Chapter 75

The two product lines of the handicraft store, wool products and decorative ornaments, are now in full bloom and have initially gained a group of stable customers.

No matter how you look at it, the attempt of the first store in Nuannuan Commercial Street was a great success.

The only problem is…

Shu Mo sighed and looked at the sign erected at the entrance of the main building.

Because the number of visitors to the hot springs has been increasing, Shu Mo has long ago started advertising in both the hot springs and the town. The recruitment information released previously has attracted many players to apply.

However, this time, the investment advertisement has been posted for several days, but no suitable merchant has been found.

The threshold for inviting merchants to settle in is much higher than that for finding employees. They must pass strict assessments, and at least ensure that their craftsmanship is sufficient to support a store and not damage the reputation of the hot spring.

Shu Mo also knew that this matter could not be rushed, so he could only wait patiently for the right person to come.

Xie Qiong delivered the doll and suddenly remembered something before leaving, "Oh, Boss, there is one more thing."

She looked at the players around her, pulled Shu Mo to a quiet corner, and whispered, "It seems that someone in the town has been asking about the hot springs these days."

"Ask about hot springs?" Shu Mo was confused. "Do we still need to ask?"

Such a big piece of advertising paper is posted on the bulletin board!

Is it that her publicity efforts are not enough? Players actually have to ask around.

"Oh, no." Xie Qiong knew at a glance that Shu Mo had misunderstood, and stamped his feet. "I also heard from my former teammates that there was a group of people secretly asking the combat players where they could buy cheap medicine."

"They were talking about medicine, so I didn't realize they were asking about hot springs at first. Then I remembered that don't things related to hot springs have additional properties?" Xie Qiong whispered her speculation, "I suspect these people mistook the effects obtained by players from hot springs as medicines in the game."

Even the flyers that Shu Mo posted in the town only listed the names of the food or hot springs and never mentioned anything about these additional effects.

No wonder that group of people chose the wrong direction of investigation.

"The other party made quite a commotion, and their attitude when questioning was very arrogant. They seemed to be fearless. I'm afraid there is a strong force behind them... I'm worried that they have bad intentions."

Xie Qiong frowned tightly.

Even if they had gone in the wrong direction for the moment, given the recent popularity of the hot spring in the town, that group of people would be able to find their way here sooner or later. You can escape the first day, but you can’t escape the fifteenth.

Shu Mo thought about it and said, "Okay, I understand. Thank you for telling me."

She didn't have many acquaintances in Guangming Town. If it weren't for Xie Qiong's kind reminder, she would probably have been kept in the dark until the other party came to her door.

However, although Shu Mo said he understood, he acted calmly. Seeing this, Xie Qiong felt a little relieved for some reason.

God knows, she was worried about this matter for several days before she came.

"Boss, aren't you afraid that they will cause trouble for the hot springs?" Xie Qiong asked carefully.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Shu Mo shrugged. "Since they are investigating in the town, it means that they are most likely from some forces in Guangming Town, right? Maybe I stole their business, so they want to teach me a lesson?"

She recalled the plots in the novels she had read in the past and made guesses.

"But I don't believe these people can extend their tentacles into this advanced leveling area."

It would cost much more to come here and cause trouble for the hot springs than to cause trouble in town.

However, before hearing about this, Shu Mo had never thought that opening a hot spring in this remote and desolate place with no villages or shops nearby would actually have such benefits.

"Besides, the hot springs are not stolen or robbed, the prices are fair, and they have never engaged in any vicious competition. What do I have to be afraid of?"

Even if Wenquan wanted to compete with others, it would not be able to find any competitors.

In the entire game, is there any other store that can provide hot water and delicious food?

Shu Mo was upright and had nothing to fear, so he spoke with great righteousness, "If they really want to cause trouble, then come on."

If she wanted to find trouble with the hot springs, she would first have to cross a large leveling area and walk for most of the day - not to mention the cost. If that group of people really came over, it would be equivalent to coming to Shu Mo's territory. There were barriers, Mo Bai, Yao Yonghui and the mimic beast here. What did she have to worry about?

Want to cause trouble?

Disturbing her guests everywhere?

And the attitude is arrogant?

Shu Mo said: "I can be more arrogant than them."

Xie Qiong: “…”

Why does the boss look a little excited?

However, seeing that Shu Mo didn't take it seriously, Xie Qiong finally put her mind at ease.

She even started to look forward to the day when Shu Mo would come to visit her, along with him.

*

At the same time, in Guangming Town.

A burly man with a beard and several of his men walked into the Pastors Association building.

He walked straight to the front desk and said to the man in a priest's robe sitting there: "Hello, I want to hire an elite priest."

When the man saw the guest coming, he immediately stood up and said with a smile: "Okay, you can tell us your requirements so that we can match you with the most suitable priest player."

The strong man didn't react for a moment when he heard this.

The players behind him also looked puzzled.

When did the attitude of the service staff of the Pastors Association become so good?

