Chapter Ninety-One: An Invitation

With the revenge plan settled, the next step was to find a few expendable small accounts to take the bait. Those accounts also had to be trustworthy, unable to leak the news in advance; otherwise, once the other side caught on, the plan would surely fail.

Ye Chen found himself in something of a bind. Where was he supposed to find such people? He no longer had those connections. His elder sisters and the others had gone offline as well. Thinking it over and over, only Dragon Rise and Reverend Dingyuan came to mind. Considering that Dragon Rise had better discipline, Ye Chen decided to contact Dragon Rise first. He did not look for the Vagabond; for matters like this, asking the Thief Who Never Leaves Empty-Handed was enough.

"Looking for people to hurt Red?" The Thief Who Never Leaves Empty-Handed paused slightly, then said in difficulty, "Small accounts like that aren't easy to find right now. According to Brother Ye Chen's requirements, anyone who can enter the Demon-Illusion Forest would have to be at least level eighteen. In our Dragon Rise, people of that level are already solid second-tier members, and you want more than a dozen at once. I'm afraid that won't work. Even if there were payment, we can't just force people below us to do something like this. Once morale scatters, the team becomes hard to manage."

Ye Chen felt a slight chill in his heart and a touch of disappointment, though he was not especially surprised. He understood the man's difficulties as well. After all, this was not like player-versus-player combat. It was asking people to go die. And though level-eighteen players were not exactly elite, they were still the main force of a family guild. It was only natural that they would refuse.

Dragon Rise was a dead end. That left only Reverend Dingyuan.

Come to think of it, Dingyuan and the Fox Spirit did have some old grudge between them, so trust should not be a problem. The only question was whether he could find small accounts willing to do this.

"Monk, long time no see. What are you busy with?" Ye Chen opened the chat window. The man was indeed online, so he sent a message right away.

Before he could even close the window, Dingyuan's avatar sprang to life, requesting a call.

"Brother Ye Chen, it's only been two days and you've already stirred up the whole world. Even the Scarlet Tiger Blood Blade has fallen into your hands. Having you as a brother makes this monk very happy."

As soon as the call connected, Dingyuan's hearty voice came through. Before Ye Chen could speak, Dingyuan went on, "You calling me this late must mean you've got something up your sleeve. Just say it. Between brothers, there’s no need for politeness. If you start being polite, I won't be pleased."

Ye Chen laughed. Though they had not known each other long, Dingyuan seemed to be a very straightforward man. The silver weapon he had shared with him had not been wasted after all. Ye Chen did not waste words either and said directly, "Brother, I need more than a dozen level-eighteen small accounts to go into the Demon-Illusion Forest and hurt Red. Twenty gold each, but they have to be trustworthy. I don't know whether you can find people like that."

"Hurt Red? Which blind fool dared to provoke my brother?" Dingyuan immediately flared up. "Tell me who it is, and I'll wipe them out."

"It's just that bunch from the Fox Spirit. But you don't need to take action. Just help me find a few small accounts. I'll handle it myself."

Since he was asking for help, there was no way to keep it hidden. Ye Chen did not want to hide it either. Even if Dingyuan really passed the information to the Fox Spirit, it did not matter. With his world map positioning, he would have plenty of chances. At worst, he could do it another time. Besides, this was a good opportunity to see what kind of person Dingyuan really was. In Ye Chen's eyes, a trustworthy friend was far more valuable than an enemy.

"The Fox Spirit? Fox Spirit New Moon? Is this because of the Frost Priest King last time? No, you can't carry this alone. Count me in." Hearing the name Fox Spirit, Dingyuan immediately assumed it was related to the previous Priest King incident and promptly clamored to join Ye Chen in dealing with them.

"It's not really about that. It was mainly caused by the grudge between me and Left-Hand Myth. You don't need to worry about this. I can handle it myself."

Ye Chen had no intention of using lies to drag Dingyuan into the mud. People who treated others like fools always ended up as fools themselves.

"Left-Hand Myth? That idiot? He may be a fool, but his gear is pretty good. If you add in the rest of the Fox Spirit crowd, it could be a real threat. If need be, I can bring a few people over. We can't afford a massive brawl, but calling up several dozen brothers above level twenty-five shouldn't be a problem."

Dingyuan still would not let go, his tone brimming with enthusiasm for player-versus-player combat.

"It's only Left-Hand Myth and Fox Spirit New Moon. I can handle them just fine. You should hurry and find me a few level-eighteen-or-above small accounts to hurt Red. If we delay any longer, they'll all run off."

"Small accounts won't be a problem. I'm on very good terms with a small guild. I'll just have their guild leader bring a few people over. Heh, twenty gold—pretty cheap for them."

"A guild? Then make sure you explain it clearly to them. Their opponent is the Fox Spirit. They could end up in trouble."

"Don't worry. Those brats won't care. Their whole guild is full of people in their teens. Anyone who comes looking for trouble with them is asking for it. Besides, those guys, heh, they’d be thrilled if someone came looking for trouble, so they could put their specialties to use."

Dingyuan gave a strange laugh.

"All right, tell them to come. I'll wait for them at the marker on the road to the Demon-Illusion Forest."

Ye Chen nodded and exchanged a few more pleasantries. Just as he was about to end the communication, a sharp smack suddenly sounded on the other end. Clearly, Dingyuan had slapped his bald head.

"Oh, right, brother. We triggered an illusion realm. In two days, we're going in together to explore it. Want to come along? I imagine the rewards should be pretty good."

Dingyuan asked, his heart carrying a measure of anticipation. The last time he had fought alongside Ye Chen and killed the Frost Priest King, he had already suspected Ye Chen was a true expert. Over these past two days, Ye Chen had once again gone toe-to-toe with Scarlet Tiger, causing him loss after loss, even bringing down Scarlet Tiger Blood Blade, the family's ace thief. That only made Dingyuan more certain of his judgment. Most importantly, he felt that Ye Chen was a genuinely good person. Back then, Ye Chen had shared a silver-grade weapon with him without the slightest hesitation. Most players did not have that kind of breadth of spirit. He truly wanted to make Ye Chen his friend.

"An illusion realm?" Ye Chen paused slightly.

This was a good thing. Illusion realms were somewhat similar to instances, both existing in another space. The difference was that every illusion realm was unique and would only ever open once. They often contained immense treasures, far beyond what instances could compare with. However, triggering an illusion realm was extremely complicated and involved a great deal of chance. Even with 2058's help, finding an illusion realm that was about to open was no easy matter. He had not expected that the monk and the others would be so fortunate as to trigger one.

"Of course I'll join. This is a wonderful opportunity. Thank you for thinking of me, Monk."

Ye Chen agreed at once. Something like this was a chance people would beg for and still not get; how could he refuse? But because the rewards of an illusion realm went hand in hand with its danger, he had to prepare early. So he asked, "Can you tell me which illusion realm it is? I'll see whether I can find some information on it."

"The Southern Wasteland Demon Domain."

Dingyuan gave the name without the slightest hesitation. In truth, inviting Ye Chen into the party was not without some private intent. The matter of the Priest King was still vivid in his memory, and who knew? Ye Chen might well prove a tremendous help in the illusion realm as well.

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Two chapters in a row, asking for recommendations and bookmarks. Many thanks to everyone.