### Chapter 13: The Smile Gets Increasingly Disturbing
Xu Xiaofeng, blissfully unaware of the online drama unfolding, was diligently laboring away, occasionally peddling her VIP card like a seasoned vendor.
Then, she received a message from her little sister, Xu Xiaoyue.
“Big brother, big brother! Aren’t you in the 66th Beginner’s Village?”
Xu Xiaofeng glanced at the invisible chat box and replied with her thoughts.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“How’s the express delivery over there? Is it as awesome as they say?”
Hmm?
Xu Xiaofeng looked down at her inventory: “It’s pretty awesome, I’m almost dying of joy here. Want to deliver some yourself?”
“Tsk, getting a bargain and acting all coy? Just keep pretending.”
Xu Xiaoyue sent over a link to a hot post: the top trending ‘Avoid the Pitfalls’ guide.
Xu Xiaofeng clicked on it.
Good grief! The poster was clearly out to get her! Cutting off the path to riches is like murdering someone’s parents!
Noticed the poster’s ID: “Do You Want Oil Pancakes.” Oh great, the infamous black sheep!
But at least have the decency to hide your ID first; let me show you what happens when you think the web is lawless.
Xu Xiaofeng had already planned to find the captain of the guards after her shift and treat him to a gourmet fish combo.
“Big brother, have you finished reading the post?”
“Yep.”
“So as a pro, what’s your opinion?”
“All I can say is it’s a complete load of nonsense. It’s obviously a great project for the nation and the people. I have no idea which ‘angel’ developed it. If you can’t afford it, then just don’t play.”
They’ve put genuine effort into service, and yet, you still want to play without paying.
“No, big bro, you’re missing the point.”
“Huh? The point?”
“Ugh, you’re acting strange, big bro.”
A few seconds passed, then a slew of images popped up from the other side.
Xu Xiaofeng looked and saw they were all screenshots from the post.
“What’s up with these images?”
“Still not catching on? What’s wrong with you today?”
Tsk…
Since the two were born on the same day, Xu Xiaofeng could only guess that because she was born a few minutes earlier, her sister would call her ‘big brother’ when it was beneficial, and ‘little brother’ when it wasn’t.
“You keep being cryptic; I’m hanging up.”
“Hmph! Just pretend, I know your character all too well. What do you think of the NPCs in those pictures?”
Huh? NPCs?
She checked picture after picture, yet they all looked like her!
Wait a minute! Xu Xiaofeng connected the dots.
“Little sis! You’re the one acting strange!”
“No, you’re the one acting strange! How can you not see such a cute NPC? If you don’t need your eyes, just donate them!”
This left Xu Xiaofeng a bit dazed. Who exactly is the strange one here?
From common sense, as a LSP (Let’s Swoon Player), one would naturally focus on cute girls first.
But the problem was, that was her own character!
Though she did look pretty cute, it was still too awkward to check out her own avatar like that.
But then again, many streamers in real life have their sultry art drawn too…
No, no, can’t think like that! Too pervy!
The little loli covered her slightly flushed cheeks, taking a while to recollect herself before messaging her little sister back:
“So, what exactly do you want, little sis?”
“Three minutes, I want her WeChat.”
Actually, you already have it; you just don’t know it, Xu Xiaofeng thought sourly.
“Have you lost your mind? It’s an NPC! You can teach her how to use WeChat?”
“Ugh, I just came to get a jab in, why is your luck so good? The game really suits you!”
“Definitely pretty sweet. So, have you finished your favorability missions? Still got time to browse posts?”
“Finding people is such a hassle! I’m just balancing work and play.”
“After all this time, you haven’t even found everyone? You’re hoarding cash but won’t spend it? You could starve in a grain silo!”
“Alright, enough nagging, I’m off to do missions.”
Xu Xiaofeng closed the chat window but didn’t rush to go back to her bricks. Instead, she continued to browse the post.
Most of the content was accurate, but some things were speculative, and opinions were purely subjective.
It was true that Xu Xiaofeng was making money, but she was also taking the service seriously. Besides being pricey, there was hardly a fault.
And looking at the wealthy players who had used the service, they were all riding high. This could be seen clearly from the leaderboard, where the players from the 66th Beginner’s Village dominated the top ranks.
They utilized teleportation for supplementing consumables, swapping equipment as needed, and handing over quest items.
All these things typically required dedicated manpower, leading to inefficiencies. But saved manpower and time from spending money could then be invested in deeper explorations.
One could say, the more time you spent early on, the more the teleportation feature could amplify your advantage.
So, Xu Xiaofeng was less concerned about the poster’s evaluation, and more curious about the comments section.
First, this feature was definitely exclusive to the 66th Beginner’s Village because no other villages had Xu Xiaofeng.
Secondly, those throwing shade in the comments were likely all wealthy players, while the majority of the haters were poor scrubs. So Xu Xiaofeng made a mental note of their IDs; these were her golden geese.
Lastly…
Huh? Adorable little things? Dogs? Stepping on me? The screen’s dirty? Prpr?
Holy moly! You guys keep it down at the barber shop!
The internet was never short on attention seekers; plug them into the national power grid, and we’d never worry about power surges again during peak times.
Looking at such perverted comments made Xu Xiaofeng’s skin crawl.
After a bit more browsing, Xu Xiaofeng had a general grasp of the commentary dynamics.
There were four types of people: Supporters (Rich Dudes), Opponents (Broke Dudes), Moderates (Those who just want to have a chat), and Gatekeepers (Who needs to go away!).
Ultimately, these people couldn’t sway Xu Xiaofeng’s plans; the crucial thing was the official stance.
Xu Xiaofeng resumed her brick moving but, before that, took a peek at the forum updates.
Finally, after two hours, the developers issued an announcement:
Regarding the issues raised by many players about the teleportation system, it has been confirmed to exist. However, besides the most basic functions, all others rely on NPCs to activate; players with relevant needs should seek the corresponding NPCs.
In the Otherworld, endless possibilities await adventurers to explore. The game’s development and the rise and fall of nations are determined by players and NPCs alike.
Finally, wishing everyone a pleasant gaming experience.
Having read the announcement, Xu Xiaofeng breathed a huge sigh of relief.
In summary, the announcement boiled down to one thing—officials don’t care, NPCs call the shots.
As for the so-called player and NPC collaboration? Nonsense. Xu Xiaofeng felt the gap in status all too clearly from the NPCs’ perspective.
Only those clueless players kept puffing themselves up adorably.
So… doesn’t that mean she could let loose?
Xu Xiaofeng was already set on jacking up her prices tomorrow!
Her smile grew increasingly disturbing.
