Chapter Twelve: The Sword from the Equipment Shop

Chapter Twelve: The Sword at the Equipment Shop

“Charlatan!” Tifa’s voice suddenly rang out, and Lin Zheng suddenly remembered—the team channel had never been turned off! Damn! Could it be that they heard everything just now?

“What’s going on?” Lin Zheng asked cautiously.

“Charlatan! Hurry up and call over that girl of yours who’s even more popular than Sun Yu!” Longya howled in the team chat. Damn! It’s because of you that I’m on guard! Lin Zheng thought to himself.

“Go to hell! If you dare lay a hand on her, I’ll skin you alive!” Tifa said grimly. Then, Longya’s agonized screams filled Lin Zheng’s ears, sending a chill down his spine. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of torture he was enduring. After Longya’s voice finally ceased, Tifa’s mood seemed much better. She cheerfully said to Lin Zheng, “I was the first president of the Moe Girls Support Club! Hurry and bring my little sweetheart over! I miss her so much!”

Fate is truly incredible! Wow, the Moe Girls Support Club actually exists, and among the people they knew, there was even a former president! Could this be some huge mysterious organization?

Lin Zheng found Yuki and Xiaomeng in the forest. Seeing Xiaomeng so alert and suspicious, like she was guarding against thieves, Lin Zheng couldn’t help but laugh. After a brief explanation, Xiaomeng and Yuki followed Lin Zheng to Tifa’s leveling spot. Upon reuniting victoriously, Xiaomeng excitedly rushed to Tifa. “Sister Tifa!” Well, it turns out she knew her too!

“Good girl!” Tifa gently patted Xiaomeng’s head. “You come to play and don’t even contact me. You deserve a beating!”

“Well, I didn’t know your ID! Hehe! Also, I finally pulled Yuki in! Look!” Xiaomeng proudly pushed Yuki forward like presenting a treasure. The several men staring at Yuki were stunned. How could a girl seem so innocent and pure, fresh as a beautiful snow lotus? Those eyes were like the most beautiful and pristine gems in the world—breathtakingly beautiful!

“Whew!” The three men drew in a sharp breath. Such beauty could cause a nation’s ruin! No wonder her popularity surpassed that of international superstar Sun Yu! Almost simultaneously, their gazes shifted to Lin Zheng’s face. Was he made of wood? Such a beautiful girl and he wasn’t even moved, instead wearing a big brother’s protective expression! Oh right, he was Yuki’s childhood friend! Immediately, feelings of envy, jealousy, and resentment surged in the three men’s hearts. Lin Zheng suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Looking up, he saw the three burning-eyed men staring daggers at him. “When did I offend these three?” Lin Zheng felt utterly vexed.

“Yuki!” Tifa happily hugged Yuki. “Missed big sister so much! Let me see! Still so cute! Yuki is the cutest!”

“Are you sure you don’t think of Yuki as a cute toy?”

“Of course not!” Tifa firmly denied. “Yuki’s too adorable to be a toy!” Yeah right, definitely treated like a toy!

Sighing, Lin Zheng glanced at Yuki’s delicate, emotionless face and asked, “Yuki, are you happy?”

Yuki’s clear eyes looked at Lin Zheng for several seconds as if the question was hard to answer. Everyone fell silent, watching her closely. Yuki was always quiet; how was she feeling? She might not understand what everyone expected, but she always answered questions seriously. Under everyone’s gaze, Yuki gently nodded and blinked her eyes. “Yes! Happy!”

“Is that so?” Hearing Yuki’s answer, Lin Zheng smiled with relief. “Good, as long as you’re happy.”

“Yay!” Xiaomeng and Tifa cheered, and the three men also relaxed. They probably felt that making such an ethereal girl unhappy was a great sin!

After the joyful reunion, it was time to level up seriously! But then a new problem arose. If the captain was below level 50, only one six-person team could be formed. Now there were seven people, and with Xiaomiao coming online soon, that would be eight! They had to split into two teams. Xiaomeng and Yuki would definitely be together, as would Tifa. According to Tifa’s preferences, Xiaomiao would be pulled into her team as well. Four men and four women seemed to make the teams. In the end, Xiaomeng argued that female strength was no weaker than males and dragged Lin Zheng along. Under the fiery stares of the three men, Lin Zheng joined the girls’ team. No choice—he was the one the girls trusted most.

At 2:10 p.m., Xiaomiao came online and was immediately pulled into the team by Tifa. Without a healer, the team’s tank would have been in deep trouble. Luckily, since they were leveling together, when the tank lost health, Xiaomiao would run over to heal, preventing the tank from being mobbed to death.

