Viers and Dia went to a messy assortment of stuff that came from around forty storage items. It was the scene of a plane crash, its cargo was strewn all over the ground. Viers had anticipated this so he put down the array on a grass field as wide as a basketball court.

“Howaaaah… So much stuff I’ve never seen before,” Dia was in awe looking at the small mountain of precious and useless items alike. Weapons, clothes, gold, furniture, food, corpses, gems, accessories, all were mixed together in a splendid disorder.

In the Book World, Viers’ kill count was around twenty-five at most. However, some of those people he killed had multiple storage items or had taken others’ before they fell into Viers’ hands.

“Got to separate this into categories first. Looks like we got our work cut out for us. Come out, girls. Time to work.”

Beside Viers, Paina, Farley, and Clarissa trio took form. Their figure was somewhat spectral but they were able to touch physical things.

“Ah, it’s the ghost girls inside kin!” Dia said.

“Hello Dia. Nice to meet you again,” Clarissa gave the loveable green-skinned dryad a hug.

“Ehehe, it tickles, Snakefeet ghost, ahaha… Paipai ghost and Fayfay ghost too, hello~” Dia tried to break free from Clarissa’s cuddling.

“Paipai…” Paina’s face seemed to be experiencing a cramp.

“Isn't it fine? It’s cute,” Farley lightly bumped her shoulder with Paina’s.

Viers clapped his hands. “Alright girls, move your hands along with your mouth. Dia, please separate what you recognize such as food and dead bodies. Make separate piles for each, okay? As for you three, you’re already big girls. You know what to do.”

“Kaaay~”

The four rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

“Ugh, the smell. There’s a lot of rotting stuff in here,” Farley pinched her nose even though she was a ghost who didn't need oxygen.

“Yep, disposing of those are top priority,” Viers agreed.

“Hello little bean stalk. I’m Dia, nice to meet you,” Dia crouched near a withered potted plant. “Oh you poor thing. You need light and water.”

“My, what a splendid picture…” Clarissa was admiring the painting of an armored man with a lion.

“Gyaaaaah! This book tried to eat my hand!” Paina screamed.

“Everyone stop! There might be something dangerous here. I’ll scan first with my Euryale Sight.”

The scene was like an outdoor family outing.

***

Hours later, the loot had been separated into their categories. There were several piles of things arrayed before Viers and company.

One of them was burning.

This pile consisted of spoiled foodstuff and other perishables. Pathseekers, even Level 5, still needed to eat so having edible things inside one’s storage item was pretty standard. However, storage items were not eternal preservers. Food would go bad if left alone for too long. Granted, things put inside storage items lasted longer but there were limits. According to Viers’ observation, they last three times longer than food stored in a refrigerator.

Now I’m not an expert but isn't food rot caused by bacteria and stuff? Storage items cannot store living beings, I checked. Insects, animals, humans, all are out. Yet bacterias can go inside? Plants can too… Hatchable eggs are also storable so what’s the rule here? What a mystery…

“Ahahaha, big fire! Biiiig fire!” Dia was amused by the bonfire.

“Dia, don't get too close! Your hair is made of leaves!” Paina held her back.

Far from the burning pile of junk, was the rest of the loot. One was a gold mountain.

Technically, it was not all gold coins and ingots. There were silver coins, mana crystals, and colorful precious gems too but gold was the dominant color. This pile consisted of strictly money-related things.

“I wonder how much all of this is worth?” Farley wondered.

“Probably around the standard wealth of a single Level 4. It might look impressive but if turned into cultivation resources, it can disappear after one shopping session,” Clarissa said.

Sounds about right, Viers thought. With my previous wealth, and the dead’s leftover capital in the bank waiting for me, I’m very rich for a Level 3, comparable to those scions from wealthy sects or families.

Stolen novel; please report.

But I have to use this! What’s the point of hoarding so much money? I should use them to bolster my cultivation so I’m strong enough when the next guy tries to kill me. There’s tons of good stuff that is useful for cultivation in Regidana but I can't buy them! It will make Avel look suspicious! Going to the black market is risky too; the heat is still high in the city. Hmm, should I sneak to another city?

Beside the money mountain was the gear pile. Diverse equipables like weapons and armors were waiting for their next bearer. Almost in every game, gear was very important. There were even worlds where gear was the only thing that raised one’s stats, such as Monster Hunter’s universe. The significance of good gear was no less crucial in this world, however, Viers didn't want to depend too much on weapons and armor.

His current gear was sufficient. Many armors were outperformed by his Horizon-enhanced water or soul shield that he could conjure anyway. Still, these items were quite valuable.

Boram could use some of them. And they should make nice gifts for others. Well, not one of them is overly special… except one.

It was a shining sword. Divine Weapon Solarion.

Viers had put the contents of the storage items he opened before into the pile for sorting. Aravin’s stuff was among them.

