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Chapter 423 - 420: "——I Love You Guys（Pretend）" (Wangchuan Chuan qq Alliance Hierarch additional release 3/5)

Chapter 423: Chapter 420: "——I Love You Guys（Pretend）" (Wangchuan Chuan qq Alliance Hierarch additional release 3/5)

[December 31, 2021.]

[Auspicious: Offerings to gods, sculpture, switching on lights, tailoring, hairpin rituals.]

[Taboo: Travel, burials, grave repairs, market openings.]

...

People from Dragon Country seemed to be very particular about choosing the right dates for their activities.

For major events like weddings, house moves, offerings to gods, or burials, they would specifically pick an auspicious date hoping everything would go smoothly and the future would bring good fortune.

...But clearly, Noel and the others didn’t care about that at all.

Regardless of whether the 31st was a day to avoid travel, Noel showed up at Su Ming’an’s doorstep with Lv Shu, Lin Yin, and the rest, right on time early in the morning.

"Open up, open up!" Noel knocked on the gate, clanging the iron bars loudly and even started to tease playfully, "Su Ming’an! Come out! You had the guts to steal someone, now have the guts to open the door!"

"..."

Annoyed by the ruckus, Su Ming’an got up from bed.

He glanced at the time; it was only eight thirty in the morning, a whole hour earlier than planned.

Since he had agreed to meet Noel this morning on the 31st, he had deliberately not stayed in that cramped personal space, choosing instead to spend the night in the retirement house he had bought before.

After spending one night there, he began to understand why some people were so indulgent in pleasures, why, despite knowing that danger was imminent, they still chose to avoid it.

...For indeed, to let things slide was truly relaxing.

Living here, there was no need for cleaning; the houses cleaned themselves. The furniture could be chosen freely, and any kind of arrangement was possible because the cost of goods was so cheap that changing the decoration style every day wasn’t an issue.

There was no need for wallpapering or moving furniture. It was like playing a home decoration simulation game, allowing one to arrange their living environment however they wished.

If there were desires for certain foods, even the rarest delicacies that were once unattainable, they could be exchanged for a mere 0.1 Points. If there was a manga to read, a game to play, or any kind of cultural indulgence one wished for, it was easy to satisfy oneself by finding a live stream from an instance on the World Forum and immersing oneself in the perspective of a top-ranked Player.

Not to mention, with the emergence of entertainment products like novels, comics, TV series, movies, and mini-games derived from the World game instances, it was hard not to be happily lost in indulgence.

Just like those who knew they had an exam in a week, yet spent the previous days playing games.

Most people lacked strong self-awareness. Maybe at some point, they had been enthusiastic about trying out different world scenarios. But after experiencing the pain of injuries and death, facing instances with real mental dangers, they started to back off.

If the overall progress bar was in good condition, and if their chances of surviving an instance were slim, then why not start with Leisure Points to accumulate their gains, seeking stability.

"—I’m coming down now! Coming down!" Noel’s shout interrupted his thoughts.

Noel had already started to cup her hands around her mouth, shouting from below.

After a moment, Su Ming’an slowly walked out.

There was a small garden at the entrance of the villa that grew naturally even without anyone tending to it, filling the air with the fragrance of flowers and grass.

There was no air pollution or smog like in Zhai Xing, the air was incredibly fresh.

"Click," "Click."

The sound of chess being played intermittently came from next door; because this was a retirement server, many elderly people gathered here to smoke, drink tea, play mahjong, and several middle-aged men sat at the street corner engrossed in their chess games.

They all looked youthful, as if they had become accustomed to this lifestyle. There wasn’t even a live broadcast screen hanging here; they lived as if cut off from the world, seemingly unconcerned with world affairs.

This was also the reason Su Ming’an had chosen this place initially. It was quiet, secluded, free from quarrels, with a server number ranking far down the list. Neither suicide bombers nor terrorists would come here to cause trouble, only a group of old men and women tending to flower gardens and playing chess, and these people didn’t seem to recognize them at all.

This place was a perfect haven.

Su Ming’an passed through the fragrant pathway and unlocked the iron gate, seeing the three people standing outside the fence.

"Pop!"

A crisp sound rang out.

Lin Yin smiled as she released the party poppers, and colorful ribbons fell on Su Ming’an’s head.

He didn’t dodge, but gently brushed the ribbons aside.

"Happy Birthday—Su Ming’an," Lin Yin said with a smile. "Did you see the World Forum? Right at midnight, the front page went crazy."

Su Ming’an nodded.

