Chapter Fourteen: Preparations

Chapter 14: Preparation

"Hey, Mystic Brother!" With a cheerful call, Xiaomeng and Yuki appeared within Lin Zheng’s sight. Lilith let out a surprised "Eh!" upon seeing Xiaomeng. Lin Zheng’s keen hearing caught it immediately, and he wondered silently, Could it be someone they know again? Judging by Lilith’s youthful appearance—around twenty and likely a college student—she might indeed be a schoolmate. Considering Xiaomeng’s words about Yuki’s renown in Dragon Garden, it wouldn’t be strange for Lilith to know them.

“Good evening, Mystic Brother!” Xiaomeng greeted with a bright smile. Lin Zheng nodded with a smile and glanced at Yuki. Communicating with Yuki was effortless; a single glance conveyed everything! Lin Zheng affectionately ruffled Yuki’s hair and then introduced, “Let me introduce you to the priest I just invited—her name’s Lilith. Lilith, these are my two little sisters, the guardian moe Xiaomeng and…”

“Changsung Yuki!” Lilith finished on Lin Zheng’s behalf, clearly recognizing Yuki. Lin Zheng wasn’t surprised; he had already guessed Lilith knew them. Xiaomeng, however, was stunned and asked, “Sister, you know Yuki? Are you also a student of Dragon Garden?”

“Yes, Xiaomeng!” Lilith winked playfully at her. Xiaomeng was instantly confused—Lilith even knew her! “Sister, who are you? I don’t remember you at all!”

“Hehe!” Lilith spun around proudly. “Aren’t I your glasses sister?”

“Ah!—?” Xiaomeng gasped, utterly shocked, her mind instantly conjuring the image of a scholarly elder sister with dry hair tied in two braids, sporting thick glasses with a -1000 prescription, and dressed in a retro style—that was her impression of the glasses sister! Yet before her now stood a long-haired, graceful, youthful beauty whose devilish figure made Xiaomeng want to hide in a crack out of shame. She was the dream girl of countless lechers! Could this stunning beauty really be the glasses sister?!

“Are you really the glasses sister?” Xiaomeng found it hard to believe. Seeing Lilith nod, she immediately rushed over, pounding her and crying, “Sister, you’re too much! So smart, and yet so beautiful! Waaah! I don’t want to live anymore!”

“Now, now, don’t cry,” Lilith comforted, patting Xiaomeng’s shoulder, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. Lin Zheng couldn’t imagine what a stark contrast Lilith must be in reality to cause Xiaomeng such a breakdown—what could she really look like? As he pondered this, Yang Qi arrived.

“Hi there, beauties!” Yang Qi greeted with a roguish tone. If this had been a man, the ladies would have already slapped him, but being a gorgeous girl, she was just considered a little eccentric and boyish.

“Let me introduce you—this female rogue is called Hongchen Yanyu. Don’t bother being polite; just call her ‘Rogue’!” Lin Zheng said with a smirk.

“Don’t listen to this little Lin’s nonsense!” Yang Qi rolled her eyes, then smiled brightly at the three girls. “Sisters, I’m just a bit passionate and straightforward. Spend some time with me, and you’ll see I’m a good person!”

Lin Zheng nodded, thoroughly convinced. Indeed, spend some time, and you’d realize just how much of a rogue she was!

“I believe you, sister!” Xiaomeng, ever the naïve one, was completely taken in by Yang Qi’s appearance. “The moment I saw you, I felt you were warm and kind!”

“Of course! Hehe, girl, you’ve got great taste!” Yang Qi said proudly, then hooked her arm around Lin Zheng’s neck and whispered in his ear, “I gotta say, you have quite the eye for beautiful girls! So, who exactly are you after?”

“Get lost!” Lin Zheng bumped her head lightly and said sourly, “Don’t make me as rogue as you!”

“What’s wrong with being rogue?!” Yang Qi declared righteously. “Men liking beauties is natural, isn’t it?!” She then mock-shivered with a horrified expression, staring at Lin Zheng. “Or do you like men? No wonder you live with such a stunning beauty and don’t even get tempted!”

