It was a quiet and peaceful summer afternoon at the eastern square of Sky City. There weren’t many players hanging about because most of them had logged out of the game to catch their afternoon nap. I only counted dozens of player stalls scattered throughout the area. Anyway, I sat down at a corner, dropped about a hundred pieces of equipment in front of me and began hollering,
"Freshly looted equipment for sale! I got a Level 190 Earth-grade helmet that adds 24% Defense and 10k max HP for only 4500 gold for you tanks! There’s also a Level 200 female-only metal armor that adds 37% Defense and 15% Attack! It may or may not have dropped from the mistress of the SSS Rank Ancient Divine Skill owner, Soul Slayer! Buy now for only 9999 gold! First come first served, and beauties before all else!"
Unfortunately, despite having hollered for customers for over ten minutes, not many people checked out my items, and those that did, couldn’t afford it. After all, 1 gold was equal to 1 RMB in the real world, and it was a price the average player couldn’t hope to afford.
Rustle rustle...
Suddenly, I heard a rustling of footsteps beside me. Before I could react, Lin Yixin wrapped her arms around me from behind and asked cheerfully, "Guess who I am?"
I looked at the Devil Bell hanging from her wrist and exclaimed in mock surprise, "Aue muh gawd, who’s the bastard who killed my Yiyi and stole her Devil Bell? Show yourself now so I may slay you, fiend!"
While saying this, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her forcefully into my lap. She obediently sat down between my legs before punching my shoulder embarrassedly. "Choose a better time and place next time, bastard! We’re in public right now!"
It was only then I noticed that the stall owners who had been dozing off earlier were staring at us with wide-eyed disbelief. Lin Yixin hadn’t turned off her ID and equipment effect before I pulled her into my embrace, so everyone could see that she was the famous Fruit Knife Goddess Wind Fantasy. Personally, I didn’t think she could hide her identity even if she had gone through the necessary procedure. Her attire and her face were practically the symbol of the China server at this point, not to mention that she had signed a contract with Eternal Moon Corporation to act as their China spokesperson. She had posters of herself on nearly every street and alley.
……
After I let go of Lin Yixin, she sat down beside me in a much more dignified position before looking at my equipment selection, "I ate a bit too much during lunch and wanted to take you for a walk, but the weather seems a bit too hot today. So, I logged back into the game to pass the time. What about you? Did you manage to sell anything during this time?"
I glanced at my own stall while replying, "I only managed to sell Heaven-grade wristguards and three pieces of Earth-grade leather armor. That’s 19k gold in total. Tsk tsk, it’s so hard to earn money these days. It almost makes me regret not using Chaos Moon’s Greedy Wolf Howl for myself. She’s been killing Purple Grape City players at the foreign lands everyday, and she earned damn near a million gold during this Nation War. That’s a million RMB, sheesh. I heard she went outside this afternoon to buy a BMW 7 Series for herself. I’m so envious…"
However, Lin Yixin simply rolled her eyes at me and chided, "Cut the act, you know you earned way more money than Chaos Moon. Forget a BMW 7 Series, you can even buy a Lamborghini if you want to!"
I shrugged. "Haha, of course not. Did you know that I visited dad and third uncle yesterday and sent them back to Yangzhou? I’m planning to buy a villa in the nearby town for dad and have third uncle and third aunt move in as well so they can take care of each other. There’s land right next to the villa too, so they can plant some vegetables for themselves if they want to. Until I can afford that without murdering my bank account, I have no plans to buy a Lamborghini, at least not now."
Lin Yixin shrugged as well before leaning against me. "Whatever you say, dear. You work hard to buy your dad and uncle that villa, and I’ll work hard to buy a Lamborghini for you before your next birthday. What do you say?"
"Oh?"
I turned to stare at her in surprise. "Did you just say you’re going to buy me a luxury car for my birthday? Since when are you so generous, Yiyi?"
"I can buy whatever I want. What, you don’t like it? I’ll give it to Gui Guzi then…"
I hurriedly stopped her, "No way! Little Gui is an honest boy. If you give him a Lamborghini, he’s going to think that you’re interested in him. I absolutely don’t want to deal with that!"
