Chapter 4: Jing and Yun – translated by Eilinel (1/2)

As soon as I opened my eyes, I couldn’t help but exclaim admiringly, “Such a blue sky!”

I lay there lazily for a while, marveling at the sky blue expanse before my eyes. When I stood up reluctantly at long last, I peered around at my surroundings and bit my index finger, puzzled. “Where on earth is this place?”

Wow, there are seagulls here! Pleasantly surprised, I watched as an entire flock of seagulls flew by… Eh? Is that a sail? I’ve never seen such a large sail before… This thing underneath my feet, I think it’s called a “deck”?

I walked up dazedly to the ship’s railing and gazed into the distance.

What a blue sea, and there’s a salty-tasting sea wind blowing this way. Hoho, it’s so comfortable, I thought, grinning foolishly for a full ten seconds, and then realization hit me… Wait a moment! I looked left and then right. My god! It’s a blue ocean as far as the eye can see. Where has my beloved land disappeared to? Why am I on a ship? Where am I heading to?

Don’t panic, don’t panic! I tried to calm down. There must be some reason as to why I am here.

I attempted to recall what had happened. I remember that I was drinking with Nan Gong Zui and Kong Kong; the liquor burned as it went down my throat and was very hard to drink…and then? I held my head in my hands and thought as hard as I could, but simply couldn’t remember a thing. Just what exactly happened after that?

Suddenly, I spied someone from the corner of my eye. I rushed over and seized him by the arm. “Excuse me, big brother, but could you tell me where this ship is heading to, please?” I asked worriedly.

“This ship is the Star of the Ocean, which sails from the Central Continent to the Eastern Continent. Didn’t you know that?” The man, who resembled a sailor, wore a questioning expression on his face as he answered me.

The Eastern Continent? I stared at him blankly. “The Eastern Continent? Since when did Second Life have so many continents?”

“…This world has a total of five continents: the Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern, and Central Continents. This should be common knowledge!” The sailor stared at me as though as I was a freak.

So that’s how it is? “Then where am I from?”

“Judging from the ship’s course, you’re probably from the Central Continent, right?”

I rubbed the back of my head, grinning foolishly.“You’re probably right!” I exclaimed.

“So how can I get back to the Central Continent?” Although sailing on a ship is quite an interesting experience, I’ll definitely get a dressing down from my teammates in Odd Squad if I don’t hurry and look for Rose Team.

“You can take another ship back when you reach the Eastern Continent.”

“How much longer will it be until we reach the Eastern Continent then?”

“Probably another five more days or so! Can’t chat with you anymore; I’ve got work to do.” The sailor walked away, muttering to himself, “What a weirdo; the ship fare is this expensive and yet he wants to return even before he’s reached the Eastern Continent…”

Wait a second!

“Five days, then including the return trip, it’ll be ten days altogether?” I want to cry, it’ll be a miracle if I don’t get scolded to death this time.

I sighed. “I guess I might as well tell my teammates first.”

“Guys, I have something to tell everyone…” Why aren’t they responding?

“Paging Odd Squad, paging Odd Squad…” Still no response from them? That’s impossible! Shouldn’t there be at least someone online at this time? I grew panicked and hastily grabbed the Sailor-dàgē again. “Dàgē, why am I unable to reach my teammates via the messaging system?”

Having been forcibly stopped by me, the sailor asked me exasperatedly, “Where are your teammates?”

“On the Central Continent,” I answered obediently.

“Players on different continents cannot use the PM channel to communicate with one another; this includes the team channel as well. While you’re at sea, you can only PM players who are also on the ship.”

My jaw hung slack with shock. “I’m in deep shit this time.”

There was nothing else that I could do, however, so I simply sat woodenly on board the ship. At first, I could still look at the blue sky and the ocean, but I nearly went mad with boredom eventually. The sailor-dàgē told me that it’s the off season right now, with very few players taking ships, not to mention ships that leave in the small hours before dawn, so I’m the only player on board this ship, waaaaah!

I rolled forward, backward, to the side… I’m so booooored! God! What on earth am I going to do? Even the NPC sailor-dàgē has gone into hiding after being pestered so much by me, so there’s no one around for me to talk to. I buried my head between my knees plaintively, my eyes red with incipient tears. “Waaah, Lolidragon, Wolf-dàgē, Gui, Doll, and Yu Lian-dàsăo, I miss you all so much, waaah!” I’d realized only now how lonely I was without the rest of Odd Squad around.

