Lone Star City

"You don't want it?"

A trace of astonishment appeared in Yi Qing's eyes as she looked at Li Xunsheng's calm expression.

They had only met by chance, yet he trusted her this much?

As the first person in the village to save up two Silver Coins, Yi Qing had never thought the man before her was simple.

"Yeah, I don't use daggers. You take it for now."

Li Xunsheng waved away the dagger and could only say that.

He had already spent the money, so he naturally had to put on a convincing show of winning her over... According to the information provided by the Eye of God, this woman was a decent person, not the kind who would betray others.

"Add me as a friend. That'll make it easier for me to remind you to pay me back."

"Mm... Thank you."

Yi Qing quickly put away the dagger in her hand and accepted Li Xunsheng's friend request.

"We're all from the same Novice Village. How about we add each other as friends too..."

Seeing Li Xunsheng and Yi Qing establish contact, Zhao Jun made the suggestion.

However, Yi Qing looked dazed. She closed her eyes and sat down closer to Li Xunsheng, seemingly too exhausted because of her excessive blood loss.

"Don't worry. Once you reach the main city, find the church inside. Every god has a way to heal you, and there won't be any aftereffects."

Even the coachman couldn't help looking at this extraordinary woman, who had fought her way through with her own strength, in a new light. Seeing her injured arm, he took the initiative to remind her.

Ignored by everyone, Zhao Jun felt somewhat awkward. Only after Li Xunsheng pulled him over and added him as a friend did he feel a little better.

"Do you have any fire?"

The bleeding from her wound left Yi Qing at a loss. She had already bandaged it professionally, but the bleeding debuff inflicted by that boar seemed to still be active.

"What?"

The strange question from his sudden-speaking companion left Zhao Jun unable to react for a moment.

"I don't have fire. Want some peanuts?"

Li Xunsheng, who had swiped some dishes from an enraged Tavern Owner, took out a plate of peanuts.

"?"

Zhao Jun, sitting to the side, was dumbfounded.

What? What are these two experts talking about? Why can't I understand a single word?

Accustomed to following orders, Zhao Jun was left thoroughly bewildered by the two unpredictable players and couldn't recover for quite some time.

Wait a second. Could it be...

"Thank you, I don't..."

[Refined Deep-Fried Red-Skinned Peanuts (LV.1): After consumption, wounds will slowly heal. Only effective outside of combat. Satiety +10]

"I'll take you up on that!"

Yi Qing quickly changed her tone and gave her friend a grateful smile with her pale face. She placed the plate on her lap and used her only remaining left hand to put the peanuts into her mouth one by one.

"How about it? Want a serving?"

Seeing that she had accepted his goodwill, Li Xunsheng took out another plate, thinking that one more serving wouldn't matter, and looked toward Zhao Jun's stunned face.

[Red Fortune: This person has ties weighing on his heart and constantly hesitates over gains and losses. He must face tribulation; only after breaking through it and rising anew can he become a great figure.]

Looking at it this way, it isn't bad...

"Ah... Thank you."

In this world, where one needed Satiety to survive, Zhao Jun naturally wouldn't refuse food.

However, when he saw that the food came with its own attributes, his heart shook.

Then, he suddenly understood.

Earlier, when that woman asked for fire, she had wanted to cauterize her wound. He had more or less guessed that... But...

Using burning to stop the bleeding? Was that something a human could do?!

And the other expert had understood her instantly! He had even provided his own healing item!

Hiss...

Zhao Jun had originally thought Li Xunsheng had only earned his Silver Coins through good luck. Now, he suddenly felt a trace of awe toward this player who always wore a smile.

As expected, anyone who could board the carriage through their own abilities was no ordinary person...

Carefully putting away the peanuts, Zhao Jun took out the dry rations he had prepared beforehand and began replenishing his Satiety.

"Why are you being so thrifty?"

The peanuts had been fried by Li Xunsheng himself, so he didn't feel the slightest bit of heartache. He picked up the plate and poured the peanuts into his mouth.

His plan was to first go to the main city and use the Golden Shovel talent to find work as a chef, so he wouldn't starve to death.

After that, raising his strength would depend on the so-called 'Divine Spark' talent...

Hopefully, everything would go smoothly.

The game had only just begun...

Even at the very last second before departure, no one else managed to scrape together a Silver Coin.

Carrying only three people, the coachman mercilessly swung his whip and drove the carriage away from the tiny village.

It would be a week before they came back...

[Congratulations on leaving the Novice Village. Please choose your game nickname.]

His thoughts descended into chaos as the game system's voice rang out in his mind, clearing Xuan Sheng's head. A few hazy memories flashed past, yet they made it even harder for him to decide...

If I really used that name, it would indeed be a little too much... I'd better choose a more low-key nickname.

"Hmm... A name... Let's call it Golden Shovel."

[Nickname: Golden Shovel. Confirm?]

"Yes!"

[Your character has been created.]

[Now, a notification will be issued.]

[All players who are among the first batch to arrive in the cities must reach level ten before the second batch of players arrives—in other words, within one week!]

[Otherwise, they will be eliminated!]

[With that, I wish everyone an enjoyable game...]

The creaking carriage slowly came to a stop before the enormous city gates. After traveling for an entire day, they had finally reached their destination.

Lone Star City!

This was a city forged from steel and blood, the first line of defense where the humans of the Chenxing Continent bordered the demon race!

These magnificent city gates had witnessed countless heroes spilling their blood, as well as endless demons meeting their end.

To this day, Lone Star City still stood tall at the very front of the human faction.

The black bricks of the city gates had been dyed this color by countless rivers of blood. Runes carved into them supported this impregnable fortress that had never fallen.

"Wake up, everyone. We're here."

The coachman turned around and called out to the three people inside the carriage.

"Mm..."

Opening his eyes, Li Xunsheng looked outside. On this side of the towering city, countless carriages stood in neat rows.

Yet each carriage held only one or two people. Some held none at all, while even the fullest had no more than three or four.

These were the players from the various Novice Villages who had managed to save up one Silver Coin within twenty-four hours. They were the true elites—the chosen ones!

Although their numbers didn't seem much lower than those in the Novice Village, this enormous city had more than enough room for such a small number of outsiders. In this city, Li Xunsheng probably wouldn't have to worry about quests anymore.

"I'm going to the church, so I'll leave first. I'll remember your help."

The bleeding from her wound had already stopped, and Yi Qing had returned to her usual cold expression. After nodding to Li Xunsheng, she walked into the city alone.

"Golden Shovel... Boss, what are you planning to do?"

Now that he had truly arrived in this city ahead of all his comrades, taking their place, Zhao Jun instead felt somewhat lost.

As a pioneer, what could he do?

"Me? I'm going to find a restaurant and work there. As for you, I suggest reaching level ten as soon as possible and preparing for your class advancement. You should also look around and see if you can trigger any worthwhile quests."

Li Xunsheng leaped down from the carriage. He had no intention of saying much more and quickly headed toward the city gates.

"In any case, do your best. I won't be grinding monsters with you."

"Huh?"