Every time they came over before, the other party always looked arrogant and looked down on them. This sudden change in attitude made it difficult for everyone to adapt.

It was the sturdy captain who came back to his senses first and reported the requirements, "We need a Wood Spirit Guardian of level three or above, or a priest who can perform group Wood Spirit Guardian. In addition, it would be best if he has learned..."

He listed a few more skill names.

"Understood. Please wait a moment." The man quickly flipped through the booklet in front of him and finally stopped at one of the pages. "There happens to be a level 75 priest in the association who is currently free and meets your needs. If it is a round trip within three days, the price is 2,000 points, and you can leave tomorrow morning."

"2000 points??"

A man behind the sturdy man couldn't help but raise his voice. The sturdy man turned around and glared at him. He whispered, "This is too expensive..."

The man kept smiling and said in a gentle voice, "Group Wood Spirit Guardian is a skill that can only be learned at level 74, and the price of priests at this level is indeed higher. If you only want Wood Spirit Guardian that can be cast on a single target, we have more priests to choose from, and many of them have reached level 4 or 5 - how about I recommend a few more for you?"

The sturdy man couldn't help being surprised again.

Normally, if they showed dissatisfaction with the price in front of the people in the association, they would have said "buy or not" a long time ago. But today, they were patient enough to accommodate them and even offered more options...

He almost wanted to back out and look at the sign at the door again.

Could it be that I went to the wrong place?

It was then that the sturdy man suddenly realized that the entire association's hall was empty, with only their team of players there. Every time I came here in the past, I would see two or three teams coming to inquire about prices. What happened today?

The sturdy man felt that something was wrong. The silence lasted for a long time, and finally a trace of impatience flashed across the man's face.

If his boss had not suddenly ordered them to "treat customers well and pay attention to their service attitude" two weeks ago, he would have turned hostile long ago.

He was used to being treated with great care by every visiting player during the glorious past of the association. Now he was asked to greet customers with a smile, and he felt really uncomfortable.

The male employee forced a smile and asked, "May I ask how you think about this?"

"Can't it be cheaper?" the sturdy man asked hesitantly.

“This is already a very favorable price.”

The employee's smile faded a little bit. "You can't find a level 75 priest anywhere else."

He didn't lie. 2,000 points was indeed the preferential price adjusted by the association. The price was higher than this a few weeks ago.

But they dare not let the players know that the association has to adjust the price due to the decline in income.

The sturdy man shook his head. "Then I'll go back and discuss it with the team members. I'll come back to you after we've discussed it."

The employee took a deep breath and said stiffly, "Okay, walk slowly."

As soon as they walked out of the Pastors Association building, the team members behind the bearded man widened their eyes. "He didn't scold us?! Is the sun rising from the west?"

Looking at the expression of the male employee just now, the team member felt that he had already cursed at them, but he swallowed it back and even said "goodbye" to them...

"This Pastors Association has really changed." The strong man also felt strange.

It was not easy to ask in the room just now, but now that he was outside, he asked the team members around him, "2000 points, what do you think?"

"That tree man has the materials we urgently need. 2,000 is a bit expensive, but it's not impossible."

"Three days is enough to clear out the other monsters in the forest. I can get some money back. With the protection of the wood spirit, it will be easier to kill the grass monsters."

"I agree with what Lao Wu said."

The sturdy man groaned, "Then... we'll treat you?"

"You want to fight the tree man?"

A voice suddenly interrupted from the side, and several people immediately stopped talking and turned around.

A female player was standing on the side of the road. When she met their alert gazes, she quickly explained, "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just happened to pass by and heard you mention the tree man."

"From the looks of you, you seem to have just come out of the Priests Association, right? Do you want to ask the priests here to help you fight the boss?"

The strong man was unsure of what she meant, but information related to the boss was always treated as confidential by the players, so he just said vaguely, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just afraid that you don't know, so I'm reminding you that if you want to fight the boss, there's no need to come to the association to hire a priest. The price is expensive and the attitude is bad. During the days when you're asked to go back, the whole team has to listen to the priest's arrangements and revolve around him... The experience is too bad. It's better to go directly to Nuannuan Hot Spring to see if there are any suitable products." The female player said enthusiastically.

"Warm hot springs?"

The strong man had been there once, and he knew that the hot springs had many magical effects. After hearing what the woman said, he put away some of his vigilance and explained, "I came to the association mainly to find a priest who can protect the wood spirit, because the priests in the team don't have enough points... You also know how important the protection of the wood spirit is when fighting tree people. I don't think there is anything with similar effects in the warm hot springs, right?"

"Why not?" The woman slapped her thigh, "You haven't been there for a long time, right?"

The sturdy man nodded in confusion, "Yeah, I think the last time I went there was when it just opened."

But is this long?

The strong man calculated that it had been less than a month since he last went there.

There are very few changes that can be counted in the entire Guangming Town. When I go home, my parents still talk about the same gossip about the same people. How much change can Nuannuan Hot Spring have?

"Oh, what a big change!"

The female player pulled him aside and counted them one by one. "There is a new lake next to the hot spring. Did you know about this?"

