006 The Inn

"Brother Mo, I've been thinking about what happened earlier..."

"Ah, haha, Brother Tie, I just remembered a question regarding the stamina bar mechanics..."

...

"Er, Brother Mo, about this evening..."

"What are nights like in the Free World?"

"...Asking me so suddenly, I can't quite put it into words. Let's just say it's not something you or I can handle right now..."

"In other words, we have to spend our nights like this... How boring."

The night in the Free World was as dreamlike as Duan Qing had imagined. The sky was far clearer than in the real world, with countless stars twinkling like scattered snowflakes embedded in a black velvet curtain. Although the night breeze carried a slight chill, it wasn't enough to make one feel cold. According to Brother Tie’s explanation, based on the Free Continent's calendar, it was currently the third month of Earth—which, based on real-world experience, should be spring. Therefore, the temperature was to be expected, and it would likely only grow warmer.

"Alright then..." Iron Will finally abandoned his own line of questioning. "Once we're higher level and have the strength, going out at night shouldn't be a problem. Right now, we couldn't possibly defeat those demonic monsters..."

His voice dropped low—partly because that was his natural tone, and partly because they were currently sitting in the lobby of the village's only inn.

In the Free World, inns were places specifically for travelers and adventurers to rest. Even in larger towns, those with power or influence would not choose to wander out recklessly, let alone in a place like a beginner village where power levels were generally low. For players, the inn was a natural sanctuary; in gaming terms, it was a gathering point for rest—an unspoken safe zone.

Duan Qing had been brought here by Iron Will and was seated at one of the tables in the spacious hall. The hall was large, with many round tables and stools like the one in front of them scattered across the wooden floor. It was cheap and practical, much like the food served here, which could restore full stamina for just a few Ebris. Because of this, the hall was filled every night with people resting. To avoid disturbing others—or rather, to avoid inviting trouble—the two kept their voices as low as possible.

"Besides, this place is a natural hub for exchanging experience. It’s not like the village entrance, which is basically a wet market..."

Iron Will said quite confidently, "Trust me, spending more time here gathering intel is definitely better than going outside to run whatever experiments you're thinking of."

"Whatever. I just hope you can handle the bill later; I don't have a single cent..."

"Didn't I tell you? I'm not that stingy..."

The two chatted casually, punctuated by occasional silences. If an observant person were watching, they might notice that both men were instinctively keeping their heads bowed and their ears pricked—they were listening for anything that might be useful.

"The people from Wings of Freedom seem to have had a great haul today. I heard they brought back a lot of loot; they got several wild boars alone..."

"Yeah, and those are just the rookies from Wings of Freedom. You can imagine how powerful they must be now..."

"That’s not quite right. There are definitely veterans in that group. It's common practice to start a new character just to lead a team..." another person chimed in, sounding quite dismissive.

"That's still impressive. Think about it: most guilds don't have that many big shots coming down to lead teams; they're too busy leveling up or fighting over territory..."

"I actually heard about that. It seems the Sword of Justice had a skirmish with them on the outskirts of Redcar City. I heard it was because..."

"What is Wings of Freedom? A guild name?" Perhaps feeling that the gossipy news wasn't of much use, Duan Qing looked up to ask.

"...You didn't play many games before, did you, Brother Mo? Wings of Freedom is one of the top guilds registered with the Alliance. Their strength should be ranked... probably second or third." Iron Will replied, "As for the Alliance..."

"I know that one," Duan Qing interrupted quickly. "If I didn't know the Alliance, I'd have wasted my time playing games at all..."

In the 22nd century, with the high development of virtual technology, you might be called inexperienced, but you could never say you hadn't played virtual games. Among classmates and old friends, most conversation topics stemmed from this. Which game you played, what class you held, and which bosses you had slain were all bragging rights. As for those who had made a fortune through games or the industries driven by them, they were too numerous to count, which reflected the prosperity of the gaming sector from another perspective.

However, anyone who played virtual games today knew the Alliance.

Although most people resting in the inn were players, it didn't exclude some locals from the Free World. For instance, further away from Duan Qing's table, two people who clearly looked like NPCs were sitting at a square table. One looked travel-worn, devouring the curry-like food in front of him as if he were a starving traveler. The person sitting across from him was much more relaxed, drinking wine while discussing news from the continent.