Though the girls’ team had no knight, they weren’t in danger; their damage output was powerful! After Tifa changed weapons, her damage rivaled Lin Zheng’s. Along with Lin Zheng and Xiaomeng, they could easily wipe out small groups of monsters with minimal health loss, especially with Xiaomiao’s healing. Yuki was unique—holding a book in one hand and a magic wand in the other, she continuously cast spells without a single miss!

Time flew by, and evening came. Lin Zheng leveled up several times, now reaching level 19. Except for Lin Zheng, everyone logged off to eat dinner. Unlike Lin Zheng, who was a professional player, others led more regular lives.

After killing monsters alone for a while, a red warning light appeared in Lin Zheng’s view. Checking, he found his equipment’s durability was almost gone. No choice but to return to town—without armor, farming was impossible.

Equipment repairs required going to the city’s equipment shop or blacksmith. Since the equipment shop was closer to the city gate, most players went there for repairs.

Lin Zheng arrived at the equipment shop, which was unusually bustling. Players came and went hurriedly, mostly to repair gear. The shop had two counters—one selling armor, the other weapons. The items looked decent but were mostly basic white gear, and the prices were exorbitant! No one would buy equipment here unless they had plenty of money. This was just the early game; rumors said rare equipment might occasionally appear in the shop later, but luck would determine who got it.

Each counter had four clerks. Repairing gear was simple—talk to a clerk, a menu popped up for players to select which piece to repair or to repair all at once. Convenient and quick! Overall, eight clerks in one shop sufficed for players’ repair needs, yet there was still a queue! Well, queue up then.

Bored, Lin Zheng looked around. The shop’s decor wasn’t exquisite but had a simple style that felt comfortable. Soon, his gaze landed on the shopkeeper—a shrewd-looking fat man with a worried expression. Could he have a quest? Actually, several players noticed and surrounded the shopkeeper, trying to trigger something. Seeing none succeeded, Lin Zheng didn’t expect to get a special quest either. But while the fat shopkeeper failed to pique Lin Zheng’s interest, the sword mounted on the wall behind him did.

It was a beautiful sword with a golden hilt inlaid with blue enamel gems, forming a symmetrical, exquisite pattern. The golden spine gleamed with faint mysterious inscriptions. The blade shimmered coldly, as if telling tales of its invincibility. Only one thought came to Lin Zheng: “This sword is awesome!” He immediately wanted to buy it, regardless of whether he could use it!

After repairing his equipment, Lin Zheng approached the shopkeeper and pointed to the sword on the wall. “Shopkeeper, I want to buy that sword. What’s the price?”

Several players nearby gave him disdainful, mocking looks, treating him like a clueless newbie and a spendthrift. Currently, the shop sold mostly white gear or black iron, which wasn’t practical. Prices were often multiples of what players could buy elsewhere. Who would buy from the shop? Only rookies! And this guy was the rookie of rookies, wanting to buy a decorative sword! Ridiculous!

Lin Zheng ignored their sneers and waited for the shopkeeper’s reply. The fat man looked surprised but didn’t think Lin Zheng was joking. “Sir, that sword is for decoration, not suitable for combat. And you look like a duelist—you don’t need a sword! If you want a weapon, the duelist’s blade bow is over there. If you buy it, I can offer a discount!”

“Thanks, but I’m not short on weapons. I want that sword purely because it looks good,” Lin Zheng smiled.

Someone nearby muttered, “Spendthrift.” It was just the start of the server; who wasn’t careful with money? This guy was blowing cash on a useless decorative sword!

“Oh! I see!” The fat shopkeeper grinned, rubbing his chubby hands. “So you’re a collector! Honestly, I like this sword too. I bought it from a traveler from the West. It has some flaws, so it’s not expensive. If you want it, 15 gold coins, and it’s yours!”

Damn! That’s expensive! Lin Zheng’s eyes widened. It’s just a decorative sword—does it have to cost that much? It wasn’t that Lin Zheng lacked money; after giving 40 gold to Yang Qi and spending 10 on refined iron ore, he still had 20 gold and some change. But money shouldn’t be wasted recklessly! Well, buying a decorative sword might be reckless too!

“Hehe! Buy it! It’s only 15 gold! Maybe it’s a legendary weapon!” a player nearby sneered mischievously. Another chimed in, “Yeah! Look at the design—definitely a legendary weapon!”

Listening to their teasing, Lin Zheng wasn’t angry, just disdainful. Did he need their permission to buy or not? It was only 15 gold anyway! He really bought it! After purchase, he still had 5 gold left for potions and repairs.