Chapter 200 - Clients from All Over
Having the ability to instkill a bunch of men with a raise of his hand, such an indomitable Mage was truly a rare specimen.
Dusky Cloud and his gang had long wanted to get in touch with the masked Mage that had helped them out greatly in the war against Past Deeds in Yueye City, so when they saw on the forums that an opportunity to get acquainted with the mysterious Mage was present, they hurriedly traveled from Yueye City to Yunduan City.
"You guys have traveled so far. Still, don't you have to participate in the PvP tournament in your own city," Brother Assist tried to break the ice with the three new arrivals who had journeyed for three hours from Yueye City to Yunduan City just to meet Gu Fei.
Dusky Cloud laughed boisterously, "With our mercenary group and guild's strength, losing the three of us won't affect the outcome of the matches in the least." He swept his gaze over the empty seats in the bar, "You've arranged for such a big event. I suppose a lot of people will be attending this?"
Brother Assist nodded his head.
Dusky Cloud once more gazed at everyone before him and asked, "Where's brother Sword Demon? Why don't I see him?" Sword Demon had fought side by side with them back in Yueye City, so they were more familiar with him.
"He has something on, so he won't be coming," Brother Assist fibbed.
"It's rare for me to come by for a visit; we should all come together and have a drink or two once this is over!" Dusky Cloud declared.
Young Master Han was obviously the most thrilled over his suggestion to drink, but he had a slight altercation with Dusky Cloud in Yueye City.
Thinking that it was important to choose his drinking partners as well, Young Master Han kept quiet about his suggestion when he would usually be approving with two thumbs up.
The rest of them were quite indifferent to Dusky Cloud's suggestion, as the various guild leaders and mercenary group leaders of Yunduan City started trickling in the bar. Brother Assist hurriedly stood up from his seat and began welcoming each new arrival.
Welcoming the clients was actually only secondary and his main purpose was really to collect the 100 gold coins fee from the guests as he ushered them to their seats.
Not everyone responded similarly when this happened. Some unhesitatingly handed over their coin pouches, while others fussed about this being an elaborate scam and expressed their wish to part with their coins only when they saw the subject in question.
Some attempted to curry favor from him when they saw this by handing over their coin pouches and loudly saying, "I believe you just from the fact that you are Brother Assist."
Young Master Han only realized now that the success of this business venture was not just due to Carouse's and Cloud Herder's two days of madness but also due to Brother Assist's fame as an information expert. Truly, Brother Assist's influence on the forums was not something to scoff at.
Brother Assist patiently coaxed those who were still unwilling to pay upfront, "You are all leaders or influential figures in our city!? How am I going to live peacefully in this city from here onward if this is truly an attempt to scam you all out of your money?"
Some found his explanation sound and happily handed over their coin pouches, yet a few were still unwilling to do so.
Brother Assist could not help but wonder if those refusing to pay were the real scammers who tried to find out who the mysterious Mage was for free, instead. He was the 'seller' who should be collecting the entrance fees from the attendees, but he would truly have no choice if any of them chose not to fork out their money after the conference was over. It was only 100 gold coins, after all. Gathering reinforcement just to get away from paying this paltry sum would be an awkward proposition to pose to their friends! It would also be very demeaning to boot.
"But what if you do meet someone like that?" Young Master Han, who had predicted such a situation, asked Brother Assist this earlier.
"I guess we can just ask them to leave," was Brother Assist's answer.
At this moment, Brother Assist calmly said to the players who were unwilling to pay the fee, "Guys, the rule here is for you to pay the fee first before meeting the Mage. Many other leaders have already paid the fee. Won't it be unfair to them if you guys refuse to do the same? If you still insist on not paying up, then please excuse yourselves." He politely indicated the door.
Someone felt slighted by this. Slapping the table, he stood up and began shouting at Brother Assist. He also attempted to incite the other leaders by claiming how illogical it was for him to collect the fee before even showing them the product in question and that everyone should join up to protect their rights.
"What if someone attempts to create uproar? What will you do?" Young Master Han had also predicted such men to turn up for this meeting.
