Chapter 61: Npc Affinity

Chapter 61: Npc Affinity

【Urgently seeking Physical Forging Martial Arts! Will pay top cash—transaction completed instantly upon login. No scams.】

【Looking for unused Physical Forging Martial Arts! Don’t hesitate—I have money to burn. Name your price!】

…

Zhou Xiao’s luck reignited the player community’s frenzy to hunt down the "God of Wealth."

Meanwhile, a high-spending player’s forum post offering exorbitant rewards for Physical Forging Martial Arts further fueled the craze.

On forums, the price for a Physical Forging Martial Art soared to 4 million in-game currency, with demand far outstripping supply. So far, only Zhou Xiao had obtained one. While some players were just trolling with absurd bids, the martial art still lured ordinary players like a siren song—acquiring it meant instant wealth.

…

Crimson Plains

A ten-player squad clashed fiercely with a pack of Wrath Horns—goat-like monsters—mid-battle.

“Hear my call, flames of fury! Appear!”

With a dramatically overdramatic shout, a player’s hands erupted into twin jets of ink-black flames. The fire spread rapidly, consuming their body. Flesh seared away, revealing gleaming bones beneath.

Shifting into Bonefire Form, the player summoned several fireballs, hurling them into the Wrath Horn swarm.

“Burn, pitiful goats! Turn into kebabs!”

Three Wrath Horns erupted in roaring Inky Inferno, howling in agony.

“Starving to Eat Soil, could you be any more cringe? You’re giving me goosebumps. Try a normal line, jeez.”

Hearing this, the flaming skeleton—Starving to Eat Soil—flipped off Murderous Intent Stirred mid-battle.

“Pfft! And your ‘Snake Wrapping’ isn’t cringe? Seriously?”

“It’s Great Snake, not little snake—”

The team’s voice chat buzzed with playful banter even as they fought, the mood lively and relaxed.

Suddenly, Starving to Eat Soil spotted a familiar figure in the distance. Instantly shifting to Hawk-Headed Demon Form, he peered through his enhanced eagle vision.

Through the hawk’s eyes, the distant form sharpened into focus.

“Chestnut Brother! It’s the God of Wealth!”

Hearing this, Li Zheng—a serpentine behemoth over ten meters long—jerked upright in shock.

“Hmph!” He spat aside the Wrath Horn he’d been biting, raising his massive head to follow Starving to Eat Soil’s gaze.

His vertical pupils constricted, vision zooming in. There, unmistakable: a familiar figure.

About 1.65 meters tall, with pale blue hair and a doll-like, expressionless face, the figure sat cross-legged on a twisted tree trunk, meditating.

“Heh. Looks like fortune finds us today.”

Li Zheng muttered, his serpentine form warping as he shrank, reverting to human form. A black tunic materialized over his body.

After grinding for days in the Gloomspire Caverns, completing purification tasks had boosted his Contribution Rank to first place, earning him a Body Forge Rank 3 reward. Yet against these low-level monsters, he still preferred his Black-Scaled Serpent Form—now level 22, 11 meters long, capable of crushing trees with sheer strength.

Having reached the True Constricting Serpent Coil stage, Li Zheng and his comrades from the Emperor of Grind Clan were ecstatic at spotting the God of Wealth. Without hesitation, they raced toward Duan Xing’s location.

Meanwhile, Duan Xing sensed their approach, opening his pure-white eyes to watch them advance.

He didn’t flee. Curious, he wondered what this “Player Clan” wanted.

As Li Zheng neared, Duan Xing leaped gracefully from the tree, landing lightly before them.

Before he could speak…

“God of Wealth! Finally found you—let’s get this process going!”

“We all want Physical Forging Martial Arts! Ten of us, ten copies please!”

“Any secret shop functions? Can we buy rare items the normal store doesn’t have?”

…

Duan Xing blinked, nonplussed.

Seeing him frozen, Li Zheng and the Emperor of Grind Clan grew anxious.

In their squad’s voice chat:

Family Shared Godfather: Chestnut Brother, maybe we’re coming on too strong? Shouldn’t we ease into it?

Leopardheadzerocharge: Slow down! The forums said others had to chat for ages before getting the martial art. We need timing!

Starving to Eat Soil: What if we need personal affinity first? Remember—the rescue event shifted his faction’s hostility to friendliness, but our individual rapport’s still zero. Gifting items’s the fastest way to boost rapport in any game!

Murderous Intent Stirred: Right! Don’t beg upfront—it’s rude.

…

“I don’t understand,” Duan Xing rumbled, eyeing the group. “What do you truly want?”

After rapid discussion, the Emperor of Grind Clan players shifted tactics. Producing various Offering Ration Cans from their inventory, they offered them with ingratiating smiles:

“Hungry?”

Duan Xing’s expression shifted to intrigue as he watched them pull out consumables from seemingly nowhere.

He realized something.

These humans carried spatial artifacts—treasures he knew well. As a mere recruit, he lacked access. Even full Abyssal Tide Legion warriors needed copious battle merits to acquire one. And yet, every Player Clan member had one.