“Mama, why cry-cry?” A child-like voice came from my pouch.

I froze for a moment, and then quickly opened my pouch. “MEATBUUUUUN!”

I took Meatbun out and hugged it tightly, showering it with kisses, pinches, and cuddles. “I forgot that I still have you.”

“Mama, Meatbun-bun feels pain-pain!” My hand had gone on a rampage, pinching Meatbun all over and causing the latter’s bun skin to turn red. Just like before, Meatbun – which was afraid of pain – began to cry, with mega-huge teardrops falling from its eyes.

Erk! Shit. I hastened to console Meatbun in a kindly manner. It wasn’t very effective, however, and Meatbun still ended up crying like two faucet taps turned on at full blast… Erk! This is really bad, I’m afraid I’m about to be the first player to find out whether NPC ships can sink or not. With Meatbun cupped in my hands, I tilted my head to one side and thought, Hmm, the situation probably won’t be as bad as I thought. At least I know how to swim doggy-style.

“Although our liege lord is away on business, this city still requires managing, so we’ll just assign each person their position first.If Prince is dissatisfied with the arrangement when he returns, we can reshuffle the positions.” Ugly Wolf looked at all the people below him. Although we don’t know where Prince has run off to, we still have to get everyone settled in first! I only hope that nobody will resent the arrangements. He heaved a sigh at that thought. Really, where on earth has Prince vanished to?

“Let’s do that then,” Nan Gong Zui said calmly.

“As I am unfamiliar with where all of your expertise lies, I will first assign positions to those whose abilities I am familiar with. Team leaders, please inform me if I miss anyone out.” Ugly Wolf began to list out names seriously. “Nan Gong Zui, Broken Sword, Wicked, and I will be in the military department, Yu Lian in the finance department. Gui and Lolidragon will be in the construction department for city planning and military infrastructure – such as laying traps around the city – respectively. Lolidragon will also serve in the foreign affairs department, together with Doll.”

Nan Gong Zui smiled slightly. “I think I can only take charge of training the troops. I usually leave the task of coming up with military policies and battle strategies to White Bird; she is an expert at that.”

Madame White Bird raised her eyebrows and remarked, “A person who can lead troops into battle and a person with the talent to map out strategies and command battles from afar are often not one and the same. I suggest that the military department be further divided into two sections, one for coming up with strategies and another for commanding troops – that is to say, having two different types of positions: generals and military advisors. This will make things clearer for everyone.”

Ugly Wolf considered it for a moment, and then replied, “What you say makes sense; we’ll do it that way then. Nan Gong Zui, Broken Sword, and Wicked shall each be one of the three Generals, while Madame White Bird and I will act as the Left and Right Advisor respectively. Is there any other question regarding the military department?”

Seeing that no one else had any opinions on the matter, Ugly Wolf went on to the next issue. “As for the finance department, I really have no idea who else has expertise in this area aside from Yu Lian from my team, so may I ask if the other teams have experts in this field?”

“My team recommends Rose,” said Broken Sword, and everyone in Rose Team grinned at Rose as he added, “Rose isn’t any ordinary expert in this field; she’s practically the goddess of financial management!”

“I wish to join the finance department. I’m not an ordinary expert at minding money either,” Ice Phoenix said with a confident smile while the members of The Righteous Blades nodded their heads wildly in agreement.

Ugly Wolf nodded his head happily. “That’s great, Yu Lian won’t have to run finance department all by herself then.”

“Next, apart from Gui and Lolidragon who have been assigned to the construction department, I hope that all the thieves can aid Lolidragon in setting up traps. After all, this city is simply too big, and it’ll be impossible to rely on Lolidragon alone for this.” Ugly Wolf looked at the thieves who were present, and both Playboy Lord and Kong Kong nodded.

“Is there anyone here who is familiar with city planning or overseeing the construction process?” Ugly Wolf asked, frowning.

Fairsky pouted for a moment and then answered reluctantly, “I am, but I don’t want to work with him.” She glared at Gui fiercely.

“You should not mix your private affairs with work, Fairsky,” said Broken Sword sternly.

