Do You Have to Pay Just to Take a Look?

Do You Have to Pay Just to Take a Look?

"Guides cost money too?"

The speaker was a low-ranking Spirit Hall steward. He was not trying to pick a fight; he simply could not understand it. The papers were sitting right there. Everyone had watched them being compiled. Why should looking at them a few extra times cost money? He was not the only one thinking that. Quite a few people in the shop felt the same way. Grand Dao Internet Cafe had previously sold time. Buyouts were for games. The small counter sold tea, paper, and pastries. Those were things one could see and touch. But what was a guide? A few sheets of paper. A few lines of writing. Some even felt that since Grandmaster and Tang San had written it in the shop, everyone should be allowed to read it together.

Zhou Ping grew a little anxious at that. He wanted to argue, but did not know how. Because he had just made it through the grass using those few lines. Those lines might not be worth much to others. To him, they were. Tang San said nothing. Grandmaster frowned. Ning Fengzhi smiled.

"If taking one casual look were enough, no one would have died seven times in the grass."

Yue Guan looked at Ning Fengzhi.

"Does Sect Master Ning think these sheets are worth a great deal?"

"Whether they are valuable depends on who uses them."

Ning Fengzhi said.

"But the person who wrote them should have the right to decide who gets to read them."

The Shrek group all looked toward Lin Chuan. Lin Chuan tapped the counter.

"From now on, guides posted in the shop will follow three rules."

The shop quieted down.

"First, basic tips are free. Level names, obvious dangers, and publicly known shop rules will not be charged for."

"Second, Review Annotations require the person involved to agree. Whose death footage it is, whose route it is—only that person can approve its release."

"Third, in-depth guides may be sold. The compiler sets the price. The shop takes ten percent as a posting fee, and the rest belongs to the compiler. The same goes for copied versions. Do not steal them, and do not force anyone to sell."

Someone sucked in a breath. A ten-percent posting fee. Boss Lin would not even spare a sheet of paper. But Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up.

"Then if I write a guide someday, can I sell it too?"

Xiao Wu looked him up and down.

"What would you write? 'How to Almost Burn the Lamp'?"

The shop immediately burst into laughter. Ma Hongjun's face reddened.

"Almost burning it is still experience!"

Lin Chuan actually nodded.

"If someone is truly willing to buy it, that counts."

Ma Hongjun froze.

He had only been talking tough. But when Lin Chuan said that, he suddenly felt it might actually work. Failures could be sold? Ways of dying could be sold? In Grand Dao Internet Cafe, even the strangest paths could somehow lead to money. But someone quickly caught on.

"Then... if ordinary soul masters write useful guides, can they earn money too?"

Several low-ranking soul masters' eyes brightened. They could not afford much time. They could not compete with geniuses for the spotlight. But if they died often enough and remembered enough details, perhaps they could turn failure into money. It was absurd. Yet it was very Grand Dao Internet Cafe. Yue Guan said lazily, "What if Spirit Hall wants to buy a guide exclusively?" Lin Chuan glanced at him.

"Exclusives are not for sale."

Yue Guan raised a brow.

"You will not make money either?"

"It can be sold at a high price."

Lin Chuan said.

"But later players cannot be kept from seeing it forever."

As soon as he said that, many people in the shop relaxed. Great sects had money. Spirit Hall had even more. But in this shop, money could buy an early look, a closer look, and the effort others were willing to sell. It could not buy the right to block everyone else's path. Zhou Ping quietly let out a breath. What he feared most was that powerful factions would buy up the guides outright. Then ordinary students like him would not even have the right to take a look.

At least Lin Chuan had blocked that road now. Not Zhou Ping's road. The road of those who wanted to buy out every path. Ning Fengzhi also looked at Lin Chuan. The rules sounded simple. But if they could truly be enforced, the things in Grand Dao Internet Cafe would not be completely swallowed by the major powers. Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could buy them. Spirit Hall could buy them. Ordinary soul masters could also slowly gather enough through their own efforts. That was what made this shop so troublesome. By evening, the four from Shrek entered Cooperative Advance again. This time, Tang San did not rush ahead. Xiao Wu did not chase every strange sight.

Ma Hongjun stood behind and to the right of the Incense Lamp, keeping the small flame of Breath-Calming Pure Flame in his palm pressed low. Whenever he grew anxious before, his fire would surge. Now he was deliberately learning to make it burn only what needed burning. Ning Rongrong had no soul skill. She only held the lamp.

"The wind is stronger on the left, but the right side will move first."

