Chapter Sixteen: The Flourishing Real World!
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With many wealthy players purchasing Village Establishment Orders at high prices, along with various weapons and equipment, numerous players rushed outside the city to hunt bosses, fight bandits, raid strongholds, and search for wild villages… all hoping for a stroke of luck to obtain one or two legendary weapons, strike it rich unexpectedly, and secure a Village Establishment Order to become wealthy overnight.
In Mythical World, anything is possible!
Becoming rich overnight is the dream of many professional players. Lin Mu was once among them.
Though the situation in other regions is uncertain, the Huaxia Server is bustling with activity. Lin Mu’s establishment of a village has greatly spurred the nerves of major factions within Huaxia, causing many of their plans to be accelerated and investments to be increased. Vast amounts of wealth are circulating, as if this is truly a grand era.
The Battlenet forum is filled with numerous player-written guides on obtaining Village Establishment Orders, but most are mere conjecture or nonsense. Some internet celebrities known on the real Battlenet stir the pot for attention, but their posts lack substance and are only for casual reading.
In this era of advanced internet, online celebrities are indispensable.
The rise of new things signifies the decline of the old. The rise of Battlenet heralds the decline of the traditional internet.
After multiple upgrades, the real-world network has unified worldwide under one name: Battlenet! Battlenet, like the internet of the past, reduces spatial barriers and enhances communication, offering countless functions. It also connects to the virtual network, meaning virtual and real worlds are interconnected and can communicate.
With the advancement of information technology and rapid development of virtual holography, the virtual space network now dominates a large portion of Battlenet. In the virtual space, netizens can use virtual helmets to shop or chat face-to-face. Many service and text-based industries operate here, saving enormous resources and greatly alleviating pressure and damage to Earth's environment.
The virtual holographic space can scan your body and construct an avatar modeled after yourself. Your consciousness enters this body, allowing you to engage in numerous activities within the virtual space!
One of the most popular activities is martial arts combat training, where people can hone their fighting skills.
In this developed new era, not only information technology but also biotechnology is flourishing at a breakneck pace! Among the branches of life sciences, the invention of nutritional serums has had tremendous impact.
In today’s materially abundant world, physical training has become essential.
Decades ago, after countless scientists’ painstaking research, life sciences made great strides in body enhancement and lifespan extension. The world became more vibrant, and the increase in lifespan enriched human civilization’s foundation. Many nations invested heavily in research, with technology advancing rapidly. Now humans can maintain youthfulness longer, with average lifespans exceeding a hundred years, emphasizing the necessity and importance of physical exercise.
Needless to say, a nationwide fitness craze has swept the land, ushering in a new era.
To train the body properly, one must supplement nutrition adequately. Nutritional serums fill this gap.
With the dawn of this new age have come countless new industries: sports competitions, fighting tournaments, virtual e-sports leagues—all top-tier events.
Sports contests, fighting tournaments, and virtual leagues attract massive attention and participation.
In schools, various martial arts clubs, fighting clubs, and virtual e-sports clubs thrive and are popular among students. Martial arts stars, fighting champions, and virtual e-sports teams enjoy huge followings. They are society’s darlings—new era, new energy, new industries bursting with vitality.
In today’s world, not knowing some martial arts or fighting techniques invites scorn. Even Lin Mu, a professional player, had to possess martial or fighting skills to enter the field; otherwise, he would be at a disadvantage.
Lin Mu’s school also has many martial arts clubs, but he didn’t join them. Instead, he joined the “Virtual Gaming Circle Professional Players Club.” He occasionally goes to the gym but never took it very seriously, resulting in a somewhat low starting point in Mythical Three Kingdoms. However, after working hard on training, he became a formidable expert.
With the rise of martial arts fighting virtual games, human nutrition science is flourishing as well. The National Academy has developed nutritional serums to meet all the intense physical training needs. They are precious and expensive.
On the market, nutritional serums are divided into four grades: C, B, A, and S. Each bottle contains 60 milliliters. C-grade is affordable for the general public, priced at 1,000 yuan per bottle.
B-grade costs 5,000 yuan per bottle; A-grade, 10,000 yuan. S-grade serums are in short supply and almost impossible for ordinary people to obtain—likely only the wealthy and powerful can afford them. Lin Mu has long wished to buy some but never had the chance.
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S-grade nutritional serums cost 100,000 yuan per bottle.
Commoners can occasionally afford a C-grade serum, but drinking it as a daily beverage is financially unsustainable, truly embodying the saying: “The poor don’t train in martial arts, the rich don’t read books.”
Of course, the wealthy can drink nutritional serums as if they were regular beverages without worry. This has inspired many passionate youths to dream: “When I have money, I’ll buy two bottles of S-grade serum—drink one, save one! And bathe in A-grade serum!”
Nutritional serums come in different forms: oral and body-soaking. The soaking types cannot be consumed in large quantities, while oral types can be used to soak the body without limit.
Soaking serums are like ancient precious medicinal herbs that refine essence and marrow, commanding exorbitant prices. At present, Lin Mu lacks sufficient real currency but plans to exchange a large sum later to buy various serums, as training demands proper nutrition.
For now, he can’t even afford C-grade serums.
Besides this, meals are indispensable. Various nutritional meal packages can be ordered online, eliminating the need to go out. Still, Lin Mu prefers dining out alone to get some fresh air.
