Lonely As Snow

The road Shi Feng took toward the town hall was, quite literally, overflowing with people.

The narrow streets were packed with players, resembling a bustling wet market. They were busy pestering NPCs, hoping to wheedle a quest out of them.

Unfortunately, quests in God's Domain were not so easily obtained. The NPCs possessed high-level AI, engaging in one-on-one conversations that required players to choose their words carefully; otherwise, they might be ignored entirely. Coupled with the sea of players competing for the same targets, securing even a simple, obvious quest was incredibly difficult.

In the mere dozen minutes since God's Domain had opened, not a single player in Red Leaf Town had successfully accepted a common quest.

By contrast, Shi Feng, as a reincarnator, held a massive advantage. Not only had he secured a quest, but it was also a unique one. Though it was a bit of a trap, the rewards for unique quests were incredibly generous—the kind that would make even top-tier players a month after launch drool with envy.

As a reincarnator who had once led the Shadow Studio of thousands and established ten major city-states, Shi Feng possessed far more information about God's Domain than the average professional player. This was especially true regarding leveling guides and money-making methods, which were essential for building the strength of a studio with thousands of members.

Living a second life and playing God's Domain once more, Shi Feng intended to use this accumulated knowledge to build a solid foundation for his future development. Naturally, he wouldn't waste hours on the street fighting for a common quest like the average player, nor would he be like some professional players who relied on their technical skills to head straight into the wilderness—which was likely more crowded with people than monsters at this moment.

Shi Feng's goal was to avoid these swarms of players, which was why he had chosen a difficult unique quest.

However, completing this quest required money, and Shi Feng currently didn't have enough.

Every player started with 10 copper coins. While it wasn't enough to buy gear or weapons, it could purchase food and drink to address the issue of insufficient health and mana.

Arriving in front of the two-story town hall, he found a long queue of over a hundred players.

In any game, whether it was a village chief or a town mayor, they were synonymous with quest-giving, and players were naturally unwilling to let such an opportunity slip by.

"Newcomer, if you don't want to stir up public outrage, get in line," a simple-looking male warrior standing in the middle of the line said upon seeing Shi Feng. He raised a hand and pointed to the spot several people behind him.

"I'm not here to take a quest," Shi Feng said calmly, glancing at the long line at the town hall.

Compared to other quest-giving locations, this place was actually quite orderly and efficient. Although the quest-taking process was slow, it was better than no one being able to get one at all.

The warrior looked at Shi Feng with suspicion. Everyone was desperate for quests, yet here was someone claiming to have no interest—who would believe that?

"I really am not here for a quest." Seeing the hostility in the warrior's eyes and assuming he thought he was trying to cut in line, Shi Feng smiled. "But I advise you to go elsewhere to find a quest. Waiting here is a waste of time."

"How could it be a waste? Several people have already come out with quests." The warrior relaxed, seeing that Shi Feng had no intention of cutting in. He had been waiting for over ten minutes and didn't want to be jumped, but Shi Feng's firm tone made him curious as to why it would be a waste.

Shi Feng smiled without explaining, instead changing the subject. "You seem like a decent guy, so I'll point you toward a better path: go to the wilderness to kill monsters. It has more potential than this."

"I'm not going. There are too many people in the wild; I can't compete with them. It's better here," the warrior shook his head. He wasn't stupid; the wild areas were surely packed with people. With his skill level, he probably wouldn't even be able to tag a single monster, so waiting here was the better option.

"That's because you're going to the wrong places. Go to areas where monsters are scarce; naturally, no one will compete with you. Compared to the crowds in high-density zones, the leveling efficiency there is several times higher. Plus, the respawn rate is slow, making it easy for one person to handle," Shi Feng laughed.

"Is there really such a place?"

The warrior's expression turned excited. He was very tempted; waiting for a quest would take at least another hour, and the reward would only be experience and a pittance of money. If he could grind monsters undisturbed for an hour, the experience gained would surely be much higher than any quest.

"Of course there is. If you want to go to such a prime spot, I can give you a discount: 20 copper. In a day of grinding, not to mention the experience, you'll earn at least 40 copper from materials alone. If you're lucky enough to get a gear drop, you'll make a fortune," Shi Feng said, leaning in and whispering to the warrior.

"You aren't trying to scam me, are you?" The warrior looked at Shi Feng with hesitation. A prime spot like that would definitely put him ahead of other players, but 20 copper was not a small sum. Monsters in God's Domain rarely dropped money or gear, making copper coins extremely precious.

"If you don't believe me, you can pay 10 copper first. Go to the location and try it out; if it's true, you can pay the other 10. I'm only telling you this because you seem like a good person. If you don't believe me, forget it." Shi Feng turned and walked away.

If Shi Feng weren't short on cash, he wouldn't be doing this; he would just find another way to make money.

Shi Feng had only taken a few steps when the warrior grabbed him.

"Expert, wait a moment! Let's talk. 10 copper as a deposit, right? Take it. I believe an expert like you wouldn't lie to me." The warrior gave a simple smile and decisively traded 10 copper to Shi Feng.

