Chapter 274: Are Players Really Divided into Levels?
After hearing the NPC read out the rules for Golden City, the players finally got to roam free.
Of course, the first order of business was to grab some quests.
They started lining up to enter the Adventurer’s Guild, conveniently located next to the square in a house that had a sign and a little decoration makeover.
You had to stand in line to get into the Adventurer’s Guild, and you definitely couldn’t make a ruckus—rules are rules.
Xu Xiaoyue watched this group of players waiting in line like obedient little ducklings and couldn’t help but chuckle behind her hand.
They were much more well-behaved than when they were in Emerald City!
But even though they looked calm on the outside, a little tugging and shoving was unavoidable, and the public screen was lighting up with snarky comments.
Especially when players from different servers got involved—that’s when all hell would break loose!
The world has felt the struggle of Huaxia Server for ages; now that everyone had gathered, they were raring to go.
Start with some verbal sparring to warm up, then maybe even arrange a duel outside the city.
“Don’t run off after you accept your quest; I’ll be waiting at the entrance of Golden City!”
Xu Xiaoyue ignored their antics. She hadn’t even thought about lining up. Instead, she planned to find an opportunity for Little Yuliya to directly hand her the quest.
She decided to take a stroll around Golden City first.
“You all go ahead and grab your quests; I’m going to scout the map a bit,” she told the two Dongda students beside her.
The school had asked her to keep an eye on her classmates. As long as she ensured they didn’t get into trouble, they could figure things out on their own.
Since Little Yuliya had said Golden City was her turf, Xu Xiaoyue had to explore it properly.
Currently, Golden City was only half-open to players; several key areas weren’t accessible.
After all, this used to be the royal capital, hiding plenty of secrets, and they couldn’t just let everyone roam free.
If only there weren’t any safe zones in the desert, they might’ve let players eat dust out there, only allowing glimpses of Golden City’s towering walls!
As Little Moon wandered through Golden City, she found that there were no extra teleportation arrays, meaning she had to rely on her own two feet to get around.
On her journey, she spotted ancient sculptures, exquisite pavilions, wind-eroded ground, and even caught a distant glimpse of the royal palace.
During the main storyline quest in Emerald City, when she was waiting for rewards on the outskirts of the royal area, she had also admired that palace.
Comparatively, this place was much older but had a richness and grandeur that was off the charts.
And in Huaxia Kingdom back on Blue Star, there was also a massive royal palace.
Little Moon had been there too, and while it felt similar to Emerald City’s, it paled in comparison to this place.
“Is this… really Little Yuliya’s city?” she murmured to herself.
“Hmm? An outsider?” Suddenly, a voice piped up from behind Little Moon.
She turned around to find the ghost NPC approaching.
The ghost NPC—none other than Maria—came closer and said, “Are you the adventurers who arrived today? You’re not allowed to go any further ahead.”
“Sorry to intrude. It’s my first time here, and I just wanted to look around. I won’t go any further,” she replied.
“Good to hear. Do you know the way back? I’m delivering something for the guild leader, so I need to head that way.”
“Thank you kindly.”
Little Moon knew her way, but walking with an NPC meant she could chat a bit.
“Let’s go then. My name is Maria.”
“I… others call me Little Moon or just Moon.”
Maria nodded, taking the lead by half a step.
She actually wanted to chat with these adventurers, hence her extra words.
“It seems adventurers like you don’t quite get along. Aren’t you all from the same place?”
“Yes, we come from different countries. I’m from the Jade Emperor Kingdom.”
“Jade Emperor Kingdom, where the guild leader is from! Do you know her?”
Little Moon smiled, “Of course I do! Her Highness the Princess is super popular. Almost everybody here knows her.”
“Do people from other countries recognize her too?”
“Not really; it’s mostly the adventurers who do.”
“Then, are all people from the Jade Emperor Kingdom like you?” Maria pondered, resting her chin in thought, feeling like she hit a dead end.
Little Moon blinked, “What do you mean, ‘like me’? I’m not quite sure I follow.”
After some thought, Maria finally managed to formulate a proper question: “Well, the original inhabitants of Golden City look like you see now—ghosts, and they can’t leave the city.”
“The guild leader’s brother brought a group of soldiers to escort her here, and that was the first time we met someone from the ‘Jade Emperor Kingdom.’ But those people felt different from you all.”
“And among you adventurers, there’s something about you which feels distinct compared to others.”
“What I want to ask is, is there any difference among you?”
After hearing Maria’s words, Xu Xiaoyue felt a little surprised.
The difference between the people of the Jade Emperor Kingdom and them? Well, it was probably like the difference between NPCs and players from the Jade Emperor’s perspective—Outsiders and Locals.
But could there even be differences between players from different servers, who are all Outsiders too? That was news to her!
Not just her; even Yuliya was still oblivious to this phenomenon.
After some thought, Little Moon decided to reveal a tiny bit of info and see if she could swap it for something worthwhile.
“Some of us adventurers are indeed different from other folks in the Jade Emperor Kingdom. You could say we transitioned into the Jade Emperor Kingdom from another country.”
“As for adventurers, theoretically, we should all be the same since we originate from the same area, but we got split into groups along the way, entering different countries.”
“Is that so…” Maria pondered deeply.
“Could you share what differences you sensed among us adventurers?”
“It’s hard to say; there are distinctions even among different individuals. For instance, you, I feel a certain connection.”
“A connection? What sort of connection?”
“No idea.” Maria shrugged while gazing up at the sky.
Little Moon followed her gaze and saw the crescent moon hanging high.
“While this ghostly form allows us to survive for a long time, it comes with huge limitations. After all, in a strict sense, we are not human anymore. If I still had my body, I’m sure I’d understand this question better.”
“Why did you all become this way?”
“To wait for someone.”
“Wait for someone? Who?”
“Sorry, that was a slip of the tongue; let’s drop that topic here.”
“It’s on me for prying.”
Little Moon lowered her head, conceding.
But she already had some guesses in her mind.
Waiting for someone—who else could it be?
As for the earlier mystery, she had no clue and planned to ask Little Yuliya when she got a chance.
Meanwhile, Maria felt a swell of confusion within her.
Why am I saying all this?
As the head maid of the palace, saying less and doing more was the basic requirement.
Unless… no, there are no unlesses!
She quickened her pace, needing to report this situation to Her Highness the Princess as soon as possible.
