November 7, Thursday, Earth time. One day left until the monthly rare item auction.
At this time, when in-game currency among players was in high demand, the advanced NPCs finally listed this month's auction items.
The auction items released by the Warrior Instructor, Charlie Rex, were three extraordinary-looking swords with even more amazing attributes:
[Sword of Beryllus]
[A sword blessed by the Fire God Beryllus. Grants a 20% increase in attack power and a 50% boost in fire resistance.
Additional Fire Damage: Inflicts 30% of weapon damage as fire damage when attacking.
Impervious: Increases armor penetration by 30%.]
Early in the morning, players rushed to the bulletin board in Weisshem Town Hall to check out the auction items. They were blown away when they saw the attributes of these swords.
"What the hell! Beating the Inner Demon instance only allows an enchantment of only one line of attributes and this thing has two?!"
"Two attributes? That's nothing. The equipment effect is just mind-blowing! A 20% attack boost means I'll be invincible when I activate Battle Roar!"
"Warriors, knights, and wanderers can all use a sword like this. It's going to be mad!"
Qin Guan, who didn't usually focus much on his profession, suddenly felt a strong desire for these weapon attributes. He immediately rushed to log out at the teleportation point and called Xiao Zhou…
When the auction was held last month, it had caused quite a commotion. However, this month, the developers seemed to be more considerate. Players no longer had to exhaust themselves, grinding reputation for auction rights. As long as they had an Honored reputation with their respective job instructors, they had the right to bid.
But it wasn't necessarily a good thing for players who really wanted the items. For example, last month, whale players had tried to monopolize the auction rights, but this time around, they couldn't do so anymore.
Despite reserving game currency from Xiao Zhou's studio, Qin Guan still felt uneasy and called Blossoming Strokes.
A short while later, Blossoming Strokes came online.
"Any warrior that achieved Honored reputation can bid, so the chances of something going wrong are high." After personally checking out the auction announcement at Weisshem Town Hall, Blossoming Strokes joined Qin Guan and said, "Although there aren't many warrior players, there are still quite a few with Honored reputation, including those we know like Yang Ying, Stuffed Gummy, Ji Tang, and even Brother Lahong's newly advanced warriors."
"Yang Ying and Stuffed Gummy are selling game currency, so they probably won't compete, right?" Qin Guan said. "I don't think Ji Tang will, either. That guy became a player mayor and has gotten obsessed with the role. I haven't seen him out with Yang Ying's group to farm monsters in quite a while."
"Yang Ying and Little Gummy might not be able to afford to bid, but they can definitely bid on behalf of other whales," Blossoming Strokes said emphatically. "Recently, Orange Cat has been getting close to them, so he and his friend will definitely join in. There are also the people from Brother Lahong's side; three swords might not be enough."
Qin Guan suddenly felt a headache.
Orange Cat was a warrior player and whale who had been online for a long time but had limited skill. He had just barely completed his first job advancement this month. He could be considered the lowest standard among all players and was so bad that anyone watching would think he was hopeless.
Having a lack of skill was fine, but he had money and liked collecting high-quality equipment!
Qin Guan couldn't stand thinking about a top-notch weapon like this ending up as an accessory for the low-skilled Orange Cat who loved to flaunt. What a waste that would be!
"Don't worry too much. Haven't they only just released one type of auction item? Previously, there was the Orb of Deception and the Undead Horse. They might release two items this time as well. Let's see what Lord Yang has in store. If it's something good, perhaps those wealthy bosses might be drawn away," Blossoming Strokes reassured him.
The official announcement on the website only mentioned that the Warrior Instructor and Mage Instructor would release auction items on the 7th. It didn't specify the items that would be released. Qin Guan didn't pay much attention to what the Mage Instructor, Lord Yang, might offer, but after contemplating what Blossoming Strokes said, his anxiety lessened, and he teleported back to Exile Town to await news.
It was just past 8 a.m. on Earth, but in the game, it was already in the afternoon. The elusive Lord Yang (actually just an illusion) leisurely appeared in front of Exile Town Hall and stuck up the auction announcement.
Upon reading the contents of the announcement, a loud chorus of "What the hell!" erupted from the players that had gathered.
[Book of the Undead]
[Special item. When held by the team leader or raid leader, it can summon team/raid members to the area around the holder.]
