Chapter 98: Strange Happenings

Chapter 98: Strange Occurrences

At the entrance of Bailuo Village, a long silence hung in the air, the stifling atmosphere making it hard to breathe.

"Chief, do you think we..."

Someone suddenly spoke up, instantly breaking the silence, and the villagers began chattering all at once.

"Robbie, they saved us, and they are great warriors. But look at all that commotion over there—do you think they might already be dead?"

"Chief, to tell you the truth, I can't help but feel we've wronged those girls."

"Yes, I feel the same way. That cave where Naples is buried has already claimed several groups of people. What could a group of young girls possibly achieve?"

As the villagers argued back and forth, Chief Robbie let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with regret and desolation. It was exactly as they said; this action of theirs was going to be the death of those girls. Some of what he had told them earlier was indeed false. For instance, regarding the quest: it was not a simple task at all. According to Naples's last words, it was something only true adventurers could accomplish.

Yet, the previous three groups of adventurers had all died without exception. It was only when the Thorny Rose squad appeared that Robbie felt a glimmer of hope. His intuition told him they would surely succeed. But looking at the commotion now, it seemed highly unlikely.

No one could survive such a violent explosion—not even the ten greatest generals of the continent.

Seeing more and more boulders rolling down the mountain and swathes of trees collapsing, Robbie's gaze finally hardened. "All of you stay in the village. I'll take Big Grey and go have a look. If I'm not back by nightfall, don't come looking for me!"

Firmly rejecting the villagers' well-meaning offers to accompany him, Robbie took Big Grey's leash and hobbled his way up the rugged mountain path toward the site.

***

Haifeng City was a small city located fifty-five kilometers southeast of the Sandra Nature Reserve. Administratively, it fell under the jurisdiction of the main city, Santiago. Furthermore, it was only thirty-one kilometers from the Red Forest Line and just over sixty kilometers from Mount Motuo, the headquarters of the Black Lion Legion, making it relatively close to both.

The city was not large, with a population of only about two hundred thousand, yet it was quite bustling.

*Flash!*

A light shimmered at the eastern resurrection point of the city, and Li Xin stepped out. He quickly walked over and handed ten gold coins to the NPC official guarding the area.

Every player had to pay a fee of ten gold coins upon resurrection. He recalled a post on the forums about a novice player who died on their very first quest. Having forgotten to top up their account offline beforehand, they were stuck at the resurrection point, unable to leave. In the end, they only managed to get out after someone else helped them.

Ten gold coins, equivalent to ten yuan, was not a large sum, but it was enough to drive someone to desperation.

"Where did you bite the dust?" the NPC official asked half-heartedly.

"The Sandra Reserve. I had bad luck and got bitten to death by a giant python," Li Xin replied with an embarrassed smile.

The NPCs burst into laughter, thinking the kid simply had terrible luck and weak strength, and paid him no further mind. Just as they were about to wave him away, Li Xin suddenly asked, "Sir, is there an Adventurers' Guild in Haifeng City?"

"Of course there is," one of the NPCs replied. "Go straight down this street ahead of you, turn right at the third traffic light, and you'll see it."

"Great. Thank you, sir. Just a small token of my appreciation." Li Xin slipped them a stack of gold coins and turned to leave.

"Wait!" the NPC suddenly called out to him.

"You're a sensible kid, quite generous. We like you."

"Indeed, indeed. Since you're so straightforward, we might as well give you a few pointers so you don't end up taking the long way around here in Haifeng City."

Hearing this, Li Xin's interest was piqued. Giving gold coins was his way of building rapport with NPCs, but whatever they were about to say would be an unexpected bonus.

Stepping back over quickly, and seeing that no one else was resurrecting at the moment, he asked softly, "Why? Is there something unusual going on in Haifeng City?"

"You bet," one of the NPCs said, boasting proudly.

Looking around, Li Xin spotted a small, classical Eastern-style restaurant not far away. Smiling to himself, he said, "Gentlemen, it's almost noon. Allow me to host a banquet at the Fortune Building to entertain you all. I hope you will do me the honor of attending."

"Oh, my!" The NPCs laughed in unison, waving their hands in polite, half-hearted refusal. "Don't call us 'sir' or 'gentlemen.' We're just working for the government. We've been doing this for years and have never met anyone as generous as you. Alright, don't call us sirs anymore. Let's call each other brothers. Since we're brothers, how could we refuse your invitation?"

The speaker was a man in his thirties, exuding the air of someone well-versed in the ways of the world.

Li Xin couldn't help but smile, his admiration for the game's designers growing even deeper. They had managed to portray even a minor character with such vivid detail.

Originally, he had planned to restock at the Adventurers' Guild and then check in at the Keston Hotel. But now that this opportunity had arisen, he decided it was best to hear them out first. Being a stranger in a new place, even if these petty bureaucrats exaggerated and embellished their words, there would still be some truth to be gleaned.

Checking his watch and seeing there were still two hours before they finished their shift at noon, Li Xin headed over to the Ruyi Restaurant first. He booked a private room overlooking the street, ordered a pot of Longjing tea, and logged off once the waiter left.

He had spent a day and a half in the game, yet only an hour and a half had passed in the real world. Li Xin had always felt the time ratio was somewhat off. If this trend continued, one month in the real world would equate to nearly two years of game time. Top-tier players, like himself, might very well rise to the rank of Legion Commander by then.

If that happened, players would hit the level cap too quickly, and the game would lose its appeal.

Thus, it seemed likely that the time setting would be optimized during a future version update.

Of course, that was a matter for the future and not worth worrying about now. Besides, most of the settings in *The Journey* were too bizarre, completely defying the standard limitations of the gaming industry.

Often, Li Xin felt that it wasn't a game at all, but rather another real world.

Surely, others felt the same way.

"Sigh..." He let out a soft sigh, a trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

"The 'King of Games' chip is on cooldown again, which severely limits my actions for now. I'd better keep a low profile and avoid trouble."

"Once I log back in and get to the hotel, I'll check what the Yellow-ringed Snake dropped. The losses this time were quite heavy, but since they were only Silver-grade items, there's no need to dwell on them."

After reflecting in silence for a moment, he stood up and walked toward the courtyard. Just as he pushed open the door, a gust of cold wind blew against his face, stinging his cheeks. As fate would have it, a familiar stiffness immediately seized his body.

"Damn it, this cursed Parkinson's is acting up again."

Smiling self-deprecatingly, Li Xin turned back to take his medicine. Having only reached the first stage, the Spirit of the Game, the relief of his symptoms had already astounded him. If he could reach the second or third stage, he might be cured completely.

The mysterious power of the "King of Games" chip constantly lingered in his mind, fueling his curiosity.

Just as he finished taking his medicine, *creak*—the sound of the courtyard gate opening echoed, followed by light, hurried footsteps. Wang Xiaoqian had arrived, her expression anxious and grave.