Two people who were completely opposite had issues even communicating. In reality, they might just curse behind each other's back, but in the game, why hold back? They'd definitely start fighting.
With 100,000 players, after two battles, you don't even need to think about how many sworn enemies were made. Just to snatch military exploits, they'd fight until their heads broke.
Yesterday, those Baldy Gang members, green with envy and constantly chattering away, let slip quite a bit: chattering away and A Deer found such a hidden place with heavenly and earthly treasures because they got lost in the forest after losing a fight and running away.
Hill thought about what Nie Xingchen said, "Thanks to Road Eunuch! If they hadn't outnumbered us and ambushed us, would you have entered that forest?"
He thought he knew who Road Eunuch was.
Half an hour was almost up, and Lu Huayu politely said goodbye to Hill before leaving.
Hill thought about those Doomsday players who nearly died of rage while gesturing at each other yesterday. None of them could rank ahead of this person, which says a lot about their cunning.
Yep, right, he's just an NPC who doesn't understand anything, no need to consider these grudges and hatreds.
The ones who came in next were indeed the Doomsday group. They didn't seem upset about not being the first batch. Hill guessed that the Baldy Gang would be next, and they were probably already cursing outside the door.
This group didn't have Lu Huayu's cunning. They treated Hill as nothing more than a tool for selling stuff. After a couple of glances, they went to sell and buy things. Hill noticed that someone bought a carriage, which might have been bought by the Baldy Gang yesterday. They huddled together at the medicine cabinet, bought a bunch, and then left.
They didn't even notice Hill's clothes; such a brute force approach from this group.
Hill touched his clothes, hoping for more perceptive people.
As expected, the Baldy Gang came in third. Besides him and Xiao Liuliu, Hill didn't recognize anyone else. It seemed like they brought new fellow members to do business seriously.
Baldy, cursing and looking furious, made a beeline for the medicine cabinet and surprisingly bypassed Hill's workbench without trying to cozy up, leaving Hill puzzled.
The cunning of the Doomsday people was clear; two people who came in before Baldy were obviously tracking what Baldy was buying. If Xiao Liuliu stepped away, someone would follow.
Baldy angrily started buying Healing Medicine and Mana Potions.
The couple quickly made their purchases without a hint of concern and left. Those two Doomsday players smugly milled around in front of the still-shopping Baldy Family members.
A swordsman called A Good Girl obviously wanted to start a fight but was stopped by a Priest named Jiu Yusheng.
They muttered to each other for a moment, and in the end, about ten people hogged the Puppet for receiving goods until the 30-minute mark.
Hill found it confusing. Those two people who came in didn't buy anything or even seem to want to sell. Did they get up early just to annoy Baldy? They must have queued at dawn to get in so early!
But Hill had heard the Baldy couple muttering about being out of money yesterday. They came in with new people, perhaps also to casually connect with Hill?
The thoughts of these players are truly strange; they're so happy doing things harmful to others but not beneficial to themselves. Could it be he's out of touch?
Hill kept muttering to himself internally.
Only the people who came in later made Hill satisfied: several were pondering what hidden quests Perfect Bald might have received.
These people tried very hard to strike up a conversation with Hill for a quest, and when that didn't work, they attempted to probe into Baldy's favorability with Hill. The name of Romantic Drunk Red Dust was also repeatedly mentioned.
Hill's clothes seemed to have been conceded by these shrewd folks as a gift from Baldy.
Hill maintained a cold detachment, not engaging with these people, presenting a complete contrast to his approachable demeanor from a couple of days ago. He seemed like a tool from a previous task with no quest chains.
The players' rumors always spread quickly. In the coming period, they will surely be seeking Baldy's vulnerabilities to figure out how to snatch quests.
Hill admired these players, who, in order to talk to him, really obtained some materials not listed on his Alchemy Badge.
Hill happily bought them at a high price and promptly registered them on his Badge.
When Hill named the prices, he saw many people taking pictures. These items were all high-priced yet extremely rare materials intended for exploratory loss. Hill didn't even know Saral had them!
Once posted on the forums, over a million people would look for them. How blissful!
Opportunistic players will certainly bring Hill great surprises.
Even if Baldy's truth slowly leaks, Hill will be back at the Magic Tower.
Once William's war mobilization order gets issued, all player attention will shift to the battle of Haifasardo. Hill could then go into hiding again.
This upcoming conflict won't end as swiftly as the previous two. The Noble Temple will surely come in force, and most nations will likely become involved. As long as Hill maintains his mystique in the interim, by the time stability is regained, Baldy's Family should have secured their territory in Fran's land and garnered the earliest and greatest benefits. Then, they wouldn't mind the players' anger and covetousness. With this precedent, players will surely become familiar with how to enter Fran's Magic Town, the library's catalog, and the study routine of Alchemy should already be posted for study.
To protect their interests, Baldy's Family will surely work hard. Hill is looking forward to the battle to protect Fran's Territory.
He must skillfully use the deceit and intrigue among the players, Hill clenched his fist and swore.
Dusk approached, and fewer players were coming in, as today's goods were almost sold out.
Hill intended to keep the daily purchase limit until the end, no restocking in between.
But by then, there was no line anymore. Hill noticed many wealthy players arriving, heading straight for the least sold luxury goods. In just a short time, two carriages had been sold. Jewelry was being cleared out in substantial amounts.