"It would be dangerous if the price we set was 1000 gold coins; fortunately, the price we set is only 100 gold coins. Most leaders here are influential characters that would think nothing of this price. Only those insignificant shrimps would actually create a scene for this bit of money, so there's nothing to worry about," Brother Assist answered.
The other leaders barely reacted to this cry of solidarity from the shrimp, causing Brother Assist to smile in relief. The shrimp was filled with resentment and was about to go into a full-on tirade when someone suddenly stood up and banged the table.
Just as the shrimp was feeling gratified that his words had finally affected someone in the crowd, the man pointed straight at him and cursed, "F*ck! You're noisy. Who are you, anyway? If you're unwilling to pay the fee, then get the f*ck out!"
"Boss Innocent, please don't say it like that. You see, I'm just trying to…" The shrimp was just some unknown player, while the man who had stood up was a leader that everyone knew and recognized. The man was someone that even the shrimp knew about. Unfortunately for the shrimp, the man, as well as the other influential leaders, turned a deaf ear to his words, with some even glaring hatefully at him.
It was just as what Brother Assist had said earlier… Would there be a way for anyone to live peacefully in Yunduan City if they offended all these leaders? Seeing that the crowd was against him, the shrimp immediately shut his mouth and hurriedly slinked out of the bar.
Out of all those men who had refused to pay the fee upfront, two left immediately, while the rest finally forked out the 100 gold coins and stayed.
Although this was but a small episode, it helped reduce the amount of work for Brother Assist from here on out. Any players that came afterward and showed reluctance to pay the 100 gold coins upfront received a stern glare from all the leaders present, allowing Brother Assist to swiftly collect the money from them.
Of course, there were still the regular patrons who were hanging out inside the bar. Having wised up to the fact that they had just spent money just to catch a glimpse of this mysterious Mage while these tavern patrons could do so for free, the leaders of different groups turned their glares toward these curious onlookers, as well.
These onlookers more or less understood the reason behind the piercing stares after watching everything unfold for so long, so most of them began to leave the premise. There were ten among these tavern patrons who had grown curious over this matter and had the money for the fee, so they expressed their intention to stay and paid Brother Assist 100 gold coins. This unexpected windfall made War Without Wounds, who was hiding in a corner, very happy that he could not stop his mouth from forming a wide grin.
Why was he hiding in a corner? It was because he felt so embarrassed by his attire that he could not bring himself to stand in front of the crowd and be seen.
After everything had settled, the entire Ray's Bar had ended up becoming the stage for this conference. Everyone noisily rearranged the seats once more, making it more spacious and comfortable for all.
No one else entered the bar after waiting for quite some time. Although it was still a while before the appointed time, all were already impatiently asking Brother Assist to start things early.
"Some people have yet to arrive." Brother Assist smiled, "We will begin at the exact appointed time, so everyone please indulge in a drink or two. It's on me."
All the leaders did not say much after. Having spent 100 gold coins just to sit here, they were not exactly thrilled at the prospect of getting a few free drinks since since the amount they had just paid would surely cover the expenses of a few mere drinks.
It was at this moment when the bar doors were pushed open from the outside and a fully geared Warrior quietly stepped in. Everyone seated recognized this person as Black Index Finger, the group leader of the largest mercenary group in Yunduan City.
Black Index Finger did not say much. Casually looking for a spot to sit on once he entered, he placed a coin pouch on the table and allowed Brother Assist to pick it up whenever he liked.
All started to whisper among themselves. Another person came right after, and it was someone whose name was recently gaining popularity in Yunduan City: Silver Moon. He brought his two fellow mates along with him and warmly greeted Brother Assist and the others, "To think we would meet so soon."
"You, too…" Brother Assist was quite surprised. Silver Moon and Gu Fei were already acquainted, so there was no need for him to be here!
Silver Moon did not say another word and just handed over the fee, getting himself a seat.
Four ladies of Amethyst Rebirth entered the bar together, too. They were July, Luo Luo, Svelte Dancer, and Lie Lie.