"I heard the northern part of the Duchy is on the verge of war with the Empire again..."

"That? It's said that some soldiers from the Duchy crossed the border while on a mission and were caught red-handed by the Imperial border guards. The Imperial ambassador stationed here has already issued a formal statement, protesting it as a serious matter... But if you ask me, it's definitely the Empire stirring up trouble again. Our soldiers avoid them like the plague; how could they possibly cross the border..."

"Didn't I hear that they caught an Imperial spy in the capital a while ago and the Empire requested for him to be sent back? What happened to that..."

"Don't know," the one eating continued to shovel rice into his mouth, his speech somehow unaffected—likely a privilege granted by the system. "President Horseman seems to have decided to ignore it, and Speaker Pamir appears to have tacitly agreed, but several conservative councilors protested, so the matter just fizzled out..."

"Is the place we're in currently considered part of the Duchy?" Duan Qing asked upon hearing this.

"Yes."

"What's the name?"

"Er, I hate memorizing these strange foreign names. Let me think..." Iron Will tapped his head with the handle of his spoon. "It's called... Ael... um, El... Fini... no, no, Nifi... or maybe Nifia..."

What kind of ridiculous way to remember names is that... Duan Qing shouted inwardly.

"El-Nifia, that must be the name." Iron Will repeated to himself, as if trying to convince himself. "It's called the Duchy of Elnifia."

"It really is long, five characters..." Duan Qing sighed helplessly.

At another square table, a few people who looked like local villagers were chatting.

"Joel came back today and said he saw that mysterious hunter again," a young man whispered.

"That 'Watcher Hunter'? Joel probably went to some dangerous place again..." the person sitting next to him interjected.

"I wouldn't know, Joel didn't mention it. You know him; he only brags about his 'greatness' and his novel experiences." The man continued, "Though this experience isn't exactly novel..."

"Oh, give it a rest," another person replied. "We don't even know if that legendary hunter exists... It's all just rumors. No one can prove the hunter exists, and they've sent people to look without finding anything..."

"Oh? Is this place haunted?" Duan Qing grew interested upon hearing this. "Or are there some recluses living here?"

"Just rumors." Although Iron Will had heard of these things, he clearly wasn't interested, so he just shrugged. "Who knows if it's true or false..."

Time slipped away between their listening and talking. From Duan Qing's perspective, he had indeed learned a lot of information, such as the landscape of the player world and the distribution of major powers on the Free Continent.

They were located roughly in the south of the continent, and also in the south of the Duchy of Elnifia; to the north of the Duchy was the Freya Empire. The relationship between the two countries was just as unfriendly as they had heard, with frequent friction and wars that were not uncommon. The reasons seemed varied, but in summary, it could be boiled down to: fighting over territory.

The situation among players was the same; after all, in such games, once factions were formed, they were bound to reach this point. He had never heard of a game that naturally unified the world. Everyone was unconvinced by the others, a fight was inevitable, and they would end up fighting for a lifetime... The relationships between many well-known guilds in the Alliance were the source of the current tangled web of love and hate. Ten years had passed, and after several virtual games, the grudges and debts between them were too many to record in a ledger. Now, if major guilds fought for territory, they could simply shout, "You did such-and-such to us in that other game," before starting, which was justification enough.

As for whether it actually happened? Who cares.

Duan Qing was used to these things and found them unremarkable. By comparison, another issue was more serious for him. For example, he didn't know the guild called Wings of Freedom.

"A top-ranked guild in the Alliance? Is that even a question? Everyone knows that... Never mind, I'll tell you a bit; it's all easy to look up anyway, and if you check later..."

As the two were discussing current affairs, a quarrel broke out at several tables on the other side of the hall, growing louder until it reached them. Duan Qing and Iron Will stopped their discussion and turned to look. In the southeast corner, a petite figure stood at a table, shouting at the people sitting with her; it seemed a dispute had broken out. The crowd in the hall seemed startled by the noise, and the ambient volume dropped, causing the content of the argument to become clearer:

"...Stop arguing. This is the Captain's decision..."

"How can I not argue? There's never been such an unfair decision..."

"You need to think about the team's interests. Allocating that gear to the Dragon-Tiger brothers is for the long-term development of the whole team," another gentle voice said.

