"Going offline for two days to hide...? Just to avoid an NPC?!"
Rotten Persimmon widened his eyes.
He was extremely surprised and felt that this matter was a bit absurd.
"Two brothers, do you know who this NPC is? Did you encounter him during the internal test...?"
Lanshi asked Goutoujin and Wangwangwuji, he always felt that something was wrong.
Goutoujin curled his lips, took out his personal terminal, and swiped into the official forum of "Mysterious Era".
He clicked on the trailer released by Su Keying, then opened another window and opened the recently released "Mysterious Merchant in Jade Town" video, comparing the two.
When he saw that Jack and the Black Messenger were extremely similar in both appearance and temperament, Rotten Persimmon had a guess.
It wasn't until the trailer that black wings grew out of Jack's back, and he soared into the sky with a giant fireball in his arms. Ran Shi immediately thought of himself, and was trampled to death by the black messenger who fell from the sky.
Aren’t those scattered illusory black feathers from this pair of wings
"This 'Black Messenger' is 'Jack'?!"
He shouted in his heart.
This is too much of a coincidence!
"Forgotten Wuji and I just returned to the inner city of Amber City. The battle in the square during the internal test made many local residents call him the 'Black Messenger'. Even the renovated and rebuilt square is now called the 'Black Messenger Square'."
Goutoujin revealed this information.
Rotten Persimmon's expression became increasingly unsightly, and Wangwang Wuji added:
"The force we joined happened to be Jack's 'Circus'. He was not at the station these two days... So this black messenger is basically certain to be him."
God’s Love President “The World” was speechless.
He watched the video silently.
In fact, he had seen the pilot film a long time ago, but he didn't think about it in this way. Now that he knew that Rotten Persimmon had offended this NPC, he felt very unhappy.
"This Jack also appears in the game's official opening CG, and is called 'the man who guides destiny'. He must be an important character in the plot..."
The world shook its head, with a slightly reproachful tone:
"Lan Shi, you said you just opened the server, why did you provoke such an NPC... The account that originally had an advantage at the beginning was ruined in an instant!"
Rotten Persimmon hesitated, wanting to speak but not having the confidence.
The initial advantage of his account was due to his betrayal of Jack's information and his infiltration into the Red Apple Church... He was originally on the opposite side, there was nothing wrong with that.
This time it was at most an accident and a bit reckless.
Even the president supported it at the beginning.
But it was difficult to say these things now, so Ran Shi could only keep them in his heart. He nodded dejectedly and agreed to the suggestions of the two internal test brothers - to stay out of the limelight first and talk about it in two days.
But he only agreed verbally. Would the NPC in this game really wait for him
That's too smart.
*
*
*
Chen Lun stayed in Feicui Town for another week.
During these seven days, the existence of the "Black Messenger" has begun to ferment.
As players in Emerald Town spread his deeds, more and more posts about the "Black Messenger" appeared on the special forum, and more people learned about this extraordinary "Novice Village Guide."
He has a handsome appearance, high class, strong ability, and is also a part-time mysterious businessman. The things he sells are really awesome... In addition, the stories about him hunting down players from the God's Love Guild and guarding their bodies at the resurrection point are becoming more and more outrageous.
There are rumors that this NPC was disguised as an official, and they even found the "rotten persimmon" offline and beat him up at his home.
It was not until the official statement was issued to clarify the rumors that "Mysterious Age" is based on a supercomputer and everything is led by it. The official will neither intervene nor interfere with the progress of the game. This dispelled the players' suspicions.
Players from other regions were very envious of this, because they found that not every novice area had a guide or mysterious merchant, which was a very rare phenomenon...
Not to mention that there is really no other NPC as high quality as the "Black Messenger".
The comment section of the relevant post on the forum has been occupied by the lemon army.
"It's so funny! He's just a guide in the Novice Village. We can't play without him! If it wasn't so far away, I would die all the way to Emerald Town... Black Messenger, save me, I really can't play this game anymore! This game is too ridiculous!"
"What can I say about a mysterious businessman?! You post here every day! You guys who bought muskets and took off, can't you send me some money for the trip so I can take the train over and give him a lick... slurp!"
