When the sky turned into a chaotic expanse, everyone was stunned by the apocalyptic scene.
A streak of white light spanning the heavens flashed past, and everyone on Blue Star vanished strangely, leaving behind only empty buildings and traces of their former existence. The emptiness was eerie...
When Li Xunsheng came to his senses, the eighteen-year-old boy had already arrived on this strange and wondrous land alongside countless compatriots from his homeland, Blue Star.
"Cough, cough. There are especially many outsiders arriving today..."
The weathered, hoarse voice made Li Xunsheng glance sideways.
On the plaza, where hundreds or even thousands of people lay sprawled motionless, an old white-bearded man sat on a rock. He shook his head, took a puff from his tobacco pipe, and slowly exhaled a cloud of white smoke.
"Old man, where is this...?"
Li Xunsheng seemed to be among the first to awaken, but before he could finish asking about the situation, a booming voice rang out across the plaza.
[Everyone has been transported. Welcome to the 'Heavenly Silence' game]
"Game?"
Large numbers of Blue Star's people slowly climbed to their feet. Some young people muttered to themselves, seemingly still bewildered by their current predicament.
"What kind of game is this? It's so realistic?"
"Has VR become this advanced already? But what dragged us into the game by force?"
"Hiss... That hurts. This isn't a dream. Sniffle, sniffle. If this is a VR game, can't you turn off the pain?"
"I want to customize my face. Where's the character customization system?!"
As the people in the plaza woke up, noisy chatter immediately rose and fell, filling the air without end.
[Silence!]
A majestic wave of sound rolled out. Every human who had opened their mouth became like a rooster strangled by the neck, unable to make the slightest sound.
[The 'Heavenly Silence' game has undergone multiple rounds of testing, and its many functions are complete. To you, it is no different from the normal world] [However, everything in this world is real. Hunger, infection, cold, and heat can all take your lives] [And those of you who have been chosen no longer have any chance to return] [The first expansion: Famine, has begun] [With survival as your goal, find yourselves a place to live]
The grand voice finally faded away. Aside from the calmly smoking old man, everyone else was stunned by the terrifying news.
"Wait, I can't go back?!"
"Isn't this a game? Can't we log out?"
"We can get hungry and die? Shouldn't there be resurrection in a game?!"
Those with weaker mental fortitude had already begun screaming in panic, but among the nearly thousand people, there were also plenty who acted calmly.
The old man smoking on the rock had already been surrounded so completely that not even water could pass through. It seemed everyone was seeking some so-called "hidden quest." Li Xunsheng had originally wanted to join the excitement, but seeing how large the crowd was, he helplessly shook his head and turned away.
He shook off the strange memory of being alone in his mind... Xuan Sheng always felt as though something was wrong with his memories...
After walking only a few steps, the boy spotted a horse-drawn carriage on the main road.
"Hello. May I ask where this carriage is headed?"
As the first person to leave the plaza, Li Xunsheng quickly asked the coachman before the others arrived.
"Hm? Heh, the carriage is headed to Lone Star City. The fare is one silver coin, and it departs in twenty-four hours."
The coachman in commoner's clothing raised his brows as he looked at the dense mass of outsiders, a teasing note in his voice.
"All you adventurers want to go to the main city, right? I'm afraid this little village can't hold all of you..."
"Then work hard! Whoever gets one silver coin first can leave this 'village' first."
"The carriage is the only way to leave, and there's only one every week. If you miss it, you'll have to wait seven days."
"So, good luck, everyone."
After saying his piece, the coachman tugged down his straw hat and seemed to fall into a deep sleep. No matter what the people around him said, he did not utter another word.
"One silver coin?"
Li Xunsheng frowned slightly, quickly pushed through the crowd, and arrived at the center of the village.
[Does the adventurer need a quest manual?]
Yes!
[The current continent is the Chenxing Continent. The currency conversion ratio is gold to silver to copper: 1 to 100 to 10,000]
One hundred to one?