“I’m sorry,” said Fairsky with a stricken look. “Then I shall join the city planning section and do my best to help Gui out.”

“All that’s left is the foreign affairs department then. Is there anyone who wants to help Doll and Lolidragon?” Ugly Wolf asked.

Lolidragon said with a smile, “I recommend Feng Wu Qing.”

Feng Wu Qing retorted, “Hmph. Why should I join the foreign affairs department? Especially if you’re in it.”

“Aiyah, is it possible that the great hero Feng Wu Qing is unable to distinguish his private affairs from work? Does he intend to waste his skill with language and let mold grow on it instead?” Lolidragon asked caustically. “Or is he afraid that his achievements will lose to mine, and so decided that he might as well not join?”

Feng Wu Qing gnashed his teeth with hatred. “Me? Lose to you? I will most certainly join the foreign affairs department, and then you can see for yourself who is the true expert at diplomacy.”

This round, victory goes to Lolidragon! thought all the people present.

“Then we shall follow this arrangement for now!” Ugly Wolf finished up the personnel chart with satisfaction. “Next, we need to discuss the matter of The Righteous Blades. Although the city is currently being protected by the game admin, we will need to shoulder that responsibility on our own soon. As everyone knows, there are countless players eyeing our city for their own, so we must swiftly increase the number of players in our forces and decide on the method to manage them.”

Ugly Wolf looked directly at Nan Gong Zui, meeting his gaze squarely. “I will say it straight. A city cannot have two lieges, and it seems that the entirety of our military defense depends on The Righteous Blades. Nan Gong,1 are you certain that you are willing to let your own group serve Prince, that you are willing to be Prince’s subordinate?”

Nan Gong Zui looked at Ugly Wolf, resolution clear in his eyes, and he said clearly, “If Prince were here, I could kneel down and swear my fealty to him in front of everyone from The Righteous Blades.

“I am not truly a good leader. I have known from the very beginning that I do not possess the aura of true ruler,” Nan Gong Zui explained slowly. “Instead of letting The Righteous Blades remain an ordinary group beneath my leadership, I would much rather find a better leader than me to lead them. And now, I’ve found one.”

“That fellow, Prince… I don’t know why, but I always think that the sight of him smiling gives people a very comfortable sort of feeling,” Broken Sword said with a grin. “I really want to see him standing on the city walls, laughing with that wild, arrogant laugh of his.”

Legolas replied coolly, “Really? I always felt that that fellow, Prince, is something of an idiot…so long as you’re a friend, he will trust you unhesitatingly, and will even be willing to throw his life away for you.” As Legolas finished speaking, however, there was a slight smile on his face.

“His blade dance is a true feast for both the heart and the eyes,” Kong Kong said, shaking his head with an admiring sigh.

Feng Wu Qing said awkwardly, “Although there was some unpleasantness between us earlier, his fighting prowess is really pretty impressive.”

“All right, all right, everyone, please don’t continue singing Prince’s praises anymore. Otherwise, even if he isn’t here, I think his backside will still stick up with conceit,” Lolidragon hurriedly interrupted their praising. Sigh! Her head ached as she thought, If Prince doesn’t show up with an image that lives up to their expectations when he returns, there will be big trouble.

Ugly Wolf too didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Anyway, let’s get the development of Infinite City well under way before Prince comes back.”

“No problem!” They were all filled with confidence, ready to prove themselves in front of their proud, mighty, and steadfast liege lord…

I knelt on all fours on the floor, scrubbing, scrubbing, and scrubbing the floor. Uwaaaaaaah….

“How was I supposed to know that the ticket for the ship would be so expensive, actually costing five thousand crystal and three gold coins? I only had five thousand crystal, three gold, and ten copper coins, how was I to know that I wouldn’t have enough for dinner? Actually making me, the only player on this ship, scrub the floor as payment, they’re simply too heartless,” I muttered to myself as I scrubbed the floor. “Sigh, Meatbun, why is it that you don’t have arms? Otherwise you could be helping me with scrubbing the floor.”

Meatbun, which had been sitting obediently on top of my head from since the beginning, could not understand what I was muttering about at all, and so could only keep making the same reply, saying, “Yes, Mama.”

I scrubbed, I scrubbed… Wait a second. No money? The return ticket has to be purchased right? This. Is. BAD!

