Chapter 165 : Chapter 165
Chapter : 165
"So this is Romunik? It feels completely different from Bartovita!" [He Kou Wang] sized up the surrounding residential buildings, "Compared to Bartovita, this place feels more... um, a little richer?"
He mulled it over for a long time before finding an adjective: "Prosperous? A little more prosperous."
When they came to Romunik, they had also visited the towns near the starter village and could see a significant economic gap between the cities of the two countries.
[Big Brother A] was also observing, "I think I heard an NPC mention this. Bartovita focuses more on noble bloodlines, with most of the power held in the hands of old noble families. Romunik is the opposite; here, titles can even be traded, and many great nobles are of merchant origin. That's probably why the economy here is more developed, right?"
Just the construction of Romunik's city walls alone looked more luxurious than Bartovita's.
"You're right." A voice sounded from behind them. The two turned around to see a woman in a magic robe walking over. She wore a pair of glasses on the bridge of her nose and, with her lips pursed, she had a very intellectual look.
And above her head was the unique player ID [XiamiXiami].
"Bartovita places more importance on the old aristocracy, suppressing up-and-coming nobles and merchants without noble bloodlines. All the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the royal family, the old top-tier noble families, and the Augreer family, which stabilized its position through marriage with the royal family and has been gradually encroaching on the commercial landscape."
"Romunik, on the other hand, values money more than bloodlines. In this country, it's not even unusual to buy and sell titles. With money, you can buy a certain amount of power. Merchants have found fertile ground for growth here, which is why it appears more prosperous."
"Hello." Seeing that both men's gazes had landed on her, [XiamiXiami] nodded at them, "I am Xia Mi."
The pronunciation, which was slightly different from her ID, made the two look at each other. [He Kou Wang] tentatively introduced himself: "Um, hello, I'm He Kou Wang... you can just call me Orange."
"I'm Big Brother A, just call me Big A or Brother A." [Big Brother A] was very cheerful.
[XiamiXiami] looked at [He Kou Wang] and then at [Big Brother A]. After thinking for a few seconds, a look of realization appeared on her face, "I see, so you call each other by your game names in the game? My apologies, I'm not too familiar with this. In that case, you can call me... um, Xiami?"
Hearing this, [Big Brother A] was a little hesitant: "May I be so bold as to ask, what do you do... in real life?"
[XiamiXiami] showed no intention of hiding anything and answered straightforwardly: "Me? I suppose I'd be considered a university teacher now? I usually like to do research and am currently settled abroad. I came to this game out of curiosity about the technological level in my home country. After all, in all my research abroad, I've never heard of full-dive technology becoming this mature."
"After entering the game, I found myself drawn to the historical depth revealed in its details. This game is made very realistically. For everything we see, we can find the reason for its creation in a place's culture, history, geographical environment, and so on."
"Just like the reason for the obvious differences between the cities of the two countries."
She said with a sigh, "Sure enough, folk science can always offer some unexpected surprises."
Hearing [XiamiXiami]'s sigh, both [He Kou Wang] and [Big Brother A] felt their scalps tingle. This was actually a teacher; no wonder her aura was so intimidating at first glance.
But was this teacher conducting academic research inside the game?
As expected of a teacher...
"Let's go, the appointed time is almost here. We should go meet those little friends," [XiamiXiami] said with a smile.
"Eh?" [He Kou Wang] was surprised, "Teacher, could you be...?"
"That's right, I was also invited by little friend [Rin]." [XiamiXiami] blinked, "Judging by your looks, are you surprised I recognized you? Haha, you don't need to be so dramatic. Little Rin didn't tell me who all her invited companions were."
[He Kou Wang]'s expression changed with each of [XiamiXiami]'s words, until finally, his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at her.
Are all teachers this terrifying nowadays? She can even guess what he's thinking so clearly. Does this teacher have some kind of mind-reading ability?