"Hmph~ I guess you’re protective of your girl after all," Lin Yixin said with a cute giggle.
"Of course I am." I held her hand for a moment before moving onto another topic, "By the way, I saw something on the forums this morning. It’s probably very important to us."
"Oh? What is it?"
I sucked in a deep breath before saying, "There is an abandoned Giant Dragon’s nest directly to the north of Cyan Earth City. It is said that it used to be one of the dragon race’s habitats. Anyway, the point is that Cyan Beast had monopolized the map after the Nation War ended. It’s clear that Breeze and Rain is planning to gather as many dragon eggs as possible."
Lin Yixin’s mouth fell open in surprise. "You’re saying that Cyan Beast is building a dragon knight army."
I nodded affirmatively. "Yes. At the very least, that should be what Breeze and Rain is planning. Putting myself aside, flying armies have more than proven their worth during the previous Nation Wars. Flowing Cloud’s Night Owl Riders are trash, and yet they still managed to wreak havoc on static formations via paradropping. As of now, a dragon knight legion is practically invincible. A guild that manages to assemble a squad of 10 or more dragon knights will possess enough power and mobility to deal massive damage be it in positional or mobile warfare. That is why I feel that we need to do something very soon. We’ll be in deep trouble if we don’t have a proper counter by the time Cyan Beast finishes building their dragon knight legion. At the very least, the Dragonlight Cavalry and Kui Dragon Cavalry alone aren’t enough. They are no match for dragon knights at all."
"Hmm, you may be right. Where are we going to find a giant dragon mount though?"
I sighed. "Yes, that is what I’m worrying about as well."
……
Suddenly, a new rustling of footsteps appeared behind us. We looked behind us and saw a woman carrying a longbow behind her back and a dagger around her waist. She was wearing a black cloak that covered both her face and body, but I could still see that she was stacked in all the right places.
"Is this NPC… looking for you?" Lin Yixin asked with a blink.
I gripped my weapon and stared at the uninvited guest, asking, "You’ve been standing behind us for a long time. Who are you and what are you planning?"
The woman’s shoulders shivered as if she was suppressing a giggle. Then, she unwrapped her cloak and revealed an exquisite countenance and excellent body. She was none other than the greatest general of the Violet Empire under Queen Sophia, Shadow Dancer Xue Wei.
"Long time no see, young undead," Xue Wei greeted me with a chuckle. The light movement caused her breasts to ripple in a way that only a woman with a pair of huge breasts could. It was suffocating to say the least.
Beside me, Lin Yixin suddenly glared at Xue Wei as if she felt challenged. She abruptly puffed up her own chest until her bunnies looked like they might spill out of her armor. I couldn’t help but sigh "woman" inside my head. They would go up against even a computer-generated avatar if they felt challenged.
"Yiyi, you can stop now. I’m already aware that your size is 34D…"
"Hmm? How did you know that, you pervert?"
I smiled and grabbed her hand placatingly before speaking to Xue Wei seriously, "It’s truly been a long time, Xue Wei. Why have you entered Sky City in such an… interesting disguise?"
Xue Wei chuckled again. "You already know that your Princess Karinshan doesn’t fully trust our Violet Empire. It would’ve caused some problems if I entered Sky City without any sort of disguise. Anyway, I wanted to inform you that the legions of the Purgatory have finally stirred from their long slumber. Lady Wind Singer Xinran herself had warned Queen Sophia last night that the Dragon Domain to the southwest of the continent is slowly awakening…"
"Dragon Domain?!" I shuddered from head to toe. "Wasn’t that the Dragon Speaker Binglan’s territory? Last I remember, the entire place had sunk into the ground due to tectonic activity before most of the dragons were massacred by the Purgatory Legion. No one knows where the Dragon Domain is right now, and even if they do, the dragons have all been killed a long time ago. How could it be ‘awakening’ in any way?"
Xue Wei bit her lips and said, "No, I’m not talking about the dragons. It is the awakening of Strela that terrifies us!"
"Strela?" Both Lin Yixin and I exclaimed in confusion.
