Chapter 062: The Agent
The three brothers exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. The eldest said, "We can give him a try. These items aren't worth much anyway. If someone helps us sell the equipment we loot, we'll save a lot of time for leveling up. If we need any gear, we can ask him to help us acquire it!"
Seeing his two brothers consent, Lin Jia turned to Solitary Wind and said, "Hey man, there's no need for pretense. If we didn't trust you, we wouldn't have returned your equipment. We think you're a decent person, that's why we're dealing with you. The fact that you're willing to hand over your gear and gold shows you're not attached to these things. What we've got isn't anything rare, so from now on, we'll let you sell everything we find! We'll keep the base price, anything extra is yours!"
Solitary Wind chuckled, "Alright! I won't say more."
The eldest added, "If you see anyone selling high-level quality equipment, help us buy it. But if it's too expensive, forget it."
Lin Jia then traded back the one million Solitary Wind had just given him, saying, "You'd better keep this money. We don't need it; keep it for buying equipment on our behalf. If you spot anything good, especially those freakishly powerful items with high magic and attack, keep an eye out for us. By the way, when are you usually online?"
Solitary Wind accepted the gold, replying, "It varies. I'm in my final year at university, barely any classes left, so I'm always in my dorm playing. My computer's right by my bed—if I'm tired, I sleep, when I wake up, I play... Usually, I'm online from afternoon until the next morning. Mornings are my nap time!" The three, who hadn't attended university, nearly fainted with envy at the student lifestyle. What a blessed existence!
The eldest traded all their stored equipment to Solitary Wind, including the rare female warrior heavy armor. The player market was currently starved for level 22 class gear and sets, and the trove unearthed from the brothers’ warehouse nearly shocked Solitary Wind out of his wits. "Where did you get all this equipment? And it's all high-level... Damn! So many rare items? Our group of twenty classmates spent ages in the Pig Cave and never got this much!"
Lin Jia grinned, "Haha! That's a trade secret! Luck’s on our side, dropped by zombies and red-black wild boars!" Lin Jia left a loophole; trust is built step by step. He didn’t feel guilty, as they really did get them from zombies and red-black wild boars—he just didn’t mention the location.
Solitary Wind laughed in delight, "Wow! This stash is enough for me to start from scratch! Don’t worry, I’ll sell it all for you guys soon!"
Lin Jia smiled, "We’ve played for a whole day and night, so now we’re going home to sleep. Maybe we’ll be back tonight."
Solitary Wind, still excited, replied, "Oh! Then hurry home and rest. No wonder you've looted so much—your online time is impressive! I’ll sell all your gear during the day, and you can pick up the cash tonight. Here, this is my phone number, 13871824819. Call me if you need anything. What about yours?"
"We're broke! No phones! If you need us, call my home number, 027-82410810!" The brothers came from ordinary families; getting a phone seemed premature. Even though phones weren't outrageously expensive, costing about two thousand, their parents weren’t willing to buy one, and they didn’t have their own income yet. They could only envy their peers with those trendy gadgets. (Note: Please, do NOT dial the numbers mentioned! If anything happens, I won’t be responsible! Sweat! One is for emergency services, the other is an information line...)
Logging off from Legend, they exited to QQ and added Solitary Wind. The three brothers finally staggered out of the cyber café, legs wobbly. The eldest asked, "Coming back tonight?"
Lin Jia thought for a moment, "I can come, no problem. What about you guys?"
The fourth replied, "I’ll tell my parents I bought a net café card here to get online. They’ll probably scold me, but I bet they’ll let me come. As long as I don’t go out messing around, they don’t usually object to me going online. Heh! Second brother, if I tell them I’m with you, their little angel, they seem pretty reassured! Looks like I’ll be using you as my cover!"
"Get lost!" Lin Jia rolled his eyes and kicked him. He looked at the eldest, who hesitated, "I’ll see. I’ll try to come!" As a girl, it wasn’t ideal for her to be out late every night. Lin Jia and the fourth cast sympathetic glances at her, then went their separate ways.
Lin Jia, dizzy and lightheaded, got home to find his mother absent and his father at work. He rummaged through the closet for a pair of baggy shorts, then dashed to the bathroom for a refreshing cold shower. The "elixir" under his arms could roll into a bun and choke a man.
Feeling much better after washing up, Lin Jia shuffled in slippers, water dripping from his hair, into the kitchen searching for food. To save money, none of the brothers had eaten breakfast before heading home, so after the shower, his stomach—empty all night—rumbled like thunder.
He searched the kitchen but found no breakfast left by his mother. Sticking out his tongue, he realized she must have been angry—another night spent out, and she’d probably scold him when she returned. Not even a breakfast left behind!
He quickly made a glass of milk, tossed a few ice cubes in, gulped it down, and crawled into his den to sleep. The moment he lay down, Lin Jia had never felt his bed so comfortable. They say when you're tired, your head hits the pillow and you fall asleep. Lin Jia didn’t even make it that far—he was out before his head landed, crashing straight onto the pillow...
He slept through heaven and earth, oblivious to the time, until his stomach thundered, forcing him to sit up. Dazed, he wiped drool from his chin, smacked his lips, and looked toward the window—pitch black outside. He glanced at his bedroom door, where a sliver of living room light shone through the crack.
"What time is it?" Lin Jia murmured groggily, reaching for the little pig alarm clock on his nightstand. The second hand inside the pig’s belly ticked away, the hour hand pointed at ten. Ten at night? Lin Jia had slept nearly fourteen hours, skipping three meals—no wonder he was starving.
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[Note: Today’s third chapter! Beasts, are you satisfied? I’ll see if I can write another before work tonight... Oh hohohohoho~]