Ahead and behind: different game worlds

What's even more frustrating is that this duck's actual fighting ability is truly pathetic.

Not only does it lack any special skills, but its attack method is also limited to pecking with its beak, making it only a mid-to-lower tier among common Summoned Beasts.

As a result, he was often teased by his teammates.

"Hey, can you control your duck? What's with it chasing after my Crimson Skybird all day long?"

"The problem is that it pounces on any bird that can fly; it has absolutely no scruples and isn't even loyal to any one species!"

"I absolutely do not approve of this absurd 'marriage'!"

The teammate, jokingly referred to as the "Chosen One," possesses a Crimson Skybird —a type of flying Summoned Beast that excels at stealth and high-speed movement, and is usually responsible for scouting ahead of the team.

But every time it is summoned, it is immediately relentlessly chased by that Lovebond Duck.

And this duck is particularly "affectionate," chasing after every bird it sees without stopping.

The Chosen One himself felt quite helpless. "Do you think I can control it? Have you ever seen a Summoned Beast like this, completely disobeying its master's commands and wandering around all day?"

"I can't even recall it!"

"Your duck is strange, actually. You say it's strong, but it can't beat anyone in combat; you say it's weak, but it can completely ignore certain rules of the game."

"I've never seen such a strange Summoned Beast before. It chases after birds like a teddy bear!"

"Why don't you just tell it that its entire race is male?"

As the two were talking, a flock of white-feathered birds suddenly flew across the sky, resembling wild geese or white cranes. Such neutral Warcraft were not uncommon in the God's Domain.

They usually don't attack players unless provoked, and players generally don't provoke them—except for one exception.

Seeing the duck flap its wings and fly towards the flock of birds again, the "Chosen One" was so angry that it jumped up and down.

"Come back here! You can't fly, how can you catch up?!"

Before the words were even finished, the duck flapped its wings and actually took to the air!

"When did this guy learn to fly? Or was it always like that?"

"Last time I asked it to carry me over the cliff, it made all sorts of excuses, so in the end I ended up paying to ride someone else's flying mount!"

Thinking about this, he almost wished he could pluck all the feathers off the duck right away.

"Come back here, you stupid duck! Did you hear me?!"

But the ducks had already flown away with the flock of birds, and the Chosen One had no choice but to take off after them.

This duck cannot be actively recalled, and if it dies unexpectedly, a significant amount of training experience will be lost—a price he cannot afford.

"You guys keep grinding for experience, I'm going to catch that guy, I'll be right there!"

His teammates could only shake their heads and sigh.

This isn't the first time this duck has strayed from the flock and run off on its own.

To be honest, the Chosen One's patience with it far exceeds that of ordinary people. If it were them, they would probably have released it or sold it long ago.

In the God's Domain, it is indeed possible to forcibly break the contract with Summoned Beast.

If this duck weren't a rare breed, it would probably have been abandoned long ago.

The term "rare" refers to species that cannot be easily captured in the wild or purchased on the market and can only be obtained through special means.

To date, they have never seen a second Lovebond Duck.

As the Chosen One of archers, his movement speed is quite agile.

He ran swiftly through the woods, chasing after the figure soaring higher and higher in the sky. Realizing he was about to fall behind, he finally couldn't help but curse loudly:

"You bastard, if you really dare to run away, I'll immediately terminate the contract and completely release you!"

"Go ahead and do as you please, I'm not serving you anymore!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke.

Other people's Summoned Beasts can be of some help, whether it's assisting in treasure hunting or fighting together; they always have a place to be useful.

What about my own?

Not only are they useless, but they also cause trouble all the time.

Perhaps it's best to just release them and be done with it; I simply don't have the energy to keep causing trouble.

Perhaps finally sensing that its owner was truly angry, the Lovebond Duck actually considered its owner's feelings for the first time.

It hesitated for a moment in the air, then suddenly changed direction and swooped down, its sharp claws grabbing the Chosen One's shoulders before soaring into the sky!

Although it is called the Lovebond Duck, its appearance is still somewhat different from that of ordinary ducks - the most obvious being its feet: instead of webbed feet, it has large claws with sharp hooks.

At that moment, those claws were firmly gripping his shoulders, lifting him high into the air.

The Chosen One was now in a state of panic.

Although he had once fantasized about soaring through the skies on his own Summoned Beast, everyone else rode steadily on the back of a flying mount—no one was like him, hanging from its claws like luggage!

"Let go! Put me down! This position is too embarrassing! I can't keep my balance at all!"

He futilely twisted his body in mid-air, feeling the grip on his shoulders loosen—the guy was really going to throw him off.