Xue Wei nodded. "Yes. Strela the Dark Magma used to be the Dragon God and the ruler of the Dragon Domain. After it lost the protection of the Dragon Speaker Binglan, the dragon race’s pride was trampled, and the Purgatory Ruler himself descended and killed all Holy Giant Dragons who dared to resist him. He sealed Strela’s body and stole his soul. Without the soul, Strela’s body was no different from a devil’s body. The seal had been holding strong for tens of thousands of years, but the body has been showing signs of resuscitation in the past month. That is why…"
I shuddered again. "Wait a second, Strela is one of the Nine Sovereigns of the Purgatory and a kickass dragon! You’re not trying to make me challenge Strela, are you? That’s practically suicide!"
Xue Wei shook her head. "Of course not. You are Wind Singer Xinran’s older brother and a well-respected friend of Princess Karinshan and Her Majesty. I would never dare make you do such a thing!"
"Oh. So, why are you here?"
"So, here’s the deal." Xue Wei explained with a shrug, "Currently, we estimate that it’ll take Strela at least a month to awaken. That is why we wish to task the strongest human adventurer of this continent on a quest to venture into the ruins of Dragon Domain and search for a long-lost Divine Armament…"
"What is this Divine Armament?"
"It is called the Dragonslaying Sword!"
Xue Wei explained further. "The Dragonslaying Sword was Dragon Speaker Binglan’s signature weapon, but it left her side and flew back to the Dragon Domain to protect the dragons after Binglan was sealed. Unfortunately, the Dragonslaying Sword was no match for Lin Na the Purgatory Ruler, and it was ultimately lost within the ruins. That is why I want you to find the Dragonslaying Sword and bring it back to me!"
……
Ding~!
System Notice: Do you accept the SSS Rank main quest [Searching the Dragonslaying Sword]?
To be honest, I was speechless for an instant. Most players had to search high and low to get an SSS Rank main quest. Me? I was literally sitting at my stall and doing my business when an SSS Rank quest walked right into my lap! God damn!
It was a quiet and peaceful summer afternoon at the eastern square of Sky City. There weren’t many players hanging about because most of them had logged out of the game to catch their afternoon nap. I only counted dozens of player stalls scattered throughout the area. Anyway, I sat down at a corner, dropped about a hundred pieces of equipment in front of me and began hollering,
"Freshly looted equipment for sale! I got a Level 190 Earth-grade helmet that adds 24% Defense and 10k max HP for only 4500 gold for you tanks! There’s also a Level 200 female-only metal armor that adds 37% Defense and 15% Attack! It may or may not have dropped from the mistress of the SSS Rank Ancient Divine Skill owner, Soul Slayer! Buy now for only 9999 gold! First come first served, and beauties before all else!"
Unfortunately, despite having hollered for customers for over ten minutes, not many people checked out my items, and those that did, couldn’t afford it. After all, 1 gold was equal to 1 RMB in the real world, and it was a price the average player couldn’t hope to afford.
Rustle rustle...
Suddenly, I heard a rustling of footsteps beside me. Before I could react, Lin Yixin wrapped her arms around me from behind and asked cheerfully, "Guess who I am?"
I looked at the Devil Bell hanging from her wrist and exclaimed in mock surprise, "Aue muh gawd, who’s the bastard who killed my Yiyi and stole her Devil Bell? Show yourself now so I may slay you, fiend!"
While saying this, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her forcefully into my lap. She obediently sat down between my legs before punching my shoulder embarrassedly. "Choose a better time and place next time, bastard! We’re in public right now!"
It was only then I noticed that the stall owners who had been dozing off earlier were staring at us with wide-eyed disbelief. Lin Yixin hadn’t turned off her ID and equipment effect before I pulled her into my embrace, so everyone could see that she was the famous Fruit Knife Goddess Wind Fantasy. Personally, I didn’t think she could hide her identity even if she had gone through the necessary procedure. Her attire and her face were practically the symbol of the China server at this point, not to mention that she had signed a contract with Eternal Moon Corporation to act as their China spokesperson. She had posters of herself on nearly every street and alley.
