Li Qingzhu

Li Qingzhu was a moderately well-known female streamer on a certain site's gaming section.

Her usual in-game ID was Bamboo Princess. Since her gaming skills were decent enough, and her personality was quirky and enthusiastic, making it easy to get along with her audience, fans often affectionately called her Brother Zhu.

Of course, sometimes some clueless haters would deliberately call her "Pig Brother" instead.

As a well-known game streamer, Li Qingzhu had naturally been keeping an eye on "World Tree: Origins" long before its launch. As soon as it went online, she bought it immediately and quickly became a die-hard fan of the game.

"Kingdom of Arthur, Black Dragon Territory, Ake Town, coordinates 10072:21450:00042, need a few capable bros! @everyone."

At 13:25 real time, Li Qingzhu took off her VR headset, sat down at her computer, and typed out a long message in the fan group, hitting send with a clatter.

The group, which had been posting silly memes, immediately erupted.

"Damn, Pig Brother, did you find something big?"

"Me, me, me! My spawn point is in Black Dragon Territory!"

"Take me along! My Warrior is level 2!"

"Good news or bad news, Pig Brother? Don't let us be your scapegoats."

"Damn it, am I that kind of person?" Li Qingzhu felt her character was being slandered, her keyboard clacking loudly as she typed. "I'm telling you, listen to your Brother Zhu, and there'll be plenty of benefits!"

"I believe it. What about you guys?"

"Brother Zhu, don't be a riddle master. Do you look like one? You're just a clown."

"Clown +1 [Image][Image][Image]."

"Is it a hidden class or equipment? I saw someone on the forum already unlocked Mage. You're not just messing with us, are you?"

These traitors in the group...

Li Qingzhu was a bit annoyed and typed, "First off, don't interrupt. I don't know what it is, but it's definitely a hidden quest!

"Just now, I was asking around in the tavern. Guess what happened?"

After waiting a while with no response, Li Qingzhu sent a question mark:

"? Aren't you guys going to ask what happened?"

"Didn't you say not to interrupt? [Image]."

"...Fine, you're allowed to be the straight man!"

"Then keep talking."

"...I told you before, there's a full squad of Mercenaries always hanging out in that tavern. Estimated average level is around five, the leader at least seven or eight, basically a mini-boss. You all get what that means, right? I bet you can't find anyone above level three in this group right now."

"Brother Zhu, don't tell me you got into a fight with them and now you're tricking us into dying with you?"

"I told you to be the straight man, not to slander me!"

[User ******** has been muted for 30 days.]

"Anyway... those mercenaries got into a conflict with someone in a cloak who looked really impressive. I knew right away this was a triggered event, so I hid in a corner looking for an opportunity. If they fought, I'd side with the stronger one for XP, or at least try to fish for some scraps, right?

"Then the good part came. Just as they were about to start fighting, one of the mercenaries dropped to the ground without any warning—instantly killed! That Mysterious Figure didn't do anything, no casting, no channeling, just whoosh and one-shot a fully equipped level five or six guy. Do you get how insane that is?"

"Are you sure it wasn't a Mage?"

"Could it be that Brother Zhu just didn't see the cast bar?"

"Do you think I'm that dumb?" Li Qingzhu was furious. "Don't I know what Mages are like? My friend is a Mage, and he's still stuck reading in the Mage Tower, miserable as hell! Low-level Mages need a six-second cast time for even a basic spell. By the time the spell goes off, you're already dead."

"Then it's a high-level Mage."

"Wouldn't a high-level Mage be even more impressive? Anyway, I'm guessing it's either a hidden class or a magic user who can cast instantly. Either way, it's incredibly strong."

"What's the point of all that talk? It's not like it's you, Brother Zhu."

"Yeah, so what did you get after their fight?"

"They didn't fight. The mercenaries chickened out and ran away." Li Qingzhu kept typing. "But I secretly followed that Mysterious Figure. Guess where he went?"

"Who wants to guess?"

"Brother Zhu, just spit it out already. I'm almost done with my meal."

"He went to the church! I've told you guys more than once, my spawn point has nothing special except this one church that sticks out like a sore thumb. It's definitely hiding some secret. I told you the church was suspicious!"

"That's it? You called everyone out for this?"

"Everyone, disperse. Brother Zhu's info isn't very fresh."

"Someone posted a picture this morning [Image]. Someone on the forum got into the church and unlocked the Paladin class."

"What? That happened?" Li Qingzhu paused for a moment before typing again. "Damn it, I wasn't finished! The church won't let players in, so I waited outside. Not long after, the Mysterious Figure came back out, and I kept following him."

"Brother Zhu is really bold."

"Someone coming out of a church probably isn't that bad. I heard Paladins have to follow the Holy Law."

"Hard to say. Maybe he went there to pick a fight?"

"Pig Brother, just tell us if he noticed you or not."

"Of course he did! I was probably too close. The moment I saw his figure disappear, I rushed after him, but he grabbed me and pinned me down instantly! I realized right then it was a golden opportunity, so I showed off my bravery and determination!" Li Qingzhu seemed to have completely forgotten her actual performance at the time, her keyboard clacking louder and louder. "He was immediately moved by my passion and hastily arranged a hidden quest for me. I didn't even have a chance to refuse!"

"I believe it. What about you guys?"

"Pig Brother didn't actually kneel and beg him, did he? That'd be way too embarrassing for players."

"Hard to say. Brother Zhu really might do something like that [image][image]."

Endless Prosperity has been muted by you for 30 days.

Fallen Sky has been muted by you for 30 days.

"Spreading all this nonsense about me, huh? I'm out here busting my ass finding quests for you, and you're making up rumors behind my back?"

"There's actually a quest?"

"Would your Brother Zhu lie to you? Location: Ake Town Church entrance. Group quest. Need four or five people, not too many! Just a few is fine. @everyone."

"Hold on, hold on. Did they tell you the reward? You're not working for free, are you? Plenty of people on the forums have talked about getting stiffed. Don't let yourself get scammed, Brother Zhu."

Li Qingzhu stared at the chat messages, suddenly realizing something, and fell into a long silence.

"Impossible. They paid a deposit."

"A deposit? How much?"

"Damn, Brother Zhu, share some with me! I can't afford to eat!"

"At least five or six copper coins, right? That's a whole day's in-game wage."

"??? Five copper coins bought you off?"

"Forget it. Brother Zhu is just a clown."

"That's it? That's all?"

Li Qingzhu gritted her teeth and typed:

"Don't you guys care at all? A hidden quest? A hidden class? You don't want that?"

"Nope."

"Nope. Not as interesting as a cute girl."

Li Qingzhu's eyes lit up, and she quickly typed: "The other party is a cute girl. Might even be a pretty little loli. At the very least, she's got the template of an important supporting character!"

"???"

"For real?"

"For real!"

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Severe writer's block... Also, Baldur's Gate 3 is really fun.