Seagulls glided around the blue sky. Calm waves filled the blue sea. The damaged yet grand SV Fly was silent but busy at the same time.
Countless white sails started to gather around SV Fly. After all, there were very few organized fleets like Earthshaking Cannon's team. Hence, most players gathering here were individual accounts. That was the best for Da Fei!
Sword from the West yelled at those who just arrived. "Those who just came, be mindful and start queuing! Help Brother Fei load up the cargo!"
What was the herd mentality? This was it! The second ship arrived aggressively, ready to start a battle. However, he was stunned when he saw Sword from the West obediently helping out in loading the cargo.
Since Da Fei could deceive one person, was the second one far away? Da Fei stood on top of his tall deck and yelled. "New guy, hand over your goods!"
The newcomer was not buying it. "Why?"
Why else did you come?
"Because he can get 10,000, while you can't even get 5,000!" Da Fei said coldly.
Sword from the West immediately supported Da Fei. "Brother, we're here to offer our heads anyways. There's no way we can keep our cargo. Let's just think of this as selling a favor to Brother Fei. We're all merchants. Aren't we in this for the profits? There's no point in insulting Brother Fei."
Da Fei tapped his head and smiled. "Brother, you're right. Since you won't get to keep your troops anyways, why not give me your troops now too?"
Sword from the West smiled. "No problem!" However, he was smiling coldly on the inside. When you try to strike later, that's when I'll activate my instant kill.
The newcomer thought for a while. It made sense. Since the Big Boss was definitely compensating them, there was no need to offend a Red Name. Hence, he willingly joined the labor crew.
With the second one in line, the third one was even easier. "What are you guys doing?"
The two of them replied, "Come help out. Give him the cargo and troops you don't need."
"Did the boss make this arrangement?"
Da Fei humphed. "Do I look like the boss?"
Sword from the West continued to support Da Fei. "Brother Fei is busy. Hurry and help out."
"Oh." It did not matter to the newcomer. He was fine with things as long as the Big Boss was still offering compensation.
Then, the fourth person arrived. "This is…?"
Everyone replied, "Don't ask so many questions. The sooner we move everything, the sooner we'll be done."
"Oh…"
Then, there were the fifth, sixth… a busy work site was soon formed. Brother Fei's sailor army snowballed into tens of people. With such a huge army and such an orderly scene, these individual players appeared to have forgotten their original purpose in coming here.
Do you know what you're doing? Actually, I don't know either.
This was the herd mentality. Everyone was subconsciously leading one another. This was the similarity between humans and sheep. Both would subconsciously follow the majority. They would feel that since everyone was doing something, they should join in. Da Fei was in some multi-level marketing scheme before. He was well aware of this mentality.
What next? Da Fei looked at the constantly arriving small ships with a deep and distant gaze.
…
—"Dear audience, Hero News is here with you again. We have just received a live broadcast from a helpful player in-game. The player who has attracted plenty of attention, Da Fei, has finally appeared again. He has been spotted near the Elf Kingdom's Port Erolyn. This is probably his first time approaching land after days of drifting at sea. Just half an hour ago, Da Fei killed twenty merchant players responding to Raging Sea of Blood's wanted order. He has displayed incredible combat prowess. Right now, Da Fei has reached an agreement with the remaining merchants. The merchants strive not to offend either side. In their own words, they are offering their heads, as per Raging Sea of Blood's request. On the other hand, they are compensating Da Fei for his loss of Reputation points by offering their cargo. It's a very intense situation."
—"Right now we're playing the footage from another player. This footage clearly records Da Fei's SV Fly ship in all its details. Let's connect with the Dragon Slayer Guild's Dragon Fang, a famous professional eSports gamer in China, Mr. Chang Liang."
Host: "Hello, Mr. Chang Liang?"
An excited voice could be heard from the other end of the call. "Hello! Host! Audience members! I'm Chang Liang, or Dragon Fang from the largest Guild in China, the Dragon Slayer Guild. It's nice to meet you all… er, via the call."
The host smiled and said, "I heard that the newly formed Blood Sea Studio has joined the Dragon Slayer Guild. Then, the players are quite concerned about this issue. How will the Dragon Slayer Guild be treating this Da Fei?"