At midnight, he was actually checking the information of top-ranked Players. He had just closed the interface, took a sip of coffee, refreshed the page, and saw that the original forum had suddenly changed.

It was like a flood of vivid red, and the homepage of the World Forum instantly turned into a whole page filled with bold red [2021, Happy 19th Birthday to the Number One Player—!].

The scene was spectacular as the clock struck midnight. Congratulations, long-form emotional posts, collaborative celebration images, and videos involving hundreds of players filled the interface, jamming even the major sections and temporary chat rooms with well-wishes and breaking the flow of normal conversation for others.

People joked that this day should be historically named "Number One Player Forum Congress."

At that time, Su Ming’an scrolled through dozens of pages on the forum interface, all filled with birthday celebration posts. These posts nearly pushed out all the serious strategy posts, event posts, and player discussion posts, filling the forum with a joyous atmosphere for a while.

Perhaps because of the boss’s wicked sense of humor, the world forum’s original loading screen, which featured a white-haired, red-eyed young man, was replaced with an image of the Lighthouse. When Su Ming’an reopened the world forum, the image started emitting a green light, making it look incredibly "off."

Moreover, it was like various top-ranked players had agreed to post simultaneously, each congratulating him on his birthday.

Eni, Flora, Lu, Bei Wang, Yamada Machiichi, Lin Jiang, Alger, Iris, Luna... Even figures from several organizations, like Aishikel, Liu Jiahe, Grett, Hubert, and others, sent simple well-wishes.

Although he wasn’t sure whether it was because of the competition in the Eighth World’s peak hundred-player battles that these top-ranked players were so eager to foster a good relationship with him...

"Lin Yin, remember, we agreed not to talk about anything related to the World game today," Lv Shu reminded Lin Yin.

Lin Yin promptly stretched out her hand and made a zipping motion across her mouth.

"It’s okay, we don’t need to specifically avoid it," Su Ming’an brushed off the red streamers from his shoulder. "We live in this world, so it’s normal to talk about things related to our environment. Avoiding it on purpose would be unnatural."

He suddenly noticed that the three of them were dressed quite differently today.

Lv Shu, usually seen in combat gear in the instance worlds, was today wearing a black short robe embroidered with pine, bamboo, and white cranes.

A strip of bright red cord was wrapped around his wrist, leaving a touch of red amidst the pure black. A red butterfly perched silently on his shoulder, like a still model.

Beside him, Lin Yin was in a red miniskirt, her high ponytail swishing neatly at the back of her head. A bright red double-layered bow tied back a few stray hairs, and her eyes, slightly brown, reflected Su Ming’an’s figure with clarity.

Even in a skirt, her presence was overpowering. Because her physique was much stronger than that of an ordinary person, she wouldn’t feel cold even in the light snow, giving off an impression of boldness as if braving the icy cold in bare legs.

As for Noel... he was even more surprising to Su Ming’an.

Usually clad in either British gentleman’s attire or old European-style aristocratic clothing complete with a top hat, red bow tie, and cane as his constant retro accessories, Noel gave off the vibe of a bygone century’s young nobleman stepping out of a black-and-white film.

But today, this clearly foreign young man was wearing a white and red hoodie in line with the local customs. His hands tucked in his pockets, his golden half-long hair tied back in a small braid, and sporting pitch-black Doc Martens, he carried a distinctly modern air, resembling a foreign exchange student who had just stepped out from a university town.

White, black, red – these three colors appeared in harmony on the three of them, like a team uniform, giving a refreshing sense of coordination.

"Let’s go, off to the first destination of the day," Lin Yin said with a smile as she put away the map in her hand.

...

"5 Points for a tour of the ’White City’ virtual scenery! A perfect recreation of the White City atmosphere, with staff dressed as famous characters such as ’Nuoliya’ and ’Bai Xiong!’ Half-price at year-end, passersby shouldn’t miss out! Come experience the crisis-free version of White City!"

"The Eighth World viewing area is open for groups! Three groups formed, welcoming players who want to watch together – free sunflower seeds, snacks, and tea provided! The boss is handsome with a good personality, currently recruiting a boss’s wife online—oh, and Edward’s fans can step aside."

"Selling 2021 limited edition milk tea, New Year popping milk tea! Buy one, get one free—"

"Number One Player Birthday Limited Edition Souvenirs on Sale! Air rifles, ring toss, goldfish scooping games await you!"

The streets were growing increasingly bustling.

Like the revelry of a statutory holiday outing, as Su Ming’an reached bustling servers and walked the streets, he was struck by the vibrant scene.

...Is this the legendary holiday outing scene of May Day?

