After a bout of wailing and howling, the players gradually calmed down.
The more important it was, the more they needed to maintain their gentlemanly demeanor. They couldn't act recklessly, or they might end up turning Bai Fu's Favorability from positive to negative.
They had learned that lesson the hard way.
On the first day after the game launched, many players who didn't know what was going on assumed that Above the Stars was like other games. Whenever they saw a good-looking NPC, they would run over and get touchy-feely.
As a result, without exception, all those players got beaten up, and the NPCs' Favorability toward them instantly changed from [Normal] to [A Look of Disgust, as Though Looking at Garbage].
Some players had only harassed passerby NPCs, so even if they were disliked, it didn't affect their ability to continue playing.
Others weren't so lucky. They had provoked NPCs similar in status to the "Chicken God of Riverwood," and whenever they appeared, everyone in Novice Village would jump out to beat them up. To play the game normally, they had no choice but to delete their characters and start over.
After experiencing all that, the players began taking the Favorability stat seriously.
At that moment, a group of players in the livestream chat were discussing just how high Bai Fu's Favorability toward the players present actually was.
[It should've been the normal 0 at first. After what just happened, it's probably over 20 now.]
[She's already treating players like this with only 20 Favorability. What would happen at 80 or 90? Wouldn't she take off?]
[Haha, I'm just guessing too. Maybe the Favorability is higher than 20.]
[Has anyone here learned a scouting-type skill? Take a look.]
Digging Princess and the others exchanged glances.
Scouting-type skills in the game weren't provided at the start. Players had to actively learn them, and they really hadn't encountered any such skills since the game launched.
However, this problem was quickly resolved.
While they were exchanging glances, more and more players arrived.
Among them, a female player named [Calamity Dragon] was particularly eye-catching.
Although she had chosen an imposing name, everything from her appearance to her hairstyle and accessories followed a cute style.
Her slightly wavy pink bob looked almost unnaturally normal among all the afros, Saiyan hairstyles, and starfish heads.
"I'm here, I'm here! I thought I was late, but I actually came at just the right time!"
"Wait, you know a scouting-type skill?"
"Just lucky, just lucky." Calamity Dragon laughed heartily.
"Come on, come on, get to the front. Hurry up and let me see!"
Calamity Dragon was pushed to the front.
At that moment, the entire world seemed to stop turning. Everyone watching waited for the results of Calamity Dragon's scouting.
Whoosh!
Calamity Dragon cast a scouting skill.
Then she shared the information she had obtained with Digging Princess, who posted it in the livestream.
[Name]: Bai Fu [Template]: ? [Primary Class]: ? [Secondary Class]: ? [Health]: ? [Attributes]: ? [Skills]: ? [Talents]: ? [Favorability]: Treasured Above All (82) [Danger Level]: Red
As soon as the result appeared, everyone except Bai Fu was dumbfounded.
[H-how much? Am I seeing things?]
[You're not seeing things wrong. 82, it really is 82! Even if you don't recognize those two digits, you should understand what "Treasured Above All" means, right? It means Fu Fu loves and values us like treasures!]
[Get lost, get lost, Fu Fu values Digging Princess and the others, not you spectators watching the show in the livestream.]
[I hate this! Why wasn't I at the Abandoned Cooling Plant? I want Fu Bao's love too!]
[This has to be fake. How could it be so high? This is 82 we're talking about. A little more and it would reach the level of being inseparable. There's no way helping Bai Fu once could raise it this high. It's a bug, definitely a bug!]
The players in the livestream chat began arguing heatedly over whether this was a bug.
The faction that believed it wasn't a bug had very solid arguments, and they naturally gained the upper hand in the argument.
[Are you idiots? Fu Fu herself is a kindhearted, good person, and she doesn't know we can revive. Think about it. If someone as kindhearted as her personally saw us die for her, how could her Favorability not be high?]
