Of course, for players, being able to work and earn money in the game, big money at that, meant they could mix with anyone.
Mixing with the Gang Leader works, and so does joining an NPCâs gang, of course, no problem.
There were no objections to this move; on the contrary, there were cheers, and it even drew envious glances at Bai Wuyuan, with many applying to join the Dreamshock Society.
But Fang Yu took a look, and it seemed that the Dreamshock Society didnât have much in the way of standards for recruitment; you just needed to be strong and obedient, and they were willing to nurture newcomers.
Especially after having the Xuan Family stronghold, they became even more proactive in recruitment, outwardly claiming that internal strife had reduced the number of kin, so they were open to absorbing outsiders who were willing to forsake their surnames and become a member of the Xuan Family.
Just like how veteran online games fronted with names like âTyrant x Bro, Who Dares to Contend with Me,â although the Dreamshock Society wasnât so extravagantâafter all, this game doesnât allow you to play like that unless youâre courting death at the hands of a demonâ
But having a unified family surname does give one a sense of pride, similar to having a unified gang name; itâs quite prestigious when taken outside, so changing your name and adhering to a surname has become a mandatory requirement for joining the gang. And you canât just leave the gang casually; youâd be chased down and killed by the gangâs enforcers.
Anyway, all these quirks didnât usually attract Fang Yuâs attention, and he didnât expect player guilds to have developed to this wild extent.
Looking at Tianyuan Town, where new players kept pouring in, Fang Yu felt somewhat gratifiedâafter all, his Silver Taels were mainly spent by the people of Tianyuan Town. In a sense, these people were also his bosses.
But he dealt with middlemen, who offered slightly lower prices, yet they bought in large quantities, which was convenient and fast.
As for raising the prices slightly to sell to regular players, that was none of Fang Yuâs business.
Slurping up the last of his noodles and dumping the remnants into a trash bag, Fang Yu gathered up several bags of accumulated trash, picked them up, and walked out the door.
Fang Yuâs rented room was very close to the elevator.
When he left, only the room opposite could see him exiting.
However, the door of that room was usually closed, and it was lived in by a single lady around his age, whose schedule was mostly nocturnal.
Fang Yu had interacted with her on a few occasions but only to the extent of exchanging names, not quite familiar.
Unexpectedly today, he found that the door to the ladyâs apartment across was open.
Usually somewhat unkempt, the interior was now remarkably tidy, with several cardboard boxes piled up.
"Planning to move out..."
Fang Yu wondered as he stepped into the elevator.
Hopefully, the new neighbor would be easy to deal with.
Fang Yu didnât dwell on it much. After he descended the building and walked along the district roads, he suddenly realized the district seemed less busy, with more vacated rooms leaving their doors ajar.
Typically, at this time, one would see commuters rushing out, but now there were only a few scattered individuals.
Qingshui District, since the security reinforcement, seemed to have become much quieter, probably losing many familiar faces.
Could it be that Sister Jinâs performance suffered due to her sister Qi Meng being hospitalized, leading to poor management of the district?
Fang Yu sighed inwardly; Sister Jinâs fate was harshâborn into wealth, yet beset by such an event.
Her sister suddenly turned into a vegetative state from a car accident, possibly orchestrated by a rival corporate group; anyone would struggle under such circumstances.
Unfortunately, he couldnât offer much help in this matter, only some spiritual comfort.
After all, he was just a minor character who had the chance to become acquainted with Sister Jin, not even sure if he qualified as a friend. But for him, Sister Jin had been kind.
With this in mind, Fang Yu tossed the trash and sent a message to Sister Jin.
Unexpectedly, she responded instantly.
"Iâm at the hospital. The doctor said my big sisterâs condition has been stabilizing these past days. Although there are no signs of her waking up, wearing the game helmet doesnât affect the condition; in fact, thereâs quite a bit of positive feedback, and the doctor is very supportive of it."
Fang Yu composed a message.
