Information broker

"Hey, buddy! Want to buy some instance intel?"

A man in a vest, with bags of all sizes hanging off him, appeared in front of him.

"If I'm not mistaken, you just cleared your first instance, right? Newcomers get forced into their next instance after one day... and that's when the difficulty ramps up! Our instance intel is fairly priced, with no tricks or rip-offs. Buy some, and it might just save your life when it counts..."

Backpack Man was all enthusiasm. Without waiting for Li Xian to speak, he launched into an endless sales pitch. Li Xian glanced at him and asked:

"You can collect instance intel?"

Seeing signs that Li Xian was taking the bait, Backpack Man secretly rubbed his fingers together, straightened his back, and put even more effort into his pitch:

"Of course-you don't run an instance just once. Different people can clear the same instance multiple times. My job is to find those people and collect intel from them. I've got plenty of instance information, everything from F-rank to C-rank. Prices start at 20 points per instance, and I can give you a discount if you buy more..."

He seemed certain Li Xian would buy something, following close behind him while rapidly rattling off the prices of his "information":

"F-rank instances cost 50 points, with another 20 for each rank above that. Buy more than ten entries at once, and I can give you twenty percent off... After all, the more instance information you buy, the more likely you are to use it. Wouldn't you agree?"

"How many entries do you have in total?"

At those words, Backpack Man immediately thought he'd found a big customer. His eyes lit up, and he hurried to answer, "Eight F-rank instances, six D-rank, and two C-rank. If you buy them all, I'll give you twenty-five percent off... 750 points total!"

The man's voice grew louder as he calculated the points, making Li Xian feel for a moment as though he were back at the wholesale market in his hometown.

"Why don't you have anything above C-rank?"

"Oh, instances in the Novice Zone only go up to C-rank. B-rank and above are only available in the Advanced Zone. We don't get those here."

Understanding, Li Xian nodded at Backpack Man.

"Thanks. I'm not buying."

"Hey, wait..."

Backpack Man froze at Li Xian's decisive refusal, then realized what had happened. This guy had been fishing for information!

When his pitch failed, he simply reached out and grabbed Li Xian's arm:

"Buddy, you can't just get all that for free. You should at least buy something as a gesture, right?"

Li Xian frowned and shook off his hand. "With information on so few instances, actually encountering one would be like finding a needle in a haystack, wouldn't it?"

Otherwise, why wasn't he selling to experienced players who knew their stuff, instead of patiently pestering a newcomer like him who knew nothing?

Backpack Man's expression shifted several times. With his ploy exposed, he knew this deal was dead.

He glanced at Li Xian's unruffled demeanor, then suddenly seemed to understand something and cursed under his breath:

"Fuck, you should've said you were an experienced player! Wasting my time here..."

By then, Li Xian had reached the square pillar in the center of the lobby. He looked up and scanned the words above:

"Welcome to the Player Center - Novice Lobby"

"This is a place for players to rest"

"You may purchase food, accommodation, and other items through your Personal Light Screen"

"Players are forbidden from harming one another in the lobby, but trading is permitted"

"Enjoy your day off"

There was less information up there than Li Xian had expected, so he called back Backpack Man, who was leaving in a huff:

"Do you sell basic information?"

"Basic... information?"

"Things like what to watch out for here. I'll give you 20 points per question."

Backpack Man's eyes darted around, and he held up three fingers. "Thirty!"

"Fine," Li Xian agreed. "How do I get to that Advanced Zone you mentioned?"

Backpack Man choked at such a basic question.

This guy really was a new player?

He scratched his head and explained:

"Well, you just need to save up 50,000 points. Easier said than done, though..."

The man sighed.

Li Xian continued, "What's the deal with point donations in instances?"

"Those come from players in the Advanced Zone. Apparently, they can watch any Novice Zone instance livestream they want. If they spot a promising newcomer, they'll send a donation."

Although Backpack Man had initially approached Li Xian intending to swindle him, he answered his questions without any evasiveness, clearing them up in just a few sentences.

"Anything else you want to ask?"

Li Xian nodded and asked the last question on his mind:

"Other than getting into the Advanced Zone and buying things, what else are the points you save up good for?"

Li Xian asked because it seemed far too strange if the points they risked their lives clearing instances to earn could only be used to cover basic living expenses.

At that question, Backpack Man's expression suddenly turned serious.

"I can answer that, but you have to transfer the points you promised me first."

Judging by his reaction, points must have some important use. The man was afraid Li Xian would change his mind and refuse to pay once he heard.

Following his instructions, Li Xian transferred 90 points to Backpack Man.

After receiving the points, the man coughed and said solemnly:

"Open the shop and keep scrolling to the end."

Li Xian opened his light screen as instructed, swiping across it repeatedly.

The shop carried a vast assortment of items, most of them everyday necessities. It took Li Xian two minutes of scrolling to finally reach the end.

When his gaze landed on the bottom of the interface, his finger froze in midair, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Backpack Man spoke slowly:

"There's an item there that costs 99.99 million points."

"It's called 'Wish Come True.'"

"Ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety thousand..."

Li Xian repeated the number under his breath.

Backpack Man patted Li Xian on the back. "Shocking, right? That price really is ridiculous. I wonder if anyone in the Advanced Zone has saved up enough points to buy it..."

But Li Xian shook his head.

Looking at Backpack Man's hopeful face, he opened his mouth, but ultimately kept his suspicions to himself.

If ninety million was a number players in the Advanced Zone could actually reach...

Then there definitely wouldn't be so many people casually donating points to newcomers.

Li Xian sighed inwardly and glanced a few more times at the enticing item name, "Wish Come True," before finally closing his light screen.

"Thanks. I don't have any more questions."

"Right."

Backpack Man acknowledged him.

Before leaving, Li Xian looked back at him:

"If you set up a stall just to answer newcomers' questions, you might make more than you do by scamming people."

Backpack Man froze when he heard that.

That... made sense!

Why hadn't he thought of doing business that way?

It took a while for him to snap out of it, then he hurried after Li Xian's retreating figure.

"Buddy, here's an extra piece of intel, on the house..."

"If you meet an experienced player in an instance who's especially friendly to newcomers, stay as far away from him as you can."