Chapter Eighteen: Seventh Young Master's Invitation

It turned out that Han Qishao was currently carrying out the Guildmaster’s Order quest and was not in Lingshui City, so Shen Ce arranged to meet him again three days later. After speaking with Han Qishao, Shen Ce hurried to the city lord’s mansion. This time, he was granted an audience with the city lord without any delay.

The city lord, resplendently dressed, stood atop the stone steps. When he learned that Shen Ce and Celos had successfully slain the Crimson-Crowned Two-Headed Serpent on the snowy cliff, his expression of incredulity was almost identical to that of the dwarf Hatal upon hearing Shen Ce had completed his mission. “What? You say you’ve already obtained the Guildmaster’s Emblem?”

Shen Ce offered a courteous bow and nodded slightly, then retrieved the B-grade Guildmaster’s Emblem from his storage space to show him. The city lord shot Shen Ce a peculiar glance, then clapped his hands and laughed heartily. “Good, very good! Young man, you are outstanding indeed. So, are you here to establish a B-grade guild?”

“Ding—Congratulations to player Zero and Celos for jointly completing the quest ‘Slay the Crimson-Crowned Two-Headed Serpent on the Snowy Cliff.’”

Shen Ce shook his head, and hearing Celos’s name in the system prompt, he hesitated briefly before asking, “My lord, do you know anything about my partner who helped me complete the quest—Celos?”

The middle-aged city lord looked at Shen Ce in surprise. “Aren’t you teammates? I thought you were well acquainted,” he said, furrowing his brow as he recalled, “That young man is very talented and insightful. I chatted with him at length last time and was deeply impressed, but that’s all I know.”

Shen Ce received the answer he had expected. To be honest, he didn’t even know why he was asking an NPC about a player—perhaps it was that Celos seemed so mysterious, and he had no way to learn more even if he sought out other players.

Seeing that he could learn nothing from the city lord, Shen Ce headed to the Treasure Pavilion. As he laid out the equipment dropped by the Crimson-Crowned Two-Headed Serpent, Shui Linglong’s eyes sparkled with such fervor it was as if she might burn holes through the gear. She exclaimed in awe, “Lord Zero, you’re incredible! So slaying the serpent on the snowy cliff was a breeze for you. Never mind the Guildmaster’s Emblem—just selling this equipment will net a fortune.”

Shen Ce’s gaze swept across Shui Linglong before he nonchalantly swept all the equipment back into his storage space. “It would fetch a fortune, but these things aren’t mine.”

A look of surprise crossed Shui Linglong’s face, and then she seemed to understand. “So you really did find a teammate? Don’t tell me it was a guy—Han Qishao?” She nodded knowingly, as if she’d guessed it all along. “Makes sense. No matter how strong you are, it’s impossible to solo a level 30 Crimson-Crowned Two-Headed Serpent.”

Shen Ce was momentarily at a loss for words at Shui Linglong’s gossiping tone; the corner of his eye twitched slightly. “You’re overthinking it,” he said, pressing his lips together, his expression turning stern. “Linglong, have you ever heard the name Celos?”

“Celos? Who’s that?” Shui Linglong, seeing Shen Ce’s serious expression, immediately dropped her curiosity. She glanced at him. “Was this Celos the one who did the quest with you? Is he strong?”

Shen Ce nodded, then added after a moment’s thought, “Stronger than me.”

Shui Linglong, who had been sipping tea, nearly spat it out. This was the first time she’d heard Shen Ce admit someone was stronger than he was. “That can’t be. There are very few players higher level than you, and I know them all by name, but Celos is new to me. What class is he?”

“Assassin.”

Shui Linglong frowned. “The ones I know are mostly warriors and mages, maybe a hunter or two, but assassins? None come to mind. I guess I’m just not well versed.”

A look of obvious disappointment crossed Shen Ce’s face; his lips pressed into a tighter line. “Then help me keep an eye out for him. If you hear anything, let me know.”

Shui Linglong agreed, absently stroking the midnight blue bracelet on her finger, her eyes full of charm. “So, how did you meet him?” She was clearly intrigued by any player whom Shen Ce would admit bested him.

Shen Ce hadn’t expected her to ask this. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “While searching for weapon materials, he saved my life.”

Shui Linglong was startled. “Lord Zero, you’ve been getting rescued a lot lately. That’s not like you at all,” she said, half covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. “You didn’t actually marry this Celos for a quest, did you?”

Shen Ce shot her a cold look, instantly quelling her teasing. “Fine, I’ll focus on gathering information for you.”

