She knew the king of Yan was just a figurehead, with Luo Zishang handling most affairs. Although he couldn’t beat her, he was close. Su Yao sent a teasing message to Qin Chuan. Luo Zishang would distribute rouge and cosmetics here daily to please the girls, so was Qin Chuan here for that? Su Yao looked up and was surprised to see that today, sitting at the head of the Longing Tower, was not Luo Zishang, but Ji Canghai! Upon closer inspection, she noticed a sign next to Ji Canghai that read: [Today’s special expedition to Snow Mountain, recruiting twenty players under level 60, two spots left]. Just as she was looking, Ji Canghai erased the number 3 and changed it to 2. Su Yao was puzzled; what was he up to? Ever since the legend of the divine artifacts appeared in the game, each country would send out elite teams daily to search for them. These officially organized teams could receive substantial support, like how Xia Kingdom monopolized the Southern Twilight Sea and Yan Kingdom monopolized the Northern Thousand-Year Snow Mountain.
Otherwise, they’d wipe out your entire nation without explanation. These elite teams had high entry requirements, typically requiring players above level 180. When had they ever recruited players under level 60? Even stranger, why was Ji Canghai, the king of Southern Xia, not staying in his own country but taking over Luo Zishang’s favorite spot and issuing such a bizarre recruitment order? Oh… he must have taken the wrong medicine, even though he had just become their princess’s consort…
People were whispering at the foot of the Longing Tower, and countless private messages flew back and forth. [PM from “Santuhe”: I’ve signed us up for the last two spots.] As soon as she closed the message, a team invitation popped up on Su Yao’s screen. She accepted, finding herself and Qin Chuan in a large expedition team. There were players like Santuhe in their 50s and 60s, and some like her, only at level 15. The team leader was a girl named “Little Zhizhi,” exactly level 60, a Five Elements Warlock with Yan Kingdom nationality. While Little Zhizhi was counting heads, Su Yao chatted with Qin Chuan.
Su Yao checked the world channel, and indeed, the entire world was discussing Liuli’s sudden return to level 200, while hardly anyone was paying attention to why the King of Xia was sitting in Luo Zishang’s spot organizing a strange expedition. Liuli’s class is Priest, and the legendary artifact in the Northern Snow Mountain is a staff exclusive to Priests. She’s been scheming for years to become Yan Kingdom’s princess but still couldn’t find it.
Chapter Nineteen: Little Schemes –> Ji Canghai was sneering. On his desk, there was a piece of paper, covered with crisscrossing lines, various marks, and annotations, resembling an incomplete map. At the top of the map, five neatly written characters read: “The Memory of the Snow Woman.” This was a fax just sent to him by Han Yanyan. The paper still carried the faint warmth from the toner.
Han Yanyan referred to it as “a top-secret map obtained with great difficulty” and told him, “This is the map to find the divine artifact in the north. I love you so much, my dear husband, that I’m sharing it with you. Listen to me, this is what we should do next…” What Han Yanyan suggested was close to what Qin Chuan had guessed. She would attract the attention of all the players, while he would secretly organize an expedition team. After all, the artifact was too dazzling. Some game-obsessed coal mine bosses even posted online, vowing to spend all their wealth to buy the scythe from Chang Sheng Palace or the flute from Wang Shenmu. Thus, Han Yanyan, being the shrewd woman she was, wouldn’t trust anyone, not even her most loyal subordinates or closest friends. However, if the map’s information was accurate, obtaining the artifact from the snowy mountains would be impossible alone. She could only turn to Ji Canghai, the only one she could somewhat trust. After all, Ji Canghai believed she was pregnant with his child and was about to become his lawful wife.
Ji Canghai increasingly felt like a cuckold, especially since rumors were spreading among players that his newlywed wife had slept with game insiders to restore her game level. He had indeed been scared that day, fleeing like a coward and leaving her alone. But why didn’t she flee? One should be able to bend and stretch in life, right? Even if she dropped back to level one, he had money. He could hire a studio to level her up again and buy her better equipment. Why didn’t she even ask for his opinion before going to “negotiate with the game company” by herself? She told him that, treating him like an idiot. Outside the game company, numerous players gather daily, some banned for cheating, some appealing account theft, some protesting game imbalance, for all sorts of reasons. New ones replace the old day in and day out, like a swarm of bees at the company’s doorstep. Ji Canghai would never believe that without some “in-depth discussion” with the game’s top executives, her account would be restored overnight—usually, account recovery takes at least two weeks. Ji Canghai, looking at the forum posts about his new wife, felt a twinge of regret.
He had heard about Han Yanyan’s character before, but when she came from city B to beg him to release her from the heavenly prison, her pitiful look moved him, wiping away all his previous prejudices. He treated her to meals, sang with her, chatted with her, and eventually, she managed to seduce him. A month after their intimate exchange, Han Yanyan told him she was pregnant. Ji Canghai felt faint. But he had to take responsibility, didn’t he? He agreed to marry her, to make her his wife and the queen of Xia country. Now, Ji Canghai started to feel something was off. He shouldn’t just take her word for it without proof of pregnancy. With all the gossip and mocking tones when players mentioned him, he felt increasingly cuckolded. Ji Canghai looked at the map in his hand and sneered. Since she betrayed him, he wouldn’t hold back either. The artifact? He could already see it in his hands. All the beautiful female players would be vying to marry him, and he would defeat Chang Sheng Palace and Wang Shenmu, becoming the most badass player in the server. What woman couldn’t he have? Would he still care about Han Yanyan or the guilt towards the Hong Yaotang? Quickly, a meticulous plan formed in his mind—to prevent Han Yanyan from hiding anything else, Ji Canghai decided to act at the last moment.
“You said the artifact in the snowy mountains is a staff for priests, how do you know?” Little Mary and San Tuchuan followed the expedition team through the snow. Beyond the city lay endless snow mountains. According to legend, the artifact that could make one the ruler of the north was buried in these mountains. This artifact also possessed attributes surpassing all pay-to-win gear, but the story mentioned a scroll in the mountains called “The Memory of the Snow Woman,” which recorded where the god’s treasure was buried. Within the treasure was a talisman that could make one the master of the snow mountains. Su Yao didn’t know where Qin Chuan’s version came from, a staff specifically for priests? Oh, that didn’t seem very likely; legends are usually vague and mystical, not so precise as to specify it’s a staff. That would discourage players of other classes.
“I guessed,” San Tuchuan sent a smiling emoji to Little Mary, messaging her privately, “Did you notice? Liu Li handed over her Six-Winged Holy Angel Staff to a friend as soon as she returned.” Su Yao realized, looking at Liu Li now holding a staff with much inferior attributes.