"Does that... mean Sister Meng might have already entered the game?"
"Probably."
"Do you need my help? I might be able to look for her in the game."
"Itâs a vast ocean out there, where do I even start searching. Donât worry about it, Iâll figure something out on my own."
Seeing Sister Jinâs response like this, Fang Yu could only send a few comforting words and emoticons before stepping onto the elevator and heading back to his room.
Indeed, his current capabilities were confined to Tianyuan Town; if Qi Meng was located somewhere else as her starting point, he would be utterly powerless.
He needs to become stronger.
If I could roam the wilderness with power, I believe I could be of great help to Sister Jin.
Back in the room, Fang Yu went online.
But Fang Yu, who had returned to the room, didnât notice his neighbor across, the single lady not so familiar to him. At that moment, she returned to her room carrying bags big and small, locked her door with a smile on her face.
"Good, good, good! Finally gave that stinky boss a piece of my mind! Iâve wanted to quit that crappy job for a long time!"
After unpacking and arranging everything back at home, the items that were originally kept at the company have finally returned to the rented house.
Working herself to the bone for so many years, the female neighbor almost began to call the company her home, working overtime day and night, and spending more time at the company than at her own homeâthere were even more possessions at the company than at home.
Fortunately, that nightmare is all over now.
Because she struck it rich in a game!
This "Seeking Demon" game was truly the greatest opportunity of her life!
"Just by taking a chance and following a caravan to another city, I made such a huge profit. If I can buy Tianyuan Townâs specialties and take them to other towns, wouldnât I make another fortune!"
"Itâs said that many old games have this kind of money-making method, something called trading runs, isnât it? I donât understand why people in this game donât dare to earn this money! Fortune favors the bold! What are demons but mere trifles, at worst itâs just losing a life! If I win this gamble, I could even quit my job!"
The female neighbor clenched her fists excitedly, arranged all her things, then took a refreshing bath to relax her spirit, and adjusted herself to the best possible state before putting on her gaming helmet.
"Game, start!"
...
Foolish Underworld.
Diao Residence.
Fang Yu, having entered the game, slowly opened his eyes.
The next moment, he almost jumped with fright.
"What, what are you doing?!"
In front of him was a pair of large eyes, with long eyelashes clearly visible, so close they were almost touching his face.
"Nothing much."
Ding Hui slowly sat up, turned her back to Fang Yu.
"Just looking at how my husband sleeps, why, is that not allowed?"
"..."
This woman, she actually had the audacity!
Who stares at someone elseâs face while they are sleeping!
And from such a close distance, anyone would think sheâs nearsighted!
Fang Yu was speechless.
Ding Hui was generally a good person, but sometimes she was weird, doing things that were completely incomprehensible.
If Fang Yu hadnât gotten used to her occasional oddities, he would have doubted her mental state.
Fortunately, Fang Yu knew that Ding Hui dealt with demon corpses all year round and was indeed under great pressure. Since there were no psychiatrists in the game, even if she had a mental problem, it would be understandable.
"When did you get here?"
Fang Yu stretched and yawned.
"Thatâs rare," said Ding Hui, strangely.
"What is?"
"You yawning, itâs rare to see. Whenever I have seen you sleep, you usually wake up full of energy. In your case today, itâs unusual."
Fang Yu was startled.
What kind of freak are you, observing people while they sleep.
Fang Yu rolled his eyes at Ding Hui.
But it had to be said, Ding Huiâs observational skills were indeed different.
Fang Yu, usually logging in and out, was a Martial Artist by nature, so being energetic was the norm.
But this time, he logged in feeling tired, naturally because of last nightâs research on Qi.
"I need to change clothes, are you going to keep staying here?"
"Go ahead and change, itâs not like I havenât seen it before."
Fang Yu: ???
What lewd remarks??
Ding Hui seems to be taking me less and less seriously lately.
Fang Yu muttered unhappily, "Letâs talk business first, howâs the situation with Wu Hall Master?"