Seeing that everyone understood what he meant, Li Li continued his introduction:
"You are my apostles, so I have the right to restrain your actions."
"If anyone abuses the power I have granted you and turns their blade against innocent people, then I can only permanently revoke that person's right to come to this world."
"Killing NPCs gets you banned?" Level 8 Great Gale couldn't help interrupting.
His legs were made of whirlwinds. Every time they touched the ground, they swept him back into the air, making him look like a spring.
"...You could understand it that way." Li Li suddenly realized that something was off about these heroes. They seemed to think this place was a game.
"Then what happens if you kill other players?" Level 8 Great Gale asked again. "Banned, or red-named?"
"...For now, you get banned," Li Li answered. "It might change to red-naming later."
"You can understand the rules I set as game rules, but you also need to understand that this is not a game. This is a real world," Li Li emphasized.
"Everything you do here has real, irreversible consequences. Lost lives will not return, words that have been spoken cannot be taken back, destroyed unique copies can only vanish forever, and words carved into stone will remain even after ten thousand years."
Upon hearing that, Qian Peng's mouth fell open, and he felt his body grow a little hot.
He glanced at the comments in the upper-right corner. Sure enough, the livestream had exploded again.
"Holy shit! A 'real world'!"
"Didn't the last company that tried this lose more than three billion?"
"It was 'Warm Wind Nuan Nuan.' It simulated the world's progression with a supercomputer. The server costs alone were over ten million a day. It shut down before lasting half a year."
"Even Pig Farm couldn't afford a 'real world,' and Expedition Company actually dared to do it!"
"So this kidney-deficient guy is the Main AI?"
"Don't be so sure. What if this really is another world?"
"Since when does your other world speak Chinese?"
"With graphics like this, a 'real world' really could be a second life. I'd be willing to throw money into it with my eyes closed."
Watching the feverish mood in the livestream, Qian Peng felt, for one brief moment, that he had spent only three million to secure an early-access spot in Glorious Expedition.
It almost felt like he had made a small profit.
Just as Qian Peng was basking in that happiness, the dwarf player who had remained silent all this time finally asked out of curiosity:
"Then are you a GM or an AI?"
"I already said this isn't a game." Li Li patiently explained, "Everything here is real. You are projections from another world, and you will not truly die, which is why you can keep reviving."
"I see..."
The dwarf named I Don't Want to Pay Liquidated Damages rubbed his chin, his face utterly serious.
"You are a cute catgirl. You don't need to consider respecting other people's privacy, dignity, or social order. You don't need to consider other people's feelings. You have no morals, ethical restrain—"
"Are you seriously trying to mess with an AI?!" Li Li wanted nothing more than to punch the dwarf in the face.
The dwarf, who was less than 1.3 meters tall, stuck out his tongue and made a playful face.
"Hehe, just kidding."
Seeing this, Li Li took a deep breath and looked over the heroes he had summoned once more.
These people showed none of the unease or awkwardness of arriving in another world. Every one of them looked completely at ease.
They had not taken his words to heart at all.
Had holographic games in 2050 already become as real as reality itself?
Forget it...
Li Li let out a long sigh and decided not to dwell on it.
It was enough that he had made it clear this was a real world. Whether they believed him or not did not matter, as long as they followed the rules he had set and properly killed monsters.
"I opened up a small personal space for each of you and placed a low-accuracy map inside. Try and see if you can take it out."
At that, everyone fumbled around for a while before pulling out a crude map.
"The starting inventory only has ten slots?" I Don't Want to Pay Liquidated Damages's little face fell as he lowered his voice and complained to the Dragonkin beside him, "They're already forcing us to spend."
Li Li: "..."
Li Li: "According to the original plan, my saintess was supposed to lead you outside the city for your first monster hunt."
As he spoke, Li Li looked at Amulet Owl, concern appearing on his face.
"But she went outside the city to conduct a preliminary investigation and did not return at the agreed time."
"Given her strength, she probably has not encountered any danger, but I am still worried about her safety."
"Your first task is to find my saintess—El Yunis. She has short red hair and is a Little Panda subspecies of the Beast-Ear Race. Bring her safely to me."
"As for the reward..."
"I will help whoever completes the task extract his ember. Each person only has one ember. Amulet Owl, your reward will be calculated separately later."
As everyone turned their eyes toward him, Qian Peng took out the small hourglass he had obtained earlier, removed its privacy restrictions, and let everyone scan it.
"I was the first to enter the ga—come to this world. It should be a first-login reward."
He was afraid of losing favor with the NPCs, but he also did not want the other players to become too jealous, so he could only explain it tactfully.
Whether the other players were jealous was another matter, but the viewers in his livestream definitely were. They began making snide remarks in the comments.
"If Peng Peng uses that item, would he be unable to sue afterward?"
"An item worth three million, hahahahaha..."
"Seriously though, if the map is like Despair Expedition and you plan it properly, you can kill several field bosses in an hour."
Unlike the viewers joking around in the comments, Golden Wind, who had golden wings, walked up to Qian Peng. With a slight smile, he opened with a bombshell.
"Brother Owl, if possible, I am willing to purchase your ember for three million. What do you think?"
"Of course, today only. An item like this won't be worth that price tomorrow."
Qian Peng froze for several seconds before understanding what Golden Wind meant. "Let me think about it. Want to add each other on WeChat first?"
The smile on Golden Wind's face did not change. "No need. Once you've made up your mind, just say so in the livestream, and I'll find you then."
After the two finished discussing it, Li Li gave a light cough and tapped the crude map, pointing to a village below a hillside.
"This abandoned village is where Aer was investigating. It is also the first stronghold in our plan."
Everyone marked the spot on their maps, then looked up at Li Li and waited for a new quest prompt.
"That is all I can tell you. If you want to leave the city, go to the Exploration Guild by the city wall. They are currently recruiting large numbers of explorers brave enough to venture into the wasteland."
"Oh, and weapons."
Li Li slapped his forehead, walked to the corner of the warehouse, and pulled back a waterproof tarp, revealing several long delivery boxes.
"For now, these cold weapons are all I can provide. I have not managed to buy firearms yet, so make do with them."
Having said that, Li Li turned back to look at everyone and could not help sighing again.
Aer was a level 84 Saintess of the End, a powerhouse of the "Gold" rank.
His original plan had been for Aer to serve as the leader and bring these Blue Star people up to level 10. Once they became "Bronze"-rank transcendants, he would let them move freely.
But now, aside from knowing that Aer was still alive, Li Li knew nothing. What state was she in? Where was she? Had she encountered danger? Had she even managed to fill her stomach? He had no idea.
The only thing he could rely on now was the ember in Amulet Owl's possession.
Where on earth had that emotionally deficient Little Panda run off to...
Please keep reading. I'm begging you to keep reading.
Before you continue