Qin Guan immediately forgot about "The Sword of Beryllus" and stared at Lord Yang's auction item description in awe.
The biggest complaint players had about "OtherWorld" was being only able to resurrect at the town (stronghold) teleportation point after dying and serving the offline penalty time.
It didn't matter too much when farming in places like Spider Cave or the Poisonous Marshlands, as players could run back to rejoin their teammates from the nearest respawn point in just a few minutes. However, if far from a respawn point, like during expedition quests, getting killed meant being out of touch with the team.
Why hadn't adventurous (suicidal) players been able to indulge themselves and only played in areas close to the town (respawn point)? It was because the rule of being sent back to town upon death was just not game-experience-friendly!
If someone obtained this item, not only could they farm monsters as a team, but they could even have a raid group head into the depths of Taranthan and start clearing like mad!
And if there were expedition quests or anything similar, a player that held this item would be revered like a god!
Wiping away his drool and pulling Blossoming Strokes aside from the crowd, Qin Guan said determinedly, "Blossom, we must get this item!"
Blossoming Strokes nodded, about to say something when they heard a familiar voice excitedly exclaim not far away, "What the hell! There's even an item like this?! Buy, buy, buy!"
Qin Guan and Blossoming Strokes glanced over and saw a skeleton decked out in top-notch gear with the ID "There's An Orange Cat" above his head. He was excitedly waving to the crowd. "Anyone else with some copper coins? I'll take as many as you've got!"
"…Damn it, I nearly forgot about this guy!" Qin Guan said with a vexed expression.
Blossoming Strokes shared his frustration. They had hoped that the auction item from Lord Yang's side would draw the attention of the whales and allow Qin Guan to bid on a Sword of Beryllus. However, what Lord Yang had presented was too incredible, and they needed it as well.
Blossoming Strokes suggested, "I think we should announce it in the (WeChat) group. Everyone can contribute, and that might increase our chances of winning."
Qin Guan shrugged helplessly. "Alright, I'll ask in the group."
Meanwhile, Brother Lahong and his team were busy grinding materials for their blood alliance quest in the Poisonous Marshlands. On hearing that Lord Yang had released an amazing item, he didn't hesitate to log out and immediately started contacting the gold farmers through WeChat…
In the dense forests of the Sorensen Mountains, Yang Qiu, covered in blood, struggled to observe the reactions of the players to the auction items via the matrix. He let out a sigh of relief, withdrew his consciousness, and collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted.
Just like the steel knives used by players, the [Sword of Beryllus] released by Rex was indeed made in China.
However, Yang Qiu had used the remaining magic dark gold material he used for setting up the teleportation array to the three swords. This enhanced their durability, allowing them to bear dual enchantments. Such a weapon could also be sold for a few gold coins on the black markets of this world, so it wouldn't be considered that Yang Qiu was conning his fellow countrymen.
As for the [Book of the Undead], it was a spoil of war he had casually picked up in his early years. It was called a book, but in reality, it was a long scroll woven from the hair of a unique magic beast. It could carry semi-permanent magic inscriptions and, when needed, could be unfurled to cast the inscribed spell.
Originally, this scroll contained a semi-permanent spell called "Mind Sight." Old nobles would use this spell to determine the loyalty of their subordinates and women. Yang Qiu removed the useless mental magic and replaced it with the undead summoning spell used for resurrection and teleportation, thus turning it into the [Book of the Undead].
These two items would be handed over to players through auctions, not only as a periodic currency sink but also to enhance players' siege capabilities and endurance for battles in the wilderness—energetic players were needed to protect the construction team that would build the direct railway from Weisshem to Exile Town.
Of course, for effective protection, they would need a construction team of at least two thousand, which currently wasn't enough with the current player count.
Yang Qiu let himself rest on the ground for a while, and when he felt slightly better, he struggled to his feet and opened the spatial rift back to Earth.
Shortly, an announcement was posted on the official site:
—Announcement: Second Batch of Beta Accounts—
Dear players, "OtherWorld" is about to begin its second round of stress testing, and we have 3,000 beta accounts waiting for you.
The account application portal is now open on the official site, and players who pass the one hundred questions questionnaire will participate in a random draw with a chance to obtain a beta account.
