Chapter 8: Finally Discovering the Highlights
==============================
“This is Cold Wind City, huh…”
Having just received permission, the players stepping through the city gate were curiously looking around.
But soon, their initial excitement was deflated.
They never imagined that behind the somewhat decent exterior of the city walls lay a sight reminiscent of an urban-rural junction.
Many houses looked like they were hastily thrown together, with muddy streets and squishy blobs of various sizes emitting steam practically everywhere.
That’s right, there were even no toilets.
Though players didn’t have the need for such conveniences, it still made them feel awkward.
However, the thought of spending the next few days in this environment did dampen their spirits.
Moreover, after comparing notes on forums and in the live streaming room, they noted that the players who strut around in White Feather City seemed ready to crush Cold Wind City with ease, which only added to their frustration. How naïve they had been to challenge such hellish difficulty and pick this garbage city!
Now, not only were they lacking quest rewards, but their levels were also at risk.
The only thing that could brighten their day was the beautiful Flower Butterfly, the one leading them into the city.
A rare sight: a stunning demoness, and indeed, she was eye-catching.
Some players were even tempted to channel their inner Li Xiaocong.
Look at how NPC Si Yan follows him everywhere! Although she’s half-demon, when she takes human form, she’s a stunning beauty.
If they could win over Flower Butterfly, this trip wouldn’t be a total bust.
Unfortunately, Flower Butterfly was all business, making it clear that she wanted nothing to do with the human crowd.
To her, these humans pretending to align with Cold Wind City were more terrifying than anyone from White Feather City—who knows what ulterior motives they might be hiding?
Brother Strong, on the other hand, was intrigued.
After all, his primary goal was to preach, and now that he was amidst so many active NPC demons, he was practically bursting with excitement, itching to split from the group and enlighten some innocent demons about the absolute necessity of rebellion!
After taking a few turns, they finally reached their destination.
Firefly, leading the group, was feeling rather glum.
She was, after all, a somewhat well-known streamer and had hoped to use this rare opportunity to expand her influence.
But no sooner had they entered than Li Hanbo, the highest-level player among the inner gate players of Heavenly Sword Sect, decided to pressure her. He declared that once they formed a guild, everyone would have to take orders from him. Furthermore, any plans for a live stream had to get his approval!
Firefly had long sensed Li Hanbo’s resentment towards her; after all, she had stolen his spotlight last time. He was holding a grudge, and now he seemed to be taking this chance to undermine her visibility.
So in a fit of spite, Firefly had built her own second guild in Heavenly Sword Sect, gathering a bunch of her loyal fans, and aligned herself with the Cold Wind City faction against White Feather City.
She thought they might still get a chance to one-up Li Hanbo, but ever since stepping into Cold Wind City and seeing the surroundings, her hopes had pretty much evaporated.
What to do now?
Even if she had the freedom to start her own live stream, viewers would be primarily interested in the winners of this battle. If they ended up being the underdogs, as time dragged on, the audience would lose interest and bail.
If only there were some regret medicine available, she’d pay any price!
But alas…
Firefly sighed, resigned to follow Flower Butterfly into a makeshift staging area.
After all, with over a hundred people behind her, if she backed out now, she’d probably lose any remaining chances forever.
Flower Butterfly directly walked up to the stage and coldly addressed the casually lounging players, “Everyone, please take a seat. Our Second Great King has something to say.”
At the mention of “Second Great King,” players instantly began whispering among themselves.
“Second Great King?”
“We came all this way to support Cold Wind City, and we can’t even meet the main guy?”
“Ha! The Great King of the Split Land from White Feather City gave each player a generous 50 Spirit Coins as a welcoming gift—what a rich chap!”
“Sigh, this is the last shred of pride for us hardcore players. We craved that hellish difficulty—tease us first before we get teased, haha!”
“Dude, you’re really good at self-regulating.”
“Well, now that we’re here, we might as well roll with it. If we bail now, we may never get another chance like this again.”
So far, only the Extermination of Immortals Guild players hadn’t shown any signs of regret.
When they joined the guild, they were driven by a vengeful spirit to take down some of the White Feather City demons—rewards weren’t even on their radar.
And Si Yan was among them, nestled right next to Li Xiaocong.
As Cold Moon, barefoot and gliding onto the stage, cast a glance at Si Yan, the latter could sense a kindred spirit; that woman mingling among humans was no weakling.
Perhaps it was Cold Moon’s commanding presence, but the chatter in the venue began to quiet down.
Meanwhile, the audience watching Firefly’s live stream couldn’t contain their excitement.
“Cold Wind City may be a bit shabby, but have you noticed? From the guide to their Second Great King, all of them are gorgeous!”
“True! Over in White Feather City, all we see is a bunch of creepy critters; it’s almost unsettling. But the Second Great King of Cold Wind City is a sight for sore eyes.”
“Ha! Finally, we’ve found Cold Wind City’s highlights!”
Suddenly invigorated, Firefly realized this was the unique selling point compared to White Feather City. No matter how this played out, she just needed to focus her live stream on the stunning demonesses of Cold Wind City, and viewers would flock in!
With this revelation, Firefly began plotting how to get closer to the Second Great King and capture plenty of close-ups to attract her audience.
Cold Moon really did possess a captivating appearance.
Once a cherished consort to the Evil Merman, she adopted a lighter monochromatic wardrobe influenced by the Great King’s style. After all, the Great King loved black, so if she tried to wear anything dark herself, it would just be self-inflicted trouble!
As Cold Moon, draped in a pale blue gown, slowly ascended the stage barefoot, every player’s gaze turned to her.
Cold Moon calmly scanned the crowd, then finally spoke up,
“Due to the Great King’s seclusion, I will convey his wishes to you all today.
First off, Cold Wind City welcomes your arrival.
You’ve likely noticed that, being a newly formed city, there are many areas that leave much to be desired.
Some of you might regret coming here and think that it would have been better to side with White Feather City.
But do you know what this place was like three months ago?”
It was as if Cold Moon could read their minds, making some of the earlier loud players lower their heads in embarrassment, unable to maintain eye contact with her.
“All of this begins from the day the Great King made his spectacular debut three months ago.”
