CHAPTER 74: 074 POOR ACTING

"[Fury from Xu Longyun; +1+1+1]."

Negative emotions from the City Lord kept surfacing in his mind.

It seemed that taking a pill medicine meant for external use internally had caused her considerable harm...

There’s almost no difference in the herbal medicine; why can’t the ones for external use be taken internally?

It didn’t make sense!

Complaining about the irrationality of alchemy, Lin Bai hurriedly left the City Lord’s Office.

Although he didn’t know what the side effects of the Revitalizing Pill were, staying here would clearly be of no benefit. It was better to lay low for a while...

The plan for Jiamucheng required his execution, he hadn’t given the Dan Fang to Xu Longyun yet, and he was known as a genius in alchemy. Once her anger subsided, he likely wouldn’t face any major issues...

After leaving the City Lord’s Office, Lin Bai stuffed another Spirit Fruit into his mouth. Observing his surroundings, he realized the effects weren’t as prominent as before, so he stopped consuming them. The fruits wouldn’t disappear from the trees, and considering their potential usefulness in the future, it would be tough to find more if he ate them all now.

「...」

Chef’s Divine Food Stall was operated by Luo Congwen and did not require his intervention. Thus, Lin Bai decided to find Crispy Rice first, to relieve his elder brother’s dilemma.

There were many more unfamiliar players with unique names on the streets like Little Black Cat, Popsicle, Wang Tiechui, What’s the Password, I’m Not an Alt Account, etc. Their names were all weird and quirky.

These first-time players curiously wandered the streets, interacted with the locals, bought things, and experienced the exotic charm and ruined beauty of Jiamucheng, contributing to Lin Bai’s fragment value.

Lin Bai strolled past the players, eavesdropping on their conversation. These days, immersed in alchemy, he had neglected the recent happenings among the players.

"...It’s like coming to another world, truly fascinating!" Popsicle, while eating a sugar-coated haw, said, "Food here tastes exactly like real food. I can eat delicious food in the game without worrying about gaining weight anymore."

"Hmm." Little Black Cat nodded in agreement. "If possible, I would rather go to the Western server. Compared to fighting and killing with Immortal Technique, I prefer magic."

"What magic?" Popsicle asked.

"You don’t know? Well, you’re not interested in it," Little Black Cat said, "During the third internal test, the game company simultaneously launched a game, ’Continent of Gods and Demons’ in the West. The style is similar to ’Immortal World’, using a medieval background for a battle system with combat energy, witchcraft, and magic. Players say that game developers are planning something big, which will likely open up warfare between nations. Many are clamoring for a full-scale public beta test, so they can join and bring glory to their country!"

"Using a game to pretend to bring glory to a country... Any game can be turned into a war simulation by them..." While speaking, Popsicle turned around and saw Lin Bai behind her. She excitedly nudged her companion, "Lin Bai!"

Little Black Cat turned her head abruptly, and upon seeing Lin Bai, her eyes lit up as if a fan had met their idol, "Shopkeeper Lin!"

At the same time, she quickly started a live broadcast, "Ladies, I just entered the game and ran into Shopkeeper Lin. I’m incredibly lucky today."

"Hmm." Lin Bai nodded at them and prepared to leave. With their fan-like behavior, they probably wouldn’t say anything useful, so staying with them had become pointless. Besides, the news they brought held no current significance to Lin Bai. It only indicated that the map was vast, and if a national war was to be launched, who knew when that would be!

"Shopkeeper Lin, we were just about to go to your restaurant... uh... for dinner. Let’s go together!" Popsicle invited Lin Bai with familiarity.

"It’s not on my way." Lin Bai glanced at her and responded coldly.

"Then where are you going? We’ll accompany you," Little Black Cat said. The players in the game freely expressed their nature; modesty had nothing to do with them.

Alright!

Compared to those who came to level up, these bored players who entered the game just to chase celebrities were the most troublesome!

Lin Bai paused for a moment, sized up the two female players, and said, "Miss, you would be better off studying more at home. Maybe you could even find a good husband."

Little Black Cat froze and privately messaged her companion, "What does that mean?"

Popsicle gritted her teeth and replied in the private chat, "He means we’re ugly!"

A screen full of comments such as "Hahaha", "Too ugly", "Ugly rejection", "Shopkeeper Lin’s daily acid-tongued comments" floated by.

Little Black Cat couldn’t help yelling, "How can the face I sculpted be ugly? Does he lack taste? Everyone’s right, such NPCs deserve to be killed..."

Popsicle regretfully turned off the live broadcast and looked at Lin Bai with a disappointed face, "Such a good man, why is he gay? Damn the game planners..."

Little Black Cat’s mood instantly improved, "I almost forgot the feeding task. Alright, I forgive him for it. He’s just jealous of our beauty..."