"Haha, I don't have superpowers, but as for mind-reading, I do know a tiny little bit." [XiamiXiami] made a small gesture with her thumb and forefinger. "I'm a psychology teacher. I can generally tell what you're thinking from your micro-expressions. And little friend Orange, your expressions are really rich."
"You're too easy to read."
[He Kou Wang]: ...
"Let's go. We can talk about the rest on the way," [XiamiXiami] suggested.
...
When they arrived, [He Kou Wang] and [Big Brother A] discovered that they weren't the only partners [Rin] had found. Apart from the original four who accepted the quest, Rin had additionally found five more people.
[Big Brother A]: Game blogger with millions of fans.
[He Kou Wang]: A tag-along brought by [Big Brother A], a professional power-leveler.
[XiamiXiami]: A psychology professor from abroad.
[Pig Chasing Butcher]: A veteran professional player who has served as QA for many major games.
[Kunlun Sect Leader]: Third on the overall level leaderboard of the Return Journey game.
[He Kou Wang] looked around and was shocked to find that among these five people, he was the only one brought in by [Big Brother A] through connections. To put it more simply: he was a nepotism case.
When [Big Brother A] saw [Pig Chasing Butcher], a hint of surprise showed on his face. After [Rin] finished introducing them, he greeted [Pig Chasing Butcher], "Old Pig, I didn't expect you to get a closed beta spot this time either. Did the officials invite you?"
[Pig Chasing Butcher] waved his hand, "I wish, but Return Journey really didn't invite any professional QAs. I've asked friends in the circle, and no one received an invitation. I was just curious, so I bought a spot to check it out."
[Pig Chasing Butcher] was a well-known professional QA in the industry. It was said he was originally a programmer, so the evaluations he provided for his jobs were extremely professional. He had uncovered many bugs for game companies during their official closed betas, saving them a lot of trouble.
[Big Brother A] laughed, "What a coincidence. I bought my spot too. I was still editing a video when registration opened. By the time I finished my work and saw the group message, I felt like the sky was falling."
[Pig Chasing Butcher] nodded in deep understanding: "Isn't that the truth!"
The two had met before while evaluating a game together. Now, meeting again in this game, they felt the excitement of old acquaintances reuniting.
[Rin] waited until everyone had finished their greetings before speaking again: "It was made very clear in the private messages before. I've invited everyone here this time in the hopes that we can all explore a hidden quest together."
With that, [Rin] pulled everyone into a party and shared the quest with the party members.
Seeing the quest, no one was surprised. They had already been informed of the specific completion conditions when they accepted the invitation.
"Our exploration progress has now reached 45%, which is 35% short of the required 80%. However, we speculate that the higher the exploration progress, the more generous the final reward will be, and it might even be linked to subsequent hidden quests. So our goal is to push the exploration quest progress bar to 100% within the time limit," Rin explained.
"There's also the matter of level. Reaching level 25 or above within 15 days is a bit demanding. As everyone should know, the higher the level, the more experience is needed for each level-up. However, my friends and I have figured out a way to exploit a bug."
"In a party, the person who kills a monster gets one-third of the experience, and the remaining two-thirds are shared equally among the party members," Rin said. "So, for the time being, we need to split into two teams. One team will explore, while the other team goes to a leveling spot to grind monsters. We will rotate daily until everyone in the party is over level 25."
The method Rin proposed was very feasible. The five people she had brought in had no objections; it was the most efficient method so far.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Rin looked at her roommate beside her. Receiving a nod from Rin, Nan Su stepped forward.
"Then let's go. Today, we'll take you to the quest's location, Hawthorne Village, and also tell you about the clues we've discovered so far."
The group of nine majestically arrived near the abandoned village.
After days of being exposed to the wind and sun, the abandoned village seemed even more dilapidated, a testament to the game's realism.
"The villagers from the starter village said the village was attacked by demonic beasts. We did find some large beast claw prints at the scene, as well as some signs of a fight, which can't be faked."
"From the bloodstains here, we can determine..."
