The high priest meticulously examined each forest giant wolf and found that although they had injuries, none were serious. After treating them with some herbs, he reported the findings to the deity.
The deity sighed deeply and said, “It seems what needs checking is their brains.”
The high priest thought for a moment and replied, “That’s too difficult; I can’t do it. Would the deity like to examine them personally?”
Clearly, in the high priest’s eyes, this was not a mere complaint but rather a plan of the all-powerful deity.
Shu Bao: “…” At times like this, he missed his snake teammate. Although there was some generational gap between them, they could usually communicate without barriers. He wondered how the snake teammate was faring with the tavern owner and whether they could get some special treatment in terms of pricing.
While Shu Bao was lost in thought, the battlefield was also being cleaned up. Shu Bao and the high priest discussed and decided on the order in which everyone would enter the tribe. The three strongest combatants—Shu Bao, the high priest, and Mu Bao—were clearly to enter separately to ensure that both the Chaotic World and the present world had combat capability.
With everything prepared, Shu Bao led the way into the tribe, followed closely by the warhorse, while the big white cat yawned; it was arranged to accompany the high priest and Mu Bao.
After entering the tribe, Shu Bao immediately began to observe his surroundings warily and noticed that the tribe had not been transported to the Chaotic World. Seeing this, the Xia Wang Tribe people also began to enter the tribe one by one.
The scenery around remained unchanged. Within the tribe, Shu Bao could easily see the high priest and the others outside the tribe. Moreover, those entering could freely come and go, indicating that there were no restrictions at the tribe’s entrance.
However, Shu Bao keenly sensed that with the increase in the number of people, subtle changes were occurring around the tribe. These changes were so slight that they were even less noticeable than the change in humidity before a rainstorm in the Chaotic World.
He vaguely understood why Duan Zhuo had been reluctant to act independently outside the tribe. Besides the rejection and coercion of the present world’s consciousness, he was indeed also afraid of accidentally stepping into a loophole and entering the Chaotic World again.
The changes in the Chaotic World were not obvious. Ordinary people found it difficult to judge through environmental or sensory cues. By the time one realized it, it was already too late.
Shu Bao patiently counted the number of people entering. When the number of people entering the tribe exceeded half of the system-determined base population, the outside world suddenly changed. The stars in the sky were swallowed by darkness, and the high priest and the others waiting outside the fence also vanished.
In the surrounding darkness, roars from chaotic creatures began to echo. However, because the tribe had recently switched to a new type of hidden orchid, it hadn’t attracted too many chaotic creatures. Only the magical beasts startled by the sudden appearance of the tribe were present, with some fleeing and others charging toward the tribe’s fence.
Shu Bao immediately ordered everyone to disperse around the fence for defense. The Xia Wang Tribe people were already prepared and quickly went into a defensive state.
Although the tribe’s numbers had halved today, most of the magical beasts had been driven away by the Necromancer Legion, making the defense even easier than before.
Shu Bao waited a bit longer but still did not see the high priest and the others appear in the tribe. The mouse then realized that after midnight, once the population in the tribe reached half of the system-determined base, the Chaotic World would be activated, and the Xia Wang Tribe would be transported to the Chaotic World. Moreover, people from the real world would no longer be able to enter the tribe.
At that moment, the real world observers who had not yet entered the tribe watched in dismay as the tribe before them vanished. Where the tribe should have been, there was now only green grass. At a glance, there was no trace of habitation.
The high priest tried to enter the location where the tribe had been but found that, apart from the absence of the tribe, the area was perfectly normal. It was as if the world had automatically filled in the empty space, even thoughtfully adding grass, stones, and other objects.
Since this situation had been anticipated, the high priest wasn’t overly worried. He methodically organized everyone to continue camping. After the large number of ivory jackals, no other large, pack-like creatures came to attack.
The night passed peacefully. The next morning, the familiar tribe appeared before them. The people waiting outside eagerly gathered around. Inside and outside the fence, the tribespeople exchanged glances, confirming that everyone was safe before they could relax.
The high priest initially intended to talk to Shu Bao about the situation in the real world after the tribe entered the Chaotic World last night. However, he quickly learned that the deity, worried about the meat going bad, had taken a large number of ivory jackal corpses to the Chaotic World to sell overnight.
The high priest remarked on the deity’s diligence and then continued with his daily tasks.
The Xia Wang Tribe people soon began a busy day. They initially thought today would be no different from usual, but by noon, they saw cracks appearing on the two dragon eggs.
At first, they were quite frightened, wondering if the eggs had been accidentally bumped during the recent transport. But soon, they heard gentle tapping from inside the eggs. Everyone instantly realized that the dragons were about to hatch!