Chang Liang smiled and said, "That's the personal feud between Raging Sea of Blood and the other player. It does not represent our Dragon Slayer Guild's position. Our Dragon Slayer Guild's main objective is to let everyone have fun while playing."
Host: "Now that player Da Fei has sailed such a huge ship back, it must have left a deep impression on all the players there. What impact will such a huge ship have on the current players?"
Chang Liang sighed. "I personally feel that this really seems like cheating? I trust that all the merchant players there will share the same thought as me. However, judging from the video, this ship is filled with cracks and patches everywhere. Furthermore, the wood used to patch the cracks are decaying into mud. I believe that the ship will not have a long operational period from here on out. This may be a one-time use item awarded by the System, hopefully."
The host smiled. "There are close to 100 merchant ships in position now. Based on the estimates given by the players at the location, there are around 60 players above Level 10 and 30 players above Level 20. If Da Fei kills them all, how many gold coins will he need to clear his Red Name? Will the value of the cargo brought by these merchant players be enough for him to pay for the cost required to clear his name?"
Chang Liang laughed. "The ratio between the Red Name Reputation and the amount of money required to clear one's name is around 1:1. However, the lower your Reputation is, the more it will cost to clear your name. I heard that he lost 3,000 Reputation points after killing Raging Sea of Blood on the island. Just now, he wiped out a 20-man merchant fleet who were all around Level 20. That's another -4,000 Reputation points. He has to spend a minimum of 10,000 gold coins to clear his name. If he continues this rampage and his Reputation points fall below -10,000, his title will directly become 'Criminal'. He might not have the chance to clear his Red Name anymore. Instead, he might be directly captured by the NPC maritime police and sent to the Villains' Island. He will be forced to repent and repay for his sins through physical labor there. To be honest, I actually really want to see what the settings on the Villains' Island are like."
The host smiled. "I heard that it's a separate server. All the Red Names across the world are all exiled there."
Chang Liang smiled and replied, "He'll probably be really lonely there."
Just then, a commotion broke out in the background footage.
The host was surprised. "The order is disturbed. There's some new development!"
…
He was right. There was some new development! Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly arrived. All the small ships around SV Fly swayed greatly. This was the perfect opportunity that Da Fei was waiting for!
What perfect opportunity was he waiting for? Of course, he asked all the sailors to get into positions and set sail! Large ships were always slower in the calm coastal waters. Since it was fully stopped because of the series of robberies and fights, it desperately needed a strong gust of wind to take off. As for small ships, they were extremely unstable due to the swaying caused by the heavy wind. How would they have the ability to give chase? When else can I run? Did you really think that I'll kill you all? Can I still play this game if I do that? I'd rather offend the entire server than to offend the NPCs! Haha, wahahahaha!
As expected, the merchant players who realized that they were cheated immediately shouted angrily, "Liar! Trash liar!"
"Everyone, chase him together. Attack his ship and sink it. Don't let him get away!"
"I knew that something was off, so I recorded footage and uploaded it!"
"This Sword from the West must be his accomplice. Everyone, let's throw him into the ocean to feed the turtles!"
Sword from the West yelled. "I'm a victim too. I was lied to as well!"
…
SV Fly, with all positions occupied by sailors now, set sail. As the tens of small ships struggled to catch up to SV Fly and attack the ship body, Da Fei smiled calmly. You guys can throw all the things you want. I'll be making a move first. At the same time, he secretly celebrated his good fortune. If there was no strong wind to assist his break out, his ship would have suffered great damages. He would've had to start killing some of the merchants.
Sword from the West was thrown into the sea by angry players. Da Fei sighed as he watched it happen. This was exactly like multi-level marketing. The initial lie is simple. However, once the atmosphere and order are created, many people will still fall for it. Sword from the West played the most important role in any MLM scheme, the role of the cadre!
I'm not trying to hurt you guys. I'm educating you. Being cheated in a game is much better than being cheated in real life. This is called "learning about the evil so that you will protect the kind". Haha!
…
Just then, in the Hero News broadcast room, the Host was speechless as he stared at the live feed on the screen.
Finally, Chang Liang spoke. "Host, can you allow me to curse in front of the audience?"