Chapter 308: Fun Has Arrived
Yuliya left Emerald City and passed by the Northern Fortress.
She exchanged greetings with Isaac and handed over a few local specialties.
Isaac was silent for a moment, eventually accepting them with a reluctant smile, then casually inquired about Yuliya’s journey.
Yuliya kept it brief, but suddenly cocked her head and thought, “Oh right, I should introduce you to Sister Alisa next time!”
Isaac frowned slightly. “Why would you want to introduce her to me?”
“Who knows, Big Brother might like her? Besides, what will you do when I’m not around?”
“I’m perfectly fine on my own. No thanks.”
Yuliya stared at Isaac.
She kept staring for a while, then suddenly broke into a grin.
The longer she looked, the more it seemed like a worth a shot; they might just be a surprisingly good match!
“Decision made! I MUST introduce you!”
With that, she sprinted off.
Though everyone enjoys their own company, there’s only one of them, and they can’t split into two.
Not long after Yuliya left, Edward casually strolled in.
“Your Highness? What brings you here? Is there something going on?”
Edward chuckled at Isaac: “Nothing much, just following that girl. She’s quite the worrywart for everyone, huh?”
Isaac sighed. “Ugh, it’s a bit of a headache.”
Suddenly, Edward shifted gears. “But I saw that little princess from Cangcui, and I think she really could be a match for you.”
“???”
Isaac’s face turned into a series of question marks.
He was genuinely surprised, even his poker face couldn’t contain itself.
What does that mean? What’s going on today?
“First, Little Sister is being silly, and now Your Highness is joking too?”
“I actually have a lot of faith in that girl’s judgment. It could be worth a try.”
“…”
If it were anyone but Edward in front of him, Isaac would have been cursing by now.
Edward shrugged. “I’ve got to go, just thought I’d check in on you.”
“Take care, Your Highness. Let’s keep today’s jokes to a minimum.”
“Mm, alright.”
Edward chuckled lightly and turned to leave.
The more he thought about it, the more fitting it seemed.
Beyond the reasoning that Yuliya provided, Edward had another reason he couldn’t help but consider.
That was… if he threw that little princess from Cangcui in Isaac’s direction, it would spare him from being bothered!
This was definitely worth a shot.
Yuliya arrived at Golden City.
It had been a month since she last visited, and she missed it dearly.
No matter where she went, nothing felt as comfortable as here.
Here, she was the big cheese, could do whatever she wanted, and all while idling away and raking in experience points—basically making money while lying down. Isn’t that just glorious?
The first order of business after returning to Golden City—counting money.
She had earned quite a bit during that time.
Passing the fortress, she snagged a batch of potion bottles, perfectly replenishing her supplies.
Upon hearing Yuliya was back, several managers from Golden City came to pay their respects, visibly relieved to confirm their beloved princess was safe and sound.
They exchanged a few pleasantries before heading back to their posts.
Reports and meetings could wait until tomorrow; who works right after coming back from a trip?
Uh… Seems like that’s how it works in Blue Star, though.
But no worries, here, Yuliya had the last say! After returning from a business trip, it was definitely time to slack off!
So, what to do while slacking?
Find some fun!
With so many players around, there was fun galore.
The entertainment in Golden City was way better than anywhere else.
In other places, players might clash, but nothing too intense.
But here in Golden City, different factions were clearly divided, conflicts were constant, and every day brought new shenanigans.
Before while out and about, it was hard to keep track of everything; plus, she was sometimes too busy or just not in the mood.
Now that she was back, it was time to catch up on all the fun she’d missed!
Currently, the hottest entertainment among the players in Golden City was none other than the PK tournament.
This wasn’t a feature from the official system but rather a player-initiated competition with self-set rules and a unified scoring system.
It all started with two players who couldn’t stand each other for ages.
Every time they met, sparks flew.
Back and forth they went, fueled by the crowd cheering them on.
Finally, they couldn’t take it anymore and scheduled a duel.
Not wanting to cause a ruckus in the city, they agreed to meet right outside the gates.
Before long, they were brawling away.
A crowd gathered quickly to watch.
By the time it escalated, the leaders of both factions had to intervene to halt the brawl.
Otherwise, someone might really get hurt. Though no one would actually d*e, the d*ath penalties were nothing to sneeze at; if a player actually bit the dust, it could initiate a major snowball effect.
Though the chaos was put to a stop, it inspired others.
Many began to emulate the duel, eager to arrange their own fights.
Eventually, faction leaders got together and decided to set standard rules for everyone—a fair and transparent platform for all.
And honestly, it was quite necessary.
Keeping conflicts bottled up only led to deeper resentment. When it eventually erupted, it would be uncontrollable.
Now, an official venue to release pent-up frustrations and channel anger while keeping things in check seemed like a win-win.
But how to limit the intensity?
In a usual scrap, it could be a perfectly timed combo that takes someone out instantly.
But if you miss key moves, you might find yourself on the receiving end.
Most of the time, mercy is a luxury only strong players can afford when dealing with the weaker ones.
When two evenly matched foes meet, especially in-game, how do you tell if they were going easy or just running out of steam?
Who can tell?
So, we must highlight the creativity of the players.
They came up with something—Blessings.
Yes, the power bestowed by Andrew during a ritual, courtesy of Yuliya.
This power only tears through the defenses of monsters outside Golden City.
Using it on other targets only yields the most basic effects.
Some daring individuals put it to the test.
They crafted armor from monster materials, donned it, and then unleashed the power of the Blessing with a punch.
The result? Armor took some damage, but the person wearing it got off with minor injuries.
Let’s just say, those who thought of this were truly impressive.
Thus, a stage was set for unrestricted yet relatively safe combat.
But there’s a cost to using that stage.
You must collect enough materials to craft your armor.
And as soon as you lose even once, that gear is toast, requiring a fresh round of material gathering to restore it.
This effectively prevented players from just waltzing in to brawl all day long while also giving them plenty of avenues to blow off steam, and it provided huge entertainment for the audience.
If you couldn’t stand the person anymore, then gather materials and get to that arena!
If your opponent won’t accept your challenge, well, they’re just soft; best to steer clear when you see them.
The winners could tally their scores, vent out frustrations, and boost their honor. Everything would go smoothly then!
Seeing all of this unfold, Yuliya was initially a bit miffed.
My Blessings are for you to grind monsters! What are you lot doing with them?!
Slacking off? Not doing anything serious? I seriously can’t stand this kind of person!
But then she reconsidered, and it… might actually be quite fun…
The only downside was that she couldn’t join in the action herself.
As for that so-called Blessing of mine—just imagine my punch! Wouldn’t it just obliterate both armor and the person inside it?
(Well, that’s a wrap for now, we’ll continue with the next two chapters later, sob sob!)