The news spread quickly through the tribe, and everyone excitedly gathered around. However, after the initial excitement, they became very anxious because they didn’t know what to expect after the dragons hatched. Would the dragons attack them? Would they need food or have other requirements?
The people were both eager and fearful, frequently glancing toward the mission hall, hoping that the deity would appear at any moment.
Meanwhile, Shu Bao had already arrived at the tavern in the forest. After entering the Chaotic World last night, he found that most of the chaotic creatures had left with the migrating army, leaving only the Necromancer Legion as a precaution. Shu Bao then quickly made his way to the tavern.
With the large number of ivory jackals and the difficulty of preserving them during summer, Shu Bao was also curious to see how his snake teammate was faring. After all, a snake traveling alone might face some trouble.
As Shu Bao approached the tavern, he saw the warm yellow light spilling from inside from a distance. As he got closer, he could faintly hear the lively commotion inside.
Due to the fame of his humanoid appearance from the dragon egg incident, Shu Bao maintained his mouse form in the Chaotic World.
As he extended his claws to push the door, it suddenly swung open from the inside.
“Thank you,” the polite mouse said by reflex, only to look up and see a familiar figure. The person was wearing a mask that obscured their face, but Shu Bao immediately recognized the beautiful antennae on their head and the cape on their back.
“You’re welcome,” the figure, Fu Qing, replied earnestly, clearly feeling that he had really helped. Fu Qing glanced at the fluffy mouse ball and thought they might have made a good team if not for differing ideals. But since Fu Qing already had a beautiful friend, he decided against it.
Facing Fu Qing in his mouse form, Shu Bao felt somewhat sheepish, so he quickly slipped into the tavern through the space Fu Qing had opened. Fu Qing did not linger and walked away.
Shu Bao’s appearance drew some attention, but seeing it was just a mouse, most people soon lost interest. There were plenty of odd things in the Chaotic World lately, and the new tavern owner was even a talking snake.
Shu Bao wandered around the tavern but did not find any sign of Lan Qing. Just as he was wondering, he suddenly heard a customer on the first floor loudly calling out, “Boss! Boss! Check out!”
“Coming! Coming!” A flash of green appeared from behind the table where the tavern owner usually sat. The green quickly moved to the front of the table where the payment was being made and peeked at it. “A total of 2 silver coins.”
The customer readily tossed 2 silver coins down, and then a group of people quickly left the tavern. The other patrons looked at the wealthy group with envy and curiosity. It wasn’t until they left that the crowd began to chatter.
Lan Qing expertly used the tip of his tail to sweep the 2 silver coins from the table into a small bag hanging around his neck. The sound of coins clinking inside the bag immediately followed. The snake even shook his neck to feel the added weight of the money before climbing back behind the table contentedly.
Shu Bao, puzzled, stood on tiptoe and peered around, still not seeing the tavern owner. The behavior of Lan Qing collecting the money seemed normal to the other patrons. So, Shu Bao boldly guessed that his snake teammate had earned the boss’s trust and was now managing the tavern in the owner’s absence!
This was indeed good news. The only thing that puzzled Shu Bao was that his snake teammate was wearing a small black hat. It looked a bit like a round top hat, but with a band of black, fluffy fur above the brim, making it seem less suitable for summer.
However, in the Chaotic World, there were no distinct seasons, and temperatures often fluctuated. People’s clothing was varied and strange, so the snake teammate’s hat actually seemed quite normal.
Shu Bao scampered over to the table and squeezed through the gap at the edge. After getting through the table, Shu Bao realized why he hadn’t seen his snake teammate earlier. The snake had coiled up on the chair, which was blocked by the table, so it was impossible to see the snake from either above or below.
As Shu Bao emerged from under the table, Lan Qing immediately noticed the moving ball of fluff. As soon as the fluff fully came into view, Lan Qing straightened up and swiftly slid down from the chair. “Shu Bao! Shu Bao! What are you doing here?”
Lan Qing was both surprised and delighted, giving Shu Bao a 360-degree hug that made him feel slightly squeezed.
Once Lan Qing released the fluffy Shu Bao, he was finally able to breathe easily. “I came to check on you and sell some things.”
Hearing this, Lan Qing was even more pleased. He immediately climbed onto the table and, with a flick of his tail, two cups of juice floated down. Lan Qing then picked out a few fruits and two snacks, placed them on the table, and invited his fluffy teammate to join him for some food and drink.
Shu Bao climbed onto the table and looked at the spread of delicacies, feeling a bit dazed. “Is this alright? Won’t it affect your wages?”
“What’s wrong with this? If it’s not enough, I can get more,” Lan Qing said, lifting his head and eyeing the tall shelves behind the table. Just as his tail was about to lift again, Shu Bao hurried over to stop him.
