Bai Xia had been looking at ‘God’ until, after a considerable while, she realized the environment around her had transformed from the lava-covered land back into the original palace.
Tian Zheng was seeing the palace interior for the first time, and it was also his first glimpse of the tall woman seated on the throne directly above, prompting him to survey his surroundings with considerable curiosity.
Qingcheng remained lazily reclined on the throne, her expression utterly unchanged by their success in defeating the Lava Giant and completing the trial.
She cast a faint glance at the two of them before addressing Bai Xia.
“Well done, though a significant element of luck was involved, luck itself is a part of strength.
“Since you have completed the trial, I shall fulfill my previous promise.”
Before her words had even faded, the woman’s hand gave a gentle beckon, and a black orb flew towards Bai Xia.
Before it could even be touched, it dissolved into countless motes of light, merging into her body and vanishing.
This scene appeared strikingly similar to when Qingcheng had previously bestowed upon her the Asura’s Demise.
However, once the motes of light had completely disappeared, she still wore her black and red sailor uniform, and her attribute panel showed no changes from before.
Consequently, Bai Xia felt a touch of bewilderment.
“…What is this, then?”
“It is, naturally, the inheritance of Dark Elf power.
“It will automatically awaken when you meet the requirements for your first class advancement, bestowing upon you greater strength and the profession most suited to you.”
‘Huh? Does this mean… a hidden class?!’
Qingcheng’s explanation stunned the young woman for a moment.
Once she fully grasped its meaning, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of surprise.
In the game, once players reached level 15, they could accept class advancement quests from their respective class mentors, thereby acquiring more mature and specialized branch professions.
For instance, depending on their preferences, warriors could choose branching professions like Swordsman, Blademaster, or Spearman, based on their proficiency with various weapons.
Different developmental paths would influence each profession’s attributes, skills, and talents.
Although Bai Xia’s race was Dark Elf, her profession was merely that of a common Assassin.
Therefore, Qingcheng’s intention was abundantly clear: after gifting her equipment, she was now throwing in a hidden class as a bonus!
After processing this information, Bai Xia couldn’t help but marvel at Qingcheng’s immense generosity.
To bestow both equipment and a hidden class—if Qingcheng weren’t merely an NPC within the game, Bai Xia might have even wondered if she was Qingcheng’s long-lost biological daughter.
Qingcheng, seated upon her throne, naturally remained oblivious to Bai Xia’s fanciful thoughts.
After handing over the final reward to Bai Xia, she turned her gaze towards Tian Zheng.
“And you, young man,” she said softly, “you also performed exceptionally well.
“To refuse to abandon your comrade even in the face of absolute crisis—I acknowledge your courage!
“Originally, the two pieces of equipment on your person were meant to be retrieved after the trial’s completion.
“However, you have proven yourself to me, and thus, they shall be given to you as a reward.”
“Hm? Thank you…”
Qingcheng’s words caused Tian Zheng to pause in slight surprise.
However, since the items were being gifted, there was no reason to refuse them, though he had never initially considered that Qingcheng might actually reclaim the equipment.
The woman nodded, then waved her hand gently.
“In any case, continue to grow beneath this sky.
“I anticipate and have great faith in your future.
“Should fate bring us together again, I hope you will still prove yourselves satisfactory to me.
“Until then… may we meet again if fate allows.”
As her final words faded, before Bai Xia could even react or ask anything, her vision and Tian Zheng’s were simultaneously engulfed by a soft white light.
The clamor, distinctly unlike the palace’s quietude, rang in their ears the next moment.
When the white light fully dissipated, the two of them were already standing at the resurrection point in the新手村 (TL Note: Newbie Village), surrounded by throngs of other players.
Although the server had been open for several days, the Newbie Village remained exceptionally lively.
After all, not all players could level up as rapidly as they did; the average player level was currently only around seven or eight.
Seeing that they were no longer in the original palace, Bai Xia felt a pang of disappointment.
She still had many questions she wished to ask Qingcheng, but it seemed the woman had offered no opportunity for her to do so.
However, since they had already been teleported back to the Newbie Village, there was nothing to be done.
After standing still for a few seconds, she turned to Tian Zheng beside her.
“Great God… oh, no, Boss, do you have anything else you need to do?
“If not, I’ll log off for today.
“Also, I might not log on tomorrow; winter is approaching, and I need to go out and gather some provisions.”
“There shouldn’t be anything left to do in the Newbie Village.
“The Village Chief’s quest, however, needs to be handed in, but I can handle that alone.
“Log off and get some good rest.
“And don’t forget to check for your ‘wages’ later.”
To be frank, the previous battle with the Lava Giant had kept their minds tightly strung for half a day, and it was indeed quite exhausting.
Even though it was a game, moderation was essential, so Tian Zheng had no objections to Bai Xia’s words.
“Then, bye-bye.”
Seeing his agreement, Bai Xia waved her hand, then logged off right there.
The man stood for a moment longer before also logging out of the game.
****
As Bai Xia logged off, intending to take a shower, eat something, and then rest, in a high-end villa residential area in Yandu, another bustling metropolis in Huaxia, far removed from Suhua.
