### Chapter 5: Better to Trick the World Than to Let the World Trick Me
After Xu Xiaofeng wore Edward down with an epic combo of whining and begging, he finally relented, but there was still one sticky problem looming.
“I’ve given you so many good things. How do I attract those outsiders to help me when I get into trouble next?”
Translated into plain language, Xu Xiaofeng had swiped the rewards from the original quest, didn’t want to do the quest at all, and had already partially taken on tasks. So, what to do with those quests now?
Xu Xiaofeng pondered for a moment before coming up with a brilliant idea: “How about you just run away, old dude!”
“Run away my foot!” Edward responded with a vigorous slap that echoed like a drum.
“Ouch! I was kidding! Just grab something as a reward, old man!”
“That won’t do! You little girl have no clue how precious the things I gave you really are!”
Xu Xiaofeng actually knew very well, but she was good at pretending.
“Uncle, you’re mistaken. The value of something depends on who’s getting it. A bun is a heavenly gift for a beggar, but for some folks, a bowl of beef noodles is met with the response of ‘No beef, thanks.’”
“That’s true, but what’s your point?”
“Do you know what’s valuable to the outsider adventurers?”
“Nope. Do you?”
“Aha!” Xu Xiaofeng put her hands on her hips, proudly puffing out what was indistinguishable as either her chest or back, “It’s adventure! They have a creepy obsession with it!”
Seeing Edward still bewildered, Xu Xiaofeng rummaged around the table and found a rusty coin.
“Let me give you a demonstration, Uncle! This coin can serve as a precious reward. Just tell the outsiders that you found it during an adventure in some ruins when you were young, and it carries the essence of those ruins and might have magical powers at some point. They’ll be so thrilled to take it!”
“Emm…”
“Or how about this sword?” Xu Xiaofeng pointed at a tattered sword hanging on the wall. “Just say it’s the sword of a former leader of the Royal Knight Order, with a heartfelt backstory to boot.”
“How do you know that?!” Edward suddenly perked up, staring at Xu Xiaofeng wide-eyed, but quickly reverted to his normal state. “I mean, how do you know you can do it this way?”
“Hehe, I’ve been hanging out with these players for a while. I know they love collecting things that sound special.”
Any player, including Xu Xiaofeng herself, would be drawn to such items, as they often meant hidden plots or quests. Of course, the catch was not realizing the stuff was fake.
“So, this is just you sending me off to scam people, isn’t it?”
“Eh~ that’s not right! It’s a win-win! Uncle gets help, the adventurers get their collectibles and joy of journeying! Add in my skills gains and that’s a three-way win!”
“Yet I still feel this is a bit shaky…” Edward remained hesitant.
“Aunt Anna from the street next door used this method to reap five servings of joy already!”
“Anna, huh… she does have a bit of a speculative streak.”
In truth, Anna had no idea about any of this yet, but soon she’d realize that Edward had racked up eight times the joy. Xu Xiaofeng secretly thought.
“Look, Uncle! An outsider is here! Give it a shot. I’ll hide for a bit.”
Without giving Edward a chance to respond, Xu Xiaofeng quickly dived into the inner room to eavesdrop on the commotion outside.
As soon as she heard Edward enthusiastically pitching a coin, she knew without a doubt that this plan was a total hit.
Sure enough, when Xu Xiaofeng poked her head out, she saw the player leaving with a bounce in their step, and Edward giving them a thumbs-up.
She was quick to respond with a peace sign.
After sealing the deal with Edward and solemnly vowing she’d lost a bit of her memory in the process, Xu Xiaofeng finally had time to check out her newly learned skill.
[Skill Name: Power of Dragon and Phoenix]
Skill Grade: Golden Legend
Skill Description: An ancient inherited skill that empowers the user with dragon and phoenix strength, enhancing attack power according to one’s destiny. Details to be explored individually.
Destiny, that vague and flaky concept, is somewhat like luck. The timed system’s value panels couldn’t quite quantify it, but one section allowed for some insight.
Xu Xiaofeng opened her panel, focusing on a part she hadn’t been concerned about before—Identity: Golden Princess.
While she hadn’t noticed any advantages to this identity, at least it sounded impressive.
Xu Xiaofeng decided to give it a go later when she had time, but for now… all the brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grandmas, I’m coming for ya!
Let’s boost affinity quests and spread joy and happiness, so everyone can enjoy a triple win!
…
By nightfall, Xu Xiaofeng had trotted around the Beginner’s Village’s NPCs, snagging some good loot along the way. She even scored a golden egg from the neighbor’s hen!
This so-called Beginner’s Village was really more like a small town known as Falling Leaf City. The number of NPCs was surprisingly vast.
Looking at the now considerably emptier Beginner’s Village, Xu Xiaofeng decided it was high time to hit the wilds and test her new skill.
To say something a bit rude, she hadn’t fought a single wild monster yet… but her level was firmly in the top tier!
Most of her experience came from automatic growth, with the rest from snagged quest rewards. With the addition of three experience books, she was undoubtedly cruising head and shoulders above the rest!
Xu Xiaofeng found a quiet spot to toggle into her player panel, switching to an all-black outfit.
After switching, she felt an odd sense of disconnection. This feeling amplified as the realism dropped, almost like she was being oppressed by the world itself. Even at 100% realism, it still felt a bit off.
But this might be due to her long stint as an NPC. If players hadn’t experienced the thrill of being an NPC, they probably wouldn’t notice such awkwardness.
“Phew!” Xu Xiaofeng took a deep breath, “Although being an NPC is fun, I’m still a player. I can’t forget my roots!”
She quickly exited the city, finding a secluded spot to start monster hunting while getting accustomed to her skill moves.
Since switching to player mode, her previously mentioned innate skills had all been locked, leaving her to learn the basics like any other regular player.
Once she activated Power of Dragon and Phoenix, the little loli punched, sending the Wind Wolf flying back five meters! Talk about a force of nature!
Then she checked the damage! -21!
Xu Xiaofeng: …
What the heck! Is this skill also gold-plated? Edward, you sneaky little rascal!
But after getting punched, the Wind Wolf started shaking and, within seconds, scampered away in defeat.
Seeing this, Xu Xiaofeng fell into contemplation again.
Could it be a control-type skill? That does make sense; the NPCs in this game must play by the basic rules. Gold-plating would be a real scam!
Except for me, ha!
