"Hidden quest?"
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After hearing Song in the Clouds, Lin Qimeng narrowed her eyes and glanced sideways at Wang Qianduo.
"Who's this beauty? Your, uh... friend?" Song in the Clouds asked with a grin, throwing an arm around Wang Qianduo's shoulders from behind. He hadn't noticed the awkwardness between them at all.
Song in the Clouds was highly skilled and had a knack for putting people at ease, but that didn't change the fact that he was just a twenty-year-old guy.
Young people didn't tend to overthink things. When he saw his friend chatting with a pretty girl, of course he'd come over to lend a hand.
While Song in the Clouds stood with his arm around Wang Qianduo, the two people behind Lin Qimeng filled her in on who he was.
"The top archer from Sword and Rose? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. If we could mistake a star player like him, we wouldn't deserve our pay!"
As Lin Qimeng privately messaged the two, she took another look at Wang Qianduo.
She knew Wang Qianduo had registered his account at the company yesterday. He'd even complained about it.
But he'd only been in the game for a day and already knew one of its top players. He was no ordinary guy!
"Are you going to introduce us?" Lin Qimeng asked Wang Qianduo, who was staring down and counting his toes.
"Haha, look at me, I forgot to introduce everyone! This is Song in the Clouds, and this is Lin Qimeng, my—my boss. And the two behind her should be our top players from Mountains and Seas!
"Anyway, we've got things to do, so we should get going. We'll talk another time!"
Wang Qianduo laughed and started to pull Song in the Clouds away. Song in the Clouds could tell something was off, so he obediently kept his mouth shut.
"Hey, Old Wang, don't rush off! We can talk some more."
There was no way Lin Qimeng would let Wang Qianduo get away that easily. She grabbed him, then shot him a flirtatious glance and spoke in a coy voice.
With her expression, her voice, and her stunning looks, no man could resist her. She could make anyone's knees go weak.
"Talk... Heh... Sure, let's talk!" As a seasoned lecher, Wang Qianduo was instantly rooted to the spot.
For some reason, the group ended up at a bar. As soon as he sat down, Wang Qianduo wanted to slap himself.
Why was he so helpless against a pretty face?
Well, he was already there, so he might as well talk!
"I've got three spots left on this quest. I won't let you down just because we work at the same company—I'll give you a discount. Twenty thousand per spot.
"I'm looking for skilled players below level ten. If your level is too high, the rewards might be reduced!"
If they were going to talk, they might as well be frank. Sixty thousand was Wang Qianduo's bottom line.
He could get people to help with the quest and make a little money on the side. What was not to like?
"The price seems fair, but what are the rewards for this quest?" Lin Qimeng asked, taking a sip of the lemon water she'd ordered.
"It's a hidden main quest no one's ever seen before. What do you think?"
"Fine. But I'm already level ten. Will that cause a problem?"
Wang Qianduo didn't know, so he looked over at Song in the Clouds.
"No. Ten is the cutoff. As long as you're not above level ten, it won't matter, even if your mech has already evolved."
Song in the Clouds didn't hold anything back and answered their question directly.
Lin Qimeng turned to the two people who had come with her. After they nodded, she felt reassured.
Wang Qianduo shared the quest with Lin Qimeng and asked her to bring her people the next afternoon so they could meet and plan how to complete it.
"You've got the nerve to charge us twenty thousand each for a quest like this?" Lin Qimeng said, staring at the quest Wang Qianduo had shared with her.
"You don't have to buy it. You can back out," Wang Qianduo replied.
"Hmph. I'm buying it. I'll transfer the money to your account when I log off. Let's go."
Lin Qimeng left with the two people behind her, leaving Wang Qianduo and Song in the Clouds at the bar.
"Haha, sorry about that, Brother Wang!" After Lin Qimeng and the others left, Song in the Clouds apologized to Wang Qianduo for what had happened earlier.
"It's fine. I was going to look for people from the company anyway. Without you, it would've been hard for me to make that sixty thousand!" Wang Qianduo said with a laugh.
