Chapter 305: Return to the City
The spell's casting time wasn't long—just about fifteen seconds before it could teleport him to a mirror he'd marked. Thinking about it, within the entire game, perhaps only some secret organization's astral teleportation could rival the efficiency of this mirror jump.
But the Astral Plane was teeming with all kinds of elemental beings, and even entire elemental kingdoms were hidden within it. The "Blood Nation" that had appeared earlier was part of that very Astral Plane—one wrong move there, and you'd be trapped forever.
Because of that, Zhou Ning suspected that the inside of the mirror might also be part of the Astral Plane, though its danger level was much lower.
——
At five o'clock the next morning, Zhou Ning checked out of his room and walked out of the inn. Several players followed closely behind him—it was the day they had agreed to return to Darkland.
At the inn's entrance, Spark Lambert stood there with a suitcase in hand and two dark circles under his eyes. Clearly, he hadn't slept well.
"Wayne, that uneasy feeling I had last night kept getting stronger. Something's not right," Spark said, not bothering to hide it from Richie Burke beside him.
"Which deity do you worship?" Zhou Ning asked casually.
"My family are all followers of the Sun Goddess," Spark replied, pressing his palms together in the prayer gesture used by the Ascetic Church.
"Then it's most likely that you've been tainted by the aura of an Old God. My advice is that once you're back in Darkland, head to St. Raymond's Cathedral and have a priest perform a purification ritual for you—the sooner, the better," Zhou Ning said.
"Alright, I'll do that as soon as possible," Spark nodded.
A short distance away, Richie Burke stood with more than ten pirate underlings, looking lively and energized. When Zhou Ning glanced over, he straightened up and shouted in unison with his men, "Boss!"
The scene was so awkward Zhou Ning's toes curled from secondhand embarrassment.
The players behind him, however, were quite thrilled, chattering excitedly. Zhou Ning could only keep up appearances, staying calm as he greeted them. "Where are the others?"
"I had them stay on the Myrny Rooster. There's a telegraph machine on board—we can contact them anytime if needed."
"Telegraph machine? I completely forgot about that thing." Zhou Ning nodded in realization. "Alright then, let's go."
Spark had already arranged several hired carriages in advance. The group boarded them separately and set off for South Westshire Station.
They had come as five, but were now returning as more than twenty people.
Spark Lambert generously paid over three hundred Veckta for first-class tickets, and the group boarded the steam train together.
Thanks to Spark, this was actually Zhou Ning's first time riding in first class. In addition to complimentary fruit, desserts, and alcoholic beverages, each seat came with weather cards and a mahjong-like card game based on eight elemental suits—quite fun. The tables could be unfolded into a large game board—very convenient.
What surprised Zhou Ning even more was that every first-class seat came with a large box of Duel Monsters cards—four packs of twenty cards each. John had previously mentioned introducing him to a business partner; perhaps this was the handiwork of that enterprising individual.
He casually opened a few packs—and luck was on his side. One card had a rare tricolor frame, an ultra-rare UR card: one of the legendary Three Egyptian Gods, Obelisk the Tormentor, the "God of the Earth." Zhou Ning couldn't help but wonder... could he actually materialize this thing someday?
"Wow, one of the Three Gods!" In his mind, Molly let out a gasp of excitement. She clearly wanted to have some fun, and Zhou Ning naturally obliged her. He pointed at Richie Burke. "You—come play a few rounds."
"Play? What game?" Richie sat down in confusion while a few of his pirates helped him cobble together a deck.
The result? Under Molly's control, Zhou Ning's win rate against total newbie Richie Burke was a miserable 8 to 19. "A rare, evenly matched opponent," Molly remarked with satisfaction.
Zhou Ning was numb from the losses, but had to maintain his calm, charismatic persona. Losing that badly with a carefully crafted deck against a clueless beginner—he was barely human at this point.
The trip from South Westshire back to Darkland crossed two regions known for unstable weather—one prone to rainstorms and the other to hurricanes. The journey went less smoothly than the trip there; a severe hurricane delayed them for an hour. From six in the morning until around two in the afternoon, the steam train finally arrived back in Darkland.
After several days away, Darkland's weather had clearly shifted toward winter. The moment Zhou Ning stepped onto the station platform, even through his trench coat he felt the cold bite of the wind, prompting him to pull his collar tighter.
The escort quest involving Spark still wasn't complete, though the progress had reached 68%. Zhou Ning glanced at Spark Lambert. "Do you need me to escort you home?"
"No need. I'll just take a carriage home, drop off my luggage, and then head straight to the church like you said." Spark looked much better now that he was back in familiar territory. Smiling, he added, "Wayne, I really owe you for this. I wouldn't have made it back to Darkland without your help. Give me a way to contact you—I'll make sure to repay you handsomely."
Zhou Ning had originally intended to ensure Spark's safety, but since the man insisted, there was no point forcing it. Smiling politely, he handed Spark a slip of paper. "Here's my address. If you're ever in danger, come find me."
Watching Spark hurry off, Zhou Ning turned to Richie Burke. "I'm heading to the Adventurers' Hall. What about you guys?"
"We've got to go sell off the materials and magic silk we got. I'll contact you later," Richie said.
Zhou Ning nodded—there was no need to restrict their movements. After confirming their meeting spot and contact method, they went their separate ways.
By that time, many players had already learned from XB's livestream that Zhou Ning was returning to Darkland. Several of them had been waiting at the station in advance. When they spotted him, they rushed over in a frenzy.
"You're finally back, boss!"
"Can I learn new skills now?"
The crowd shouted excitedly.
Most of them were new arrivals to Darkland—many hadn't even chosen their classes yet, relying on firearms or crafting professions to grind levels and gain experience. They'd been waiting a long time for Zhou Ning's return.
"I'll stay here until two-thirty. Starting tomorrow, I'll be at the Alchemy Shop in front of Vick University for two to three hours every day around noon. You can come find me there to learn skills anytime," Zhou Ning announced quickly before the crowd grew too large.
His experience points were nearly depleted, and he was eager to strengthen himself again. Time to patiently "harvest" some players for a few days.
After some thought, he opened his skill list and guild store, making Gun-Fu: Deadly Rhythm available for players to learn—priced at 10,000 experience and 15 Roshens.
This was one of the most stylish and core abilities of the Wandering Gunslinger. It allowed the user to merge any ability into combat and greatly boosted combat and analysis power. Without it, integrating Ripple Energy and the Three Haki would have been much harder. He'd been keeping it secret long enough—it was finally time to let others learn it.
Once set, Zhou Ning opened his personal shop and began teaching skills.
As expected, "Gun-Fu: Deadly Rhythm" immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Holy crap, that's a god-tier skill!"
"Lucky us—he just unlocked a new skill!"
"The price isn't bad! Hurry and learn it—this guy always raises prices later!"
Soon, the purchase notifications flooded the chat.
[Player Gulie bought your Transfer Scroll. You gained 11 Vecktas.]
[Your "Gun-Fu: Deadly Rhythm" has been learned. You gained 10,000 EXP and 15 Roshens.]
[Your "Gun-Fu: Deadly Rhythm" has been learned. You gained 10,000 EXP and 15 Roshens.]
…
In just half an hour, by the time Zhou Ning left, he had already earned over 1.2 million experience points.
No rush—the bullets could still fly a little longer. Ignoring the players calling after him, Zhou Ning left the station with a faint, mysterious smile on his lips.