The Banquet

Things were not as bad as Tang Ping had previously feared.

Before this, he had always felt that a figure like Luo Kedi, a dignified Deputy City Lord, would surely launch sweeping reforms the moment he stepped into Lost City.

After all, the man had arrived in a state of disgrace, likely hoping to prove his loyalty and strength to the guild through eye-catching achievements so he could reopen the doors to the center of power.

Yet, reality slapped him hard in the face. From the moment this new big shot stepped into Lost City, his eyes seemed to hold only one thing: women.

Rumors regarding the Deputy City Lord's palace were no longer a secret in the city.

No matter when one passed by that grand building, it was either so quiet that even the Wind was too lazy to linger, or it was filled with the overlapping sounds of soft, lingering whispers that could make passersby stumble in their tracks.

As for the various affairs of Lost City, let alone taking the initiative to ask, Luo Kedi wouldn't even spare a glance at official documents even if his subordinates placed them right in front of him, let alone changing regulations or rectifying order.

Everything remained as it was.

These four words were like a reassuring pill, allowing the tens of thousands of NPCs in this desolate desert city, as well as the thousands of players struggling to survive, to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

It should be known that ever since Tang Ping took over as City Lord, he had found various cumbersome rules troublesome and simply waved his hand to cancel a series of exorbitant taxes: entry taxes, marriage taxes, transaction taxes, head taxes—all of these were tossed into the trash heap by him in one go.

It wasn't that he was particularly generous; it was just that this broken city was too desolate. The tax money collected throughout the year wasn't even enough to cover the interest in his account for an hour. Calculating it felt annoying, so it was better to just exempt them entirely.

Precisely because of this, the lives of the NPCs and players living in Lost City suddenly became much easier.

In the past, everyone struggled just to make ends meet, but now they could slowly save up some money, and some even dared to think about buying houses and land, or forming families with their loved ones to have children.

Sometimes, as Tang Ping watched those busy yet hopeful figures on the streets, he couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship of the Virtual Universe Company. It was just a game they were developing, yet they had made the NPCs so realistic.

Each of them had their own unique story, personality, and life trajectory. Some NPCs could even counterattack to become heroes through a stroke of luck, breaking through their strength bottlenecks step by step, just like a real person.

But why would the company go to such great lengths?

Perhaps it was because of this realism that the game Journey was called the "Second World" by many who were frustrated in reality. Some simply took root here, married NPCs, and were willing to spend their entire lives in this virtual world.

The players who remained in Lost City were mostly low-level Planetary Rank combatants with no notable specialties. They couldn't find decent jobs in reality, and many even had disabilities—the blind, the deaf, or those with physical impairments. They could only rely on doing odd jobs in the game to earn game currency to barely maintain their livelihoods.

Mining, carrying water, teaming up to hunt low-level Magic Beasts, or doing chores for NPCs—they repeated these dull tasks day after day, just to earn a meager income.

Tang Ping's move to abolish taxes was undoubtedly a timely help for them, and it also earned this City Lord, who had always remained hidden in the shadows, a wave of adoration.

However, Tang Ping knew in his heart that the adoration of ants was ultimately as light as a feather. Those at the pinnacle of power would never hear, nor would they care about, the voices of the small people at the bottom.

Thus, this lonely city in the Lost Desert continued to move forward slowly along its old trajectory.

The NPCs and the thousands of players lived lives that were nearly repetitive every day. Occasionally, someone would be bitten by a beast in the desert or even lose their life, but after a brief moment of sorrow, life had to go on.

It wasn't particularly exciting, but it wasn't desperate either. It was like a calm lake, occasionally rippling, only to soon return to silence.

However, Tang Ping's days had undergone some subtle changes compared to before.

In addition to his daily, unwavering practice of secret techniques and sparring with Luo Xiaoyu to hone his martial arts and willpower, there was an extra, rather absurd matter: Luo Kedi loved to host banquets in the virtual universe. Whether it was for a birth or a wedding, he never forgot to send an invitation to Tang Ping.

