Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If every map in Fate had its own unique scenery, then Booty Gulf would be the most beautiful.
The blue sky, the sea, the lush greenery, and the bustling seaside town all proclaimed the tranquility and beauty of this place. It was the perfect place for people to spend their leisure time. Ye Ci loved the scenery of Booty Gulf very much. It was a place that gave her the feeling of having a golden harvest. It was a place that gave her a sense of security and prosperity.
However, such a beautiful place was destined to be a place that would be remembered by some for the rest of their lives. Purity Essence, who was sitting beside Ye Ci, was one such example. For a very long time to come, the beautiful scenery of Booty Gulf would be something that he would not want to set foot in.
Ye Ci did not turn her head to look at Purity Essence, but under his sorrowful and bitter gaze, she could no longer maintain her composure. She slowly turned her head, and as expected, her eyes met with Purity Essence's pitch-black eyes. The corners of his lips were slightly raised, but it did not give off the impression that he was smiling. Instead, all that was leaking out of his eyes was unstoppable sorrow.
Perhaps, this matter was truly a painful one for Purity Essence. However, Ye Ci did not have the slightest bit of regret. A person's life was short, and she did not have the time to worry about other people's sorrows. She only had to do her own thing. She only had to do things that she would not regret.
Ye Ci raised her eyebrows. Her expression was calm. In reality, she was indeed very calm. At least, she was much calmer than Purity Essence.
Her indifferent voice came out from the corner of her lips, "What's wrong? Is there something strange on my face? Don't you think it's a little impolite of you to keep staring at me like that? "
Ye Ci's indifferent reminder pulled Purity Essence out of his emotional state. If not for the fact that he was sitting on a rock, he would have staggered and fallen to the ground. And now, his expression was indeed a little flustered. He quickly withdrew his dazed gaze and looked at the sea in the distance.
Ye Ci saw that he looked away and didn't say anything else. She put all her attention back on fishing. In any case, someone had to break the deadlock between the two of them. Since she had already done so, she did not want to be a busybody. She only wanted to observe the situation and wait for Purity Essence's response.
After all, Purity Essence was a human, not a machine. Although Ye Ci really wanted to be the commander, she needed to keep his heart. She didn't want to spend so much effort only to end up with a walking corpse. That wouldn't be worth it.
Ye Ci's silence made Purity Essence even more anxious. His thoughts were in a mess, and he could not figure out what was going on. After a long time, he finally made up his mind and slowly opened his mouth, "Gongzi You."
Ye Ci snorted and made a sound to indicate that she had heard him. Her attitude was not warm, nor was it cold. It was as if she was an ordinary stranger replying to another stranger.
Fortunately, she had such an attitude.
Purity Essence felt calmer when he heard Ye Ci's indifferent voice. If Gongzi You was too warm at this moment, he would feel that he was in deep trouble.
"I lost." Those three words were so common that even a third grader could read and write them. However, these three words were so unusual that it would be harder than ascending to the heavens for a person to say these three words out of his mouth without any hesitation.
This was especially true for Purity Essence. His prideful self-esteem and the answer he was so sure of had been toppled in a single day. It was harder for him to say those three words to Gongzi You than it was for him to kill himself.
However, Purity Essence still said it out loud.
Ye Ci was surprised. She did not expect Purity Essence to admit to a bet that she did not care about. She also did not expect Purity Essence to admit to his mistakes so directly and sincerely. Ye Ci admired him for this. After all, not everyone could face their own mistakes. Even Ye Ci herself, who had reincarnated, might not be able to do it.
Especially when he had to admit it in front of others. This really required a lot of courage.
However, no matter what she was thinking, Ye Ci did not show any extreme emotions. She was still as indifferent as ever, and replied coldly, "Oh, I see."
Perhaps Ye Ci's indifferent reply had angered Purity Essence. He spoke with a tone of dissatisfaction and resentment, "What's wrong? Don't you have anything else to say? You've seen things clearly. You won the bet with me in such a glorious manner. Don't you want to say something? "
Ye Ci slowly put away another fish. She then took out a bait and casually hung it on the hook. At the same time, she casually asked Purity Essence, "Then how do you want me to answer you?"
