Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 216 We’re Moving (Part 2)

“I know. The parents of Dong Yin and Yi Cang are of the same lot. They…” Liu Chang sighed, “My family means nothing to them. We’re useless in their eyes. My parents had cut ties with them anyways. So you don’t have to worry.”

Ye Ci’s heart was surging in vast anger after her conversation with Liu Chang. She was sure that Dong Yin and Yi Cang were involved in this incident. But what about Thousand Sunsets? How much is he involved in this?

She could easily take on Dong Yin, but what about Thousand Sunsets? He was not a person she could deal with. Besides, Upwards Ho! was in no state to go up against Bloody Steel. It was a very distressing feeling. After taking in a deep breath, Ye Ci contacted Green Hill’s Moon.

Green Hill’s Moon was surprised to receive a message from Ye Ci, “Uwahh! Gongzi, you’re just like a ghost! When did you come online?”

“I just did.”

“Where have you been the past month? Do you know that the entire Eastern Continent.. No, the entire Fate community were talking about you? People were saying that you’ve quit the game. Hell, even I stated to believe that you had left the game for good! You seriously shocked me, when you basically appeared out of thin air just now!” even if he was startled by Ye Ci’s sudden appearance, Green Hill’s Moon was glad to see her return. Gongzi You was one of his biggest customers, and also a friend that he trusted. He did not want to see her leaving the game just like that. Besides, if a professional player like Gongzi You quit Fate, it would be hard for her to find another game that had such a huge potential.

“Something happened in real life.” Ye Ci offered him a vague reply.

“I hope it’s nothing serious.” Green Hill’s Moon was an intelligent man. Despite the vague answer he received from Ye Ci, he knew that Ye Ci ran into big trouble.

“Yup.” Ye Ci narrowed her eyes, and got straight to the point, “I’m contacting you today because I need you to investigate something for me.”

“No problem. Tell me who you want me to investigate and what you want to know about them, and I’ll get it done in no time!” Green Hill’s moon had become a famous know-it-all in the game. This earned him a lot of customers among the players. However, he would always give priority to Ye Ci’s requests.

“But… I have a favor to ask…” Ye Ci was slightly embarrassed. She had always been paying Green Hill’s Moon up front when she asked for his services. However, her savings were all spent on purchasing the two houses. With her one month absence from the game, Ye Ci had no income at all other than the monthly salary she received from the guild. Green Hill’s Moon might not even be willing to work for her without the payment.

“What is it?”

“I’m sort of broke now….”

Green Hill’s Moon cut Ye Ci off with a smile before she could finish her sentence, “Gongzi, money is not an issue between us. Just tell me what you need. As for the money… Well, you can pay me later when the situation becomes better for you. Since you’re in a pinch, we won’t talk about money.”

A sliver of warmth crept into Ye Ci’s heart. Green Hill’s Moon would never say something like this in her past life. Then again, the Ye Ci of back then would never be forced to make such a desperate request. She let out a sigh of relief, “Thank you.” said Ye Ci. For the first time, there was some hint of warmth in her voice.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to be so courteous with me.” Green Hill’s Moon shook his head with a smile, “We’re friends. And we don’t talk about money as friends”.

We’re friends.

These simple words were able to send ripples through Ye Ci’s heart. Those words were so warm, and so beautiful at the same time. It was something that Ye Ci could not even hope for in her past life. In her current life, however, it became a reality. It all felt surreal to Ye Ci. She stood under the glaring sun in Red Lake City. The sun, shining down on her hand, illuminating every single details of her palm, as well as all the worries in her heart.

“Gongzi?” Green Hill’s Moon was worried after Ye Ci’s long silence.

“Uhh?” replied Ye Ci after snapping out of her daze.

“Ahh… You’ve been quiet for quite a while. I thought that I said something wrong.”

“I-it’s nothing.”

“So who and what do you want me to investigate?”

“I want to know what Leftie and Gleaming Sunshine have been up to. In fact, I want to know about Gleaming Sunshine in particular. Help me find out everything about her. Especially…” Ye Ci continued after a slight pause, “The thing between her and Thousand Sunsets.”

Green Hill’s Moon did not even have to ask for a reason, as it was none of his concern. Despite that, he had some guesses of his own. There was only one reason why Gongzi You would want to ask about those two the moment she came online: Gleaming Sunshine and Leftie had something to do with Gongzi You’s disappearance. Thousand Sunsets must have played a part in this as well.

A person like Thousand Sunsets was involved…

Green Hill’s Moon felt the need to give Ye Ci a warning as her friend.

