Chapter 389 - 379: Hugh Finch’s Plan

Moira jumped at the sudden voice. When she turned around, she saw that Kai York had somehow appeared behind her.

"You jinx."

Because the spicy pepper soup from earlier had been so good, the group was having spicy hot pot for dinner.

The vegetables and mushrooms were freshly picked from the yard, and the rest of the ingredients were all prepared.

As they ate, their conversation naturally turned to the game.

"By the way, Moira, what’s your in-game name?" Kai York suddenly asked.

Moira spoke with her mouth full, her voice muffled. "When I first started the game, I tried a bunch of names, but they were all taken, so I just ended up using my real name. Plus, I got a special role while doing a quest, which lets me have a dual identity as both a player and an NPC."

When Moira finished, Kai York, Shane Rhodes, and Hugh Finch all looked at her with envy.

"Moira, how are you always so lucky?" Kai York lamented.

Moira’s luck was so good it was like she was using hacks.

"It’s probably because of the Blessing Badge. Actually, I also..."

Before Shane Rhodes could finish, all eyes were on him.

"Boss, don’t tell me you also got one of those special roles and have a dual identity."

Shane Rhodes nodded. "When I first got the role, I actually thought it was a bit of a waste."

After all, they were only there on a temporary job. Once their time was up, they would be teleported back to Caelus.

He even considered selling the role, but he had no way to do so. He tried to contact Moira Lynch, but there was no signal.

So, the matter was delayed.

He just never expected SoySauceDrunkard to be so resourceful, even managing to get their hands on game pods.

"What’s your NPC identity in the game?" Moira asked curiously.

"The City Lord of a city," Shane Rhodes admitted honestly.

Moira’s head shot up, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Shane Rhodes. "A City Lord!"

She wanted to play in a management style, but besides saving money to buy land, she also needed to get the City Lord’s permission.

Only by obtaining a permit from the Lord’s Keep would she gain the right to purchase land in the game.

And to get the permit, she needed Contribution Value.

Originally, Moira had planned to rent land first, since renting didn’t require Contribution Value. Then, once her Contribution Value was high enough, she would buy the land.

Now, with Shane Rhodes’s status, Moira could save herself a lot of trouble.

"I’ll check for you next time we’re in the game. I’m not sure if it’ll work or not, though."

Hearing this, Moira waved her hand. "It’s okay if you can’t. After all, even NPCs have to follow the game’s rules."

Although she had only been in the game for a short time, Moira still felt that the world inside was very realistic.

Seeing Moira and Shane Rhodes chatting happily, Kai York quietly scooted closer to Hugh Finch. "Now it’s just the two of us. We only have each other."

Then, he saw Hugh Finch shoot him an "Are you sure?" look.

Kai York’s eyes widened in shock, his expression one of utter disbelief. "Don’t tell me you also..."

Hugh Finch ignored Kai York’s heartbroken expression and said, "Boss, you mentioned the Blessing Badge just now. Did you roll a luck buff?"

Shane Rhodes nodded. "It must have activated after I entered the game. I didn’t notice at first. I just felt like my luck was absurdly good, and everything was going smoothly."

"Hugh, did you also..."

Hugh Finch shook his head. "I’m just a regular player. Boss, I think this is an opportunity. We might be able to use the game as a cover to obtain more information about the galaxy."

"What do you have in mind?" Shane Rhodes asked.

"I’ve already done a thorough investigation of the game *Divine Soul*. I discovered it’s not as simple as it seems. There’s an item called a Reality Exchange Coupon that can bring in-game items into the real world. Given the current situation on Caelus, I wouldn’t be surprised no matter what happens in the future. But before it does, we can start preparing."

Hugh Finch had already learned about Veridian Prime from Moira. The children who had been taken away by the base were all now living on Veridian Prime.

These children were being protected like embers, to carry on the flame. If anything were to happen to humanity on Caelus, their existence would ensure the human race wouldn’t be completely wiped out.

This was the worst-case scenario, but clearly, Hugh Finch was thinking much further ahead.

Although Caelus was in a terrible state, he knew it would pull through. After the darkness comes the dawn.

And what he needed to do was make preparations before that dawn arrived.

Before he knew Moira’s true identity, he might not have dared to have such bold ideas. But ever since he learned that SoySauceDrunkard was Moira, and found out about the existence of Veridian Prime and Cloudsea Planet, the weight on his mind was finally lifted.

It felt as if, after living in constant, unending anxiety, a massive mountain of support had suddenly fallen from the sky. It was an instant, grounding sensation that gave him the courage and ability to look toward the future.

Shane Rhodes and Kai York gave Hugh Finch’s decision their unconditional support and cooperation, and Moira had no objections either.

Because Moira and Shane Rhodes had special in-game identities, it was inconvenient for them to join other guilds. Therefore, this task fell to Hugh Finch and Kai York.

Meanwhile, Moira and Shane Rhodes needed to focus on building up their own power, establishing a foothold as quickly as possible, and acquiring their own properties within the game.

With this plan in place, the group became busy once again in the days that followed.

After finishing dinner and returning to her room, Moira suddenly remembered something. She opened the game interface, clicked on her private messages, and sure enough, saw that the messages from Redlight had reached 999+.

’He’s been messaging nonstop ever since the game session ended. Talk about persistent.’

She opened the messages. Sure enough, they were about the game pods.

In terms of sales figures, game helmets and wristbands far outsold game pods.

Of course, price was a major factor, but another reason was that things like the nutrient liquid for the pods had to be purchased separately.

Without it, players would still be forced to log off due to their bodies’ physical needs when their time was up.

Unless you were seriously rich, you really couldn’t afford to play using a game pod.

It was like buying a luxury car: you might be able to afford the purchase price, but not necessarily the upkeep.

[Redlight: Mr. Lynch, Mr. Lynch! How many game wristbands, helmets, and pods do you have on hand? We’ll take them all! Price is no object.]

[SoySauceDrunkard: How many?]

Redlight, who had been staring at his private messages ever since the game session ended, almost jumped for joy when he saw a reply finally come through.