This group's appearance here made Brother Assist feel surreal. They were already familiar with Gu Fei, so what were they doing here?
They casually paid up the 100 gold coins as Svelte Dancer glanced at Brother Assist, "Let's see what you guys are up to this time!"
A Mage, Fighter, and Thief entered the bar next. Before Brother Assist could say anything, Royal God Call already leaped to his feet and addressed the newcomer, "What are you doing here?!"
"Instkilling Mage! Naturally, I wish to get to know this person," the Mage smilingly replied.
"Who are you?" Brother Assist came forward and asked.
"Drifting," the person answered as he lifted a coin pouch to pay.
The whole bar immediately burst into activity. Unlike Svelte Dancer's showy appearance to Yunduan City due to her membership to Amethyst Rebirth, few people knew that the Mage Drifting had come to the same city, as well.
Al the leaders' blood immediately boiled. This sort of talent was also someone that they had prioritized as potential recruit!
Some players looked at Drifting for a bit before they glanced at Svelte Dancer, wondering if there would be any sparks between the two players who were part of the Five Unyielding Experts. Sadly, the two did not even deign to exchange words with each other.
Instead, it was the quarrelsome Royal God Call who pointed to Brother Assist Drifting's coin pouch as he shouted, "Take it! Quickly take it!" Inside, Royal God Call was rejoicing, Let him spend 100 gold coins, only to discover that the person is someone he already knows! Ha ha ha! This is gonna be great!
Once Drifting handed the coins over and took a seat, a beautiful lady entered the bar. Looking around, she muttered, "I should have done this sooner." As she took out her coin pouch, someone from the crowd of leaders stood up and pointed at her.
The lady awakened from her dream with shock, "Oh, yeah… This sort of public method will never work for me." The lady then hurriedly made her escape, leaving Brother Assist, who was about to extend his hand to take her coins, at a total loss.
In no time at all, the bar door was pushed open once more and the guild leader of Yunduan City's largest guild, Oathless Sword, came in. Behind him were his two long-time partners, Youthful Reflection and Gale Force.
"Hmph! So many people!" Oathless Sword had the air of a leader of a large guild. Walking in majestically and picking a seat, he tossed a coin pouch over to Brother Assist and asked, "Shall we begin?"
Brother Assist caught it and nodded his head, "Please wait a moment." With that, he sent Gu Fei a message, "Come over to Ray's Bar for a bit!"
"Oh? How coincidental. I am actually on my way there!" Gu Fei said.
Chapter 201 - Putting on a show
"Everyone, the Mage of the hour will be here soon," Brother Assist announced as he swept his gaze over to the crowd before him, whispering to Young Master Han after, "The ones who should be here are not here, yet many of those who shouldn't be here are here."
"Are you referring to Carouse and Cloud Herder's people?" Young Master Han asked, chuckling.
Brother Assist nodded his head.
"If someone of Carouse is really planning to come, do you think I'll be able to calmly sit here? I will not even be here if that's the case!" Young Master Han continued to chuckle.
"What happened?" Brother Assist inquired.
"I'm not too sure, but it seems that Miles has already met Brave Surge," Young Master Han answered.
"The same goes for Cloud Herder, I guess! To think that their flyers actually worked," Brother Assist was very surprised.
Young Master Han shrugged his shoulders.
Brother Assist looked around once more, saying to Young Master Han, "I've spotted some familiar-looking faces that are acting furtive, as if they don't wanna call attention to themselves."
Young Master Han nodded his head, "I've spotted them as well." The two men instinctively gazed over to these few people who were trying lie low among the many attendees for their current 'event'.
"Let's stop minding them and just focus on this conference!" Young Master Han said.
Brother Assist nodded his head and signaled War Without Wounds. War Without Wounds stepped away from the dimly lit corner that he had been staying in, causing the voices in bar to die down.
"What is that? Is it a pet?"
"I've never heard that there is a pet system in Parallel World!"
