TAG Chapter 19

The three of them fell silent for a few seconds.

Zou Yidao cursed, “These guys really know how to cause trouble.”

He took out a cigarette and handed it to the captain, saying, “Brother, what happened? Tell us more.”

The captain took a puff of his cigarette and replied, “That day, we were hunting Giant Hornets, not just one team, but about four or five teams. We were close to the guys from Jianfeng, and then that little guy killed a Giant Hornet and dropped a Jade Armor, worth around two hundred or so.”

“You know the rules, whatever drops belongs to the person who kills it. Nobody should argue about it, it’s all luck. But those Jianfeng guys insisted that they had their eyes on that monster and that they should have killed it. They wanted to snatch it from us.”

“They had more people, and we never pick fights with them, but that little guy just wouldn’t yield. He ended up killing one of their guys and injuring two others before running away.”

Qiao Jington snorted coldly, “Serves them right.”

“I don’t know where Bai Er went, but he’s definitely hiding in a city to avoid Jianfeng’s pursuit. He must have hidden his location, so they can’t find him,” he continued.

“They deserved it, but Jianfeng really shouldn’t have provoked him,” the captain said cautiously. “If it happened elsewhere, it would be different, but killing someone in the Free Market, Jianfeng will definitely investigate it thoroughly.”

Zou Yidao added, “We all came out of the newbie village together, but we’ve never exchanged words. He’s indeed an odd one.”

“Yeah, he’s as quiet as a mute.”

Zou Yidao took out a travel scroll and handed it to the captain. “Brother, promise me you won’t tell anyone that we know him. I’m afraid Jianfeng might involve us, and that would be unfair.”

The captain gladly accepted the scroll, “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word.”

Afterward, the three of them lost interest in monster hunting and returned to the city.

“How can we find Bai Er then?”

Zou Yidao replied, “There is one way, and you can do it. It’s a skill that only National Servants have, either summoning or communication.”

“Summoning means bringing someone from another place to your location, provided they haven’t been attacked, are conscious, and agree to it. Communication is more like sending them a private message.”

Zou Yidao thought for a moment, “I heard about it from other National Servants. You’ll have to check for the specific requirements and conditions yourself.”

“Okay.”

After some contemplation, Shu Ai frowned, “It’s troublesome; the communication skill requires 2000 points to exchange, and summoning is even more demanding, needing 3000 points. I won’t be able to unlock them in a short time.”

“We can’t wait that long, and Bai Er might not be able to either,” Qiao Jington said. “So let’s use a simple method: exclude newbie villages, the Borderland Nation, and all cities marked by Jianfeng. Then, we focus on the remaining cities and visit them one by one to find him.”

“That’s not a bad idea, and we can also exclude a few more cities where the Sharps don’t have any conflicts. Bai Er…”

“What… Sharp what?” Qiao Jington was confused.

“Sharp. That’s what they call them,” Zou Yidao said, smirking with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Shu Ai couldn’t help but laugh.

Qiao Jington tried to suppress his laughter and said, pretending to be serious, “Let’s focus. Which ones should we exclude?”

Zou Yidao grinned and said, “Let me check the map.”

He started mumbling to himself while looking at the map, then after a few minutes, he pointed out nine cities, “These nine cities include three Sharps and four Zen Heart cities. The remaining two have some old grudges with Jianfeng, and their people rarely visit these places. So, if Bai Er is hiding, he’s most likely in one of these nine cities.”

“Alright, let’s split the cities. Each of us takes three…” Qiao Jington hesitated for a moment, “Wait, are these cities dangerous?”

He looked at Shu Ai, feeling uneasy about her going alone.

“It’s safe within the cities. Each guild city has its own entry requirements, and as long as you meet them and pay the entry fee, you’re legally allowed to enter and stay there. As long as you don’t cause trouble within the city, your safety is guaranteed,” Zou Yidao explained.

“But once you leave the city, it’s a different story.”

Zou Yidao continued, “We all pretty much meet the requirements, but the entry fees might be a bit of a hassle. I might not have enough points.”

