### Chapter 3: Head of the Monster Rebellion?
==============================
While Gongsun Ding and the Lord of White Feather City were deep in discussion about compensation, the majority of players across the server had crowded into the “Upgrade Maniac” live streaming room to witness the beginning of what was touted as the epic storyline of “The Way of Inquiry.”
Tang Tong, brimming with excitement, tried his best to keep the camera at an angle that captured both Gongsun Ding and the Lord clearly, allowing viewers to see their expressions.
Players weren’t particularly familiar with this inner sect chief disciple from Thousand Bird City, but after this live stream, he became a household name—celebrity status achieved!
Especially during his confrontation with the Bull-Headed Man, where he threatened to take the lives of players who had died in the Chaos Forest to leverage the exchange for the Cold Moon Witch, the audience watching the live stream was suddenly filled with vigor and motivation.
After all, it had been a while since they had last seen the impressive hidden boss, and considering the organized retaliation they faced while searching for her, it was high time the Monster Race paid the price! Otherwise, did their deaths mean nothing?
However, seeing the Bull Demon King agree to Gongsun Ding’s request without hesitation raised a few eyebrows among the players.
“Didn’t they say the Cold Moon Witch has a high status in the monster realm? How come it feels like the Bull Demon King doesn’t care at all? As soon as Gongsun Ding made his request, he agreed almost instantly without a second thought.”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit odd.”
“Could it be that the Cold Moon Witch is just some insignificant pawn that the lord can toss aside? Not that important, really.”
“Is it possible all our previous guesses were wrong?”
“Ha! You guys are too naive! Did you even listen to the dialogue between Gongsun Ding and the Bull Demon King? A hundred years ago, there was a war between the Human Race and the Monster Race; after White Feather City lost, they signed a peace treaty with Thousand Bird City. Thousand Bird City holds significant sway over the Monster Race. If the Bull Demon King refused Gongsun Ding’s request, then White Feather City would face the wrath of Thousand Bird City.”
“So, regardless of whether the Bull Demon King is sincere or not, he has to comply with Gongsun Ding’s demands.”
“And did you notice that, prior to this, the Bull Demon King tried to push the blame onto the humans? But clearly, the treaty is very unfavorable for the monster side. The humans can’t lose, no matter what. So the Bull Demon King had no choice but to concede under Gongsun Ding’s pressure.”
“Are you saying the Bull Demon King was just pretending to agree? Then what’s he going to do next? Is he really going to hand over the Cold Moon Witch?”
“Wow, your analysis is spot-on! You must be Strong Brother, right? No doubt!”
“Yes, I’m Strong Brother Analysis.AVI! I believe there might be two possible developments from here.”
“First possibility: The Bull Demon King is a loyal adherent to the treaty and doesn’t dare defy Thousand Bird City’s might. Therefore, he will definitely go all-out to capture the Cold Moon Witch.”
“Let me make a wild guess. The Cold Moon Witch is indeed a Great Demon, but she’s a rebel who refuses to accept the unfair treaty between the two races. So, behind the scenes, she’s been contacting a group of like-minded monsters to oppose White Feather City, while also targeting humans.”
“So, the Bull Demon King sees her as a thorn in his side, and now that Gongsun Ding made this request, why wouldn’t he just go along with it? It serves both their interests, which explains why the talks seemed so calm.”
“Second possibility: The Cold Moon Witch’s true identity is a mystery, even to the Bull Demon King.”
“After Gongsun Ding made his request, the Bull Demon King probably thinks she’s just an ordinary Great Demon. White Feather City has at least hundreds of these, so handing one over as a scapegoat wouldn’t really hurt the Monster Race—it’s entirely acceptable.”
“So, which possibility do you think is the truth?
Personally, I lean towards the first.”
The comments section exploded in excitement. Every time they heard Strong Brother’s analysis, they felt a sudden epiphany wash over them.
“Strong Brother, your analysis is too on point! I think it has to be the first possibility.”
“Since the Cold Moon Witch dares to appear near Thousand Bird City and intentionally provoke them, she’s probably paving the way for her plan.”
“Step by step, she’s bringing Thousand Bird City into the monster rebellion’s agenda.”
“I even think the Cold Moon Witch is sketching out an ambitious blueprint, and until now, we just haven’t noticed!”
“I also believe it’s the first option. Where there’s oppression, there’s resistance! Even the Monster Race won’t willingly remain under human suppression. The Cold Moon Witch might just be the leader of the monster rebellion, orchestrating all the chaos we’ve seen so far.”
“And this rebellion will only continue!”
“How thrilling!
What does this epic storyline foreshadow?
Has the entire world of “The Way of Inquiry” entered an era of great war?
And what role can we players possibly play in it?
Enough talk, I’m off to grind levels!”