Everyone started to talk again, but the topic of their conversations was now the strange creature before them: War Without Wounds. Truly, his mismatched outfit was just too bizarre a sight. Since this was a VRMMO, physical appearance was a major concern for every player. While it was important for equipment to have decent stats, the equipment's designs should also appeal to the public's aesthetic taste. Right now, War Without Wounds was like a piece of abstract art painting in the eyes of others - unable to be described.
Royal God Call laughed until he was bending over, drawing the attention of a few people. Among these few people was Oathless Sword who promptly called out to him, "Royal, what are you doing here?" A guild leader might not necessarily know every member of his or her guild, but given Royal God Call's fame in the online gaming community, Oathless Sword had been keeping an eye on him. In fact, Oathless Sword would have invited him to be a core member of Traversing Four Seas had it not been for Royal God Call's young age and the fact that the latter was not playing a Mage, the job class that he was best at.
Royal God Call accidentally exposed himself due to his extreme glee, but he quickly turned the tables on Oathless Sword, "Eh?! Guild leader you're here, too? Do you also wish to know that Mage? Why didn't you ask me directly?! I know him as well."
Royal God Call was no longer worried about revealing this to Oathless Sword as the latter had already paid the fee.
Oathless Sword did not really feel much regret at having paid a measly sum of 100 gold coins. Instead, he was happy to learn that he had a guild member that personally knew the Mage, as it would open doors to broaching the subject of recruitment. The many leaders present in this meeting would certainly be able to meet the Mage and some of them might even be able to add him as a friend, but they would be hard pressed to open the topic of recruitment to the Mage.
War Without Wounds was in great distress right now for garnering such a reaction from the players in the bar just by appearing before them. Brother Assist came forward and sympathetically patted his shoulders, "You'll get extra compensation for this."
War Without Wounds gritted his teeth and steeled his heart. Ignoring the shame he was feeling, he swaggered like always toward the bar entrance. They had already planned this beforehand; once Gu Fei came through the door, War Without Wounds would grab a hold of his shoulder to prevent him from escaping.
"Ray! Lock the other door!" Brother Assist said to Ray. The bar had two sets of doors, one on the left and one on the right. War Without Wounds was currently guarding the right door.
Ray nodded his head. He could do this as the owner of the establishment, yet his action of locking the left door made many leaders suspicious. Guarding the right door and locking the left door. No matter how one looked at it, this seemed like a trap set to kill them off in one go. The leaders with rich fighting experience, and especially those who tried to hide themselves earlier immediately went on guard. They were even thinking of bolting out before anything could happen.
Brother Assist totally did not expect everyone to be alarmed by their actions, so he tried as best as he could to come up with a reasonable explanation for it, "It's just to ensure that we are not interrupted by uninvolved people. You guys paid for this information. Wouldn't it be unfair to you all if someone accidentally barges in on us and freely gets to hear this information as well?" He would of course never mention to them that they were actually doing this to prevent the product from running away.
All the leaders easily accepted this reasoning and no longer paid attention to Ray locking the door; instead, they turned their attention to the bizarre-looking War Without Wounds who was guarding the left door.
It was at this point that the left door creaked open, and a Mage dressed in black robe appeared before the waiting crowd. The leaders eagerly studied the Mage's appearance, but his face was unfortunately covered.
Those who personally knew Gu Fei could tell at a glance that it was him. Brother Assist could not fathom why Gu Fei was covering his face, but he still signaled War Without Wounds with a furtive glance.
"Ha ha! Why are you here?!" War Without Wounds warmly extended his arms to clutch Gu Fei's shoulders.
Unexpectedly, Gu Fei dodged War Without Wounds' outstretched arms and stared at him with wide eyes, "Who are you?"
"It's me!" War Without Wounds hurriedly said to Gu Fei.
"What's up with your getup?" Gu Fei asked, perplexed.
"It's a long story," War Without Wounds coughed as he tried to grab him once more, yet Gu Fei dodged his hands again and approached Brother Assist, "Why did you call for me?" Brother Assist was about to speak when Gu Fei shot his hand out to stop him, "Wait for me in the usual private room; I'll go in once I'm done with my business."