Though Shui Linglong promised to look into it, she turned up nothing. What worried Shen Ce even more was that since Celos had logged off after their last encounter, he hadn’t reappeared. His avatar on the friends list was permanently greyed out, as if he’d vanished from the world.

Recalling Celos’s elusive ways and how hurriedly and grave he’d left that day, Shen Ce guessed that something must have happened to him in the real world. He’d planned to give Celos all the loot from the Crimson-Crowned Two-Headed Serpent and then proceed with the divorce formalities, but now, with Celos nowhere to be found, he could only put his plans on hold.

Three days passed quickly, and Shen Ce arrived at the largest tavern in Lingshui City—the Delro Tavern—at the appointed time.

It was said that the Delro Tavern was a den of both heroes and knaves, a notorious money pit for players. The tavern’s legendary drinks were said to be irresistible: one cup would make you tipsy, two would knock you out, and three would empty your purse. Many wealthy patrons from the real world came just to sample these drinks, not to fight monsters or level up, but to taste the virtual spirits.

Shen Ce could not understand this at all. To him, no matter how good the drinks were, they were still nothing but virtual data.

This was his first time at Delro Tavern, though he was not entirely unconnected to the place—for instance, the gin he’d used to bribe the master forgemaster Hatal had come from here. Shen Ce deftly pushed aside the lavish crystal curtain at the entrance. Two brightly dressed attendants bowed to him, and many eyes turned in his direction, but he ignored them all, heading straight for the private room he’d agreed on with Han Qishao. Wafts of increasingly rich liquor aromas drifted past his nose.

When he found the private room and opened the door, he saw Han Qishao lounging lazily on a velvet sofa. Beneath the Baroque crystal chandelier, warm light cast a slanting glow across his strikingly handsome profile.

Han Qishao looked up with a faint smile. “Lord Zero, you’re right on time.”

Shen Ce sat across from Han Qishao and set his staff by the table. “Looks like you arrived a little early.”

“I just got here myself,” Han Qishao replied, arching a brow, his gaze open and clear. “Speaking of being quick, you got the Guildmaster’s Emblem from the Crimson-Crowned Two-Headed Serpent faster than I ever could. I can’t match that efficiency.”

Shen Ce ignored Han Qishao’s remark and suddenly asked, “Do you have the Guildmaster’s Order now?”

Just yesterday, two players had established C-grade guilds in “Heaven’s Dominion,” setting the official forums abuzz and attracting hordes of new members to those guilds. Since Han Qishao had arranged to meet today, he must have acquired the Guildmaster’s Order as well.

Han Qishao sipped his wine, his gaze steady on Shen Ce. “Indeed, I just turned in the quest at the city lord’s mansion. If you hadn’t messaged me about the Guildmaster’s Emblem a few days ago, I’d still be busy trying to set up the guild.”

Shen Ce looked coolly at Han Qishao’s bright eyes, then took a dark gold emblem from his storage space and placed it on the table, calmly stating an amount. “Five thousand gold coins.”

Han Qishao’s expression shifted. He was accustomed to Shen Ce’s straightforwardness, but wasn’t this price a bit too low?

He knew others were also selling Guildmaster’s Orders for about five thousand, but the difference between a B-grade and a C-grade guild was more than just the name—it affected things like guild headquarters size and the number of stationed NPC guards.

“How about ten thousand gold?” Han Qishao suggested with a gentle smile, his gaze fixed on the stern-faced priest across from him.

Shen Ce was silent for a moment, then picked up the dark gold emblem and replied slowly, “I only intend to sell it for five thousand. If you don’t want it, I’m sure I’ll find another buyer.”

Han Qishao was taken aback, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “How could I refuse?” He gazed intently at Shen Ce, his light green eyes bright as if filled with starlight. “Lord Zero, I’ve invited you to join our guild several times—won’t you reconsider? You’d only be an honorary elder in name and wouldn’t even need to participate.”

But Shen Ce declined without hesitation. Han Qishao smoothed his sleeves, suppressing a trace of irritation—he seldom invited others, let alone been refused three times in a row.

Han Qishao suddenly stood, though his smile did not waver. “In that case, I wonder if Lord Zero would do me a favor?”

“What kind of favor?” Shen Ce raised his head slightly, his voice as calm and cool as ever.

“You should know that on the fifth day after a guild is established, there’s a city defense battle?” Han Qishao’s lips curved in a confident smile, as if certain Shen Ce would not refuse. “If you’d be willing to help, the reward is five thousand gold coins.”