Purity Essence did not know how to answer her. To be honest, he did not know how to respond to Gongzi You's question. After calming himself down, he suddenly felt that Gongzi You was actually innocent. She did not do anything in the entire incident, and yet she was dragged into the endless troubles and controversies. Judging others by their own standards, regardless of whether or not she cared about the trouble and controversy, she was already very unhappy that her name was hung on the forum every day.
"To be honest, I don't care about winning or losing." Ye Ci was still as indifferent as ever, "That's why you don't have to be all red eyebrows and green eyes."
"You don't care about it? I quit the guild because of this bet, and you're telling me that you don't care about it?! " Purity Essence was like a firecracker right now. Anything could become a spark, and the slightest spark would cause him to explode.
"What? Do you still think that you'll never quit the guild if you don't make a bet with me? Do you still think that you'll never break up with your brothers in the guild? " Ye Ci sneered coldly. Her narrowed eyes were filled with coldness, like a sharp blade that pierced through a person's body.
Purity Essence wanted to say yes, he wanted to deny it, but for some reason, his words seemed to be stuck in his throat. He could not utter a single word for a long time. He knew that Ye Ci was right. Even if the bet had not been made today, he would still have to break up with his brothers in the near future. He would still have to drink a few cups of sorrowful words.
"I'm not wrong when I say that I don't care about it. I admit that I'm very interested in you. After all, I have high hopes for your leadership. Our Up Everyday needs a Battle Commander like you. However, I don't care if you join Up Everyday or not. After all, if you don't really want to join Up Everyday, and are only here for a bet, then there's nothing to cherish. " Ye Ci narrowed her eyes. She felt that there were some things that she should make clear to Purity Essence. She hated being threatened the most, and she would never allow anyone to use her abilities to threaten her. Even Purity Essence, whom she valued, would not allow such a thing to happen.
"Besides, there are countless players in Fate. There are also countless players in the Eastern Continent. Even if I value you today, it doesn't mean that there won't be a better commander tomorrow. So …" She paused, and a cold glint appeared in her eyes, "Don't put all the blame on me for your departure from the guild. I've never had a need to shoulder such a heavy burden for others."
So this is the real Gongzi You?
Purity Essence shuddered uncontrollably. So this is the real Gongzi You? He was cold, merciless, and calculated everything clearly. He wasn't willing to let anyone take advantage of him. It was no wonder that such a person placed benefits above all else. Such a person was actually born for benefits. Or perhaps there was no such thing as warmth in her heart at all?
Purity Essence felt that he and Gongzi You were two completely different types of people. The things that he valued the most were trash in her eyes, while the things that she valued the most were things that he could not accept. When these two irreconcilable contradictions were finally reconciled, it was at the cost of his own downfall. Was he too naive, or was Gongzi You too pragmatic?
He could not find the answer, and he did not want to find the answer.
Historically, people who valued relationships would prefer to be vague. This way, they would be able to feel a sense of warmth. A person who understood everything would definitely be meticulous. This kind of person had a nice name — businessman.
"What do you mean?" Purity Essence suddenly felt very tired. He only wanted to play a game. Why did he have to deal with so many things?
"I welcome you to Up Everyday, but it's up to you whether you want to come or not," Ye Ci leisurely threw the hook into the water, "You're right. We're different. I value self-interest above all. In my heart, as long as it's something that can benefit me, I'll do it willingly. But you value relationships above all. I don't really understand your way of thinking. So, I'll leave everything up to you. "
Purity Essence was stunned. No one knew what he was thinking about.
"But, there's one thing that I need to make clear." Ye Ci suddenly turned around and looked at Purity Essence. Her eyes shone as if she could see through his heart, "As someone who values self-interest above all else, I don't like to make a loss. If you come to Up Everyday, but your heart is elsewhere, then it's better for you not to come."
Purity Essence was still stunned. It was as if he did not hear Ye Ci's words. In fact, Ye Ci knew that he had heard it.
Ye Ci had a good grasp of the mentality of people like Purity Essence. If she forced him to join the guild at this time, he might fly into a rage out of humiliation, which would cause trouble for her in the future. However, if she handed the initiative to him, it would be a different story.
Of course, Ye Ci only dared to do so because of certain conditions.
