Chapter 62: The Status of the Plantage Empire
"What? Sky Dragon wants to join my guild?" Su Yu was genuinely surprised.
Sky Dragon—of course, Su Yu knew her. She was the cousin of Emperor Blood Killing Heaven, just 14 years old, with a family so wealthy that even Su Yu couldn't quite grasp the extent of it.
After entering the game, instead of playing with her, Emperor Blood had placed her in the True Red-Eyed Black Dragon team. But Sky Dragon was fiercely competitive in her own right. Using her family's financial power and her extraordinary in-game luck, she quickly became the core damage dealer for her team. Her name frequently appeared on the leaderboards for first kills and speed runs in major dungeons.
Besides her gaming prowess, her cute appearance and the baby panda she often carried made her extremely popular in the game.
But why would a player like her, related to Emperor Blood, leave that faction and want to join his guild?
"Could she be a spy?" Su Yu pondered the idea for a moment but dismissed it quickly.
He didn't plan to invest too much time managing the guild anyway. With his hands-off approach, it was only a matter of time before the guild became infiltrated by members of other major guilds. Having her around wouldn't make much of a difference.
"Alright then! She can join after hitting level 10. What about you? Want to come too?" Su Yu asked True Red-Eyed Black Dragon.
True Red-Eyed Black Dragon responded, "Nah, I signed a contract with Emperor Blood. I can't afford the penalty fees." His emoji, a tearful face, expressed his resignation.
"Fair enough," Su Yu replied. "By the way, how did that Q&A session we did last night turn out?"
Su Yu had spent the night searching for clues about ghosts and hadn't had time to check the forums.
True Red-Eyed Black Dragon's enthusiasm came through in his response: "Didn't you check, boss? The forum response is amazing! People are praising you everywhere! If you don't believe me, just take a walk around the village; you'll hear it!"
"Is that so?"
Ending the private chat, Su Yu stepped out of the warehouse to see for himself.
...
Directly across from the square where the warehouse was located stood [Jenny], the dungeon merchant. A long line had formed in front of her booth, with players queuing to buy tickets, eager to enter the dungeon.
The atmosphere was buzzing with impatience as players shuffled forward, their excitement growing. Every so often, a new group would arrive, quickly pulling their friends into the queue as well.
"Hey, Old Li, let's hit the [Qingqing Grassland] dungeon! I've been eyeing the [Lucky Double Leaf Clover] dropped by Yang Village's chief for ages—it'll last me until level 15!"
"You're kidding, right? No way we can beat him."
"Don't be ridiculous! Haven't you read that guide from Nemesis? Now, anyone can clear it!"
"I know, but the post has like eight or nine hundred questions! How can you remember all that?"
"Who said anything about memorizing? When the boss asks a question, we can just open the forum! You really are dense sometimes."
"Yeah, okay, my bad. Let's go and start the run!"
Another group of players joined the queue, ready for their dungeon challenge.
Players who had just emerged from the dungeon were also celebrating.
"Check out my new [Wolf Shooting Bow]!" An archer, all smiles, proudly displayed his new weapon.
"Think that's cool? Look at my [Village Chief's Glasses]!" Another player struck a detective pose, mimicking Conan, the famous anime character.
The players were visibly thrilled. "All thanks to Nemesis! Without his help, there's no way we'd have this gear."
"Right? Thanks, big boss!"
"Once I hit level 10, I'm applying to join Nemesis' guild immediately!"
The players' joy and gratitude confirmed True Red-Eyed Black Dragon's words. Su Yu had indeed made a significant impact, and the smiles on their faces made him feel good about it.
After all, helping others is a way of helping yourself.
...
After strolling around, Su Yu made his way to the mercenary trading market to retrieve the stall he had set up the previous day.
The market wasn't as busy as before, and only a few players lingered around the booth. These players weren't there to buy gear; they were simply curious, marveling at the sight of rare blue equipment they had never seen before.
Su Yu approached his stall to check its status. He had placed 53 pieces of blue rare equipment on the shelves the day before. By now, 41 had been sold, leaving only 12 behind—mostly level 3 gear. All the level 5 items had already been snapped up.
From these sales, Su Yu had earned a total of 5,040 psionic coins, worth tens of thousands in real money. But with his growing wealth, this amount was hardly impressive to him anymore.
After collecting the remaining money and equipment, Su Yu left the market without a second glance.
The players nearby were stunned to see the stall disappear so suddenly. Word quickly spread, and even a couple of threads popped up on the forums. However, most players were preoccupied with farming dungeons, so the event didn't cause much of a stir.
With the stall packed up, Su Yu headed to the magic hut. There, he found the old magician and retrieved the oversized leather backpack filled with loot from the Wolf King boss. The old magician, watching Su Yu leave with the pack, seemed a bit wistful, clearly reluctant to part with such valuable items.
Finally, Su Yu arrived at the village entrance square to report to the village chief.
...
"Brave adventurer!"
The village chief stood facing east, his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes, filled with an unusual depth, reflected the gravity of Su Yu's upcoming journey.
"I knew from the day you set foot in Nolan Village that we would one day part ways. You're heading into the heart of the empire now. Remember to be cautious."
"I will," Su Yu replied.
"But before you go, I must tell you about the history and current state of the empire, so that you may know what lies ahead."
"Go ahead," Su Yu responded, though inwardly he sighed. If he remembered correctly, the "village chief's story" was a notoriously long and unskippable part of the game—around 15 minutes.
Resigned, Su Yu prepared to endure the lecture.
"The story begins with the God of Creation, who gave birth to all things..." The village chief began his slow narration.
Fifteen minutes later, the tale concluded.
The history of the Gorse Empire wasn't anything new for most players. Only the hardcore roleplayers or lore enthusiasts cared much about it. What was more relevant was the current state of the empire, which boiled down to this:
Twenty years ago, Emperor Charles VI had embarked on reckless conquests, suppressing his own people and launching campaigns abroad. His actions had led to widespread famine and unrest.
Seizing the opportunity, several northern lords, led by Anzu Cypher and Lantilus, formed the Kalert Rebellion Army. With the support of the peasants, the rebels quickly took control of half the empire, and now they were on the verge of marching on the imperial city.
Meanwhile, the royal family's last hope lay with Princess Elijah, who had the people's trust but lacked the military power to challenge the rebels.
Su Yu's main storyline was to help Princess Elijah secure the imperial scepter, unify the loyalist forces, and defeat the Kalert rebels, restoring the glory of the Gorse Empire.
(End of Chapter)