33. The Largest Collective Player Action Since the Server Launch

"Slime Scent Spray."

Mint reached into her sack and pulled out a bottle of colorful, vibrant potion, spraying it directly onto her arm.

"A spray... but weren't we supposed to get an invisibility potion?" Orange Tea asked, looking a bit confused.

"It *is* invisibility. As long as you smell like one of them to a slime, isn't that effectively the same thing?"

Jailer Brother clapped his hands. "Right! Just disrupt the friend-or-foe identification system!"

Jiang Heyi took the potion, and the game immediately displayed the item description.

"A self-proclaimed genius witch Mint's confident creation. The spray is damp and sticky with a strange odor, but it seems capable of confusing slimes."

He couldn't help but ask, "Is the effect guaranteed?"

Mint scratched her cheek with her index finger. "Well... actually, I self-improved this based on an existing alchemy formula."

Guessing how everyone might react, Mint hurriedly explained, "I tested it in the wild! I poked, hugged, and squeezed a slime, and it didn't show the slightest bit of hostility."

Original Flavor Fries chuckled. "You said it yourself—that was in the wild."

"It naturally won't work as well against exceptionally powerful slimes, but as long as you keep a certain distance, the slimes' dual-perception of magic and elements will be neutralized." Mint shrugged, pursing her lips helplessly. "Then again, if you actually run into the kind of slime that can complete dual-perception authentication from super long distances, no potion in the world is going to help you."

Uh... that was hard to argue with.

Given their current lineup, even clearing the first layer would be a struggle. Mint wasn't exactly a grand alchemist, just an apprentice; that she could produce something like this to assist them was already her best effort.

Mint continued rummaging through her sack. This action made her look quite a bit like a scavenger... Did she *have* to use a sack?

"Here are a few other gadgets. They should be able to help as well."

[Elemental Bait]: 20 bottles.
Also an improved version of an existing formula. When thrown, it leaves behind an elemental vortex that attracts monsters with an affinity for elements.

[Wind of Awakening]: 12 bottles.
A wind-attribute potion that significantly boosts movement speed.

[Final Potential]: 6 bottles.
Consuming this provides a massive short-term boost to physical stats, followed by an overdraft state once the potion wears off.

Jiang Heyi suddenly noticed that for every one of Mint's homemade potions, the game displayed no quality grade.

The six-tier quality system—White, Green, Purple, Red, Gold, and Rainbow—applied to all other potions.

What did this mean?

Because they were homemade by a "disgraceful witch," they fell outside the six tiers and were categorized as "non-applicable"?

All 38 bottles of potions from the sack were laid out on the table.

Mint rested her chin on the tabletop and sighed helplessly. "If you really can't beat them, just throw all the [Elemental Bait]. With such a large quantity, the slimes should give up the chase."

"It's best not to take [Wind of Awakening] and [Final Potential] at the same time. There are unknown side effects; although there has never been a recorded fatality, it’s extremely uncomfortable."

"You've basically maxed out our escape capabilities," Zhong Zemo remarked.

"Anyway, don't die out there. If you make it back alive, I might still be able to think of a way to help you."

She was truly so kind; I could cry.

Original Flavor Fries hit the nail on the head: "Just afraid of losing your generous supplier of alchemy materials, right?"

Mint bared her teeth. "Can't you just believe that I'm actually concerned about you guys? We've been together for a while now, after all."

"Give us something better, and I'll believe you."

It was just banter, and he didn't expect a reaction, but the moment Fries finished speaking, Jiang Heyi caught a flicker of hesitation on Mint's face.

Was there really something good?

Mint's eyes darted around, and she pursed her lips. After a long moment, she gritted her teeth and asked, "Do you really have to pick a fight with those damned slimes? What reason is there to push yourselves to the brink?"

As players, the answer was naturally for the rewards and the pleasant positive feedback of clearing the stage. But Jiang Heyi, who had long since become accustomed to the world after entering the game, thought for a moment and replied:

"Honor."

Whether for players or for his identity here in the Star World, this was a valid answer.

"Honor... is it more important than life?" Mint didn't seem to like the answer, staring into Jiang Heyi's eyes. "There is nothing in this world more important than being alive. To pursue ethereal praise and bet your life and your companions' lives for it—are you an idiot?"

