Chapter 190 Princess Irene’s Invitation

Deep inside the Beifeng Mine, at the Quality Square next to the resurrection point, several Skeleton Soldiers who had just come online were carrying their weapons and preparing to go down the maze to swipe adventurers.

Recently, the adventurers in the maze are obviously more active than before, and there is a ransom hanging over their heads. Knocking someone out randomly not only drops a lot of equipment, but also gives you ghost money. As a result, many players who were leveling up on the planet Kao have returned.

Although it is very fun to kill mushroom people in the outpost fortress on the planet Kao, the fact that you only gain experience and no ghost money is a fatal flaw.

When passing by the audience hall, one of the skeleton soldiers took a quick look, and the soul fire burning in its skull suddenly flickered with surprise.

The skeleton soldier retracted his head, looked at his companion beside him and asked curiously.

Melancholy French Fries: "Speaking of which, where has the Demon King been recently? Why haven't I seen him?"

Passerby A No. 1: "I don't know, maybe he went back to the Magic City to report on his work."

Arctic panda: "This is too much work."

Apple-flavored Apple: "Indeed, other NPCs stay in one place, but he is busy running around."

Thinking of this, the Skeleton Soldiers' admiration for the Demon Lord became even stronger.

Of course, not all undead are loyal.

Some people also want to eat purple eggs.

Pig-Headed Knight: "Damn it! Where's my catgirl? She's not here either! She must have been kidnapped by that evil guy to do something weird!"

Minotaur Warrior: "You're almost there."

Suddenly, Wan: "..."

A Leaf Knows Autumn: "..."

Looking at the noisy skeleton soldiers, Arakdo, who was guarding the Demon King's Palace, sneered and said nothing.

A bunch of idiots.

What's so good about cat girl? She's not even one-tenth as good as Lady Arachnos. I really don't know why she is so popular.

But speaking of it, he was also curious about where the Demon King had gone, and the respected lord did not take him with him this time.

Thinking of this, the unbalanced Alacdo became depressed again.

…

I don’t know if it’s because the operation team upgraded the server. Although no new update announcement has been released recently, a lot of test codes have been distributed.

Affected by this, there are obviously more players in the server recently.

Due to the increase in the number of players and the desire of newbies to become stronger, "RMT" behaviors have gradually become more common.

Instead of sitting in jail in a nightmare-like maze for a whole day, it is better to spend the money for a cup of milk tea to buy discarded equipment from the big guys.

Anyway, there is no level limit on equipment in this game.

The operator of "Disaster OL" seems to be open to transactions between players, and even set up an official website market to facilitate players to buy and sell freely.

certainly.

We are all adults and must be responsible for our own actions. The official website forum only guarantees transactions and does not guarantee other things.

Especially for businessmen who speculate on ghost money as electronic currency, if they lose money, don’t expect to appeal to the operators.

Currently, the exchange rate between ghost money and RMB fluctuates greatly between 0.01:1 and 100:1. Instead, an "enchantment stone" made of magic crystals that can enchant weapons has become a stable currency, and the price of each stone is stable at around 50 yuan.

However, having said that, "Natural Disaster OL" is in closed beta after all, and only a very small number of players are doing it to earn money. The motivation for most players to earn money is not to exchange it for real money, but to enjoy another life in the virtual world.

Although it is true that the bad planners will occasionally cut the leeks, it is still too merciful compared to other MMORPG games today.

And from time to time, benefits will be given to players.

Just like now.

In the furniture factory in Beifeng City Industrial Zone, clanging sounds can be heard from morning to night, and the buzzing machines run non-stop.

On a huge steam-driven machine, customized steel wires are stretched and twisted into cylindrical contours as thick as calves, then transferred to cotton cloth tubes through a reciprocating mechanical grid, and then packaged one by one with a hot rolling mill, thus forming independent pocket springs.

After these pocket springs pass through the conveyor belt, they are counted and cut by a worker to ensure that each leaf spring group has at least sixteen pocket springs. They are then sent to the next workstation by the conveyor belt and glued to the base cloth one by one.