First of all, Sorrow had definitely fallen out with Purity Essence after drinking a few cups of wine. Purity Essence would have no way to return to the guild. Secondly, as long as he had a relationship with Gongzi You, the other smaller guilds would not take him in. Furthermore, the bigger guilds would not care about a nobody like him. Even if he joined the bigger guilds, he would not be able to make a name for himself unless he was a powerful player. Lastly, and most importantly, Purity Essence was a professional. Purity Essence was a professional gamer, and as a professional gamer, the most important thing to him was to make money. Although Purity Essence did not make much money, he was still able to make a living. Now, he was all alone without a guild to rely on. He had always been developing his own party, and without a party, there was no way he could survive without one.
No matter how sentimental a person was, he was still a person. A person had to eat.
A professional gamer was a person who made a living by playing games. He was a person who relied on playing games to make a living. A person like him would never say no to money.
Therefore, Purity Essence's only choice was to Up Everyday and submit to Ye Ci. Although Ye Ci had given the initiative to Purity Essence and made it sound so righteous, Purity Essence's path had already been arranged by Ye Ci.
There was only one road leading to the heavens, and there was no other branch.
What Ye Ci needed to do now was to wait for Purity Essence to come to his senses. Then, he would willingly join her.
Since her goal had been achieved, Ye Ci had no reason to stay in Hidden Treasure Gulf any longer. She stood up and patted the dust off her shoes out of habit. Then, she said sincerely to Purity Essence, "Until we meet again." After saying that, she was like a perfect arc, directly plunging into the water that had already been dyed golden-red, swimming away into the distance.
In fact, it didn't take long before a shout came from far behind, "Hey! Gongzi You! "
Ye Ci stopped and turned her head to look at Purity Essence, who had shrunk to a very small size. He was currently standing on a large rock and waving his arms at her. He looked very excited.
"I've thought it through! I've really thought it through! "
Purity Essence cupped his hands into the shape of a loudspeaker and shouted at the top of his lungs, as if that was not enough to prove his sincerity.
Ye Ci was not as stupid as Purity Essence. She would not shout at him directly. Even though Fate was a highly simulated VR game, a game was still a game. There were certain settings in the game that could not be implemented in real life, such as privacy.
"What are you trying to say?" Ye Ci was very calm. After all, she already knew that Purity Essence had thought it through. She was not as excited as Purity Essence. She calmly sent a message to the excited Purity Essence, telling him that he could now use this method to communicate with her.
"… …" Purity Essence did not seem to have understood Ye Ci's hint. He was still shouting at the top of his lungs. However, due to the strong wind and the distance between them, Ye Ci could not hear a single word clearly.
She stared at Purity Essence in silence, her face filled with black lines. She suddenly felt that this person was quite stupid. His IQ was obviously not high when he was being impulsive. Was she wrong in poaching him?
As she could not hear what Purity Essence was shouting, Ye Ci decided to lower her IQ once again. She quietly sent another message to Purity Essence, "If you have anything to say, you can send me a private message. I can't hear a single thing you're shouting at me."
This time, Purity Essence did not continue shouting. Instead, he sent a private message back, "I've thought it through. I want to join Up Everyday!"
"Oh." Ye Ci was still indifferent. She then sent him a message inviting him to join the guild.
Purity Essence immediately joined Up Everyday. The members of Up Everyday were shocked and confused by Purity Essence's decision to join Up Everyday. "Ah? I thought the rumors on the forums were fake. So there really is something going on between Purity Essence and our guild leader? "
"So what if there is?" Gongzi You sent a message to the guild members with a fake smile, and the heated discussion immediately died down. Many of the guild members went back to hiding in the dark.
Ye Ci had already informed Bai Mo about Purity Essence's matter. As soon as Purity Essence joined the guild, Bai Mo immediately sent a message, "Is it done?"
"Yup, it's done." Ye Ci let out a sigh of relief, "I'll leave him to you. Don't let it slip."
"I know. Who do you think your brother is?" Bai Mo chuckled, "A Battle Commander?"
"Yup. I'm not familiar with him, but I think it's a good idea to be a Battle Commander. You can explore him."
