“You guys?” Bai Xue turned to the players still standing around, their faces filled with envy, and asked calmly.
Ever since she had guessed Ye Lian’s true intention, she had been waiting for this moment.
At her words, the players from the Atlantic Federation looked at each other, but none of them were willing to accept the offer.
The reason was simple.
Unlike Boyang and Jimit, they weren’t that strong.
Even if they got the equipment, they wouldn’t get far.
Taking someone else’s gear and then hiding in the city without contributing? Everyone could imagine how badly that would end.
The equipment might be good, but it wasn’t worth the risk.
Besides, now that Boyang and Jimit had gotten their gear, wouldn’t it be smarter to just stick close to them and ride their coattails?
No one responded, but Bai Xue didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed.
She stood there like a spear planted into the ground, her face hidden behind the mask, but full of cold indifference.
She didn’t care whether these people lived or died.
“I swear on my name as a White Knight, I will do what I promised,” Boyang said seriously, now calm and resolute.
“I will too!” Jimit added immediately.
“Mm.” Ye Lian only nodded.
“If there’s nothing else, you may go.”
She said it so casually, as if she didn’t care at all whether they would keep their promise.
Her indifferent attitude left the two men a little puzzled.
But in the end, they obediently took their teams and left.
***
Outside the shop.
“Kicking out customers when you’re open for business? What an arrogant shopkeeper,” someone muttered in dissatisfaction.
“Not like we have a choice. Her shop’s the only one in town,” another player shrugged.
“Still, she can make potions and forge gear. She’s basically an NPC.”
“Maybe she is one. Like, an official NPC sent in by the Savior Organization,” someone guessed.
“That makes sense. How else could she be so powerful?”
“Yeah, that tracks,” Boyang nodded.
He had been thinking the same thing.
‘If the game had no native NPCs, wouldn’t it make sense for the developers to send in people to play that role?’
“I don’t think she’s a regular NPC,” one player said, looking slightly pale.
“She probably has some kind of admin privileges!”
At those words, everyone’s expression changed dramatically.
They all suddenly thought of the mechanical puppets scattered around the city, and their hearts started racing.
If those were only part of her authority—’what else could she do?’
“Hiss… better not mess with her!”
“Mess with her? Who would even dare?”
“Actually, if you think about it, couldn’t she protect us?”
“Wake up. Look at her. She’s cold as ice. Do you really think she’d protect anyone?”
“Exactly. And don’t forget—they’re Huaxia players!”
“I remember a saying from Huaxia: ‘Those who are not of our race must have different hearts!'”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. They probably wish we were all dead!”
“They’re going straight to hell, I’m telling you!”
“Enough!” Boyang interrupted loudly as the comments grew more and more toxic.
It was clear these people had gotten too used to their so-called freedom.
They were just mouthing off without any sense of the situation.
They knew Ye Lian was the most powerful figure in Mo City, and they still had the nerve to talk behind her back? ‘Were they suicidal?’
“She’s already offered us help—that’s more than generous. You should learn to be grateful,” Jimit said firmly.
It was the kind of line meant to smooth things over.
But it struck a chord.
The crowd fell silent, seemingly reflecting on their behavior.
Boyang gave Jimit a glance, then quickened his pace back toward their residence.
***
The Atlantic Federation players had barely left when the Alchemy Workshop received its second batch of visitors.
It was the group led by Dancing Elephant, brought over by one of the mechanical puppets.
“Are we really going in?” someone asked nervously.
This empty city gave him an unsettling feeling.
The same could be said for this shop.
“Well, we’ve already made it here. We might as well go in,” said Dancing Elephant calmly.
He hadn’t sensed any signs of danger inside.
Just as the others were about to say something, a voice drifted out from within.
“Customers? Welcome.”
It sounded cool and distant.
Dancing Elephant froze for a moment, then stepped forward.
The door to the Silver Alchemy Workshop was slightly ajar, making it impossible to see clearly inside at a glance.
As they pushed the door open, the group was met with the sight of shelves stacked with piles of pitch-black equipment.
And two unusual figures standing not far away.
To the left was a girl wearing a maid uniform and a white mask on her face.
To the right stood another girl clad entirely in white armor, like a valiant knight.
Such an odd pairing sparked curiosity—and a trace of fear.
Fortunately, both of them had green names above their heads, just like the group.
Undoubtedly, they were players.
Once everyone was inside, Bai Xue explained the dangers of pollution levels and even gave them a free sample of the mental recovery potion to try.
Dancing Elephant hesitated for a moment before drinking the potion in front of everyone.
The reason he made the decision so quickly was because he hadn’t sensed any danger.
In fact, both Dancing Elephant and Ye Lian had discovered a hidden secret on their interface.
In the end, they had successfully found the Easter egg—
A danger foresight ability!
With this ability, he had managed to avoid numerous threats and finally arrived at this place where a sliver of hope remained.
That’s right.
While Ye Lian believed this city would soon become extremely dangerous, it was actually hiding a chance at survival.
Outside the city, however—there was absolutely no hope.
Staying in the city to spend their final days was the correct choice.
“It really dropped…” Staring at the pollution value on his panel as it plummeted, Dancing Elephant let out a sigh of relief.
He could feel the threat posed by pollution levels.
The higher the number, the stronger the ominous feeling in his heart.
Right now, that ominous feeling was rapidly fading.
It felt amazing.
After confirming the effect, the rest of the group began to feel tempted.
“Dancing, do you really think this potion is worth trading our materials for?” a female player in the team asked urgently.
“Absolutely. This is a life-saving potion,” said Dancing Elephant seriously.
The others felt he was exaggerating a bit.
It’s not like this was an HP recovery potion.
‘Was it really worthy of being called life-saving?’
“I want a bottle!” the female player said decisively.
She had great confidence in Dancing Elephant.
After all, the only reason they’d made it to Mo City in one piece was thanks to his repeated interventions and brilliant leadership.
With one person exchanging for the potion, the second and third quickly followed.
Eventually, each of them got a bottle.
Unlike the players from the Atlantic Federation, this six-person team led by Dancing Elephant was clearly wealthier.
They carried so many materials that even Bai Xue was surprised.
“Can the equipment on the shelves be traded for as well?”
Dancing Elephant suddenly pointed to the racks and asked.
“Yes,” Bai Xue nodded.
“I’ll take a set.”
As he spoke, Dancing Elephant took out a large pile of materials from his inventory and placed them on the counter.
At this moment, Ye Lian couldn’t help but look at him differently.
‘[Dancing Elephant], level 8. Definitely not an ordinary player.’
***
Before long, Dancing Elephant had changed into a full set of Ant Gear, while the others exchanged for some individual pieces.
The group left the shop, all very satisfied.
“Dancing, should we head out to level up now?” the female player asked, her face full of excitement after almost completing her new gear set.
Like Boyang, she believed that growing stronger was the key to surviving whatever came next.
“No, we can’t go out,” Dancing Elephant shook his head.
“Why not?” the female player asked in confusion.
The others looked puzzled as well.
“Did you all forget something?”
Dancing Elephant suddenly pointed toward the sky.
“The Moon Demon Emperor hasn’t made a move yet!”