"Ahh… What business is this?" Brother Assist froze.
Gu Fei tossed 1 gold coin to Ray who felt stunned upon seeing his familiar action. Gu Fei then flipped over a bench and pulled out his sword, "'Bounty Mission'! Please leave if you're not involved!"
The whole venue came alive at once. Each of them was an influential figure in Yunduan City, so they had long heard of a Mage passionately doing 'Bounty Mission'. Rumors had it that his skill was top-notch and that he had never lost his bounty. Some even wanted to recruit him right away, but this Mage was so occupied with chasing his 'Bounty Mission' targets that even catching a glimpse of him was hard. A few individuals who had luckily encountered the Mage in the middle of doing 'Bounty Mission' would patiently wait for him to finish his business to exchange a few words after. But once he was done with his mission and just as they were getting ready to greet him, the Mage would actually disappear in a white glow.
Nobody knew that there was a 'Bounty Mission' accessory called Windchaser's Emblem that could teleport its wearer to the Bounty Assignment Hall, so those who had seen this scene actually thought that the Mage had used a teleportation scroll to leave the place after finishing his 'Bounty Mission', which thoroughly impressed them of his dedication and extravagance.
Looking at Brother Assist and his companions' expression, all could tell that the Close Combat Mage 27149 that they had been waiting for was this black-clothed Mage. While Gu Fei's acquaintances could recognize him just from his body frame and attire, those who were not that familiar with him, like Drifting, only identified Gu Fei upon seeing him toss 1 gold coin and shout out "'Bounty Mission'!" Drifting smiled at this, "It truly is him." Another person who met Gu Fei through this bounty hunting was Silver Moon, and it was at this very moment that Silver Moon connected the dots from this current scene to that episode back in Yueye City.
Gu Fei's action shocked everyone present, especially when he pointed his sword in front of him, "It's you! The uninvolved people, please make way!"
Gu Fei quickly lowered his sword after pointing it forward, so dozens of players felt that he was singling them out. Gu Fei's declaration had left many of the presently seated leaders at a loss, as they had quite some PK points on them. As for those who did not have any PK value on them, they were all subconsciously trying to get out of Gu Fei's way.
There were not many top experts in the online gaming community, and it would be too coincidental for all of them to spawn in Yunduan City and become guild or mercenary leaders. Being a guild leader did not equate to having superb fighting ability, and their strength lay more on spotting a talent among the crowd. Not having indomitable fighting prowess and coming in this conference unaccompanied, it was hardly surprising that these leaders did not feel safe to be in the presence of the legendary Instkill Mage.
"Make way! Make way! Spells do not discriminate among people!" Gu Fei showily flourished his sword about as he started chanting a spell. This caused everyone to become even more flustered. Bars were a place where people had to share a limited space with others. If a Mage were to cast an AOE spell, the result would therefore be disastrous.
"Blazing Tree of a Thousand Inferno! Arise!" Gu Fei chose a random spot to point and chanted, causing everyone to scamper away. Gu Fei's chanting was just a hoax, though. He had used Zhao San Mu Si while chanting the spell, so his sword tip had pointed to over a dozen spots at once. As such, even the most experienced players among the crowd could not determine where the inferno would spring forth.
The top-class Mage, Drifting, could tell that the spell would not be unleashed with a sword dancing so wildly like that. During spell-casting, a Mage must point a hand or a staff to a fixed spot to unleash a spell. With how Gu Fei was waving his sword about as he chanted, Drifting was certain that the spell was a dud.
Drifting was not the only one who could tell that Gu Fei's move was a bluff. Out of everyone in the bar, Traversing Four Seas' three men, The Black Hand mercenary group leader Black Index Finger, Silver Moon, Yueye City's Dusky Cloud and company, and a few other guild leaders calmly remained on their seats.
Besides them, the four Amethyst Rebirth ladies also remained unperturbed. They believed that their relationship with Gu Fei was strong enough for him to simply let them off the hook if one of them ever happened to be his 'Bounty Mission' target.