At this moment, they were wearing demon fox masks provided by Lin Yin, making it difficult to be recognized amidst the dense crowd.

Noel’s blonde hair stood out, but foreigners weren’t uncommon here, so no one paid close attention to passersby.

Walking along the street like this, even without activating the privacy black mist, they were quite safe.

The gabble of voices brushed past their ears as people continually passed by them.

This appeared to be an event zone server, somewhat similar to the ancient towns on Zhai Xing.

The street vendors sold an array of goods – dried flowers and nuts, wooden swords, rouge and powder, pearl hairpins, silk flowers, and more, covering a spectrum of household items.

Additionally, there were snacks such as candied haw, sour plum juice, mini steamed buns with crab roe, and spicy chicken feet, with the aroma of various delicacies permeating the entire district.

Among the people in the streets, there was no lack of young ladies dressed in Hanfu, their black hair cascading down as their long dresses swept the ground, walking with a unique charm of antiquity. Holding fans or paper umbrellas, they chatted quietly, their laughter ringing like silver bells through the noisy crowd.

There were even groups of children walking the quaint streets without parental supervision, armed with toy firecrackers and small swords, remarkably joyful.

Not far off, opera performances were in progress, attracting many middle-aged spectators. Puppet shows, Huangmei opera, martial arts demonstrations... Instead of the thrilling and dangerous instance livestreams of the World game, they seemed to prefer these authentic performances.

This was the transmission of culture, humans’ longing for their ancestral land.

It was also an inseparable part of their souls, a connection that couldn’t be severed.

At this moment, it wasn’t just the people here, but millions across hundreds of servers, seemed to be immersed in this atmosphere.

Humans will always yearn for their ancestral land.

Even in an unfamiliar world, surrounded by dangers, the need to awaken something primitive in their blood was just as urgent.

Noel’s parade plan was really well-tailored to blend in with the local customs.

Since there were three Dragon Country natives in the team, he took them directly to this place full of Dragon Country flavor.

"Let’s go, the better stuff is ahead," Noel said with a smile.

He led the way ahead, like a gentle breeze, quietly parting the crowded throng to clear a path for Su Ming’an and the others following.

He skillfully shuttled through the crisscrossing alleys, walking lightly in front, and it felt as if he were not in a crowded space but on the most ordinary of streets.

A breeze laced with the scent of food tousled his golden hair, and the red string of the mask tied behind his head swayed slightly. It seemed a sweet fragrance wafted from him, almost imperceptibly.

Su Ming’an was somewhat dazed.

It reminded him of a spring outing in his junior year of high school.

Back then, he too moved among his classmates, laughter around his ears, clutching a candied hawthorn his deskmate had given him. Its cloyingly sweet taste lingered with him for a very long time, leaving a lasting impression to this day.

Memories from before the world game gradually faded in his mind, like an old photograph yellowing with age, replaced by various skill usage tips, plotline information, and the lingering, compounded pain of death.

His memories before the start of the world game had begun to blur naturally.

Getting past the crowd, he ascended mossy stone steps.

There were waterside pavilions and antique-looking wooden buildings. Wild grass grew unrestrained on the mountain terrace, with green stone statues beside the gently flowing stream. Several ancient houses sat quietly straight ahead.

Lanterns hung from the four corners of the old buildings, with water basins and incense burners placed all around, all exuding a Zen-like serenity, the air filled with the fresh scent of pine needles and bamboo.

Several people went to draw lots.

Noel had minor luck, while Lv Shu and Lin Yin both drew lesser luck.

"Want to give it a try?" Lin Yin gestured for Su Ming’an to draw quickly.

"I’d better not. If I get something bad, it’ll ruin the mood," Su Ming’an said. "Besides, I don’t believe in this stuff."

"Come on, just try it—it’s okay. Even if you draw ’misfortune,’ we won’t laugh at you!"

Lin Yin immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the stand.

After glancing at the cheerfully displaying lot drawer, Su Ming’an sighed, pressed down on the mask on his face, and flipped over the wooden tag in his hand.

...

[Great Luck]

...

The black characters on the wooden tag seemed to foretell a promising future.

"That’s some good luck you got there, drawing this," Noel said.

The Number One Player drawing "Great Luck" carried considerable weight.

...because in a sense, his good fortune could represent the good luck of many others.

"Perhaps," Su Ming’an touched the characters for Great Luck on the tag, slipping it into his pocket.

"Let’s go, next stop!" Lin Yin waved her hand cheerfully.

Afterward, they visited many different places.

