"Main quest has been triggered.
"Side quest has been triggered."
After the three of them greeted each other, the system announcement came immediately, and it was two consecutive announcements.
The next second, the three of them looked at the quest tab in unison.
First, it was the main quest. "Find the original translation of the Ramayana among Blackbeard's treasure."
Then, there were three consecutive side quests. They were …
"Help Blackbeard find his old subordinates on Devil's Chomp Island," "Board the enemy's ship in the naval battle and kill at least three enemy sailors," and "Participate in the deck boxing match and defeat the 'Vikings'."
"Hmm … There are quite a lot of things to do in this scenario." After Feng Bujue quickly read through the content of the quest, he mumbled this rather meaningless line.
This was one of his favorite conversational techniques. Through this method of 'throwing a brick to attract more jade', he would get the others around him to share their thoughts.
"Look at the content. These are all side quests that can be taken away while we're completing the main quest …" Hong Hu knew his Brother Jue quite well, so he immediately followed up with the same meaningless line to show that he, the wise general, would not fall for such a trick.
"Ha …" Two seconds later, the quick-witted but 'naive' student Snow opened his mouth with a smile. "If we think about it from another perspective … based on the principle of 'optional' side quest, these three quests are hinting that … we can choose not to join Blackbeard's camp, not help him find his people, not help him fight in the naval battle, and not participate in the sailors' boxing match. Instead, we can choose to hide here and wait until the ship docks before heading straight for the treasure and completing the main quest."
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Ambitionist immediately perked up. "This Little Brother Snow, you're quite amazing. Why don't we be friends?"
Hong Hu was a smart person. He knew very well that in Thriller Paradise, players who could come up with such an analysis after seeing the four quests were at least one level higher than 'normal' players.
Level, equipment, skill, mastery … these things could be obtained through time or money, but intelligence was not something that could be obtained so easily. Therefore, the more friends he had, the better.
"Hmph … Alright." A second later, Snow replied, "I've also heard of Hong Hu's great name. It's my honor to be acquainted with such a famous person."
His words were actually a little sarcastic. Logically speaking … if he and Hong Hu became friends, then Hong Hu should be the one feeling honored.
In the real world, Hong Hu was at most a first-tier celebrity in the gaming circle, but in terms of influence and power in society … he might not even be as strong as some of the second-tier or third-tier celebrities.
As for Snow... It was no exaggeration to say that he was like the "prince of the underground society". As long as he wanted to, he could make those so-called "upper-class society" people kneel down and lick his shoes, or even disappear from the face of the earth.
However, in this game world, both of them were just … "players".
This was one of the charms of the internet. The internet could, at a certain time, a certain place … allow those who had vastly different identities and positions in the real world to be placed in a relatively fair environment.
In this environment, the various resources that the "upper class" normally had, like the right to speak, the right to choose, the ability to influence the direction of events through various legal or illegal "off-site means", and so on, would all disappear.
Just like how animals that were reared would slowly lose their ability to hunt, when those people came out from the cage called 'money' and 'power', most of them … would appear exceptionally weak, useless, and even stupid.
Of course, there were exceptions …
Snow was one of those exceptions. Even if you took away everything around him, he would still be a difficult character to deal with.
Thankfully, at that moment … he was a companion and not an opponent.
After getting the reply from the other party, Hong Hu gave a very humble response. "Oh, no, no. I am just trying to make a living. I am not a celebrity. We are all gaming friends, so there is no need to be so polite."
The Hong Hu of today was obviously much more mature than when he first met Brother Jue. In other words, it was the incident of "getting to know Feng Bujue" that made him grow up a lot.
Thinking back … when he was in the "Climbing the Building" scenario, at the beginning of the game, he and the other two players from the studio flattered each other in front of Brother Jue. This kind of thing … he would definitely not do it now.
The higher a person stood in a certain field and the wider their horizons, the more they would understand that there was always someone better than them. If they wanted to go to a "higher place," they had to learn "reverence," learn "self-reflection," learn "humility."
Things like "pride" should be left for those who were complacent and stuck in their old ways to enjoy. It was a kind of compensation given by God to those who had "stopped there."
And Hong Hu was definitely not that kind of person. Therefore, he had long abandoned that "pride" and placed himself in a very low position. He used the mentality that he had when he was just starting his career to work hard.
Today, Hong Hu, be it in terms of speech or quick thinking, had improved by leaps and bounds. As the brain of the team, his ability was no less than that of Brother Jue. During S2, he helped the Loser Alliance reach the finals, and that was the best proof. In terms of social interaction, Hong Hu was showing signs of being a general. In terms of the ability to "pretend to be humble," he could compete with Brother Jue.
"I think … How about this." After eavesdropping on the conversation between the two, Feng Bujue continued with malice. "The two of you … might as well crawl into a bucket and have a nice chat. As for me … I will go out alone to join the pirate crew and complete the side quest. When the ship lands on the island, I will call for you."
"Come on …" Hong Hu said. He opened the lid of the barrel he was in, poked his head out, and turned on the flashlight he carried with him. "If I let you go out alone, you will sell us out in three minutes."
"You don't trust me?" Brother Jue also opened the wooden lid above his head, poked half of his head out, and raised his eyebrows.
"Ha!" Hong Hu laughed dryly. "I even thought of the specific process of you betraying your teammates … The first step is to deliberately be discovered and caught. The second step is to declare that you admire Captain Blackbeard very much and want to join his pirate group. The third step is to report my and Snow's position as bargaining chips, and at the same time, put the blame on us for the disappearance of the Withered Leaf Wine … That's it."
