Chapter 13
The teahouse was bustling with people.
Fortunately, there were small round tables with a diameter of less than one meter inside, so my good brother could occupy a table alone and live in peace in a corner.
He was one of the players who had rushed over after hearing the news. He had seen the forum post late, and when he arrived in Zhongsu Town, every shop was packed with players. Most of the people in Ouli's territory were members of the Ouli Guild.
My good brother is a stray and his level is only bronze. Seeing this, he was already very disappointed.
It turns out that it is not easy to get a second-tier item like Lanwu.
But the teleportation array cost him 600 gold, so he left in disgrace, feeling unwilling to give up.
He simply went to the teahouse. There were many people and lots of chatter here. He could browse the posts and listen attentively while reading the posts. Maybe he could find some clues.
Unfortunately, most of those who had the time to stay here shared the same thought. They'd found no clues, but they'd heard a lot of boasting. A few players didn't mind the small expense of the teleportation array; it was all about luck, so even a wasted trip wouldn't matter. As the conversation got heated, the boasts grew louder, the spit flew, and it became annoying.
The good brother glanced at the loudest table and muttered, "Quality."
Compared to the players, the local NPC guests were much more polite. They drank tea and chatted quietly, and some of them, seeing that they were surrounded by people with destiny, tactfully paid the bill and left.
The good brother turned his attention back to the light screen and his eyes were stunned.
The OP posted the latest reply.
[3432nd floor (Original Poster): Sorry guys, I didn't realize I accidentally went too far with the joke. I made all the above up, waiting for resurrection was too boring, sorry sorry. This thread is closed.]
Once a post is locked, you cannot reply to it.
Before my good brother could recover from his shock, cursing had already started in the teahouse.
"Fuck it, is this true?"
"Are you kidding me?!"
They then split into two factions with different views, and the quarrel spread.
"I think this is true. Doesn't the poster call himself Ouli? Although he's not a player from Xiaori Island, he's a guild after all. Losing a blue weapon is such a big deal, I think they'd keep quiet. It's still a little late."
"Bullshit! Are you seriously climbing this forum? I've been following that bastard since he posted it! He's saying things like players can manipulate NPC favorability by pretending to be NPCs, or that NPCs can cheat and kill people—which one of those isn't a game bug? Soul-Guiding Song has been around for over 20 years, has there ever been a bug?!"
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I'm not short of money to watch the fun, I just want to see how many idiots like you are making stupid mistakes."
"Watch your mouth!"
…
The argument turned into a verbal fight, and finally into physical combat. These players, all from guilds, had come in groups of three or five, and the situation exploded at the first sign of chaos, with tables and chairs flying and the scene in chaos.
The good brother felt that he was a stranger without any companions to help him. It would be painful enough to come up empty-handed, but there was no need to risk his life. So he quietly moved to a corner, intending to jump out the window and leave.
Unexpectedly, there was a person sitting under the window, holding a tea bowl. The clear water in the bowl swayed with his trembling hands, as if he was frightened by the scene in front of him.
——A young girl.
She wore an ill-fitting, tattered cheongsam, her long hair disheveled. Her features were somewhat pretty, but her skin was dull and her eyes dark. She could only afford a bowl of water, which cost a gold coin, and didn't even have a place to sit. Her appearance was shabby, like the daughter of a poor family who had toiled to make a living.
The good brother wanted to use his mobility skills to jump out of the window directly over her head, but when he met her timid eyes, he inexplicably softened his heart.
Quality. He said to himself, even if the person in front of him is just an NPC.
"Please make way." He waved to the girl.
The girl quickly put down her bowl and grabbed his trouser leg: "Master Destiny, why are they fighting? Is there a ghoul here?"
Looks terrified.
It seems she didn't hear a word the two groups were arguing for so long... No, since she's an NPC, she certainly can't absorb the game's "sensitive words." She might understand, so what? Data is just data. Do you still think she's getting equal rights?
He could understand it, but he still had no way to join the big guild, so he could only be a wanderer, struggling to make a living.
Inside and outside the game, people are divided into different levels.
Thinking of this, the good brother looked dejected and disheartened: "Don't worry, there are no ghouls, but you should go home early to avoid accidental injury."
The girl's expression of shock faded, leaving only sorrow. She slowly shook her head, "No, I can't go home without buying flour... My two sisters have been acting so strangely lately, as if I've offended them in some way. I think they've made some terrible friends..."
She rambled on and on without any logic and was annoying.
The good brother didn't have the patience to listen anymore. Just as he was about to use the Swift Wind Step to jump out the window, his eyes suddenly froze.
A clue suddenly popped up on the light screen.
[Quest clue: A pair of sisters know a terrifying friend.]
[Related Quest: The Ghoul Hidden in Zhongsu Town (Relevance 5%)]
He looked at the girl in disbelief, then at the screen. After searching high and low for something, it came to him without any effort?
When her good brother was shocked, An Rou secretly curled her lips.
Her efforts were worth it, and she finally found the clue, but - the game system wouldn't think that she was the "scary" friend, right?
What she meant by that sentence was clearly about getting rich quickly!
The good brother looked at her with a fanatical look, and carefully helped her up: "Miss, what did you say just now? Can you please speak more carefully?"
