Chapter 4 The Mysterious Master
"Sister Chen, having another late-night snack..."
After buying the late-night snacks, Chen Guo called the internet café staff to join in. The aroma of the dishes spread through the café, immediately drawing a chorus of groans and protests from the customers. During a time when dinner had already been digested, suddenly smelling the scent of food wasn't enjoyable—it was a temptation.
"If you want instant noodles, line up! Don't be messy," Chen Guo called out.
"Sister Chen always eats gourmet meals, while we get instant noodles." Unable to resist the temptation, the crowd could only satisfy their cravings with the café's instant noodles, casting envious and resentful glances at the six dishes and one soup on the table.
"If you want some too, go buy it across the street yourself. Stop always trying to send my people," Chen Guo said.
"Next time you go, give us a heads-up. Can't you bring something back for us?" someone asked.
"How many people are there in the café? Can I bring back for everyone? Quit whining. If you really want it but are too lazy to go, just call the restaurant across the street. Would they refuse to deliver?" Chen Guo replied.
"Do you have their number, Sister Chen? Let me copy it down," the person said.
"Why would I need their number? I have people I can send—why bother the restaurant?" Chen Guo said.
This time, not only the customers but also the café staff were in tears. Ye Xiu seized the opportunity and casually asked, "So the boss's surname is Chen?"
"Yep, Chen Guo. I've seen your ID—you're not older than me. Calling me 'sister' is fine; you're not at a loss," Chen Guo said.
"Whatever..." Ye Xiu chuckled dryly.
"The fish-flavored pork today is so spicy, and you ate it all, Xiao Chu." Chen Guo barely ate, took one bite of the pork, gasped, put down her chopsticks, and went to drink water. After returning with her cup, she kicked Ye Xiu's chair. "Done eating yet? Hurry up."
"What's the rush?" Ye Xiu asked.
"It's almost time." Chen Guo raised her wrist to show Ye Xiu her watch. It was 11:53 PM, with seven minutes left until the opening of Glory's Tenth Server.
"You're going too?" Ye Xiu was a bit surprised. He had played her account, Zhuyanxia, before—a Fifth Server account. If counted from the day the new server opened, it would be exactly five years old today. That account couldn't compare to the top accounts of professional players, but among ordinary players, it was already quite good—not something easily abandoned.
"Just to watch the excitement," Chen Guo said.
The opening of a new server would indeed be quite lively. An ordinary day suddenly turned the Xinxin Café into a bustling hotspot during this time. It looked like the new server players had taken over; everyone had opened the login screen, their mouses hovering over the still-grayed-out Tenth Server, ready to launch.
Entering a new server, competing for level rankings, securing first dungeon clears, breaking dungeon clear records—there were so many things waiting for players to do. Pioneer work was always thrilling. Chen Guo looked at these customers and couldn't help but be moved by the atmosphere. But when she turned around, Ye Xiu was still leisurely picking at vegetable strips, completely unfazed by the excitement—utterly lacking the spirit of a pioneer.
"Hey! Why are you still dawdling?" Chen Guo seemed even more anxious than the person involved.
"What's the rush?" Ye Xiu was genuinely calm, not pretending. Admittedly, Glory's promotion and operations were successful, making Glory players more invested than ever in in-game rankings and competitions. These relied on true skill, not something money or luck could easily achieve. But for a veteran who had already claimed all of Glory's highest honors, these things seemed rather mundane to Ye Xiu.
Seeing Chen Guo's fierce expression, Ye Xiu decided to give his boss some face. He reluctantly put down his bowl, found a computer, and sat down.
"Geez, it's like I'm forcing him to play. What kind of person is this?" Chen Guo grumbled behind Ye Xiu, exasperated. The other café staff giggled on the side. They noticed that the new IT guy today seemed different—he could easily handle their boss, Miss Chen, without her getting angry. That wasn't something just anyone could do.
Chen Guo sat at the machine next to Ye Xiu and casually logged into her Zhuyanxia account. The player populations in the other nine servers hadn't decreased much due to the new Tenth Server; the older the server, the more this was true. In Glory, building up an account wasn't easy. Chen Guo's Zhuyanxia account had taken five years to become a standout among ordinary players—she couldn't bear to abandon it lightly. Plus, in the end, everyone would converge on the shared map of the Tenth Server—the Divine Domain.
The Divine Domain wasn't just a map; it was practically another world, with an area as large as the combined ordinary worlds of five servers. There were harder dungeons, stronger equipment, more valuable materials, and a more liberated atmosphere. True masters would always meet in the Divine Domain—this was where players would ultimately strive.