Strong man: “?”

Is that the lake I was thinking of?

He shook his head blankly, "I don't know."

"It's so beautiful. The lake is blue and there are a lot of fish in it. Many players camp nearby. There is also a regular fish grilling party every Saturday. You can grill it yourself or ask the employees to help. The female employee's fish grilling skills are simply amazing... Oh, I won't say more. Anyway, you can go and see it yourself when you have time."

"Oh, okay."

"Oh, there's also a specialty area that sells melon seeds and braised food. It seems to have existed before the lake appeared. You should know this, right?"

Strong man: “???”

His eyes were dull. "No wonder when I came home just now, I saw some melon seed shells and debris on the floor that seemed to have not been swept clean. I thought I saw it wrong..."

Then why didn't she grab a handful for him when she was gossiping about the uncle next door?

Could it be that she ate it all behind his back?

Without time to think about it, the female player waved her hand and said, "The shuttle bus is already running. You can buy food anytime you want. It only takes half a day to go back and forth."

"???"

"? Why, you don't even know this?"

Strong man: “…”

The surprised expression on the female player's face made him feel as if he had been living in seclusion for more than twenty years...

But he clearly just went to a slightly distant leveling area and came back in less than a month? !

He was very ashamed, "I, I'll go next time."

"Well, you'll know once you get there. Oh, and there's a new hot spring annex with a sauna that can improve your leveling efficiency. If you go, you must stay in there for a while. Trust me... it's just a little ugly when you're carried out."

The female player said the last sentence in a low voice.

She also heard from her friends that Wenquan even hired two more strong fighters to carry the unconscious players.

"There is also a massage room. When you are tired, you can go there for a massage. The experience is great. I accidentally fell asleep last time."

"There is also a vending machine in the waiting area at the entrance of the massage room. The milk ice cream inside is also excellent, with a strong milky flavor. I always eat two every time I go there."

"Also, there's a newly opened handicraft store. Many people are going there to shop. It's said that the owner has hired a blacksmith master, and the entire store is filled with things made by the blacksmith master himself. Anyway, the blacksmiths in the town have been going crazy recently... But I don't know much about the details. Personally, I prefer the woolen dolls there..."

The female player became more and more excited as she spoke, and everyone else was stunned.

Sometimes I was salivating at the sight of grilled fish and ice cream, and sometimes I couldn't help but yearn for it when I heard "the props personally made by the forging master".

It was not until she started talking about her personal aesthetics and the topic became increasingly off-topic that the bearded captain interrupted her and said, "Wait, what about the wood spirit guardian?"

"Oh, that's what I was going to say." The female player switched back to a serious face in a second, "Didn't I just say that the hotel has a new hot spring annex? The annex not only has a sauna and massage room, but most importantly, there are nine new pools, one of which is a mugwort pool, which has the effect of blessing plants."

"Specifically, in the game, it provides a buff that grants immunity to the [Entangled] status, and temporarily increases resistance to grass-attribute attacks - isn't this much more useful than the priest's Wood Spirit Guardian?"

Wood Spirit Guardian can provide players with a grass attribute defense shield to reduce the corresponding attribute damage.

In addition, the priest can also help players reduce the impact of entanglement and try to offset the unfavorable factors when players fight against monsters with specific attributes. The higher the level of the priest, the greater the role he plays in this regard.

But the "complete immunity" promised by Nuannuan Hot Spring...that is no longer something that players can do.

After hearing this, the sturdy captain was stunned. It took him a long time to react and asked anxiously, "Can everyone soak in this pool? How much does it cost to soak in it once?"

"100 points per person, don't forget to have a sauna and massage," the female player reminded.

100 points per person, so the total points of the entire team is only 1,000 points.

Compared to hiring a priest, it was 1,000 points cheaper, and they could even use the points saved to stay in the hot spring for a night.

The strong man was ecstatic, "Thank you, thank you."

As if he felt that simply saying thank you was not enough to express his sincerity, he thought about it.

[Player "Zhang Yong" initiates a transfer]

【Received: 50 points】

The female player was startled and quickly shirked the responsibility, "Oh, what are you doing? There are too many!"

The sturdy man said solemnly: "You must accept it. The value of this information to us is much greater than these 50 points."

If she hadn't stopped them and told them this, they would probably have foolishly spent money on the Priests Association.

Before the sturdy man led the team away, he looked back at the imposing building behind him and shook his head.

If the association had offered a fair price and not engaged in monopoly, it might not have been replaced by hot springs so quickly. But the players have witnessed their arrogant attitude and extremely unreasonable high prices over the years. Now that they have finally come across a hot spring that is both cheap and effective, didn't they immediately abandon the association?

The deserted appearance of the place now is entirely their own fault.

“You deserve it.”

Someone in the team whispered.

After they walked away, a woman in a crescent-shaped white priest robe emerged from the alley next to them.

She looked at the backs of several people with a gloomy face, recalled the conversation she had just heard, and quickly entered the association building.