Xiao Yu was not very picky with food. He would be satisfied as long as it kept his stomach full and it tasted good.
Compared to the expensive and rare seafood, Xiao Yu preferred more common foods such as a bowl of beef noodle, or wantons, or chicken rice.
However, it did not mean that he had no standard on food. It could be simple, but not plain. The food had to at least be edible and meet the daily nutrient requirements.
He did not exercise often, so if his meals were bad too, he would have a poor body.
Opening the fridge, it was empty. He would have to go out to have the food instead.
Outside, the Sun had just revealed itself slightly. It was the start of Autumn, so it was pretty cool. Xiao Yu was freshened up by the morning breeze.
He found a shop that sold breakfast. He ordered some buns and a bowl of porridge.
He was a regular customer in this shop. The waitress' name was Liu Xiaoyu. Although her looks could not be compared to a model's, she was beautiful and approachable. Xiao Yu often chatted with her when he visited here.
"So early today? Stayed up all night again?" Liu Xiaoyu asked as she brought up his order.
"Yea, just finished my game."
"You better watch yourself. I heard that holographic games send radiation to the brain. It's not good for the body."
Xiao Yu grabbed a bun and stuffed it in his mouth and mumbled, "I need the money, Miss. Who cares about radiation when I can't feed myself? It's just like how you started working this early in the morning."
"Fine, I'm just saying. It's up to you." Liu Xiaoyu sat beside Xiao Yu and watched him have his breakfast. It was too early to have another customer.
After some time, she asked curiously, "Anyway, I heard that professional gamers earn a lot of money. Is that true? You don't look like the type who drives fancy cars and picks up girls."
Xiao Yu rolled his eyes and replied, "That's for e-sports players or owners of studios… We are just ordinary players—it would be good to even have five digits every month."
"That's a lot! I spend so much effort here and only get about $3,000 per month. That's nothing compared to players like you. Can I follow you in the game? I won't ask for more. I'm good with five or six thousand per month."
The cost of living was increasing every year. Although his earnings were nothing compared to the rich people, he was much better off than the average person.
He had considered having some helpers in the game, and it would be more convenient for him. He did not have any high hopes for Liu Xiaoyu, though. It was very rare for female players to be good at the game. Thus, it was uncommon for female players to devote themselves to the game like he was doing.
Xiao Yu was too lazy to tell her the details, and said briefly, "You can play the game, of course. I can teach you after you get your gaming cube. I cannot guarantee you that you can earn money in the game, though. It really depends on your talent. Some people are just not fit to play it. I cannot do anything if you can't play it well. So I suggest you just take it as a part-time job."
"Hmph! I'm very smart, okay? Simple games like those are nothing to me! After all, how hard can grinding monsters be?" Liu Xiaoyu argued back.
She made Xiao Yu laugh. Since he was bored, he started sharing the basics of the game. "This game is nothing like the normal games you played before. Not only can players be adventurers, they can be monsters, heroes, mercenaries, merchants, and so on. I chose the Monster Mode. In Monster Mode, you start off as a common monster, and it's so weak that it literally only takes one hit to kill you. You have to complete a series of plot events to advance. It's not easy at all."
He told her what had happened to him over these past few days. "How is it? Frightening, right?"
Liu Xiaoyu looked at Xiao Yu doubtfully and said, "It doesn't sound that hard. Just role-play as monsters or NPCs, right? I think it's really nothing."
"Really? Let's have a bet. If you can advance from Monster Mode to Boss Mode in a month, I will teach you everything I know and promise you that you can make at least $5,000 a month. If you lose the bet, you will treat me to buns for a month."
"Sure, why not?" Liu Xiaoyu said and made a pinky promise with Xiao Yu.
"Deal!"
"I'll get the gaming cube tonight. I have some customers now, please excuse me." Liu Xiaoyu did a curtsy and started attending to the other customers.
Xiao Yu smiled. Liu Xiaoyu was indeed a funny girl to talk with. She was good-looking and very friendly. There would've been a lot of guys after her ten years ago. Unfortunately, the development of the virtual world was too fast these days. There were too many good-looking girls in virtual adult games, and there was hardly any difference in the experience. Users did not have to worry about their kidneys too. They could play in any way they liked, with any number of girls. It made the girls in reality much less appealing. (That applies to guys too.)
Xiao Yu never had a girlfriend before, but he was not even nervous when talking to Liu Xiaoyu just now. It would be easier for him to turn her down if she was not very good at the game.
He did not take Liu Xiaoyu's words too seriously. In his opinion, she was unlikely to meet the goal.
While casually eating his food, Xiao Yu was still thinking about the strange voice he had heard before. Generally speaking, some strange things were inevitable in the game. After all, ghosts did exist in the game, but it still made him uneasy.
However, he only felt uneasy for a second as he thought about the Shadow Brotherhood. He had heard of the name before, but he thought it was just a normal Monster Force. He did not expect it to be controlled by the Shadow Dynasty Studio.
He took out his laptop and opened the Firmament Archive. There was detailed information on all the plot events that happened in the game.
He searched the forum for Night Whisper Village and found some pages about it being raided by monsters. There were not many views for this topic as it was just a beginner village. There were plenty of other such villages in the game.
He searched the same thing on the Firmament Archive and found more results.
Firmament Archive: Volume of Aizelasi—Chapter of the Alliance—Night Elf History—Section 963—The Riot of Monster in Night Whisper Village.
Firmament Age 1375. Goblin leader Eric, Gnoll leader Derek, Human Bandit Blake Rhode, and Kobold leader Golden Tooth started a secret alliance and launched a surprise attack on Night Whisper Village.
Due to the lack of defense, the alliance trampled over the guards and took down Night Whisper Village.
In this war, Night Whisper Village suffered a devastating loss. Archdruid Manster Moonwalker was killed and the villagers were brutally murdered.
The slaughter was stopped when help from the Cenarius Council arrived.
With the help of some Adventurers, commander Ruslan Sharp Claw fought bravely against the alliance and eventually won the war even when he was severely outnumbered. He managed to recover Night Whisper Village and killed Golden Tooth, Derek, and Blake Rhode. Eric managed to escape and there was no news on him.
Ruslan Sharp Claw was rewarded for his bravery in the war. He was made a new Hero in the Alliance.