Chapter 349: The Unkillable Eri Nuo

Although the three distinguished guests had already slipped away silently in advance, for the various elites of Jueqiao Pass their value was limited to individuals; for the masses they were dispensable, and even after they left the crowd could still have a bit more fun.

Thus the grand banquet remained wildly lively until the late night, only cooling down when a wealthy patron courted an ambitious socialite and a rich aunt set her sights on a bold, innovative youngster, finally ending at dawn the next day.

Everyone was happy that night, having created a win‑win situation where each contained the other, and after completing a proper data exchange, the technical docking concluded.

But when noon approached and the satisfied crowd finally drifted awake from their hangovers, the first news they heard was…

"Has the princess fallen ill?"

Yet upon hearing this, none of the city factions acted rashly; instead they unanimously let the frantic Duke Hertman of Jueqiao take the lead, since in this contentious place it's wiser to proceed cautiously.

Shortly after the duke entered the reception hall, rumors spread that the princess was merely suffering from travel fatigue and a slight fever, and that earlier rumors were baseless.

"Huh?"

But those who boldly speculated the princess was gravely ill hadn't even been hit by that boomerang's red nose when new information arrived, saying the duke had quietly summoned several private doctors into the reception hall.

That was intriguing; the princess's party actually brought their own physicians, and last night those so‑called famous doctors were practically apprentices following the Divine Selection, outclassed in skill—what ailment would require a team effort from them?

Later, acquaintances tried to pry information from them privately, but no matter how the intermediaries sweet‑talked or quoted prices, each remained tight‑lipped, as if speaking would cause the duke to kill their entire families.

But silence is also an answer, so the city's mood abruptly shifted, gossip spreading as if the princess would be placed in a coffin and buried at lightning speed tonight.

Various factions began to stir, pondering whether after this fact was hammered home they should strike the Jueqiao family or turn the tables themselves.

The advantage of a boomerang is that it might spin again, because that evening countless people saw a carriage bearing the royal crest roll flamboyantly through the city's bustling streets.

Moreover, it wasn't just a carriage; the princess sat inside, waved through the window at the crowd, her complexion rosy and spirit radiant as she entered the duke's mansion, presumably after dinner and then rode the carriage back to the reception hall.

The city's residents were left utterly stunned; that night the revenue of countless taverns surged severalfold as people, flushed and heated, argued over the same issue.

"Is this damn person seriously gravely ill and about to die? Who the hell is spreading rumors?"

"Are you blind? If she were fine, why not just step down and walk a few steps? Maybe she's just makeup and forcing it."

"What's with the tone? As if we're begging for a good rating, right? How many things has Lord Changge done for everyone? Forget it!"

"Hey, I'm from the Southern Border, I never said he gave any favor; what's his business with me? Stop moral blackmailing me!"

"Damn, how can there be people like you? Seriously, shameless!"

"You! Dare push me?"

Thus the city patrols and the small clinic also racked up a wave of business tonight.

After numerous twists, the interior of Jueqiao Pass was already rife with undercurrents; had the princess's identity not been so sensitive, most people, for both sentiment and reason, would dare not speculate, fearing public opinion would become even more chaotic.

Yet that morning, a mysterious hooded figure made successive purchases on the city's most upscale commercial street, refusing to haggle, ignoring premiums, and sweeping up a massive stock of extremely rare, expensive medicinal herbs at astronomically high prices.

The frantic spending even alarmed the duke's mansion, which tried to send someone to treat the billionaire to a meal, but the hooded person's strategic resolve was strong, seeming to buy only for the sake of buying. Whoever it was, even the duke's invitation was politely declined.

But as he swung his still‑tinkling wallet to leave, his foot made a sudden turn, bringing him to a stall at a nearby market where he asked a few outsiders to buy some oddly‑shaped magic scrolls.

When money changed hands, a sudden gust of wind blew his hood open, revealing his true face.