My body turned weak as jelly. Five thousand crystal coins! That’s the amount that I’ve saved up from the time I started playing the game until now. I did give some of my money to the team, but it’ll still take a lot of time to earn five thousand crystal coins… What am I to do? Then that basically means that I won’t be able to go back for a very long time. Plus, I can’t message my friends; they’ll probably be worried about me.

“Hey, we’ve arrived at the Eastern Continent,” Sailor-dàgē shouted.

I looked at Sailor-dàgē dazedly. “Dàgē, is there any other way to obtain a ship ticket other than by buying it?”

“No!”

Dazedly, I was shooed off the ship. Dazedly, I stood in the unfamiliar port. Only the smitten gazes directed my way were familiar. Looks like this face of mine is also pretty popular here on the Eastern Continent; don’t tell me I should sell my body to earn money?

“Gururu…” growled my stomach. I’m so hungry. I want to eat, I thought. Hugging my stomach, I remembered that I didn’t have a single copper coin on me and immediately my entire body went weak as jelly again… Looks like I’ll starve to death before even getting around to selling my body for money!

Unable to endure the insistent grumbling of my stomach any longer, I made up my mind. “Time to go hunting!” I exclaimed, but…which way is it to the forest…?

After a moment’s thought, I figured that any place that has trees should be a forest. By then I was so hungry that I had almost become a corpse, so it was with impatience that I rushed towards the forest. As expected, there I found my adorable little wolves…

“Meatbun, I don’t have meat buns for you to eat right now, so just try and eat some wolf meat!” I stuffed wolf meat down Meatbun’s tiny mouth even as I greedily devoured some myself.

Tears welled up in Meatbun’s eyes as it reluctantly chewed the wolf meat. “Tastes bad, Mama.”

“Really? I think it’s delicious!” Anything will taste good when you on the verge of starving to death, I thought. I swallowed the last piece of the tough wolf meat contentedly and then lay down on the grass on the lake bank, rubbing my stomach comfortably.

How on earth am I going to contact my teammates? I felt troubled. It’s a pity that Lolidragon isn’t here to answer my questions; only now do I realize that she’s actually very useful… “So I finally have to rely on myself?” I remarked to the air sadly.

I watched the clouds in the skies as they scudded by, feeling somewhat stoned, somewhat lonely, somewhat lost. Closing my eyes, I muttered, “I don’t like the feeling of being separated from everyone else.”

My eyes flew open. I jumped to my feet and roared at the sky, “I WANT TO GO BACK!”

“Are we taking the ship now, Mama?” Meatbun asked happily.

“…Yep, we’ll be able to take the ship once I’ve earned the last of that five thousand crystal coins,” I replied. First, I should go and kill mobs for cash. As for selling my body…we’ll talk about that again when I really have no other choice!

I’ll fight stronger mobs, I thought. That way I’ll earn money faster. I checked the contents of my pouch. Seeing that there were still a few health potions inside, my mind was set at ease and I began to make my way deeper into the forest. As my surroundings grew darker and darker, I cautiously rested my left hand on the hilt of my dao so that I could draw it at a moment’s notice.

There’s movement in the trees! I slowed my footsteps to a halt. Looking at the clearing in front of me, I could see that the silhouettes of a number of monsters. A smile crept onto my face and I drew my Black Dao. Looks like I’ll be able to return to my team soon.

Day Two…

I sundered two mobs with one swipe of my blade and then sheathed my dao. “This is monster number…?”

“This is the five hundred and fifth one,” Meatbun answered dutifully.

I exhaled. “How many gold coins do we have?”

Meatbun turned its white and chubby body around and, with some effort, burrowed into the pouch. After a while, that white and chubby body wriggled out. “One hundred and thirty five gold coin-coin, Mama.”

“Hmm, I’ve gotten used to the types of mobs they have here on the Eastern Continent, plus I also have enough money to buy health potions and mana potions, so I should be able to venture further in.” I looked at the precipitous valley in the distance and wondered, Should I go there to look for higher level mobs? Higher level mobs have a higher chance of dropping rare items. If I can get several rare items, I might even be able to head back immediately.

“Right! Get ready, Meatbun. After you use Aroma Release, we might encounter a boss!” I was in high spirits.