“How many points do you have?”

“With the two hundred you guys just earned, what could I have? I just gave away a scroll earlier, so I’m left with only a hundred points,” Zou Yidao chuckled. “Even the sword I’m using is borrowed.”

Zou Yidao was currently using the forged steel sword that Shu Ai had lent him, which was much better than what he had in the newbie village. At least now, he could accept items from others.

“Then maybe you should skip going, and I can go to five cities, and Shu Ai can go to four…” Qiao Jington suggested.

Zou Yidao patted Qiao Jington’s shoulder and interrupted him with a gentle smile, “Friend, the entry fee for guild cities is determined by the city itself. The Free Market is 100 points, but the guild cities set their own fees.”

A moment of silence followed.

Shu Ai grumbled, “It’s all about points everywhere!”

“Damn it…” Qiao Jington rubbed his short hair in frustration, “When we find Bai Er, I’m going to extort a few scrolls from him.”

“But it’s a one-time payment, right? You only need to pay the entry fee once for each city, and then you can come and go as you please, as long as you’re not put on the city’s blacklist,” Zou Yidao explained.

“Or, like me, just run back to the newbie village naked,” he added sarcastically.

Qiao Jington checked the entry fees for the nine cities, and the cheapest one was 300 points, while the most expensive one was 1000! His mind was filled with profanity.

He was saving up points for Enlightenment!

Seeing Qiao Jington’s expression, Zou Yidao knew what he was thinking, “Yeah, the system caps it at 1000 points; otherwise, those big guilds would ask for even more.”

Qiao Jington sighed helplessly, “Then let’s start with the cheapest city.”

“I have an idea,” Shu Ai suggested, “Why don’t we find a high-level National Servant in the city and have them communicate with Bai Er? I only have enough points to go to one or two cities.”

Zou Yidao shook his head decisively, “If the Sharps find out that we have a connection with Bai Er, it’ll be troublesome. Their leader is a JACK, very formidable. He has another JACK and several level 10 and 9 players under him; any one of them would be tough to deal with.”

“But you’re a level 9 too, it would be great if you could kill one,” Qiao Jington said.

Zou Yidao shook his head again, “At our level, it’s hard to climb any higher. In the game, there are fewer than a hundred level 9s and 10s, including the JACKs and attendees. Most of them are protected by guilds, so killing one would make us enemies of the whole guild.”

“Free players find it hard to level up, so they’re scarce, and it’s tough to find one who is level 9 like me.”

“Alright, there’s no other way then. Let’s go,” Qiao Jington conceded.

“I’ll go find some monsters to farm points, and you guys don’t need to hurry back after visiting the new cities. You can explore their monster areas too,” Zou Yidao said, glancing at his phone, “If anything comes up, contact me with the phone. Oh, but this thing requires points to recharge.”

Qiao Jington cursed and recharged his phone with points before heading with Shu Ai toward the Tree of Life.

He chose one of the guild cities, “Doumuxie,” which required 300 points for entry.

When applying to enter Doumuxie, a city regulation popped up, listing more than ten rules, such as no PKing inside the city, no selling in the city, and even a strange rule about not singing in the city.

After teleporting to Doumuxie, Qiao Jington felt an immediate chill, shivering all over. He opened his eyes to find everything around him covered in silver and white. Snowflakes drifted like petals, and even the Tree of Life had shed all its leaves, adorned by snow, resembling clusters of white-headed mushrooms.

It turned out that Doumuxie was located in the northern part of the Xuanwu Continent.
Qiao Jington opened the Demon-Slaying List and searched for the city, but he couldn’t find Bai Er’s name.

Having spent 300 points for nothing, Qiao Jington felt frustrated. He messaged Shu Ai, informing her that Bai Er was not in Doumuxie. Soon enough, Shu Ai replied with the same result and mentioned that she didn’t have enough points to travel to the next city.

Looking around, Qiao Jington saw that the city was much quieter compared to the lively atmosphere of Star Sun Horse. There were only about ten players, and some of them were NPCs.

