I stepped forward to pick up the helmet dropped by Arrogant Madman. Its attributes flashed before my eyes:
[Emerald Helm] (Bronze Armor)
Defense: 52
Strength: +6
Stamina: +1
Required Level: 14
The helmet's defense was decent, and its bonus attributes were passable, though the name was a bit exaggerated.
Looking at the Emerald Helm, I suggested, "Shall we go back to town and sell it, then split the money?"
"No need. You killed the monster, so the equipment is rightfully yours!"
Violet smiled gently and added, "It's getting late. You should rest up - don't wear yourself out!"
I nodded and returned to town. After hawking the Emerald Helm in the newbie village square, it quickly sold for the princely sum of 40 gold coins. Players' levels had increased, so gold wasn't as hard to come by now. The helmet was useless to me anyway, so it was better to sell it for cash.
Before logging off, I checked the level rankings. I was shocked to find I'd fallen out of the top 10 American players again. At level 25, I was only ranked 17th, while first place was once again occupied by Breeze Embracing Moon at level 28.
What kind of girl was this Breeze Embracing Moon, I wondered idly as I logged off.
I slept until past 8 AM and barely made it to the office on time, skipping breakfast in my rush.
As it turned out, both Luna and Summer were late. They finally showed up bleary-eyed around 11 AM. When Aria asked what happened, Luna explained, "Summer and I were in the same newbie village. I helped her level up to 19 last night - it was exhausting!"
Summer quipped, "Oh please, you got to level with a hottie like me. Don't act like you didn't enjoy it!"
Luna retorted, "Give me a break. As if I'm not a hottie myself..."
They'd barely exchanged a few words when Celine came in and announced, "Everyone come with me. We have a meeting in Operations about the in-game economy. The CEO is chairing."
"A meeting?" I asked, puzzled.
Celine nodded with a smile. "Yep, about virtual industries in the game. Jack is leading it."
I grinned, excited to finally meet the legendary CEO.
We all got up and followed her. Summer and I walked side by side into the large conference room, which could seat about 50 people. Several idle staff from Development and Operations were already there.
Suddenly, someone called out, "The CEO is here! Jack is here!"
I looked up to see a rather handsome young man enter. He wore an impeccably tailored suit, with glossy hair parted neatly down the middle in a dashing style.
Surprised, I asked, "That's... the CEO?"
Celine Tea confirmed, "That's right. He's the top dog here - Jack Figueroa. Double master's from Cambridge and Harvard, comes from an elite family. He was headhunted to be CEO of our Blue Star Group."
Summer added with a smile, "Jack is quite the wunderkind. I heard he's only 28!"
I was stunned. Only four years older than me, yet he'd already climbed to such heights. This man was truly a diamond in the rough!
Jack sat down gracefully at the conference table and asked, "Is everyone here?"
The Marketing Manager beside him replied, "Diana hasn't arrived yet, but everyone else is present."
"Oh? Nana's not here yet?" Jack inquired with marked familiarity, seeming quite close to Diana.
I was taken aback and asked, "What's his relationship with Diana?"
Celine glanced around and whispered, "That idiot Jack is Diana's boyfriend, though Diana never gives him the time of day."
I felt a twinge of discomfort. Diana was Emma's twin sister, and I couldn't tell them apart. So whenever Diana was around, I felt like I was seeing Emma. Now suddenly this handsome boyfriend shows up - it was quite irritating!
Jack cleared his throat and said, "Well, let's wait for her then."
Almost ten minutes later, Diana finally appeared. Her hair was still damp - clearly she'd just woken up, showered, and come straight over.
To everyone's surprise, Diana unceremoniously took the chairman's seat at the head of the table - the spot reserved for the top executive!
I was confused. "Who outranks who - the Boss or the CEO?"
"The CEO outranks our Boss, of course," Celine explained, then smiled as she caught my meaning. "But it's simple, really. The true owner of Blue Star Group is Brian Jackson. Diana is Brian's daughter, so she has the most authority here. As for Jack, he's really just an employee. But he's very talented, so Brian values him highly and wants to groom him as a successor. That's why he's pushing his daughter to accept Jack as a boyfriend..."
I nodded, starting to understand.
Celine added meaningfully, "Jack's family has fallen on hard times. He's hoping to marry into the Jackson family and use Blue Star Group's resources to restore his family's glory. To be blunt, Jack is basically just a pretty boy gold digger!"
Jack looked at Diana with concern and asked, "Nana, did you sleep well?"
Diana replied coolly, "Let's start the meeting."
Jack looked briefly uncomfortable but quickly composed himself and announced, "Today's topic is the operation of virtual industries in the game. I won't belabor the point - Ethereal Surge has been live for two days now, and many of our staff have reached level 20 or higher. This afternoon, everyone should log in. Those over level 20, gather in Twilight City. Each person will contribute 5 gold coins as initial operating capital. Any objections?"
The male staff nodded in agreement, while many female staff complained, "We're not level 20 yet. We barely have enough gold to learn skills, how can we contribute?"
Jack smiled slightly and said, "Those who don't want to level can choose production professions. Buy shovels, bows, woodcutting axes, and start training production skills early. Combat-oriented players will provide funds for skill training. I hope Blue Star can unite as one and achieve great things in Ethereal Surge!"
Then Jack turned to Diana and asked deferentially, "Nana, what do you think?"
Diana frowned slightly and said disinterestedly, "I'll handle staffing for Planning and Operations. I don't want to deal with the rest."
Jack was rebuffed again. He gave a wry smile but said nothing more.
At that moment, Diana stood up and looked in our direction. "Celine, Summer, and Silas - come with me to the Development department. We'll talk there."
I was stunned. Summer was already pulling me out the door. I caught a glimpse of Jack's face turning ashen. The pudgy Marketing Manager next to him smiled awkwardly and said, "Don't take it personally, Mr.Figueroa . Diana must be in a bad mood..."
Jack stared at Diana's retreating figure, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.