As the group discussed the clues they had found over the past few days, [XiamiXiami] found a small, high mound to stand on. She overlooked the general layout of the entire village, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Teacher, have you discovered anything?" [He Kou Wang], who had also requested to act alone, couldn't help but ask when he saw [XiamiXiami]'s expression.
"A discovery? I wouldn't call it that," [XiamiXiami] said. "As I mentioned when I arrived, this game is very detailed. It seems that the formation of everything can be traced back to its source, right?"
[He Kou Wang] nodded, waiting for [XiamiXiami]'s next sentence.
Unexpectedly, [XiamiXiami] fell into deep thought, pinching her chin with one hand. That scholarly aura of a researcher instantly washed over her, startling [He Kou Wang] so much that he took a step back.
What is this feeling of running into your homeroom teacher at school?
"Ah, my apologies, I didn't mean to ignore you." [XiamiXiami] gave an apologetic smile. "Where were we?"
"We were talking about how the formation of everything has its source," [He Kou Wang] quietly wiped a bead of sweat.
"Hmm... yes." [XiamiXiami] nodded. "That's why this village is strange."
"Huh?" [He Kou Wang] was bewildered, completely unable to follow [XiamiXiami]'s train of thought. "What's strange about it?"
"It lacks a certain lived-in atmosphere," [XiamiXiami] gestured. "Have you been to other villages in the game before? I mean, villages other than the starter villages."
[He Kou Wang] shook his head. "I've only been to the nearby town with [Big Brother A]."
"Alright." [XiamiXiami] didn't find it troublesome and explained to [He Kou Wang]: "Those villages feel very alive. There are kids running around with their bottoms bare, women sitting at the village entrance chatting, and occasionally you can see farmers carrying hoes, sweat dripping..."
"All the details are just like in real life. You can even see the cured sausages each family has hung out to dry. Back when there were no refrigerators to store fresh produce, people in the countryside liked to cure perishable meat so it would last longer."
"But look, this village has a pitiful lack of that lived-in atmosphere." [XiamiXiami] pointed at the surrounding houses. "If this village was attacked by demonic beasts without any warning, then there would surely be some traces left behind."
"Not like this, where every house looks so cold and empty, with almost no signs of long-term inhabitation."
[XiamiXiami]: "This place feels like a village that was specially built to conceal something." Just as fake as a starter village.
[He Kou Wang] listened with his mouth agape, "Huh? What you mean is..."
"Hmm?" Before he could finish, another voice interrupted him. [destin] said in surprise, "The exploration progress just jumped by 4%? Did someone find a new clue?"
Instantly, everyone's gaze fell on [destin]. Hearing this, [He Kou Wang] immediately pulled up the quest Rin had just shared and sure enough, he saw that the quest progress had increased slightly.
[He Kou Wang]'s gaze towards [XiamiXiami] was instantly filled with adoration. "Teacher, you're a genius! Are all psychology majors this amazing?"
[XiamiXiami] waved her hand, "Not at all. I'm just good at observing details. Please don't demonize the field of psychology."
Hearing this, the others also understood that [XiamiXiami] had found a new clue shortly after entering the village. They all crowded around, ready to listen to the teacher explain how she found the new clue.
"This village... is perhaps not so simple."
***
Yan Yunqing, already in Slanlipa City, was unaware that the players were close to uncovering the fact that the Eternal Sect believers had disguised their stronghold as a village to practice their cult. At this moment, having finally entered the city after layers of inspection, he was nearly blinded by the bustling prosperity within.
For a moment, Yan Yunqing almost thought he had returned to Blue Star, because the streets and alleys of Slanlipa City seemed exceptionally prosperous, as if the backward towns he had seen before were just a figment of his imagination.
Is this the Romunik Empire with its extremely developed commerce?
Yan Yunqing wandered the streets for a while before being stopped by a cute little girl on the roadside.
"Big brother, would you like to buy a flower wreath?" The little girl held up a few scattered wreaths in her hands. The wreaths were woven quite exquisitely, and the flowers on them were bright and fresh, clearly picked just a short while ago.