The second batch of beta accounts will still be distributed for free, with only a material fee of 188 yuan required.
After posting the announcement, Yang Qiu, who had just finished a hasty shower, sent an email to "Director Lu," requesting them to provide 3,100 high-quality and sturdy helmet materials and promising that 100 of them would belong to them.
There's no need to elaborate on "Director Lu's" reaction upon receiving this email. The news of the 3,000 beta accounts caused an explosion of excitement among non-player netizens who had been following the "OtherWorld" official website for a long time.
Due to the extremely strict account restrictions, the attention of "OtherWorld" in the Chinese internet realm had waned significantly. After all, life on Earth moved at a rapid pace, internet trends were fleeting, and netizens were always busy. The prolonged allure of something they could only watch but not experience was bound to be forgotten by the online community. This wasn't just the case for games; even blockbuster movies and new electronic products suffered a similar fate.
If it weren't for Qin Guan, a now popular internet personality who regularly posted high-quality game videos on Bilibili, keeping the game in the spotlight, "OtherWorld's" official website and forum might have a much greater drop in daily traffic.
In essence, those interested in playing "OtherWorld" had to rely on videos, screenshots, and forum discussion threads to learn about the game. Nevertheless, there were still many people eager to try it out for themselves. As soon as the announcement was posted, tens of thousands of people clicked on the application interface within half an hour.
And then, these prospective players were left bewildered…
"I just want to play a game! Why are you making me do a personality test?!"
Some individuals hurriedly completed the one hundred questions, only to receive a message stating—"Dear player, your overall score is insufficient, and we regret to inform you that your application has been denied."
"Are you kidding me?! I'm just applying for a game account!"
Non-player netizens who didn't even qualify for the random selection were infuriated. They rushed to vent their frustrations on the forums and then… there was nothing after.
Most non-player netizens took a more laid-back approach. There weren't that many short-tempered people who couldn't maintain interest in a game they couldn't access for so long.
These prospective players patiently completed the questionnaire and waited for a response.
Back on Earth, Yang Qiu slept for an entire afternoon in his rented residence. As evening approached, he checked the website's backend and selected a list of 3,000 people with the highest combined scores on the customized personality questionnaire crafted by professionals. He packaged the list into a compressed file and sent it directly to "Director Lu," asking for their help to review the backgrounds of these 3,000 individuals to ensure they were clean and didn't engage in any suspicious activities.
When Professor Yin Zhengliang received the compressed file, he stared at his computer screen in silence for a full 30 seconds.
"How should I put it… Revealing three thousand 'player accounts' released to the public and casually giving us one hundred accounts is, honestly, quite infuriating. We've been collaborating for so long, and this fella is still playing these games. What does he take us for?"
Then, there was the request to do background checks for these 3,000 "player accounts."
"This means… he doesn't mind official involvement but doesn't want to be controlled by the authorities, right?" a young researcher beside him said with a wry smile. "I wonder what he's thinking. As if we couldn't understand this?"
"I think we shouldn't look at this issue one-sidedly," said the researcher sitting across the table as he adjusted his glasses. "Regardless of what the national security thinks, this 'Lord Yang' doesn't resist cooperating with us. He delegates authority to our people and lets us handle Weisshem without micromanaging. This shows that he still trusts the country."
"Xiao Zhang is right." Professor Yin Zhengliang sighed with relief and continued, "This person can freely come and go to 'OtherWorld,' so he treats it as his own territory. This shouldn't be considered a matter of ideology. He isn't a comrade from our organization.
"According to the observations of our national security comrades and our investigations, before the 'incident,' this person was likely an ordinary citizen. Ordinary citizens have their own thoughts and don't unconditionally trust the country. Instead of blaming their thoughts, we should reflect on whether our work is inadequate and if our cadre team needs further education."
———
At two in the afternoon on Earth, before Yang Qiu had even executed his plan for "Director Lu" to review the backgrounds of prospective players, Weisshem, currently deep into the night, received a few special visitors.
The security team members on duty at the town gate had shut the doors and windows of the sentry post and were snoozing soundly inside. A few shadowy figures, acting furtively, peered through a window. After exchanging glances, they boldly stood up and entered the town that didn't have any defenses in place.
