The blacksmith and the carpenter had the same idea. Really, it was to be expected. The news about the Dreadful Mansion had spread like wildfire; it remained deserted to this day. The people at Tooth Line could silence a few mouths, but the truth would be revealed with a little inquiry. When something like this happened, even a fat lamb would eventually consider themselves unlucky. So, every craftsman's plan was to delay as much as possible. They hoped that when Lin Bai realized it was too difficult and withdrew, the matter would naturally resolve itself. But who would have known they would encounter such a tough character this time?
As a result, the blacksmith inevitably shared the same fate as the carpenter. After Lin Bai used the ghosts to harvest his negative emotions, he had no choice but to work overtime, seething with anger, to rush the job for him. The poor, naive, and kind ghost family was portrayed by Lin Bai as fierce ghosts that devoured people whole, bones and all, terribly ruining their reputation. Oh well, oh well!
But it had to be said, working under duress certainly made things go much smoother. In Lin Bai's mind, the progress bar for the Incomplete System's task, which had been stagnant, slowly began to crawl forward again. The Negative Emotion Value was also rising alongside it. With three ghosts hovering over their heads, forced to work overtime, and knowing the finished product had to be intentionally flawed, nine out of ten people would be filled with resentment. In that short time, Lin Bai had already watered the tree twice; to some extent, they could also be considered to be contributing to environmental protection.
"People are acting, the heavens are watching; dishonest people should be punished." Most people's happiness is built on the pain of others, and Lin Bai was no exception. At this moment, he was very happy. Gaining positive emotions took deliberate effort and careful management. Negative emotions, however, could be easily acquired and would continue to grow. Choosing negative emotions was like choosing the expressway; he could hit top speed right from the start. It was practically guaranteed happiness.
At the Blacksmith Shop, Lin Bai encountered a player named Dumbelldore. The player was dressed in the attire of a blacksmith's apprentice, complete with an apron, and was busy pushing the bellows; he clearly had a profession.
However, Lin Bai pretended not to see him.
His current success had all been achieved by riding on the coattails of others. At Luo Congwen's House, he had borrowed the prestige of the never-before-seen Old Master Luo to earn his startup capital. Dealing with the ghosts, he had exploited the players' invulnerability. Dealing with Crispy Rice, he had leveraged the power of the Government Office and the Beggar Gang. In urging the craftsmen to work, he had, in turn, leveraged the fear of the ghosts. Lin Bai was like a master strategist, maneuvering between various factions. His assets and gains might be increasing, but every step was like walking a tightrope. If any party saw through his schemes, it could set off a powder keg. What's borrowed is never truly one's own. To forge iron, one must first be strong. In the end, he was just an empty shell right now. The natives themselves were very powerful. Players were a unique group; for the sake of Experience Points, they were passionately enthusiastic about everything. As long as they found a method, they could level up with incredible speed. Lin Bai didn't have much time left. He had to gain the strength to deal with the fallout before any of his schemes blew up. So, no matter how envious he was of the players' potential, he couldn't afford to provoke any more of them. He needed to maintain a low profile. At least until he possessed sufficient Martial Power, he couldn't risk attracting more trouble.
As it turned out, even just a sliver of a crescent moon in the night sky could draw more attention than all the surrounding stars.
Lin Bai had just left the Blacksmith Shop when Dumbelldore, newly promoted to blacksmith's apprentice, could no longer contain his curiosity. "Master," he asked, "what was that all about with that fellow just now?"
"That was just a lunatic," the blacksmith said, slamming his hammer onto a fiery iron blank. Sparks flew as he vented his resentment towards Lin Bai.
Meanwhile, Dumbelldore almost drooled. A haunted shop, incomplete iron bowls, a shop with an unknown purpose... This guy must be a hidden NPC! Compared to the legendary Lin Bai, being a blacksmith's apprentice suddenly didn't seem so appealing anymore. His heart began to stir. Maybe he should learn more about Lin Bai's story. Suppressing three fierce ghosts all by himself? If he didn't possess some advanced Spell, even a fool wouldn't believe it! The game is called *Immortal World*, and Immortal Techniques and Taoist Laws are the mainstream here. Yesterday, he'd searched the entire city but couldn't find any Sect that taught Immortal Laws. The martial arts schools all required tuition fees, so he'd been forced to become an apprentice at the Blacksmith Shop, planning to secure a trade profession first and accumulate some Experience Points... Who would have thought that just after becoming an apprentice, he'd stumble upon such explosive news? Could this be the legendary 'great hermit hiding in plain sight'? The gaming guru was right; one must immerse oneself in the world to progress. This game is becoming more and more interesting, with the plot hidden in the details of everyday life. Kudos to the development team!