Yan Yunqing squatted down in front of her. "Little sister, are you by yourself?"
The little girl shook her head and pointed behind her. "Mommy is right over there. I'm not alone, so you don't have to worry, brother. The city is very safe. There are even guards sent by the city lord here!"
Yan Yunqing looked up and met the gaze of a woman who looked like a farmer's wife. She smiled at him warmly, then watched the little girl's back with a gentle expression.
After speaking, the little girl pointed to the guards patrolling the street. They were all wearing light armor, and they did indeed look very reassuring.
Yan Yunqing didn't expect the little girl to immediately grasp the meaning of his question, and he smiled as well. "Is that so? But brother is a boy. Isn't it a bit strange to wear a flower wreath?"
Unexpectedly, the little girl thought about it seriously, then shook her head. "Not at all. You're very good-looking, brother. You'll look even better with a flower wreath."
Yan Yunqing was stumped.
The little girl had praised him so much; he couldn't possibly say he was ugly, could he?
Although he had created the face for [Good Day], and it wasn't even a tenth as handsome as his original face, he hadn't made it ugly either. At most, he had just softened the sharpness in his eyes to appear more peaceful.
"Alright," Yan Yunqing relented. "Then I'll take one flower wreath. How much is it?"
The little girl held up four round, chubby fingers. "Three copper coins!"
Yan Yunqing chuckled and pressed one of her fingers down. "This is three. What you showed just now was four."
The little girl looked at her fingers in confusion, then at Yan Yunqing's face, before nodding with a look of doubt. "Okay, then, brother, it's three copper coins!"
Yan Yunqing glanced at his player inventory. He still had 9 gold coins, but he had used some silver coins, leaving 72. As for copper coins, he had none.
His NPC inventory had plenty of loose copper coins, but Yan Yunqing couldn't be bothered to transfer them over. He simply took out a silver coin and pressed it into the little girl's hand. "In that case, I'll buy all of your wreaths, but I only want one."
"As for the rest of the wreaths, see if you can find any handsome or beautiful big brothers and sisters on the street, and go give one to them. How about that?"
A look of confusion appeared on the little girl's face, probably the first time she had heard such a strange request. "Big brother buys all the flower wreaths, and then I give them to other big brothers and sisters?"
"That's right." Yan Yunqing snapped his fingers and casually ruffled the little girl's pigtails. "You're very smart!"
The little girl hesitated for a moment, looked at the silver coin in her hand, and finally agreed. "Okay!"
"Then you choose first, brother. The prettiest one is for you!"
With that, she held out her small arms, displaying the wreaths hanging on them for Yan Yunqing to choose from.
Yan Yunqing casually picked one with small blue flowers. It looked rather plain and was much easier to accept than the other brightly colored wreaths.
He took the wreath off and hung it on his wrist, showing it to her just as the little girl had. "Look, is it pretty?"
Wearing it on his head was out of the question; his wrist was the only option.
The little girl opened her mouth, wanting to remind the big brother that wreaths were meant to be worn on the head, but considering he was her biggest customer of the day, she swallowed her words.
Oh well, the big brother could wear it however he liked.
With that thought, the little girl nodded solemnly: "Pretty!"
After speaking, the little girl seemed to see something. She tugged on Yan Yunqing's sleeve and pointed behind him. "Brother, that brother is also very good-looking. Can I give my flower wreath to him?"
"Of course you can," Yan Yunqing agreed without a moment's hesitation. He was about to stand up to see who this other "very good-looking" brother was, but as he was getting up, a passerby behind him accidentally bumped his shoulder.
Yan Yunqing staggered for a moment, but his well-practiced and steady stance allowed him to quickly regain his balance and avoid falling forward. He frowned slightly, but before he could say anything, the little girl beside him had already run off.
She had grabbed hold of the very good-looking big brother she mentioned and was trying to give him a flower wreath.
Yan Yunqing looked in the direction the little girl had run, and his eyebrows shot up. Why is it him?