"… "
When Chen Lun was bored, he would lean against the wall, rest his elbows on his chin, and put on a deep attitude in front of the players. In fact, he had quietly opened the forum built into the panel and was browsing around.
He has read many related posts and almost laughed out loud.
Two days ago, the bird that was monitoring at the resurrection point flew over to report that Chen Lun had learned that the kid Rotten Persimmon was online. It seemed that the resurrection cooldown time was up.
Without saying a word, he threw a fire fist at the rotten persimmon, burning it clean. The opponent was so scared that he immediately went offline and dared not show up again.
Then Chen Lun found the help post by the guy named Lan Shi on the forum.
"What should I do if an NPC ambushes me? I have to wait online! Urgent! He is waiting for me at the resurrection point. As soon as I go online, I will be killed instantly. My brains will be smashed to the ground. This game is unplayable!"
Chen Lun clicked on it and read it carefully. There were hundreds or even thousands of messages in the comment section.
Some came from the "Black Messenger" post specifically, took a look, and left a message as a souvenir. Some were just there to watch the fun, and some were there to give advice to the rotten persimmon.
"What's there to be afraid of? It's just an NPC. Just go online. If he flies over and steps on your head again, you can just slide under his crotch with your knife and make his balls fall to the ground..."
"Oh, no one is really going to be cornered by an NPC, right? You play dead first, and when he approaches to check your body, jump up and give him a cross armbar. Once it's formed, there's no way to stop him! Break his arms and you can do whatever you want!"
"This tall, thin, and handsome NPC is the easiest to deal with. When he rushes over, you just need to find the right opportunity and use the force to throw him over your shoulder, causing his head to fall to the ground and his neck to twist, knocking him unconscious."
"… "
Thinking of this, Chen Lun smiled.
His goal had been achieved, so he didn't plan to stay in Emerald Town and waste time. It was a pity that Rotten Persimmon ran fast, otherwise he would have wanted to kill him a few more times and put him into the resurrection cooldown to suffer.
boom!
He spread his wings, flapped them violently, and then he soared into the sky.
"Black Messenger, Black Messenger, please don't leave...! How can I live if you leave, Black Messenger!"
The players below wailed and begged him to stay, but Chen Lun left the street corner without looking back.
The news that the Black Messenger had completely left gradually spread.
The players of Emerald Town felt surprised and regretful. They thought that this NPC would stay here forever, but he left after only a few days of the public beta. The players speculated that this was a powerful NPC with an easter egg nature, just giving players a limited-time benefit.
As soon as the news came out, there was cheering on the gaming forum.
Emerald Town has lost its uniqueness, which makes players from other regions suddenly feel balanced.
In addition, the Black Messenger's behavior has led many players to speculate that he might, possibly, perhaps, fly to their own game area... Since it is a limited-time benefit, it would be unreasonable not to go to a few more novice villages, right
Rotten Persimmon got the news that the killer Black Messenger had finally left. He cheered as he lay down in the sleeping cabin and choked on a few gulps of nutrient solution.
After logging on, he looked at the sun in the sky of Emerald Town and couldn't help but let out a long sigh and smiled sincerely.
It feels so good to not have Jack guarding my body.
But when Rotten Persimmon looked around and saw the other players, the smile on his face was covered with a cloud again.
He was originally leading the group, but because he died too many times, he dropped to level 5. And because he had not been online for so long, he was left behind by other players.
The rotten persimmon is full of regret.
He felt suffocated and his mouth tasted bitter.
After taking a deep breath, he decided to go back to killing monsters and leveling up. At this time, someone in the guild channel tagged him, saying that many of his beloved brothers had come to Emerald Town and wanted to follow him.
Rotten Persimmon's mood finally began to improve.
*
*
*
Phosphate City Railway Station.
The train stopped at the platform temporarily, and the train attendant rang the bell to remind passengers not to miss the station. The platform was crowded with people coming and going.
Amid the bustle and noise, a young man with green hair got off the train and looked into the crowd. Soon, he saw a girl with orange pigtails walking towards him carrying a suitcase.
"Hello, sweet fool, nice to meet you, I'm Gan Ziwen."
Gan Ziwen's eyes lit up, he strode over and extended his hand to the girl.