The whole process is repeated in this way to form base fabrics that fix the springs, and two springs stacked together form the spring mattress that is popular in Leiming City.

The average cost of each mattress is less than 1,000 ghost coins, which is rounded up to 10 silver coins, and more than half of it is labor costs, followed by cotton.

As for steel and coal, since their production is subsidized by the Demon King, their prices are so cheap that they are almost negligible.

At present, the mechanization level of the entire production process is not high, and many processes require manual participation. However, its production concept is far ahead of the world's average level. Even the assembly line, which was born in the early twentieth century, is mentioned.

The craftsmen of Thunder City would never have imagined that the mechanical structure that seemed to them to be extremely sophisticated was actually built by only thirty or so refugees who had just completed safety training.

Many of these people used to be farmers. This was their first time working in a factory and they had never come into contact with this kind of machine before.

Once they become proficient, their efficiency will be even higher! At the entrance of the factory, several zombie factory managers were gathered together, whispering and discussing something.

Because they didn't bring their translation crystal, the workers working nearby had no idea what they were talking about.

"Damn, did the bastard planner get the numbers wrong?"

"What's going on?"

"The orders from the NPC store suddenly increased dozens of times."

"I saw it too. It seems that the Demon King's palace suddenly placed an order for 10,000 mattresses."

As soon as these words came out, the zombies surrounding them were shocked and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"What the hell! How much?!"

"Ten thousand pieces?!"

"That guy's palace has so many beds?!"

The profit of each mattress is about 1,000 ghost coins, so wouldn't 10,000 mattresses be 10 million? ! Even though the value of this game has been inflated since the launch, no player has ever seen so much money! Several players counted on their fingers and instantly lost their composure. When they looked at the workers next to the machine, their eyes almost glowed green.

That ghostly look was really scary.

If they had not been working together for some time, these workers might have been scared by their dead bosses.

Beifeng City has a limited labor force. In addition to collecting wages, if it wants to further increase productivity, it can only continue to improve production processes.

For example, what they have been doing is integrating the Netherword technology into it, using more automated equipment to replace the links that originally required manual operation.

While several players were discussing how to improve production, Robert, as a ghost, floated aside, looking at these restless corpses in confusion.

To be honest, after observing for so long, he still didn't understand what the undead in these so-called cemeteries were thinking.

If he was still fighting so hard even though he was dead, how much more courageous would he be when he was alive? In short, he really didn't know how to evaluate it.

…

While the players were busy studying how to improve the productivity of the cemetery, their supreme Demon King was also not idle.

It was lunch time at this moment. The Demon King, sitting in the restaurant of the Morning Embrace Hotel, was cutting the steak on the plate with a knife and fork. His nobility and elegance were no less than those of the royal family of the Principality of Campbell, and even surpassed them... Just like a painting.

The restaurant's chef stood respectfully opposite him, introducing him to the parts of the meat and the cooking methods, and even talked about the ranch environment and the cow's mood. However, his eyes were always unconsciously attracted to Mr. Colin who was having a meal.

As expected, he is a noble of the empire!

Compared with this gentleman, the rich and nobles of the Principality of Campbell are just like barbarians in the Wanren Mountains!

He has worked in this hotel for more than 20 years, and this is the first time he has entertained such a distinguished guest!

In fact, it was not just the restaurant's chef, but also Sarah, who was standing behind Luo Yan, who always unconsciously glanced at Luo Yan's back.

But it wasn't because of any nobleness or not, she just felt that the Demon King today was a little different from usual.

How to say it?

Although he usually looked very charming when he ate, today he gave her a completely different feeling.

In fact, Luo Yan did put on a deliberate performance, but it was not to perform for a chef, but to rehearse in advance for the next performance.

The Demon King Academy teaches etiquette courses, whether it is the etiquette of hell or the etiquette of humans on the surface. After all, high-level demons are often captured by imperial nobles.

According to statistics, polite demons are more likely to survive. Over time, all better colleges and universities in Demon City have opened this course.

In fact, the demons in hell originally came from the surface, and the difference in etiquette among the upper class is not as great as imagined.

