Facing the scene before him, Da Fei was dumbfounded. What was happening? Were they ganging up on him? This was in the city!
ââCity Channel [Skyshattering Thunder]: Da Fei! Iâm right here. Didnât you say youâd come smash my smithy? Didnât you say youâd wipe out me and my friends? Come on! Iâm right here, I dare you to wipe us all out!
What the heck, was this a bunch of jokers?
Of course, Da Fei didnât know that One Sword Eastward, using a sock puppet account, had stirred up so much enmity for him in the forums. Claims like "Brother Fei can solo destroy you and loot all your stuff in a flash," or "Brother Fei could drop a single divine artifact bomb and blow your smithy to smithereens," or "Brother Fei can beat you into dogs single-handedly," and so on, etcetera etcetera. Along with some players who fearlessly fanned the flames further, going beyond One Sword Eastward, making Brother Fei seem like a god of destruction set to flatten Moradin, wreck the smithy, and rob all the women from Skyshattering Thunderâs family.
Thatâs why when Da Fei appeared in Moradin, the players on the streets reacted so strongly.
Skyshattering Thunder, who had long been a denizen of the internet, understood the mindset of netizens. Some of them couldnât stand Da Feiâs meteoric rise, yet they werenât happy with his own modest success either. With dark hearts, they wished for a life-and-death struggle between him and Da Fei, even hoping Da Fei would obliterate his smithy. While these rumors couldnât be entirely trusted, Skyshattering Thunder couldnât remain indifferent.
So when Da Fei really showed up in Moradin, Skyshattering Thunder immediately called his friends to surround Da Fei in the street. Skyshattering Thunder knew Da Fei wasnât there for revenge; he was probably going to the Forging Guild to continue his quest. But that didnât stop Skyshattering Thunder from putting on a show. Just Da Fei showing up was headline news, and opposing him naturally gave Skyshattering Thunder an opportunity to create a buzz.
Facing this group of jokers blocking the street, Da Fei muttered a curse and raised a middle finger from afar: "You jokers, canât be bothered with you. Think you can block all the roads? Iâll just take a detour!"
As Da Fei took a detour, the paparazzi following him booed, then trailed behind like a long dragon, creating a spectacular scene.
ââCity Channel [Skyshattering Thunder]: Da Fei! Arenât you loaded with divine artifacts that can destroy gods? Are you not gonna take a detour? Donât hide! Hit me with everything you got!
The city channel went into an uproar again, and the paparazzi behind Da Fei booed once more.
What the heck! Was this joker taunting him further? Da Fei was just about to retaliate on the city channel when he suddenly paused, thinking, why bother arguing with him? Does he deserve it?
Da Fei smiled faintly, turning to the paparazzi behind him: "Iâm going to the Imperial Palace. Who among you can yell and tell those jokers to follow if theyâve got the guts, and kneel outside if they donât!"
The paparazzi, with nothing better to do and itching for chaos, were thrilled that the legendary Brother Fei was talking to them instead of the "protagonist" opposite. They were hyped up like they were on adrenaline!
ââ"Skyshattering Thunder, Brother Fei is going to the Imperial Palace. Do you dare to follow him?"
ââ"Skyshattering Thunder, Brother Fei dares you to kneel at the palace gates!"
ââ"Skyshattering Thunder, Brother Fei dares you to kneel!"
Holy cow! Seeing the crowded public channel, Da Fei felt a sense of defeat, as expected, peopleâs words are powerful! Once the message passed around, it started to change! Youâre doing this on purpose, arenât you? Oh well, it doesnât matter if it changes. Thatâs just the kind of person I am. You gonna kneel?
Once he heard Da Fei was going to the Imperial Palace instead of the Forging Guild, Skyshattering Thunder was shocked! Could Da Fei continue his quest through royal means? Impossible! At this stage, how could a player possibly enter the Imperial Palace? To enter the Imperial Palace, one would need at least a certain title, and a pretty high one at that! A title represents the highest honor a player can achieve within an NPC faction; even a baron isnât something any rank-and-file officer can compare with. Da Fei couldnât possibly have a title, could he?
However, this gun couldnât be restored anywhere in the Dwarf Kingdom right now, so even if he saw the Emperor, so what? Follow him! I need to see how Da Fei could have such influence to get into the Imperial Palace!
Skyshattering Thunder gritted his teeth and waved his hand: "Brothers, follow him!"
"Are they actually following?" Seeing the crowd across the street moving with the news, Da Fei laughed heartily to the paparazzi behind him: "If I tell them to kneel, theyâll definitely kneel!"
The paparazzi roared with laughter, and the public channel was once again filled with sarcastic jabs!
ââ"Brother Fei said, if he tells you to follow, you follow; if he tells you to kneel, youâll definitely kneel!"
ââ"Brother Fei said, if he tells you to kneel, you kneel; if he tells you to eat shit, youâll eat shit!"
ââ"Brother Fei said, heâs telling you to kneel and eat shit!"
Holy cow! When did I ever say to have them kneel and eat shit? Youâre deliberately messing with me, arenât you? You paparazzi are useless now; you can go die in a corner.
