Chapter 299: Drama Series
By the time they returned to the Myrny Rooster, it was already evening. Spark Lambert was pacing anxiously back and forth on the deck.
When he saw Zhou Ning and the others come back, Spark Lambert's face lit up with joy. He quickly walked over and asked, "Wayne, when are we heading back?"
Zhou Ning removed his black top hat and said with a smile, "We'll return to Southwells County now, rest for the night, and then take the steam train back to Darkland tomorrow. Any problem with that?"
"No problem. I'll go back with you. I don't know why, but I have a really uneasy feeling," Spark Lambert said with some worry.
An uneasy feeling?
Zhou Ning paused slightly, connecting it with the thought that an Old God might be behind all this. That unease was most likely some kind of omen. But he didn't want to scare the other man, so after a few words of reassurance, he went back to his cabin to rest.
Since the Myrny Rooster was a pirate ship without a port pass to enter the Bryston Kingdom, when they neared the southeastern gate of Southwells County, Zhou Ning left a few pirates to guard the ship, while he and the others returned along the forest trail.
The gatekeeper was the same one they had seen before. Zhou Ning gave him a friendly smile, then stepped into Southwells County once more.
"Where are you staying?" Zhou Ning asked Richie Burke and the others.
"Near the tavern where we met you that day," Richie Burke replied.
"That's not far," Zhou Ning nodded, then followed them as they each took a hired carriage and sat down.
Before long, the carriage reached the center of Southwells County. After agreeing to meet that evening at Zhou Ning's inn, they each returned to their lodgings.
Back in his room at the inn, Zhou Ning lit the fireplace, stretched out comfortably, and let out a long sigh. After such busy days, he could finally relax a little.
He drank a cup of black tea and ordered a Misty Sea Crab Meat Salad from the dining area—one of Southwells County's specialties. It had a hint of fishiness, but the taste was delicious. After the first bite, Zhou Ning couldn't stop eating.
Just as he was finishing, there came a light knock on the door.
Richie Burke? Zhou Ning set aside his napkin after wiping his hands, then got up to open the door.
Sure enough, Richie Burke stood there uneasily.
After inviting him in, Richie Burke pulled out a white pouch from his belt, placed it on the table, and said in a low voice, "We just finished counting. This batch of magic silk is worth 240,000 Vecktas. Based on our earlier agreement, we get 48,000 Vecktas. The exact money will be split after we sell it—we don't have that much right now. You can check if you want."
"No need." Zhou Ning waved his hand and took out the skull coin he had obtained earlier, placing it on the table. "This is a Mordorik cursed coin I found in the treasure site. Tossing it gives a random curse or reward. It has one use left. I'll pay 3,000 Vecktas for it—you can try bargaining."
"It's yours." Honestly, that was more than a fair price. Richie Burke didn't hesitate to agree.
"Next, I'll go back to Darkland with you. I have the channels to sell this batch of magic silk. As for the Myrny Rooster… by Northern custom, whoever contributed the most owns it. This ship is yours. What do you plan to do with it?" Richie Burke asked.
"Keeping it is of little use to me. I have a suggestion—interested?" Zhou Ning smiled faintly.
"What suggestion?" Richie Burke asked.
"You and your men work for me for three years. After three years, the ship will be yours."
Three years from now, I won't need you anymore… Zhou Ning added silently in his mind.
"Let me think about it…" Richie Burke hesitated, closing his eyes in thought.
The Myrny Rooster was old, but a floating ship like this was still worth at least 60–70,000 Vecktas. Not to mention it had Captain Sidney's modified cannons. With it, sailing would be much easier. And three years wasn't long—he was 38 now, he'd only be 41 then…
"Aren't you worried we'll just run off once we get the ship?" Richie Burke suddenly asked.
"I'm not worried—unless you don't mind turning into wanted men." Zhou Ning smiled as a compass appeared in his hand.
Richie Burke: …
"I'll do it! But you can't force us into anything too dangerous." After a pause, Richie Burke finally nodded.
"A wise choice." Zhou Ning smiled and extended his hand.
He never made a losing deal. Recruiting Richie Burke was something he had planned for a while.
Guild levels seemed meaningless at first, but once they reached Level 5, they could apply for a guild base from the Adventurers' Guild. At Level 7, they could even apply for official "expedition missions" issued by the Bryston government. These not only brought massive contribution points but also offered the chance at noble titles in Bryston Kingdom. Not something Zhou Ning could think about just yet, but soon.
With Richie Burke and his men joining the guild, players would be able to learn from them by completing work (quests), and switch into professions like Meteorologist, Thief, Alchemist, Fire Mage, and more.
Once he had a guild base, he could slowly grow it into a player stronghold—with NPCs, of course.
After sending Richie Burke off, Zhou Ning opened the guild interface thoughtfully.
Currently, the Starry Sky Guild was at its 65-member capacity, so there was no way to add Richie Burke's men for now. But after all the grinding players had done recently for contribution points, they were close to hitting Level 2. Even if they didn't, once Zhou Ning returned to Darkland and handed in his quest, they'd level up right away. To motivate players to grind harder, Zhou Ning uploaded some new items to the guild shop after a short hesitation.
Two dungeon summoning stones: Battle at the Forbidden Peak and The Destruction of Austin Manor, along with a skill book for Armament Haki.
Battle at the Forbidden Peak was defined by the system as an "if-type" script—essentially a fantasy scenario. In his past life, there was an alternate script where the original protagonist, Leandro, became one of the Four Heroes. The level requirement was 34–45. With Jinse's team already at Level 28, they were close.
Zhou Ning priced both Battle at the Forbidden Peak and The Destruction of Austin Manor at 300 contribution points—just 150 Veckta per run, an absolute bargain.
As for the Armament Haki skill book, he set the price at 600 contribution points, 50,000 experience, and gave it an Epic rarity rating. With the Pro League about to begin, it was time to release some powerful skills.
Armament Haki also linked into several advanced composite skills, which would be major sources of income in both money and experience.
Since the fortunes of the Wandering Gunslinger players were tied to his own, the stronger they became, the stronger he would be.
The champion of the first Pro League had to be the Wandering Gunslinger.
After setting the prices, Zhou Ning stretched, ready to finish his daily reading task before bed. Suddenly, the system notification chimed:
[Important Notice: Episode 11 of the Apocalypse drama series has been simultaneously released on the forum and all platforms. This series is auto-generated by the Light Brain. Players interested in the game's lore may watch it there.]