Including aesthetics, the two sides have many things in common.

Seeing that his pretense didn't seem to be exposed, Luo Yan felt a little relieved and concentrated on enjoying the food on the plate.

Objectively speaking, the cooking skills of the chefs at the Morning Embrace Hotel are quite good.

Although it is not as good as the cooking skills of his personal chef [Small Fish Cake Juice], it is still unique considering the level of this world.

If everything goes well on his end, he might consider putting some chefs from the cemetery in the hotel's kitchen, and maybe even start a trend in the food industry.

Picking up the napkin to wipe his mouth, Luo Yan looked at the restaurant chef who was talking nonstop and gave his evaluation of today's lunch.

"good."

After receiving Mr. Colin's positive evaluation, the chef's face was immediately filled with a red glow of joy, and he looked extremely proud, as if he had won some incredible award.

Especially when the maid standing beside him threw a gold coin into his hand, he bowed again excitedly, wishing he could put his chest on his knees.

"…It is my pleasure to prepare lunch for you. Once again, have a nice day, dear sir!"

Luo Yan didn't want to watch his funny performance, so he waved his hand and signaled him to leave.

Watching the chef walk out the door and quietly close the door of the box, Luo Yan picked up the cutlery on the table again and spoke to Sarah behind him.

"You can sit down too. No one else will disturb you later."

He specifically ordered two steaks, one of which was for Sarah.

Sarah sat opposite him stiffly, cut a piece of meat with a dinner knife and put it into her small mouth, chewing it carefully.

Since he couldn't see her ears hidden in the hood, Luo Yan couldn't guess her opinion of today's lunch just by looking at the expression on her face.

“How does it taste?”

Hearing the Demon King's question, Sarah was slightly stunned, and hesitated for a moment before answering stiffly.

"I feel... your kitchen is more delicious."

Luo Yan smiled and said proudly when he heard this.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

"Of course. After all, my servants are experts in various fields. Their experience and knowledge cannot be compared with a chef who has never left Thunder City in his life."

Looking at the Demon King who seemed to be in a good mood, Sarah fidgeted for a moment, and finally spoke carefully.

"Master Demon King... can I ask you a private question?"

"Oh?" Luo Yan glanced at her unexpectedly and asked with interest, "What's the problem?"

Sarah asked quietly.

"Do you prefer life on the surface?"

"No, it's just work." Luo Yan replied casually, elegantly cutting a piece of steak and putting it into his mouth.

In fact, it makes no difference to him whether it is on the surface or underground.

The level of civilization in this world is quite backward, and even if you want to enjoy something, the things you can enjoy are quite limited.

In comparison, he still hoped that the players in Beifeng City could bring more good things from his hometown.

Then he can take it back to the Magic City to show off.

Looking at the relaxed Demon King, a happy smile suddenly appeared on Sarah's face, and even the originally boring food suddenly became delicious.

Looking at the moving hood, Luo Yan couldn't help but smile.

"Take off your hat when you eat. There's no one else here."

Sarah stopped what she was doing and whispered.

"But...I feel safer this way."

It seems that she still can't completely relax on the surface human territory.

Luo Yan didn't force it.

"It's up to you then."

…

Three days had passed since Mr. Colin had moved into Queen Street, and countless different versions of the rumors about that gentleman had arisen.

Some say he is the son of a prince of the empire, and has a territory overseas that is comparable to the New World. Others say he is the illegitimate son of the regent of the empire, so it is inconvenient to reveal his title and the source of his wealth.

No matter what kind of rumor it is, it is enough to whet the appetite of the citizens of Thunder City.

It is for this reason that the Morning Embrace Hotel has been packed with people over the past three days, with celebrities from Queen Street thronging inside and outside the hotel.

Among them were well-known actors, court poets, famous painters, businessmen doing big business, and rural nobles around Leiming City.

In order to create a chance encounter with Mr. Colin or attract his attention, some of them even lost their reserve and made a lot of jokes to attract attention.

Unfortunately, however, Mr. Colin never appeared in public. Not only did he dine in a separate box, he also booked an entire floor of the hotel, giving those opportunists no chance to get close to him.

