Chapter 43: The Wondrous Utility of Status

The water of Long Lake was very cold. The moment Li Xia jumped in, he couldn't help shivering slightly.

After lingering in the water for a short while, his body gradually grew accustomed to the underwater sensation.

Then, he slowly opened his eyes, forcing himself to overcome the reflex of keeping them closed underwater.

The underwater world carried a serene quietness, and in this environment, every tiny sound within his body was amplified.

Light filtered through in a soft and mysterious manner, illuminating this profound, deep world.

Sunlight pierced the rippling water surface, forming shafts of light that resembled natural searchlights, bringing a touch of vitality to the gloomy lakebed.

Holding his breath, Li Xia paddled the water and swam downward.

Deep within his status interface, the "Edge of Skills" began to glow faintly. Cycling naturally and ceaselessly as a specialization in respiration, his breath-holding duration had already surpassed the limits of the world record.

Without engaging in strenuous activity, Li Xia could hold his breath for roughly half an hour.

Swimming ever deeper, Li Xia felt only a profound silence enveloping his ears, while the world at the bottom of the lake grew increasingly dim.

Soon, he could only make out the scenery within a radius of a few meters. Consequently, with every stroke he took through the water, fresh sights would suddenly emerge from the darkness ahead: jungles formed of swaying, intertwined black water weeds, and wide, flat expanses of sediment scattered with glistening pebbles.

As a naturally formed lake, Long Lake possessed a frightening depth. Even after descending for some twenty meters, Li Xia still had not reached the bottom.

Having no other choice, he had to turn around and head back to the boat.

"Let's head back to Lake-town first!"

The small boat drifted leisurely on the return journey. By now, the sky was gradually growing dark, with the sun hanging low on the horizon, dyeing the water surface a brilliant crimson.

The broken ripples washed outward, shattering the water's surface and reflecting sparkling fragments of light like layers of golden scales, remarkably eye-catching.

Sitting at the bow of the boat and admiring the beautiful scenery, Li Xia felt his mind grow much calmer.

Lake-town was as bustling as ever. Some of the guilds had already arrived, scurrying about the town—some undertaking faction quests, while others attempted to trigger so-called hidden quests.

They'd already arrived?

Li Xia watched thoughtfully, completely unaware that the two members of the guard following behind him were far more conspicuous.

"Hey buddy? How did you get these two summons?"

Someone sneaked closer, wanting to inquire how one could manage to acquire such imposing followers.

"Old Ba, those are rewards from the Human Faction. That guy's a big shot, probably thinking he can discover something unusual within the Human Faction!"

The tone was flippant, yet the mockery underlying the words was audible to everyone.

Li Xia shifted his gaze slightly, only to discover that the speaker was none other than the short fellow who had mocked the Black man in the preparation room earlier.

The Human Faction? Those curious gazes vanished instantly, replaced by looks of profound meaning.

Everyone knew that the Human Faction was pathetically weak, and that only self-proclaimed "geniuses" or absolute fools would choose the Human Faction.

Li Xia waved his hand casually, as if shooing away a swarm of flies:

"Number One, Number Two, take all of these people to the guard station. Tell the captain of the security guards that they lack reliable identification and are suspicious persons."

The surrounding clamor fell silent for a fraction of a second, followed immediately by a burst of loud laughter.

"Hahahahaha, let me tell you a joke: Lake-town is a neutral safe zone."

"I'm dying of laughter. Who does he think he is?"

"Does he really think he's one of those untouchable monsters? We've all just cleared the solo trials, what is he acting all high and mighty for!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, my lord, I'm sorry, my lord, I shouldn't have laughed at you..."

The short fellow bowed with exaggerated panic, acting as though he were frightened to the extreme.

[Warning: You have been marked as a suspicious person by the Lake-town guards and will be detained at the Lake-town Guard Station for 8 hours. Alternatively, you may pay a 500-point security deposit for early release.]

[Warning: Resisting the arrest of the Lake-town guards will result in you being listed as "Persona Non Grata," and Lake-town will deny your entry.]

[Warning: Lake-town is a neutral safe zone. If any acts of aggression occur, Bard, the captain of the Lake-town Archer Guard, will pursue and hunt you down.]

All the laughter ceased abruptly. Dumbfounded, they stared at the system prompts before them, looking blankly as Number One and Number Two approached them with ropes, preparing to tie them up.

Some people instinctively wanted to resist, but the next second, they were locked onto by an intensely sharp murderous intent. Their bodies stiffened like rusted machinery, and a wave of immense terror surged into their hearts instantly.

Terrified, they raised their heads to look toward the source of the murderous intent, only to see a tall man with flowing black hair and a stern expression standing atop a nearby high tower. Wielding his large purple-yew bow, he was gazing coldly down at this direction.

What the hell? By what right? How is he able to command NPCs?

Some people were on the verge of crying. Five hundred points was truly not a small sum for these newcomers, but being detained for eight hours was equivalent to directly losing their early-game advantage.

More astute minds felt even greater alarm, because none of the intelligence materials had ever mentioned that the Human Faction could arbitrarily arrest envoys of other factions.

Could this person have truly triggered the hidden content of the Human Faction?

How could that be? This fact was even more terrifying than being arrested themselves, as the intelligence in their hands was the culmination of extensive data collection.

Although the twenty trial worlds would change, that cycle of change was measured in centuries, and the Lord of the Rings world was a world rotated in just over the past decade or so.

How many envoys had entered this world over the past decade or more? Not a single one of them had ever unraveled the mystery of the Human Faction.

Yet today, someone appeared to have done so. This would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar among the guilds that compiled the "intelligence reports"!

More quick-witted individuals immediately cried out: "Brother, I was wrong, I'm sorry!"

Li Xia cleared his ears, waiting for a clever little fellow to step forward.

"Bro, our mouths were foul. Look, five hundred points is too expensive, and I can't afford it either. 260 points, that's all I have!"

Oh, the clever little fellow had appeared!

The corners of Li Xia's mouth curled upward as he nodded:

"Deal!"

This group of people paid with extreme speed. Although extremely reluctant, at least no one dared to argue anymore, and none of them even dared to let resentment show in their eyes.

In just a brief moment, 2,600 points were secured. Half of that had to be converted into gold coins to be distributed to the security guards, leaving a net profit of 1,300!

"You don't need to pay. Go squat at the guard station."

Without even looking, Li Xia rejected the trade request from the short fellow named Ronnie.

"You!" Ronnie glared at Li Xia with bitter hatred, wanting to say something, but he could only grind his teeth and mutter: "Don't push things too far! Making more friends gives you more paths!"

Friends? Are you worthy?

Li Xia flicked his hand, signaling Number One to drag him away as if he were discarding a pile of trash.

Afterward, he looked into the distance. Bard had already left the high tower at some point and was standing afar, silently watching.