“All of them were unknown calls?”
Teasing Bai Xia from time to time had become Tian Zheng’s new pleasure. However, when the situation demanded seriousness, he remained utterly proper. Thus, after Bai Xia thoroughly explained the circumstances of the previous night, his expression grew uncharacteristically solemn.
“Indeed, even for unknown calls, it shouldn’t fail to display basic information like the Skycom signal, should it? I’m starting to wonder if my Skycom device is broken.”
Bai Xia nodded, a troubled expression clouding her features. While the events of last night were likely just an anomaly, she found herself inexplicably preoccupied with them.
Tian Zheng lowered his head, pondering for a moment before finally speaking. “Perhaps it’s not a problem with your Skycom device.”
“Hmm?”
“To put it plainly, there are only three possibilities for such a situation. The first is exactly as you, Bai Xia, suspected: an issue with your Skycom device, which is quite common. The second is an error caused by the service provider, a less frequent occurrence but not unheard of. As for the third… it involves the other party in the communication using certain methods to block all the information you should have received, causing everything displayed on your Skycom device to appear as ‘unknown’!”
At this point, Tian Zheng paused, then looked back at Bai Xia.
“The first or second scenarios are easily resolved. However, if it’s the third… that would be quite intriguing.”
“What do you mean ‘that would be quite intriguing’!”
Bai Xia was utterly bewildered by Tian Zheng’s words, feeling as though an unspeakable darkness had set its sights upon her. Tian Zheng, however, simply smiled at her reaction. “There’s no need to be so nervous. Perhaps it’s just someone playing a prank? In any case, once you log off later, use your Skycom device to inquire with the service provider. They should be able to ascertain the specific details.”
“I don’t think it’s merely a prank… Still, let’s not discuss such matters within the game.”
Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Bai Xia decided to put an end to the topic.
Naturally, Tian Zheng had no objections. After standing amidst the ruins’ structures for a while, the two clarified their bearings and continued their advance towards their objective.
As they ventured deeper, they indeed discovered other objects. Yet, much like the scattered swords and armor littering the outermost perimeter, these too had become utterly worthless.
The deeper they delved, the more Bai Xia’s enthusiasm waned.
It was worth noting that she was now already level 9. The time they were spending aimlessly wandering here would have been more than enough for her and Tian Zheng to leave the新手村 (TL Note: newbie village/starter village) and venture into the wider world beyond.
While Bai Xia herself didn’t mind having wasted the better part of a day, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Tian Zheng had suffered a significant loss.
During the beginner phase, everyone strove diligently to level up. This was because, after level 10, the system would activate a ranking leaderboard once a certain number of players reached that level, aiming to stimulate player engagement.
Although the ranking leaderboard offered no substantial rewards, the mere prospect of having one’s name displayed prominently above all others was enough to drive many to toil day and night.
Moreover, the top three players on the leaderboard would receive special titles. While these titles offered almost no attribute bonuses, the visual effects showcased on the official website were exceptionally dazzling, making them perfect for those who enjoyed showing off (TL Note: ‘装逼’ (zhuāngbī) is a Chinese slang term meaning to show off, act cool, or pretend to be impressive.)!
Due to a previous surge of experience, Tian Zheng had already far surpassed level 10. He was only a few minor monsters away from level 11, having left virtually all other players far behind.
Under such circumstances, he wouldn’t even need to exert much effort. He could effortlessly secure a spot on the leaderboard once a large number of players exited the新手村 (TL Note: newbie village/starter village), and even a top-ranking position was entirely within his grasp.
Therefore, if this lost underground city truly yielded nothing, Tian Zheng, having squandered so much time, would undoubtedly have suffered a colossal loss.
Of course, dwelling on such thoughts was futile now. Having explored half the ruins, abandoning them was simply not an option; even if it meant death, they would at least die with clarity (TL Note: ‘死个明白’ (sǐ gè míngbái) implies understanding the situation or reason for one’s demise, rather than dying senselessly.)!
Naturally, if their efforts continued to yield nothing, Bai Xia could only sincerely wish for the system to spontaneously explode.
It was almost as if the system had genuinely heard her fervent wish, for when they finally reached the relatively well-preserved ruins deep within the city at midday…
“Damn it, damn it, did you hear that?! Why is this place even poorer than what we’ve seen before!”
Indeed, after entering the perfectly preserved architectural complex, Bai Xia and Tian Zheng searched the surroundings only to discover, to their utter astonishment, that there was absolutely nothing here!
While the previous area had been utterly ravaged, with none of the scattered items being usable, the sheer mess on the ground at least offered a glimmer of hope, didn’t it? Perhaps they might stumble upon something valuable?
In stark contrast, this area was perfectly intact, even retaining a faint trace of its former glory. However, aside from the empty architectural complex, there was not a single item—not even a weapon or tool—to be found; it was so clean that not a blade of grass remained!
Bai Xia crouched down, clutching her head in agony, her face contorted with a murderous aura.
“Why has it come to this? This was my first time receiving a beloved quest, my first time embarking on a legendary ruin exploration. These two enviable opportunities intertwined should have brought me boundless joy, yet why, why has it turned out like this?”
As her rambling laments reached his ears, Tian Zheng’s lips twitched imperceptibly. ‘This child… she hasn’t been driven mad by the frustration, has she?’
Evidently, Bai Xia hadn’t gone mad; her anger, however, was undeniably real. After all, she and Tian Zheng had toiled for so long only to find absolutely nothing; not being angry would have been truly bizarre.
The next moment, she raised her hand and made a gesture towards the sky—one no good child should ever imitate—then stated expressionlessly: “System, damn you!”
‘I should have realized it earlier. Even if an ancient ruin was unexpectedly activated, this was still merely the新手村 (TL Note: newbie village/starter village). Places like ruins, which by all appearances should only begin to shine in the mid-to-late stages of a game, how could they possibly allow players to actively unveil their mysteries so early on?’
‘So, this was actually a trap?’
Suddenly, Bai Xia felt an overwhelming weariness in her heart. Even Tian Zheng’s comforting gesture of stroking her head was completely ignored.
“There, there, don’t be angry.”
As he gently stroked the young woman’s head, the soft sensation gave the man the fleeting illusion of petting a cat at home. However, fearing Bai Xia might grow angrier, he regretfully withdrew his hand swiftly.
He had intended to offer a few more words of comfort, but to his surprise, Bai Xia, who had just been crouching, suddenly sprang back up. Then, through gritted teeth, she exclaimed, “I’m so unwilling to accept this!”
“Well… this outcome isn’t entirely unexpected, is it? Besides, didn’t the system award 100 gold coins as a reward? For this stage of the game, that’s quite decent.”
“Hmph! A mere 100 gold coins? Is that supposed to be charity for beggars?”
Bai Xia’s eyes blazed with disdain. Tian Zheng, however, found himself caught between laughter and tears, recalling how she had been so overjoyed earlier that she practically wanted to kiss the system.
Shaking his head, the man pondered for a moment before suddenly producing the reward he had also received for discovering the ruins. He then directly mailed it to her as a trade. “There, there, don’t be angry anymore. Take my money too, then. What if you get so upset it harms your health?”