……
After I let go of Lin Yixin, she sat down beside me in a much more dignified position before looking at my equipment selection, "I ate a bit too much during lunch and wanted to take you for a walk, but the weather seems a bit too hot today. So, I logged back into the game to pass the time. What about you? Did you manage to sell anything during this time?"
I glanced at my own stall while replying, "I only managed to sell Heaven-grade wristguards and three pieces of Earth-grade leather armor. That’s 19k gold in total. Tsk tsk, it’s so hard to earn money these days. It almost makes me regret not using Chaos Moon’s Greedy Wolf Howl for myself. She’s been killing Purple Grape City players at the foreign lands everyday, and she earned damn near a million gold during this Nation War. That’s a million RMB, sheesh. I heard she went outside this afternoon to buy a BMW 7 Series for herself. I’m so envious…"
However, Lin Yixin simply rolled her eyes at me and chided, "Cut the act, you know you earned way more money than Chaos Moon. Forget a BMW 7 Series, you can even buy a Lamborghini if you want to!"
I shrugged. "Haha, of course not. Did you know that I visited dad and third uncle yesterday and sent them back to Yangzhou? I’m planning to buy a villa in the nearby town for dad and have third uncle and third aunt move in as well so they can take care of each other. There’s land right next to the villa too, so they can plant some vegetables for themselves if they want to. Until I can afford that without murdering my bank account, I have no plans to buy a Lamborghini, at least not now."
Lin Yixin shrugged as well before leaning against me. "Whatever you say, dear. You work hard to buy your dad and uncle that villa, and I’ll work hard to buy a Lamborghini for you before your next birthday. What do you say?"
"Oh?"
I turned to stare at her in surprise. "Did you just say you’re going to buy me a luxury car for my birthday? Since when are you so generous, Yiyi?"
"I can buy whatever I want. What, you don’t like it? I’ll give it to Gui Guzi then…"
I hurriedly stopped her, "No way! Little Gui is an honest boy. If you give him a Lamborghini, he’s going to think that you’re interested in him. I absolutely don’t want to deal with that!"
"Hmph~ I guess you’re protective of your girl after all," Lin Yixin said with a cute giggle.
"Of course I am." I held her hand for a moment before moving onto another topic, "By the way, I saw something on the forums this morning. It’s probably very important to us."
"Oh? What is it?"
I sucked in a deep breath before saying, "There is an abandoned Giant Dragon’s nest directly to the north of Cyan Earth City. It is said that it used to be one of the dragon race’s habitats. Anyway, the point is that Cyan Beast had monopolized the map after the Nation War ended. It’s clear that Breeze and Rain is planning to gather as many dragon eggs as possible."
Lin Yixin’s mouth fell open in surprise. "You’re saying that Cyan Beast is building a dragon knight army."
I nodded affirmatively. "Yes. At the very least, that should be what Breeze and Rain is planning. Putting myself aside, flying armies have more than proven their worth during the previous Nation Wars. Flowing Cloud’s Night Owl Riders are trash, and yet they still managed to wreak havoc on static formations via paradropping. As of now, a dragon knight legion is practically invincible. A guild that manages to assemble a squad of 10 or more dragon knights will possess enough power and mobility to deal massive damage be it in positional or mobile warfare. That is why I feel that we need to do something very soon. We’ll be in deep trouble if we don’t have a proper counter by the time Cyan Beast finishes building their dragon knight legion. At the very least, the Dragonlight Cavalry and Kui Dragon Cavalry alone aren’t enough. They are no match for dragon knights at all."
"Hmm, you may be right. Where are we going to find a giant dragon mount though?"
I sighed. "Yes, that is what I’m worrying about as well."
……
Suddenly, a new rustling of footsteps appeared behind us. We looked behind us and saw a woman carrying a longbow behind her back and a dagger around her waist. She was wearing a black cloak that covered both her face and body, but I could still see that she was stacked in all the right places.
"Is this NPC… looking for you?" Lin Yixin asked with a blink.
