Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 400 Crest of the Dark Shrine

The Fate officials had even distributed questionnaires to collect players' opinions about the game. As responses were required after the questionnaires were opened, Ye Ci was forced to fill in the blanks half heartedly. Wang Jiangnan was already doing a good job, which meant that her input was not necessary.

But she immediately regretted it when she arrived at Hero City. Why didn’t I give them the suggestion to allow private messages to be sent to hostile continent players?

Her only way of contacting Fleeting Time now was through Green Hill’s Moon, at the expense of her privacy.

Green Hill’s Moon was ready to gossip about the money Ye Ci gave him the message she wished to be relayed, but he was able to hold himself back. After some consideration, the questions he had for Ye Ci did not leave his mouth.

Of course, Ye Ci would never entertain the questions anyways. It would ultimately be pointless.

“T-t-then where will you be waiting for him?” asked Green Hill’s Moon after a very long moment of hesitation.

“The Wild Cat tavern in the Western District.” replied Ye Ci. This has been the place that she frequented in Hero City. Even the NPCs in the place had already warmed up to her.

Green Hill’s Moon nodded, and assigned the task to two of his subordinates in the Western Continent. He then smiled at Ye Ci who was about to leave, “You’ve been laying very low these days, Gongzi. I have not seen your name in the World Channel for a very long time, nor have your name appeared in the Arena. Even the First Blood of dungeons were achieved without you. I can’t say I’m used to you keeping such a low profile.

Ye Ci raised an eyebrow and huffed at Green Hill’s Moon, “Don’t beat around the bust.”

Green Hill’s Moon had always treated Ye Ci differently. He rubbed the bridge of his nose when his flattery was ignored, “I’m just curious. What have you been up to? Even my men could not locate you.”

Ye Ci patted Green Hill’s Moon on his shoulder, “What a curious man you are. Did someone try to buy my location from you again?”

“Of course I would be curious! Think about it, even my man could not find you!” Green Hill’s Moon snorted. He would never betray Ye Ci whom he considered his friend.

“I’m exploring a very mysterious maze.” said Ye Ci after some moment of consideration.

“Is there anything good over there?” Green Hill’s Moon’s eyes immediately lit up.

Ye Ci thought of the ruined shrine, and shook her head, “I’m here for a quest. There’s nothing worth noting in this area.” she would not have gotten anything good if not for the Gravedigger Goblin that Wang Jiangnan sent her way.

“That’s a shame.”

“Since when have you started selling dungeon clearing guides?” Ye Ci raised an eyebrow.

“Well I have to earn a living somehow.” Green Hill’s Moon sighed, “I’m not a god-tier player like you. But I still have a business to run and mouths to feed.”

Ye Ci would never believe Green Hill’s Moon’s incessant whining. Business had been blooming for the man, “Do you have any information about the Golden Era these days?”

“The guild’s been quiet these days. They’re acting just like normal players leveling up and exploring dungeons while heading into the arena during their free time. There’s nothing suspicious that I can see. But they have been paying close attention to the Mithril ore vieno the Southern Continent, and have asked about the identity of the player who holds the lock to its quest. It seems that they really want it.”

Ye Ci narrowed her eyes and looked at Green Hill’s Moon, “Who do you think is holding it?”

Green Hill’s Moon appeared to be at a loss, “I’ve actually tried looking into the person for a long time as well, but there’s simply nothing I could find. It’s as if the person did not exist! Why? Are you interested in the Mithril ore vein of the Southern Continent as well?”

Ye Ci’s eyes narrowed even further. She stared at Green Hill’s Moon’s expression and spoke up once she was certain that he was not lying, “Upwards Ho! already has one in our possession, but I don’t thing having one more in our pockets is a bad thing.”

Green Hill’s Moon nodded his head in agreement, “I have a feeling that the person is waiting for a chance. Perhaps he or she will sell the quest to the highest bidder once the prices of Mithril increase.”