Lin Zheng was about to spit blood at the absurdity. He glared at them and said, “You actually believe this nonsense?”

“But Sister Hongchen makes a good point!” Xiaomeng blinked, “You live together, she’s so beautiful, any normal man would have thoughts!”

“Only if she were a normal girl!” Lin Zheng shot Yang Qi a tired look. “At first, I was a bit attracted, but that rogue ruined everything!” Of course, if he were a man, how could he not feel something for such a beauty? There was obviously a reason.

“Hehe! Little Lin, you finally admit you like me?!” Yang Qi grinned smugly. “Don’t worry! Since you’re straight, I’ll give you a chance—come chase me boldly!”

Even Xiaomeng, the simpleton, felt something was off. Sister Hongchen seemed utterly unreliable. More than a bit—she was extremely unpredictable! Lilith watched the two back and forth, occasionally chuckling to herself. Yuki’s gaze remained fixed on Lin Zheng, seemingly uninterested in anything else.

“Keep dreaming!” Lin Zheng tapped Yang Qi’s head and decided not to entertain her further or she’d say something even more ridiculous.

“Let’s be serious. Let me introduce everyone properly,” Lin Zheng said, pointing to Yuki and the others. “Yuki, the magician, is my sister; this silly girl is Xiaomeng; and the healer is Lilith—all top students at Dragon Garden.”

“Nice to meet you all!” Yang Qi smiled. “Enough talk—let’s add each other as friends first!” She rarely added people; she was a lone wolf, but of course, exceptions were made for acquaintances. Since Lin Zheng and the three beauties would be tangled together, naturally, Yang Qi’s acquaintances would overlap. She promptly added all three to her friend list.

After exchanging friend requests, Lin Zheng briefly explained the mission, enabled task sharing, and opened the map to check the destination.

“Holy smokes! That far? It’ll take at least an hour to get there!” Yang Qi exclaimed, staring at the map.

“So what if it takes an hour? You’re not backing out, are you?” Lin Zheng asked.

“Who said I’m not going? I’m just sighing!” Yang Qi gave him a coquettish glare. “Seriously though, this mission is tough. We need to prepare thoroughly. Lilith, do you have enough mana potions?”

Lilith checked her pack, sighing, “Only two small blue potions, the cheap kind from the shop. I can’t afford more—the potions are too expensive.”

“Two definitely won’t cut it! Let’s head to the plaza—lots of players sell potions there. We need to make sure we have plenty of supplies!” Everyone agreed. For an A-rank difficulty mission, thorough preparation was essential!

“Fresh Level 1 Spirit Recovery Pills! Instantly restore 200 mana! Only 20 silver coins each! Don’t miss out!”

“Selling Level 1 Cooking! Yogurt that adds 800 mana over 20 seconds! Just 10 silver coins! Perfect for mages!”

“Selling bread! Restores 1000 HP over 20 seconds! Essential for monster hunting and PvP! Come buy now!”

“…”

“So lively!” Xiaomeng’s eyes widened.

“Of course! All the stalls in Frost City are here; how could it not be lively?” Yang Qi chuckled.

“Rogue alert! These potions are ridiculously profitable! Twenty silver for a Level 1 pill—robbery!” Lin Zheng was amazed by the sellers’ cries.

“You think life skills are easy?” Yang Qi said. “Materials are hard to find. Don’t be fooled by the prices; they don’t have many to sell!”

“Makes sense!” Lin Zheng understood. “If it were easy, everyone would just sell potions and get rich fast!”

“Exactly! But once players have their own farms, potion output will increase. High-level life skill players will be in demand. Enough talk—let’s buy potions!”

With Lilith as the healer, they needed fewer red potions. Lin Zheng and Yang Qi, who would be at the frontline, each bought 20 Level 1 Nectar Pills restoring 400 HP instantly, plus 30 breads. The demand for blue potions was greater, mainly for Yuki and Lilith, so they bought 100 yogurts and 50 spirit recovery pills, spending over 20 gold coins. Yang Qi winced—she paid most of it!

