Chapter 119.1 Merfolk Shore
After dealing with an NPC, Wen Shi finally let out the frustration that had been building up since he became the class representative. He walked out and seemed to carry a breeze with him. As this breeze reached the dormitory entrance, his confidence faded, and he walked more hesitantly.
Given his recent performances, it would have been quite awkward if he had entered right now.
While Wen Shi was thinking about how to face everyone, the door was opened from inside. Arlon, who had the first bunk, opened the door.
Jian Qingrong was leaning against the ladder by the third bunk, and Ji Yuanzhi was sitting in his own seat. They both looked over in this direction at the same time.
Trying to act like nothing happened, Wen Shi walked calmly.
“Oh, my King is back,” Ji Yuanzhi said casually, and immediately, Wen Shi’s confidence seemed to disappear.
The other two had different perspectives. Arlon didn’t find role-playing particularly special. It was like playing pretend with children, but as long as Wen Shi enjoyed it, he was fine with it. Jian Qingrong was the most different. His regrets were almost visible on his face.
“Everything was part of my plan.”
Wen Shi kept a cold expression, seemingly unashamed of his chuunibyou phase, and then walked in with hesitant steps.
Once seated, he drank the hot water handed to him by Jian Qingrong, recalling the fishy tea from Mr. Ruan and the quest-refreshing by manual means.
Jian Qingrong furrowed his brows slightly. “The mentor has left you with a stain.”
Arlon and Ji Yuanzhi didn’t know how to respond to this.
Their eyesight was intact. In this matter, Mr. Ruan’s role was originally that of a victim, but now, in Jian Qingrong’s words, he had turned into the offender.
This was exactly what Ji Yuanzhi worried about the most.
To use an unfitting analogy, if Wen Shi committed a crime, Song Yan would take the blame, Ji Yuanzhi would clean up the scene, Arlon would silence any witness, and as for Jian Qingrong… he would seize the opportunity to escape with Wen Shi alone, making the latter rely solely on him from then on. On their escape, he would also continue to criticize the bizarre existence of the deceased.
“The【King’s Card Box】has a limit on individual purchases,” Wen Shi, unaware of the others’ thoughts, mentioned the lending business of the【Wangcai Bank】, “but you can stock up through the black market.”
He couldn’t fathom why players waited until they were in the game to start worrying.
Hearing his confusion, Ji Yuanzhi explained, “There’s a bit of mysticism in the game, like with these items that amplify quest difficulty. If you don’t have a sturdy fate, keeping them on hand all the time increases your chances of encountering risky events compared to regular players. For example, if someone has the ability to resurrect…”
Wen Shi’s pupils contracted slightly.
Ji Yuanzhi pretended to be clueless and continued, “He’s likely to die once in every instance.”
“……” He hit the nail on the head.
The group crowdfunded this item, largely relying on Zhou Xiaochun’s【Divination】skill. He had foreseen the risks associated with this item beforehand, and the results showed that the pros outweighed the cons, prompting them to give it as a gift.
Suddenly, Ji Yuanzhi thought of the dining quest. The lenses seemed to glint under the overcast sky as he mused softly after a brief pause, “The【Queen’s Card Box】, huh?”
He had long felt that the difficulty of that side quest was abnormal. In retrospect, it was probably because someone had artificially elevated the difficulty.
Without waiting for Wen Shi to inquire about the card box, Ji Yuanzhi continued, “Items like scapegoat items are often associated with real-life biases, like being seen as a harbinger of bad luck.”
Those who obtained this item easily had likely returned to their happy homes.
“However, that【Wangcai Bank】, ” Ji Yuanzhi shifted his focus, “If you think your fate is sturdy enough, you can try borrowing from them.”
Wen Shi was puzzled.
Ji Yuanzhi: “I used my skill to interpret them. Nearly cost me an eye. This【Wangcai Bank】should have a way to reclaim most of the items dropped by deceased borrowers.”
At that time, he found this aspect quite intriguing and attempted a second omniscient interpretation, which ended up backfiring.
Ji Yuanzhi conveyed the information from the second interpretation, “However, if you manage to keep owing them money without dying, you might have a chance to acquire a god-tier item.”
Wen Shi had only seen a god-tier item once, and it was the discounted【Spirit Coffin】used to create the Wandering Corpse.
“The bank likely relies on god-tier items for debt collection,” Ji Yuanzhi explained, “If you manage to stay alive, you might gain recognition from a god-tier item.”
He took the opportunity to enlighten Wen Shi, “Some powerful god-tier items have weak autonomous consciousness and could potentially run away from their owners. Having one doesn’t necessarily mean permanent ownership.”
In an unusual twist, Ji Yuanzhi surprisingly encouraged Wen Shi to engage in risky behavior. And indeed, intrigued, Wen Shi took out his card. After a prolonged contemplation, he left to make a phone call.
Inside the dorm room, Ji Yuanzhi knew what the other two were curious about and spoke softly, “【Wangcai Bank】is like a vulture that can smell the scent of carrion from kilometers away. Rather than profiting from loans to the living, they make significant money from the estates of the deceased.”
With Pei Wenwei’s capabilities, he wouldn’t fail in the S-level instance. 【Wangcai Bank】 must have factored in his lower chances of survival in the future. They were clearly playing the long game to catch a big fish.