"Leave it to me." Bai Mo had always been fond of teaching new members, especially those recruited by Gongzi You. He would usually pay extra attention to them. After all, Ye Ci rarely took the initiative to recruit new members. Anyone who caught her eye, no matter how pathetic their current situation was, would definitely become a great figure in the future.
Purity Essence felt a little restrained by the overwhelming discussions in the guild. He felt that it was inappropriate for him to join a guild so rashly. Just as he was hesitating, Gongzi You sent him a private message, "The guild encampment is bound to Red Lake City. You can go there and bind your City-recalling Stone. Of course, it's fine if you don't bind it. However, you should return to the guild encampment. The Depths Of A Stranger is waiting for you. "
"The Depths Of A Stranger?" Purity Essence was stunned. This person was the first Warrior in the Eastern Continent to possess a Swordback Hold. He was also one of the best MTs in the Eastern Continent. Why would he be waiting for me? However, he soon felt relieved. A person who was familiar with Gongzi You would definitely not be an ordinary person. A small character like him was really flattered.
"Alright." Purity Essence prepared to return to the guild encampment after replying to Ye Ci. Meanwhile, Ye Ci no longer paid any attention to the guild encampment after making arrangements for this matter. After all, Ye Ci's energy was limited. The wisest choice for her was to place her energy where it was most worthwhile.
She saw Green Hill's Moon sitting on a thick wooden ladder not far away from her with a smile on his face. Green Hill's Moon rested his chin on his hands as he stared at her with a silly look on his face. Ye Ci could not help but roll her eyes. She walked up to him and placed her wet hands on his hair, "Don't tell me you've been waiting for me."
"That's only natural. There aren't many people in the Eastern Continent who can wait for Gongzi You. How can I let this honor slip away? " Green Hill's Moon did not seem to care that Ye Ci had wet his hair with seawater. He was still smiling mischievously.
"Since you're here, you must have found a place to rest, right?"
"That's right. I've already booked a room at the One-eyed Pirate's Tavern." Green Hill's Moon chuckled, "Go ahead and call me when you're done. I'll be right there." Although Green Hill's Moon was a despicable person, he was still a gentleman. He knew that Ye Ci had swum a long way and would definitely need to tidy herself up. That was why he had already booked a room for her.
One-eyed Pirate's Tavern.
The room was of the highest quality. The soft and dry bedding gave off the scent of the sun. The firewood in the fireplace crackled as it burned. In the bathroom, there was a large wooden tub filled with hot water. There were even flower petals scattered on top of the tub. Ye Ci pouted as she took off her clothes. Green Hill's Moon sure knows how to flirt. If she did not know that the wool comes from the sheep's back, she might have praised him. But when she thought about how she would still have to pay for the room, she did not feel the slightest bit of gratitude towards Green Hill's Moon. Instead, she felt at ease.
After a good bath, Ye Ci felt refreshed after her equipment was taken care of by the NPC in the tavern. In Fate, there was a certain level of Fatigue and Cleanliness that could be achieved by taking a bath. That was why players had to squeeze out a portion of their meager income to spend on baths. That was why the overly realistic game was not necessarily a good thing.
When Green Hill's Moon entered the room, he saw Gongzi You enjoying his meal. She did not hold back and ordered the best dishes and a bottle of the most expensive wine. She ate with great concentration. Green Hill's Moon silently mourned for his pockets, and decided to put all his money on Gongzi You.
As expected, the wool was still on the sheep.
"Tell me, how's the investigation going?"
"Heh, I didn't expect you to ask me to investigate something so gossipy." Green Hill's Moon laughed mischievously. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with the gossip.
"That's how the world works. What's there to gossip about?" Ye Ci picked up a napkin and wiped the gravy from the corner of her mouth. She then put down her cutlery and leaned back in her chair. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Green Hill's Moon, "Besides, you should know that I'm not asking you to investigate some gossip."
"Alright, I'm just lamenting." Green Hill's Moon sighed as he nodded his head. He knew that Gongzi You was not a good person to chat with, especially when it came to gossip. She was not interested in it at all. She was always interested in finding out the weaknesses of others. Sometimes, Green Hill's Moon wondered if Gongzi You was born with a pretty face for nothing. She did not have the temperament of a woman at all. Instead, she was always so snobbish, cold, and ambitious.
