After the quest was released, the veteran players, eager for contribution points, began making their plans.
The new players, meanwhile, were brimming with excitement!
They had never expected to find a quest with such generous rewards the moment they entered the game!
After all, they had heard about this phenomenally popular game long before joining it.
The first few players to enter the game were practically the hottest names around now!
Almost everyone knew those nine players' IDs!
They also knew that those veterans had had to figure everything out for themselves when they first entered the game.
There had been no quests with such generous rewards at the start!
These new players had no intention of stubbornly charging ahead on their own.
They all planned to see the world from the shoulders of giants.
As a streamer, Dai Xiaomei naturally knew how to deal with people, and she immediately stepped forward to recruit the new players.
"Anyone want to team up with me to level?"
"Free carries for the ladies! Sorry, no male players!"
Some of the male players had been about to raise their hands after hearing the first sentence, only to hear the second right afterward.
"Why no male players...?"
Seriously, this was a chance to get up close to a famous streamer. Who wouldn't want that?
Dai Xiaomei stuck out her tongue and said, "Because hanging out with the girls is better, of course!"
With Dai Xiaomei recruiting them, most of the female players chose to join her team.
Only two female players chose not to join Dai Xiaomei.
They both seemed like loners, so Dai Xiaomei didn't go looking for a rebuff.
She merely told them they could come to her if they ran into any problems, and that they were always welcome.
Although those two female players seemed solitary, they had no intention of rejecting someone's kindness. Both nodded and thanked her.
Some of the male players admired One Sword Opens Heaven and begged him to carry them.
However, One Sword Opens Heaven was simply too accustomed to going solo. Otherwise, he wouldn't have held so many solo speedrun records.
So he politely declined their requests to team up, one by one.
Still, he said that if an opportunity for group combat arose, he would join in.
Seeing Dai Xiaomei recruit so many players, Emperor of Sinking couldn't sit still either.
He quickly began calling out, recruiting followers of his own.
Emperor of Sinking's incredible luck really did attract quite a few people, so three or four male players chose to team up with him.
Quite a few of the male players also chose to go solo.
One was so enthralled by Master Sanfeng's talismans that he begged to be taken on as a disciple.
That certainly gave Master Sanfeng a fright.
"Well..."
"This is the inheritance of my Maoshan Lineage. If you ask me to take you as a disciple, I'm afraid..."
Coming from a family with such a heritage, Master Sanfeng naturally regarded taking on a disciple as a matter of utmost importance.
He didn't dare agree lightly.
Still, seeing how sincere the man was, he said he could let him help out for the time being.
He wouldn't keep anything within the game from him.
But if he wanted to learn anything deeper, he would have to formally become his disciple.
The male player immediately nodded like a bobblehead.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, all the players had made their decisions.
Ye Chen had only just woken up and stretched in bed.
Then he tapped a button on the system interface, and an NPC immediately appeared outside his door.
The NPC laid the exquisite dishes prepared in advance on the table.
Only after washing up and eating half his meal did he gradually come fully awake and marvel at the NPC chef's skills.
They were simply incredible!
So far, he hadn't eaten the same dish twice, and every dish seemed tailored to his tastes!
After all, as a Chinese man, satisfying his appetite was one of his top priorities!
The players had it rough, though. They had to pay to enjoy good food!
Speaking of the players, Ye Chen suddenly remembered something.
Today was supposed to be the day the new players entered the game!
He had scheduled the system announcement well in advance, then somehow forgotten all about it!
He hurriedly finished eating and opened the live feeds of the new players.
More than a dozen feeds appeared on the screen at once, leaving him slightly overwhelmed.
A female player with strikingly beautiful features but a sharp demeanor caught Ye Chen's attention.
She sampled every dish at the NPC chef's place without spending any money.
"Just sampling, not buying. Interesting."
Ye Chen rubbed his chin, wondering what this female player with the ID Taro Boba had in mind.
She looked quite serious, but her ID was sweet, making for a rather endearing contrast.
Then Taro Boba turned and left, surveying the area around the entire village.
She picked some crops, brought them back, borrowed a pot and seasonings from an elderly villager, and began cooking.
As the flames flickered and her hands worked, a finished dish emerged from the pot.
She tasted a bite first, decided it was decent, then offered it to the old woman who had lent her the pot and stove.
The old woman cheerfully took a bite too and immediately nodded.
"It's delicious! I've never eaten anything this good in my life!"
"A new restaurant did open in the village recently, but it must be very expensive!"
"That's not the sort of treat an old woman like me can afford..."
At that, tears actually fell from the old woman's eyes.
The recent changes in the village were plain for everyone to see, and she could feel them too.
But she had always felt that all of it was too far removed from her.
She had never expected the young woman who arrived today to possess such wonderful cooking skills.
Watching the scene on the feed, Ye Chen couldn't help being moved as well.
Although he had transmigrated here, he had spent some time in this village and formed a measure of affection for its people.
He immediately opened the system panel and issued a hidden quest to this player!
[Congratulations to player Taro Boba for unlocking the hidden achievement-"The Elder’s Moved Heart"!] [Reward: 100 contribution points.]
Taro Boba's eyes immediately lit up when she saw the achievement.
She had never expected this game to be so realistic. Even a passing idea of hers could unlock an achievement!
This greatly fueled her desire to explore!
After watching this female player, Ye Chen checked on several of the solo players.
They were all seasoned experts from various fields.
The system really was reliable when it came to selecting players!
He and the system merely provided these players with a stage to show what they could do.
How far they could go would depend on them!
"Not bad. This batch of players is pretty good!"
Now Ye Chen could enjoy his afternoon tea without worrying.
Just as he was sipping tea, admiring the flowers, and enjoying the sunshine, a string of system alerts shattered the peaceful atmosphere!
[Player Emperor of Sinking is critically injured. Teleporting back to the Respawn Point!] [Player Dai Xiaomei is critically injured. Teleporting back to the Respawn Point!] [Player Whimpering Monster is critically injured. Teleporting back to the Respawn Point!] [Player Junyi Ximeng is critically injured. Teleporting back to the Respawn Point!]
The moment Ye Chen opened the system screen, it was flooded with notifications of critically injured players.
He stared in bewilderment. What was going on?
Before you continue