Chapter 17: Time is Running Out for Lin Bai

It was an idea shared by the Blacksmith and the carpenter.

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

The matter of the Haunted House had spread far and wide, and the surrounding area had been deserted ever since; the agency could only silence so many people, and one only needed to inquire a little to learn the truth.

Encountering such a situation.

Even if they were fat sheep, in the end, they would likely have to admit their bad luck.

Therefore, the idea every craftsman had was to drag it out as long as possible; once Lin Bai gave up in the face of difficulties, the matter would naturally be dropped.

Who would have known that this time, they had run into a ruthless character.

And so.

The Blacksmith inevitably met the same fate as the carpenter; after being harvested for Negative Emotion by the ghosts Lin Bai borrowed, he had no choice but to swallow his anger, work overtime, and rush the work for him.

Poor, simple, and kind ghosts, molded by Lin Bai into man-eating, bone-chewing fierce spirits, their reputations ruined for nothing.

How virtuous, how virtuous!

But it must be said.

Being pointed at with a gun, the work was indeed done much more efficiently.

In Lin Bai's mind, the progress bar for the Incomplete System's task, which had been stagnant, finally began to crawl forward again slowly.

Rising simultaneously was the Negative Emotion Value.

Three ghosts hung above his head, forced to work overtime, and the finished products they made had to be flawed; nine out of ten people would be filled with resentment.

In this short while, Lin Bai had already watered the trees twice; to a certain extent, they could be considered to have contributed to environmental protection.

"People act, Heaven watches; those who lack integrity should be punished."

Most people's happiness is built upon the suffering of others, and Lin Bai was no exception; at this moment, he was very happy.

Positive Emotion is picky and requires effort to cultivate.

Negative Emotion is easy to pick up and can grow continuously; choosing Negative Emotion is choosing the fast lane, allowing one to ramp up the speed right from the start.

It was simply steady happiness.

While at the Blacksmith Shop, Lin Bai encountered another player named 【Deng Li Buduo】.

He was wearing the clothes of a Blacksmith Apprentice and, wearing an apron, was pushing the Bellows; clearly, he had already acquired a profession.

However.

Lin Bai pretended not to see him.

To have his current achievements, he was relying entirely on borrowing momentum.

At Luo Congwen's house, he borrowed the momentum of the never-before-seen Old Master Luo to earn his startup capital;

Dealing with ghosts, he borrowed the momentum of players being Undying and Indestructible;

Dealing with the big brother 【Lao Mi】, he borrowed the momentum of the Government and the Beggar Sect;

Urging the craftsmen to work, he in turn borrowed the momentum of the ghosts;

Lin Bai was like a strategist, maneuvering back and forth between all parties time and again; while his assets and gains appeared to be increasing, every step was taken on a tightrope.

But if any one party were to wake up, it could potentially detonate a landmine.

Things borrowed are, in the end, not one's own.

To forge iron, one must be strong oneself; in the end, he was currently just an empty shell.

The natives themselves were very powerful.

Players were a special group; for the sake of experience, they were filled with exuberant passion for everything, and as long as they found a method, they could soar rapidly.

There was not much time left for Lin Bai.

He had to have the power to respond before any one thing detonated.

Therefore.

No matter how greedy he was, he could not provoke any more players.

Keep a low profile.

At least until he possessed combat power, he could not provoke any more trouble.

Facts proved it.

Even if the bright moon in the night sky only revealed a crescent, it was still more eye-catching than the surrounding stars.

The moment Lin Bai left the Blacksmith Shop, the curiosity of 【Deng Li Buduo】, who had just been promoted to Blacksmith Apprentice, could no longer be suppressed: "Master, what was going on with that person just now?"

"That's just a lunatic." The Blacksmith swung his Hammer fiercely onto the red-hot iron billet, sparks flying everywhere as he vented his resentment toward Lin Bai.

Beside him, 【Deng Li Buduo】 was drooling.

A haunted shop, a flawed iron bowl, a shop with unknown functions...

This guy was a hidden NPC!

Compared to the legendary Lin Bai, 【Deng Li Buduo】 suddenly felt that the identity of a Blacksmith Apprentice was no longer appealing; his heart was restless.

Perhaps.

He should go and learn more stories about Lin Bai.

For one person to suppress three fierce spirits—if one said he didn't have more brilliant Immortal Art, even a fool wouldn't believe it!

This game was called "Xianxia World," and Immortal Art and Dao Method were the mainstream.

Yesterday, he had scoured the whole city but couldn't find a sect to learn Immortal Art; he went to a martial arts school only to be asked for tuition, so he was forced to join the Blacksmith Shop as an apprentice, intending to first pick up a life profession and grind his experience points...

Who would have thought that just after becoming an apprentice, he would dig up such explosive news.

Could this be the legendary "great hermit hiding in the city"?

The great god is right; only by integrating into the world can one seek further development.

