Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players
Chapter 32 - 032 Heard that the City Lord’s Mansion is recruiting Hidden Guards

Chapter 32: 032 Heard that the City Lord’s Mansion is recruiting Hidden Guards

"Dumbelldore, did you come up with the marketing idea?"

"You’re a marketing genius! After hearing it twice, that song is stuck in my head."

"How much money does this shop make in a day?"

"One side of the couplet has seven characters, and the other has six. How did you convince the shopkeeper to do that? What about the leftover character?"

"Are there really ghosts in the shop?"

Bitter Melon Vine and the others surrounded Dumbelldore, firing off a barrage of questions.

They’re fast!

Good thing I was prepared.

Dumbelldore glanced at Lin Bai, who was relaxing in the shade, and said, "Yes, I came up with the marketing idea. Please don’t block the door and disrupt business. If the boss fires me, I’ll have no recourse. Making money in this game isn’t easy."

Exactly.

To monopolize Lin Bai, he shamelessly took all the credit.

Among all the NPCs in Jiamucheng, Lin Bai was too dazzling. If Dumbelldore didn’t obscure his brilliance, all the players would likely rush to snatch this prize.

Lin Bai can only be mine.

At least, until I become his disciple, I can’t share him with others.

And after that?

With my Dragonfall Palm, I won’t have to fear anything. If it comes down to it, we can just PK!

A bunch of scrubs.

Dumbelldore even kindly offered advice, "Everyone, the NPCs in this game are highly intelligent. If you can persuade them, your chances of winning their trust are very high. If you don’t know how, go read some transmigration novels. See how the protagonists do it and learn from them. A guru on the forums made a good point: we should see ourselves more as transmigrators than as mere game players."

The players pondered this.

Bitter Melon Vine asked, "Old Deng, how much did the boss give you for planning such a big marketing campaign? Your lyrics are quite catchy; I think they could even be used in real life."

Watching Lin Bai approach, Dumbelldore puffed out his chest proudly and replied, "Not too much, just a 30% stake!"

Damn! Lin Bai thought. The nerve of him! A 30% stake? Daoist Priest Qingfeng only got a 10% share for 3,000 taels!

However, Lin Bai couldn’t very well expose his employee’s bragging in the players’ private channel, especially since he was still helping him make money. A little boasting on the side was no big deal!

"A 30% stake? That’s at least ten taels of silver a day!"

"That’s incredible!"

"Boss, take me under your wing! Let’s team up! Does your shop still need waiters? Count me in! I can work the night shift. I’m not asking for much, just ten taels of silver a month. I guarantee I’ll be more dedicated than any NPC."

"We’re not hiring," Dumbelldore coldly rejected the players wanting to team up. "Folks, please move aside. You’re blocking the entrance and affecting business. If you have questions, we can talk privately. Don’t ruin this venture I’ve worked so hard to build."

"One last question: is this really a Dreadful Mansion?" Lazy Cancer Endless asked.

"It is a Dreadful Mansion, but the ghost inside is also an NPC. She’ll be part of a night event in a couple of days, so forget about any dungeons," Lin Bai had already joined the group. Dumbelldore quickly added his explanation, then hurriedly greeted Lin Bai, "Greetings, Shopkeeper."

"Little Deng, are these all your friends?" Lin Bai glanced at the group of players, a smile in his eyes.

"Just some folks from my hometown." Dumbelldore scowled at the players, then forced a smile for Lin Bai. "They heard I was working here and came to visit. Shopkeeper, I’m not very close with them. If they’re affecting business, I’ll ask them to leave immediately."

"Oh, Little Deng, you’ve got it wrong. The more friends, the more connections. You never know when you might encounter difficulties and a friend can lend a hand!" Lin Bai said, smiling at the group of naive players before him.

"The Shopkeeper is right. Deng, you’re just too stingy," Well Does Not Move shot Dumbelldore a mischievous look and chuckled. "Shopkeeper, do you have any vacancies? I may not have other talents, but I’m strong. You can decide the wages. It’s not for anything else; I just want to find some work!"

"..." Dumbelldore glared angrily at Well Does Not Move, clearly realizing his lie hadn’t fooled this guy.

"We’re fully staffed," Lin Bai said, taking in everyone’s expressions with a smile. "Besides, what future is there as a helper in a small shop? Just now, I heard someone in the crowd say the City Lord’s Mansion is recruiting Hidden Guards. Now, becoming a Hidden Guard in the City Lord’s Mansion, that’s a truly stable job."

Hidden Guards in the City Lord’s Mansion?

Lin Bai’s words immediately piqued the players’ interest.

"Shopkeeper, is this information reliable?" Mad Man asked.

"Who knows? I just overheard it," Lin Bai said noncommittally. "Apparently, someone was apprehended in the city a couple of days ago, and the City Lord discovered their exceptional aptitude. So, they’re looking for similarly talented young people in the city. As for the specifics, I didn’t hear everything clearly..."