“Meatbun-bun is ready!” Meatbun’s tiny face was filled with childlike determination. It’s so adorable!

After I placed Meatbun on top of my head, I began to make my way towards the unknown valley. As I walked, my surroundings grew darker, and there would be gusts of chilly, sinister wind from time to time… So cold, I thought. My teeth were chattering and I had no choice but to dig out a long-disused cloak from my pouch and put it on. When I felt warmer, I resumed walking toward my destination.

“Heeelp…” There suddenly came a cry for help. I froze for a moment and then began sprinting over to rescue that person.

When I arrived on the scene, I saw a girl being chased by around five or six Flaming Skeletons…. Odd, why does this scene look kind of familiar? I stopped to think. Don’t tell me this is yet another necromancer who’s been frightened by her own skeletal minions?

“Hang in there, Jing! I’ll save you once I drink some potions.” The male voice came from behind the girl.

The girl wailed, “Hurry up, Yun, I’m going to die!”

Jing? Yun? Why do these two names sound kind of familiar? I sank back into my thoughts once again…

Just then, the girl seemed to have caught sight of me. “Help, please help us kill these skeletons!” she cried.

That face belongs to Lü Jing…my best friend in real life— My god, Yun? Don’t tell me it’s Gu Yun Fei? I lifted my head to look at the guy behind her. No mistake about it! It really is Yun, I thought, rooted to the spot with astonishment. So Jing and Yun were on the Eastern Continent, and we met here by sheer coincidence; looks like my “good fortune” is not the run-of-the-mill sort.

“I beg you, could you save me, please?” Jing’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she rushed towards me like a damsel in distress.

“Oh…” I replied somewhat dazedly. I grabbed Jing and pulled her behind me. Drawing Black Dao, I ducked and with a low slash, hacked both feet off a skeleton. Against the next one, I simply sundered it into two, and then separated the first skeleton’s skull from its body with a reverse slash… Against mobs like Flaming Skeletons, I’ve long since been drilled by Doll to the point where I’m practically fighting out of reflex, and can make short work of a single skeleton. Before Yun even arrived at a run to help out, I had already dispatched the five Flaming Skeletons with great ease.

“Holy…you’re really strong,” Yun said, gaping at me.

Should I say something in reply? Will they figure out that I’m Feng Lan? I felt a little hesitant.

“You really are extremely strong, unlike the two of us, who are really weak…” There was a sorrowful look on Jing’s face, and she even heaved a sigh.

You can save that act of fragility – which you use to lead people to their deaths with no intention of paying with your own life – for someone else, Jing! Against me, your best friend Feng Lan, that move is completely ineffective!

I chuckled to myself inwardly. About my best friend, Jing, I know her too well. Jing may look like a delicate, pitiful Lin Dai Yu2 on the surface, but…in reality, she’s actually a peerless Taekwondo expert.

Yun too, sighed softly. “It’s entirely my fault. I can’t even protect you as a friend because my level’s too low.”

“Don’t say that, Yun. I’m already very grateful that you’re willing to help me level,” Jing said, looking at Yun with “gratitude”. “Sigh, I really wish that an expert player would be willing to help us with our training.”

“It is unfortunate, but how could it be possible that an expert player would be willing to help total strangers like us?” Yun said with a downcast expression.

Once again Jing looked at me bashfully. “We are most grateful to you for saving our lives, Expert-dàgē. I am called Lü Jing, and this is my friend Yun Fei. May we ask Dàgē for his name?”

I could feel a tingling sensation in my scalp as I was being cajoled by Jing. Whenever Jing cajoles somebody, that person will inevitably suffer an unspeakably horrible fate.

After I failed to reply for a while, Jing’s eyes misted with tears. “Could it be that Dàgē is unwilling to tell even his name to Jing?”

What should I do? I thought, panicked. Should I tell them that I’m Prince? But Yun seems to know a lot about Prince; he probably found out that Prince is on the Central Continent before I did. How will I explain to them the reason for my appearance on the Eastern Continent, especially when I don’t even know the reason myself?!

“Jing, since Dàgē is unwilling to tell us his name, it’s clear that he has no interest in small fries like us, so let’s not make things difficult for Dàgē anymore,” said Yun indignantly.

Then quit calling me “Dàgē”… I thought, exasperated.