He really hadn't taken what happened to heart. Song in the Clouds hadn't meant any harm.
After chatting for a bit, the two said goodbye and went their separate ways. Wang Qianduo still had to practice flying, and Song in the Clouds didn't have much time to himself either.
"Zero, what should I do?"
On a desolate planet, Wang Qianduo piloted his mech through the sky, heading straight toward a sheer cliff.
But by then, he couldn't stop.
Wang Qianduo looked at the cliff ahead, perfectly calm.
The more urgent the situation, the calmer he became. Perhaps it was a talent he'd developed over two lifetimes.
When he was fully focused, Wang Qianduo felt as if he and the mech had become one, no longer separate from each other.
Moving with his will, Unit Zero was about to crash into the mountainside when it suddenly twisted in midair, shattered the rock before it with one foot, and shot upward.
The sensation of becoming one with the mech came and went quickly, but by then Wang Qianduo could fly it freely.
"How was that, Zero?" Wang Qianduo asked after landing, putting away his mech, and leaving the training area.
He'd discovered that Zero could communicate with him just as easily even without the mech.
"Perfect. Your talent is one in a billion!" Zero's electronic voice sounded in his ear.
"Haha, I didn't know you could flatter me!"
Wang Qianduo laughed, not taking Zero's complimentary words to heart.
But he'd forgotten that artificial intelligence couldn't lie. It was part of their fundamental code.
Then he used up the last of his stamina for the day, making sure not to waste even a single resource. That was essential if he wanted to become an expert.
Afterward, Wang Qianduo returned to the trading area to see if he could buy the last piece of equipment he needed to fill his empty slot.
Having an empty equipment slot was driving his obsessive-compulsive side crazy!
And if he couldn't find equipment, at least he could buy a couple of skills!
But it turned out he'd been too optimistic. Low-level equipment and basic skills were incredibly popular at this stage.
As soon as someone listed one, it would be snapped up immediately, as long as the price wasn't outrageous.
Some professional traders in particular were so fast that Wang Qianduo couldn't compete.
He could afford the outrageous prices, but he didn't want to be a sucker.
"Flag match! Flag match! There's a mech duel over at the plaza. Let's go watch the high-level players fight!"
As he wandered around, he suddenly heard someone shout. The crowd stirred.
Everyone liked watching a spectacle, and Wang Qianduo was no exception. He followed the crowd over.
He saw that the plaza was enclosed by a square energy shield. Inside stood a mech that was crimson from head to toe, with a pair of curved blades in its hands.
The other mech was entirely blue, holding a gleaming trident in both hands.
The two mechs were facing off.
Mech flag matches were a feature unlocked at level ten. They let two players fight in a safe zone.
Of course, they couldn't fight just anywhere. They had to use designated locations, and pay a fee for the venue.
The better the location, the higher the fee. A spot right in the center of town like this would cost a fortune for an ordinary player.
Both mechs in the arena were above level twenty and had evolved twice.
The red one was called Dragon Hunter, an evolved form of an agility-type mech. The blue one was called Wavechaser's Halberd, an evolved form of a strength-type mech.
The fight hadn't started yet, but everyone expected it to be a one-sided battle.
"The pilot of the Wilderness Hunter mech must be an idiot. Doesn't he know his mech is a perfect counter to the other one?"
"Right? Whether you're talking about agility or fire against water, he's at a disadvantage."
"I can't imagine what he's thinking. Is this a friendly spar? If so, doing it in a place like this is way too extravagant."
"I feel sorry for you ignorant people. Do you even know you're talking about Wang Xinghe, the guild leader of Star River, and Yang Bo, the guild leader of Ten Thousand Miles?"
"You're saying that idiot is Wang Xinghe?"
"Yeah—wait, no! You're the idiot! How dare you talk about Guild Leader Wang? Though I really don't know what he's thinking, fighting someone stronger than himself."
Hearing the people around him, Wang Qianduo grew interested in the two fighters. He'd heard of both of them.
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