"Old Crazy, what’s your Level?" Bitter lon Vine asked.
"Level 5," Mad Man answered. "Internal Power: 550, Blade Technique Proficiency: 600. What about you?"
"I’m about the sa," Bitter lon Vine replied. "In three days, the second batch of testers will arrive. Just grinding like this isn’t going to cut it; we won’t be able to establish a clear Level advantage."
"We need to find a place to grind Levels," Lazy Cancer Endless said. "Theoretically, killing monsters levels you up faster."
"Where can we kill monsters?" Shangguan Tiezhu asked.
"West Mountain," Not Settling For Less replied. "There are Beasts on West Mountain; I’ve heard about it. The City Lord’s Mansion buys Beast parts—hides, flesh, and bones—all of which can be exchanged for coin. The inns and fur shops outside offer even better prices..."
"Can we handle them at our current Level?" Silver asked. "The forums say Beasts are tough, and we’ll likely get insta-killed if we try."
"Whether we can or not, we have to try. We need to prove our value," Lazy Cancer Endless asserted. "If we can’t level up quickly and learn higher-Level Cultivation Techniques, our status as Hidden Guards is worthless. The NPCs have their own thoughts, and I think our applying as Hidden Guards has already offended the City Lord. She’s just placating us. This morning, Lao Mi and Rice were summoned by the City Lord and haven’t returned all day. I suspect they were sent on a mission. They’re the real beneficiaries of the hidden class."
"..." Several players who were grinding Levels paused, disheartened by Lazy Cancer Endless’s analysis.
"Can we still quit being Hidden Guards now?" Silver asked.
"I went back to Mo’s Sword Gym today and was thrown out," Bitter lon Vine said. "Their reasoning was that since we’d joined the City Lord’s Mansion, it was inappropriate for us to have further ties with a martial arts gym. Also, it’s said that quitting the Hidden Guard ans having our Martial Arts crippled..."
"Crippling Martial Arts? Even basic Martial Arts that don’t grant any Skills? That’s too unreasonable!" Shangguan Tiezhu exclaid. "So, if we want to switch classes, our only option is to delete our characters? Seriously?"
"Although I’m not sure why the owner of Chef’s Divine Food Stall divulged this information to us, it’s highly likely that we’ve been tricked by him," Bitter lon Vine said. "Right now, almost all the beta testers in Jiamucheng are gathered here. Though we’re nominally Hidden Guards with freedom of action, it feels more like we’re being centrally managed..."
Centralized managent? That term doesn’t sit well at all!
"Did Deng Libuduo leak our identities?" Silver frowned.
"Not him. When the owner of Chef’s Divine Food Stall spoke about the Hidden Guard issue, Deng Libuduo looked as shocked as if he were hearing it for the first ti too," Bitter lon Vine said. "I even get the feeling that even Great God Deng Libuduo was used by that NPC."
"No way?" Well Does Not Move said. "Is Lin Bai that cunning?"
"Haven’t you suffered enough at the hands of NPCs?" Not Settling For Less shot him a sidelong glance. "If you try to excel in this ga relying on past experience, you’re bound to stumble badly."
"The difficulty is so high, I’m kind of losing interest in playing," Silver said, his enthusiasm suddenly waning.
"If you don’t want to play, there are plenty of others lining up. The ga’s popularity is already through the roof," Bitter lon Vine said. "If you start streaming, even if you do nothing in the early stages, just broadcasting this unique otherworldly life can make you a fortune. This ga world is too realistic. Many have predicted that *Immortal World* will likely be the next gold rush."
"Let’s drop that for now. What do we do now?" Shangguan Tiezhu asked.
"First option: rapidly raise our Levels, defeat the instructor, find a way to gain the trust of the City Lord’s Mansion, and make a na for ourselves there," Lazy Cancer Endless said. "Second option: also raise our Levels, then leave the Novice Village and head to higher-Level cities to develop."
"We’ve already offended the City Lord, so how can we make a na for ourselves there?" Silver said. "I choose the second option."