“Gongzi, as a private detective, it’s not in my place to say anything about this. But as a friend, allow me to offer a word of advice.”

“What is it?”

“Thousand Sunsets is not someone normal players like us can mess with. Even if you’re a god-tier player, you still can’t go up against them in real life.” Green Hill’s Moon knew that his words were harsh, but it was something that he must tell Gongzi You or she might get into trouble.

Ye Ci could feel warmth seeping into her heart, “I’ll be careful. I won’t go overboard and get myself into trouble.” she replied with a nod.

Green Hill’s Moon was still worried even with Ye Ci’s promise, “I’ll help you with anything as long as it’s within my power.” he sighed, and continued after a slight pause, “By the way, Wandering Cloud had a falling out with NightAndDay. Quite a number of people know about the affair between NightAndDay’s fiance and Wandering Cloud. It’s still not in the open yet, but Wandering Cloud was kicked out of Tang Dynasty by NightAndDay. He’s lashing out at everyone like a mad dog, be careful.”

NightAndDay has kicked Wandering Cloud out of Tang Dynasty? Ye Ci was surprised when she received the news. Although such an incident was within her expectations, it happened way too soon. She did not expect something like this to happen during her one month of absence. The affairs of life are indeed unpredictable.

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye out.”

After a moment of thought, Green Hill’s Moon directed a question at Ye Ci, “By the way, there’s something that I don’t understand. Did you know about the relationship between Wandering Cloud and Into The Sunset before this?”

“Hehe…” Ye Ci’s chuckle was the only response that Green Hill’s Moon received, “Alright, I’ve just gotten online. There are things that I have to sort out. I’ll get in contact when I have them settled.” said Ye Ci and she immediately ended the conversation. After all, one must be careful when talking with somebody as intelligent as Green Hill’s Moon, or one might unintentionally divulge secrets that should remain hidden. Not that she did not put her trust in Green Hill’s Moon, , but she was a person keeping many secrets. The more of them were uncovered and therefore known by others, the more insecure Ye Ci would feel.

Ye Ci was finally relieved when she commissioned the job to Green Hill’s Moon. The only thing she could do now was wait.

There was quite a number of changes in the game during the one month of absence by Ye Ci and Bai Mo. The average level of players were already at lvl 40, which meant that Fleeting Time would naturally have a higher level than Ye Ci. The most important thing for her these days was to level up. Other than that, most of the major guilds had finally cleared the Castle Ruins at Normal difficulty, the main force of Upwards Ho! was already exploring the Expert difficulty Castle Ruins. They had defeated the fourth BOSS, and were making preparations to challenge the fifth BOSS.

Wolf Pack’s progress was significantly faster than Upwards Ho!. They had more members at their disposal, which meant that they could send in more parties while retaining a large number of reserves. This helped a lot in speeding up their dungeon clearing progress. The Expert difficulty dungeon was way harder than its Normal difficulty counterpart, and put a party’s teamwork as well as the skills of each individual members to the test. As long as a party was able to show good teamwork, the dungeon could be cleared in no time.

Because of that, Wolf Pack was able to secure the First Clear of the Expert difficulty Castle Ruins. Despite suffering a blow to their morale, the members of Upwards Ho! did not let their dismay show. They grit their teeth, and swore that they would once again achieve glory in the later dungeons.

The most important mission for Ye Ci and Bai Mo during their first day of returning to the game was to lead Upwards Ho! in clearing the Expert difficulty Castle Ruins, securing the last spot of the First Five in the process.

The members of Upwards Ho! were making preparations for the dungeon. They enchanted their equipment, prepared all sorts of potions and consumables, refined their equipment and cast high level gems into their weapons. They have been waiting for this, and they were determined to succeed.

Ye Ci headed to the Mausoleum of Blades before entering the dungeon. Other than her busy schedule of leveling up and clearing dungeons, something else required Ye Ci’s attention. It was none other than her Epic-tier quest. Had Bella finally remembered something about that badge when Ye Ci was gone for a month?

Yes, she did.

After the duration of an entire month, Bella had finally managed to recall details about the badge. Ye Ci was greeted warmly by Bella when she visited the NPC, “My dear friend, I’ve been waiting for you! Did something happened to you? Why did you not come looking for me all this while? I thought that you’ve forgotten about me.”

“I’m sorry Bella. I got caught up in something. Sorry to make you worry.” Ye Ci smiled apologetically at Bella. Fortunately for Ye Ci, her prestige with the Doran Thieves Guild was already past the Intimate level. Bella was not displeased when she spoke to Ye Ci.