Hearing the conversation behind him, Lin Bai paused, dark lines forming on his forehead.

When did he become gay?

Feeding?

That damned System task!

Lin Bai, with a grim expression, left without looking back. He secretly resolved to start a ’ship’ for himself and rectify his image!

Gay?

Son of a bitch!

「...」

"It’s Lin Bai; he’s come out of the City Lord’s Office," Iron-Headed Immortal said.

"Don’t look at him; continue what you’re doing," I’m Not an Alt Account said. "If he detects any hint of our plan and gets suspicious, tonight’s plan might be ruined."

"Hmm." Iron-Headed Immortal looked away. "I actually feel a bit excited. Fighting the BOSS in this game feels like being in a movie."

Tonight’s plan!

Defeating the BOSS?

Are they talking about me?

Lin Bai looked at the two players in confusion, automatically recalling the reckless newbie players who had provoked him during the mission...

Were these new players trying to gain clout by targeting him again?

They must be crazy!

Haven’t I been keeping a low enough profile? And still, they come to leech off my popularity?

Lin Bai frowned slightly. He needed to find a way to solve this problem permanently! Otherwise, as the player base grew, if he was only surrounded by those trying to make a splash for fun, he would find it hard to move an inch in this world.

It’s time to build his own force!

Why does no one dare to target the City Lord? Isn’t it because she has a legion of Mingwei, Hidden Guards, and the City Guard Army at her command, and the players can’t afford the consequences?

Speaking of which, it’s still his elder brother’s Beggar Gang that is disappointing...

「...」

Lin Bai didn’t take these lame newbie players to heart. Thinking about setting up his own force, he got up and was about to leave, but after only two steps, he stopped.

Wait a minute.

They mentioned beating the BOSS!

Seeking attention and beating a BOSS are two completely different concepts!

He looked around. The newly online players were all normally doing their own things, making him feel like he was just an ordinary NPC.

What poor acting!

Now he was also considered a popular NPC, yet none of the newbies paid any attention to him. That was abnormal...

Stupidity!

If they really wanted to blend in, they should have acted like those two female players earlier, gathering near him, or at least saying hello!

Moreover, wherever he looked, almost all were unfamiliar faces; he couldn’t see any of the players from the first or second batches.

"Damn, what a big plan! Their wings have hardened; they’re teaming up to take me down..." Lin Bai instantly understood.

In the game, it was quite normal for players to challenge the BOSS. Lin Bai had thought about this day, but he didn’t expect it to come so quickly; they were all just a few levels high!

And they were going to challenge him?!

Have you learned any Advanced Skills?!

「...」

Lin Bai walked straight towards the two players, sized them up, and laughed, "You two young men, your bones are exceptional; you are rare martial arts geniuses. How about learning martial arts with me?"

The two players froze at the same time.

Iron-Headed Immortal (via private chat): "Holy crap, we’re going to get rich! A hidden NPC is actively recruiting apprentices!"

I’m Not an Alt Account (via private chat): "Don’t celebrate too soon. Remember Deng Cancan. Any NPC is more reliable than him. Don’t fall for his tricks. Besides, whether he’s here after today or not is debatable; what’s the point of being his disciple..."

Iron-Headed Immortal (via private chat): "True!"

After clearing his throat, I’m Not an Alt Account looked at Lin Bai and politely cupped his fist, "No need, Shopkeeper Lin. We brothers have decided to pursue our studies; we are not interested in martial arts. You should look for someone else!"

"What a pity!" Lin Bai got the answer he wanted and shook his head with a smile. "You two have far better talent than my stupid disciple. Such a shame!"

「...」

The players’ private chats weren’t hidden from Lin Bai. No matter how cautious they were, Lin Bai had his cheat.

After taking a tour around the city spots where players usually hung out, Lin Bai had figured out all their plans.

Good heavens, what a deep grudge they hold!

So everyone’s involved?

He thought about going back to the City Lord’s Office to ask Xu Longyun to deploy the City Guard Army to help him deal with these troublemakers. But after thinking about it, Lin Bai gave up this idea.

Not to mention that Xu Longyun was in a bad mood, the rule that the Government Office could not intervene in player behavior without reason unless players actively attacked official institutions was a major restraint on Xu Longyun. She probably wouldn’t risk being punished by the heavens to help him proactively deal with players.

Otherwise, she would’ve done so long ago!

Moreover, as the saying goes, "One can be a thief for a thousand days, but one cannot guard against thieves for a thousand days." It was bound to happen sooner or later. Dealing with them now, while they were still low-level, and scaring them off was actually a good thing.

Otherwise, this kind of harassment would never stop, and he couldn’t rely on the City Guard Army all the time...

After thinking for a moment, Lin Bai took the token from Xu Longyun, went to the bank to withdraw some money, and went straight to the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall. It was time to pay the Wild Wind Gang some protection money!