"You want to become the premier alchemy master of the Anna Continent, always talking about being a 'genius witch'—aren't you also obsessed with empty fame?" Jiang Heyi countered. "Who doesn't want to prove themselves?"

Mint was stunned, her lips trembling. As if struck by a hidden pain, she suddenly became angry and started shouting.

"Fine, do whatever you want! Go die, for all I care!"

"Take it, take it! I didn't want to give it to you anyway, just die out there!"

A black shadow was spat out from beneath Mint's hat and landed on the table.

Good grief, she hid things in there?

[Soul Echo: Wind]

It was a magic scroll made from the hide of an unknown monster; it was black and incredibly tough. The item description was extremely minimalist:

"A scroll containing mysterious psychic magic."

It also displayed no quality grade.

Mint knew nothing about psychic magic, so she couldn't have created it, and given her embarrassing financial situation, purchasing it was impossible. Mint refused to say a word about where she got it. She knew nothing about its effects and insisted that if Void Boundary used it, they had to describe the specific results to her in detail upon their return.

This disgraceful witch had so many secrets.

"If it works, the guild warehouse is open to you."

"Are you keeping your word?" Although still a bit angry, Mint couldn't help but look up and meet Jiang Heyi's eyes.

Jiang Heyi suddenly couldn't resist testing to see how else Mint would react. After everyone had collected their supplies from the guild warehouse, he had Garlic Sprout enable the guild permissions. The phantom lock on the warehouse chest clicked open.

"There. If something happens and we don't return, feel free to use it," he instructed Garlic Sprout, "Do not interfere."

The guild dolls bowed, acknowledging the order. Mint's expression shifted constantly, lost in thought.

"Garlic Sprout, what is today's guild blessing?"

"It remains [Endless Training]. I hope that under the guild's blessing, the masters will have a wonderful harvest today."

Before teleporting to Windpod City, everyone who passed by Mint ruffled her hair over her giant witch's hat. Original Flavor Fries was the exception; she chose to pinch Mint's cheek and then teleported away before Mint could react.

With everyone gone and the dolls beginning their work under Garlic Sprout's supervision, Mint was left alone, slumped over the table in a daze. After a while, she stood up and walked over to the guild chest. The dolls barely glanced up before returning to their work.

"Anti-Magic Dust?"

"And Magic-Suppressing Plates?"

"There are even 20 bottles of Soul Shards!"

Mint drooled shamelessly. This was just too much good stuff. Thinking of how those people stubbornly insisted on adventuring, she suddenly got annoyed again and slammed the chest shut.

No one paid her any attention. The empty guild hall made her feel uncomfortable. After lying for a while on the bed Jiang Heyi had set up for her, Mint jumped up, grabbed 10 bottles of Soul Shards from the chest in one go, and teleported away.

Windpod City, North District, Pilgrimage Plaza.

Because Void Boundary announced they would reveal the temple's location here, the players who logged in at 12:00 sharp gathered in dense crowds. Countless world bubbles overlapped, making the figures appear blurred and hazy.

"Oh, they're here!"

"It's the people from Void Boundary."

"A subterranean temple dungeon that can be challenged with just five people... it feels like it'll be quite friendly."

Jiang Heyi stepped forward as the guild leader, once again emphasizing the dungeon's difficulty and urging every player to assess their own strength and act within their means. He knew no one would listen, so it was purely a formality to ensure he had done his due diligence.

"Let's begin."

Jiang Heyi's Starry Treasure Jade released a pillar of starlight that shot straight into the sky. Players hurriedly brought out their own [Damaged Starry Treasure Jade] and approached the beam. The moment the jades were soaked in starlight, the temple entrance information was acquired.

"Thanks, boss! I'll definitely give you a like and subscribe when I log off."

"Following for sure, this time for real!"

Whether recording coordinates or teleporting back to Windpod City, it required significant materials. Void Boundary mentioned none of these costs, which earned them a lot of goodwill.

"How is it so expensive!"

"It wants to eat 15 of our purple-quality materials?"

"I exchanged 28 magic stones and it's still not enough."

"Holy crap! How come our team of six needs 84 purple materials?"

The feedback from the players left the members of Void Boundary looking at each other. Because of Orange Tea's good luck, they had been using the dropped Starry Treasure Jade with three available uses, so they had never paid attention to the charging costs.