“Even if he avoids trouble, trouble might come looking for him.【Wangcai Bank】will spare no effort to establish connections between creditor’s rights and debtor’s obligations,” Ji Yuanzhi stated, “At any cost.”
Given the circumstances, it was better to be proactive.
Those who had schemed against Pei Wenwei previously weren’t affiliated with the bank. All the staff at【Wangcai Bank】were overweight.
As a member Yu Xingzhou trusted the most, Ji Yuanzhi was well aware that certain special items, even after a player’s death, could still be obtained by anyone without requiring the use of in-game items. The person behind these underhanded tactics was likely pursuing this angle.
Such people would only multiply in the future. As【Wangcai Bank】could inherit a significant portion of a deceased player’s properties, they definitely wouldn’t permit anyone to take the spoils from under their noses. Unintentionally, they could help alleviate some pressure.
Ji Yuanzhi let out a soft sigh. A challenging childhood, adulthood marked as a sacrificial offering for resurrection, and now, getting involved with a bank—how could someone be so unfortunate?
•
After the call, Wen Shi arranged to meet at the cafeteria. It wasn’t mealtime, so the entire place was empty.
He sat near the secure exit. A chubby figure hurriedly came running from behind, entering with a damp shoulder.
Inside the standard-issue game backpack, there was only a small sunshade umbrella that couldn’t possibly cover the chubby guy’s entire body.
“Didn’t expect you to contact me so soon.” Chubby Guy’s face bore a friendly smile.
Wen Shi had seen this similar amiable smile on the principal’s face–characteristic of people who dealt with important matters quietly.
Wen Shi didn’t bother with pleasantries and extended a finger. “I want to borrow one point.”
The curve of Chubby Guy’s lips flattened, his eyes narrowing to slits. After a while, he spoke, “It seems my guest is already well acquainted with our lending rules.”
Indeed, being in the company of Ji Yuanzhi made him a person that their【Bank President】was cautious about.
Chubby Guy was swift and decisive in his actions. Both parties had their own calculations, but both required a common medium. He produced a promissory note and had Wen Shi sign it.
“How long is the loan period?”
“The amount isn’t large, and you’re also a distinguished VIP customer. Clear it within a month.”
Quite the VIP treatment, likening himself to a monster that could drop a lot of items after death. Wen Shi glanced at the promissory note, signed it, and commented as he did so, “It seems you’re quite confident I’ll die.”
Chubby Guy grinned like a Maitreya Buddha, “Just trusting in probabilities.”
They pursued events with high probabilities.
Wen Shi also smiled. “Coincidentally, I’m lucky enough to overlook probabilities.”
With the transaction completed, Chubby Guy handed over one point. They shook hands amicably.
He didn’t immediately take the promissory note. The ordinary note snapped in two before them. The end with the name flew into Chubby Guy’s hand, transforming into a coin with a blurry portrait resembling Wen Shi. Wen Shi received a coin as well, with a smooth front side and only patterns on its back.
Chubby Guy came and left in haste, promptly opening an umbrella and departing.
Wen Shi stared at the coin alone for a moment, silently chuckled, and then got up and left as well.
A heavy rain led to the entire school having an afternoon off. In the twilight hours, announcements echoed across the dormitory buildings almost simultaneously: “Attention, all students—”
Wen Shi opened the door of his dorm room, trying to hear more clearly.
“Tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock, the school will hold unified auditions for the program. Auditions will take place in Room 103 and Room 204 of Melodic Harmony Building…”
The broadcast listed four locations in a row, and those who were listening jotted them down with pen and paper.
After the announcement concluded, the academy, where the temperature had dropped, suddenly seemed to ignite. The new students were relatively composed, but the senior students were in a fervor. Some even seemed to be chanting motivational slogans.
On this night, many were so excited that they couldn’t sleep. Wen Shi also stayed awake half the night, but his wakefulness was due to pondering other matters.
The next day remained overcast.
One advantage of the auditions was that only half a day of classes was needed. Song Yan had suddenly disappeared, leaving a vacant class representative position, but Mr. Ruan didn’t seem concerned. After class, he invited eleven players who followed afterward to dine together.
“Being a class representative is a high-risk profession,” Wen Shi lamented, observing Mr. Ruan. Currently, it appeared that the effect of the mirror on him wasn’t significant.
Before Mr. Ruan could notice, Wen Shi withdrew his gaze and left the classroom.
“Are you going to line up?” Wen Shi asked.
Many people were participating in the auditions, and the performance order was decided purely based on the order of entry. He had another matter to attend to and wanted to get there early.
Ji Yuanzhi shook his head. “I don’t really have any impressive talents to showcase, so I’ll have to rely on some sleight of hand.”
Implicitly, he was preparing to covertly replace the identity of a selected senior student.
Upon hearing this, Wen Shi looked towards Jian Qingrong and earnestly said, “The bitterness of the common people, hard-earned achievements reaped by others.”
It was unclear which lucky individual Ji Yuanzhi would choose.
Jian Qingrong nodded. He had also worked as an intern at Big Factory for several years.
With a tone of relief, Wen Shi said, “That’s why I chose the backdoor tactic.”
In a lifespan of over a hundred years, sidestepping detours could save around eighty years.
“……”
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