“Wait, why can’t we enter the spacetime gate?” “Don’t push! Shit! No pushing, or you won’t get anything!” “For the divine artifacts, I can give up everything!!!” “What’s going on, are they messing with us?!! Opening the gate and not letting us in???” “Who the hell made me lag out just now!” “Is it because someone already got in, and it’s full inside?” “Impossible! I was the one who got the quest scroll, and even I can’t get in, damn it!!!” “No wonder you were shouting in the world channel, turns out you can’t get in yourself.” “How the hell did you get it?” Countless questions followed. “I was just mining on the outskirts, occasionally killing monsters, and then I got a scroll called ‘Broken Hourglass’, I used it, and damn, a spacetime rift! Besides divine artifacts, what else could cause such a big commotion?” “Yeah, I saw on the forums that those players stuck in the snow mountain also saw the spacetime rift…” Su Yao watched as the battlefield emptied in an instant. Those who were just moments ago fighting with bloodlust now rushed westward to watch the spectacle. Cursing under her breath, she quickly logged off, switched to her Hong Yaotang account, and led her band of thieves towards the west.
As a con artist, the first thing one must be is a good actor, and to become a good actor, one must first be a good audience. Wang Shenmu appreciated his humility and calmness, which made his world, filled with despair, seem to have someone who understood him more than the Grim Reaper’s Eternal Palace. “I am quite interested in those divine artifacts. After obtaining the Twilight of the Gods, I’ve been wondering who designed such a powerful quest system. None have a concept as overpowered as divine artifacts. You’ve managed to balance it so well that players aren’t frustrated but instead ignite their passion and spend money to level up. Is this also your critique of society and humanity, Shenmu?” Now it was Gu Chaoyan’s turn to speak, his words prepared in advance to subtly extract the information he sought. There were three divine artifacts; if he could get one and sell it to a coal mine boss, the children in that school would never have to suffer from hunger or hardship again. “Hmph, divine artifacts, there are six of them.” Wang Shenmu said with a tone of indifference, even a hint of disdain: “Actually, I’ve hidden a huge secret within them, one that no one knows. Only when all six divine artifacts appear will it…” Before he could finish, his phone rang from his pocket.
He checked it; it was from a former colleague in the technical department. “Shenmu, the divine artifact quest in the west has been triggered.” The person on the phone whispered. “Impossible!” Wang Shenmu was categorical, this news hitting him like a bolt from the blue. “Yes, we were all set to open it during the summer vacation when players reached level 300, with the new expansion, how could someone activate it now?” The colleague muttered to himself, “Impossible, no player under level 300 could get the Broken Hourglass from a monster… but just now, someone saw Chen from the planning department sneaking in, playing on a computer. Damn, now the players are not even level 300, can’t meet the entry conditions for the spacetime gate, they’re all outside watching, the forums are exploding, saying we’re scamming them. The boss is panicking, asking me what to do. There’s no way to fix it now, rolling back is out of the question.” Wang Shenmu took a deep breath, visualizing the current situation from the tense description. “Since they’ve appeared, it’s fate.” Wang Shenmu pondered for a moment, then said, “Let’s do this…” “Great idea!” The other side, listening, was both satisfied and amazed, “We won’t let a genius like you go, the brothers in the technical department have voted to strike and drive that pighead Chen out!” “Forget it.”
Wang Shenmu shook his head with a sigh, his tone slightly weary, “I’m tired. Being an ordinary player is nice.” “Come back when you feel like it… sigh.” The other hung up the phone, and Wang Shenmu relayed the events to Gu Chaoyan. “Divine artifacts in the west?” Gu Chaoyan almost lost his composure from joy, “You mean, since we can’t get in, let everyone compete for them?” “Yes.” Wang Shenmu took a sip of tea, pointing to the computer beside him, “Aren’t you going to check it out?” He was eager to see the Grim Reaper operate the keyboard in person.
Qin Chuan, carrying his laptop, stepped into Su Yao’s den, and his sturdy heart was jolted. The chaotic bedding, socks strewn about, instant noodle bowls and takeout boxes littering the floor, crumpled napkins, unwashed dishes in the sink, food left out for days, and laundry tossed into a bamboo basket. After setting down his laptop, Qin Chuan silently rolled up his sleeves and started by washing the rotting dishes in the sink. The sound of water splashing in the kitchen reached Su Yao’s ears. She sat leisurely, hugging her knees, watching the chat messages from countless players before the time-space rift.
She recalled her friend Liu Changsi’s insightful comment that to know if a man can love you for a lifetime, first see if he is willing to share household chores with you. Su Yao couldn’t help but grin. “Are we going to open the door or not? Is the game company messing with us?!” Everyone was complaining similarly. Now, nearly eighty percent of the players online had gathered in the outskirts of Loulan City in the Western Desert to watch the spectacle. A massive time-space rift hovered on the outskirts of Loulan City. Within the radiant golden light, no one could enter the rift, not even those who had triggered the event, who were left powerless to continue the quest. The endless yellow sands, the bustling city built of stones, and the exotic flowers blooming in the desert—this unique charm of the West had once captivated every man. However, the monsters here, far exceeding the current player level cap of 200, had become the nightmares of these players. They had once sworn blood brotherhood, vowing to conquer the desert in their lifetimes, but turned into corpses of sorrow. Gradually, the West became a place few dared to venture. Even if one used hacks to kill the monsters, the level difference was too vast, yielding no experience.
No one wanted to waste money and effort on something unrewarding, so people ceased going to the West, saying it was a map reserved for levels 300 and 400. But today, due to Old Chen’s accidental blunder in the tech department, a player with an invincible hack managed to obtain a scroll that triggered a divine artifact quest originally set for level 300 players. Inside and outside Loulan City, crowds had gathered densely, marking a new historical peak for the number of players online simultaneously. The last time something similar happened was when the “Myth at Dawn” sect from Yan Nation besieged the entrance to the City of Rebirth, pressuring the Eternal Palace to open access to the underground city. In the end, the Eternal Palace did not allow these organized players in; no one could disrupt his city, the City of Rebirth, which he ruled. That night, the seven high priests of Myth at Dawn declared war on the Eternal Palace, vowing not to return until victory or death. Our eyes were filled with dust and frost. That year, the Red Medicine Hall was yet to be born, the sky was still blue, and the world channel was clean, free from vulgarity and spam.