Dawn

"The opportunity has arrived—"

After the rules for team battles were released.

Prison Rock Royal Court.

The hall was originally shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere.

The Prime Minister of Prison Rock stared at the system notification in front of him, his previously cloudy eyes suddenly flashing with a sharp light, and he muttered a sentence.

[----Killing the Architect is equivalent to obtaining five Core Bonfire!]

This special clause is like a ray of light in endless darkness.

The previously dejected members of the Prison Rock leadership began to breathe rapidly, and their rekindled fighting spirit quickly spread through the air.

Killing one person is equivalent to obtaining five Core Bonfire!

The fastest way to win in team battles has been discovered for Prison Rock!

"Judging from the situation during the recapture battle, the Architect in Nine Provinces are probably in the top tier. She will start matchmaking in twelve hours."

The Prime Minister muttered something again, then abruptly stood up and looked at the representative of the Prison Rock Chosen Player: "Gallagher!"

"After we enter the match tomorrow, ignore those small, ordinary areas and split into two groups immediately!"

"Those closest to the [Painted World], immediately abandon everything and move towards it to defend it to the death! Hold onto the two Core Bonfire there! That's our stronghold. As long as we hold them, Nine Provinces will be unable to quickly capture all the Bonfire to achieve victory!"

"Those who are near the Firelink Shrine should immediately assemble."

The Prime Minister took a deep breath. "Then, following the coordinates broadcast every ten minutes, hunt down that Architect! If we kill her, we'll instantly gain the points for five Core Bonfire. Then, by protecting the Bonfire in the Painted World, we can declare victory!"

But don't let your guard down!

The Prime Minister paused, then continued, "The opposing Architect is definitely not as weak as Helag; the nine-game winning streak in the last recapture battle is proof of that."

Helag not far away, muttered, "She's definitely very strong."

"Since the system has given her such an extreme negative buff, it means that if left unchecked, she could even sway the entire battle simply by controlling the dungeon."

"Gallagher, you're in charge of leading the hunt for the Architect, but don't be impulsive, don't let anger cloud your judgment."

"Once we find her, it would be ideal if we could kill her immediately. But if that's not possible, let the ordinary players probe her strengths, figure out her fighting style and trump cards! The group battle will definitely last for several days! It's okay if we lose on the first day!"

"If we can find that Architect's weakness, if we can find a way to reliably kill her, then we can win back all the areas in one fell swoop!"

"Because she can't avoid participating in matchmaking! Once she does, it's like having five walking Bonfire! You know what I mean?"

Gallagher took a deep breath. "I understand."

----As long as a reliable method to kill the Nine Provinces Architect can be found, the top-tier players in Prison Rock will be able to keep winning.

A single victory grants ten Chen Capital regions.

If all goes well.

soon.

The gap between the two sides will be eliminated.

Who knows— Prison Rock might actually turn the tide and win in the end!

"In this collective battle, we at Prison Rock absolutely cannot afford to lose again!"

The Prime Minister, looking at the rules before him, took another deep breath. "The players from Nine Provinces, with their dungeon Architect, are definitely more familiar with the dungeons than we are; they have an advantage in that regard! But this is also our opportunity! As long as we can consistently kill the Nine Provinces Architect, we will gain a huge advantage in group battles!"

This is an opportunity you can't miss!

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

"After victory! I will bathe in the fiery rocks of the Imperial Capital with you!"

"Oh!!!"

A deafening roar echoed through the main hall.

At this moment, Prison Rock finally saw a glimmer of hope for turning the tide.

On the other side.

Although it's still insults.

But Lu Xiu eventually opened the forum again.

Ultimately, it's out of curiosity about the players' discussions—they may be silly, but they're fun too.

Furthermore, both the dungeon entrance and the deck-building entrance are now closed.

Lu Xiu didn't know what to do either.

While she was engrossed in reading posts on the forum, watching the silly players go crazy, and laughing uncontrollably...

There was a knock on the door.

Lu Xiu roughly guessed who had come, and went to the entrance hall to open the door.

really.

Jian Li and Shen Nian were standing outside the door.

The two remained unchanged. Jian Li, needless to say, was someone Lu Xiu had known for so long and had never seen wear pants before. Today was no different; she was wearing a cream-colored, chunky knit cardigan over a round-neck T-shirt, and a high-waisted gray pleated skirt, her fair and slender legs particularly eye-catching.

