Early the next morning, a graceful figure emerged from a flash of white light.
Ying Ye opened her eyes, appearing in a bustling plaza at the heart of the Royal Capital.
She looked around, noticing flashes of white light as players materialized one after another, scurrying to surround the NPCs crowded around the plaza.
“Urgently hiring two workhorses… er, I mean, inviting two brave Otherworld Travelers to clear rats from my farm! This farm owner promises generous experience points—don’t miss this chance!”
“Mage friends, magic broom sale alert! Just 50 gold coins, and you’ll soar to the heavens! Don’t hesitate, first come, first served!”
“Dear Otherworld Travelers, the Church of Life extends a sincere invitation! Join us for a massive +5% max health boost, making your adventures easier and more carefree!”
The Royal Capital, the largest main city in the Rose Kingdom, was naturally home to many novice players.
But the capital’s security was tight.
Unlike the novice villages outside, where wild rabbits roamed as walking experience points, players here had to complete numerous NPC quests to level up.
The plaza, being the unified respawn point for Otherworld Travelers, had over time become a kind of “job market,” teeming with NPCs offering quests and players hungry for experience.
As Ying Ye stood slightly dazed by the lively crowd, a familiar voice called from behind.
“Ying Ye~”
Bai Yue Ling was waving at her, wearing sunglasses and sporting a relaxed smile.
Her skin seemed to glow, noticeably smoother and shinier than the day before, as if she’d had a spa treatment.
Ying Ye approached and caught a faint, peculiar fragrance.
“Little White, why do you smell like perfume?” Ying Ye narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t go out with another woman last night, did you…?”
“Huh? N-No way!”
Bai Yue Ling dramatically sniffed herself, catching only the unique scent of her body wrapped in glossy black stockings.
“I was just dancing with some NPC aunties in the plaza, that’s all.”
Ying Ye stepped closer. “Then where’d these sunglasses come from? Why do they say ‘Fairy House’ on them?”
“Th-These? They’re a trendy brand in Destiny World!”
Bai Yue Ling obediently removed the sunglasses, blinking her cute, mischievous eyes with an innocent, good-girl act.
Ying Ye found her explanation even more suspicious.
She pulled Bai Yue Ling into a hug, her fingers brushing over the glossy black stockings, searching for kiss marks or other traces.
Thankfully, while Little White was a yuri flirt, she wasn’t that reckless.
A yuri brothel? No way she’d go somewhere so scandalous.
“Little White, you really didn’t go messing around last night?”
“Absolutely not! I was doing legit stuff. If you don’t believe me, use a lie detector!”
Bai Yue Ling puffed out her chest, making it jiggle confidently.
‘A massage counts as messing around? That’s a perfectly legitimate service!’
But after staring at fairies all night, she needed to feast her eyes on some gorgeous, sultry big sisters.
Seeing Ying Ye still looking skeptical, Bai Yue Ling quickly changed the topic.
“Oh, right, last night I got a new quest from Third Princess Viki…”
She explained the slime nest mission in detail.
“That holy knight’s finally gone?” Ying Ye’s eyes lit up, though she was puzzled.
“But, Little White, are you really going to join the Third Princess?”
“Dunno… but our mission is to corrupt her, right? Getting close to her makes that easier.”
Ying Ye nodded, gently wrapping her arms around Bai Yue Ling’s neck from behind with a smile.
“Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”
You’re not my dog… Bai Yue Ling grumbled inwardly but said, “Let’s go register as adventurers first.”
***
Slimes were ferocious monsters.
They rarely killed, but they loved dissolving pretty girls’ clothes.
To prevent slimes from causing havoc, the areas around slime nests were controlled by the Adventurer’s Association.
Entry required an adventurer’s license.
Some players initially complained about this restriction, but they soon realized that such adventurer-only dungeons were common in Destiny World.
The association blocked dungeon monsters from spreading while granting adventurers the chance to challenge them—for a fee, of course.
In a way, the Adventurer’s Association was the biggest “middleman” outside the churches of the gods.
The two girls arrived at the Adventurer’s Association, located in the bustling heart of the Royal Capital.
The building was a grand, circular pavilion, with cheerful crowds streaming in and out, exuding a vibrant adventuring atmosphere.
As they prepared to enter, a figure suddenly flew out of the door, narrowly missing them.
It was a frail, mushroom-haired girl who tumbled across the ground several times before struggling to her feet, her face bloodied and bruised as she tried to flee.
“Blind trash! How many times have we told you not to show your face here again?”
Four figures in red clothing emerged, grabbing the frail girl and unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks.
“We’ll beat you every time we see you, got it?”
The frail girl couldn’t withstand the assault, curling up silently under the blows.
The commotion drew a crowd, but upon seeing the attackers’ red outfits, onlookers’ faces shifted, and no one stepped in to help.
Ying Ye’s brows furrowed. She couldn’t stand such violence.
“Who are these people in red?”
Bai Yue Ling shrugged, unfazed. “Blood Era folks.”
“Blood Era?” Ying Ye thought for a moment.
“I remember them being big on PK in traditional MMOs, but they’re even worse in this full-dive game.”
“Yeah, their style is just that reckless. In some ways, they’re way worse than Sky Treader Guild.”
Blood Era’s style was Xueyu’s style.
Bai Yue Ling added casually, “You know, Ying Ye, Xueyu keeps a list called ‘Trash I Need to Kill.’”
“Doesn’t sound like a nice list.”
“Nope. If you’re on it, Xueyu kills you every time she sees you. If she’s busy, her goons do it. They’ll kill you down to level 1 and keep going, no exceptions.”
Bai Yue Ling glanced at the frail girl being beaten. “Like this.”
Ying Ye’s brows tightened, her impression of Xueyu’s cruelty deepening.
“Little White, how do you know so much? Did Xueyu bully you before?”
“Uh… something like that?”
Why did Bai Yue Ling know so much?
Because in nearly every cycle, for one reason or another, she ended up on Xueyu’s “Trash I Need to Kill” list.
Then, relying on her exceptional gaming skills, she’d fight Xueyu over and over, their battles sparking a love-hate dynamic—killing turned to affection, affection fueled more killing, repeating for hundreds of cycles…
That’s why Xueyu was the big sister she feared most.
As they spoke, the Blood Era members stopped their assault.
A new figure appeared, clearly no pushover.
Standing over two meters tall, clad in sleek, high-tech black power armor, the figure stood like a solemn statue, their heavy breathing sounding like a bellows.
They looked straight out of a Warhammer universe.
“Let her go,” the figure said in a low, gravelly voice, tinged with a terrifying, rusty metallic edge.
“Who’re you? Some meddling nobody?”
The four kicked the frail girl aside, warily eyeing the newcomer and slowly encircling them.
“Is that an NPC?” Ying Ye asked curiously.
Bai Yue Ling shook her head. “No, probably a player.”