Mr. Yi's Invitation

Here's an extra update! Three chapters today, totaling 7,500 words. We're currently ranked third, and the story's only going to get more exciting from here. Please keep your support coming so we can climb to second place!

Also, thanks to the reader "Cold Night 1986" for the tip and "I'm Yalan" for urging me to update. I definitely can't manage 12,000 words a day, though—I need to stick to a steady update schedule, so all I can do is apologize!

After obtaining the Disguise Mask (Passerby), Gao Xu was in an extremely good mood. He left the function room and headed for a tavern in the ordinary district.

The ordinary district was a term the Reincarnators themselves had coined. In contrast to the trading zone, intelligence office, and function rooms, which offered special spatial services, the ordinary district referred to places like taverns, shops, sports grounds, and amusement parks.

In practice, however, aside from the taverns, few Reincarnators ever visited the other places. They were more like decorative buildings. You could buy any food or household item through your Emblem, so why would anyone go all the way to a shop and pretend to browse?

These buildings had become places where Reincarnators could reminisce about the peaceful, happy days they had once enjoyed on Earth. Some high-difficulty Reincarnators suspected there was more to them, but they couldn't find a single clue and had no choice but to give up.

Gao Xu strolled along the ordinary district's streets. As he gazed at the spotless ground and breathed in the fresh, humid air, a strange sense of peace blossomed in his heart.

It seems I've gotten used to everything here... Looking back now, being reborn on Earth and returning to an ordinary life would be even more cruel... Gao Xu shook his head with a wry smile, unsure whether he should feel happy or sad.

He soon reached the tavern. Even from several hundred meters away, its deafening din carried to his ears.

Perhaps because of the tavern's unique nature—or, more precisely, because alcohol allowed Reincarnators to forget their troubles for a while and lose themselves in drunken revelry—it was usually just as crowded as the trading zone.

Groups gathered to chat, boast, and spin tall tales, ignoring one another's identities and differences in strength. This was one of the few pleasures Reincarnators could enjoy. The official entertainment district might have everything, but its exorbitant prices in points were more than a first-difficulty Reincarnator could afford.

As a result, the tavern had naturally become the largest gathering place for information. Every hour, all kinds of news spread from within. How much of it was true and how much was false depended on each person's ability to tell the difference!

With the announcement that a gatekeeper boss had been defeated, at least a thousand Reincarnators had gathered in the tavern. Fortunately, the buildings in the space were enormous, or there wouldn't have been room for them all.

Gao Xu knew the spectacle would last for many days. The announcement had gone out across the entire region. Even Reincarnators who hadn't yet returned from a story world would receive an email from the space at their private residence, explaining that the gatekeeper boss had changed. So when this crowd dispersed, another wave of newly returned Reincarnators would arrive.

Gao Xu found an empty seat and began listening to the conversations around him. Before long, his brows furrowed and a look of astonishment crossed his face.

It turned out that Mr. Yi and his team had spoken at the tavern fifteen minutes earlier, calling on everyone to join the Worker Alliance and help improve the pay and benefits of workers. The response had been far weaker than expected: only a dozen or so people had agreed on the spot, while everyone else had remained silent.

After Mr. Yi and his group left, the crowd began to discuss the matter. Some were hesitant, others contemptuous or dismissive. A few even used the Worker Alliance as an excuse to draw attention to themselves, sow discord, distort the facts, and resort to every dirty trick in the book.

"Bah, the Worker Alliance? I only took odd jobs because I was in a tight spot. It was a temporary measure. You think I'm going to do this embarrassing work for the rest of my life?"

"Exactly. Those people around the old man must be on his team. They weren't mentioned in the announcement—they just wanted to make him look more famous! Hmph, a leader of a proper team setting up some Worker Alliance? He's definitely up to no good!"

"Isn't it obvious? He's gathering all of us poor workers together so he can monopolize the market and exploit both sides. The bosses hiring workers would have to answer to him, and we'd get exploited twice over. Just thinking about the huge profits makes my jaw drop!"

"Now that's an eye-opener, brother! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! What's your number? How about we become friends?"

"Sure, sure! I've got friends all over the place. I'd take a knife in the ribs for a friend—no problem!"

Similar conversations rang out from every corner. Looking at the faces—some smugly self-satisfied, others feigning disdain—Gao Xu sighed inwardly. What a disorganized mess. No wonder those bastards from the Europe-America Region slaughtered them in the regional battlefield...

The Worker Alliance Mr. Yi had established had made it clear from the start that it was a loose organization. It didn't stop workers from taking jobs as individuals, yet people still accused him of lining his own pockets and creating a monopoly...

The alliance's several rules, however, clearly targeted unscrupulous bosses who treated workers like they weren't human and exploited them mercilessly. So when the Worker Alliance was announced, the people most alarmed were the bosses who had been profiting off workers.

In the first difficulty, these so-called "bosses" were simply wealthier and more powerful Reincarnators. Some had even worked as laborers themselves, but once they became successful, they inflicted the same hardships they'd endured on others—only worse. Gradually, this had created a vicious cycle.

Mr. Yi had founded the Worker Alliance to change this chaotic state of affairs. Improving pay and benefits wasn't an empty slogan; it was a practical effort.

For Mr. Yi himself, the Worker Alliance couldn't offer much help. His team was already among the best at their difficulty level, and they had no need for the assistance of a few self-important workers.

But looking at the region as a whole, the establishment of the Worker Alliance was a great blessing for the East Asia Region, whose strength was currently weak.

Mr. Yi's farsighted vision and courage in leading by example had earned the respect of Gao Xu, who was also a member of the East Asia Region. That was why he had advised Mr. Yi on how to fight the Red Ghost King in Heishui Town. When they parted, he had also hinted that Abbot Zhixiu from Jade Buddha Temple might appear, becoming the final straw that tipped the scales.

With both of those advantages, Mr. Yi and his group had managed to kill the Red Ghost King by the narrowest of margins. Unfortunately, the regional announcement had brought them fame, but it had also stirred resentment among ordinary Reincarnators. With certain ill-intentioned Reincarnators fanning the flames, the Worker Alliance still faced a bumpy road full of obstacles.

Having lived through his previous life, Gao Xu had looked forward to the Worker Alliance being established ahead of schedule. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way. His mood sank, and after downing a few drinks by himself, he left the tavern.

Just as Gao Xu stepped into a teleportation point to return to his private residence, he received another call request from Mr. Yi.

Mr. Yi's voice was still booming, without the slightest trace of discouragement or retreat. But his opening words left Gao Xu stunned. "Young brother, would you be interested in visiting the Handsome Siblings world to meet Wei Wuya?"