"I don't care how you've considered it; my share shouldn't just vanish like that..."

"Watch your language and your attitude, Meng Zhu! You're just a tiny rookie..." someone from another table stood up, their tone becoming arrogant.

"A rookie is still a person! Even if it's for... if you let them take that stuff, at least give me this month's salary!"

"That's why we explained it to you; it's a special period right now..."

"You guys can afford to wait, but I can't! I've done so much work; you can't just because you want to..."

The argument continued. Several tables seemed to be occupied by the same team, and the person being attacked by those at the tables was a young girl. Judging from the content of the dispute, Duan Qing guessed it was another case of disagreement over the distribution of loot, commonly known as "uneven spoils."

However, that purple robe looked somewhat familiar...

Perhaps seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control, or perhaps fearing the agitated girl might say something she shouldn't, the leader at the original table finally slammed the table: "Enough! Everyone sit down!"

"Meng Zhu, I know you feel this is unfair. I promise you, this situation is truly special, and we will definitely compensate you later. Besides... there definitely won't be a next time." The person's voice softened. "We've all seen the effort you've put in these past few days. Team Six will keep your hard work in mind." He pointed to the person beside him, who nodded accordingly, and then pointed toward the table to his left: "We made this choice after considering many aspects..."

The voices grew quieter, and Duan Qing could no longer hear clear content. He could only see the girl sitting across from the suspected captain, her hands braced on her knees, her head buried between her thin shoulders. Her shoulders were trembling, causing her hood to shake along with them.

The captain gestured toward the other side, appearing to give instructions, then patted his chest as if making a guarantee. The person sitting next to him joined in the persuasion, likely another person with considerable influence in the team.

Based on what the person said and the attitude taken, most ordinary people would have accepted the result. After all, the higher-ups had provided a way out, the stance was sufficient, and the captain's prestige in the team was clearly high enough to suppress the previous murmurs and dissenting opinions. The shouting gradually died down, and the disturbance seemed to be fading away.

Some people stopped paying attention and returned to their previous topics, while others, including Duan Qing, remained watching, curious to see the girl's final response. The girl seemed to be struggling, her head bowed and trembling. At one point, while her captain was delivering his final summary, she tilted her head and glanced to her left.

Duan Qing couldn't see what was in that direction, but the girl saw two faces filled with contempt and smug smiles.

The girl seemed to have made a decision. She stood up and bowed formally to the person opposite her.

"Meng Zhu understands the Captain's kindness, and I don't want to cause any more trouble for Team Six, so..."

The young girl's voice was crisp and pleasant, yet felt slightly hoarse due to her emotional state. Though not loud, it was not obscured by the distance of the hall to those who were listening. When the captain opposite heard "your Team Six," his face darkened.

"So, it's better if I don't stay in your team..."

The two opposite looked at each other, wanting to say something, but the girl spoke first:

"You expressed your meaning very clearly just now, and I think I understood it. But I still feel this isn't right... However, that's my own problem, so please don't worry, Captain."

The girl bit her lip, swallowing the words she had wanted to say, and then used polite language to make her farewell.

"Goodbye." After saying those two words, she turned and walked out the door of the inn.

With the sound of the door swinging, the noise gradually returned to its original rhythm. Only the awkward silence at those few tables and the commentary from those who were interested remained as proof of that discordant note.

"What a show..." Iron Will remarked. "Those tables over there seem to be people from Wings of Freedom..."

"Wings of Freedom, huh..." Duan Qing repeated, then laughed. "I didn't realize you had such a penchant for schadenfreude, Brother Tie."

"Hey, I'm an upright person... I just think it's rare to see someone get fired on the spot like that..."

"That girl..."

"Tut-tut, I didn't expect Brother Mo to be such a chivalrous soul." Iron Will laughed, too. "But the dispute was resolved quite peacefully, and the girl handled herself with poise and composure. I'm afraid you missed your chance to play the hero."

"Just saying, just saying..."

Amidst the laughter, the two returned to their casual conversation. However, after Duan Qing picked up his cup, he remembered the scene earlier and frowned slightly. Their position was relatively close to the door, and as the girl passed by, although Duan Qing couldn't see her expression, he noticed something unusual.

For instance, her small hands, hanging at her sides, had lost all their color and were clenched into tight fists.