Chapter 124
Chapter 124
As their ten-day stay approached its end, four people and one cat held a heated discussion inside the suite.
“Let’s go to Panda Grand Hotel. It’s a panda! How often do you get a chance like that?” Lin Zhu’s eyes shone. He was a devoted supporter of China’s national treasure.
Qiudong, who had remained silent, finally voiced an opinion. “Panda Grand Hotel is extremely, extremely crowded.”
“That’s true. A lot of people must like pandas.” Lin Zhu scratched his head. “Then maybe we should forget it. We’ll get to see one eventually anyway, and too many people would be inconvenient, especially since we’re bringing Qiudong.”
Qiudong lay down and looked at Lin Zhu. “You don’t have to worry about that. The higher an inn’s tier, the greater the variety of Items its players possess. No one will think it strange that you’re traveling with a cat.”
“But aren’t you a receptionist?” Lin Zhu was still a little afraid of Qiudong, but the black cat’s aloof yet responsive nature had eased some of his fear.
“I almost never appeared at the reception desk.”
Lin Zhu grinned foolishly and tugged on Cheng Miao’s sleeve. “Sister Miaomiao, we’re so lucky.”
Cheng Miao grinned just as foolishly. Qiudong looked speechless and couldn’t be bothered to explain.
“Then where do you recommend?” There were so many large mammals and birds to choose from that the group was spoiled for choice.
“How about Peacock Grand Hotel?” Cheng Miao tapped the brilliantly colored words “Peacock Grand Hotel” on the Hotel travel pass. “Peacocks are beautiful, so the Grand Hotel should be pretty nice.”
The others found her reasoning sound. Cheng Miao entered their destination into the system, and seeing the number of members behind Looks Are Justice Team change to five gave her a small sense of satisfaction.
That evening, everyone gathered in front of the television to eat ice cream. Lin Zhu fiddled with the remote. “Qiudong said there was on-demand programming. Let’s see if we can find a movie.”
“Urgent announcement. The following inns have issued temporary missions. Interested players, please switch channels for more information…”
“Penguin Hotel, non-supernatural instance; Tibetan Fox Hotel, supernatural instance; Cheetah Grand Hotel, supernatural instance; Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey Hotel, supernatural instance…”
Cheng Miao watched for a while, but the television continued listing announcements without end. She took out her phone and messaged Qiudong.
Cheng Miao: I saw temporary missions being announced on TV. How are they different from normal missions entered with a travel pass?
Qiudong: They’re no different. Their clear rates may be low, so to maintain the balance of the Game, receptionists ask players from other inns to clear them.
Cheng Miao: Oh, so we can enter temporary instances too?
Qiudong: Yes. Temporary instances pay a little more. The receptionist pays the extra reward.
Cheng Miao was tempted.
As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, Qiudong added another message.
Qiudong: Selection goes both ways. After you sign up, the other side will review your performance since you entered Survival Inn and choose the players they consider suitable.
Cheng Miao understood. She discussed it with the others.
Temporary missions offered quite a few advantages. They would still be clearing an instance, but they could earn considerably more money.
There was no guarantee they would be chosen, of course, but that was something to worry about only after applying.
“We’ve only ever cleared supernatural instances. Why don’t we try signing up for a non-supernatural one this time?” Cheng Miao looked at the announcements on the television. There weren’t many non-supernatural instances. At the moment, Penguin Hotel was the only one offering one.
Qin Musong nodded in agreement. “The farther we go, the harder the instances will become. It wouldn’t hurt to experience different types.”
Lin Zhu nodded like a chicken pecking at grain. “Yeah, exactly! I’m not afraid of ghosts, but even I’m starting to get traumatized.”
Qi Jiajia dug into the ice cream with a large spoon and shrugged indifferently. Anything was fine with her.
“Then let’s sign up.” Cheng Miao took the remote and switched to Penguin Hotel’s channel.
A round, adorable penguin was holding up a small blackboard with a general description of the instance written on it.
It was a non-supernatural instance in which players had a certain chance of being separated. It tested each individual’s ability to clear an instance. Anyone interested was instructed to register with the receptionist at their own inn.
Cheng Miao studied the description thoughtfully. She had never encountered an instance like this before. It might be worth trying.
Qin Musong, who had been watching her from the side, lowered his gaze and smiled. Cheng Miao had always been like this, a tree flourishing as it grew toward the sun. She might not be strong enough yet, but the thought of failure had never crossed her mind.
He lowered his head and took a bite of ice cream, narrowing his eyes slightly at the cold. This was nice.
Cheng Miao asked Qiudong to help them sign up. The review was quick, and they received a reply on the evening of the ninth day. They had been accepted.
The travel pass they received would take them to that instance, and once they left it, they would be transported directly to Peacock Grand Hotel.
The four of them packed their things, rested properly for a day, and ate a lavish breakfast early the next morning.
Cheng Miao took out an envelope and asked Qiudong to find a way to deliver it to Tong Qian and Bai Jiang.
The pair still hadn’t returned. They might have met with an accident, or they might simply be inside a long instance. Cheng Miao preferred to believe that their time hadn’t run out yet and they were still trapped inside.
The letter told them which inn Cheng Miao’s group had left for. It also contained some instance-clearing advice the four of them had compiled and asked the pair to pass the news on to Li Cheng’s group as well.
They had originally wanted to tell them in person, but it was too late now.
Waiting until they returned and then sending a message would only waste more time. It was better to have the receptionist deliver the letter directly.
As they sat on the teleportation sofa, Lin Zhu clasped his hands together in prayer. “Please, God of the Game, don’t separate us.”
Qi Jiajia sneered from beside him. “You think this Game has a god?”
Lin Zhu took it entirely for granted, having completely abandoned his former materialism. “Of course. If cockroaches can talk, why can’t there be a god?”
Qi Jiajia fell silent. He made a very good point.
Sitting to the side, Qin Musong touched his wrist, his eyes resolute and profound. “The Item Bai Jiang and Tong Qian gave us should come in handy. If we’re separated, we can use it to confirm one another’s safety.”
After making sure they hadn’t overlooked anything, Cheng Miao gave everyone one final reminder. “Since the instance specifically says we might be separated, we shouldn’t insist on staying together at all costs. We all recognize each other’s abilities. Forcing ourselves to stick together might create a crisis instead.”
Everyone nodded. As the teleportation began, the last thing Cheng Miao remembered was Qiudong’s clear gaze and his words: “See you at the next inn.”
When Cheng Miao opened her eyes, she was sitting on a wooden chair. Soft fur covered its seat, making it warm and comfortable.
She looked around. Everyone was here. Besides her own teammates, there were many other players.
This instance appeared to have the most players she had ever encountered. At a glance, there had to be at least thirty of them.
All the players sat around a long wooden table covered with all kinds of steaming, fragrant food.
They had eaten shortly before entering the instance, yet the temptation of this table full of delicacies made Cheng Miao hungry again.
Seeing everyone swallow, she understood that this was an effect of the instance.
Then she suddenly spotted two familiar faces sitting across from her. When Cheng Miao looked over, the young woman smiled and waved. The tall, handsome man with curly hair beside her also nodded to the group.
“You’re here too!” Qiao Jin was as sweet and gentle as ever. Her pale blue spaghetti-strap dress made her look pure and ethereal.
Cheng Miao smiled and nodded. She was just about to speak when the notification sounded.