Honey silly boy looked up at his ID, stretched out his hand and shook his hand gently, and said:
"Hello, Gan Ziwen, we finally meet."
"yes."
Gan Ziwen sighed.
Because of the influence of the pilot film and the game's opening CG, Gan Ziwen's idea of going to find Jack became stronger. This was also the advice given to him by the think tank of the Lost Name Guild.
They also helped Gan Ziwen contact Mi Jui Han Bao from the Chuxi Guild. Both of them were players who became extraordinary players during the internal test, so it would be safer to act together.
The two of them went to Amber City together to look for Jack, the "destiny guide", hoping for better development.
Gan Ziwen had heard that the boss of his own guild seemed to know the female president of the Chuxi Guild. Now it seemed that this was probably true, but he didn't know if there was any story between them.
"Let me get it for you."
Gan Ziwen was very gentlemanly and took the suitcase from the silly boy.
The latter smiled sweetly and thanked him.
"We'll get on the train first. There are two more stops before we get to Amber City... It might take several days."
Gan Ziwen said.
The silly boy nodded and followed him onto the train.
Then the two of them found an empty seat, put their luggage away, and sat down opposite each other.
"Your character is quite nice."
Gan Ziwen looked at the silly boy and praised him.
The latter played with her pigtails and stuck out her tongue.
"Will your next question be 'Can I pinch your face'?"
Gan Ziwen was greatly surprised.
"How do you know?"
"It's been spread all over the forums. This is your current persona."
The silly guy shrugged.
"I heard that you were promoted to a transcendent because you hooked up with a noble lady? And then you found transcendental knowledge through her collection of books?"
Gan Ziwen coughed, chose to avoid the topic, and said:
"You joined the 'Jack Support Group'? Do you have any inside information?"
He also took out the orange juice he had prepared in advance and poured a glass for Honey Juice Silly Boy.
This was a specialty he bought in Pyrite City before he set out. Due to the raging plague, prices had risen, and this kind of high-end fresh orange named "Sanjis" had become more expensive, costing 1 silver goblet and 20 copper crores each.
This small glass bottle of orange juice requires 6 silver goblets.
"Thanks."
The silly boy took the cup and took a sip.
The juice flowed down the throat, cool and sweet, and seemed to reduce the heat around.
"There is indeed a lot of information, but I learned it all through the group owner Su Keying... During the internal test, she happened to join Jack's group, an organization of extraordinary people that is now renamed 'Circus'."
Said the sweet fool.
"According to her, Jack will issue some high-quality tasks with generous rewards. He also has a lot of good stuff, including exclusive faction weapons, various weird things, extraordinary knowledge, and even tickets for advanced dungeons."
Gan Ziwen's eyes lit up.
"I see. Thank you for the information, idiot."
He nodded and then fell into deep thought.
Honey Juice Fool looked at him, and remembered how he had poured the juice steadily on the bumpy train just now, so he said:
"Which path did you take? The Stars, the Conspiracy, or the Deep Sea? Only a Sequence 9 from these three paths would have your balance and hand steadiness."
Gan Ziwen raised his head in surprise, chuckled and said:
"You have a keen sense of observation, fool... I am a deep-sea faction Sequence 9-Sailor. I am good at sea combat, with outstanding balance and close combat abilities."
The silly guy smiled as expected, and then shared his information tacitly:
"I am a magic faction Sequence 9-Scholar. My physical fitness is not significantly improved, but my memory ability is mainly emphasized. In actual combat, I need to rely on the 'magic scrolls' drawn in advance. I don't have the ability to cast spells yet."
Gan Ziwen looked suddenly enlightened.
"So it's the wizard. I'm so sorry."
"A wizard who can't even create a flame..."
The silly guy rolled his eyes.
"Speaking of Jack, I am actually very interested in his identity. None of the characters that can appear in the opening CG are simple..."
Gan Ziwen said.
The silly guy nodded, agreeing with him.
"Well, Su Keying once said something. This NPC seemed to have mentioned that he had heard a call from another world, as if it was praying to him, hoping that he could save it..."
"Hearing you say that, it reminds me of a few legends that are very similar to his situation...!"