“LOL! Although players hold a neutral stance on the races in the game, since we were born into the Human Race, defending our interests is our goal! Let’s go, everyone, time to level up!”
“What if the Cold Moon Witch really unites the Monster Race? Wouldn’t that mean the Human Race is facing its greatest crisis? Nope, I need to level up too!”
As Gongsun Ding and Tang Tong made their way back to Thousand Bird City, excited players chatted animatedly all the way.
Just as Tang Tong’s live stream title proclaimed, “The Beginning of a Great Epic Story,” everything kicked off with the Cold Moon Witch appearing in the human realm, setting the stage for an unknown adventure ahead.
Meanwhile, it seemed that Lin Nan and the Fatty—having been left behind by the entire world—were still squatting in the back courtyard of the Eight Immortals Restaurant, puffing and panting as they chopped carrots.
Fatty hadn’t missed the hot posts in the forum, but every time he was eager to check out the live stream of the so-called epic storyline, that d*mn Lin Nan was always there, focused and undistracted, completely ignoring everything happening outside.
Though they had confirmed they received a hidden mission, the conditions for completing it were still unclear.
What if the waiter had chosen the best one among them? What had all his hard work of chopping carrots and accumulating debts at the Eight Immortals Restaurant been for?
When Fatty thought of that, he began to doubt himself.
Dammit, grabbing the kn*fe and going for it—who can’t do that?
If you don’t rest, I won’t either! Let’s see just how far you can outpace me!
But what Fatty didn’t realize was that Lin Nan was a man with two accounts.
He leveled up his main character during the day and his alt at night—24/7 with no breaks.
Even when he occasionally paused to catch his breath, all he could think about was chopping carrots, and his ears rang with the sounds of the chopping board echoing “Bang Bang.”
One guy with two players? Clearly a recipe for disaster.
Fatty just couldn’t understand that.
But once Lin Nan managed to cut that soft carrot into perfectly thin strands, overnight, not only did the texture of the carrots in the courtyard become as hard as stone, but even the kn*fe they had been used to wielding transformed into a short sword about a foot long.
Lin Nan had anticipated such a change.
He seemed to have figured out the reason behind the transformation in the backyard: when either of them hit the standard of finely sliced carrots, the carrots would mutate, and this time even the kn*fe underwent a change.
Fatty wanted to cry but had no tears.
He had a premonition that if he kept this up, most of his future time in the game would be spent working off debts at the Eight Immortals Restaurant.
Slice, slice, slice! Every day slicing like he’s on a clock!
Screw that, I’ll just quit! I don’t have to play anymore, right?
But then he thought of the potential benefits of completing the hidden mission, and he suppressed the urge to bail, sitting dejectedly beside Lin Nan.
It had to be said, once the carrots hardened, trying to chop them required all the strength they had; otherwise, that short sword would barely leave a mark, not even reaching the flesh inside.
This increased the difficulty tremendously.
Forget Fatty, even Lin Nan often launched the sword to send the carrot flying, only to receive the system message that they had failed.
Half a day passed, and the two had only managed to produce a few crooked carrot strands on the cutting board, a pitiful sight compared to the standard.
After all their efforts pounding away, their hands were already fatigued, trembling to the point where they could barely hold the short sword anymore.
Fatty looked at Lin Nan with a long face, “Bro, should we keep going? How about we take a break?”
Lin Nan shook his head; time waits for no one.
If he didn’t improve his strength in a short period, it would all be for nothing if his alt encountered danger.
Faced with the pressure of survival, how could he enjoy himself like a real player, strolling leisurely?
No, that was never going to happen.
But in these days of hard work, he hadn’t seen no gains; after 24 hours of relentless effort, his sword intent had reached level 3.
Now confronting a new challenge, how could he back down and waste all his efforts?
He rarely spoke to Fatty, “Let’s keep pushing. I suspect if we get through this hurdle, we might just get what we want.”
“Oh wow, the silent one finally spoke! Alright, alright, just for your encouragement, I’ll stick it out for another half day. Let’s go!”
At the same time, in the resplendent and jewel-laden reception hall of White Feather City…
The Bull-Headed Man darkly glowered at the sixteen diverse Great Demons standing before him.
“None of you have heard of the Cold Moon Witch?”
“No…”
The fiercely-looking Great Demons dared not cause any ruckus in front of the Bull-Headed Man.
They exchanged glances, and no matter how hard they racked their brains, the name seemed completely foreign to them.
Standing to the side, the Goat-Headed Man smiled, “My Lord, perhaps the Cold Moon Witch mentioned by Thousand Bird City changed names after entering the forest.”
The Bull-Headed Man nodded, “Makes sense.”
“Why don’t we have the sixteen cave masters check if any new monsters in their caves fit Thousand Bird City’s description?”
“Right, let’s do that.”
