Today is a special day.
The players have descended into this world.
The wheels of fate have begun to turn slowly!
However, something feels different.
For some reason,
The people from various major powers on the continent inexplicably felt as if a giant boulder had been pressed upon their hearts,
Their heartbeat halted, making it difficult to breathe.
In the city of Lièyáng (Flare) City, the capital of the Hiss Empire,
Even as night fell, it was not dark; the city was brightly lit.
Gleaming magical gemstones embedded in the towering city walls provided illumination for the night while showcasing the profound foundation of this vast human empire as a powerful nation.
"Kass, when will these outsiders arrive?"
"I don't know! All I know is that standing guard at the city gate is terribly boring!"
At the city gate, two guards clad in armor and wielding polearms stood idly, exchanging dull conversation.
At that moment,
"Excuse me, can I enter the city?"
A gentle male voice reached their ears.
The two guards momentarily froze and instinctively turned to look in the direction of the voice.
A man had suddenly appeared in front of the city gate.
A rather peculiar man.
He was tall, with black hair and eyes, and an elegant, deep expression.
He wore a dark robe, adorned with intricate and profound patterns that were subtle yet imposing, fitting him perfectly.
Though his appearance suggested a young gentleman who had not seen much of the world,
There was something about him that conveyed a sense of ancient, weathered wisdom, as if he had experienced the trials of life and witnessed the world's sorrows.
It was a striking contradiction.
They had seen all sorts of people in their time on guard, but they had never encountered someone like this.
Nonetheless,
Such a person was clearly beyond their means to provoke.
"Y-yes, sir, you need to pay a toll of 1 silver coin!"
The guards, initially dazed, quickly came to their senses. One of them, appearing somewhat timid, said.
"I don't have any money!"
Despite his fine appearance, the man shook his head firmly.
"Uh, well…"
How can you say you have no money dressed like that?
At least change into some rough clothes!
Paying a toll is a standard practice across the continent!
A person of your stature should know better than to make things difficult for us little guards!
The guards felt quite helpless.
"But I have this; will it do?"
They thought they might have to cover the cost themselves.
However, the distinguished man continued to smile gently and produced a fiery red crystal, showing it to them.
"This…"
The guards' eyes widened, and they stared, their breathing becoming more labored.
For a moment,
All they could see was the crystal in the man's hand.
It was a small red crystal, seemingly with a flame burning inside, radiating the purest fire-type magical energy.
This… Could it be a Fire Spirit Crystal?
Such a crystal could only be found in the extremely hot and dangerous southern forbidden zones!
It contains pure fire magic and is highly sought after by fire mages.
Its value is immense,
This single crystal could buy up a whole street of shops in the capital.
And it is extremely rare, with a market value beyond reach.
Everyone knows that such treasures are hidden in the far south forbidden zone,
But what is a forbidden zone?
It has claimed the lives of countless greedy souls.
Even if one obtains the treasure, very few manage to return from such perilous lands unscathed.
And now, this item was right before them.
Though they were of low social rank, they had some knowledge.
The two guards felt as if they were hallucinating.
"Sir… We… We can't make change…"
One of the guards swallowed hard and stammered.
However, there was no response.
The figure before them flashed,
And soon, no trace of him remained.
Only the fiery red crystal lay quietly on the ground, indicating someone had been there.
"Sir?"
"Kass… Kass… Do you think what that person meant was… we don't need to make change!"
The two guards focused their gazes, staring blankly at the crystal on the ground.
For a moment, they felt their heads spinning, overwhelmed.
"I… I suppose so…"
"So that means…"
They exchanged looks, their eyes filled with unspoken excitement.
"Aaron, I want to be a guard here for the rest of my life!"
...
"Tsk… Is this the most prosperous city in this world?"
"Interesting!"
Even at night,
The surrounding magical street lamps glowed brightly, with people of all races and attire bustling about.
Though it was a world entirely different from the modern steel and concrete world,
Human society's big cities still shared commonalities,
And the city was as bustling at night as ever.
Today, however, there was a young man who seemed somewhat out of place amidst the surroundings.
He looked around with curiosity, seeming to be fascinated by everything.
Yet his ethereal demeanor made passersby glance at him instinctively, without any hint of contempt.
This man was Ethan Drake.
He possessed the power to grant his followers the ability to change forms, and naturally, he wielded such magic himself!
It was not difficult!
The game had just begun, and he did not want to make a grand entrance that would draw too much attention.
So he had taken on a human form and entered the capital city of the Hiss Empire.
With the players still in the beginner village, he planned to explore the human metropolis first and start making his plans.
As for the Fire Spirit Crystal,
A treasure that everyone covets,
To him,
It was just a worthless rock!
His resting place was littered with such trash; he could easily create as many as he wanted with a bit of magic.
It was more of a nuisance than a comfort.
Though he wielded invincible power and was a being of ultimate evil, he had no intention of troubling ordinary people who were merely insignificant to him.
That would be too petty!
It was a matter of vision and generosity.
Besides, he once thought of these people as living in the mundane and ordinary dust.
Of course, if the insects dared to show their fangs at him, that would be another matter.
"Someone, catch her! Help me catch her! The vile Dark Elf! She's a thief!"
Just as Ethan Drake was leisurely strolling down the street,
A commotion erupted among the pedestrians ahead.
In the chaos, figures darted towards Ethan's direction.