In the Royal Chamber, the Crown Prince takes out the wine that we recently collected and pops it open, giving a glass to his friend Long Fei.

  The two drink in merriment.

  Meanwhile, I study the quest list. By study, I mean skimming for loopholes while glancing at the ten quests. I tuck the list away. I have a better idea.

  "Your Highness? Do I have to fulfill all these quests to pay the debt? Can I pay the debt any other way?"

  He pauses, then glances at me, his gaze assessing me.

  "You're trying to worm your way out of the quest list."

  "I just thought that maybe I don't focus on this, and if I happen to come past the opportunity to finish a quest, I'll do it for you. I just think if I find treasure, it might be quicker to pay the debt off."

  "That is a valid point. Do you really want to know the actual cost of the damage?"

  He raises a brow, a flicker of seriousness crosses his face, then a teasing glint in his eyes. Will it shock me?

  "Yes, so then I know how much treasure to bring back for you. Given the quests that I've done, I don't think it actually generated any income."

  "That is true, you've done more damage than good in the past."

  I laugh nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. Yeah, that is true. I did cause a lot more trouble. Especially making a mountain disappear and my master had to search for it since it's a major source of income.

  "But wouldn't it be better if I don't cause trouble in the Celestial Realm? It's like that wine you got me to collect. I think my time is used more wisely if I do something else than picking up the things that you seem to drop everywhere. Your belt was literally at the bottom of Mirror Lake."

  "Long Fei, look at your guardian. I just told her that she has no cap on her levels. Now she wants to leave the Celestial Realm."

  "Your Highness, Ling Yue does have a point, but she will be shocked at the monetary value."

  "According to my calculations, she owes roughly a thousand Celestial Ingots."

  "That doesn't sound like much. All the quests that I've done, what did that amount to?"

  "Not even one Celestial Ingot."

  Oh. That is a lot.

  "I couldn't have drunk that much wine, could I?"

  "It's not that you drank the wine—you broke some expensive vintage. You also wrecked the kitchen and destroyed the storage room full of delicacies reserved for the Emperor's banquet. The cost includes staff wages, repair tools, and even the rosewood for the bookshelves you broke. And the cherry blossom tree? That alone was a fortune. Things don’t just fall from the sky here. Like anywhere else, everything here comes at a cost."

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  "But what about the wine we just bought back? That should amount to something, right?"

  "It's not even an ingot. It's probably 30 gemstones for a bottle of wine."

  I drag my hand down my face. I don't understand how this system works.

  "Your Highness, how do I exchange treasure for ingots?"

  "You would have to go to the Celestial Exchange Store. They will assess what you bring back."

  "Master, can you lend me a thousand Celestial Ingots?"

  Long Fei pauses, holding his glass midway to his lips. He averts his eyes.

  "I don’t have that much spare in my account."

  "But you’ve been around for so long!"

  "Exactly. That should tell you how serious the damage is."

  This is such a ludicrous amount. My mind reels. Well, I'll never know unless I give it a go. The quests don't seem to make a dent in writing off my ledger.

  "Your Highness. Master. I'm going on a trip. I’ll return with treasure."

  Before they can convince me otherwise, I launch into the sea of clouds, not even bothering to dodge the immortals this time.

  As I rest a finger on my chin while flying through the celestial highway, immortals avoid me. I notice a pouch dangling from the sash of an immortal zipping past. Should I take up thievery?

  The immortal must have sensed my intention because he glares at me and then puts his pouch in his robe.

  Where do I even go to find treasure? I doubt my master goes treasure hunting. He doesn't seem the type to need to. I reckon he does have substantial ingots stored in his account, he just doesn't want to give it to me. Seriously, how much can one Celestial Ingot be? I need to find a more tangible comparison.

  I stick my hand in my bag. Come on Magic Satchel, you've never failed me. I randomly take out a scroll. I unfurl it, and it's a map with an X marking a spot. A devilish grin spreads on my face. Oh, it's definitely on.

  I consult the Celestial Compass in the sky. This X doesn't seem too far. Let's give this a go and see what happens. I wonder how many ingots I can get from this impromptu adventure.

  I land with a crunch, sand underneath my feet, the wind blowing some in my eyes. This looks like the epitome of a deserted stranded island. There's not a soul in sight. There is plenty of foliage, probably hiding something. There are two palms crossed like an X at the edge. It can't be that easy, can it? What am I going to dig with? I didn't think this through. I should have stored a shovel in my satchel. But I don't have any money to buy a shovel. If I find one, I'll remember to store it in my bag.

  I use air tendrils to drill through the sand under the palm trees. Sand flies everywhere, including into my mouth and nose.

  "Watch where you're throwing sand!"

  The tendrils' tips halt, turn to me, then resume digging. I didn't even know my tendrils had a mind of their own.

  Surprisingly, I hear a thunk. The air tendrils scoop out the sand, revealing a treasure chest there.

  I eagerly open it up, and it's a chest full of scrolls.

  Great. Just great. Just my luck. I hate reading. Maybe I should stick to the quests. It might be faster. Well, may as well look at one scroll, since it's in a treasure chest.

  I unfurl one.

  And then another.

  And another.

  And another.

  It's a chest full of treasure maps. I think I just scored!

  I throw the maps in the air. Swimming in it like a star angel. I'm going to be filthy rich.

  Quick, I better hide it. I can't let anybody know. Wasting no time, I wonder if this whole chest fits into my satchel. Even though the dimensions are evidently larger and wouldn't fit under normal circumstances. Might as well give it a go.

  I open my satchel and try to fit the chest in. It makes no dimensional sense. But nothing makes sense here. To my surprise, the satchel gobbles up the treasure chest.

  This is the best gift ever!

  Since I'm on a stranded island already, I wonder if there are more treasures here. I stick my hand into the treasure chest — into my trusty bag — and pull out a map. It lights up with an X and circles my location by the palm trees. There's a cave on the eastern side of the island.

  How do I know exactly where the treasure is? The map doesn't clearly state it. Or do I search for trails from others who've attempted to find it?

  I survey the island. No footprints. That was a long shot.

  I walk past trees. No scratch marks or clues.

  I close my eyes. Maybe the treasure gives off mana?

  A pink wave of energy pulses from the top of a nearby hill. I might as well check it out.

  Yes. It's Adventure Time.