I just don't know if it's cold or hot.

In contrast, Shen Nian, standing next to her, presented a completely different image.

Shen Nian was wearing a loose hooded sweatshirt and straight-leg jeans, looking like a college student who had just finished class.

"It's autumn."

Upon seeing their attire, Lu Xiu suddenly sighed.

Actually, she rarely goes out.

This resulted in her being slow to perceive temperature.

Seeing their outfits now, I belatedly realized that it's already late autumn.

Shen Nian was completely taken aback by Lu Xiu's first words and instinctively replied, "Yes, it's quite cold in the mornings and evenings, but warm at noon. I saw that the ginkgo trees in Wuyi Lane have turned yellow; they're very beautiful. Next time—wait a minute."

As they talked...

Shen Nian suddenly realized something and stepped forward to support Lu Xiu's shoulder. "What are you talking about autumn for? The problem now is that you're going to become the target of everyone's criticism!"

"----"

Lu Xiu looked at Shen Nian's suddenly changed expression, bewildered for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle, "What are you doing? I know I'm going to become the target of everyone's criticism, but there's no need to be so nervous—besides, aren't you all here? There must be some arrangements, right?"

Jian Li glanced at Shen Nian, then looked at Lu Xiu and explained, "We're here to confirm a meeting point. All members of the Strategy Group, as well as all the High Sequence players that the Coordination Bureau can currently mobilize, will converge in the direction you specify after landing, at all costs."

"In this collective battle, we are your bodyguards."

Lu Xiu was taken aback. "Is it that exaggerated?"

"Not an exaggeration."

Shen Nian then came to her senses and explained, "And it's not just about protecting you. How to fight for the Bonfire in the arena, how to deal with the Prison Rock players—the entire Strategy Group, and all the players the Coordination Bureau can mobilize, will be under your command."

"I?"

Lu Xiu stretched out her fair finger and pointed to herself.

"Right."

Shen Nian nodded. "After all, that's a dungeon you created, and if you die, we're doomed to lose—where do you plan to choose as the rendezvous point?"

Lu Xiu scratched her cheek. "Can I not give orders? I don't know how."

Just choose based on your intuition.

Jian Li looked at Lu Xiu's pretty face. "There are only about thirty people in Nine Provinces who have cleared Dark Souls. Even if you add them all up, you probably don't know as well as the dungeon as the scene."

Perhaps that's why, because you can help your faction gain a huge advantage, the system gives you a negative buff.

"Okay."

Lu Xiu thought for a moment and said, "When you go to the Darkroot Garden, you know the path leading to the Grass Crest Shield, right? Go down that path and you'll encounter a Black Knight wielding an axe."

Continuing down, we'll reach the lakeside area. We'll meet there, and I'll open the shortcut to Havel's watchtower.

You can also come over from Undead Burg.

"?"

Shen Nian was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. "Isn't it the Firelink Shrine? I thought you would choose the Firelink Shrine."

Lu Xiu wanted to explain, but suddenly remembered that she couldn't reveal the new content yet, so she could only say, "That place is unlucky—and most importantly, the Firelink Shrine is too conspicuous."

I always feel like you've overlooked a lot of things.

Shen Nian pressed on Lu Xiu's shoulder, looking at Lu Xiu's flawless, beautiful face, and asked with some suspicion, "What do you mean by unlucky—"

As they talked...

She wanted to get closer and examine Lu Xiu more closely, trying to glean some hidden information from her eyes.

But just as she moved forward half an inch Jian Li suddenly took a step forward expressionlessly, then turned around and walked directly between the two of them. "Get out of the way."

"Why?"

Shen Nian was stunned for a moment, then quickly let go of Lu Xiu's shoulder.

Jian Li slowly walked from beside her to Lu Xiu's side.

I took a full five steps.

Shen Nian:

However, Jian Li's interruption...

She then recalled another point mentioned in the announcement, which stated that there were still unknown changes to the dungeon, and asked players to look forward to it.

"Wait, it can't be—"

Shen Nian suddenly looked up, her pretty short hair swaying, and stared at Lu Xiu with a strange expression.