This game is getting more and more interesting; the plot is hidden within the details of daily life.

The development team put in some real effort!

【Deng Li Buduo】 pulled the Bellows habitually, his heart surging; he had to seize it, he must seize this opportunity, that NPC is mine...

"Focus on the Bellows, watch the heat," the Blacksmith scolded his new apprentice unpleasantly. "Little Deng, you have great talent for blacksmithing; don't let these sordid matters affect your mood. Such eccentric customers are rare after all; you might not even meet one or two in a lifetime. Focus on your craft; in three years at most, you will be able to finish your apprenticeship. If nothing else, this skill of your master's is definitely enough to make a living."

Three years?

If it weren't for the fact that I need to unlock my profession, would I have come to this crappy little place of yours?

In a month at most, I will obtain the Blacksmith title.

After three years, I will at least be a Forging Grandmaster...

【Deng Li Buduo】 Belly-Defamation, then squeezed out a fawning smile: "Master, when you deliver these utensils tomorrow, can I go along? Come to think of it, I haven't seen a ghost yet!"

"What's there to see about ghosts?" The Blacksmith snorted, then turned to look at a few Disciples whose eyes were flickering and who clearly didn't want to go to the Haunted House, spitting in dissatisfaction. "You go! Don't talk nonsense when you get there; that customer is not easy to serve. If you cause trouble, Master won't be able to protect you. Being a Blacksmith, the most important thing is focus..."

"Many thanks, Master." 【Deng Li Buduo】 responded cheerfully, pulling the Bellows with even more effort.

Every push and pull, it's not just the Bellows I'm pulling, it's all experience points!

Considering it from this perspective, recruiting players as apprentices is clearly more competitive than the natives...

…

By risking his life, 【Longxi】 earned his first pot of gold in life.

After coming out of the Pawnshop, the wealthy and imposing him immediately ran to the Weapon Shop to buy a long Sword, then hurried to Lin Bai's shop, intending to continue solidifying his relationship with the NPC.

But when he arrived there, he found the door ajar, there was no one inside, and the ghost family was nowhere to be found.

If it weren't for the blood he spat out when he was thrown out still being at the entrance, 【Longxi】 would have thought everything from yesterday was just his hallucination.

He didn't give up and went into the shop to look around, wanting to find the copper coins and kitchen knife he had dropped yesterday, but he didn't find them.

"Looting a player's corpse, the NPC is truly shameless. Sooner or later, I will take back everything I lost with interest."

Spitting indignantly on the ground, 【Longxi】 turned and left resolutely.

The BOSS level is too high; he is currently no match for it at all.

He must raise his level before other players to have a chance at the BOSS's first kill.

There isn't much time left for him.

……

On another street.

【Lao Mi】 and 【Gengmi】 were making their final efforts to save their last plot mission.

"Laoluo, we've already walked three streets." 【Gengmi】 said, his hair a mess. "I seriously suspect that the NPC is just playing with us."

"It's not noon yet!" 【Lao Mi】 looked up at the sun, his gaze shifting from firm to suspicious. "Let's persist a little longer. If we still can't find them by the time, we'll go to the City Lord's Mansion to explain the situation. Grinding levels doesn't matter for a day or two."

"Laoluo, have you noticed that there are more and more Beggars on the street?" 【Gengmi】 looked around and asked strangely. "There weren't this many yesterday, right?"

【Lao Mi】 was focused on finding Lin Bai and hadn't noticed the situation around them. Hearing 【Gengmi】 say this, he looked around and his expression suddenly changed: "Damn it, we've committed a taboo."

"What?" 【Gengmi】 hadn't reacted yet when his eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed excitedly not far away. "Boss, look, isn't that your lackey?"

【Lao Mi】 looked in the direction of the sound, and a familiar figure immediately caught his eye. He was overjoyed, and in his excitement, he even ignored the surrounding Beggars: "Hard work pays off; I knew I could find him..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

Bang!

He received a heavy blow to the back of his head, and then his vision went black as his head was covered by a sack.

In his ears was 【Gengmi】's cry: "What are you doing? Who are you?"

Bang! Bang!

Through the sack, 【Lao Mi】's chest was hit with several heavy punches, and his shins were kicked a few times...

"The highwayman has been caught."

"Little punk, pretending to be one of us from the Beggar Sect, you really don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

"Less nonsense, hurry up and send him to the Government to claim the reward, so as not to cause any complications."

……

Send to the Government to claim the reward?

【Lao Mi】's vision went black again. It's over; this time he won't be able to explain himself even with a mouth. Going to the Government himself versus being caught and sent there clearly have different meanings!

At this moment, the anger in his heart erupted. Playing the game is supposed to be for fun; damn this "tempering the mind," I'm done!

Thanks to Mengtaizhen JW for the Helmsman reward, and to Lao Le 123123 and Chongcao a for the Deacon rewards, ^_^!

(End of this chapter)