Early Layout

Chapter 47: Early Preparations

After a quick test of his remaining spells, Zhao Xu logged off.

Not only were there no familiar faces around, but the church members were also busy arranging the grand ceremony for the day, leaving them no time for him.

He was afraid that his appearance at the ceremony might cause some strange situation or draw unwanted attention.

He certainly didn't want to become the main topic of discussion on the forums.

Zhao Xu's current top priority was still to quietly make a fortune. At least the path he had chosen so far felt quite solid.

"Brother Xu, you're logging off this early?" Zhang Qi, just back from his afternoon classes, greeted Zhao Xu as he saw him.

Zhao Xu nodded. "Qi God, everything alright lately?"

He then noticed the other two roommates returning as well and greeted them all.

Liu Hanqiang, from Shandong province, was the academic prodigy of their dorm. In his past life, he was the only one who didn't play games at all.

Liu Hanqiang came from a well-off family, with most of his relatives working in state-owned enterprises or as civil servants.

Compared to Zhao Xu's family, who ran a struggling small business that relied on the weather for its survival, his family's situation was much more stable.

From the start of university, Liu Hanqiang had not only actively participated in student council activities but had also planned to pursue a postgraduate degree at their university before entering the civil service.

His family had even arranged specific positions for him in certain departments, so everything was set.

In his past life, Zhao Xu had been pulled into Arthur by Zhang Qi, but Liu Hanqiang had remained true to his own path.

The three of them in the dorm believed that Liu Hanqiang, with his background and dedication, would have the most stable future among them.

However, no one expected that a game, which seemed like a distraction from their proper paths, would eventually become the deciding factor in countless people's destinies.

After his transmigration, Liu Hanqiang fell into a period of depression when the goals he had worked towards for over a decade vanished.

Eventually, he found work as a non-combat "expert," becoming a teacher. Unfortunately, he died when the city fell during the Demon Sealing War seven years later.

As for their other roommate, Chen Sinan, he was the most successful among Zhao Xu's dorm mates after transmigration.

In their last meeting in the previous life, Chen Sinan had already advanced and become a key member of the Temple of the God of Justice.

"God Xu, when are you teleporting back?" Zhang Qi complained.

Zhang Qi and the others already knew that Zhao Xu had been born in a southern town in Arthur, which was a world away from players like them in Winter Town.

In an era where players traveled on foot and the wilderness was particularly dangerous, Zhao Xu wouldn't have been able to join them before reaching level 3 or 5.

"When I have money," Zhao Xu replied, still sitting on his bed but his hands constantly browsing Arthur's forums.

"Brother Xu, do you know how amazing Sinan has been lately?" Zhang Qi, now sitting in his self-made hanging chair, said while drinking an ice-cold cola.

"Isn't Holy Light a Paladin's level 2 ability?" Zhao Xu, having just used a healing spell, was sensitive to such matters.

"Whoa, God Xu, you're so fast to react," Zhang Qi exclaimed in disbelief.

Chen Sinan nudged Zhang Qi with annoyance, telling him not to spout nonsense.

"God Xu, Sinan is currently the most sought-after player in our class for team-ups. Everyone's waiting for him to hit level 2 so he can lead them," Zhang Qi added.

Zhao Xu nodded. The number of Priest players graduating in half a month wasn't much higher than Mages.

It was already difficult to make players truly believe in a deity, let alone gain the deity's approval.

Priests who chose an Alignment Faith needed the approval of the entire faction's power, and even in Arthur, such Priests were rare.

In their school alone, there were very few player Priests.

Druids, who could serve as backup healers, were mostly still holed up in forests, resisting the forest destroyers and undergoing similarly tough training.

In this situation of a healer shortage, Paladins, who possessed some healing abilities, became the target of desperation.

Paladins gained the ability of "Holy Light" at level 2, which could heal HP equal to their Charisma modifier multiplied by their class level.

While it wasn't much, for the players at this time, rather than waiting for Priests to be trained, they hoped that Paladins could reach level 2.

Paladins in Arthur were actually a rather peculiar class, with extremely strict alignment requirements.

Besides believing in a deity, they were even more rigorous with their own convictions.

In Arthur's past life, Paladins were the most upright, honest defenders of justice, striking hard and fast against evil acts without mercy.

Commoners in Arthur would give Paladins a thumbs-up whenever they saw them.

This was also the only class in Arthur that players couldn't betray their true selves while role-playing.

However, as long as their beliefs and personalities aligned, they could complete their Paladin advancement very quickly.

"Don't worry, once everyone has money later and can afford Rejuvenation Spell wands, this situation will improve significantly," Zhao Xu said.

"Rejuvenation Spell? Wand?" Zhang Qi asked in surprise.

"Just read the forums more often," Zhao Xu retorted.

"Damn it, man, I'm already tired enough just trying to survive by logging in every day."

The Lesser Rejuvenation Spell was already being mentioned on the forums. It was a level 1 Divine Spell, not on the standard Priest level 1 spell list, and had to be obtained through special channels.

Its only function was to grant players the "Rapid Healing 1" ability, allowing them to recover 1 HP per round for over ten rounds.

Although it couldn't restore full health instantly, its healing amount surpassed the "Cure Light Wounds" Zhao Xu had cast today, making it the primary post-battle recovery method.

A wand with 50 uses of Lesser Rejuvenation Spell, priced at 750 GP, would essentially become a necessary strategic asset for future guilds.

Regular players forming parties for leveling would pool funds to buy one, even if they had a Priest.

It's just that everyone was still poor now, with barely a few gold coins on them, so even if they wanted to buy, they had no way.

"Zhang Qi, what happened to the guild in our class?" Zhao Xu asked. Chen Sinan was a quiet type and didn't talk much with them; Zhao Xu usually asked Zhang Qi.

"Nothing good. Several combat-class guilds have already used up their Resurrection Stones and started registering new characters. Not many magic-using classes have graduated, and professions like Mage, which are difficult and don't show immediate results, are almost never chosen," Zhang Qi complained about the current harsh environment in Arthur.

"What about the Grand Alliance matter?" Zhao Xu pressed.

Zhang Qi was suddenly astonished. He asked blankly, "Brother Xu, how do you know? I'm considered a core member, and I only got wind of it recently. How are you even clearer than me?"

Zhao Xu didn't explain much and continued scrolling on his phone.

Nonsense, in his previous life, their school's Grand Alliance was barely formed in the later stages, and during that time, Zhao Xu had heard Zhang Qi complain countless times about the messy affairs within it.

University students, on average, had high enough quality and ample time, so their levels in Arthur were upper-middle.

After everyone transmigrated, even if they weren't the most numerous, the factions they formed became a crucial force for future Earth powers.

Zhao Xu, as a Mage, could arrange for his parents and relatives naturally.

However, people are social beings; arranging them on a Floating City would be meaningless.

Therefore, Zhao Xu needed a shadow representative to manage some guild forces for him, allowing him to strategically intervene in the future Earth powers.