"Well …" Before he finished speaking, Snow also poked his head out of his barrel. "It's a really good plan. Not only did you get rid of two companions who would sooner or later share the main storyline reward with you, but you also won the trust of Blackbeard … Even if this trust is not very strong, it is enough for you to stay on the ship."
"Tsk … Am I such a person with no ambition?" Feng Bujue narrowed his eyes and looked left and right. Then, he took out [Bell's Daily Knife] from his waist and cut open the rope net covering the three barrels.
"Me? The great Feng Bujue still needs to betray his teammates in order to gain the trust of an NPC? " After cutting open the rope net, Brother Jue put away the knife, stood up, and said, "Get it straight, this is the main universe …" At this point, he patted his chest. "I have plenty of connections."
"Yes, yes …" Hong Hu also narrowed his eyes, got up, and said, "I almost forgot … Even the War Demon is one of your people, right?"
Hong Hu's team was schemed against by Feng Bujue in the S2 finals, and the whole team was directly sent out of the main universe. He naturally still remembered.
"Ah … Who knows." Brother Jue laughed and did not give a clear answer. He quickly changed the topic. "In short, I'm definitely going to do the side mission. Whether the two of you want to do it or not … It's up to you."
"Of course, why not?" Ambitionist said. "You're the only one who said that. I never said I was going to hide here."
"Hehe … It seems that the two of you are quite familiar with each other." Snow, who had been silent for a while, climbed out of the barrel at this time and said with a smile.
"Ah … I guess so." Hong Hu replied, "Dealing with Brother Feng … Whether as a teammate or an opponent, it will be quite an unforgettable experience."
When Snow heard this, he smiled knowingly. "Hehe … Indeed, I feel the same way."
"Oh?" At this moment, Hong Hu also realized something. "Speaking of which … It's not the first time the two of you have met, right?" He turned to look at Snow and asked, "I remember, Snow, you just called him 'Mr. Crow'?"
"Yes." Snow had no intention of hiding it. "About a month ago, we met twice, and something happened during that time … So …"
"Hey, hey, hey …" Feng Bujue interrupted Snow. "Why are you describing it in such a tone as if we met at a gaybar?"
"Huh?" Snow was stunned. "Did I?"
"Of course you did." Brother Jue replied in his hometown accent and immediately looked at Hong Hu. He asked, "You be the judge … What he said just now, isn't it easy for people to associate it with … 'I used the name Mr. Crow to hang out at a gaybar, and then he hit on me'?"
"Uh …" Hong Hu did not know what expression he should use to face this question and answer. "At first, I definitely did not think in that direction at all, but now, you have forcibly brought me into the rhythm of my imagination that I don't want to enter …"
"Hey, look." After Feng Bujue got the answer, he looked back at Snow and said, "So there's a problem with what you said, right?"
"Hey … It's obviously your problem …" Hong Hu held his forehead and shook his head. "And … What's there to be confused about? A lot of people know that you have a girlfriend, okay?" He dragged his voice. "If you don't want me to find out 'what happened between you and Snow', then just say it. You don't have to divert the conversation into something strange … Anyway, I'm not very interested in this matter."
Hearing these words, Feng Bujue's expression changed slightly, and he thought to himself, "Wow … You've grown up. My intentions have been seen through so clearly."
"Okay, then let's talk about the script." But Brother Jue did not praise him in front of his face. Instead, he immediately changed the topic. "Snow, are you going to stay here or go out with us?"
"I …" For more than ten seconds, Snow had been observing and analyzing the relationship between the two men in front of him and every word they said. Now, when Brother Jue suddenly asked him this, he hesitated for two seconds before saying, "… Of course, I'll go with the two of you."
"Okay, you go and open the door." Feng Bujue did not give him time to think at all and made a request.
"Hmm …" Snow was not stupid. He immediately asked three very constructive questions. "May I ask … Why do you want me to open the door? Why do I have to listen to you? And … Why don't we plunder this' third storage room 'before we leave? "
Feng Bujue was already prepared. He replied, "It's very simple … Because I have connections, and it's up to me to get to know Blackbeard. So … I definitely can't do this kind of exploration work where you might run into the guards and be killed in seconds after opening the door. " He paused for a moment. "As for the reason why we shouldn't loot this room … it's obvious. We are going to join the pirates later. If you 'steal' someone's things now, won't it become a hidden danger later?"
"Ah …" Snow heard this and thought for three seconds. Then, he rolled his eyes and said, "Why am I convinced by such a somewhat unreasonable reason …"
After that, he turned around and walked to the door.
Feng Bujue and Hong Hu immediately looked at each other. The former just smiled and shrugged, while the latter shook his head helplessly.
A few seconds later, Snow came to the door of the third storage room.
It was a rather thick wooden door. Whether it was the door panel or the lock on the door, it was the kind that ordinary knives and guns could not destroy.
After standing still, Snow put his hand on the door handle. Before opening the door, he looked back at his two teammates behind him.
At this time, Feng Bujue was looking around with a nonchalant expression, while Hong Hu looked focused, holding a flashlight to illuminate Snow.
"Ha …" When Snow turned his face back to the door panel, he chuckled softly.
Brother Bujue and Hong Hu did not hear this laugh because the sound of the endless waves in their ears had drowned it out.
Gulp —
Immediately after, Snow turned the doorknob and opened the door.
Unsurprisingly, there was a guard outside the door, but the guard was lying in a hammock a few meters away from the wooden door. The shaking of the hull and the surrounding sounds did not affect him at all … There was no doubt that he had long been accustomed to sleeping in such an environment. The intermittent snoring indicated that he was sleeping soundly.
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