Ignoring the paparazzi behind him, Da Fei strode straight toward the Imperial Palace. As for whether he could enter, Da Fei honestly had no idea. But now he had a celebrity card, and the princes were busy gathering forces; as common sense would dictate, they should be seeing all sorts of talented individuals, right...
Skyshattering Thunderâs face grew dark, and he immediately messaged his friends: "Take screenshots as evidence and report it on the forums later, claiming Da Fei incited trash players, disturbing the gameâs harmonious and civilized atmosphere! Letâs ruin his reputation so badly that the game company bans his account!"
In the midst of the public channelâs noisy uproar, two streams of people led a host of clueless players, following Da Fei all the way to the Royal District of the city. Alright, now players from all over the China Region, perhaps even the whole world, probably knew Da Fei was going to the Imperial Palace. But the key question was, could he get in? The answer was about to be revealed!
ââ"Halt! This is a restricted royal area. No unauthorized entry!" With a loud shout, the golden-armored, imposing palace guards stopped the surging crowd.
Thousands of eyes were fixed squarely on Da Fei at the forefront of the crowd, and he felt like his back was burning under the gaze of thousands of onlookers.
Da Fei took out his card, trying to keep calm as he approached the Guard Captain. With every step closer, he felt his speed slow down! Alright, it wasnât just a feeling; it was the "Pressure" special skill of the royal guards! To players, these guards were practically god-like!
ââ"Stand back! Step forward and be executed without mercy!" The Guard Captainâs thunderous shout resonated throughout the arena, and like a rumbling thunder, it echoed heavily in Da Feiâs heart. The noisy crowd fell silent immediately.
Da Fei stopped quickly and presented his card with both hands, saying from afar, "I have urgent matters to discuss, seeking an audience with Prince Alberon."
The guard didnât even glance at the card, barking angrily, "Do you have an appointment? If not, scram!"
The crowd erupted again! Da Feiâs heart tightened, damn it! I needed an appointment? Could even a top celebrity not meet a prince? Couldnât meet even a single prince, then the king must be god-level hard to reach! Whatâs the use of this celebrity status if Iâve wasted God-level materials like the Whale King Horn!
Ah! Wait! If it were a normal situation, he wouldâve just kicked me out. Thereâs no need to even bring up the appointment, which means my celebrity status has worked! Thatâs right, even if a big celebrity wants to see a prince, he has to state his business, right? After all, I needed a chance when transferring a task to see a duke, and for the task, I just happen to have one, so letâs try it!
Da Fei grit his teeth and immediately equipped the Titanâs Grasp from his bag. In an instant, his whole body sparked and crackled with electricity!
The crowd gasped again: "Titanâs Grasp!"
"TiâtanââsâGrasp!" Da Fei gritted his teeth as he said the words, his health plummeting instantly. Titanâs Grasp, get it?
The Guard Captain waved his hand, indifferent: "Someone, take him to see Prince Alberon!"
Success! Being an epic quest that involved even the king, Da Fei couldnât help but laugh wildly, and the crowd roared: "Da Fei really got into the Imperial Palace!"
"Skyshattering Thunder, Da Fei entered the Imperial Palace, kneel!"
Skyshattering Thunder stood in shock! Why, why could a human enter the dwarf royal family, which was so notoriously xenophobic? How high was his reputation? No way! Absolutely not possible! Even high-ranking officials rarely had the privilege to enter the Imperial Palace, let alone a player just a month after the server opened!
Meanwhile, in the bustling, crowded spectator group, a female human player named Moon God Night frowned slightly before quickly disappearing into the dispersing crowd.
In Prince Thunder Fist Alberonâs chambers.
Guided by the guards, Da Fei saw a dwarf dressed in luxurious clothing, with golden hair and beard, tall and strong like a sturdy tower. To be precise, his height not only wasnât short, but he even stood half a head taller than a human; this was a giant dwarf!
"I know you!" Before Da Fei could speak, Alberon began: "You went to Fire Dragon Island!"
Ha, your deeds on Fire Dragon Island were known even by the top leaders, evidently coming to him was the right step!
Alberon continued, "However, if your purpose is to repair the Titanâs Grasp, I canât help you, nor can the king; the entire Dwarf Kingdom cannot help you. Please leave! Guards, escort him out!"
Hey, hey, hey! Are you kidding me; I didnât even get a word in before youâre rushing to send me off!
Da Fei hurriedly said, "Your Highness, right now, I merely wish to equip and use the Titanâs Grasp! I canât even equip it, let alone repair it!"
Alberon said dismissively, "Dwarves have no solution. You can only seek out the Dark Elf or Titans. Guards, escort him out!"
What the heck, why the rush, what, are you desperately trying to get to the bathroom? Even if you had to use the bathroom, I could wait! Where would I find a Dark Elf or Titan? I did so much for you on Fire Dragon Island and fished up the Dragon Bone, and now youâre ghosting me! Fine, Iâll show my loyalty!
Da Fei quickly added, "Your Highness, Iâm close friends with General Bato! Anything you find convenient or inconvenient, you can discuss with me!"
Alberonâs eyebrow twitched: "I only have three minutes allotted for visitors. I can only tell you that in the deepest part of the city dungeon, there is a female Dark Elf clan leader imprisoned!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)