As they walked farther into the Association, Mu Yuan felt like his eyes had been opened wide. Although he had only been a newbie for a day and a half since entering the game, his horizons were practically nonexistent.
There were not only quite a few players inside; every so often, they could also see some troops.
There was a Great Goblin with bulging muscles, looking like a muscle-bound hunk.
Compared to it, the one Mu Yuan had encountered in the game world was not even worthy of being called its little brother. The difference in oppressive presence was simply too great.
However, in the Association, the Great Goblin was merely a very common troop type. It was even trembling slightly.
Because an elegant figure had just walked past from not far away.
She was tall, graceful, and elegant, with exquisite features, pointed ears, and long green hair cascading like a waterfall.
"This looks like... a rare Three-Star Troop, a Nature Elf?!"
Frog Seller Bro cried out in surprise, his eyes filled with envy.
Who didn't like a strong, cool young lady who also perfectly matched their preferences?
Mu Yuan also took a few extra glances. Don't misunderstand—mainly, this was his first time seeing a living troop in reality.
He had to observe more and broaden his horizons.
"Will we... be able to recruit troops like this in the future too?"
Hearing Frog Seller Bro, the receptionist wore an awkward yet polite smile.
After considering her words, she said, "The lord who commands that Nature Elf is already a big shot even in our Bai Jiang Association."
The implication was clear: Ordinary players wanted to recruit Nature Elves? Keep dreaming!
But Frog Seller Bro failed to catch the meaning. He stroked his chin and said, "So, as long as we pass the Trial and become lords, we'll have more opportunities to recruit rare troop types like this?"
The guide replied, "That's not wrong. Compared to Ranger Players, lord players can obtain more resources and opportunities. As time passes, the gap between these two types of players will grow wider and wider."
"However, lord players aren't so easy to become. Since all of you are players, you should understand how dangerous the Eternal Continent is. Players not only need to keep their territory alive for a month, but also need to pass an extremely dangerous Trial."
"The Association hopes that more players can pass the Trial and establish territories, but we also advise all of you to act within your capabilities."
The guide wasn't a player, but she had received professional training and possessed an extremely rich reserve of "newbie-stage theoretical knowledge."
Mu Yuan freeloaded a great deal of information from her.
At least when it came to details about the Lord Trial, Lao Yang's answers had always been vague, while the guide had no trouble answering. As expected, Lao Yang was still too useless.
Mu Yuan summarized the information:
"During the Lord Trial, the Red Mist will blanket the land, and monsters will become frenzied and bloodthirsty, making them more difficult to deal with than usual. Therefore, enduring the Lord Trial requires not only a sufficiently powerful territory, but also some tactics."
"Before the Trial arrives, players must clear out as many of the surrounding monsters as possible."
"However, with a player's limited strength, it's impossible to clear out all the monsters. Therefore, players need to establish a real defensive line in front of their territories, with targeted arrangements based on the types of monsters nearby."
Previously, Lao Yang had mentioned that the authorities would provide some support to outstanding newcomers, helping them endure the Lord Trial.
The support provided by the authorities included two- and Three-Star Troops skilled at defending cities, Trap Blueprints, Defense Buildings, and so on.
Mu Yuan was already envious just hearing about them, let alone Frog Seller Bro, Liver Emperor, and the others.
Even Liver Emperor, who looked like he was about to die from overworking himself, seemed to revive, probing for information.
The young lady explained, "The Resource Assessment has two parts: the Written Test and the Martial Test. The Written Test assesses a player's operational and commanding abilities, while the Martial Test assesses the combat power of their troops and their ability to adapt on the spot.
"The purpose of the Resource Assessment is to test whether players have potential and whether they might be capable of passing the Lord Trial. Therefore, the test is scheduled for six days from now, which is also the first Sunday after players obtain their game qualifications.
"This can both assess the players' abilities and give them enough time to make full use of these resources.
"However..." The young lady shook her head. "The competition for this Resource Assessment is extremely fierce. It isn't easy to obtain a spot—no, it's extremely difficult. Lord players are already a minority among players, and only a tiny number of people can pass the Trial and establish a foothold on the vast Eternal Continent."
Hearing the guide, Frog Seller Bro and San Ying could not hide their disappointment.
"You need at least two or three Three-Star Troops and must train your main troops to Levels 4 or 5 before you even have a chance of getting a spot? That's way too difficult! No, for ordinary players like us, this is completely impossible!"
As expected, the authorities' support benefits weren't so easy to obtain!
Frog Seller Bro's eyes widened.
Mu Yuan pondered. He already possessed three Three-Star Skeleton Soldiers. If he worked hard for a few more days, he would have more than three rare troop types.
When the time came, should he put out one rare troop, or ten Three-Star Troops?
This was far too difficult to decide.
So difficult.
