"It's true that we shouldn't disrupt the team's harmony right now... but if we let him keep that rare ring all to himself, I absolutely won't agree!"

One of the players listened to the warrior Sandra who had forcibly inserted herself into the conversation, and his expression wavered slightly. He knew that in a place like this, during a time like this, internal conflict should be avoided at all costs, but the thought of such excellent gear being monopolized by the player in front of him was equally unacceptable.

"Exactly! With so many of us here, we could have easily snatched it if we wanted to! We're only asking for fair play!"

The other players immediately voiced their agreement, stating that they weren't being unreasonable, but they didn't want all the benefits to be monopolized by a single lucky individual.

"Anyway, whether the ring is sold and the proceeds divided equally or we receive some other form of compensation, he cannot have it all to himself!"

Another player offered a more concrete solution, directing their words to the hoodie-wearing mage who was being cornered.

As they conflicted over a rare ring, nearby NPC adventurers also gathered around, but none of them directly joined in. Instead, they all began to express their opinions.

"Why are they quarreling over such a thing? Isn't it universally known that whoever defeats the monster and finds the item first, it's theirs by right? What's there to question?"

An older mage expressed a rule he had known since childhood.

"But, Mr. John, clearly it wasn't that young Thunder Mage who killed the dragon earlier. We all contributed and deserve a share of the gold coins."

Some NPCs shared a similar sentiment with the players, believing that the hoodie player couldn't hoard all the benefits for himself, as that wouldn't be fair.

"I think we should let him keep the ring for now, didn't he say it suited him well? This will enhance his combat abilities and increase our chances of success in future quests."

Some NPCs thought on a greater scale, without focusing on the gain or loss of a single person or moment, worrying instead about how continued arguments would affect the team's overall fate.

While most people were caught up in this sudden turmoil, a few were occupied with other tasks. Some players were searching for other items dropped by the dragon, some NPCs were figuring out how to carve useful bones from its carcass, and the red-haired young Andre continued to question Wang Zhifan.

"My brother, I have a feeling it was you who killed the dragon earlier, you didn't tell us the truth."

The red-haired, rather skinny Andre approached Wang Zhifan suspiciously, scanning him as he pretended to be searching for drops around the dragon's body.

"Indeed, I was the one who killed this mighty dragon; I am the true Dragon Slayer."

Faced with Andre's suspicion, Wang Zhifan wasn't the least bit nervous. Instead, he boldly replied, leaving Andre unsure whether to believe him or not.

"That monster wasn't killed by a weapon... but perhaps you used some powerful family heirloom scrolls? The kind only a master scroll mage can craft... Or maybe some potent equipment? That ring you're wearing seems very suspicious..."

Andre continued to fix his gaze on the three rings Wang Zhifan wore, especially the uniquely styled and conspicuous Immortal Deceit Ring, which gave him the feeling that it was no ordinary ring.

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right! If you're so free, why not go find some treasures elsewhere! Stop bothering me here!"

Wang Zhifan glared at Andre and rudely shot back, forcibly sending him away. His actions weren't out of fear that Andre might uncover the truth but simply because he found Andre talkative. He was fully aware that his strength was his ultimate security, and what others thought truly didn't matter, as they were all easily defeated by him.

Without Andre's interference, Wang Zhifan soon came to the place where the players were arguing and began his further investigation.

"This rare ring was found here earlier; though it's close to the dragon's body, there are plenty of other monster corpses too... This particular monster corpse seems unusual, likely slain by multiple people focusing their attacks... So it's reasonable for it to have such a drop..."

After some discreet probing, Wang Zhifan finally confirmed the rare ring found by the troubled hoodie player wasn't from the dragon but likely dropped by an elite monster defeated during the earlier monster surge. Though the probability of an elite monster dropping rare items is low, it's ultimately possible.

"Unbelievable... These people are still bickering over a rare ring, hindering me from obtaining the Fine Layer rewards, not to mention possibly attracting other nearby monsters."

Feeling that the situation couldn't continue as it was, Wang Zhifan quickly decided to participate in mediating the conflict, for both his sake and the mission's.

The details of the mediation need not be detailed. Wang Zhifan mainly discussed a reconciliation plan with Sandra and other mediators. The negotiation process was slightly convoluted, but after he and Sandra emphasized the surrounding potential dangers and the subsequent tasks, it didn't take much longer to reach a conclusion.

In the end, the hoodie-wearing mage shed some treasure, handing out several pieces of Fine Layer equipment and some gold coins to others, effectively buying the rare ring he found.

This led Wang Zhifan to conclude that these players must not be at low levels; otherwise, it wouldn't be possible for just any player to have multiple spare Fine Layer pieces.

Being a regular on player forums, Wang Zhifan was well aware that even though Fine Layer equipment wasn't something he was interested in, they still had quite a market. Although they couldn't fetch high prices, with the right attributes, many players would be interested.

After such twists and turns, the mission team, having barely calmed the commotion, continued their gradual approach towards the direction indicated by Sandra's All-Seeing Crystal, where the relic was located.

But due to the profound impact of the earlier dragon attack, Sandra was more cautious than before as they moved forward.

Now, each time she selected a path, she carefully scouted it, choosing to detour in a large circle if needed to ensure they would not inadvertently enter areas occupied by powerful monsters and attract their attention.

This naturally slowed the team's progress significantly, often taking nearly an hour to cover little ground, but it meant they didn't encounter monsters of unexpected strength thereafter.

While they had to deal with quite a few monsters along the way, the encounters were safe and uneventful, until they finally neared their destination.

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