Attending a banquet naturally meant red envelopes were unavoidable.

But what left Tang Ping speechless was that Luo Kedi treated hosting banquets as a daily routine. It never stopped throughout the year, and eventually, even his own sons began getting married and having children. The banquets went on one after another, endless.

Fortunately, most of those who attended the banquets were peripheral members of the Luo Family who had long since figured out the nature of this family. Each time, the gift money was only a thousand or so Silver Blue Coins, which wasn't too painful.

After attending a few times, Tang Ping couldn't be bothered to show up every time. As long as the red envelope was delivered on time, it was enough to save face.

It was precisely at these banquets that Tang Ping got to know many of the Luo Family's peripheral members.

Among this group, some had mediocre talent and struggled to make a breakthrough despite their best efforts, yet they didn't give up, managing their connections while practicing.

Some had weak willpower, living in a daze on the subsidies provided by the Luo Family; others were depressed and full of sorrow because they were ostracized within the family.

Although they were all "losers" who hadn't achieved much in the Luo Family system, it had to be said that they had plenty of gossip in their bellies.

Occasionally, when Tang Ping didn't feel like socializing, he would find a corner to sit in and listen to them ramble on about everything under the sun, which became a form of entertainment.

From "who was set up by an alien scammer and lost everything," to "following the trend of financial management and hitting a mine, losing a lifetime of savings," to "so-and-so getting scammed in business and losing even their ancestral property," every single story was laughable.

And what they discussed the most was always those prominent figures of the Luo Family.

The first was Luo Yanchang. This kid was already at the peak of the Star Rank at a young age, was good at socializing, and held the management rights to several star systems. Many people present were working under him.

However, whenever he was mentioned, everyone's tone was always filled with a bit of sourness, complaining that he was just riding the coattails of a "good father," relying on massive amounts of rare pills to pile up his realm, and that he had no real skills.

What they found even more fascinating was the taboo love between the siblings Luo Yuqian and Luo Yurong.

The rumors about the two spread wildly in private. Every time it was brought up, the men would always have lewd smiles on their faces, their words filled with unspeakable speculation.

What puzzled everyone the most was that Luo Yurong was arrogant and domineering, acting violently and wildly, offending many people within the Luo Family, yet Luo Yuqian, who was thriving in the Commerce Department, was hopelessly devoted to her.

Could it really be for the thrill of the sibling relationship?

However, these domestic gossips and the internal strife of the Luo Family actually had nothing to do with Tang Ping.

To him, it was just a little seasoning in his dull practice and plain life as City Lord, something to listen to for fun, which he could cast aside the moment he turned his head.

To this day, the entire Milky Way, and even the vast Black Dragon Empire, had spread a saying: the Earthlings of the Luo Family were born to love joining in the fun and gossiping; that spirit of watching the excitement without fearing the chaos was almost carved into their bones.

Even more absurdly, it was precisely because of this "hobby" that several laughable incidents occurred.

Several times, Earthlings saw others arguing and fighting on the interstellar streets. Instead of hiding or avoiding it, they crowded around on their tiptoes to watch the excitement, only to be accidentally injured by the fists and feet in the chaos.

Normally, when ordinary people encountered such a thing, they would either consider themselves unlucky or seek an explanation from the other party. But these Earthlings were different; they turned around and "compensated" themselves based on their injured heads, using medical certificates to demand compensation from the perpetrators, and some even specifically used this as a pretext to "make money."

Truly making money with their brains!

It was precisely after these few incidents that whether it was ordinary residents of the Milky Way or passersby in the Black Dragon Empire, they would subconsciously restrain themselves whenever they saw yellow-skinned, black-haired Earthlings in public.

Even if they were fuming with anger and wanted to argue, they had to first check if there were any Earthlings watching, for fear of accidentally hurting someone.

After all, everyone knew that if you really got into trouble and were targeted by the Luo Family's legal team, which was famous for being difficult, the subsequent lawsuits and compensation could make one's head spin.