.

"Could this intel be from him?" Mo Bai asked.

Gu Tiandong shook his head. "How could he sell information for only 20,000 points? He never trades for less than 100,000 points."

Gu Tiandong took another look at the post, then suddenly exclaimed, "Wait! This intel isn't a one-time buyout. It can be sold to lots of players, and it's already been sold to seven people!"

Mo Bai said, "Only players who are about to enter the castle dungeon would buy this info. The maximum number of players for Count's Castle is ten. That means only three players haven't bought it yet."

She glanced at him and realized that those three included her and Gu Tiandong.

Gu Tiandong was nervous. "Then I'd better buy it quick. This is a deadly dungeon. If you don't buy the info, you're at a disadvantage and more likely to die."

He quickly ordered the intel, but just as he got to the payment page, he paused and looked at Mo Bai suspiciously. "I never told you that this B-level dungeon only has ten people. How did you know?"

Mo Bai looked a little embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly. "I can explain, but it's complicated and confidential. I'll tell you when we return. Just buy the intel for now."

Gu Tiandong grumbled, "You're just a newbie, but you seem to know more secrets than I do."

Mo Bai turned her head, trying to avoid his gaze.

Knowing it wasn't the right place to talk about secrets, Gu Tiandong decided to wait until they were back before pressing Mo Bai further.

After he paid, a message labeled 'Secret' arrived in Gu Tiandong's mailbox, and he also saw the sender's name.

"Mo Xiangyou... Is it really him?" Gu Tiandong muttered.

Mo Bai realized, "The Observation Group Player you mentioned before?"

Gu Tiandong nodded. "He has an excellent reputation, so he shouldn't be selling fake info. But this info is way too cheap. It's not his style."

"Maybe he's just selling it to lots of people. Eight sales are 160,000 points. That's not nothing," Mo Bai said. For someone as broke as her, she really couldn't relate to Gu Tiandong calling 20,000 points "cheap."

"True enough." Gu Tiandong didn't open the message. He decided to wait until he got home. "I've got what I needed. What about you? Got anything to buy or sell? If you're short on points, I can lend you some."

Mo Bai patted his arm and smiled, "You're a good guy, but I've already managed to trade for what I need."

She clicked the 'Enhanced Mutant' post, accepted the task, and wrote: "Physically strong, powerful healing, but very poor resistance to drugs. Addicted to alcohol and will drink any alcohol around. Penetrating its enhanced hide and striking the heart is fatal." She even detailed how to poison it using alcohol.

Gu Tiandong watched Mo Bai type with suspicion, narrowing his eyes. "How do you know B-level monster info?"

"Hehe," Mo Bai just gave another awkward laugh. "I'll explain later."

After sending the intel, she soon received 10,000 points.

With her new points, Mo Bai immediately bought the Phantom Butterfly intel.

"Why are you buying info on an A-level monster?!" Gu Tiandong said.

"Hehe." Even with Mo Bai's intelligence, she couldn't give Gu Tiandong any more evasive answers at this point, so she could only continue to smile foolishly.

After her payment, Mo Bai received an email. But instead of Phantom Butterfly intel, it was just one sentence:

[Let's meet in person.]

The sender's name looked very familiar: Mo Xiangyou.

Mo Bai pointed at the name and asked, "Didn't you say he never sells information for less than 100,000 points? The 'Phantom Butterfly' info was only 10,000."

Gu Tiandong frowned, "A B-level card is worth at least 10,000, and the more special ones can go for 100,000. There's no way an A-level monster intel would only cost 10,000. There's definitely something fishy going on. He's probably using the 'Phantom Butterfly' intel as bait. If you buy cheap A-level info, don't fall into someone's trap. Tell him you don't want the info and ask for a refund."

But Mo Bai ignored him. Her mind was working fast, and her attention shifted to the 'Enhanced Mutant' request. She could send a one-way email to the person who posted it up to three times, but she couldn't see their name or address.

There was definitely a connection between 'Enhanced Mutant' and 'Phantom Butterfly.' Both offers were for 10,000 points, and it was just too much of a coincidence. The same person may have posted both.

Mo Bai sent a second email to the 'Enhanced Mutant' post: "Mo Xiangyou?"

Almost immediately, Mo Bai got a reply, this time from the 'Phantom Butterfly' post, which was just another short line: "It's me."

Mo Bai sent a third one-way message: "You foresaw me?"

Mo Xiangyou replied with his third: "Trading Market, 3rd floor, VIP Room 5. I'm waiting."

He hadn't answered her question directly, but at this point, the answer was already pretty clear.

Mo Bai looked up at the third floor and asked, "Peach Blossom Land really doesn't allow fighting or killing, right?"

"Definitely," Gu Tiandong and Xiao Qi said at the same time.

Mo Bai took a deep breath. "Then let's go and see!"