As he pondered, Mu Yuan sighed along with the other players. "Yeah, this is way too difficult. Ordinary people like us practically have no chance of surviving."
Frog Seller Bro patted him on the shoulder and instead consoled him. "Little brother, don't be discouraged. We were lucky enough to obtain player qualifications, after all. We're already much stronger than everyone else."
Who would have thought Frog Seller Bro was actually such a nice guy? But Mu Yuan had already decided to become one of the people who worked the hardest.
Under the guide's leadership, the group soon completed their identity registration.
The process wasn't complicated.
The authorities did not require players to fill in information about their territories or troops. Of course, players could choose to provide it. Some players wrote theirs up like job applications, clearly aiming to enter an official institution.
After their identities were registered, the forum function officially opened to players.
At this point, Liver Emperor said his farewells. He was preparing to return home and continue grinding the Transcendent Game.
Mu Yuan also wanted to go back and grind, but since he was already here, he figured he might as well look around a little longer. Learning more information would also help with exploration and development.
Besides,
"Is that the Trade Market up ahead?"
"Yes. Since it happens to be the newbie period, many veteran players will come over to take a look as well. The market is much livelier than usual these days."
The group headed toward the market.
Mu Yuan had already intended to exchange away several Remnant Souls, so he immediately perked up. The other newcomers were also seeing a scene like this for the first time and were extremely curious.
The Trade Market... would they be able to see veteran players trading, or even witness legendary treasures being auctioned?
Just thinking about it made them look forward to it.
But soon, the newbie players fell silent as they looked at the stalls in front of them.
"Best starter set for newcomers! Newbies, come take a look! Cheap sale!"
"Remnant Souls at rock-bottom prices! Soul Sand or Xuan Country Coins accepted!"
"Most suitable Remnant Soul for newcomers—the Little Skeleton Remnant Soul is on sale! Don't miss it as you pass by!"
Mu Yuan: "..."
The atmosphere seemed a little off.
In his imagination, veteran players should have solemnly brought out treasures for appraisal and trade, throwing around huge sums of money. Why were nine out of ten stalls aimed at newcomers? Were veteran players really this enthusiastic?
However,
When Mu Yuan walked up to Stall No. 9, his eyes lit up. Wasn't this the Little Skeleton Remnant Soul he had been longing for?
Seeing that he was showing interest in buying, the boss immediately became even more enthusiastic and began calling out to him repeatedly.
"Come, come, young man! Let me introduce you to this Little Skeleton troop type."
"In the eyes of many people, Little Skeletons are a weak troop type. But that way of thinking is completely wrong. Little Skeletons may not be strong, but they're still only a One-Star Troop. In my opinion, Little Skeletons are absolutely top-tier among One-Star Troops. Why do I say that? Let your uncle explain it to you."
"Little Skeletons don't consume food and don't need to rest. They can follow their lord's commands and perform any kind of hard labor... And these are precisely the advantages newcomers need most. Think about it: during the newbie period, you don't have many troops to begin with. If they also need to work in shifts, wouldn't you be even more short-handed?"
That actually sounded quite reasonable.
Several newcomers stopped and revealed looks of interest.
The guide opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
The veteran players at the surrounding stalls sneered even more disdainfully. It was true that everything Old Zhang said was indeed an advantage of Little Skeletons, but he hadn't mentioned a single word about their weaknesses. Little Skeletons had rigid combat methods, slow movement, and other flaws. Their ability to cooperate with other troop types was even worse.
Otherwise, why would people say that Little Skeletons and Goblins were like Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong in name only?
But they wouldn't say anything. After all, just like Old Zhang next door, they also intended to fleece the newbie players.
They didn't have to worry about newcomers lacking money. Newcomers might indeed be unable to produce Soul Sand or treasures, but didn't they still have Xuan Country Coins?
Veteran players had to make a living too, and now was the best time to clear out the low-quality stock they usually couldn't sell.
Seeing that Mu Yuan really intended to buy, the boss, Old Zhang, said, "I know you newcomers are short on Soul Sand and can't produce anything else at this stage. How about this? Your uncle will take a small loss and sell it to you for Xuan Country Coins."
However, buying Transcendent treasures with Xuan Country Coins—even the lowest-grade treasures—had always involved a considerable markup.
It was by no means something an ordinary household could afford.
Frog Seller Bro looked at Mu Yuan with wide eyes. We agreed to be failures together. Who would've thought you were a Whale Player? I totally misjudged you!
"Um..." Mu Yuan paused, then said cautiously, "You only accept Xuan Country Coins? Can't I exchange something else? For example, a Remnant Soul."
Boss Zhang: "???"
Huh? Wait a second, you actually had a Remnant Soul too (°ο°)?
Thanks to "Book Friend 20180227134730703" and "The Giant Eyeball on the Moon" for the rewards~
Before you continue