Ye Ci snorted and signaled him to speak quickly. She did not want to waste her precious time.
"NightAndDay has indeed taken precautions against Wandering Cloud. Although everything seems normal on the surface, NightAndDay has already taken away Wandering Cloud's authority in the Tang dynasty. Of course, NightAndDay did it perfectly. It took me a long time to figure it out. " Green Hill's Moon shrugged. He was actually quite impressed with NightAndDay. Despite being cuckolded by his good friend, NightAndDay was still able to deal with him calmly. He was truly a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
"Of course. Although other people might not be able to tell, I believe that Wandering Cloud has already noticed it. It seems like he has not been in contact with Into The Sunset recently, let alone having an affair." Green Hill's Moon narrowed his eyes as he stared at Ye Ci, "According to my analysis of Wandering Cloud, he'll definitely retaliate, and he'll need someone to back him up."
Ye Ci did not say anything. She only looked at Green Hill's Moon quietly.
"Don't tell me that you're the person he's looking for?" Green Hill's Moon looked at Ye Ci and made a bold guess. He believed that not many people knew about Wandering Cloud and Into The Sunset's affair. Or rather, there were less than five people in the world who knew about it. Other than the three people involved, he was one of them. What about the other person? There was nothing to say. It must be Gongzi You, the person who sent him to investigate this matter. However, how did Gongzi You know about this matter? It was truly a mystery. However, no matter how Gongzi You found out about this matter, Wandering Cloud would definitely come looking for her. Gongzi You was the only person who was not afraid of offending NightAndDay and had the ability to go against NightAndDay. Gongzi You was the only one.
Ye Ci looked at Green Hill's Moon's scheming face and did not comment on it. She tossed a hundred thousand gold coins onto the table, "Can you help me investigate whether NightAndDay has done anything else?"
"It seems that you've agreed?" Green Hill's Moon smiled proudly, "Just based on this matter alone, I won't charge you anything."
Ye Ci raised her eyebrows and stood up. She walked out of the door and turned around to ask, "What's up with The Setting Sun recently?"
"He's been buying videos of BOSSes all over the world. He seems to be in a hurry. Unbridled Willow, on the other hand, seems to be very calm. I heard that they're about to launch The Fourth Prince. " Green Hill's Moon naturally knew what Ye Ci was asking. His answer was naturally what Ye Ci wanted to know the most.
She was not worried about Green Hill's Moon. Even though Green Hill's Moon was a very calculative person, he was still a kind person. Furthermore, he was a person who cherished old favors. Even though she was his biggest customer, in his eyes, she was still not as important as The Setting Sun who had recognized his worth. However, she did not expect that in this life, the person who recognized his worth would be her.
Ye Ci suddenly felt that fate was really despicable. If one day, Green Hill's Moon in this life knew that The Setting Sun was the person who had helped him climb out of poverty in his previous life, how would he feel? Thinking up to this point, Ye Ci's lips curled up even more. She glanced at Green Hill's Moon in the room and began to walk down the stairs. Suddenly, she said, "Oh right, I've put the room's fee on your bill."
"Gongzi You!" Green Hill's Moon was slightly stunned. He immediately jumped up. This woman was really despicable. She was not even willing to suffer such a small loss. He could only hear the sound of her footsteps as she walked down the stairs. Her footsteps on the wooden stairs actually sounded like she was jumping for joy. This made Green Hill's Moon even more depressed.
After settling these matters, Ye Ci felt that it was finally time for her to complete the Epic-tier quest. Without any hesitation, she flew straight from Hidden Treasure Gulf to the Swamp of Sorrows.
As the Swamp of Sorrows was a neutral map, Ye Ci could not teleport to Dark Clay City without a certain amount of reputation. Hence, she had no choice but to travel from the Swamp of Sorrows to Dark Clay City. Unlike the last time she came to the Swamp of Sorrows, the Swamp of Sorrows was now charred black due to the baptism of Ortla's Dragon Breath. Even though the system had an automatic recovery function, it would take at least a month for the Swamp of Sorrows to return to its original state.