Dumbelldore habitually pumped the bellows, his heart surging. I have to seize this opportunity! That NPC is mine!
"Focus on the bellows! Watch the fire," the blacksmith snapped at his new apprentice. "Little Deng, you have a real talent for smithing. Don't let these unsavory matters affect your mood. Peculiar customers like him are rare; you might only encounter one or two in a lifetime. Concentrate on your craft, and in three years at most, you'll graduate from your apprenticeship. If nothing else, this skill of mine is more than enough to support a family."
Three years? If I wasn't trying to unlock a profession, would I have come to this crappy little place? In a month at most, I'll get the Blacksmith title. Three years from now, I'll be at least a Forging Grandmaster...
Dumbelldore grumbled inwardly but squeezed out an eager smile. "Master, when you deliver these items tomorrow, can I go with you? Speaking of which, I haven't seen a ghost yet!"
"What's so interesting about seeing a ghost?" the blacksmith snorted. He glanced back at several disciples whose eyes darted around, clearly unwilling to go to the Dreadful Mansion, and spat in displeasure. "Alright, you can go! But don't talk nonsense when you get there. That customer is difficult to deal with. If you cause any trouble, I won't be able to protect you. As a blacksmith, the most important thing is focus..."
"Thank you, Master!" Dumbelldore responded cheerfully, pumping the bellows with even more vigor.
With every push and pull, it wasn't just air he was pumping, but Experience Points! Considering this, recruiting Players as apprentices was clearly more advantageous than hiring locals...
「 」
Through desperate efforts, Dragon Breath had earned his first pot of gold. Coming out of the pawnshop, now flush with cash, he immediately ran to the weapon shop, bought a Longsword, and then hurried to Lin Bai's shop, intending to further solidify his relationship with the NPC.
But when he got there, he found the door ajar and no one inside. The ghost family was also nowhere to be found. If it weren't for the blood he had spat on the doorstep when he was thrown out the day before, Dragon Breath would have thought everything that happened was a hallucination. Unwilling to give up, he searched the shop, hoping to find the Copper Coins and kitchen knife he had lost when he died yesterday, but he found nothing.
"Looting a Player's corpse! That NPC is so damn shameless! Sooner or later, I'll get back everything I lost, with interest!" Fuming, Dragon Breath spat fiercely on the ground and resolutely turned to leave. The BOSS's Level is too high; I'm no match for it right now. I have to raise my Level before other Players to get a chance at the BOSS's first kill. I don't have much time left either.
「On another street.」
Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice were making a final effort to salvage their last storyline quest.
"Old Crispy, we've already walked three streets," Sticky Rice said, his hair a mess. "I seriously suspect that NPC is just messing with us."
"It's not even noon yet!" Crispy Rice looked up at the sun, his gaze shifting from determination to doubt. "Let's keep at it a bit longer. If we still can't find him by the deadline, we'll go to the City Lord's Office and explain the situation. Grinding Levels isn't worth losing a day or half a day over this."
"Old Crispy, have you noticed? There are more and more Beggars on the streets," Sticky Rice asked curiously, looking around. "There weren't this many yesterday, were there?"
Crispy Rice was focused on finding Lin Bai and hadn't noticed his surroundings. Hearing Sticky Rice's comment, he glanced around, and his expression changed instantly. "Damn it, we've broken a taboo!"
"What?" Sticky Rice hadn't reacted yet when his eyes suddenly lit up. He pointed excitedly at someone in the distance and exclaimed, "Boss, look! Isn't that your lackey?"
Crispy Rice looked in the direction of the voice, and a familiar figure came into view. He was overjoyed. In his excitement, he even ignored the surrounding Beggars. "Hard work pays off! I knew we could find him..."
Hardly had the words left his mouth when—
THUD!
He was struck hard on the back of the head. His vision went black, and a sack was pulled over his head. He heard Sticky Rice shouting, "What are you doing? Who are you?"
THUMP! THUMP!
Through the sack, Crispy Rice felt several heavy blows to his chest and a few kicks to his shins...
"We've caught the River and Sea Bandit!"
"You little brat! Impersonating someone from our Beggar Gang? You really don't know your own limits!"
"Enough talk! Let's hurry and take them to the Government Office to claim the reward before something else happens."
...
Take us to the Government Office to claim a reward? Crispy Rice's vision darkened again. It's over. This time, I won't be able to explain my way out of it. Going to the Government Office myself versus being dragged there by captors... the implications are completely different! At that moment, his anger exploded. I play games for fun! To hell with this 'tempering one's will through hardship' bullshit! I quit!