The dark streets of the town were eerily quiet. There wasn't a soul in sight, not even a stray cat.
"I can't believe it's turned into this," one of the infiltrators marveled. "It's like a ghost town. Last year, Weisshem wasn't like this. The street was usually bustling at this time."
"Looks like those villagers weren't lying. The new Weisshem lord really shut down the town's most profitable businesses," his comrade clicked his tongue and said. "To think there's a noble who doesn't like making money. This is truly unusual in the continent."
The leader of the group turned to his companions and urged, "Enough talk. Let's go check if the town hall is indeed filled with valuable items and gold coins, just like those country bumpkins claimed."
The two fellows, who had been immensely surprised by Weisshem's dramatic change in appearance, quickly fell silent and followed their leader.
Dressed entirely in black attire and armed with crossbows, all coated with a dark, oily substance, the three individuals had clearly been to Weisshem before. They were quite familiar with this relatively small town. Instead of walking down the main street, they took a route through Martin Street and skillfully made their way to the town hall, hiding in the shadows of the buildings, moving stealthily and without error.
As they continued on, one of the men couldn't help but murmur, "There isn't even a militia patrolling. This place is way too defenseless, isn't it? Could those ignorant villagers be mistaken? With the new lord having so much wealth, isn't he worried about attracting thieves?"
"Well, didn't we get drawn here?" his comrade interjected but quickly shut their mouth after receiving a stern look from their leader.
"It's not like we have any hostility toward the new lord. We're just here to check out the situation for our employer," the leader replied, his expression devoid of emotion.
The other two immediately nodded in agreement.
While they conversed, the three of them walked out of the relatively short Martin Street and entered a narrow alley leading to the town hall.
When they were still about 50 meters away from the town hall's courtyard, the three figures walking stealthily along the walls suddenly realized something was amiss.
The town hall, which appeared pitch black from a distance, seemed no different from the other buildings in the town. It didn't appear to have any signs of activity.
However, they couldn't help but hear faint sounds coming from the direction of the town hall, and it didn't seem like there was nobody there.
The leader raised his hand to signal his two companions to stop. With furrowed brows, he stared at the town hall for a bit, then took out a reusable magic scroll inscribed with a detection spell and carefully unfurled it.
Upon using the inscribed spell, it was determined that there were no living creatures that were larger than mice within the town hall's courtyard.
The leader rolled up the magic scroll and stashed it away with a puzzled look as he continued to gaze in the direction of the town hall's courtyard. He waved his hand, gesturing for his two subordinates to proceed with him.
Forty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters…
When they were 20 meters away from the town hall, all three of them heard distinctive clacking sounds, along with some bizarre "KABAKABA" noises that they couldn't quite identify.
"What the heck is this?" one of the subordinates asked, baffled.
The leader made a shushing gesture and glanced around. Then, he signaled for them to climb.
The courtyard wall, which stood at two meters high, might deter ordinary thieves, but it certainly couldn't stop these three audacious individuals who were skilled and daring enough to sneak into the town in the middle of the night. Without making a sound, they scaled the wall, reaching its top.
People in this world generally suffered from night blindness due to malnutrition and couldn't see objects just a few meters away without a light source. However, these three were robust and healthy individuals not afflicted by this condition. Their vision surpassed that of ordinary people. Under the faint moonlight, they could clearly see even rats crawling around 20 to 30 meters away.
With their superior vision, the trio that had just scaled the wall were met with an astonishing sight…
There were indeed no people in the town hall courtyard, just skeletons wearing strange fish-scale armor.
These skeletons weren't aimlessly wandering like the undead creatures they had encountered while escorting merchant caravans. Instead, they were seated in a circle around the town hall's bulletin board, making gestures and eerie "KABAKABA" noises as if they were living humans chatting away.
The three infiltrators: "...(゜ロ゜)(゜ロ゜) (゜ロ゜)"
What in the world?!
Before the shocked trio could figure out what they were witnessing, they heard the strange clacking sounds again.
Two skeletons appeared from the direction of the town's main street, running into the courtyard from the right side of the wall where the three were perched.
The skeletons that had been sitting under the bulletin board, seemingly chatting, immediately jumped up, waving their bony claws toward the two newcomers.
"Hey, brothers! Selling copper coins? Accepting all at a good rate!"