Knowing that finding Bai Er was a priority, Qiao Jington decided to explore the monster areas later and used the Tree of Life to teleport to the next city, Canshuiyuan, which was marked by Zen Heart. The guild emblem was a hand gesture representing Buddhist meditation.

After another spatial distortion, Canshuiyuan, belonging to the western White Tiger Continent, appeared before him. It resembled an old western town, featuring a desert color scheme and unconventional buildings, giving it a wild and charming atmosphere.

Qiao Jington searched for Bai Er on the Demon-Slaying List again, but once more, there was no trace of him.

Feeling annoyed, he messaged Shu Ai again, and her response was the same. She also mentioned that she didn’t have enough points to go to the next city.

Just then, a few players approached him, “Hey, want to team up?”

Qiao Jington glanced at them and was surprised to see that all of them had replaced their Silver Frost devices with Buddhist symbols, such as the Om symbol, placed on various parts of their bodies, like their foreheads, arms, and necks. It seemed that they were all members of Zen Heart.

Qiao Jington shook his head; he had to move on to the next city.

Checking the map, he noticed that the remaining cities required just a bit more points than he had. Deciding to take a risk, he selected the main city of Fake Mask.

Zou Yidao had mentioned that Fake Mask and Jianfeng were archenemies, prohibiting each other’s guild members from entering their cities. Fake Mask was the most sinister guild, and players had a high chance of being killed at their monster areas. It was uncertain whether Bai Er would be safe there, but considering his personality, he might prefer taking risks.

Qiao Jington applied to enter…

The main city of Fake Mask was located in Jiaomujiao on the Eastern Azure Dragon Continent. It looked like a serene, picturesque Jiangnan town with tranquil waters and verdant colors. However, the people in the city were quite peculiar.

Members of Fake Mask turned their Silver Frost devices into face masks. Each mask covered a different part of their face—right half, single eye, double eyes, upper and lower parts—all looking eerie and strange.

As soon as Qiao Jington appeared, everyone in the city stared at him as if he were a rat walking into a cat’s den.

Remaining composed, Qiao Jington used the Demon-Slaying List to search for Bai Er’s name.

Bai Er!

Bai Er was in Jiaomujiao!

Immediately, he messaged Shu Ai and asked her to wait for them in Star Sun Horse.

Spending 1800 points, Qiao Jington finally found that scoundrel Bai Er!

Approaching a few people, Qiao Jington asked, “Excuse me, have you seen a guy with albinism?”

He glanced at them; all of them were at least level 7, with one being level 9.

A woman with a mask over her right eye came closer and looked Qiao Jington up and down, her gaze full of arrogance. “I’ve seen him. Do you want me to take you to him?”

“I can find him on my own.”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Jiaomujiao has 36 monster areas; find him yourself.”

Qiao Jington frowned, “How can you tell me the location outright?”

Extending her finger, she tapped Qiao Jington’s sturdy chest playfully. “You’re handsome… If you have dinner with me, I’ll tell you.”

Qiao Jington grabbed her hand and leaned close to her ear, whispering in a flirtatious tone, “Tell me first, then we can have dinner.”

A man with a mask over his left eye walked over and pushed Qiao Jington away, warning, “Kid, are you seeking death?”

Qiao Jington sneered, “I’m just here to find a friend. If you don’t want to tell me, forget it. There’s no need to toy with me.”

He planned to leave the city at night to find Bai Er, unwilling to be targeted by other players if he left the city now.

The man coldly laughed, “Your ‘friend’ is the one wanted by Jianfeng for killing their members, do you think he’s safe here?”

Qiao Jington dismissed it, “He’s not dead yet, which means he’s probably safe.”

“His time is almost up,” the flirtatious woman smirked. “He’s at the Big Bull monster area. Hurry up if you want to see him one last time.”

Qiao Jington widened his eyes, whether she was telling the truth or not, he had to check it out.

He took out a travel scroll and teleported there immediately.

Donate via Paypal