Calamity Messenger-Chapter 44 - 34: Mansu Forest Land Event

"Area Event ’Mansu Forest Land’"

"Event Location: (142, -857)"

"Event Time: March 15th ~ March 24th (Participation time is March 15th ~ March 21st)"

"Event Content: Players who enter the fog-covered forest land during the event time will be transported into the limited-time dungeon ’Mansu Forest Land’."

"Recommended Event Level: Level 1 ~ Level 99"

"Event Reward: All players who clear the dungeon within the time limit will receive a Treasure Hunting Token ×1"

Treasure Hunting Token?

Yan Qing was a bit perplexed, clicking open to remember what it was.

"Treasure Hunting Token: A trading token issued by the Treasure Pavilion. The holder’s item, once appraised by the Treasure Pavilion, can be listed for sale with a 30% listing fee. Accumulating 10 Treasure Hunting Tokens can upgrade into a Treasure Storage Token."

This is the third-ranked design of the Ten Pegasus Designs in the game, which even Yan Qing, who doesn’t play "Messenger," knows—the design that players click their tongues at hundreds of times every day on the forums.

In "Messenger," setting up stalls or conducting private trades is not allowed. Between players, only unconditional gifting of items exists; any trade involving Spiritual Jade must be conducted in the Treasure Pavilion.

Although barter is allowed, this lowest-level trading method evidently doesn’t satisfy the trading needs of this currently most popular MMORPG. Players are forced to trade in the Treasure Pavilion, and to trade in the Treasure Pavilion, one must have a Treasure Hunting Token.

The other name for the Treasure Hunting Token is ’Messenger’s Must-Use Item,’ meaning that only necessities are usually listed for sale using the Treasure Hunting Token because of its high 30% listing fee.

Using Treasure Hunting Tokens for trade is akin to giving money to the official in vain.

To barely make a profit trading at the Treasure Pavilion, one needs at least the 15% fee Treasure Storage Token.

However, the more critical issue is that trading, like dating, requires at least two people and usually cannot be accomplished alone.

As the only player in this world, who could Yan Qing trade with?

Instead, the limited-time dungeon ’Mansu Forest Land’ seems worth exploring.

Yan Qing doesn’t know the specifics about ’Mansu Forest Land,’ but judging from the recommended level, it’s clear that this is an entertaining dungeon that all players can join. Personal strength may help in the dungeon, but it’s no longer the decisive factor.

He checked the map and looked at the coordinates; it seemed to be not far from Jiangnan Newbie Village.

Start a new account to check it out. But what character should he create?

After a brief thought, Yan Qing decided to create a female character.

Though a good-looking female character would surely attract trouble, Yan Qing was not afraid of trouble. The White Iron Straight Saber in the warehouse is no joke. Although good-looking female characters aren’t too strong or too short, thus also lacking Qi and Blood Agility bonuses, Yan Qing didn’t mind that. However...

No matter, Yan Qing simply didn’t want to keep staring at men’s butts!

It’s said male players are divided into two groups, each declaring the other gay—one side arguing ’you’re playing female characters and acting like women, you must be gay,’ while the other argues ’you’re playing male characters and staring at men’s butts all day, surely too gay.’

Yan Qing thinks differently; he believes anyone concerned with such matters is gay. Male characters should be played, and female characters should be played even more, only then considered normal.

The character creation wasn’t much to talk about, Yan Qing fashioned a face somewhere between Tifa and Buzhihuo Dance, according to regular aesthetics. As for stat distribution, Yan Qing planned to take a risk with a 334 distribution—3 points in Qi Blood, 3 points in agility, and 4 points in intuition, so the character would have some combat ability and potential.

Talent inheritance was also crucial. As long as the corresponding talent was purchased, it could provide an additional 100% experience bonus. Coupled with Martial Arts Genius ’gain an extra 100% experience during skill training,’ even a character with zero intuition could gain 300% experience in training and 200% in combat, thus quickly overcoming the weakest Phase 1-10.

But since it’s a probing character, Yan Qing only chose Basic Footwork Talent and Basic Saber Technique Talent, and as for the name, it followed the old rule, the tenth character starting from Jiangnan, "Jiang Shi."

"Jiangnan Affiliated Newbie Village," start the game!

...

...

The wind becomes sticky here.

The rain turns into threads here.

What greets upon arrival is the rainy scene of Jiangnan’s watery region. The falling rain connects into threads, pattering on the banana leaves. Even through the screen, Yan Qing could feel the dampness and coolness coming at him.

Luckily it’s not me stepping out, I hate rain, Yan Qing thought.

Unlike Nocturnal Heaven and Chang’an, Jiangnan’s newbie village seems designed like a marketplace. ’Jiang Shi’ appears in a small alley between two houses, with puddles of dirty water extending from the alley to the outside street.

’Jiang Shi’ walked out of the alley, and the storm seemingly intensified with sudden gusts. The broad, muddy road was filled with hoof prints and wheel tracks of passing beasts. Men clothed in raincoats and straw hats carried their goods through the streets and lanes. The street vendors covered their soaked vegetables with burlap, nearby were butchers constantly brandishing knives, while across from them lay rows of cages, containing either chickens or ducks. Further off stood the fish vendor, displaying fish on lotus leaves, their half-dead eyes glowing eerily...

Yan Qing could almost smell the suffocating scent of this farmer’s market—rainwater, chicken manure, fishiness, blood—even though not on the scene. Compared to Chang’an’s marketplace, this was undoubtedly dirty, chaotic, and noisy, yet the vigorous vitality growing from the dirt was realer than Chang’an’s glamour.

After all, if Chang’an’s main city protection zone wasn’t prosperous, it would be a miracle.

But this place lies outside the main city range, and the primary customers of the marketplace are nearby residents, indicating a large flow of people and high household productivity in the surrounding area. Exploitation isn’t too severe, so ordinary people have money left over to exchange goods.

More importantly, it’s safe around here.

Places like Qi Kingdom, where Evil Ghost Knights rampage and kill wantonly, people only venture out if desperate for a meal. Shops have connections, while woodsmen, farmers, and seamstresses provide supplies only to them, and plebes can only shop there too. Each town has just a few shops monopolizing all business, equally squeezing both sellers and buyers.

Zhou Kingdom isn’t much better, villages outside the main city build manor forts for self-defense, trading internally like separate states, thus rarely forming marketplaces.

While there doesn’t seem to be immediate danger, Yan Qing still armed ’Jiang Shi’ with the White Iron Straight Saber, directing her out of the alley. Checking the map showed the event location to the east, Yan Qing decided not to ask around and instead head east directly along the main road.

It didn’t take long for raindrops to soak the clothes, though ’Jiang Shi’ wore a shapeless coarse linen garment without any design language. When tightly clinging to ’Jiang Shi,’ accentuating her graceful lines, it instantly became the most beautiful attire on the entire street.

In the game, players would merely think ’just this,’ seasoned players with unique aesthetics were no longer satisfied with handsome and beautiful characters, preferring instead to create Ancient Gods or Light Warriors to play through the plot. But in this world...

Yan Qing has prepared to fend off unwanted attention, the White Iron Straight Saber is equipped for precisely this purpose. Some turmoil arises inevitably in adventure, but for enjoying the game smoothly, the cost is worthwhile.