Then there were other piles such as the knowledge pile of books and scrolls, the cultivation item pile made of resources and raw materials for cultivation, the useful consumables pile, the pile of medicines and potions, the dangerous items pile, and so on.

As the girls and Dia played with and inspected the items that caught their fancy, Viers thought about his gains.

The main contributor is Aravin. As expected of an MC level figure. The good stuff on him was on a whole other level.

There was the Sword of Light, that even now refused to be wielded by Viers. Just now it tried to burn Viers’ fingers again.

I’ll make something out of you yet. Just you wait, cheeky sword.

Then there was the Ice Phoenix’s Blood Crystal. It was what Viers used to make a pseudo-Frostmourne. It was now lost with the destruction of Jaime’s black sword.

That one basically fell on his lap, he got it so easily. I wonder if it was meant to be a thing that links him with Anne?

On a side note, Viers knew all of this because he’d soul searched Aravin’s soul.

Viers also found a dual cultivation technique but it was only usable for a possessor of the True Yang Constitution. Which was useless to Viers.

Not only those two girls beside him, Aravin had various other girls too that he had used this dual cultivation technique with. Damn horn dog! What the hell is True Yang anyway?

Aravin was also a ‘genius’ alchemist. He was given a tattered book by a beggar that he helped in the past and the loli master of his, Qing Xia, recognized it as an alchemy sage manual.

Yep, at this point I’m not even surprised anymore.

Aravin destroyed the book after committing the contents to memory but Viers gained them all the same.

But as a result, I also got quite a lot of useful pills. He even has some pills that he prepared when he rose to Level 3. How kind of you to prepare them for me, Aravin. Xiexie ni. Now what should I do with this top-tier alchemy manual? Learn it? Sounds like a drag…

In the Book World Stage 4, Aravin gained the Concept of Honor from the World Tree’s Honor Fruit.

Interesting. I don't gain the direct effect but I gain what Aravin grasped. Using this, I think I can improve a certain ‘Honor’ Arte which has too many restrictions.

After getting trapped in a mysterious place, Aravin extracted poison from a Level 5 corpse. Qing Xia said it was Black Hell Datura Poison. Untreatable. Viers immediately surmised it was meant to be Aravin’s silver bullet against Viers’ healing factor.

In an alternate timeline, I definitely got hit by this. Either I die or need a hundred web novel chapters until I’m healed… Thank fuck I had Jaime.

On another side note, all of Jaime’s stuff was in Viers’ possession. The dead didn't need money or stuff where they went.

Because Qing Xia’s wisp of soul was extinguished completely, Viers could not gain anything from her besides what she already bestowed to her disciple, Aravin. Viers plundered some useful techniques, Artes, and a glimpse of scenery from the Eastern Continent’s cultivation.

But all those were not the most valuable things in Aravin’s possession. Befitting a xianxia MC, Aravin possessed something that would only matter a thousand chapters in the future: Sun Deity Inheritance!

The thing resided in Aravin’s soul. It was said to be a link to a greater power. He gained it through some luck after being guided by the loli master. But Viers didn't even dare to access it, because it had a mind of its own!

Now I might have been invading other’s souls like I’m the boss but I’m not so arrogant to think there’s nothing capable of defeating me in this playfield. In Jujutsu Kaisen, Sukuna, who was inside Itadori’s soul, wrecked a detestable villain figure cuz he tried to touch his soul. I think I’ll get wrecked the same way if I tried to peek into something I shouldn't.

Viers wisely backed away and let the thing be in peace.

For now.

Welp, I got Aravin’s soul and body but what should I use them for? What more value can I extract from this MC? He has a True Yang Constitution, doesn't he? Should I turn him into a cultivation pill as per the standard xianxia case?

While Aravin was the highlight of the great harvest, Viers got loot from other people too. Some were good and beneficial. Some were illegal and heretical.

Soul medicine! Why did I only get it after I’ve grown strong enough to heal Gwen on my own!? Arrrgh!

Ah, the necromancer got a lot of puppet corpses of good quality… Can the girls use them?

Airmaster’s Elemental Fruit! But he only grasped the wind part! It’s useless to me. What a shame. Similarly, Oscar’s Inner Demon Fruit is a bunch of nonsensical pictures. I don't get it at all.

Naya and Sabine, Aravin’s lovers. These two girls had pretty good abilities. As expected of heroines.

Hmn, Troy’s space awareness technique is gonna improve my swordsmanship by a lot if I can extract it.

While the small fry cultivators usually didn't have anything noteworthy, even the lowest of the low had their day. Viers got something unexpected from some nobody that he killed during Stage 3.

Holy Shit! A dragon heart!!

Killing, theft, and plunder were truly a profitable business. The extra benefits from Aletro’s Trial of Fire gave Viers a massive amount of cultivation resources to further his journey in the Path of Power.