[Damn, that makes sense. If an NPC were willing to die for me, my Favorability toward him would skyrocket too.]
[Fu Bao, my treasure, why are you so cute?]
[That's disgusting.]
Watching the players' discussion and the scouting data displayed in the livestream, Bai Fu couldn't help secretly giving a thumbs-up.
This Scout Art was incredibly accurate!
If they asked whether she hated the players, then of course she didn't.
If they asked whether she considered the players treasures, wasn't that obvious? The players had helped her complete quests, praised her, and showered her with gold coins. If she didn't treat these players as "treasures," what else would she treat as treasures?
Right now, she only regretted that she didn't have enough treasures to help her ascend on the spot.
Just as she thought of this, she suddenly asked, "What's wrong with you all? Why have you stopped moving?"
That puzzled voice immediately brought Digging Princess and the others back to their senses.
This wasn't the time to wage war in the livestream chat. Bai Fu was still standing right in front of them.
"It's like this." Digging Princess hurriedly explained, "We discussed it just now, and we can't accept this money."
"Yeah, that's right. We can't accept it. Really."
"Big Sis Fu Fu, don't worry about us. Hurry up and deal with your own injuries."
The players chimed in one after another.
Bai Fu frowned. "No. You have to accept this money, or I'll get angry!"
If you don't accept it, how am I supposed to tell Martin that I arrived too late and that you took most of the money?
If I don't say that, how am I supposed to put most of the money I got from Brother Dabiao into my own pocket?
Bai Fu had planned it all out long ago. The [Debts Must Be Repaid] quest only asked her to collect as many debts as possible, but it never specified how much "as many as possible" was. So afterward, she could pin the blame on the players and then give Martin some token amount to send him away.
"This..."
Digging Princess and the others clearly hadn't expected Bai Fu to be so firm.
After refusing several times to no avail, they could only silently accept Bai Fu's goodwill.
Now that they had taken this money, they would become Fu Bao's loyal followers from this day forward!
Digging Princess had even begun preparing to write an article for the community forums.
That was more like it.
Bai Fu was extremely satisfied with the players' reaction.
She had eliminated her enemy and gained money, experience, and a huge amount of popularity. The players had received the emotional value she provided. Everyone had a bright future!
"I should have stayed and helped you bury your fallen companions, letting their souls return to the stars, but..." Bai Fu covered her chest and sighed. "The commotion here will soon attract other people's attention. For safety's sake, you should leave first, just as I will."
Patrick Star hurriedly asked, "Then where should we go to find you if something comes up?"
Bai Fu stopped walking but didn't turn around.
"When we first met, I told you that knowing certain things wouldn't do you any good. But you still came closer."
She paused, as though brewing her emotions. Only after a long while did she continue:
"I hope that when I see you next time, you'll be as safe and healthy as you are now."
Bai Fu left.
Under the setting sun, her back looked both lonely and imbued with a kind of strength that inspired awe.
The players were dazed for a while.
Only after Bai Fu disappeared did Calamity Dragon scratch her head and ask, "Does Bai Fu mean she agrees to us going to find her?"
Patrick Star nodded. "Looks like we pestered her until she had no choice but to accept us."
"Yay!"
The players around them cheered.
Relentless pestering might be shameless, but it really worked. Now they could continue raising their Favorability!
"Let's go. We should leave too."
The players left in groups of three or five, abandoning Brother Dabiao, who was more dead than dead, as they laughed and joked.
They felt they had made an overwhelming profit that day.
They had won Bai Fu's favor, and after defeating Brother Dabiao, they had obtained far more experience than they would have from doing manual labor. Some lucky players had even picked up weapons. It felt incredible.
Even Black Tiger Afu, a battle-crazed player who didn't care at all about Bai Fu's appearance or identity, was grinning from ear to ear.
Great, great, great. Next time, I'm going to follow Digging Princess and the others and keep hugging Bai Fu's leg!
Before you continue