Trouble in the Real World

Mo Fei was not angry. This girl was one of his most prized collectibles. He had kidnapped her here three months ago, and the king of the Torrentkeep Kingdom had specifically released a Hero-level quest to draw adventurers into rescuing the princess. A Hero quest meant that anyone who completed it could advance to Hero status; if they were already a Hero, they could use it to raise their Hero rank.

Now, the Hero quest had been upgraded into an epic quest, yet no one had managed to complete it so far.

The girl gave Mephisto plenty of trouble in daily life. Every time they met, she would mock and ridicule him, but Mephisto had always tolerated her generously.

For one thing, having a beautiful woman to chat with was not bad when he was alone in the dungeon.

For another, keeping a princess here as bait could lure in plenty of fools who walked right into the trap.

And third, a princess in a dragon's home was like a yacht in a tycoon's mansion. Whether it was useful or not was beside the point—the important thing was that you had to have one. Better yet, it should come with a few bounty quests, and the higher the quest level, the better. A dragon-slaying quest would be even better. That was the kind of prestige he wanted.

Otherwise, whenever the Black Dragon Legion held its annual meeting, he would be too embarrassed to greet the other Black Dragon Lords.

To make sure she could settle in comfortably, Mo Fei had specifically ordered his Goblin craftsmen to build a miniature castle for her deep inside the cavern. A lava moat surrounded it, and Dragonkin guards delivered her meals every day.

Mo Fei was not worried about her escaping. Though she had "princess" in her title, Catherine did not have a Hero Template. She had the Civilian Template, the second weakest combat template in the game—the weakest was the Small Animal Template. In other words, if she really escaped, any two Kobolds could kill her.

Named NPCs in this game were highly intelligent. They would never do something as foolish as seeking their own deaths.

"How much longer are you planning to keep me locked up?"

"What, are you still thinking about returning to your kingdom? If you ask me, forget it. Court intrigue is not suited to an innocent girl like you. Isn't it nice staying here? You have servants at your command, no worries about food or drink, and such a considerate, handsome dragon like me to keep you company. Where else could you find a deal this good?"

"Don't get smug. Sooner or later, a Hero will rescue me from your evil lair. Warriors of the kingdom will come and cut off your head. Your head will be hung above the gates of Torrent City. Let's see if you can still laugh then."

"Wow! Wow! So vicious, so dark. And people say I'm the villain. I simply cannot understand it. Between the two of us, I think you're the more evil one. I treat you so well, yet you still curse me like this.

"But I am forgiving, so I won't hold your rudeness against you... Since you're so confident, though, what are you in such a hurry for? Just wait patiently."

Seeing how utterly unconcerned the Black Dragon looked, the princess grew even angrier. "You've imprisoned me here for three months already. What exactly do you want from me?"

"My father is gravely ill, and I don't even know if he's alive or dead. I have to return to the kingdom!"

"Hey, did you hear me? You are not allowed to sleep while this princess is talking to you!" In her fury, she rushed over and began punching and kicking the Black Dragon's front claw. Unfortunately, against a Black Dragon with over a thousand armor, it did not even count as a scratch.

With his eyes closed, the Black Dragon replied perfunctorily, "All right, Catherine, save your strength. I'm going to sleep. We can talk tomorrow. You should hurry off to bed too. Dreams have everything—maybe your Dragon Slayer will come save you then."

He lowered his head and let out a long snore. Smoke sprayed from the dragon's nostrils, and the scorching gust forced Catherine to stagger back several steps. By the time she regained her footing, the Black Dragon was already asleep.

Catherine made a crude gesture at the sleeping Black Dragon, sighed, and turned back toward her castle.

The golden exclamation mark lit the way like a torch, keeping her from falling in the darkness...

Mo Fei opened his eyes and rubbed his sore neck from lying on his back for too long. He took off his gaming helmet and stretched lazily.

He stared blankly at the computer screen in the distance, adjusting to the physical change from dragon to human.

Every time he left the game, he felt strangely unsettled. Controlling a Black Dragon's body was no easy task. A Black Dragon had four limbs and a pair of wings, and he had to immerse himself completely to control it naturally. Yet once he immersed himself, reality and virtuality often became hard to distinguish. Returning to reality instead made everything feel unreal.

The temperature in the streaming room was pleasantly set, but the smell of meat floss pastries and beef jerky lingered stubbornly in the air.

He stretched his muscles and silently grumbled that compared to the incomparably powerful body of a Black Dragon, this human body really was frail.

Alas, a game was still just a game. Even if it was an incredibly realistic holographic virtual game, people always had to return to reality.

He checked his phone. It was already late, so Mo Fei planned to say goodbye and head back to the dormitory early to sleep.

When Mo Fei walked out of the streaming room, he found the supervisor waiting outside the door, as if specifically for him.

"Mo Fei, come here. There's someone you need to meet."

Mo Fei was confused, but he followed the supervisor into a nearby lounge.

A handsome young man in a sharp suit was watching the livestream on the computer screen. It showed the Black Dragon slaughtering the army of adventurers. The man watched with rapt attention, excitement shining in his eyes as if he were watching a Hollywood blockbuster, a bucket of popcorn in his hands.

"Let me introduce you. This is the young president of our Starlight Group, Mr. Wang Ziheng."

Young president? Wang Ziheng? Mo Fei was slightly stunned, but the other man had already extended his hand warmly.

"Hello, Mo Fei. Or should I call you Mephisto? Wow, I just watched your stream. It was seriously cool. That Black Dragon was incredibly awesome. I've never been much of a gamer, but I have to say, your video changed my impression. Maybe someday we can go out and have some fun together."

Mo Fei was baffled. He had spent enough time in society to understand that unsolicited kindness usually hid an ulterior motive. The young president of a company lived in a completely different world from him. There was no way he would flatter him and try to get close without a reason.

Still, he had to give the young president some face.

"Haha, young president, you're too kind. I'm just doing my job."

"Hehe, you can't put it like that. There are many streamers broadcasting Skyworld, but very few can make their characters feel as epic as you do. Honestly, I was fired up just watching. That dominance..."

As he spoke, his expression suddenly became even friendlier. "Would you be interested in streaming with another game character? Our company is preparing to build a large, fully integrated monster community. We need multiple streamers to move in together, cooperate as a group, and debut as a team. Perhaps I can arrange a position for you. This is a rare opportunity—you would receive strong company support, along with opportunities for deeper collaboration."

Mo Fei was not fooled by the pile of flashy jargon. He asked cautiously, "Then what about my current game character?"

"Hehe, of course the company will make separate arrangements for that. Black Dragon Lord Mephisto is still very popular. Naturally, the company will not give him up."

Mo Fei's heart sank. There it was. The dagger was finally out in the open.

"Hehe, young president, you're not joking, are you? When I signed the contract, it was clearly stated that ownership of the game account belonged to the streamer. Unless I violated the platform agreement, you have no right to take it away."

"That is true. I'm only here to discuss it with you. We know you've put a great deal of effort into this account, and the platform will compensate you. One million in compensation, and we'll also fund the creation of a new boss character for you."

"Or, if you want to play a Hero Template or Lord Template, that would be fine too. It's always good to try something new."

P.S. Wu Shang Zhonglin, your Alliance Leader reward has greatly encouraged me.