In a meticulously tidy room, the man leaning against the bed slowly raised his hand to remove the ‘Otherworld’ game login device from his head, casually placing it aside.
He rubbed his temples, sat quietly for a while, then picked up the discarded in-ear Skycomm (TL Note: A futuristic communication device, similar to an advanced earbud) and inserted it into his ear.
As he stood up, he had already used the Skycomm to connect to a call with another person.
–Do you have another business deal, Big Boss?
From the other end came a somewhat frivolous male voice, thick with weariness, as if he had just woken up.
Qin Zheng (TL Note: A character name, distinct from Tian Zheng) pursed his lips, then directly typed out a message.
[Help me look up a person.]
–Oh?
The person on the other end sounded surprised, so much so that even their drowsiness seemed to recede considerably.
–Don’t tell me it’s another enemy?
–Do you need your little brother here to find someone to take care of them for you?
–Don’t worry, the price will be absolutely fair!
“Shut up!” Qin Zheng’s brow furrowed, his voice instantly turning stern.
“I only need the most basic information, so tell your people to be honest.
“Otherwise, I imagine I’ll only be able to visit you in prison during the New Year.”
–Whoa… I was just joking, Big Boss, do you have to be so strict?!
–I’m telling you, if you keep this up, you’ll never find a girlfrie—
–*Beep!*
Before the person on the other end could say anything more, Qin Zheng directly ended the call.
He then opened another category in his contact list and sent a message to one of the contacts.
[Transfer twenty thousand Huaxia Yuan (TL Note: The currency of Huaxia) to this account.]
Approximately thirty seconds later, a reply came through.
[It’s done, BOSS.]
Upon receiving the message, Qin Zheng opened his Skycomm and entered a new Skycomm number.
After successfully adding it, he paused, then created a new category and dragged the contact into it.
Gazes at the new contact, he hesitated for a moment before sending a brief message.
However, after waiting several seconds, he received no reply, surmising that the owner of the Skycomm number on the other end must have been preoccupied and hadn’t seen it.
Qin Zheng closed the page with a hint of regret.
Feeling a rumble in his stomach, he then made another call to have some food delivered.
While sitting on the sofa, waiting for the delivery, he didn’t remain idle.
Instead, he opened a communication software and initiated a video call to a specifically marked contact.
A full thirty seconds passed before the call was finally accepted on the other end.
The moment the video began, the handsome young man who appeared on the other side spoke with extreme irritation.
“Qin Zheng, you’d better have something important to tell me, or I’m cutting you off for good!
“Do you have any idea I was just fighting a BOSS with a few people?
“Your call startled me so much that I miscast a skill and the monster seized the opportunity to claw me to death!”
To prevent becoming too engrossed in ‘Otherworld’ and missing crucial real-world information, players could synchronize and bind their game login devices with their Skycomms or home smart assistants while playing.
This ensured that any real-world events would still be notified within the game, preventing various issues arising from missed alerts.
The young man on the other side of the video was clearly in this exact situation.
However, Qin Zheng, the culprit, showed no trace of embarrassment, stating very calmly, “Calm down.”
“How can I calm down?!” The young man had originally intended to say more, but upon seeing Qin Zheng’s expression, he couldn’t help but sigh.
“Fine, what is it you want?
“If it’s not important, I’m hanging up.”
“I want to sell you a few things.”
As he spoke, the man had already transmitted several images.
The young man on the other side grew increasingly puzzled, accepting the information while asking in confusion, “Sell me things?
“What could you possibly have to sell… huh?”
His words trailed off midway as he froze, and after a brief silence, an expression of disbelief suddenly spread across his face.
“Holy crap! This isn’t photoshopped, is it?!
“The game’s only been open for two or three days, Qin Zheng, how did you get these?!
“A system bug?”
The young man was incredibly agitated, yet Qin Zheng maintained his indifferent expression, slowly asking, “One hundred thousand.
“Do you want them?”
“What?! One hundred thousand?!
“Why don’t you just go rob someone, you bastard!
“Qin Zheng, do I look like an ATM to you?”
“Yes.”
The young man: “…”
Both sides fell silent for a considerable while.
Though the other person was seething with anger, they couldn’t unleash it under Qin Zheng’s gaze.
Finally, he ran his hand through his disheveled hair, saying helplessly, “I mean, we’ve been friends for over ten years, and you’re fleecing me like this?”
“Even brothers settle accounts clearly.
“Besides, my price is undeniably fair.
“So, do you want them or not?
“If not, I’ll go find Tan Yongcheng.”
Qin Zheng maintained his cold expression, making the young man on the other side practically gnash his teeth in frustration.
“Damn it, you’re ruthless!
“It’s just one hundred thousand, isn’t it?
“Just the price of a bottle of wine, a mere trifle.
“Fine, I’ll pay, you old man!”
“Then I’ll mail them to you in-game later.”
Qin Zheng nodded, preparing to end the video call, but the other side quickly interjected.
“Wait! I’ll add another ten thousand, just tell me how you got these items!”
Qin Zheng’s lips curved into a faint smile.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he directly disconnected the video call and, with practiced ease, dragged the other party into his blacklist.