"The second option ans we’d be deserting our posts as Hidden Guards. Following the usual plot developnts, we’d likely beco wanted criminals," Lazy Cancer Endless pointed out.
"Streaming as a wanted criminal... that’s not a bad idea! Maybe we could even create an ’Otherworldly Wilderness Survival’ series..." Silver said, his eyes lighting up. Realizing that streaming could make money had opened up a whole new line of thought for him.
"Otherworldly wilderness survival probably won’t be easy; this world is too alien to us," Lazy Cancer Endless said. "Regardless, we have to grind Levels first. Guys, we’re all in the sa boat now, so let’s support each other! In the next three days, at least, we need to widen the Level gap between us and the second batch of Pioneers."
"Definitely," Shangguan Tiezhu replied.
"Let’s hurry and grind Levels. Tomorrow, we’re heading out of the city to hunt Beasts," Lazy Cancer Endless said, having naturally beco the de facto leader of the Hidden Guard players. "We’ll take turns logging off to check the forums, gather firsthand intelligence, and ideally find so info on hunting Beasts."
All the players readily agreed.
...
"Well? You’ve been watching for quite a while. Found anyone you need?" In the room beside the training ground, Xu Longyun asked Lin Bai with a smile.
Behind him, several Hidden Guards glared at Lin Bai.
"No." Absorbing the negative emotions from the Hidden Guards and ignoring their hostility, Lin Bai shook his head with a smile.
After leaving the dical hall, he had gone straight to the City Lord’s Mansion.
No matter the era, intelligence is paramount. If he wanted to understand the ga’s current state, Lin Bai’s only thod was to eavesdrop on the players’ private conversations. The City Lord’s Mansion, bustling with players, was naturally an excellent place to gather information.
As expected, he gleaned several crucial pieces of information: the second batch of beta testers, the impending launch of live streaming, and the players’ animosity towards him...
The last point was negligible. With the System’s help, the number of people hostile to him would only increase; he couldn’t be bothered to hate them all. One should live magnanimously. As long as he himself thrived, that was enough.
"I hear you were busy at the dical hall all day?" the City Lord asked with a smile.
"When I brought Zhou Jiang back, I keenly felt my inadequacy in dical skills," Lin Bai said, his tone indifferent as he parsed the City Lord’s underlying aning. "So, I made a special trip to the dical hall today to hone my dical abilities. That way, should a similar situation arise, I won’t be so helpless."
[Resentnt from Zhao Tong, Li Long, and Li Jin: 1 1 1]
"Shopkeeper Lin, you are indeed thoughtful." Xu Longyun glanced back at the several Hidden Guards, shook his head, and chuckled. "The Broken City project is already underway. We are now bound together, Shopkeeper Lin; we should be open with each other. Don’t you agree?"
Lin Bai smiled and rose. "Understood. If there are any developnts, I will share them with the City Lord promptly. As a re commoner, I naturally rely more on your patronage, City Lord. It’s getting late, and I should return to look after my shop. I shan’t impose on you further tonight."
"As you wish, Shopkeeper Lin," Xu Longyun stood up and ordered, "Zhao Tong, see Shopkeeper Lin out for ."
...
"Li Jin, do you think Lin Bai discovered sothing?" After Lin Bai departed, Xu Longyun’s brow furrowed. He gazed with a puzzled expression at the players still diligently grinding Levels.
"This subordinate does not know," Li Jin replied. "After Zhou Jiang regained consciousness yesterday, I investigated everyone in the Mansion. None of them had any contact with Lin Bai... The skills Lin Bai possesses seem like the legendary Art of Divination, or perhaps so enchanting technique from the Demonic Way. City Lord, Lin Bai’s conduct is peculiar, unlike soone from the Righteous Faction. I urge you to be more wary of him."
"I have my own discretion," Xu Longyun mused for a mont, his gaze fixed on the players. "Report all unusual occurrences within the city to imdiately. Lin Bai wouldn’t co here just to glance at them for no reason..."
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