I gripped my weapon and stared at the uninvited guest, asking, "You’ve been standing behind us for a long time. Who are you and what are you planning?"
The woman’s shoulders shivered as if she was suppressing a giggle. Then, she unwrapped her cloak and revealed an exquisite countenance and excellent body. She was none other than the greatest general of the Violet Empire under Queen Sophia, Shadow Dancer Xue Wei.
"Long time no see, young undead," Xue Wei greeted me with a chuckle. The light movement caused her breasts to ripple in a way that only a woman with a pair of huge breasts could. It was suffocating to say the least.
Beside me, Lin Yixin suddenly glared at Xue Wei as if she felt challenged. She abruptly puffed up her own chest until her bunnies looked like they might spill out of her armor. I couldn’t help but sigh "woman" inside my head. They would go up against even a computer-generated avatar if they felt challenged.
"Yiyi, you can stop now. I’m already aware that your size is 34D…"
"Hmm? How did you know that, you pervert?"
I smiled and grabbed her hand placatingly before speaking to Xue Wei seriously, "It’s truly been a long time, Xue Wei. Why have you entered Sky City in such an… interesting disguise?"
Xue Wei chuckled again. "You already know that your Princess Karinshan doesn’t fully trust our Violet Empire. It would’ve caused some problems if I entered Sky City without any sort of disguise. Anyway, I wanted to inform you that the legions of the Purgatory have finally stirred from their long slumber. Lady Wind Singer Xinran herself had warned Queen Sophia last night that the Dragon Domain to the southwest of the continent is slowly awakening…"
"Dragon Domain?!" I shuddered from head to toe. "Wasn’t that the Dragon Speaker Binglan’s territory? Last I remember, the entire place had sunk into the ground due to tectonic activity before most of the dragons were massacred by the Purgatory Legion. No one knows where the Dragon Domain is right now, and even if they do, the dragons have all been killed a long time ago. How could it be ‘awakening’ in any way?"
Xue Wei bit her lips and said, "No, I’m not talking about the dragons. It is the awakening of Strela that terrifies us!"
"Strela?" Both Lin Yixin and I exclaimed in confusion.
Xue Wei nodded. "Yes. Strela the Dark Magma used to be the Dragon God and the ruler of the Dragon Domain. After it lost the protection of the Dragon Speaker Binglan, the dragon race’s pride was trampled, and the Purgatory Ruler himself descended and killed all Holy Giant Dragons who dared to resist him. He sealed Strela’s body and stole his soul. Without the soul, Strela’s body was no different from a devil’s body. The seal had been holding strong for tens of thousands of years, but the body has been showing signs of resuscitation in the past month. That is why…"
I shuddered again. "Wait a second, Strela is one of the Nine Sovereigns of the Purgatory and a kickass dragon! You’re not trying to make me challenge Strela, are you? That’s practically suicide!"
Xue Wei shook her head. "Of course not. You are Wind Singer Xinran’s older brother and a well-respected friend of Princess Karinshan and Her Majesty. I would never dare make you do such a thing!"
"Oh. So, why are you here?"
"So, here’s the deal." Xue Wei explained with a shrug, "Currently, we estimate that it’ll take Strela at least a month to awaken. That is why we wish to task the strongest human adventurer of this continent on a quest to venture into the ruins of Dragon Domain and search for a long-lost Divine Armament…"
"What is this Divine Armament?"
"It is called the Dragonslaying Sword!"
Xue Wei explained further. "The Dragonslaying Sword was Dragon Speaker Binglan’s signature weapon, but it left her side and flew back to the Dragon Domain to protect the dragons after Binglan was sealed. Unfortunately, the Dragonslaying Sword was no match for Lin Na the Purgatory Ruler, and it was ultimately lost within the ruins. That is why I want you to find the Dragonslaying Sword and bring it back to me!"
……
Ding~!
System Notice: Do you accept the SSS Rank main quest [Searching the Dragonslaying Sword]?
To be honest, I was speechless for an instant. Most players had to search high and low to get an SSS Rank main quest. Me? I was literally sitting at my stall and doing my business when an SSS Rank quest walked right into my lap! God damn!