“No need for more. I meant, won’t the tavern owner deduct your wages?”
Lan Qing quickly reassured Shu Bao, “I am the owner, so it’s fine.”
Shu Bao was taken aback. Lan Qing blinked at him, conveying sincerity in his eyes to make his words more believable.
Shu Bao picked a red fruit from the platter with his claw and sat down. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Lan Qing quickly settled himself, nibbling on a fruit while recounting his experiences after entering the Chaotic World.
The first part of the story matched what Shu Bao already knew—Lan Qing had come to the tavern to buy magical materials, accidentally damaged the house, and was left working there.
As a dedicated and apologetic snake, Lan Qing had put his best effort into helping manage the tavern. Initially, the owner was not pleased with the damage, but Lan Qing’s sincerity quickly earned the owner’s approval.
At this point, Lan Qing proudly lifted his head, “The owner even prepared a new room for me. It looks a bit like a cage, so it was quite inconvenient to get in and out. I ended up biting out a door myself.”
Shu Bao paused his fruit-eating, sensing something might be off.
“Besides that, the owner gave me many gifts, including a bottle of precious mixed venom from over a hundred types. It tasted amazing!” Lan Qing recalled the deliciousness with a satisfied flick of his tongue.
Lan Qing then described some of the more unusual gifts he had received, such as a toy that shot steel needles, snacks mixed with precious poisons, and various small rooms designed to look like cages. At this point, Lan Qing couldn’t help but criticize the owner’s bizarre taste.
Shu Bao listened silently and looked up at his simple-minded snake teammate, thinking that Lan Qing’s survival until now, aside from his strength, must have involved a bit of luck.
In summary, after receiving a large number of precious gifts, Lan Qing worked even harder at his job, even taking on the owner’s responsibilities. The owner only needed to sit at the table and watch.
“Unfortunately, even with such a good boss, there were people who wanted to take advantage. One day, a group of people broke into the tavern, captured the boss, and demanded repayment. The boss said he owed a lot of money and hoped I could help him pay off the debt.”
Lan Qing tapped his chest with his tail, “Since the boss was so good to me, I, of course, had to help. So I bought the tavern with a black meteorite that I had managed to find in the Chaotic Swamp. This way, the boss would have money to pay off the debt!”
Shu Bao, who had been nibbling on fruit: “…”
“The boss was so moved he even cried, unable to say a full sentence. I kindly comforted him, telling him not to get into debt anymore, to work hard, and to earn money. He could even stay and work for me, and I would pay him 2 silver coins a month!”
“How much?” Shu Bao, who had little experience with the social norms of the Chaotic World, felt the salary seemed a bit low.
“2 silver coins, which is double what I made when I was working!” Lan Qing explained.
“Oh.” Shu Bao didn’t comment further.
Lan Qing continued with his story, “The people who had kidnapped the boss were also very satisfied. They released the boss on the spot and quickly left. The boss couldn’t even catch up with them!”
“Although I tried hard to keep him, the boss felt embarrassed because there were so many onlookers at the tavern, so he eventually left.” Lan Qing suddenly leaned closer to Shu Bao and whispered, “But I’ve noticed that the boss has been secretly returning to the area. Whenever I go out to find him, he quickly runs away.”
The subsequent events were relatively straightforward. Lan Qing wanted to wait for the boss to return so he could continue his enthusiastic work and pay him 2 silver coins each month. This was the reason for his delay in returning to the tribe, as he was a very responsible and caring snake.
Another reason was that Lan Qing wanted to find another black meteorite to give to his fluffy teammate. However, despite wandering around the area for days, he hadn’t found another one and felt a bit guilty toward his fluffy teammate.
Shu Bao quickly reassured him, saying it was alright. He had found an extra-large black meteorite during the construction of the mission hall, and the one Lan Qing found had actually been his. Lan Qing could do whatever he wished with it.
Upon hearing this, Lan Qing felt relieved but then sighed softly, “Ah, such a good boss, but too concerned with his reputation.”
Shu Bao: “…” From Lan Qing’s description alone, it seemed like there was something off about the boss. It was possible that the kidnapping was staged. The tavern owner probably never expected that Lan Qing’s thought process was quite unconventional—he didn’t sell himself to pay off the debt but instead bought the tavern to settle it. Turning from a worker to a boss was quite a remarkable move.
As for the frequent appearances of the boss nearby, it was easier to explain if the whole kidnapping was indeed staged. Those fake kidnappers were probably after money, and when they received a valuable black meteorite, they might have decided to run away for real.
So, in the end, it seemed the only one who might have lost out was the boss. The boss would surely not give up, wanting to sneak back into the tavern to try to capture Lan Qing again and reclaim the tavern.