"Since you've shown good faith, I'll give you a decent spot. It's a bit out of the way, but it's home to level 0 green-skinned goblins. They have low defense, respawn quickly, and have a higher chance of dropping money. It's great for a Berserker to farm." Shi Feng was happy to receive the 10 copper and provided a solid grinding spot.

The warrior was stunned by how familiar Shi Feng was with the wild monsters, even knowing which ones dropped more money. He felt a wave of relief. He hadn't expected to be so lucky as to run into a God's Domain expert—and not just any expert, perhaps even a beta tester. Thinking of this, the warrior became even more excited.

"Expert brother, do you know where Berserker skill books drop? I only have one skill at the start, and it's really hard to fight monsters," the warrior said, feeling closer to Shi Feng and already treating him like an older brother.

"I can tell you, but it's a flat price of 2 silver coins." Shi Feng smiled. He wouldn't give away such precious information for free after just a few words; he wasn't in the business of charity.

Hearing the 2 silver price tag, the warrior's face went pale. 2 silver was 200 copper; even ordinary guilds didn't have that much money.

"Expert, let's add each other as friends. My name is Lonely As Snow. Once I save up enough money, I'll contact you." The warrior sent a friend request.

"Sure." Shi Feng accepted Lonely As Snow's request.

"Expert brother, I'm off to grind. As soon as I save up the remaining 10 copper, I'll send it to you immediately!" Lonely As Snow happily bid farewell to Shi Feng, left the long line, and hurried toward the grinding spot.

With money in hand, Shi Feng walked toward a fruit stall next to the town hall.

"Boss, how much for these tomatoes?" Shi Feng asked, picking up a bright red tomato.

Fruits and vegetables could help players recover health and mana, and they tasted good, but their recovery effects were poor. Most players wouldn't buy them, especially in the early stages when money was so tight; buying fruits and vegetables was considered a shameful waste.

"2 copper each."

"I'll take 10."

Shi Feng paid 20 copper, took the ten tomatoes, and walked into the town hall.

"Hey, newcomer, get in line! Don't you see everyone else is waiting?"

"Swordsman, what are you doing? Do you know how many people are waiting behind you?"

The players in line were furious at Shi Feng's approach toward the mayor. They began to criticize him loudly; if it weren't for the fact that attacking players within the town would lead to imprisonment, they would have already taken him out.

"Sorry, I'm really not here for a quest. I'm just looking," Shi Feng smiled at the players and looked toward the town mayor, Cross, who was quite portly with a round, fleshy face.

Cross, Friendly, Level 15 Elite, HP 2400/2400, Mana 1500/1500. At this stage, no player could defeat him—not even an entire party.

Shi Feng then took out a bright red tomato and began to eat it.

"What is this guy doing?"

"Holy crap, that's too extravagant! He's actually eating a tomato—those cost 2 coppers each."

The players didn't understand what Shi Feng was trying to do. Was he coming into the Town Hall just to eat a tomato to show off how rich he was?

Halfway through eating, Shi Feng tossed the tomato right at Mayor Cross's face.

The tomato struck Cross's face with pinpoint accuracy, and bright red liquid splattered and dripped down his face.

System: Your favorability with Cross has decreased by 100 points.

Shi Feng wasn't satisfied yet; he pulled more tomatoes from his bag and hurled them at Cross.

"You hypocrite, you fat pig, you bloodsucker! You aren't fit to be mayor!"

Shi Feng cursed as he threw them. Cross's favorability continued to plummet, and his entire body was soon drenched in bright red tomato juice. Combined with his furious expression, he looked absolutely ridiculous.

Yet, no one in the entire Town Hall could bring themselves to laugh. It was deathly silent. Every player watched Shi Feng's actions with their mouths agape, stunned into stupidity.

God's Domain had only been open for twenty minutes, and a player actually dared to attack an NPC—and not just any NPC, but the boss of the starter zone, a town mayor!

This guy was completely insane. Wasn't he afraid of being locked in solitary confinement until he died?

Did he not want to survive in Red Leaf Town anymore?

Even if you wanted to lash out at society, you shouldn't do it like this!

Just as the players expected Shi Feng to be arrested by the guards or for the mayor to fly into a rage and kill him, nothing of the sort happened.

The crowd didn't know that insulting an NPC didn't count as a formal attack, so neither the guards nor Cross would strike back. However, such behavior would make the NPC loathe the player, making it impossible to accept any more quests from them in the future.

When Shi Feng smashed the final tomato into Cross, his favorability toward Shi Feng dropped to Hostile. His level display changed to a question mark, and his yellow nameplate instantly turned bright red.

"Damn vermin, I will send you to hell!"

The bright red Mayor Cross let out a furious roar and lunged violently toward Shi Feng.

If any readers are interested in character side stories or the world of God's Domain, you can follow the WeChat official account "Tianyun Old Cat" to see content that cannot be presented in the book.