Tearfully Earning 50

"How much?"

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zhi asked the information broker in front of him.

"For this information, it will cost at least 500 Game Coins."

Extending a hand, Astolfo spoke with a serious expression.

Bai Zhi stood up without hesitation and turned to leave.

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't you know the principle of asking a high price and letting the other party haggle? You should at least make a counteroffer, right?"

Seeing the customer he had waited all day for about to leave, Astolfo hurriedly called out.

"If 500 isn't okay, just name a price! We can negotiate!!"

"1 Game Coin."

Stopping in his tracks, Bai Zhi turned back and held up a single finger with a very earnest expression.

"..."

After what seemed to be a series of rather complex psychological struggles, Astolfo nodded quite reluctantly.

"...Fine!! One Game Coin it is. It's fate that we met, so consider this Afo making a friend."

"Oh, go ahead. Sanity Value."

Nodding, Bai Zhi sat back down at the stall and handed back the card the other party had given him earlier.

"Here, this card is worth one Game Coin. We're square."

"..."

Even though the faces of all the players here were obscured, Bai Zhi could still feel the other party staring at him with a look of utter speechlessness.

"...The meaning behind Sanity Value is something you'll understand once you reach Level 10. Your Sanity Value attribute is probably around 10 to 13 right now, isn't it?"

Taking the card back and sighing, Astolfo began to explain.

"I assume you've noticed that the Sanity Value attribute is unusual. Unlike the other six major attributes, it doesn't automatically increase as a player's level rises. The true purpose of Sanity Value is to allow you to avoid falling into hysterical madness when coming into contact with those bizarre, Unspeakable Things."

"..."

Bai Zhi silently glanced at his own Sanity Value, which was marked as "???", and chose not to speak.

"Our world is like a castle built of sand on a beach, and out on the sea, waves are surging in, one after another, trying to swallow the castle whole. We players are the pioneers reinforcing the castle to withstand the tide."

Astolfo wore a solemn expression.

"Those truly dangerous and terrifying existences are beginning to show their true colors, and a massive, surging tsunami is brewing in the deep sea. Our world is gradually falling into a terrifying crisis."

"Have the anomalies or Unspeakable Things capable of causing mental pollution already appeared in the world?"

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow.

"Uh... not yet."

Astolfo shook his head decisively.

"But according to Chu Ci's hypothesis, because of the existence of this attribute with no description, such things will appear sooner or later."

"Who is Chu Ci?"

Bai Zhi recalled the creator marked on the card from earlier.

"An official player with a military background within the Relevant Department. It's said he's a double Ph.D. in physics and mathematics, a true Big Shot, and one of the few Launch Players who has survived until now. The Relevant Department was organized and built by him."

Astolfo answered quite readily.

"How about it? You get all this valuable information for just 50 Game Coins. I ask you, is it worth it!?"

"People who usually say that have actually already shed tears while earning 49 from me."

Curling his lip, Bai Zhi, having obtained the information he wanted, stood up from the stall.

"By the way, do you know of the existence of something called a [Shadow Crystal]?"

"Shadow Crystal?"

Recalling the term in his mind, Astolfo shook his head.

"Never heard of it."

"See you then."

Nodding at him, Bai Zhi turned and walked toward the exit of the Plaza. Seeing the direction he was heading, the information broker quickly chose to log out of the Plaza and return to the Real World.

The trading Plaza, spontaneously formed by players, was quite large. Looking down from above, it was a massive circular area perfectly divided into four equal sectors, separated by high walls into North, South, East, and West zones.

The area where Bai Zhi was located was the East zone.

When he reached the only exit in the East zone, intending to leave the Plaza and check out the Town outside, a player who appeared to be maintaining order at the entrance looked him up and down before handing him a small booklet and a card.

"This is a beginner's guide customized and printed by us. If you lose it, you can come back here to get another. We welcome all freelance players to join the Relevant Department."

"..."

Looking at the familiar-looking card handed over along with the booklet, after a moment of silent pause, Bai Zhi took both the booklet and the card.

[This is a lost and forgotten world; players are advised not to venture beyond the boundaries of the town...]

[...This plaza was jointly developed by various official organizations as a Welfare Plaza for the benefit of all players. Any form of harmful activity is strictly prohibited within the plaza...]

[Special Reminder: A strange and eerie natural phenomenon has recently emerged, which we refer to as "Gates." These "Gates" come in various colors and appear irregularly in every corner of the world. Aside from the "Black Gate," there have been no recorded instances of anyone returning alive from any other colored "Gate." Please exercise extreme caution.]

[...According to our projections, the function of Sanity Value...]

[...Our world is like a Castle built of Sand on the beach, and upon the Sea Surface... our world is gradually sinking into a terrifying crisis. To protect our world, we welcome all players to join the Relevant Department!!]

[--Chu Ci]

...Lines of text that were quite familiar, so familiar that he had heard them from an Information Broker just a few minutes ago, almost word for word.

"...Because this is a gathering place for players Level Lv10 and above, most information is distributed here for free, just to recruit players? Chu Ci... and why on earth isn't it Chu Xuan?"

After sighing for a moment while staring at the name signed at the end of the pamphlet, Bai Zhi turned his head toward the plaza behind him. Just as he expected, the Shady Merchant who had been setting up a stall there was nowhere to be seen.

"Truly, there is no merchant who isn't a crook. I thought he was crying while earning 49 from me, but it turns out he was clearly crying while earning 50... I'll remember you."

Casually stowing the pamphlet and the Card into his Inventory, Bai Zhi began to walk toward the exit of the plaza.

"As the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. If I don't swindle 5000 Game Coins back out of you, I'll change my surname..."

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