NPCs Had Tricks Up Their Sleeves

Once Qin Chuan's eyes adjusted to the light, he found himself in a brand-new area.

Beli City's central Teleportation Array.

Smooth, level marble slabs lay beneath his feet, each three meters long and wide, stretching into the distance in an orderly, imposing expanse.

In all four directions stood broad main roads wide enough for ten carriages to travel side by side.

These four main roads divided all of Beli City into four districts.

To the north was the Administrative District, where the City Lord's Mansion and a series of official buildings were located.

To the south was the commercial district, packed with shops where all manner of strange and rare items could be found.

Qin Chuan had once heard of a player finding a damaged Demigod Artifact at a street stall there. Though it possessed less than one percent of its power at its Apex, it was still unimaginably powerful.

But such things depended on luck, and Qin Chuan could not force it.

To the east lay Beli City's noble district, which one could not even enter without sufficient status.

The western district, meanwhile, was the commoners' district.

Beyond the city walls were areas such as the Slums and the Black Market, all waiting for players to explore.

Standing in the Teleportation Array, Qin Chuan noticed quite a few NPCs looking at him curiously. Some dressed in luxurious clothes, however, wore disdainful expressions, as though they were looking at a country bumpkin.

Qin Chuan was used to it.

The NPCs in Newbie Village were not that intelligent, but the main city was different. They were more humanized.

Or rather, they retained more self-awareness.

"I need to sort out my plans."

Qin Chuan's mind raced.

First, he needed to find Leihuao and complete the hunter's letter quest to obtain the skill book.

After that, he would find the class instructor and complete his first class advancement.

The rewards varied depending on the difficulty of the advancement quest.

Naturally, Qin Chuan would choose the highest difficulty for the best reward.

Once those two matters were settled, he would buy a shop.

Of course, a shop in Apocalypse.

This was also one step in Qin Chuan's plan.

After Apocalypse merged with reality, the game's main cities would eventually descend upon Blue Star and be protected by Apocalypse's rules.

Even gods would not attack a main city lightly.

Unless the god worshipped by that main city had fallen.

However, in Qin Chuan's memories, the twelve main cities that descended upon Yan Country had remained intact until he and the Arrow God perished together.

Setting up a final fallback point here was simply preparing for any eventuality.

If he wanted a place to stay after the main cities descended, he had to make arrangements during the game stage and acquire property in a main city.

Buying a shop was the most cost-effective choice.

Qin Chuan could solo BOSSes and had a pile of good items on hand. As long as he listed them in a shop, customers would surely wear down its doorstep.

Not only would it bring greater profits, but it would also lay the groundwork for his future plans.

However, not just anyone could buy a shop. There was a certain threshold.

Fortunately, Qin Chuan had prepared for this long ago.

"There's a lot to do."

Qin Chuan thought to himself.

He then left the Teleportation Array and headed north toward the Administrative District.

The hunter's friend, Leihuao, was an instructor.

And there was only one place in all of Beli City that had instructors.

The City Lord's Guard.

When he reached the edge of the Administrative District, a guard immediately stepped forward and asked, "What business do you have?"

Only because Qin Chuan's Fame Points had exceeded one hundred did the guard speak so politely. Otherwise, he would have said—Halt! You look like a spy!

Qin Chuan knew that with his current status, he could not enter the City Lord's Mansion. He decisively pulled out two silver coins from his pocket and handed them over, lowering his voice as he said, "I was entrusted to seek out Instructor Leihuao."

The guard discreetly pocketed the silver coins, and his tone softened. "The instructor is here, but he is very busy. I cannot guarantee he will be willing to see you."

Qin Chuan had come prepared. "Please deliver a message for me. Tell him a hunter sent me."

The guard nodded. "Wait here."

He turned and entered the Administrative District.

Qin Chuan did not wait long before a burly figure emerged from behind the city gate and strode quickly toward him, holding out a large hand. "Where is it?"

The name above the man's head read [Instructor Leihuao]. He was precisely the person Qin Chuan had been looking for.

Qin Chuan handed over the letter. Leihuao examined it on the spot, and his expression softened somewhat.

After pondering for a moment, Leihuao said, "I never expected my old friend to be living in seclusion in some remote village. No wonder I could not find him. He is a proud man. He probably did not want me to see him like that."

Qin Chuan felt rather helpless.

The NPCs in Apocalypse all seemed to share a bad habit.

Whenever they had nothing to do, they loved reminiscing about the past.

Qin Chuan waited quietly nearby.

Leihuao did not brood for long. After regaining his composure, he said seriously, "Since this is my old friend's request, I naturally will not refuse. However, archery is my specialty, so I am afraid it is not quite suitable for you."

Leihuao paced back and forth in circles. Soon, his eyes lit up. "There is only so much I can teach you, but I know someone who can definitely teach you."

As he spoke, Leihuao summoned a guard under his command and had him bring paper and pen. He quickly wrote a letter and handed it to Qin Chuan. "Take my letter to Idith. She will know what to do."

At the same time, Qin Chuan received a game notification.

"Ding, quest updated."

"Quest Description: Deliver Leihuao's letter to Idith."

"Quest Reward: Random universal ranged skill book."

Qin Chuan had originally been complaining about how deeply NPCs schemed, even outsourcing quests.

But when he saw the reward, Qin Chuan wholeheartedly approved.

Even amid his busy schedule, Instructor Leihuao had taken the time to consider Qin Chuan's needs. He truly was a rare good man.

Though it was still a random skill book, the addition of the word universal made all the difference.

It was one hundred percent certain that Qin Chuan could use it.

The only uncertainty was the form the skill would take.

That was precisely what Qin Chuan was not worried about.

Because he knew who Idith was.

The assassin instructor.

Qin Chuan had originally planned to visit Idith for his class advancement after delivering the hunter's letter. Now Leihuao had even written him a letter of introduction.

According to Apocalypse's rules, the skill book rewarded by this quest would most likely be tailored specifically for him, matching his class and talent as closely as possible.

"I never expected the hunter's quest chain to have such a high-quality follow-up quest. I've struck it rich!"

Qin Chuan was delighted inside.

In his previous life, he had only known that the hunter had a hidden quest that rewarded an Exotic Beast Skull.

But he had never heard anything about the related follow-up.

Now it seemed that player probably had not received the follow-up quest. Otherwise, given Apocalypse players' love of showing off, they would have advertised it everywhere long ago.

After all, many hidden quests in Apocalypse were unique. Even if someone revealed every detail of a quest, others still could not complete it.

Gathering his thoughts, Qin Chuan cupped his hands to Leihuao in farewell.

Now, it was time to find Idith and accept his class advancement quest.

If he was not mistaken, even with Leihuao's letter, obtaining the skill book reward would not be easy. The quest would most likely be combined with his class advancement quest.

Thinking of this, Qin Chuan could not help but let out a long breath.

These NPCs really had tricks up their sleeves!