Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva
Chapter 970 - 90: The Epiphany of Another Team of Adventurers_3

"Why not sell your goods inside the city?" Blanchi asked curiously.

"Because you have to pay taxes inside the city, kiddos." He chuckled warmly.

"Selling here saves quite a bit."

"Do we need to stock up?" Audrey said, glancing at her companions.

"Probably should. Antidotes, healing potions—we might need them later. As for things like oil or torches, we can skip those for now, since we have Prin, our Fire Wizard." Tilan suggested.

"Alright, let me handle the negotiations." Audrey stepped forward and used her Troubadour ability 'Negotiation.'

...

"Ah, ah, ah! You're really quite persuasive; alright, I'll give you a 30% discount." The merchant agreed with a smile.

The six of them purchased three bottles of healing potions, two bottles of antidotes, and two loaves of bread.

Afterward, the group of six continued onward until they arrived at the city gates, which stood about six meters tall, flanked by two spearmen.

"Entering the city requires a tax of 10 gold coins per person," the guards demanded.

"Here." Although they felt ripped off, the six decided not to argue with the guards about it and paid to enter.

Once inside the city, everything became much livelier. There were about twenty buildings, and the main street stretched over a thousand meters. Compared to the town, it was much more bustling, and they could see some advanced professions like the Swordmaster and Assassin progressing from Swordsmen, Knights advancing from Spearmen, and Priests and White Mages advancing from Healers.

"High Rank professions offer more abilities and are more powerful, but the required profession-changing books are much more valuable." A city resident explained to them.

"So, to forge ahead on the strongest path, we must work harder to complete tasks and earn higher-rank profession books."

The six sat in the city's mercenary guild, listening to the discussions among the patrons and slowly learning about the situation. Just then, another group of five approached, consisting of three men and two women: a bald Priest in chainmail, a sultry Black Mage wearing revealing clothing, a shy Half-Elf girl who was a Ranger, a Heavy Armored Warrior carrying a massive hammer, and a young Swordmaster with a glowing longsword.

"Hello there! I didn't expect to see newcomers today." The Swordmaster leading the group waved.

"Who are you?" Tilan's team wondered whether they were NPCs or fellow players.

"We're players too, hahaha." The other group laughed heartily.

Later, the two teams sat together, and the newcomers began sharing their experiences.

"We entered last week. Initially, we just wanted to keep Rosa company since we didn't want her playing alone, but now we're all hooked."

"How many days have you been here?" Shui Yanqing asked, curious about how much time they'd spent.

"About six days. Things went pretty smoothly." The other group reminisced for a moment.

"It's been more fun than traveling, but today will be the last day for now."

"Rosa's break is ending, and we won't be able to regroup until summer vacation."

"Thank you, everyone. It's my fault for taking up so much of your time." The shy Half-Elf girl murmured timidly.

"Ah, it's no big deal. Everyone had a great time."

"Though it's only been six days, it feels like we've experienced another life. All in all, this kind of immersion beats watching movies or TV shows—it's so much more vivid and intense."

"After all, you're truly sweating and moving. Every meal you eat, the battles under the rain, the tension and decisions during danger—they've taught me a lot. If only everyone could step into another world like this and truly experience it."

"What I mean is, as human beings, many things are often encountered for the first time, and we lack maturity. If there were a realistic game world like this to help us experience various situations, perhaps people would become better at understanding emotions—things like the importance of friendship, the struggles of others, the multifaceted nature and uncertainties of life."

"This 'Labyrinth' took them quite a bit of effort to construct. Though there are still flaws, they're surmountable. For now, its scale is limited, and much has been simplified."

"Sometimes I wonder if such massive expenditures of manpower and resources just for a minority of players are too costly. But from the perspective of actual experience, it feels worth it."

"Ai Jieka Network simplifies such efforts, allowing for the creation of sprawling, realistic worlds with ease, but when it comes to emotional depth and impact, it never quite matches the intensity of reality."

"Especially during my first battle, when I fell and scraped my hand on a rock. It stung sharply. At that moment, with the enemy towering over me and my companions in danger, there was no time to think about whether my injury was serious or if my ankle was sprained. I just grabbed my weapon, stood up, and charged forward with all my strength. Every second I hesitated, my companions became more endangered. It was a game, but it wasn't—it felt real because the wild beast across from me could truly knock someone off their feet, send them flying. The pain was real, though we wouldn't actually die."

"It's through pain and danger that many authentic emotions are triggered. The drifting and indifference I used to feel while gaming disappeared quickly. Instead, I felt wave after wave of tension and anticipation."

"This mix of pain and reality is so captivating that the joy and excitement of victory afterward are amplified."

"Society today is too safe. Because of this, we lack the stimulation of danger, and many emotions float toward emptiness—restlessness abounds."

"Apologies, I've said a lot of unrelated things since it's rare to meet fellow players. But these have genuinely been my feelings over the past few days, and I'm even planning to write a paper about it afterward."

"Best wishes on your journey ahead! I hope you discover the genuine emotions and choices among your team in this game."