Chapter 54: After the Hustle

“Heh heh, I don’t really know either. I just told her that the current lord of Lava Fortress is a devout paladin who worships the God of Light and a veteran of the great war,” Lu Kuan replied with a sly grin. “If Tang Jie dares to cause trouble again, Aili can use her status as a veteran’s family member to request an audience with the lord. Who knows what he’ll do to Tang Jie then? Tsk, tsk…”

Only now did Qingyi realize what he meant. Beside her, Akui and Bai Keke grew animated, staring at Lu Kuan and muttering, “That old fox has such a devious mind…”

Lu Kuan chuckled, utterly unconcerned. After a moment’s thought, he added, “By the way, with your current gear, you’re more than ready to join a pioneering party in the Black Desert. If you’re interested, I can talk to the leader of Dark Paradise and see if you can join them.”

“You’ve already joined Dark Paradise? I heard that guild is huge, almost like a real-life corporation now,” Akui asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Dark Paradise’s fame in the professional circles was so great that even casual players like Akui and Qingyi had heard of it.

“They are pretty big, but I haven’t joined them. I just agreed to do them a favor. Honestly, there are a lot of benefits if you run dungeons with a strong team now,” Lu Kuan explained with a smile. “Take the Black Desert, for example. The bosses there range from level twelve to eighteen, and each boss has a chance to drop purple gear. It’s a lot more reliable than solo questing in the wilds.”

The three girls looked quite intrigued at this. While there were plenty of random groups tackling the Black Desert these days, their efficiency couldn’t compare to that of an organized guild team. None of the girls had ever dreamed they’d have a chance to join a formal pioneering expedition.

Akui and Bai Keke both turned to Qingyi. Qingyi hesitated briefly, then nodded.

“All right, I’ll let you know when it’s arranged,” Lu Kuan said, a glint of cunning in his eyes. “Since that’s settled, Qingyi can keep the shield and bracers for now. Spend the next couple of days doing advancement quests, get used to your new skills, and be ready.”

Qingyi’s first instinct was that this wasn’t proper, and she almost refused. But thinking over Lu Kuan’s words, she realized they made sense and couldn’t find a reason to turn him down. As she hesitated, Lu Kuan waved them off, then turned and left the room without another word.

The moment he was gone, the three girls relaxed. Bai Keke immediately leapt onto the bed, gazing lovingly at her newly acquired equipment.

“If the special effect on this artifact is really as powerful as Old Deer said, won’t it be easy for Xiaoxiao, Sister Kui, and me to get into teams for big raids from now on?” Bai Keke thought gleefully.

Akui’s instincts were sharp as ever. Once Lu Kuan left, she shot a suspicious look at Qingyi. “Something’s off. I feel like we’ve just been played by an old hand. Is Old Deer trying to reel in a big fish by playing the long game?”

Qingyi rolled her eyes at Akui, not bothering to answer.

Bai Keke, still sprawled on the bed, giggled. “Old Deer is so mature and capable. Even leaving aside real life, his achievements in the game are impressive. Even if he’s fishing, I’d let myself be caught…”

“You little minx! Have you no shame?” Akui cried, leaping onto the bed and pinning Bai Keke down, tickling her until the room filled with laughter and warmth.

Qingyi watched her two sisters with a smile, then looked down at the intricate shield in her hands, her thoughts unreadable.

“All right, Xiaoxiao, there’s no need to overthink it. At least for now, Old Deer doesn’t seem like a bad person, right?” Akui noticed Qingyi’s expression, got up from the bed, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I know you’ve always been wary of boys, but we’re about to start university. Why not treat this as an experiment?”

“That’s right. Old Deer may not say much, but I feel he’s more reliable than all those classmates who chased after you,” Bai Keke said, tapping her rosy lips thoughtfully.

Qingyi lowered her eyes, silent for a moment, then gave a gentle nod.

...

Letting Qingyi use the shield and bracers for the long term was something Lu Kuan had planned well in advance. After spending these past few days together, memories from more than a decade ago had resurfaced in his mind.

Liu Xueliang had ruined more than a few girls’ lives. The two most notorious cases were well-known. One was a sophomore at Lu Kuan’s own school. Liu Xueliang seduced her, then, bored, leaked some photos, forcing the girl to transfer away. The other was a school beauty from No. 13 High. Lu Kuan had only heard rumors back then: the girl never accepted Liu Xueliang’s advances, but after enrolling in East Sea University, she was ultimately victimized by him and drowned herself in the river.

Liu Xueliang’s only punishment was expulsion. He simply moved elsewhere and carried on as before.

Lu Kuan couldn’t be certain whether Qingyi was that girl who had drowned herself. He didn’t know if staying in touch with Qingyi would help her avoid future danger.

But Lu Kuan was determined to try and make a difference—to change his own fate and the lives of those around him.

Leaving the inn, Lu Kuan set these thoughts aside. He first stopped at the weapons shop to repair his gear, switched to his newly acquired blue shortsword, then headed to the Ranger’s Guild.

Once a character reached level twelve, they could begin learning powerful skills: Fireball for mages, “Holy Light’s Embrace” for priests to grant ongoing healing, and for rangers, “Arcane Shot.”

“Arcane Shot (Level 1): When activated, all subsequent Bone-Shattering Arrowheads gain additional arcane damage equal to 23% of normal damage, but Bone-Shattering Arrowhead energy costs increase by 50%. Effect persists until deactivated.”

Lu Kuan used both of his skill points from the two beginner skill scrolls he’d acquired, investing them into Arcane Shot, raising the bonus to 26%. Stacked with the purple ring’s effect, his damage output would be explosive.

But even now, the problem of insufficient skill points was becoming all too clear.

Once he tamed an animal companion and advanced to Beastmaster, he’d need to level up a slew of new skills—and that was even after obtaining extra skill points by various means. One could only imagine how strapped for skill points the average player would be.

“Just like before, there are never enough skill points…” Lu Kuan sighed helplessly.

Leaving the guild hall, he made his way toward the auction house while sending a message to Eternal Night in Paradise.

“It’s been a while, expert. What’s kept you so busy?” Eternal Night’s reply came quickly.

“Just busy with nothing in particular. Say, I have three friends—a tank, a priest, and a mage—all well-geared. Can they join a pioneering run?”