Bella waved her hand dismissively when Ye Ci apologized, and started explaining the use of the badge. It was a very precious treasure owned by Andrei. The badge was given from the late king of the continent to Andrei for his services as one of the most accomplished generals in the Imperial Army. When the late king passed away, Andrei was framed by corrupt officials who were jealous of his position. He was prosecuted under the administration of the current king, and ended up as the leader of one of the Doran Thieves Guild’s branches. The badge signified Andrei’s former glory, and was also the key to his personal treasure vault.

Unfortunately, the vault was infested with the spirits of the dead after Bella’s death.

Andrei’s handed the badge to Ye Ci so that she could obtain the weapon that he once used as a general from the vault that was guarded by Bella.

“So, where do I go to retrieve that weapon?” Ye Ci was not a newbie. She remained calm despite hearing the words “treasure vault”. She knew that the treasures in the so-called “treasure vault” in Fate were just for show. Players would not be able to obtain the glittering piles of gold and gems in the vault. There were only some limited items that players could obtain from a treasure vault. Stumbling upon a treasure vault would not guarantee immeasurable wealth as many would imagine.

“What? You want to head to that place?” Bella was surprised to hear Ye Ci’s words.

“Yes.” Ye Ci nodded.

“But that place is crawling with the Undead. It’s very dangerous.” Bella sighed, “I was able to exorcise the spirits of the dead when I was alive, but I lost this power after dying.. I can only tell you the location of the treasure vault, but there’s really nothing I can do to help you. Are you sure you still want to head into the vault?”

“Of course.” Ye Ci nodded. She was initially reluctant to venture into such a dangerous area. However, the completion of this quest would grant her the reward for the second stage of her Epic-tier quest. If she did not take her chances, how would she be able to reap the rewards? Besides, the concern that NPCs showed to players was not even genuine. It was something that was already programmed into their being by Fate’s developers.

“Well, since you insist, there’s nothing I can say. I’ll bring you there.” said Bella as her semi-transparent body floated through t Ye Ci to uncover a hidden cavity at the face of the cliff. Yes, she floated through Ye Ci. That was one of the perks of being a ghost.

Ye Ci followed closely behind Bella, braving her nonstop blabbering for half an hour before they finally arrived at the entrance of Andrei’s treasure vault. “F*ck this shit!”, thought Ye Ci to herself as she opened the map. They had merely passed through a small mountain and then through a cave. It was a major waste of time. If Ye Ci was able to scale the mountain, and jump down from the other side while casting Featherfall, it would only take her 5 minutes to land. Bella’s route took half an hour…

As it turned out, NPCs were only good at dragging down the intelligence level of players while wasting their time. Ye Ci was about to head into the Expert difficulty dungeon soon. There was no time to waste.

“Alright, here we are!” Bella finally stopped in front of a huge, black rock, “The entrance to the vault is just behind this rock. I’m sure that the place is infested with the Undead by now.”

The position of the rock was well-hidden. When Ye Ci observed the rock with her naked eye, it was impossible to tell that there was a treasure trove hidden behind the rock.

Bella continued her speech after receiving no response from Ye Ci, “You can begin preparations for entering the vault. Let me know when you’re ready.”

With that, Bella remained silent. When Ye Ci attempted to initiate a conversation with the NPC, Bella would only respond with the same dialogue, “This journey will be a dangerous one, are you sure that you’re ready?” with only two options, which was “I’m ready!” and “I don’t think that I’m quite ready yet.”

Ye Ci was about to select the option that would send her right into the treasure vault. However, after a moment of hesitation, she decided against such an action. After all, Upwards Ho! would soon begin the process of clearing the Expert difficulty dungeon. Just when Ye Ci was pondering about such an issue, she received a message from Bai Mo, “Where are you? We’re heading into the dungeon soon. Hurry up!”

“Alright, I’ll be there shortly.”

For Ye Ci, the benefits of her guild outweighed her personal interests. That was why she decided to set the quest aside and headed back to Red Lake City, as only God knows how long she would take to complete the quest.

Perhaps due to her one month of absence, Ye Ci was not able to work well with the team. She was the only one who made several mistakes in a party that displayed near-perfect teamwork. Although her mistakes did not affect the overall performance of the party, it still caused some uproar among the players.

When Overflowing Ink called for a break before the final BOSS, Bai Mo sat beside Ye Ci and stared at her, “What is it? Your performance today is rather… Lacking.”

Hiya minna-san! Here's another fun and engaging release of the awesomesauce novel translated by an awesomtacular translator (which is me, by the way!)! Enjoy!!

How's everybody doing? TGIF! My busy week of attending classes is finally over! How's the week going on for you guys? I hope life is treating you people well!

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