Chapter 18: Thirty Thousand Applicants?
[Beep, players wishing to participate in the mission may register at the Worry-Free County government office.]
[Beep, due to high difficulty, players are advised to register in teams.]
[Beep, mission points earned can be traded; rewards must be redeemed at the government office.]
[Beep, points will expire one month after the mission ends; please redeem in time.]
Within half an hour of the system announcement, the bulletin board in Worry-Free County was plastered with notices about the bandit raid and a call for volunteers.
“Black Mountain Stronghold? What’s that supposed to be?”
“They actually dared to come to our Worry-Free County?”
“Aren’t they afraid of dying?”
Villagers gathered around the bulletin board exchanged bewildered glances. They couldn’t understand why any bandits would dare attack Worry-Free County.
Didn’t they know that Lu Yuan was the protector of this place?
Were they truly fearless?
Although their chief captain hadn’t had a major case in five years, that didn’t mean he lacked the ability to handle one.
Their chief captain wasn’t one to tolerate intruders.
Anyone bold enough to step onto his turf faced only one fate: death.
“I heard Black Mountain Stronghold is a bandit gang that has risen in recent years. They probably haven’t heard of our chief captain’s reputation.”
“If they knew about him and still dared to attack, I’d have to wonder if their leader’s brain was scrambled.”
“They’re just naive.”
“Remember Qingcheng Mountain? They were arrogant too, and their leader was a third-rank martial warrior, but look how that ended.”
“I’ve heard that Black Mountain Stronghold has a few thousand bandits. Their leader is the strongest but only a fifth-rank martial warrior.”
“Not much to be worried about.”
“Most likely, the chief captain will use this as a warm-up.”
The small-time traders spoke confidently, without a hint of panic.
They didn’t take the matter seriously.
Their chief captain could single-handedly wipe out those bandits.
Lu Yuan was very confident in this.
“Maybe five years ago, but now? It’s hard to say.”
A passerby nearby spoke mysteriously.
“What do you mean? Five years ago the chief captain could kill indiscriminately; five years later, he still can.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what?”
“I mean, five years ago, their people could barely serve as warm-up for the chief captain. Five years later? Who knows.”
“Oh, I see. Haha.”
“Yeah, hard to say.”
“The chief captain must be even stronger now.”
“This will be interesting.”
...
“These NPCs are so confident,” said several players in the crowd, overhearing the NPCs’ chatter. They wondered just how strong Lu Yuan really was.
Curious.
“Stop worrying. Form a team? I’m level 11, ninth-rank martial warrior.”
“Team up, team up! I’m level 10, ninth-rank martial warrior.”
“Can I join? I’m level 8, almost ninth-rank.”
“Sure, add me, let’s form a team.”
“I’m the highest level; I’ll be the leader, alright?”
“Sounds good, with you leading, I feel safe.”
“By the way, I’m buying points—ten per point, platform trade allowed.”
“A wealthy player?”
“Some money, but not a big shot.”
“Let me check this point system.”
“Earn points by killing bandits. The higher the bandit’s level, the more points you get. Points are evenly split among team members after a kill.”
“Not bad.”
“We have four people. If we kill a level 10 bandit, each of us gets 2.5 points.”
“If we can take down the boss, won’t the points skyrocket?”
“Dream on. It’s broad daylight—why daydream? That boss is a fifth-rank martial warrior, level 50. We’re barely over level 10. How do you expect us to fight a level 50 boss?”
“Come on, man, everyone needs dreams, or what’s the difference between us and salted fish?”
“We can’t beat the boss, but we can steal kills.”
“The system doesn’t forbid kill-stealing.”
“Hm?”
“Good point.”
“You’re really a little clever one.”
...
On the game forum:
[Worry-Free County hidden mission, team up, level 10 and above. Those with special skills may private message.]
[Urgently need large quantities of poison; private trade allowed, cash or silver accepted.]
[Any sneaky players? Let’s team up, four versus one.]
[Can the registration time be extended? I’m in Jinling, can’t make it, ahhh, so frustrated.]
[I’m in the capital, even farther away, boohoo, I want to join too! I want points! I want profound martial arts.]
[Buying points in bulk, price negotiable.]
The game forum was bustling with activity.
Various posts about buying points and forming teams.
Outside the Worry-Free County government office, the scene was even livelier; players had already formed a long queue.
The numbers were staggering.
There were even many players from the surrounding area rushing to get there.
Although the system stated that only players within a hundred li of Worry-Free County could register, the restriction was lax. Even players from farther away could register as long as they entered Worry-Free County within the designated time.
Those who couldn’t make it weren’t discouraged.
Because the points could be traded without restrictions.
Even if you didn’t participate in the mission, as long as you had points, you could redeem rewards at the government office.
Thus, many players far from Worry-Free County could obtain points through trading.
Besides, points remained valid for a month after the mission ended.
No matter how remote your location, a month was enough time to get there.
...
“There are too many outsiders.”
“I feel like there are more outsiders than registered residents of Worry-Free County.”
“Is that reasonable?”
“Who are the guests and who are the hosts?”
The clerk responsible for registration had worn his hand out from copying.
Nearly thirty thousand people had registered in just one afternoon.
My heavens.
How many bandits were there?
Black Mountain Stronghold only had a few thousand bandits.
A few thousand against thirty thousand, maybe more.
The thought alone sent chills down the spine.
The clerk suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for the bandits of Black Mountain Stronghold.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“If someone is helping us repel the bandits, what else do you have to complain about?”
“The question of who is guest and who is host is not ours to worry about.”
“That’s for the emperor to think about.”
“Mind your own business.”
Lu Yuan scolded the meddling clerk.
“Chief Captain, you won’t have to intervene this time, right?”
“Hard to say.”
“Though there are many outsiders, their strength is weak.”
Lu Yuan glanced at the levels floating above the players’ heads.
Level 5.
Level 4.
Level 11.
There were very few players above level 10.
Most hovered around level 5 or 6, with some one- or two-level players just trying their luck.
Hmm.
It was going to be tough.
...