This is a very troubling question, and Dou Youyou hesitated.
"Village Chief, if I become your disciple, can I still go to the main city to find a master?"
Zhang Pingfan didn't understand either, as he had just accepted the quest.
"System Miss, how should I answer her question?"
[Ding! No!]
"Damn it, how can I take on disciples then? If others can't go to the main city to find a master, wouldn't they be unable to continue learning other skills in their profession? Isn't that the same as being useless?"
Unfortunately, the system didn't reply to him again.
"Shit, this system is just here to screw me over."
"Youyou, how to say this, following me means you'll have a good life and gain many benefits. Becoming my disciple isn't entirely without merit."
Dou Youyou nodded. Following him was indeed good, but if she couldn't learn other priest skills later, her account would be useless, wouldn't it?
"Village Chief, can I consider it?"
Zhang Pingfan knew it wouldn't be that easy. It was impossible to make someone give up their primary profession.
"Alright, I can't give you too much time, at most three hours. After that, I'll find someone else to be my disciple."
Dou Youyou silently nodded, looking at the corpse of the Titan Python in front of her.
"Village Chief, can you leave this big fellow for me? I want to discuss it with my sister."
"No problem."
There was still a sister? Judging by this little girl's appearance, her sister must be even more stunning. Perhaps in the future... hehe.
[Ding! Master, please stop your inappropriate thoughts. This could lead to your book being banned!]
"Get lost. Stop reading my mind. I know what I'm doing."
After a short rest, Dou Youyou went out to continue leveling. Zhang Pingfan, on the other hand, had nothing to do. It was the first time he had played a game so leisurely.
Zhang Pingfan got up and walked out of his small courtyard. He had been in the game for a while but hadn't had a chance to explore the village.
The village wasn't large, with only a dozen thatched huts. Zhang Pingfan's newly built one was the most luxurious.
Most NPCs were functional and players were busy with quests, but by the village pond, there was an old man fishing.
Zhang Pingfan watched as players approached him from time to time, but without exception, none of them succeeded.
Zhang Pingfan, as the village chief, was quite idle. No one dared to disturb him, as his notorious temper was well-known.
Zhang Pingfan took a fishing rod from his warehouse and sat down next to the old fisherman.
This guy was different from other NPCs. Others had names, but this fellow didn't.
As soon as Zhang Pingfan sat down, the old man spoke.
"The village chief isn't managing the village properly and is coming here to join the fun with this old man."
Zhang Pingfan said, "As you can see, our village is flourishing. I don't need to do anything. Isn't it enjoyable to sit here and fish?"
"Haha, the village chief is young and promising. Recently, many outsiders have come to the village. I worry that something bad might happen."
Something bad might happen? It's just that so many players have arrived, what bad things could happen.
"Old man, don't try to scare me!"
"This old man can calculate with his fingers that disaster might strike tomorrow!"
Zhang Pingfan looked at the old man. This guy wasn't moving at all and was claiming to calculate with his fingers. Where are your damn fingers? Do you think I'm blind?
[Ding! System prompt: The system has issued a new quest. It has detected imminent danger in the novice village. A beast tide will occur. The quest difficulty is difficult. Please protect the village from disaster. Completing the quest will grant special rewards. Failure will result in the stripping of the system.]
As he heard the system prompt, Zhang Pingfan's hands trembled.
Was what the old man said true? If the system issued a quest, it must be true. The beast tide part sounded a bit far-fetched.
Moreover, this was the first time a quest difficulty had been indicated, meaning it wouldn't be as easy as before.
Zhang Pingfan once again sized up the old man in front of him.
"Old man, are you sure?"
"What this old man calculates is never wrong. Disaster will surely strike tomorrow!"
Zhang Pingfan couldn't sit still. A beast tide, put simply, is a monster siege. It usually occurs within player-built territories and is terrifyingly strong, as the system wouldn't easily allow players to own cities.
Under normal circumstances, repelling a beast tide requires the desperate defense of a large number of players. During this period, players' equipment and experience would suffer significant losses. Without any compensation, no one would be willing to defend the city.
But Zhang Pingfan hadn't expected that this beast tide would occur in his novice village, which was very strange.
Currently, all players were striving for advancement. If a beast tide were to happen, it would be uncertain whether they could get players to contribute. This made Zhang Pingfan very annoyed. If he failed, his recently begun life would be over.
Zhang Pingfan no longer had the mood to fish. Heavy-hearted, he returned to his small courtyard.
Just as Zhang Pingfan left, the old fisherman revealed a sinister smile.
Unknowingly, it was time for dinner. Zhang Pingfan logged out of the game and returned to his cramped 5-square-meter reality.
Due to his lack of education, Zhang Pingfan could only work in the service industry. To stop being looked down upon, Zhang Pingfan spent all his savings to buy the "Myth" game helmet, which led to the scene at the beginning.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The door was knocked upon.
"Zhang Pingfan, are you dead yet? It's time to pay the rent!"
A sharp and sarcastic voice rang out, belonging to the owner of the cramped apartment.
If it were before today, Zhang Pingfan would have to be polite. But now it was different; he had money.
"What are you yelling for! My ears aren't deaf."
Zhang Pingfan opened the door and looked at the fat woman standing in front of him.
"You've gotten bold, even daring to talk back to me. If you don't pay the rent today, get out of here immediately! Plenty of people want to live in my house, you're not the only one. Hurry up!"
The fat woman's face was full of murderous intent. She only cared about money, not people.
Zhang Pingfan checked the time. It was already getting dark. It wasn't realistic to go out and look for a place to live at this hour.
"Why the rush? Give me your QR code. I'll stay for five more days!"
The fat woman looked at him with disdain and said, "Heh, I thought you had some capabilities. Scan the code. Five days plus yesterday's and today's rent, a total of 7 days, 210 yuan! Pay up!"
Zhang Pingfan was stunned for a moment. Something was wrong. Wasn't it 20 yuan a day? Why did it become 30?
"30 a day? Price gouging?"
"Look at the current situation. Everyone else has raised their prices, so naturally, I have to as well. Are you going to stay or not? If not, pack your bags and get out!"
Zhang Pingfan didn't hesitate and directly transferred 210 yuan to the fat woman. It was best to move out of here as soon as possible.
Seeing that Zhang Pingfan didn't argue, the fat woman looked smug.
"Tsk, I thought you had some backbone, but it turns out you're just like this."
Facing the fat woman's mockery, Zhang Pingfan ultimately endured it. After all, this fat woman had taken him in for two days. If it were someone else, they might have kicked him out long ago.
After locking the door, he decided that tonight he would definitely treat himself well, as it was his first day of starting from scratch.