Lu Xiu didn't answer, but simply said, "Let's meet there anyway."

"All right----"

Shen Nian nodded slowly. "But I remember there was a Hydra there, right? Your [Creator] buff forces all monsters to have the highest aggro—"

Not to mention the numerous Crystal Golem roaming the shore, the watchtower, and Havel.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Lu Xiu.

Instead, all the monsters' hatred will be locked onto Lu Xiu, leaving Lu Xiu with absolutely no breathing room.

She hadn't seen any footage of Lu Xiu verifying her success in clearing that instance.

"Fine."

Lu Xiu casually replied, "I'll take care of it then. If I can't, then I'll wait for you guys to arrive before dealing with it. Anyway, the meeting point is right there; we'll run into someone eventually."

"Understood."

Shen Nian thought for a moment and said, "We'll get there as soon as possible. If you feel it's too much trouble, just wait for us."

Jian Li nodded slightly.

"I know."

"Then I'll go and inform the bald man first—inform Director Yan."

Shen Nian walked in, then sat on the sofa and started sending messages to Yan Fushou.

Lu Xiu closed the door, then looked at Jian Li standing beside her. "Are you staying here tonight?"

Jian Li nodded slightly. "I'll go into the arena with you then; being close means our random landing points will be similar."

There isn't such a setting, is there?

Lu Xiu thought about it carefully and asked in confusion.

She read the system announcement word for word.

Furthermore, it doesn't make logical sense—if getting close in reality means you can get closer upon entering the arena, then during matchmaking, if everyone in the Strategy Group sticks close together, wouldn't they be able to easily form a team?

The system definitely won't let that happen.

"The system didn't explicitly state that."

Jian Li remained calm and replied, "But the instance is only so big. With two thousand people randomly assigned, there will always be some who are close together. Being close might have an effect, and from a probabilistic point of view, it's worth a try."

While dealing with Yan Fushou, Shen Nian took a moment to look up at Jian Li, gently shaking her shoulder-length, pretty short hair, her expression somewhat strange.

To some extent.

It's quite easy to guess what this icy cat is thinking.

Just say you want to live together.

Why make up such a ridiculous excuse?

"I see----"

Lu Xiu, oblivious to Jian Li's thoughts, nodded with remarkable insensitivity. "Although it feels rather mystical—let's give it a try. There's no harm in being together. If we can actually settle down together, it will definitely make things much easier."

"Um----"

Jian Li nodded with a very slight amplitude.

"Let's go—oh right."

Lu Xiu led Jian Li to sit on the sofa, but before turning around, she thought of something, and her gaze unconsciously shifted downwards, landing on Jian Li's gray pleated skirt.

It's already late autumn.

Although it's fine indoors, you can definitely feel a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings.

Jian Li still wears skirts to this day.

"Speaking of which----"

Looking at her, Lu Xiu couldn't help but ask with concern, "It's already autumn, aren't you cold wearing such a short skirt?"

Jian Li followed Lu Xiu's gaze and lowered her head slightly, glancing at the hem of her skirt before gently shaking her head.

"It's not cold."

"That's good—and it's really beautiful."

Seeing this, Lu Xiu didn't ask any more questions. She just smiled and praised her, then led her to sit down on the sofa, opened her notebook, and began to think about how to get to the meeting point quickly tomorrow.

Jian Li sat quietly beside Lu Xiu.

The soft light poured down into the room, and Jian Li's gaze unconsciously fell on Lu Xiu's profile.

When Lu Xiu is thinking, her long eyelashes droop slightly and her lips purse slightly, making her appear exceptionally gentle and exuding a tranquil feeling that makes it hard to look away.

I watched for a moment.

Jian Li lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze naturally falling back to the hem of her skirt and her long, white legs that were neatly pressed together.

She wasn't cold.

But she doesn't necessarily have to wear a skirt.

If you want to look sharp and nimble, or to conform to the general dressing habits in autumn, switching to long pants is obviously more appropriate.

only----

Jian Li looked at Lu Xiu's profile again, and a barely perceptible ripple flashed in her clear, glass-like eyes.

She discovered a pattern.

It seems that every time she wears this kind of pleated mini-skirt, Lu Xiu's gaze always unconsciously lingers on the hem of her skirt.

They would also sincerely compliment it, saying it looks great.