“Why feel sorry? It’s all my money anyway!” Lin Zheng grumbled, having given Yang Qi 40 gold coins. “You don’t have to pay me back, alright?”

“That’s better!” Yang Qi laughed, earning a hard glare from Lin Zheng.

“Seriously though, selling potions is so lucrative! Damn it, after this mission, I’m learning it! I’m going to be the one making the profits, not getting ripped off!” Lin Zheng said bitterly—he’d been fleeced enough and had a mental scar.

“Great! Then from now on, our potions are all handled by Mystic Brother!” Xiaomeng clapped happily. Lin Zheng rolled his eyes—she was exploiting him before he’d even learned! Maybe he really should consider it.

With ample potions and full equipment durability checked, they were ready to set off. As they left Frost City, Lin Zheng sensed something was off. He glanced back stealthily and locked eyes with Yang Qi—no doubt, they were being followed!

“What? We’re being tailed?” Xiaomeng asked nervously.

“Yeah,” Lin Zheng nodded. “Probably someone who saw me accept the mission. Damn, talk about patience—they’ve been watching us this whole time!”

“Let’s not care about them! I certainly don’t take these small-time crooks seriously!” Yang Qi said confidently. As one of Frost City’s top five experts, she had reason to be confident. Lin Zheng shrugged—he feared nothing and no one. A few petty thieves were nothing to him. Yuki remained calm as ever, Lilith steady as well, but Xiaomeng was nearly shaking—she hadn’t faced a PK (player kill) before.

To reach the Frost Crystal Cave, they had to cross the Frost Forest north of Frost City. Along the way, Xiaomeng relaxed and chatted with Lin Zheng and the others, ignoring the players trailing them. But after about twenty minutes, Lin Zheng and Yang Qi stopped—the time had come to deal with their pursuers. Otherwise, it would be a nightmare having them shadow the mission area. This spot was deserted—a perfect place to strike.

Seeing Lin Zheng’s group halt, the followers knew they’d been discovered and stopped hiding, charging out in force—twenty-one of them!

“Damn! They’re really overestimating us—this many?!” Yang Qi was surprised. “This is a tough crowd. Damn, it’s those arrogant Sword Clan bastards again, never-ending! What now? Fight or flee?”

“Fight!” Lin Zheng said firmly. Not out of reckless impulse, but precisely because of the consequences. Among the enemy were archers and musketeers; if they tried to escape, they’d be chased down. At least Yuki and Lilith, clad in cloth armor, couldn’t run far. So they had to fight.

“Clang!” Yang Qi drew her Black Crow Sword and whispered to Lin Zheng, “Take out the enemy archers and mages first. If they unleash a volley, it’ll be disastrous.”

“Xiaomeng, protect Yuki and Lilith. Heal them as needed!” Lin Zheng directed.

“Ready! 3! 2! 1! Go!” As the countdown ended, Yang Qi dashed forward, weaving serpentine movements to make aiming difficult for the enemy archers. Lin Zheng followed swiftly, using her attack to draw most fire, then rushed close to the enemy. The Sword Clan warriors reacted immediately, swinging swords at Lin Zheng, but he dodged aside before their blades could connect, slipped around, and struck from behind. This exposed the Sword Clan’s ranged fighters to him.

Seeing Lin Zheng suddenly in front of them, the archers and mages were shocked and angry. “Damn! One guy dares challenge so many of us? Thinks we’re weak? Brothers, kill him!”

“Want another?” Yang Qi’s teasing voice rang out suddenly. Everyone’s vision blurred as she appeared right next to Lin Zheng, less than three yards from an archer. That was the farthest range for ranged fighters—any closer, they were as vulnerable as lambs before a tiger. Panicked, the archer tried to retreat, but a black streak sliced across his throat, dealing 850 critical damage—instant kill!

“Damn! When did this guy get here?!”

“He used a skill—damn, it’s almost like teleportation!”

“What are you waiting for? Attack!”

The battle was on.