Chapter 111: Approaching a Man—She Must Be Up to No Good
Nearly every star system had one or more abandoned planets designated for processing the metal waste shipped from inhabited worlds. Because so many scavengers worked on them, these planets came to be known as Scavenger Worlds...
...
Scavengers generally earned very little. Few would dare, like Scavenger Qilin, to invest their “principal”—the savings they had accumulated before leaving the Scavenger Worlds—into Magic Era. Thus, when Dr. Ye and Scavenger Qilin learned that they were both scavengers, they were suddenly overcome by the feeling of two countrymen meeting far from home, their eyes nearly filling with tears.
When they discovered that they were both orphans as well, they felt an even stronger sense of having met too late. After all, they belonged to much the same disadvantaged social group, had endured remarkably similar hardships, and were nearly the same age. Conversation came easily. Before long, they were standing atop the city wall, chatting about everything under the sun.
The more they talked, the better they came to understand one another, and the more they felt a mutual kinship.
Dr. Ye’s real name was Ye Gang. He was not only a genuine teenage prodigy in electronic machinery, but also highly capable at coordination and management. Had the government not expressly required every orphan to fulfill a period of compulsory labor on a Scavenger World, countless companies would have competed to hire him at lavish salaries long ago.
At this point, the refined, gentle-looking young man made a slightly embarrassed motion as though pushing up his glasses. But this was a game, so naturally he had no glasses to adjust. The gesture quickly changed into a rub at the side of his nose, which nevertheless gave him a distinctly scholarly air.
Hearing this, I began to regard Dr. Ye in an entirely different light. I still remembered how my head had throbbed when I first encountered knowledge in those fields.
Yet after learning about my own circumstances, Dr. Ye became even more excited than I was.
Armor handling, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, tactical instruction—he questioned me in detail about every subject, repeatedly insisting that these were the choices of a true man, while everything he had studied was utterly meaningless by comparison.
...
After an hour, the two youths of the same age had developed a deep sense of mutual admiration. A lightning-fast friendship had taken root in their hearts.
No one knew how much time passed before their conversation grew increasingly casual.
Suddenly, in a lazy, teasing tone, I said to the young doctor who had by then become my friend:
“By the way... You weren’t simply curious about my sightseeing earlier, were you? What’s the scheme? Confess, and maybe you’ll be treated leniently.”
With a scholarly air, the fellow pushed at the bridge of his nonexistent spectacles and gave a sly chuckle.
“You noticed?”
“Of course. Why else would you strike up a conversation with a man for no reason? It can only mean one of two things: you’re after something, or you’re up to no good!”
The words struck Dr. Ye like a bolt from the blue. He hurriedly began to “confess”...
...
“A guide? What’s that supposed to be?”
After hearing Dr. Ye’s explanation, I was utterly bewildered.
Dr. Ye rolled his eyes at me. Then, putting on an inscrutable expression, he said, “Forget that for now. Let me ask you something. You’ve noticed what makes this town unusual, haven’t you?”
“What makes it unusual? You mean its defenses and geographical position?”
I paused. He nodded approvingly and explained, “I knew you had noticed too...”
At that, he suddenly pointed into the darkness directly ahead.
“Do you know what lies on the other side?”
My heart stirred. “You do?”
“Of course! And it’s perfectly normal that you don’t. I spent half a month trying to figure out why such a strange town as Greenwild Town existed in the first place. I died countless times along the way... It was only a few days ago that I finally discovered what lay beyond it.”
As he spoke, Dr. Ye turned to me with a rather self-mocking smile.
“Now that I think about it, it was ridiculous. To answer that one question, I ran over there every day. I was instantly killed by countless high-level magical beasts whose names I didn’t even know, and trampled to death by who knows how many monster hordes. I’d wager that no one else in all of Magic Era would ever do something so foolish! But... I’m probably also the only person in the entire game who knows what lies on the other side!”
Though Dr. Ye’s expression was self-deprecating, a trace of pride still flickered in his eyes. I seemed to sense something extraordinary, and my heart began to pound.
Information no one else knew? What could it be?
By then, Dr. Ye already regarded me as a brother. He did not keep me in suspense. After glancing around, he lowered his voice and uttered four words:
“An orc tribe!”
The instant he spoke, I felt my body tremble involuntarily.
An orc tribe?!
The very one described on the official website as an allied enemy of the Undead Empire and the Dark Empire—
the common enemy of the Knight Empire, the Arcane Dynasty, and the Elven Forest?!
Greenwild Town was actually a vital border stronghold where the Knight Empire met the orc tribes?!
I immediately drew in a sharp breath. No wonder...
...
Seeing my stunned expression, Dr. Ye grew even prouder and continued:
“When I found out, I was stunned too! You have no idea... The orcs over there all appeared red—almost purple—to me. Luckily, just like the players in Greenwild Town, they were newcomers. They assumed I was merely a red-name player and didn’t dare approach. Otherwise, they would certainly have discovered me.”
His explanation relieved me somewhat. Then I suddenly remembered what he had said about being a guide, and my mind jolted.
“Then you must know everything there is to know about Greenwild Town!”
At my question, Dr. Ye proudly clasped his hands behind his back and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“I’ve tested every non-player character inside and outside the town. I know every first- and second-tier quest! Which quests are easy, which are difficult... Every leveling ground near Greenwild City, along with detailed information on the monsters there... Whatever you can think to ask, I can answer!”
With that, Dr. Ye smiled faintly and cast out his bait once more.
“Actually... there are leveling grounds outside Greenwild Town that are even better than Ghost Lake. Heh heh. How about hiring an expert guide to show you the way?”
“Is it free?”
Plop!!