“But… Sigh! I thought we’ve finally found a Dàgē who is a powerful fighter, a man of his words, and a righteous person, and then Dàgē and I will…” The blush which had mantled Jing’s cheeks and the worshipful expression on her face suddenly gave way to incomparable disappointment, and her voice sounded choked. “Since… Since Dàgē looks down on Jing so, then…then…”

“Don’t be disappointed, Jing. I’m sure that Dàgē didn’t mean ill. It must be that he has something pressing to attend to, otherwise how could he possibly bear to leave us behind…especially such an adorable beauty like you!” consoled Yun. Next to him, Jing continued to maintain her pose as a delicate and weak young woman.

*Sweat* I finally understand what they’re trying to achieve, I thought. So they’re trying to use Jing’s beauty to lure this “Expert-dàgē” into training the two of them!

As we are best friends, in principle, I should help them in their training. However, I’m in a rather unusual situation right now. Not only am I worried that they’ll find out that I’m Feng Lan, I’m also worried that they’ll figure out that I’m Prince. How am I supposed to help them in such a situation? I heaved a helpless sigh.

“Why do you sigh, Dàgē?” Jing asked, concern in her voice.

I looked into Jing’s eyes, which were filled with concern, and thought, Although I really can’t tell if she’s truly concerned about me or just faking it, I still feel a little moved… Oh forget it; I’ll just help them out! After all, I’ve not shown them any concern ever since we started playing Second Life, and they’ve never complained either. If I continue to refuse to help them, I’m afraid I’ll really have a guilty conscience.

Having made up my mind, I coughed a couple of times. Feigning the attitude of an Expert-dàgē, I said, “Ask not my name, meddle not in my business; follow me as you will!”

Listening intently, I could hear Yun muttering to himself, saying, “Wah… He really is a pro!”

As I walked, I suddenly remembered, How am I supposed to lead them when I still don’t know their classes and levels?

“Your levels? Classes?” I threw the two questions at the two people who were following me closely.

Yun introduced himself enthusiastically, “Dàgē, I am called Yun Fei. I’m level forty-five, and I’m a human Barrier Master.”3

“Xiăomèi’s4 name is Lü Jing. I’m level thirty, and I’m a human Exorcist,” Jing replied shyly.5

Exorcist? Barrier Master? What sort of classes are those? Why have I never heard of them before? My footsteps slowed to a halt, and scratching my face, I had no choice but to admit my ignorance and ask, “Please explain your classes to me.”

Yun grinned at me as he replied, “Barrier Masters are pretty rare, so Dàgē probably won’t be familiar with the class! As the name suggests, a Barrier Master’s main job is to create barriers. The barriers have a multitude of uses; for instance, the most basic barrier is the Flat Barrier, which can block an attack from beyond. Some barriers can even reflect attacks, such as the Mirror Shot ability. Alternatively, I can create a three-dimensional barrier, inflicting all kinds of status conditions on players or mobs inside the barrier. For instance, I can cast Weakness Barrier, which will cause their attacks to deal less damage, or I can use Slow Barrier to cause mobs to move slower.”

I nodded; his class is kind of like Gui’s in the sense that they’re both support classes. “Offensive abilities?”

“Barrier Masters don’t have any offensive abilities,” said Yun, still grinning at me.

No offensive abilities? I felt stunned for a long while. No wonder Yun leveled up so slowly; you can’t train alone if you don’t have offensive abilities! That’s odd, he can’t train by himself? Then Yun must have a team! But I’ve never heard him mention it before… I frowned. “Don’t you need to return to your team?”

“I don’t have a team.” Yun laughed, embarrassed, and explained, “Most players don’t really understand the Barrier Master class. And since they hear that my ability revolves around creating protective barriers, they would rather find themselves a mage. In addition, my level isn’t high, so there are limits to the effectiveness of my barriers, which is why I still haven’t found a team till now.”

No wonder Yun, who is such a training freak, is still only at level forty-five, I realized. I really can’t begin to guess how much time it took him to train all the way to level forty-five. A heavy feeling grew in my chest as soon as I thought of how I, his best friend, never even thought of helping him. It’s time that I do my best to help Yun out, I thought.

“Dàgē should be more familiar with the Exorcist class,” Jing said with a smile. “Exorcists mainly use Fu6 to cast different kinds of spells.”