But when he looked down, he was surprised to realize that he was afraid of heights.

This height is outrageous! It's at least a hundred meters off the ground!

"Wait! Don't let go! Hold on tight! Hold on tight!"

That's it, he's probably going to become the first player in the God's Domain to die from a fall.

Not only will you lose face, but your experience points will also plummet.

That stupid duck really screwed me over this time; I absolutely have to unbind myself when I get back.

The Lovebond Duck held firmly to their owners, making proper arrangements.

Let's go, let's find the signs of spring together!

It flapped its wings and soared upwards, flying swiftly towards the distant flock of birds.

The Chosen One had already given up resisting, and had even prepared his final words, instead finding a leisurely mood to appreciate the view from high above.

He clenched his fists tightly as he looked down at the vast, desolate land of the God's Domain.

The flock of birds led them into a clear, open sky.

The sky here is clear and bright, without wind or clouds, and the surroundings are eerily quiet.

The outlines of buildings were faintly visible on the horizon ahead.

How can there be pavilions in the sky?

But the shadow grew larger and clearer—it wasn't a single building, but a complete floating island! The island was dotted with palaces, clearly an unexplored new territory.

This time, they've hit the jackpot.

"Quick, ducks! Follow them to the island!"

Seeing that the flock of birds had already flown into the island, the Chosen One hurriedly gave an order.

This time, the duck's thinking finally aligned with his, carrying him as it swooped down to land.

The moment their feet touched the ground, the system announcement echoed throughout the world.

He actually gained a thousand achievement points!

For the first time, he thought the duck actually looked quite decent, "Good buddy, I didn't expect you to be such a lucky charm! You're finally of some use! Don't worry, your master won't abandon you!"

At this point, the Chosen One did not leave the team.

The team and guild chat channels were already buzzing with activity, everyone asking for details about Sky City.

"Damn! You've got some serious skills to show for it! You managed to rack up a thousand achievements just by chasing ducks around like that!"

"That's enough to buy a new mount and wings! You've really made something of yourself this time!"

"Chosen One, quickly tell us what's going on up there! We're heading towards the coordinates, right? Our location is displayed in the sky, isn't it?"

"Now all the players with flying pets are ripping off their customers. These vampires won't miss any opportunity to make money!"

"Isn't your duck chosen by God able to fly?"

"Let it take all the guild brothers up there! A team has already found the area directly beneath Sky City, but the Teleportation Array only goes up to the foundation!"

"Without a flying mount, you can't even get to the island!"

Even the Chosen One is powerless to change this.

"You think that duck listens to me? I'm already thanking God it could carry me up here; it's probably gone crazy somewhere by now!"

"I'll wander around the city first, and let you know immediately if I find any other way to get to the island."

Having said that, he began to explore the suspended city.

Unlike ordinary cities, most of the houses here are built of clouds and mist, appearing from a distance like a continuous white cotton ball.

After stepping onto the cloud-covered structure, I didn't feel like I was sinking; the texture was like compressed cotton wool.

The city is filled with Amusement Park -like facilities: a rotating light wheel, a wave pool, a windmill, a skyrail racer... it's practically a giant amusement park.

Upon reaching the city center, he spotted a rather peculiar platform.

As soon as you step onto it, ring-shaped light patterns light up around you, and the entire platform suddenly sinks!

His heart tightened suddenly.

Could we have accidentally triggered some deadly mechanism?

Was he ultimately destined to fall to his death?

He ducked down to try and lessen the impact, but surprisingly, although the platform descended rapidly, it did not cause any damage.

In just a moment, it landed steadily.

The Chosen One lay on the platform, facing off with several other players, creating an awkward scene.

"You... you're the Chosen One? Weren't you in Sky City? How did you get down here?" Someone recognized his name.

He looked completely bewildered.

How exactly did I land?

Before he could answer, the platform beneath him rose again.

"Look! He's gone up again! Could this be the mechanism for landing on the island?"

Several quick-thinking players immediately realized what was happening and rushed towards the platform.

After returning to the floating city, the Chosen One immediately jumped off the teleportation platform.

He didn't want to be forcibly teleported away again, so he hurriedly shared the coordinates with his guildmates. "The ground connection point has been found. Go to the location I marked and wait directly below it. Once the launch platform appears, stand on it to enter the city."

After delivering the report, he began to wander through the city.

Subsequently, players continued to arrive on flying mounts or using platforms, and the floating city gradually became bustling.

At this very moment.

After the system announcement was released, Zhang Mingzhen also summoned the Azure-Scaled Dragon Python to this location.