Gan Ziwen listened and then added a few more of his guesses.
The two of them chatted back and forth, having a great time.
"Excuse me, is this position occupied?"
At this time, a low voice was heard.
Gan Ziwen and Mizhihanbao raised their heads at the same time and were both stunned.
This is a tall man wearing a black flat hat and a black suit. His face is distorted by black mist, making it difficult to see his features.
"No one... Please take a seat."
Gan Ziwen reacted quickly. He immediately stood up and made way. Then he sat down next to the silly guy. In this way, the two of them sat side by side, opposite the man in the black hat.
"Thanks."
Chen Lun sat down casually and nodded.
Gan Ziwen and Mi Juicy Dunbao glanced at each other inconspicuously, and both realized that the man in front of them was not simple, and then they both cast a "probe" at him.
Above the man’s head, his ID appeared—“Black Messenger”.
As for the rest, it was all horizontal lines representing the unknown, and the final warning from the panel that this was an "extremely deadly" and dangerous existence.
"!
”
Both of them were suddenly shocked.
They had never thought that they would encounter such a terrifying NPC just by taking a train. Even though both of them had been promoted to extraordinary people, they were still like a weak mouse in front of each other.
Gan Ziwen looked at the name "Black Messenger" and felt that he had seen it somewhere.
He quietly opened the forum, and after seeing the series of post titles, he remembered, isn't this the recently popular "Mysterious Merchant in Novice Village"? !
Why did he suddenly come here? !
"—Black Messenger?! I saw friends in the support group discussing her... Su Keying said that after the battle of the square, local residents began to believe in Jack and called him the 'Black Messenger'!"
Honey Fool sent a message to Gan Ziwen.
Gan Ziwen's heartbeat suddenly quickened.
"—You mean, this mysterious man is Jack?!"
"—very likely!"
Chen Lun silently looked at the two players in front of him. They were slightly different from what he remembered. They were not as calm as before, but more immature.
"That's right. Their mysterious journey has just begun and they lack sufficient experience."
He thought to himself.
After Chen Lun left Feicui Town, he used some clues on the forum and divination, and after going through untold hardships, he finally found Gan Ziwen and Mizhihanbao.
What he had to do was to dig these two excellent seedlings into his own fields, cultivate them well, and then let them bring him more returns.
"Good day, both of you. Hey, a warm reminder, next time don't pry into other people's privacy so casually..."
Chen Lun said calmly:
"You will die."
Gan Ziwen and Mi Juicy Silly Bag's breathing stopped.
They glanced at the face of the black messenger. Under the twisted black mist, there seemed to be a pair of bloodthirsty eyes hidden, which made people shudder.
Lower your head and don't look directly at him.
"—What the hell? He actually knew we were investigating!"
"—I looked up some information before, and it seems that if the NPC's insight is high enough, it can sense the player's detection... It may also be that the level gap between us and him is too big."
“—I think it’s both. (bitter smile)”
"I'm sorry sir, we were reckless... We apologize."
Gan Ziwen stood up and saluted Chen Lun in a very formal manner, touching his chest.
Chen Lun couldn't help but laugh secretly at this.
"Fate guided me to find you two..."
He folded his hands and placed them on the table, his invisible "eyes" looking directly at the two players opposite him.
"Among the outsiders, you are particularly outstanding. You have all entered the mysterious realm and become extraordinary people..."
Chen Lun extended his index finger and pointed at them gently.
"One is heading towards the deep sea faction, and the other is embarking on the journey of the magic faction. It's very good."
Gan Ziwen and Mizhihanbao didn't dare to say anything, they just sat upright, secretly surprised.
They feel that their information is clearly visible to each other and there is no secret at all.
"You two are very special, and it is precisely because of this specialness that I can't help but give you some preferential treatment..."
After Chen Lun finished speaking, he secretly swiped on the panel.
From the perspective of Gan Ziwen and Mizhihanbao, a golden exclamation mark suddenly popped up on the head of the man in the black hat in front of them!
Focusing on it, another selection dialog box popped up -
exchange!
They couldn't help but feel their hearts skip a beat and looked at each other in silence.
"—Mysterious businessman?!"
