Chapter 98: Recruiting Elite Players

A rich aroma rushed over him, and Hermes instantly felt as if he had entered a paradise of food.

The flavors of fish, spices, herbs, and charred scent were distinct yet blended harmoniously.

A unique beauty unfolded before his eyes.

Although the adults were also intrigued by the fried fish, they all silently gave the child more than half of the fish’s flesh first.

“Sister Bing, Sister Kage, Brother Hermes, Itachi should eat too!”

Akatsuki Beichangtan stared at the towering pile of fish flesh before her, her gaze momentarily dazed—she loved, loved this feeling of everyone eating together.

In the past, she had always been alone.

“Pfft… hahaha…”

Bing, Kage, and Hermes looked at the child’s anxious expression, exchanged glances, then burst out laughing together.

“Then, I’ll begin!”

And so, everyone happily took a chopstick each, picking up pieces of fish to savor this dish infused with heartfelt care.

“Though the ingredients aren’t high-grade, I feel Froze’s Golden Crispy Fried Fish tastes even better than all her previous dishes.”

Kage slowly savored the fish dish, a rare smile softening her eyes.

“Really? I also think this dish, though simple, is one I’m truly satisfied with.”

Froze, too, felt content.

She agreed with Yi Long.

Food, after all, tastes better when shared around a table.

“Eating with Akatsuki Beichangtan makes it even more delicious.”

Hermes agreed as well.

Originally, this rare leisurely gathering had no one eager to leave.

Unfortunately, the group owner Luo Qianqiu’s investigation had finally yielded results.

The group could only reluctantly end the gathering.

Luo Qianqiu: “Hahaha, I’ve figured it all out!”

Luo Qianqiu: “The world Taiyi visited has no hidden mastermind!”

Luo Qianqiu: “To prevent anyone from deliberately fishing, I cautiously tested it with several different methods.”

Lu Dongbin: “Group owner, are Itachi certain? Those mighty beings who roam across countless worlds must all be old schemers—can Itachi really be sure no one’s fishing?”

Lu Dongbin paused thoughtfully; since becoming a skilled actor, he felt as if he’d awakened, his strategies and schemes now coming naturally.

In his view, beings capable of crossing worlds must all be old schemers.

Could the group owner truly see through them?

Luo Qianqiu: “Relax, Old Lu—I know full well that old schemers are everywhere across the myriad worlds.”

Luo Qianqiu: “If someone truly wanted to deceive me, I might not see through it.”

Luo Qianqiu: “But our chat group, though still weak, has a high intrinsic nature—if caught off guard, it might be fooled.”

Luo Qianqiu: “Yet after confirming through multiple methods, it’s impossible for it to remain completely unaware.”

Hermes: “Then, group owner, do Itachi know what this world is like?”

Luo Qianqiu: “Of course. According to the chat group’s exploration, the world Taiyi reached has gained some kind of opportunity and begun world ascension.”

Luo Qianqiu: “The exact nature of the opportunity is still unclear; I don’t yet know how far this world’s ascension will go.”

Luo Qianqiu: “But the world’s consciousness, after contacting our chat group, warmly invited us to come as players and clear its dungeons.”

Monkey D. Dragon: “Huh? So it’s that eager? Could there be some hidden agenda?”

Dragon frowned slightly, feeling something was off.

Having lived through the lawless Pirate Age and witnessed the depths of human depravity, Dragon was accustomed to viewing things through a suspicious lens.

Cangqi Chengzi: “Shouldn’t such a good thing be kept internal?”

If this happened in the Type-Moon world, the Heroic Spirits would have immediately mobilized to seal off all external surveillance.

Lu Dongbin: “Exactly. By the nature of Heaven’s Dao, it should want to keep all the meat roasting in its own pot—why invite outsiders to share the feast?”

Luo Qianqiu: “Relax, there’s no conspiracy—the reason is simple.”

Luo Qianqiu: “The opportunity this world received was too powerful, but its own foundation is too weak—it’s now overfull.”

Luo Qianqiu: “Itachi should know, the dungeon incursions in this world have lasted ten years, yet its people remain at the most basic, superficial level of dungeon development.”

Luo Qianqiu: “The world’s consciousness is already straining—it fears missing the ascension opportunity entirely. So when our chat group appeared, it tried to directly recruit us as external laborers.”

In short, the world’s native beings are too incompetent to bear the burden of ascension.

Now, it plans to attract talent from outside, grow stronger, and reclaim glory!

Kage: “Good. Then there’s only one question left—how do we go explore?”

Luo Qianqiu: “Don’t worry—I’ve already reached an agreement with the world’s consciousness.”

Luo Qianqiu: “Our chat group’s points aren’t abstract—they’re a genuine currency with unique value.”

Luo Qianqiu: “Pay 1000 points, and the world’s consciousness will create a special avatar for Itachi with the physical strength of an ordinary adult.”

Luo Qianqiu: “Then, Itachi simply use the 【Group Link】 function to enter that world through this avatar and clear its dungeons.”

Luo Qianqiu: “Even if Itachi fail and your avatar dies, Itachi only need to pay another 1000 points to create a new one.”

As Luo Qianqiu finished speaking, a notification chimed directly in the chat group.

【Ding, due to agreement with the world consciousness codenamed ‘Zhen Qi’, the chat group has issued a long-term task.】

【Task Description: The ascending ‘Zhen Qi World’, due to special needs, is now recruiting elite players for long-term dungeon clearance.】

【World Consciousness Note: World consciousness provides character modeling service—pay 1000 points to generate a player account with the physical capacity of an adult native. This service is unlimited.】

【World Consciousness Reminder: Note that each time a player account is deleted, the player’s consciousness will suffer the shock of the avatar’s death. Please carefully assess your condition and wait out the cooldown before creating a new account.】

【Reward: Players receive all privileges granted to native lifeforms; all rewards from dungeon clearance belong solely to the player.】