A girl quietly entered on her own, skillfully sweeping up all the jewelry in one go, leaving Hill unable to help but notice. She didn't take a carriage but casually picked up an Alchemy Hut.
The radiance of a wealthy woman shines in any world! Hill recalled the games he used to play, wondering if all those begging for a rich woman's care in the virtual world were inspired by this sort of spectacle.
She came in silence and left in silence, taking only a few photos with Hill and leaving behind millions of Gold Coins.
Hill carefully saved her image into the store's core system, reminding himself to show her the premium goods from the bottom of the stockpile next time she came!
The door opened again, and a familiar face entered: Romantic Drunk Red Dust from the Baldy Gang. In his left hand was a Mage named Qian Yuyu, and in his right, a Priest named Qu Qingyan, bringing ladies to shop for goods.
The three of them giggled their way straight to the jewelry storage, and Hill took a careful look. Hm, Romantic was indeed a tool, as the two girls seemed to have brought him along as a guide and were now discussing things among themselves, having left him out.
After several failed attempts to join the conversation and being coldly ignored, Romantic Drunk Red Dust dejectedly went to sit in the gap between the groceries shelf and the back wall to play with his tablet.
It seemed he wisely realized that he would have to wait for the two ladies to finish picking their items, by which time Hill would probably be closing up shop.
A few more people came in, but Hill didn't pay them any attention; after all, failed flirting wasn't anything unusual.
Hill looked up at the clock hanging above the door. It was about time to close up.
However, Lu Huayu for some reason came in again. He glanced left and right, noticed the two girls from the Baldy Gang, and after a careful look, confirmed they were indeed busily shopping and quietly moved to the groceries counter.
There stood a girl who had been looking over the wares for a long time.
Curiosity got the better of Hill, and he couldn't help but listen intently.
"Little Bamboo." Lu Huayu's voice was still extremely gentle, "You've been working hard these days."
"It's nothing, helping you out is no trouble at all," the girl answered gently and tenderly, "but this can't go on like this. Some people might be feeling too fond of me."
"What's there to worry about? Little Bamboo is naturally likable."
"They've been so good to me, yet I secretly pass all their information to you, causing them to fail several times," the girl said with a sad tone. "Even though I know we belong to opposing factions and all means are fair in competition, it still upsets me."
"Little Bamboo is just too kind; this is all my fault," Lu Huayu confessed with deep emotion. "All the bad deeds are mine; you're just helping me. There's no need to feel guilty."
"Yu, you must win. I've been keeping an eye on the leaderboard these past few days, and your seventh place is really not safe. You need to be in the top ten to keep your territory!"
"Don't worry, I will strive to hold on. Once I secure the territory, I promise to arrange the most splendid wedding for us!"
"I'll wait for you. Don't worry, there's not much activity going on lately. It seems like the tasks here can no longer be accepted, and everyone's gone offline in disappointment."
"It's a pity we don't know what task Perfect Bald took on; his military exploits surged so much in no time!"
"I've inquired carefully, and they don't know anything here either. Anyway, he's competing for the top three, so let's not worry about it for now, shall we?"
"It's always good to be informed. If we lose this time, we can beat him next time."
"Then I'll pay more attention. I'll inform you immediately if I find any clues."
"Yeah, you're the most reliable when it comes to getting things done," Lu Huayu said, then quickly changed the topic, "After you, go check out the jewelry. Those two are from the Baldy Family; I've seen them before. Get to know them well."
"You only care about girls. How come you never remember a few guys?"
"Observing more people helps me realize that you are the most beautiful!"
"Heh, you're good at sweet-talking just to fool me."
"Okay, I have to go now. You take a look at the jewelry, and if you like anything, send me a picture. I really can't accompany you shopping today."
"Do I need you to buy it for me? I'm not broke."
"My intentions are priceless! I want you to wear the jewelry I give you during these hard times."
"That's true; touching it does make me feel a lot more determined."
"It's all for me, only a few days left. Little Bamboo, I look forward to your triumphant return."
"Rest assured, just wait for me."
Hill took a careful look at the girl named Two Lines of Bamboo, who seemed shy and timid, and shuddered.
After the two parted ways, Hill saw Romantic Drunk Red Dust crawling out from behind the groceries counter with his tablet. He glanced back at Two Lines of Bamboo, who had already gone to make connections with her own gang's sisters, and slipped out the door without hesitation.
Soon after, the two girls picked up their tablets: "Hey, why are we gathering now? Sorry, girl, let's talk another time."
"Such a rush!" Qu Qingyan pulled the still-talking Qian Yuyu, and they dashed out the door.
Two Lines of Bamboo, who wanted to make friends via tablet, had no choice but to give up and start lingering over the jewelry again, taking a long time before she left.
Hill quickly closed the door. Since there were no more customers, and he was bursting with gossip with no one to share it with, the frustration was almost unbearable. He felt that if anyone else came looking for a chat, he might just explode.
Hill was actually somewhat envious of Romantic Drunk Red Dust; he must be the center of attention right now—the most dazzling member of the Baldy Family, as he had just given them a juicy story to talk about for days.
Whereas Hill had to control his emotions, after all, both Adrian and Fran could come by, and they certainly wouldn't understand why Hill was so excited.
Hill was going through a bout of online self-isolation.