For the sake of accuracy, Jiang Heyi kept his party status and went to the shop he had visited before to exchange 30 magic stones. He clearly remembered that this number was enough to stably form a channel without the risk of teleportation failure.

Verification successful. A channel exclusive to the five members of Void Boundary formed.

Every player and every team had different charging requirements—what was influencing the loss?

"Leader Cyber Potato, are you sure these coordinates are okay?" a player asked.

"These are the temple entrance coordinates. We just returned specifically to locate them," Jiang Heyi emphasized. "Void Boundary keeps its word."

Now it was the players' turn to look at each other. The players who had been full of excitement, determined to slaughter their way through, suddenly wilted. Although many gritted their teeth and were still able to teleport, betting their entire fortune on an unknown...

Some were still unwilling to give up. "Is it really that hard?"

Jiang Heyi didn't play coy and said bluntly, "The current average player level is around Lv5, equipment is incomplete, and various recipes are unlocked... If you ask me if it's hard, I can only answer: yes, but it's not without hope."

He added, "Those who feel confident in their skills can try walking the tightrope."

The moment he finished speaking, Jiang Heyi saw a small team nearby transform into a streak of light and merge into the beam. Everyone needed to hit a wall before they would learn. Seeing that there were people truly willing to pool their team's output to try it out, others immediately followed suit.

One led to two, two to four. For a time, followers were like clouds, and players scrambled, fearing they might be a beat too late. Another group of players arrived at the Pilgrimage Plaza from afar.

"Leader Potato, does your teleportation incur a Sin Curse?"

"Curse?" Jiang Heyi was puzzled. "I haven't encountered any curse situations. Why do you ask?"

"Watermelon Shaomai provided two teleportation coordinates. One is very expensive, and the other is nearly half the price, but you have to bear a curse."

*Hiss...*

This was news. He hadn't expected there to be so much variation in a simple teleportation. In fact, this time had been enough for Jiang Heyi to figure a few things out. The difference in teleportation loss was a form of game balance adjustment.

Jiang Heyi and Watermelon Shaomai had reached the Clearer Temple area by triggering a specific mechanism. Players invited by them to form a party, or those within the same guild, were judged to be companions, and their teleportation loss remained in the normal range. But receiving the temple location information shared by Jiang Heyi and then teleporting obviously came with a different price tag. This price might fluctuate with player level or certain player data recorded by the game. Given that the entire world of the Star Proof was "dynamic," this was clearly not hard to achieve.

The Sin Curse was likely because Watermelon Shaomai had stolen progress, and the location data obtained was corrupted; anyone using those coordinates would likely have a miserable time.

After answering some questions and warning players not to be greedy, everyone from Void Boundary vanished at the end of the channel. Players compared the price differences between the two, found that even for entrance coordinates, Void Boundary's were significantly cheaper, and began spreading the word.

At the West District Pilgrimage Plaza where Watermelon Shaomai was located, despite the messenger gulls of many players screaming wildly to warn of "The coming of Sin," many players looking for a bargain still plunged right in.

"It's so much cheaper, as long as we get a little something, we can make up for the teleportation loss."

"So what if there's a curse? It's not a permanent state."

Seeing that many players were choosing the cursed coordinates, a fan of Watermelon Shaomai hesitated and spoke up: "Is this really okay?"

"I told them the risks; it's their choice to be cheap and not listen. That's not our business," Watermelon Shaomai said coldly, not caring. "It's perfect—let them help us scout the way and see if they can find a way to break through the first layer."

The fan wanted to say, "The coordinates you provided are a bit inappropriate; you'll easily provoke the players' anger," but remembering that Watermelon Shaomai always hated being criticized or denied, he silently swallowed his words.

Since the game had started, many groups had emerged, including [Star Observers] who observed the game's progress and recorded news. Of course, this was what they called themselves; players preferred to call them "Star Reporters."

They keenly sensed the massive excavation value in the game world's news, which could be monetized to some extent both in reality and in the game, so they gathered together by coincidence. In reality, most of them were gaming content creators or worked in related fields. In the game, they were essentially playing themselves.

This mass teleportation to the Clearer Temple was naturally within their scope of record. This was the biggest news on the 11th day of the Star server's launch, and the largest collective player action since the server opened.

"After I log off today, I've got plenty to write about for the gaming news~~"