Yet, with Mythical World just launched, this golden developmental period cannot be wasted. He settles for ordering takeout or instant noodles—after all, he’s eaten worse.
Lin Mu has spent money on nutritional serums before, but not for daily use.
The corner of his rented room still holds empty serum bottles!
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While training, Lin Mu logged into the game’s built-in Battlenet forum to check for recent news or curiosities.
Players use their in-game account names on the Battlenet forum, which cannot be changed. This prevents players from creating multiple accounts to act as ‘troll armies’ and helps purify the online environment to some extent. However, nicknames can be changed.
On the Battlenet forum homepage, only three featured posts stand out:
“World’s Second Village, Pride of Huaxia Server!”
“Second Village Emerges in Huaxia Server!”
“One Man Can Defeat Ten Thousand!”
Opening “World’s Second Village, Pride of Huaxia Server!” reveals:
“The Mythical World has been live less than a day, yet two players have already established territorial villages. We know little about their adventures or hardships, so we’ll not dwell on that.
But the player who established the world’s second village is from our Huaxia Server, a source of pride for all players here. As the saying goes, heroes arise in chaotic times, and circumstances forge champions! Among hundreds of millions of players in Huaxia, the early days of Mythical World have already yielded a leader! Congratulations! We hope this lord will continue to lead and surpass the eastern ‘ghosts’ and northern ‘barbarians’—trash all!
Huaxia, blessed with nature and heroes, may every person be as mighty as a dragon!
Furthermore, if this lord sees this post, some wealthy players wish to purchase your territory. If interested, prices are negotiable. Contact through the account listed below!
PS: Seeking to buy all kinds of Village Establishment Orders and copper coins (1 copper coin = 1.5 RMB). Also open to dungeon and quest guides.
— Jianghu’s All-Knowing Sage of Linzi County, Qiju, Qingzhou”
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Comment 1: Strengthen our great Huazhou! Jianghu’s All-Knowing Sage, are you some intelligence chief? The truth revealed…
Comment 2: Should be the first comment... Where is the world’s second village? Coordinates, please! I’ll come be your underling. I’m fairly comfortable in real life, spent some money on gear, never joined a big guild, honed PK and escape skills through idle years. Also cheerful, honest, excellent character, often help old ladies cross highways. Morals shattered! Please take me in!
Comment 3: What quests drop Village Establishment Orders? I’ll spill the beans… PM me! I can even buy your quest progress. My family owns fifty thousand acres of “fields” and countless six-star “mansions.” Ladies and talented folks welcome to join.
Comment 4: Seeking to buy Village Establishment Orders, starting from one million yuan! Negotiable. Not afraid of lack of money, only lack of supply. Contact Feitian Gaming Studio, #1789, Xiao Mu!
Comment 5: Wow, is this real? A million for one Village Establishment Order? Instantly become a millionaire upon obtaining it? Brothers, let’s go! Grab your wooden sticks and let’s hunt bandits!
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Comment 1788: So many people on the forum. I’m just here to share some experience…
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“Second Village Emerges in Huaxia Server!”
“A player territory has appeared in Linzi County, Qingzhou Qiju! I’m a small fry living off the government seat of Linzi, and today my buddies and I planned to hunt beasts for pocket money. We had to cross a flat grassland as usual, but overnight, a village sprang up on what was once endless plain, with several tall buildings already standing, bustling with crowds.
On closer inspection, it’s the player Jiang Chenglong’s territory! This is the second village in Huaxia Server. Currently, only two player territories exist here. This one is well-located, near Linzi county, with the Qingji River to the east, Black Tiger Mountain to the north, and vast plains to the south. Fertile land, backed by mountains and water, ample rain, abundant timber and stone—truly a blessed place. But the flat terrain with open access makes it hard to defend in war—easy to attack, hard to hold!
Judging by the village’s scale, it was likely established by a major faction, possibly a large conglomerate with strong funds and profound backing. They should have no problems. If I had a Village Establishment Order, I wouldn’t build here. First, I’d choose the right time, then… sell it! Haha, so many rich folks are bidding high for these orders. If I had one, I’d sell immediately and get rich overnight! Envy and jealousy! I’ll just struggle hunting small monsters.—Xuantian Small Fry”
Comment 1: Location is crucial. Mountains, water, rich resources, and developed transport are top priorities. But how will the lord defend during the Yellow Turban Rebellion? Qingzhou is one of the hardest-hit provinces. Not sure if Jiang Chenglong is confident or just a fool…
Comment 2: Reply to above: Just join the Yellow Turban faction! Haha!
Comment 3: Regardless, I’m in Linzi county. I’ll check out the territory and join if it’s good. Need a strong backing!
Comment 4: The third village in Huaxia is mine! Don’t envy, you weaklings!
Comment 5: Xiaoyao Studio sincerely buys copper, silver, and gold coins, various game materials, blueprints, and Village Establishment Orders! Fifty years of credibility and guarantee!
Comment 6: Has anyone seen historical generals like Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Liu Bei? I can’t find them! Any fans of Yun, let’s meet in Changshan!
Comment 7: Joining the Yellow Turban faction? Haha, the system will likely follow history step by step. With my 20 years’ virtual MMORPG experience, the Yellow Turbans will perish. All Yellow Turban bandits will die!
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Comment 1900: I encountered a system village in Yizhou. How do I tame it? Seeking expert advice!
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