"Ah, did I say something?" An Rou looked at him innocently. "I'm sorry, Master Destiny. I couldn't afford flour, so I was so anxious that I spoke incoherently... Please don't take it to heart."
The one who is really anxious is the good brother.
He wanted to lift An Rou upside down and shake her to get all the clues out. However, that's not how the game works.
The good brother showed infinite patience: "Miss, don't be impatient, and don't be polite to me. I have a younger sister who is about the same age as you. If you don't mind, you can call me brother."
NPC favorability has increased by 5%, but it's still in the "no favorability" range. To get the full clue, it needs to be raised to at least "friendly."
The good brother recalled her annoying chatter just now: "Sister, have you encountered any difficulties? Did you lose the money to buy flour?"
"No, no, the money isn't lost..." An Rou suddenly thought of something, "Brother is a man of destiny, a capable man, can you...can you accompany me to buy some flour? They insisted on raising the price, which clearly shows that they don't want to sell it to me, but all the grain stores in town are owned by them..."
The good brother hesitated.
Intervening in disputes between NPCs is not only a trivial waste of time, but trying to please one may offend another, which may ultimately affect your own luck.
However, when he took out a handful of gold coins and placed them in front of An Rou, An Rou just bit her lip and shook her head, and her favorability towards him did not increase at all.
Are there any NPCs who aren't greedy for money? The good brother wondered, then quickly found a reasonable explanation: This girl is smart. Windfall is only temporary, but the price increase at the grain store will last a long time.
He finally made up his mind.
Completing game tasks and obtaining task rewards are the fundamental ways to increase destiny value. The clues are all in front of you, so there is no need to be timid just to offend one or two NPCs.
The chaos in the teahouse continued. Lengbing City strictly prohibited private fighting between guilds, so when guild players clashed with each other, it was usually just a matter of face, not a fatal blow. Once enough fighting had taken place and everyone's anger had subsided, things would calm down.
During this period, several skills affected this side, but they were all blocked by the good brother.
He simply abandoned the door, picked up An Rou, jumped out of the window, and landed steadily on the street.
"Wow, brother is so capable!" An Rou's worried face finally showed a hint of joy, "With brother's help in bargaining, I will definitely be able to buy flour!"
The NPC was realistic, and the girl's praise was natural, so the good brother couldn't help but show a bit of complacency. He couldn't compare to the high-ranking guild players, but compared to the NPC, he still had a sense of superiority.
The two followed the crowd and didn't notice that three more players jumped out of the window one after another.
"Chase him. He took the NPC away for no apparent reason. There must be something wrong!"
I didn't chase them far before seeing them turn into a grain store and come out a short while later. The NPC had a worried look on his face. I don't know what the good brother said, but then he smiled.
The three followed them to a remote alley. Seeing that there were no people around, they exchanged glances with each other, rushed forward, covered their mouths, and dragged them into a dead end.
After all, the good brother was only a bronze warrior and had the strength to resist, but when he saw that there were three people attacking him, he gave up the idea.
One player controls Anrou, while two players corner him, forcing the two to separate.
The player controlling An Rou, using the ID [Jian Qing], saw An Rou's favorability towards him continuously decreasing, so he quickly let go of her hand and said as softly as possible, "Miss, whatever he promised you, the three of us brothers can help."
Trying to get clues.
In her sleeve, An Rou was already holding the Seven Souls Sword and was hesitating.
One is fine, but bringing three Chosen Ones to help bargain, wouldn’t that attract too much attention?
Before she could make up her mind, an Oli player in the corner turned around and shouted to Jianqing, "Brother Qing, this guy said that the NPC's favorability towards him has reached 70%, and he is willing to share clues with us."
The player paused, then glanced at An Rou with a somewhat lustful look. "He said he only wanted experience points, not rewards. He even offered to pay to raise the NPC's favorability to 99%, so we brothers can have some fun."
A 90%+ favorability rating is considered "infatuation." In plain language, no matter who the NPC is, they won't refuse a player's request to "sleep." 99%? They'll literally do whatever the player wants.
You really know how to do business.
An Rou loosened her grip on the sword and looked at Jian Qing: "Really? Three masters, are you willing to help me too?"
The favorability of the three Oli players increased by 10% at the same time.
Two minutes later, there were seven or eight bloody holes on the good brother's chest. He slowly collapsed to the wall, leaving a shocking bloodstain on the white wall.
The three Ouli players not only got the same clue as him, but also made a small fortune from his temporarily dead body. Jian Qing was generous and simply gave his share to An Rou, successfully increasing his favorability by 10%.
"Life is not easy, miss. Even if you bargain, you will need the money later."
Look, this is someone who really knows how to play the game. Lust is like a knife hanging over your head. Even if it only hurts others and not yourself, how can you compare to the envied Lan Wu?
An Rou guessed what he was thinking. Zhongsu Town had never had many ghouls, but now one had suddenly appeared. In his opinion, it was most likely related to Lan Wu.
He guessed right. After all, at this moment, Lan Wu was in An Rou's hands.
This place was not far from Shuangmei's home. An Rou was in the front, followed by three tall and strong players, charging towards them with great vigor.
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