Chapter 24 -24-Linking All Portals in the Nine Main Cities

Harold was leaning against a portal, hands fiddling with parts here and there.

Seeing Daniel suddenly appear, he quickly withdrew his hands and coughed.

"Cough cough cough... Can you walk normally or what?! You scared the hell out of me!"

Daniel didn’t waste words.

"Take me to the other eight main cities."

Harold froze. "Why?"

"To build portals."

Harold’s eyes nearly popped out, his wrench almost falling to the ground.

"You’re insane! You don’t mean... you want to build portals in all eight other main cities, do you? Do you know how much material that would cost?!"

"And those stingy administrators would never approve that kind of expense!"

Daniel said calmly, "I’ll cover the materials. The profits remain the same—20% for you, 10% for each main city."

Harold straightened immediately, his face full of righteous resolve.

"Let’s go! Right now!"

...

First stop: Galehold.

This main city was built on sheer cliffs, where fierce winds howled year-round. The buildings were low, sturdy, and made of stone.

The city lord, Robert Stormrider, a balding middle-aged man, sat in his office, troubled.

Recently, beastfolk had been causing problems at the border, and city defense funds were tight.

He looked at Harold with a mix of resignation and suspicion.

Not again... is he here to beg for money?

Harold was one of the three SSS-grade engineers specially employed by the nine main cities. His position was unusually authoritative.

Robert treated him with casual respect, but Galehold’s defenses were already strained. If the portals malfunctioned, he’d have to pay—willingly or not.

"Hehe, my lord, I bring you tremendous news today!"

"Go ahead. How much do you want?"

Robert didn’t even look at him.

"Hey! What are you talking about?" Harold said.

"I’ll just put it simply, old man. Want me to build a portal for you... for free?"

"No... wait, what? Free?"

The introduction went astonishingly smoothly.

After Harold’s explanation, Robert looked at Daniel, bewildered.

"Is... is this person insane?"

He whispered to Harold, "Harold, what’s going on? You’re one of the three SSS-grade engineers, yet you bring this kid to do... this? Is he your new apprentice?"

Harold chuckled without answering.

Daniel stepped forward calmly.

"I will personally provide all construction materials. After completion, Galehold will receive 10% of the profits."

Robert froze.

"You’re providing the materials yourself? And we only get 10%?"

"Yes."

Robert immediately nodded. "Build it! Build anywhere in the city!"

A joke—so long as he wasn’t paying for materials, they could build a thousand portals if they wanted.

This guy must have more money than he knows what to do with.

[Ding! Harold has issued you a special quest on behalf of the nine main city lords: Main Cities Hub Construction!]

[Quest Reward: ???]

Harold shot Daniel a mischievous wink.

"Don’t worry, Daniel. Since you’re building portals for the nine main cities, I won’t let you be shortchanged!"

"I’ll negotiate with each lord to get you a satisfactory reward!"

Harold patted Daniel on the shoulder.

"Much obliged!"

Daniel silently added Harold to his friendship list.

Soon, thanks to Harold’s introductions, all nine main city lords agreed to the portal constructions.

Daniel immediately began the build. Throughout, he combined his skills and experience, explaining every step to Harold.

From rune arrangements to energy conduit layouts, from foundation stone choices to spatial node positioning—he revealed every detail.

Harold’s eyes sparkled as he scribbled notes feverishly, muttering to himself.

Second stop: Pyrehaven.

The entire city lay at the foot of a volcano, the air thick with sulfur.

When building the portal, lava zones had to be avoided. Daniel flew over the area, selected the optimal location, and finished in ten minutes.

Third stop: Snowspire.

A frigid, icy land where breath froze instantly.

Harold shivered in the tavern, refusing to come out. Daniel braved the blizzard alone, completing three portals in half an hour.

Returning to the tavern, he found Harold surrounded—two gorgeous women pouring drink after drink into him.

"Tavern master, today’s bill for Lord Harold is 78,250 gold coins. As a VIP guest, you only need to pay 78,000 gold coins!"

"Ha! No problem, keep it all!"

Harold casually tossed a Money Bag.

The tavern staff squeezed it, a strange expression on his face.

"Lord Harold, this Money Bag only contains 20,000 gold coins. This... is a bit of a problem."

"What? A problem?" Harold flushed, looking embarrassed at Daniel.

"Well, Daniel..."

Daniel rolled his eyes but stepped forward.

"Fine, I’ll cover it."

[Ding! Current friendship with NPC Harold has increased to Best Friend!]

Daniel shook his head.

Old man only raises friendship when he benefits, huh?

...

In a single day, Daniel and Harold traveled to the eight main cities.

At least thirty portals were built in each city—covering major commercial zones, instance entrances, quest halls, and guild districts.

Money flowed like water, yet Daniel didn’t bat an eye. Money was the least of his concerns now.

By seven o’clock that evening, the portal network in the final main city, Skyhold, was completed.

Skyhold floated above the clouds, all-white buildings shimmering in mist, resembling a divine realm.

The moment the final portal was built, all portals activated simultaneously, forming a network linking all nine cities. A beam of light shot skyward.

[Ding! Congratulations! You have completed the special quest: "Nine Main Cities Portal Network Construction"]

[Quest Rating: SSS]

[Rewards: 500,000 gold coins, 5 Legendary Material Boxes, Military Merit +1000, Contribution Points +4000]

[Honorary Title jointly awarded by the nine main cities: Pioneer of Creation!]

[Pioneer of Creation (Unique Title)]: Luck +20, Contribution Points +5000, 20% discount for buying or selling with all main city NPCs.

Harold’s face flushed with excitement.

"Done! I didn’t expect it to be completed so fast!"

At the same time, a system notification rang throughout the Stellar World:

[Ding! Global Announcement!!!]

[Player "Faustus" has completed the nine main cities portal network, becoming the first player to link all nine main cities!]

[As the first to achieve this feat, his name will forever be engraved on the portal monuments of the nine main cities!]

The golden announcement flashed three times before every player, each character shimmering with blinding golden light.