The city was now packed with people, resembling a dreamlike paradise.

The unique architecture and dazzling array of entertainment options captivated players, garnering widespread praise on world channels and forums.

"The floating city is amazing! I want to settle here, buy land and build a house!"

"Nobody's stopping you. The properties here are open for purchase just like in other major cities."

"But honestly, everything in the city can be bought with Gold Coins, and the expenses are a bottomless pit—I'm already bankrupt."

"Going bankrupt! There are too many fun things to do, and I'm spending money like water. I need to sell equipment to recoup my losses."

"I heard that D-Break and the racing track have a chance to turn things around?"

"Stay away from D! I almost lost my shirt at the gambling den! But the racing track is worth a try; experienced racers can win big prizes."

"The veteran driver of Mount Akina is here! So many girls were captivated by my driving skills back in the day... Where's the registration area?"

"Judging from that, I can tell you're really Old Deng."

"For all types of competitions, simply register at the corresponding venue; the competition will begin once the required number of participants has been reached."

"Also, lucky players might want to check out the gacha street in the central area—a single pull only costs 1 Gold Coin, and you can get items or even Rare Tier pets—it's a sure win!"

Zhang Mingzhen browsed the channel messages, deciding to explore at will and try out anything interesting he came across.

To avoid attracting attention, he concealed his character information.

Upon arriving at the gashapon street, it was indeed the most crowded place.

Most players gathered around the gashapon machine, their faces filled with excitement.

"Please let me hatch a pet egg! Any breed will do!" a player prayed to the machine, his face flushed.

His companions burst into laughter. "You think you can get a pet egg with just 1 Gold Coin? That's a 10- Gold Coin prize pool! You'd be lucky to get a Feast Pill. Move aside, I need to do a 10-pull!"

The gashapon machine originally had three tiers: 1 Gold Coin, 10 Gold Coins, and 50 Gold Coins per try, with the quality of the prize pool increasing with each tier.

The 50 Gold Coin tier guarantees at least some tradable potion materials, while the 1 Gold Coin tier mostly offers basic items, so the loss isn't significant, which is why people are tempted to try their luck.

"Our War Alliance Guild got a Warcraft egg! It's supposedly a rare species!"

"Dragon Map's side is even more impressive; they released a limited-edition mount, and a lot of female players are gathered around watching."

"The leaders of the big guilds are all bidding for the 50 Gold Coin tier; having deep pockets really makes a difference. I'm so envious."

Guilds are more focused on rewards that can boost combat power or collective attributes: wings, mounts, double experience pills, high-level equipment, etc.

But female gamers have a completely different focus --

"Mengmeng, you've spent too many Gold Coins! If you keep doing this, your brother will find out you're using all the money you'd spend on equipment to draw eggs, and we'll all be in trouble!"

Several female gamers were gathered around a machine, and a Mengmeng little girl was frantically inserting coins.

She comes from a wealthy family, and her brother is the manager of a large guild. He is very generous to her and often gives her Gold Coins to buy equipment.

Seeing the gashapon machine now naturally made her itchy to grab a piece of clothing, but what really got her hooked was that someone from the "Century Imperial City" guild had just pulled out a costume... a "limited edition princess dress"!

This immediately drew gasps of envy and admiration from all the female players in the room.

Rumors spread rapidly through the crowd, saying that the Little Princess of the dynasty had spent a fortune to acquire a magnificent dress, which she was now wearing.

The guild's resources are indeed profound, possessing two sets of Rare Tier outfits, which is truly enviable.

Some viewers were speechless. "The real world is facing an apocalypse, and you guys are still here drawing fashion items. It's like the front lines are struggling while the rear is feasting!"

"Tch, you poor wretch, get out of here!"

"Mengmeng has already spent almost 500 Gold Coins! If she had known this would happen, she should have chosen the 50 Gold Coin lottery; she could have gotten good equipment after ten draws."

"I've heard that someone got a golden treasure for only 500 gold!"

"The Little Princess must have squandered a fortune to get this; such extravagance is truly remarkable."

Just then, an exclamation rang out— Mengmeng had actually shaken out a baby!

A system notification appeared. "Congratulations! You have spent ten Gold Coins to obtain the [Glazed Golden Body Robe]."

"Glazed Golden Body Robe: A rare-grade fashion item."

His robes radiated a golden, shimmering light, and his body seemed to possess a golden Dharma form, with the ability to Teleportation and evade.

Special attributes: Agility increased by 1 point, Fortune increased by 1 point.

Fortune will affect the quality of loot dropped by wild monsters.