“—This is the mysterious businessman!”
The two of them sent a text message to each other at the same time.
Immediately, they were slightly startled and felt a hint of tacit understanding from each other.
Gan Ziwen was the first to click on the redemption button, and the product catalog that popped up the next second made his eyes light up.
Although he had been promoted to a transcendent, he wanted every item on the list, especially the two bombs and a ticket called "Wonderland Admission Ticket".
"The bomb can be used as the strongest trump card, and that 'entrance ticket' is definitely a ticket to the advanced dungeon!"
Gan Ziwen thought so.
The store catalog that Chen Lun showed to the two was naturally different from those of the newbies. He needed to use some of the best things in the bottom of the box to hook them tightly and tie them up tightly.
Honey Fool also opened the exchange list and saw many powerful weapons and props. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The first thing the two did was to take screenshots of the scenes in their sight.
Card!
The train rattled along, and the scenery outside the side window flashed by.
A strong wind blew in, lifting the collar of the man in the black hat sitting at the table. He sat quietly, his face shrouded in a layer of black mist, and his features could not be seen clearly.
The exchange box on the other side is very clear, with a wide variety of items and the required prices.
Gan Ziwen sent the screenshot directly to his guild leader "Wuming", and added "Boss, send me money!", and then posted another one in the guild channel, saying "Brothers, send me money!".
Honey Fool directly posted the screenshot in the guild channel, with the following sentence: "Oh my god! I met Jack on the train! He came to give me benefits!" "Girls, please help! I can't afford it! It's too expensive!"
“—Shit! That’s great, Ziwen! We met on the way?!”
The president of the Lost Name Guild, "Wuming", replied to the message.
"—The other party came to my door... It should be a benefit for those who have been promoted to extraordinary people through the internal test, because the honey fool is also next to me."
Gan Ziwen sent a text message.
"—Okay, I'll go talk to my guild brothers and raise some money first... If it doesn't work, I'll find a sponsor. This little investment is nothing, but I have to arrange this for you! You've made us proud! (praise expression)"
Wuming sent a message again.
After seeing this, Gan Ziwen felt relieved.
The silly guy kept rolling his eyes.
Her screenshots and comments were like a bomb thrown into a lake, creating countless splashes. Even members who usually stayed silent started to show up.
"Sister Silly! Can you help me get an autograph?"
"Me, me, me! Help me first!"
"Wow! How dare you get so close to my man! Stupid, let's fight to the death!"
"You're so ungrateful, you don't have any money, you're a loser!"
"… "
The silly girl looked at these messages and felt like crying but had no tears. Fortunately, her own president "Chen Xi" sent her a private message in time, with three simple words "No problem".
Only then did Mi Juicy Silly Bag close the chat bar with peace of mind.
Chen Lun silently watched their dazed expressions and understood what was going on.
'Most likely he went to find someone to collect the money...'
He nodded secretly, and waited for a while, estimating that the time should be about right, so he opened his mouth and said:
"You two, my time is limited, so I won't stay any longer..."
Gan Ziwen and Mizhihanbao were shocked and quickly took out their savings to buy some things from him.
Gan Ziwen bought a rage rifle, some ammunition and two red and yellow potions. Honey Juice Stupid also bought a rifle and ammunition, but because he was short of money, he couldn't afford to buy anything else, so he gave up.
Chen Lun didn't care about this, he continued:
"I'll leave you one last test. I hope you won't let me down."
Immediately, both of them received a task reminder at the same time—
Trigger the D-level mission: The Test of the Black Messenger!
Mission description: Go to Amber City, find the extraordinary organization "Circus" without attracting the attention of the shelter and the church, and complete one of their commissions.
Mission reward: Silver Snake Ring (token of official circus membership).
Gan Ziwen and Mizhihanbao immediately chose to "accept".
They had never imagined that the original purpose of this trip was actually mostly accomplished halfway... The Black Messenger, no, it should be said that Jack was too considerate!
In the sight of the two people, the man in the black hat slowly stood up and then suddenly disappeared.
"!
”
They stared with wide eyes, not knowing what was happening.
Chen Lun chuckled, touched the black button on his sleeve, and walked straight past them.