Bitter Melon Vine switched to a private channel and said, "Quite a few players have been causing trouble in the city and got captured. It’s highly credible."

"Exceptional aptitude, that matches the players’ nature too," Lazy Cancer Endless said, glancing at Dumbelldore. "It seems there are lucky people in every game!"

Dumbelldore wore a faint smile, remaining silent. Go ahead, all of you become Hidden Guards, just don’t compete with me for Lin Bai. The shopkeeper is indeed my lucky star; a few words from him were enough to eliminate a bunch of competitors.

"You aren’t really planning to apply to be Hidden Guards, are you?" Lin Bai asked, looking at the players with feigned surprise.

"Why not? What if we succeed?" Lazy Cancer Endless retorted.

"It’s worth a try," Lin Bai chuckled. "Young people should set their sights far. In the future, if any of you truly become Hidden Guards, don’t forget it was I who recommended you."

"We won’t forget, we won’t forget!" Well Does Not Move laughed. "If we really become Hidden Guards, we’ll definitely come back to patronize Little Deng’s business often."

A bunch of idiots! Dumbelldore snorted inwardly. You have no idea what you’re missing out on.

"Business is secondary," Lin Bai smiled. "If you really become Hidden Guards, you’re welcome to eat and drink here for free. Like I said, the more friends, the more connections!"

"The Shopkeeper is so magnanimous!" Bitter Melon Vine couldn’t help but exclaim.

They had been playing the game for two days and hadn’t met a single agreeable NPC. Yet here, with Lin Bai, they not only heard the secret about the City Lord’s Mansion recruiting Hidden Guards but also received an offer for free food and drinks.

How could one describe the feeling? It was like a refreshing spring breeze, inexplicably comforting.

Dumbelldore had incredible luck, encountering such a frank and straightforward NPC...

With the allure of the City Lord’s Mansion’s Hidden Guards, Lin Bai’s Chef’s Divine Food Stall suddenly lost its appeal to the players.

After a brief private discussion, Lazy Cancer Endless said to Lin Bai, "Shopkeeper, you seem busy today. We’re going to check out the City Lord’s Mansion, so we won’t disturb your business any longer. We’ll take our leave now!"

Lin Bai cupped his fists. "I wish you all a bright future and swift success."

"We also wish the Shopkeeper prosperous business!" Bitter Melon Vine laughed, returning the salute.

Watching the players depart, Lin Bai’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

What an adorable group of players!

Oh, City Lord, I’ve sent you such a grand gift. I wonder if you can handle it?

"Master, is the City Lord’s Mansion really recruiting Hidden Guards?" Dumbelldore asked.

"Mm," Lin Bai turned to Dumbelldore, smiling. "Are you planning to try out too?"

"I want to wholeheartedly follow you, Master, until you’re willing to accept me as your disciple. I couldn’t care less about some Hidden Guards from the City Lord’s Mansion!" Dumbelldore stated firmly.

He had been by Lin Bai’s side for two days; he knew his future master’s character better than anyone.

The kind of man who would pluck feathers from a passing goose!

When had he ever kindly recommended a job to anyone?

And for the City Lord’s Mansion’s Hidden Guards, no less?

Just from the name, it was clearly a secret organization.

How could such an organization recruit so openly on the streets, with the news spreading so easily?

A bunch of clueless fools. They wouldn’t even know if they were being sold...

Suddenly, Dumbelldore froze. Wait, those I was just talking to were all players, and they didn’t seem particularly special. Why would Lin Bai randomly reveal the information about the Hidden Guards to them?

"Little Deng, what are you thinking about?" Lin Bai’s voice drifted into Dumbelldore’s ear. "Do you find my actions just now strange?"

"No," Dumbelldore instinctively shook his head.

"None of you are from this world, are you?" Lin Bai asked abruptly, a faint smile on his face.

"Shopkeeper, you..." Dumbelldore was utterly stunned.

"Don’t be so surprised. You all caused such a huge commotion a few days ago; did you really think the City Lord is an idiot?" Lin Bai chuckled. "Three years ago, my master told me that a group of ’The Chosen Ones’ would appear and stir up the world. When you all appeared, various factions took notice. Otherwise, why would I suddenly come to Jiamucheng to open this small shop? It was all to make arrangements in advance..."

"’The Chosen Ones?’" Dumbelldore breathed a sigh of relief. Alright, that explanation does fit the game’s narrative. Good thing he didn’t call us players. Otherwise, we’d probably become enemies of the world the moment we appeared.

Then, Dumbelldore was startled by his own train of thought. What’s wrong with being called players, anyway? This is just a game. Would the game company really let NPCs control the players’ fate? How would they make money then? Since when did I subconsciously start treating this as a real world?

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