Chapter 14: Lending a Hand to Ordinary Players

After Li Bin had finished tidying everything up, Tears of Sorrow opened the VIP teleportation gate. According to her, this portal could instantly send a player and their troops to any location within a fifty-kilometer radius, and conveniently, the nearest entrance to the underground dungeon lay just within that distance.

Hearing this, Li Bin was still somewhat puzzled, but Tears of Sorrow quickly explained further, “This teleportation gate can only be used three times a day. Bringing a player along counts as an extra use. Remember those hordes of harpies at the entrance? I need to keep at least one use for myself in case I need to escape—I have no desire to fight them. So what I mean is, I can only send you to the entrance of the underground world. The rest will be up to you.”

“Alright, I understand,” Li Bin nodded. “This little challenge won’t trip me up. Even if I have to flee, I’ll find my way out.”

Tears of Sorrow nodded, grasping Li Bin’s hand. “When you enter the portal, don’t let go. I can only control the destination; everything else is beyond my power. Don’t worry about your troops—they’ll automatically appear by your side once the teleportation ends.”

Before Li Bin could respond, a dizzying whirl swept him up, and he saw several arcane runes—the same ones he had glimpsed on first entering the underground world.

Li Bin organized his troops and pressed his hand to the runes. He had already devised his plan: upon reaching the surface, the newly summoned skeleton soldiers and the young harpy poison maiden would charge forward to distract the harpies, while he and his other level-six units would make a swift retreat from this treacherous place.

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But Li Bin hadn’t expected that not a single harpy would be found on the surface. It left him with the frustrating sensation of swinging a heavy punch only to hit empty air.

After searching several harpy nests, Li Bin finally abandoned the hunt, suspecting that the Black Moonstone Guild had already collected all the harpies.

Leaving the perilous valley, Li Bin rejoined his Grave Demon and Totina. He had planned to visit Hoof Village, but had barely started down the road when he saw several players from the Black Moonstone Guild, leading their troops toward the direction of Shubi Bloodlust City.

Li Bin thought for a moment and casually stopped a human player carrying a blue Frost Blossom battle banner. “Brother, what are you heading out for?”

The player glanced at Li Bin and asked, “Are you from the Black Moonstone Guild?”

“No, but I know Thunderbull. He said he’d introduce me to the guild,” Li Bin replied, not entirely truthfully.

“Thunderbull? That means you’ll be a senior member right away,” the player said with envy. “Unlike us, we’re just peripheral members.”

“Hold on, brother, you haven’t told me—what exactly are you doing?” Li Bin didn’t have time for idle chatter.

“What else? We’re going to be cannon fodder,” the player said with a dismissive twist of his lips. “People like us, small fry, what else can we be?”

“So, aren’t you resentful of the Black Moonstone Guild for sending you off as cannon fodder?” Li Bin asked, curious at the player’s attitude.

“What’s the point of resentment? We’re here to accompany the VIP players in their games anyway. Besides, the Black Moonstone Guild promised that if we take Shubi Bloodlust City, each of us will get a City Heart with appropriate attributes. Sure, it’s only the kind that lets you build a level-one village, but for us in the novice zone, that’s our biggest goal,” the player said, his excitement evident.

Li Bin glanced at the player, whose robe was tattered and worn, and knew everything he said was true. Had Li Bin not accidentally acquired a Grave Demon at the start, perhaps he too would have been one of those rushing off to be cannon fodder.

Li Bin, always wishing to do something for players like these, walked alongside this level-three mage named Rain Ice (a name provided by the reader Agate Tears), and along the way learned much from him.

As they neared Shubi Bloodlust City, Li Bin suddenly asked, “Rain Ice, if the city offered a higher reward, would you abandon the Black Moonstone Guild’s fight?”

Rain Ice was stunned by the question, quickly covering Li Bin’s mouth. “Are you trying to get me killed? Saying that around here—if I don’t get a City Heart, who am I supposed to turn to?”

Li Bin laughed it off, bade Rain Ice farewell, and hurried toward Shubi Bloodlust City.

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Upon entering the area surrounding Shubi Bloodlust City, Li Bin was no longer prompted to enter, but instead faced a choice of faction. It seemed the city’s lord, Old Shubi, was feeling considerable pressure from the Black Moonstone Guild’s provocation.

After selecting to support Shubi Bloodlust City, Li Bin was quickly summoned to the city hall, where he met the elusive Old Shubi.

The peculiar blue-skinned goblin didn’t call Li Bin “bone” this time, but instead said, “Undead player, state your purpose. The troops you bring may be somewhat helpful to us, but they’re not crucial, so don’t expect to make exorbitant demands.”

“I’ve come simply to ask: how will you deal with those ordinary players being used as cannon fodder?” Li Bin got straight to the point.

“Kill them all. Anyone who opposes Shubi Bloodlust City deserves death,” Old Shubi replied, hopping on the table.

“Old Shubi, that’s not the right way to think. They’re players: if they die, they rest a day and come back to fight you again. How long can you hold out—days, ten days, a hundred days?” Li Bin shook his head. “I do have a rough idea, though. Are you interested?”

“Let’s hear it,” Old Shubi snorted coldly. “If you don’t offer anything novel, I’ll have you dragged out and executed.”

“Do as you please. I don’t have anything particularly new—just a proposal: issue a quest. Any ordinary player who opposes the Black Moonstone Guild in this campaign will receive from you, after the battle, a City Heart able to build a level-two village,” Li Bin said.

“You intend to buy the players off with that? How naive. City lords from the three previous novice continents tried it, but none ever succeeded,” Old Shubi laughed. “Do you know why?”

“Why?” Li Bin asked, perplexed.

“Because the guilds are backed by VIP players. They can source better City Hearts from elsewhere as rewards,” Old Shubi replied coldly.

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