They collected amulets, braved a mirror labyrinth, enjoyed a drift that forbade the use of abilities, watched an electro music festival, and incidentally saw an in-game "server e-sports competition" organized by players.

They sampled various street foods along the way, watched shadow puppet shows, and bought some seriously presented tabloids about top players, which Noel said he’d use to tease others in the Eighth World.

They visited the trending bridge, overheard a lively debate about the Number One Player in a teahouse, learned a new board game developed during the world game, and played a few rounds.

Finally, they arrived at today’s highlight—"World Game Cultural Annual Exhibit."

Unlike a traditional "comic convention," this exhibit was more like a show for all age groups, featuring fan works, stage plays, coser groups, joint dance troupes, and cultural products like novels, comics, science books, and other paraphernalia derived from the world game, for sale. Its focus was not on "anime" and "manga," but on all derivative cultures within the "world game."

At the entrance, Noel took out four package tickets he had prepared in advance.

"Coincidentally, the tickets were almost sold out when I was buying them. Although this kind of exhibit is basically free for Adventurer Players, I didn’t want to leak information," Noel said. "Then a player named ’Xiao Xiao’ came to the New World Guild, meeting me by chance. He said he was in charge of selling second-hand tickets, and he got these for me."

...such a familiar name.

Su Ming’an heard this very prominent name but didn’t dwell on it.

As they entered, they were immediately greeted with a thunderous shout.

"——Number One Player! It’s actually you!"

That shout, thunderous as it was, echoed exceptionally loud within the noisy meeting hall, booming through the surging crowd.

"——!"

Su Ming’an had just stepped in with his left foot when he immediately drew it back, his hand pressing against the mask on his face, already brewing Spatial Displacement.

This was too much of an ill start!

Getting caught as soon as he entered the hall... Although he was more or less relaxed now and saw no need to mingle in such a crowded place.

But since he was already here.

Since he was already here, to be discovered at first sight...

Speaking of which, his face hadn’t been revealed, how did they recognize...

"Don’t be nervous." Noel said with a smile, blocking his way, his tone still calm, "Take a closer look."

Su Ming’an lifted his head.

"——Fearless fellows, I am astounded by your courage." A loud response once again rang through the hall.

That voice, brimming with passion, as if reciting a grand European poem: "But, clearly—you have not rightly recognized your own position, you have not learned to grade, and such as you—cannot become the Lighthouse!"

The voice was booming, full of momentum, exploding painfully in one’s ears.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap——" A round of applause broke out.

...It was then that Su Ming’an noticed.

In the center of this vast hall, where the crowd surged, there was a large stage lit with colorful lights.

Like a sun, it drew the most attention, acting as the core of the meeting hall, with people radiating out from it like spokes.

At this moment, a person dressed very much like himself was standing on that stage, arms wide open, passionately addressing the crowd.

Opposite him were several characters in stage costumes, their clothes worn and their faces marked with obvious wounds.

Behind the stage, the large screen was displaying a familiar city wall scene, with the piercing cries of sea monsters coming just then, and, in that moment, heroic BGMs also started playing, stirring one’s blood.

"People of Pulaya—" The protagonist of the performance raised his head aloft.

In front of him, several wounded actors immediately kneeled in unison, as if cowed by his imperial aura.

Several performers in black uniforms swiftly took the stage, wielding silver firearms, and began to dance around the protagonist.

Their glow sticks waved frantically in the audience, with oddly dressed people headbanging, their hair flying like mops.

The onlookers turned the stage into a large circle, their applause incessant.

"People of Pulaya—" The performer repeated forcefully, his tone full of fervor, as if wanting to regurgitate the meal from the night before:

"——I love you all!"

He shouted with deep investment.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh——" The performers in black, dressed as Soul Hunters, immediately started dancing the next segment around him, and the stage play seemed to move to its next phase.

The audience clapped furiously, nearly reddening their hands.

"So touching, this spirit of sacrifice." They discussed among themselves:

"Though I wasn’t there in person, I imagine the Number One Player must have spoken just like this at the time, it was worth the trip."

"Alas, I think that performer lacked something. The Number One Player’s speech should have been more passionate, the voice even louder. This one, not quite there."

Lights constantly flickered on the stage, and more and more people were drawn to this central performance in the meeting hall.

"——I love you all!"

"——I love you all!"

"——Not indulging in comfort, nor submitting to destiny—I love such as you!"

The thunderous shouts echoed continuously in the hall, as if it were an execution ground repeating the sentence.

Having witnessed all this, Su Ming’an: "..."

Having witnessed all this, Su Ming’an: "Noel, is it still possible for us to switch activities now?"

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