If it were an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter, but his face was so eye‑catching that everyone couldn't help but look, instantly recognizing him.

"Whoa, that… that isn't the Divine Selection?"

"Hey, indeed it is."

"You've got the wrong person!"

With a signature pleasant voice, he tossed that line, and the Divine Selection leader fled without looking back, leaving only a renewed uproar among the passing crowd.

Question: if the princess has already recovered, why does the Divine Selection, like a bitter grudge, spend exorbitant percentages to bulk‑buy expensive rare… oh, according to insiders, they're all meant as massive tonics to sustain life.

Yet amid the heated debate, some curious onlookers wondered why the Divine Selection, after buying so many pricey items, suddenly turned to such a street stall to purchase outsiders' goods, with everyone politely asking for prices.

"Whoa, it's JiMiYin! I thought the Assassin Brotherhood had arrived…"

The gunner was stunned that the one paying top price for his own talismans was JiMiYin himself, and he was quickly surrounded by a crowd of NPCs.

"Brother, how much are you selling this magic scroll for?"

"How much? Give me one too!"

"Hand over the cash! Anyway, it's the same model as the Divine Selection's, must be a great find!"

"I—I—I…"

The gunner couldn't handle the swarm of customers, stammering instantly; fortunately, the "Gunblade" present here wasn't the only one.

"What? This isn't a magic scroll, it's a magical talisman!"

Fan Taozhu burst onto the scene, his commercial talent resurfacing, and taking advantage of JiMiYin's traffic, he waved two talismans and began loudly promoting them.

"Our magical talismans are compact and portable; pull one out, chant the incantation and it activates, unbreakable, perfect for dispelling curses, preventing ambushes, and killing the uncanny."

"Look, once opened it's the size of a bookmark; when it contacts curses or the uncanny it glows and heats, with strong lethality, yet it won't break, shed fibers, and can be used seven or eight times without issue."

"It's very handy for adventuring—use it against skeletons, then ghosts, then liches, clean and sanitary. Where to buy? At the stall below: buy five get five free, plus a tutorial."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ji Ming, who had long evaded using a breath‑holding talisman to escape, reappeared at the reception hall, smiling at the livestream where citizens were frantically snapping up the magical talismans as prices kept climbing.

"These thief‑type gadgets are truly monkey‑spirit tricks; a slight press can bounce back three hundred."

The back‑and‑forth tug over the past two days was clearly his doing; with the strong assistance of Tennis, Eri Nuo, and even the Duke of Jueqiao, everything proceeded smoothly, having successfully muddied the city's public opinion regarding the princess, leaving only the final step.

As for that final step…

He held his teacup for a moment before a tall, pointed‑eared elf approached—it was Howard, the president of Starry Sky.

But unlike his usual confidence, today he looked rather regretful.

"Hello, we have successfully compiled a list of suspicious individuals that grain merchant Winston has recently dealt with, but one of them yields no information; could you estimate the mission's completion rate?"

Ji Ming calmly took it, noting that, indeed, someone with an official White Eagle background produced a report whose quality far surpassed that of the amateur Player Guild, rivaling the meticulousness of "Silk‑Clad Nightwalker" and other professionals.

As for the one that couldn't be clarified…

Of course, the knife sent by the hidden mastermind using Winston as a front is itself a mastermind; could a few rookie intel agents easily peel off… the masked cloth?

However, based on various intel Ji Ming gathered from players recently, the identity of this mastermind is somewhat revealed: likely a Northern Deep Forest noble—High Castle Duke—who has long coveted Jueqiao Pass and has delivered speeches such as "If I Could Have More Fiefs—Using Jueqiao Pass as an Example" and "Three Hundred Days of Striving, I'll Capture a Massive Checkpoint" in public.

Ji Ming carefully filed the intel, then looked up.

"Very good, you've done enough; achieving this effect in such a short time deserves a perfect score from me."