As the clock approached midnight, in the last ten seconds, someone in the café couldn't help but start counting down. The voices grew louder, and when the final "zero" erupted, the Tenth Server window flashed and lost its grayness. The café patrons moved in perfect unison, inserting their account cards into the logins and clicking on the Tenth Server with their mouses.
Chen Guo turned to look at Ye Xiu and nearly choked on her own blood. While everyone else was rushing into the game, he had opened a webpage and was leisurely reading it. Upon closer look, it was some kind of beginner quest walkthrough.
"Seriously, you don't even know these things? You need a guide?" If it weren't for that genuine first-edition card, Chen Guo would never have believed this guy had ten years of gaming experience.
"I haven't touched beginner stuff in years. How would I remember?" Ye Xiu said unhurriedly.
"Haven't you ever guided a newcomer or helped a newbie before?" Chen Guo asked.
"In that regard... no, I really haven't," Ye Xiu said.
"No sense of public duty," Chen Guo scoffed.
"I just didn't have the time," Ye Xiu said.
"Those without time don't play games. People who play games are just killing spare time," Chen Guo said.
"I was busy playing games," Ye Xiu said earnestly.
"And your job?" Chen Guo asked.
"Playing games!"
"Oh, so you're a professional gamer?" Chen Guo said.
Ye Xiu smiled. "A pretty high-level one, actually."
"High-level? A professional player?" Chen Guo was taken aback.
Ye Xiu nodded proudly.
"You've retired, right?" Chen Guo said.
"How did you know?"
"Duh, at your age," Chen Guo said.
Ye Xiu forced a bitter smile.
"No wonder it took only 40-some seconds to take down that guy—turns out he's a pro, though a half-baked one," Chen Guo remarked.
"Half-baked?"
"I know all the famous pro players, but Ye Xiu? Never heard of him. If that's not half-baked, what is?" Chen Guo questioned.
"Haha, so that's how it is," Ye Xiu chuckled.
"Stop pretending. You're not retired either—you just couldn't compete for a spot and got eliminated, right?" Chen Guo said.
Ye Xiu fell silent.
"Sorry..." Chen Guo realized her words might have hit a sore spot.
"It's fine," Ye Xiu sighed.
"Don't be discouraged. 25 isn't that old. Train hard, and you can make a comeback," Chen Gao encouraged.
"That's exactly what I'm planning to do," Ye Xiu smiled.
"If that day comes, I have a favor to ask of you," Chen Guo said.
"What favor?"
"An autograph," Chen Guo replied.
"Why wait? I can sign it for you right now!"
"Full of yourself! Who wants your autograph? I'm asking you to get me an autograph from my idol," Chen Guo said.
"Oh? Who?"
"Su Mucheng, and Ye Qiu. Ye Qiu's might be tougher—he likes to keep a low profile," Chen Guo explained.
"Is that so?" Ye Xiu felt like crying inside. *Ye Qiu is right here chatting with you, sis.*
"Yes, he almost never shows his face. I mean, even if you're just half-baked, you're still part of this circle—how do you not know this?" Chen Guo said.
"I know, of course I know. Let me tell you a secret: I'm actually Ye Qiu," Ye Xiu said.
"Oh yeah? Let me tell you a secret too: I'm actually Su Mucheng," Chen Guo replied.
"I really am Ye Qiu," Ye Xiu insisted, on the verge of tears.
"I really am Su Mucheng," Chen Guo said.
"I..."
"Alright, I'm done messing with you. Go read your guide!" Chen Guo waved him off, no longer frustrated by Ye Xiu's unhurried attitude. After all, he was someone who had been in the pro scene—even if he was eliminated, did she really need to worry about him?
But as her gaze returned to her screen, she couldn't help adding, "If you're unclear about anything in the newbie quests, just ask me."
"I want to study it first. I'll only do quests that reward attribute and skill points. The other quests just give experience and gear—it's faster to grind dungeons instead," Ye Xiu said.
"Exactly, that's the mindset of a veteran. But you don't have to study it yourself—just flip to the last page of the guide you're reading!"
"Oh?" Ye Xiu turned to the last page and immediately felt a pang of embarrassment. Of course—the newbie quests hadn't changed much in ten years, so players had already figured them out completely. Any experienced player would prioritize valuable quests like he did, so how could there not already be a guide summarizing this? Right in front of him was exactly the kind of guide he needed. Ye Xiu was about to follow it to pick up quests when he felt tears welling up. *I'm the man hailed as Glory's textbook-level player! And now I'm using a newbie guide to do newbie quests—how can this be? How can this be?*