Due to Ortla's visit, the battle between the Eastern and Northern Continent players, and the incident between Gongzi You and Purity Essence, the Swamp of Sorrows was now bustling with activity. However, when Ye Ci rode the Fourth Prince past the players who were glowing with red and green light, there was no one looking for trouble. Everyone was either busy leveling up or fighting each other. No one was paying attention to her. Or perhaps, someone was paying attention to her but did not let her know.
In short, she arrived at Dark Clay City in a short time. Riding the Fourth Prince, Ye Ci arrived at the City Hall in no time at all. After informing the manager of the City Hall of her intentions, the manager asked Ye Ci to wait for a moment while he reported her intentions to the City Hall of Sorrows.
Even though Sha 'gar was known as one of the Top Ten Mysterious Players of Fate, the number of players who had played the game for more than a decade could be counted with one's fingers. It was strange that a person who spent his days reading books in his castle was one of the top players in the War of Fate. Not only that, but he also had a wide circle of friends. For example, the City Lord of Oasis City was a good friend of his, and Lord Moore of Dark Clay City was also a good friend of his.
Ye Ci could not understand how a person who did not even show his face was able to maintain his friendship.
Of course, Ye Ci did not need to worry about such matters. As a player who was inferior to an NPC, she only needed to do what the NPC told her to do.
After waiting for a while in the City Hall of Dark Clay City, Ye Ci heard hurried footsteps. She turned around and saw a tall NPC dressed in exquisite clothing walking towards her. His hair was neatly combed and stuck to his head. The medal pinned to his chest revealed his identity as the City Lord of Dark Clay City.
He walked up to Ye Ci and bowed to her, "So it's a friend from afar. It's my fault for not knowing this until now. Please come in and have a seat."
"There's no need for that, Lord Mayor." Ye Ci returned the bow politely, "I've received a request from Lord Sargar to deliver a letter to Lord Moore. May I know when I'll be able to meet Lord Moore?"
"Oh? Is there a letter? The City Lord hasn't been feeling well recently. You can leave the letter to me. I'll pass it on to him. "The City Lord of Dark Clay City extended his hand towards Ye Ci.
This was a small trap. If the letter was delivered to the City Lord of Dark Clay City, the quest would still be completed. However, the quest's quality would drop from Epic to Elite, and the rewards would be much lower. As someone who had experienced the War of Fate in her previous life, Ye Ci would not fall for such a small trap.
She smiled and shook her head, rejecting the request of the Dark Clay City Market. "Forgive me for my disrespect, Lord Mayor. Lord Sargar has asked me to personally deliver this letter to Lord Moore. So, I can't pass this letter to anyone else. Do you understand my difficulties, Lord Mayor?"
The City Lord of Dark Clay City was slightly stunned. He seemed a little embarrassed, but he quickly recovered his usual courtesy, "Of course. However, the City Lord is not feeling well. I'm afraid he won't be able to receive you." He then changed the topic, "Of course, it's not impossible for you to meet the City Lord if you must."
When Ye Ci saw the troubled expression on Black Mayor's face, she knew that the quest had reached Epic-tier. It was time for her to take on the next part of the quest from the mayor. Ye Ci said enthusiastically, "Is there something troubling you, Lord Mayor? If there's anything, you can leave it to me. I believe I'll do my best to serve you."
The City Lord of Dark Clay City had been waiting for Ye Ci to say that. He was pleasantly surprised, "Are you sincere? Can I leave this troublesome matter to you? "
"Of course."
"The City Lord's health has not been good recently. A famous doctor has written a prescription for him. However, we've already found the other herbs. There's only one herb that we can't find. Since you're here, if you can help us find the herb, I believe you'll be able to meet the City Lord soon."
As soon as the City Lord finished his sentence, a system notification rang out, "Would you like to accept the quest 'The City Lord's Herb'?" Ye Ci accepted the quest without hesitation. She then saw that the quest on her quest interface had changed. However, the quest's color remained unchanged. This meant that her choice did not lower the quest's level.
After receiving Ye Ci's approval, the City Lord of Dark Clay City stated his request. It sounded like a simple request. He only needed to go to an abandoned altar in the depths of the Swamp of Sorrows to find a herb called Calming Grass. (To be continued.) If you like this novel, you're welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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