She stared at the flame.

"Third Brother, we cannot leave the rear empty."

Tang San immediately stopped. Xiao Wu circled back, forcing the Little Demons from the grass without pursuing too far. Ma Hongjun dropped a small flame onto the dead grass. The fire had barely risen before he suppressed it, leaving only smoke to force the ambushers on the right out. They moved slowly. Even slower than last time. But the Incense Lamp did not go out, nor did it suddenly dim again. They were so slow that even Yan frowned.

"Does this count as getting through?"

Xie Yue watched the screen.

"They are not competing for speed."

Yan knew that, of course.

But seeing Ma Hongjun hold that flame so low made him uncomfortable. Fire should burn. The fiercer, the better. Yet Ma Hongjun on the screen had compressed his flames into a line. The Little Demons were forced out by smoke. The dead grass burned in a circle. Yet the Incense Lamp did not sway. Yan grew quieter as he watched. If it were him, he might not be unable to do it. But he had rarely considered doing it that way before. Because Spirit Hall had taught him to make his fire stronger. And now Grand Dao Internet Cafe was asking him: could he make his fire not strong?

When the four reached the Land Shrine, the flame still stood four inches high. A prompt appeared on the spectator screen.

[Cooperative Trial progress updated.]

[Team reached: Before the Land Shrine.]

[Incense Lamp integrity: Above average.]

[Review Annotation rack unlock condition completed: Two.]

The shop exploded.

"They really made it!"

"The guide worked!"

"The fat guy kept his fire under control!"

Ma Hongjun removed the synchronization headset, his forehead drenched in sweat.

"I told you I could control it!"

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes.

"You nearly burned the lamp just now."

"Nearly means I did not burn it, right?"

The hand Ning Rongrong used to hold the lamp was still trembling. She understood more clearly than Ma Hongjun just how dangerous several moments had been. The lamp had dimmed. The wind had shifted. Xiao Wu had stepped away by half a pace. Tang San had nearly chased too deeply once. But each time, someone had called someone else back. It had not been instinct. It had been those few sheets of paper and the experience they had just gained through review. Ning Rongrong looked down at her hand. Though the game had ended, her palm still felt warm. As if she were still holding that lamp against her chest. Ning Fengzhi watched her for a while, then pushed three hundred Gold Soul Coins onto the counter.

"Boss Lin, buyout."

A light screen descended.

[Player Ning Fengzhi has completed the first effective Review Annotation.]

[Hidden support-type evaluation triggered: Perceptive Observation.]

[Drawing reward.]

The light stopped.

[Seven Apertures Observe the Field: Fragment]

[Effect: Consolidates the player's initial understanding of teammate distance, danger tendencies, and resource allocation rhythm. This understanding does not produce a soul skill or increase Soul Power, but may serve as a reference for support-type training.]

The two Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples held their breath. Ning Fengzhi said nothing. He raised his hand and tapped each of the three review sheets on the table.

"These three are in the wrong order."

Grandmaster was startled.

Ning Fengzhi pressed the route map into the center.

"When there is a support-type soul master in the team, this should not be read last."

He paused.

"It should be read from the beginning."

The two Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples stared at the table. With the three sheets rearranged, the route changed from "how to kill our way through" into "who should stand where." The female disciple suddenly understood. With the same guide, assault-type soul masters looked at the monsters. Agility-type soul masters looked at detours. Support-type soul masters looked at distance and positioning. The paper was still the same paper. But different people saw different things in it.

The reward Ning Fengzhi had drawn this time was not something that helped him kill monsters. It allowed him to see these things more clearly. Ning Fengzhi had not gained another Spirit Ring. But the path he had just written down had lit up. Yue Guan stood in the corner, his gaze darkening slightly. The less the reward Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect obtained resembled a soul skill, the less he dared underestimate it. Soul skills could be defended against. Soul Power could be suppressed. But if training methods changed, an entire generation would be affected. This had to be reported as soon as possible. Ning Fengzhi reread the prompt for "Seven Apertures Observe the Field: Fragment."

Fragment.

The two words were light.

Yet they were good.

Obtaining something complete too easily could make one greedy for speed. A fragment instead reminded him that this was only the beginning. For Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to change its training through this shop would not be accomplished in a day. But as long as the path had opened, it was worth continuing down it. Grandmaster reread the three sheets Ning Fengzhi had moved. He did not speak up to argue. Because he realized that he had indeed been more accustomed to viewing routes from a combatant's perspective.

The support-type perspective had filled in something he had missed.