What’s interesting is that the more reserved Mr. Colin is, the more interested in him those people who swarm around him like flies become.

Thanks to this, the hotel staff earned a lot of tips by revealing details of Mr. Colin's daily life.

And those fanatical people's imitation of him is no longer limited to mattresses, but has even extended to teacups for drinking tea.

In fact, this enthusiasm is not entirely due to vanity.

The money of the citizens of Thunder City did not come from the wind, especially the richest people, who are actually very shrewd.

Just like their imitations of the Andes family and the Campbell royal family, their imitation of Mr. Colin today may also be an attempt to take advantage of the "heat".

Without spending too much gold, they can gain a topic of conversation that all people of the same status are interested in, and gain a huge psychological advantage when talking to other potential business partners.

In common economic terms, this is called "consensus."

That is why, even though they did not meet Mr. Colin, they would not be at a loss.

For well-known reasons, the Morning Embrace Hotel gathers celebrities from all walks of life in Thunder City. Even without Mr. Colin's participation, those around Mr. Colin can still find opportunities to complement each other's resources.

This is the power of circles.

But everyone knew that these small profits were just an appetizer compared to the story about the Colin family.

They are like hungry diners waiting for the chef to serve the meal.

As for the present, it is just to accumulate more capital for negotiating when the main meal is served.

Through Youyou's eyes, Luo Yan quietly watched the performances of the guests in the hotel, while patiently waiting for the real big fish to take the bait.

As he expected, on the fifth day after he arrived in Thunder City, Irene Campbell, the most noble "prominent person" in the city, could no longer suppress her curiosity about him and sent him an invitation letter with a royal wax seal.

The living room of the luxury suite.

Holding the heavy letter in his hands, Punk, standing at the door, felt his calves trembling, as if the thing in his palm weighed a thousand pounds.

"Sir, your letter...a letter from the Campbell family."

His voice was trembling and he could hardly speak clearly.

However, unlike him who was extremely nervous, the respected Mr. Colin looked calm and just gave the order in a casual tone.

"Read it to me."

The expression on Punk's face was as if he was constipated. He hesitated for a long time before speaking in embarrassment.

"I, I can't read..."

He had never been so thankful that he couldn't read.

After all, it was the royal wax seal, and even if it was Mr. Colin's order, he did not dare to open the letter presumptuously.

Luo Yan didn't make things difficult for him, but just gave Sarah a look.

The latter didn't take the Campbell family seriously at all. He took the envelope, opened it, and read it out loud.

The whole letter was very long, but in summary it had only two meanings: one was to express admiration for Roxelle Colin, and the other was to invite him to attend the dinner the day after tomorrow.

Punk had already retreated out the door.

Glancing at the closed door, Sarah said hesitantly.

"Are you going to keep your appointment?"

Luo Yan said lightly.

"why not?"

Sarah: “But…”

"I told you not to worry about her identity as the Chosen One. This time our fight with the Campbell family has nothing to do with force. She didn't even have a chance to draw her sword."

Seeing that she auctioned her pocket watch to help the refugees outside the city, Luo Yan suddenly had a new respect for this little girl.

This guy might be a "good guy".

As we all know, good people cannot be the masterminds.

However, it can be a good chess piece...

Thinking of this, Luo Yan took out a handful of colorful diamonds from his arms, placed them gently on the walnut table beside him like glass marbles, and looked at them carefully in the light of dusk.

The story of "special people need special care" has been told, and this time he plans to tell a story about "eternity and eternal inheritance".

Which one should I use? Luo Yan thought about it for a long time, but couldn't make up his mind.

But at this moment, he suddenly had an idea and recalled the quick glance he had taken when he was standing on the street in Thunder City.

He vaguely remembered that Grand Duke Campbell's eyes seemed to be green, and as the saying goes, daughters resemble their fathers, so Princess Irene must be the same.

An idea suddenly came to his mind. Luo Yan immediately picked out a diamond about the size of a pigeon egg with an emerald green luster. He picked it up in his palm with a smile and weighed it gently.

"It's you."

(End of this chapter)