However, these were just guesses. Shu Bao didn’t share his thoughts with Lan Qing. Instead, he clapped his claws together and said, “Great! Since you’re the boss now, you can give us a good price!”
After catching up, Shu Bao didn’t forget his purpose for the visit and explained that he had a large number of ivory jackals in his system wristband.
Lan Qing was very generous and said he would give Shu Bao the best price. Although he actually wanted to give Shu Bao all the money from the tavern, Shu Bao refused, saying, “Even though we’re teammates, you’re also a competitor. We both need to have our own endeavors to grow together!”
Lan Qing was moved by this and nodded vigorously, “Alright! I will!”
His fluffy teammate was different from others. In other teams, power was usually highly centralized. This was not only for the convenience of management to prevent disagreements that could lead to disintegration, but also because dispersing authority could significantly affect the establishment of absolute authority.
Generally speaking, unless there was already a subordinate relationship or extreme closeness, teams in such survival challenges were not easily formed, as it would mean giving up autonomy.
The two practical companions soon came down from the table and went to the back room of the tavern to tally the ivory jackals Shu Bao had brought. Lan Qing offered a price of 20 silver coins per jackal.
Shu Bao knew this was a high price. After all, even the fierce marsh crocodiles had only been worth 10 silver coins each. These ordinary jackals from the real world didn’t have the magical properties needed to make magic items; their fur and meat had only some minor uses.
But no matter how much Shu Bao refused, Lan Qing stuck to his price and also gave Shu Bao a large amount of magic potions. According to Lan Qing, he liked to experiment with magic potions when there were no customers at the tavern. He had many potions for practice and nowhere to use them.
The impoverished Shu Bao finally accepted the potions and secretly decided to save some talent books for his snake teammate in the future.
After the transaction, Lan Qing asked curiously, “What’s the magic task from the system this time? Is there something to collect? I might have it here.”
Shu Bao thought the chances were slim, “Have you heard of the Lord’s Heart?”
“I know about it! It’s a kind of buff gained from killing lord-level or higher beasts, a goal many lord hunters pursue. Depending on the lord’s ability, the buff effect varies. Is the task to kill a lord beast and obtain a Lord’s Heart?” Lan Qing scratched his chin with his tail, finding it a bit tricky since it wasn’t something that could be bought.
Shu Bao shook his head. Just as Lan Qing was about to relax, Shu Bao continued, “Not just one, but ten.”
Lan Qing: “…”
After learning what the Lord’s Heart was, Shu Bao was a bit discouraged. But thinking about the task rewards reignited his motivation. “Do you know of any lord-level creatures in the Chaotic World that are numerous and easier to kill?”
Lan Qing tilted his head and pondered for a moment, “I’ve heard of a creature called the Rootless Grass. It’s said to appear in large groups. Although its individual strength isn’t impressive, when encountered, it can control anything below the lord level. It traps creatures in its domain and plays games with them. If the trapped creatures lose, they become its nourishment; if they win, it will commit suicide.”
Shu Bao had never heard of such a unique creature before. It sounded like a gambling enthusiast. Coincidentally, Shu Bao’s luck was usually quite good, especially in games of chance.
“However, its buff is quite bizarre. The effects are random, both good and bad. I’ve heard that some people, after winning a game, ended up with a buff that caused them to die instantly. There are also strange buffs like being unlucky for an entire year or always losing at gambling. Of course, there are rumors of people getting incredible buffs like a full-system magic awakening. But those are just rumors. Overall, due to the highly disproportionate positive and negative buffs, most people tend to avoid it.”
Seeing the determined look in Shu Bao’s eyes, Lan Qing puffed out his chest and decided to accompany his teammate. However, they still lacked information about the Rootless Grass. Fortunately, since they were at a tavern, any bounty notices posted would quickly spread, and someone would soon come back with information to remove the notice.
Shu Bao couldn’t stay here for long waiting for news. He told Lan Qing that he would come back after some time and then prepared to head back to the tribe.
Before leaving, Lan Qing suddenly whispered to Shu Bao that he felt the boss was nearby again.
Shu Bao’s eyes shifted as he beckoned Lan Qing with a small claw and whispered, “Your boss must be feeling embarrassed. This time, don’t chase him. Just pretend not to know and wait in the tavern. When he comes in, close the door and then ‘invite’ him to work. And don’t offer too much money—people who care about their pride won’t accept it if it’s too much. Just give him 1 silver coin!”
“1 silver coin?”
“Yes, that’s right. After all, your previous salary was 1 silver coin. This way, your boss will feel fairly treated.” Shu Bao said firmly, “Trust me! It will work!”
Lan Qing nodded vigorously, “Okay! I understand!”