Howard instantly beamed with joy; of course, he wasn't happy about the exchange-point reward from this mission, but about the intrinsic value of this "hidden mission" itself.

After receiving news late the night before that the new map was about to open, players around level twenty in the major guilds had already gathered and readied themselves at the northern border's air wall, forming a long battle line.

Although their physical bodies could not yet leave the Black Forest Territory and the Barbarian Wasteland, obtaining some information from NPCs wasn't difficult, so they already knew that this new map was almost certainly the top guilds of Jueqiao Pass, who had beforehand hired or simply purchased the fastest steeds and carriages.

Those in the know said they were waiting for the new version to arrive, while those unaware thought they were organizing some marathon-level grand horse race.

In fact, the first few hours after the new map opened were indeed like that; even though Ji Ming's party, thanks to their high average level, already moved swiftly, they still shortened that time by several tens of minutes through their secret rivalry, arriving at the foot of Jueqiao Pass at dawn yesterday.

"Wow, I thought back in Heibulongdong that there were mountains blocking the way, but it turns out to be such a majestic pass?"

"This must be another private stash from the Production Team; I swear their producer is definitely a wonder enthusiast, the type who would go to war over a wonder in Civilization VI just because someone else snatched it."

If they were ordinary players, they might recklessly rush full speed to the pass's base, but anyone who can now grind to level twenty is certainly no fool.

The cautious ones parked their wagon in a nearby village, left sufficient guards, and sent the pre-determined entry squad, disguised as merchants, to the entrance of Jueqiao Pass.

Although Double Moon Struggle has now become a truly globalized game, the proportion of East Asian faces among its players remains quite large.

So when the city gate guards, yawning, opened today's clearance procedure and saw a large crowd of black-haired, brown-eyed people packed outside, they all felt a bit dazed.

"You... where are you all from?"

"Sunlight City, friends! We're from the High Tower Community."

"High Tower... oh, I know, I know! You're Easterners, right? I know, that Holy Light God's Chosen who just entered the city yesterday is exactly that."

After receiving the joint identity documents issued by the High Tower Community, the Sunlight City Self-governance Committee, and the Holy Light Church's Sunlight City Branch, the guard who inspected the cargo found nothing amiss, and after collecting a processing fee, he let them enter Jueqiao Pass.

The players reacted with both joy and sorrow.

The happy ones beamed: "Wow, that's pretty quick; I thought I'd have to run errands all morning, but it seems the interior of Jueqiao Pass will be easy as well."

The worried ones shook their heads: "The management is too lax; my arquebus hidden under the cargo wasn't detected at all—what if it were some kind of mass destruction weapon?"

Nevertheless, the richer exotic atmosphere of Jueqiao Pass compared to Sunlight City quickly immersed the players, who eagerly wanted to spend the money in their purses.

But upon entering a decent-looking tavern, they saw a few hooligans in the corner laughing and celebrating with drinks, spewing vulgarities like living dictionaries.

However, before they could even frown, a quest notification popped up in the lower-right corner of their view.

【Reward Mission: Nightmare-Level Usury】

【Mission Introduction: While ordering food at the tavern, you unintentionally overhear the man at the neighboring table talking about loan sharking, loudly boasting how he forced gamblers to sell their daughters to repay debts; filled with hatred for evil, you decide to give them a small shock of righteous energy.】

【Mission Reward……】

The players looked at each other, the corners of their mouths slowly curling up.

"We got it!"

Moreover, besides these regularly issued system reward missions, Ji Ming also "unintentionally triggered" hidden missions for those relatively strong guilds.

【You noticed that a sack of relief grain distributed by the Community was actually in the cargo bin of a passing convoy—what happened?】

【You noticed that deep in the alley there is a very strange club, where men seem to outnumber women—what does this mean?】

【You noticed that the guy with a Deep Forest accent secretly met with the big grain merchant Wensster—what's going on?】