Ye Ci stood up to leave, “Who knows. Keep an eye out for me will you? And let me know if you have anything on Golden Era.”

“Leave it to me.” Green Hill’s Moon clutched at his hair when Ye Ci left. He then continued reading the information collected by his subordinates, “This is strange… Just who the hell has the lock to Southern Continent’s Mithril ore vein?”

The player population in Hero City’s western district had seen a sharp increase in recent times. And conflict arose along with the rising player population. While disputes could be solved in many ways in real life, the quickest way to solve in-game was through fighting. The side that was stronger was the side that was in the right.

Of course, this gave rise to even more red named players that contributed to the rapid growth of population in the western district. The population of players, while not as many as the players in the eastern district, was enough to make the western district live with activities.

Ye Ci did not attract much of an attention when she entered the Wild Cat tavern. The players present were all outlaws like her, and they were all hooded.

She looked around the tavern, and found an empty table at a secluded corner in the tavern.

A waitress immediately went to her the moment she sat down. The NPC in her red dress drew the attention of many male players in the tavern, “Heh, long time no see, Elf. Where have you been? Have you started going to the eastern district instead?”

Players in cloak could hide their identities from another player, but they could never deceive the eyes of NPCs, “Heh, look at me Jenny. Do I look like someone who would be accepted by the hypocrites in the eastern district?”

Jenny erupted into laughter. She leaned forward against the table, puffing her voluptuous breasts out. Ye Ci would have found herself having a nosebleed if she was a male player. She placed ten gold coins on the table and asked, “Do you have any news for me?”

Jenny scooped the gold coins up with a chuckle and whispered into Ye Ci’s ears, “Do you see that vixen dancing on the stage? She’s been hiding it very well, but I can tell that she has connections with people from the Dark Shrine.”

“How can you tell?” Ye Ci eyed the female dancer. NPCs and players alike were drooling at her beauty.

“Heh, there's a crest under her navel. It’s something that only a member of the Dark Shrine would possess. I’ve seen a number of them when they held me captive.” Jenny licked her lips, “Are you really going to take them on?”

“I’m thinking about it.” Ye Ci shrugged.

Jenny let out a laugh, “Can I have your weapon when you die? It looks expensive.”

“You can have my money, Jenny, but not my weapon. I’m a Huntress. This bow is like my other half.” Ye Ci smiled at Jenny.

“Oh, you and your damn sense of honor.” Ye Ci sighed and stood up straight, “The usual?”

“Yup.” Ye Ci nodded.

Jenny then turned around and left the table.

Ye Ci stared at the dancer. She had the appearance of a beastman, but was even prettier than the beastman character that could be created by players. A pair of fox ears sprouted on the NPCs head. Oh, so that’s why Jenny called her a vixen… Her gaze drifted towards the dancer’s navel, but what she needed to see was covered by clothing.

“Eh? Is that you, Gongzi You?” a familiar voice rang out in Ye Ci’s ears. A man sat by Ye Ci’s table and pulled back her hood. It was Spotless Autumn.

Ye Ci pursed her lips, “How did you know it’s me, Autumn?”

“Ah, Jenny told me.” Spotless Autumn pointed at the NPC who was strutting her way to the other tables in the tavern. Jenny was a unique NPC working for the Thieves Guild. She was like a search engine for players that would provide them with information about the game with a small price.

And this was perhaps one of the reasons why the Wild Cat tavern was always packed full of players.

Ye Ci raised an eyebrow and sighed, “Did you really ask for my location every time you meet Jenny?”

“Of course.” Spotless Autumn nodded.

“Why would you do that?”

“To party up with you and kill people of course. Oh, and to help you with some quest!”

“Do you think I’ll help you for free?” Ye Ci rolled her eyes at Spotless Autumn and noticed his red name, “What? You’ve grown addicted to PVP?”

Spotless Autumn chuckled at her remark, “Well it’s faster than questing. And you know that I’m always short of money.”