[That is correct. The player is currently in Novice Village No. 1111. Please explore the game content on your own]
Hmm...
After closing the game assistant's prompt, he opened the chat system built into the game panel. Xuan Sheng looked toward the chat window.
"What? There are rabbits in the wilderness, aren't there? They respawn pretty quickly. Why call this Famine? Getting food is easy..."
"Holy crap, boss, where did you find rabbits? Are they easy to catch?"
"Newbie here, please carry me. Sniffle, sniffle."
"The rabbits are outside the village, just walk from the plaza toward the outskirts. They're dumb as bricks and even attack on their own. Killing them gives experience too. There are just too many people, so there aren't enough to go around."
"Got it. I'm heading to the rabbits' doorstep right now!"
"I'm coming too..."
"..."
A huge number of replies instantly flooded the screen, making Li Xunsheng's brows knit even more tightly.
One message flashed past, yet caught the boy's attention.
"Holy crap, brothers, don't go too far outside. The wild boars in the wilderness are insanely fierce!"
"It's fine. As long as you don't go too far out, it's a safe place to level up. It's just an ordinary realistic online game."
The constant stream of messages in the chat channel caused the large group that had been following behind Li Xunsheng to shrink considerably. It seemed the players all wanted to go bully some rabbits, and for the moment, none of them cared what the village actually contained.
Even so, quite a few players still hurried into the village, clearly planning to pick up some quests first.
Li Xunsheng rushed into the village ahead of the other players. What came into view was a small tavern.
The people behind him surged forward and quickly surrounded the owner, who had been stir-frying dishes, so tightly that not even water could pass through.
It was a small tavern, after all. Everyone knew that taverns had the most information. Asking the owner for quests was definitely the right move!
Driven by this idea, large numbers of players poured into the tavern. Some of the players who split off charged into the blacksmith's shop or the homes of other villagers, putting on a standard "hero" act.
"Two portions of roasted potatoes... Hey, are you still running a business or not?!"
The Tavern Owner was surrounded on all sides, making the customers who had come to eat and drink rather displeased. They knocked on the counter and shouted.
A flash of inspiration struck. In an instant, Li Xunsheng pushed through the crowd and reached the stove.
"Two portions of roasted potatoes, right? Please wait a moment!"
Still waiting for quests? What a load of crap!
Just work and get it over with!
"That's right. And one jug of wine. Mm, very good."
The customer took the food Li Xunsheng handed over, nodded in satisfaction, and returned to his table to drink.
"One plate of stir-fried peanuts and one jug of wine."
"One dish and one jug of wine."
"One portion of braised dishes and one jug of wine."
"Got it. It'll be ready soon!"
Suddenly, the tavern filled with customers, keeping Li Xunsheng extremely busy.
The Tavern Owner watched everything with a sly smile, then sprawled in his chair and waved his hand like he was shooing flies, signaling the crowd of players surrounding him to disperse.
"All right, all right. Someone's already handling my quest. I've got nothing else for you outsiders, so hurry up and leave. Don't interfere with my business."
The bearded middle-aged man raised his jug and happily swung his legs, no longer paying attention to the players inside the shop who were asking for quests.
"Ah... Damn it, someone got there first."
"Tch, it's just manual labor. How many copper coins could it be worth? Forget it."
"Let's go, let's go. We'll find a better quest."
With no follow-up, the many players could only leave dejectedly.
Only after the last player besides Li Xunsheng had left did the weathered middle-aged man reclining in the armchair mutter softly.
"Are there... too many outsiders this time...?"
"Forget it. It has nothing to do with me."
The man glanced at the boy busy stir-frying dishes and ladling wine, then curled his lips.
"The reckless kid's skills aren't bad. At least he won't ruin the tavern's reputation... Let him keep busy."
"But it's rare to get this much free time... Heh heh."
Before you continue