But there was a contradiction. Spatial artifacts had physical forms. He’d slain countless players, yet their corpses always dissolved into Obsidian Mist, leaving no loot. How?

Perhaps, he mused, they were akin to the Legion’s Voidborn Clan—a race whose stomachs mutated into storage spaces at adulthood. Could players have similar Physique Transformation abilities?

Yet even that failed to explain why their items didn’t drop on death.

Still, he accepted their offered food, deciding to probe further.

Sitting cross-legged, he wrenched open the can, tasted a bite, and grimaced.

The food carried no energy—only the illusion of fullness. It held no value at all, far less efficient than simply absorbing ambient energy from heaven and earth to replenish one’s strength.

Still, to gather intelligence, he endured the tedious act of nibbling slowly, searching for an opening to ask questions.

Meanwhile, Li Zheng and the others sat before Duan Xing, watching him eat. They naturally imagined floating text above the God of Wealth’s head:

Goodwill +1
Goodwill +1

With such a promising start, all they needed now was to wait for their goodwill quota to fill before claiming the God of Wealth’s gift.

During their conversation, Duan Xing inquired about the origins of the Player Clan. Though he’d already asked Zhou Xiao, he wanted to dig deeper.

Li Zheng’s approach, however, differed sharply from Zhou Xiao’s. While Zhou Xiao spoke freely without considering the implications, Li Zheng understood the rules of this world.

As a seasoned player, he knew all Npcs were AI created by the Lunar Eclipse Clan, programmed with memories of the game world. They believed themselves alive, unaware of their true purpose—to enrich the player experience. Revealing one’s identity as a player shattered the game’s illusion, a breach Li Zheng considered shameful. Worse, Npcs exposed to the truth risked being reset by the Lunar Eclipse Clan to erase doubts about their existence.

Thus, Li Zheng adopted the role of a guide explaining the world’s lore. He described the Player Clan as former followers of the Imperial Omen, a deity awakened after the Black Tide’s dormancy. Their goal: reignite the Imperial Omen’s flame and reclaim lost territories.

He also introduced the land beneath them—Dizhong Mountain Range, the burial ground of the Imperial Omen and the frontier of Monster World. Unlike Zhou Xiao, however, he omitted mention of Dizhong Village. Novice Villages, as respawn points, would baffle Npcs.

The exchange flowed smoothly, with no system blocks or silences. Duan Xing, satisfied with the intel, felt increasingly eager to recruit the Player Clan. Yet their allegiance to the ancient Imperial Omen made them reluctant allies for the Abyssal Tide Legion.

After lengthy chatter without a gift offer, Li Zheng grew impatient. Time was money for a Grindstone Worker.

“Lord of Wealth,” he interjected, “among the Player Clan, we uphold the principle of reciprocity—a polite exchange of gifts for friendship.”

Duan Xing paused, then glanced at the empty Offering Ration Can in his hand. The message was clear: a return gift was expected.

Remembering their earlier rescue, Duan Xing shrugged off the food’s worth and retrieved a purple crystal from his vambrace. “Purple Spirit Stone (Spirit Ore Grade 7). A token of appreciation.”

Li Zheng’s face lit as the item tooltip confirmed a Grade 7 Spirit Ore. Hours of small talk had finally paid off. Goodwill first, he mused, then the red envelope.

Still, he pressed, “Might you also spare a Physical Forging Martial Art manual?”

Duan Xing’s brow twitched. So that’s why they’re here. The Player Clan’s earlier gift had clearly spread.

“None remain,” he lied flatly. “I carried only one.”

Disappointment rippled through Li Zheng’s party as they retreated to their private chat:

“Maybe our goodwill’s too low, or his inventory hasn’t refreshed the manual. Let’s try again later.”

“What a shame! We finally met the God of Wealth, but the Physical Forging Martial Art’s already gone. Next time, then.”

“Just swapping a 1-Sacrificial Power Offering Ration Can for a Grade 7 ore’s a steal. Don’t get greedy. Let’s move out.”

…

With that, Li Zheng’s group departed, unaware their encounter would spark a new wave of harassment.

No sooner had Li Zheng left than he posted a guide on the forums:

[Guide: The God of Wealth’s Hidden Mechanics – Npc Intimacy]
Posted by: Game Bricklayer

“Learned a lot from fellow players’ guides, so here’s my contribution.

Here’s the truth: finding the God of Wealth doesn’t guarantee a gift. Success hinges on a hidden stat—goodwill.

In other games, we check Npc relationship panels to unlock perks or discounts. But here, goodwill’s invisible. Still, it’s real.

Today, I offered the God of Wealth gifts and earned a return: a Grade 7 Spirit Ore.

This guide will climb the charts fast. Trust me—reciprocity is key. Win his favor, then cash in!”

The thread exploded with gratitude. Players flocked to test his method, trading cheap items for high-value rewards—Spirit Ore, even the coveted Physical Forging Martial Art.

Meanwhile, Duan Xing pondered infiltrating the Player Clan. Locate their territory, gather intel, and later report to the Abyssal Tide Legion. Perhaps this clan could become another pawn in the Legion’s empire.

He had no clue the “reciprocity” frenzy had just begun.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end