Adventure World Online (AWO)

Chang Long checked the abilities of the secret skill, Dimensional Shift, which she had obtained from the cave in Longshan Mountain. She read through the skill details and found it to be an excellent and convenient skill, but incredibly difficult to master. Despite extensive practice, she had only moved the progress bar by a millimeter. She wondered how long it would take to use the skill as effortlessly as the goddess Veritas.

"What's wrong, Chang Long?"

Anya materialized from Chang Long's body like a spirit, asking. In reality, she had become like an embroidered image on Chang Long's cloak when she rested inside her.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about practicing a skill. It's really hard."

Chang Long replied.

"Eh, but your base stats have doubled because of our Life Fusion. It should be easier, right?"

Anya asked, puzzled.

"Oh, right,"

Chang Long said, as if realizing something. She called up her base stats and saw that they had indeed doubled, just as Anya had said. She felt an overwhelming urge to jump for joy but then remembered it was unclear how this increase would help with learning the skill.

"Well, does it help?"

Anya asked with a cheerful smile. Chang Long nodded and walked out to meditate, with Anya flying to sit and watch on the grass. Kitsune, meanwhile, was practicing using fire without expelling it from his mouth, working diligently.

"Dimensional Shift,"

Chang Long whispered, focusing her mind on the target. Her body vanished from Anya's sight, reappearing ten meters away in the direction she had chosen.

"Huff!"

Before Chang Long could celebrate her success, she collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted. Her fatigue level soared, and she had lost three-quarters of her mana from using the skill just once. Anya flew over, worried, but returned to her spot when she saw that Chang Long was not seriously harmed.

Chang Long realized that the previous time she had tried this skill, moving only a millimeter, was likely due to insufficient mana or unstable concentration, possibly from fear of falling into the sea. However, she had not experienced such severe exhaustion back then. She concluded that this fatigue was likely due to her unfamiliarity with using such a demanding skill.

"Damn it, by the time I level up to two, won't I have to crawl on the ground?"

Chang Long complained, grabbing a mana crystal to replenish her energy. She checked the status of the Dimensional Shift skill on her watch and saw it was on a ten-minute cooldown. While waiting, she watched Kitsune's training, which seemed just as arduous.

Kitsune frequently choked on flames as he tried to keep them from being expelled from his mouth instinctively. His struggle looked so painful that Chang Long could not help but feel sorry for him.

"He's really trying hard, Chang Long,"

Anya said, watching Kitsune intensely practicing his skills.

"Uh-huh, Kitsune is always like that,"

Chang Long replied, proud of her pet who was both skilled and loyal.

"You seem to love him a lot. But what about that half-elf boy? Isn't this like trying to catch two fish with one hand?"

Anya asked, curious. Their bodies were linked, and it seemed Anya could sense Chang Long's thoughts and feelings.

"Kitsune is like a little brother to me. As for Siegfried, I'm not sure yet... Wait a minute! Did you just call him a half-elf?"

Chang Long turned to Anya with interest.

"Yes, he's a half-elf. Even if you haven't noticed anything strange yet, you will soon. His body is definitely undergoing changes, but you might need help from the elves."

Anya said confidently.

Kimhant quickly finished printing the newspaper, finally producing the second issue, filled with in-depth and comprehensive content that no player in the game would want to miss. He wiped the sweat from his brow with pride, pleased that he had accomplished something significant, even if it was in a game. The 20,000 copies of The Reaper's Whisperer were neatly stacked and bundled in sets of one hundred.

"Selling it for 20 coins might be too cheap. The market price is pretty high…"

Kimhant muttered to himself, then packed the bundled newspapers into his bag, preparing to sell them.

Kimhant approached Chang Long, who was sitting on the front lawn, and handed her a copy of the newly printed newspaper, asking her to help sell it in town.

"Rare Fire Dragon Appears... Miracle Doctor of Longshan Mountain... Dark Horse Guild Outmaneuvered by a Handful of Nameless Players... Princess Quest... New Job 'Sniper' for Gun Enthusiasts... The Fighting Chef... The Flower Field and Fairies that girls Dream Of. This issue has a lot of content,"

Chang Long remarked, looking at the photos of each articles.

There was a clear picture of the fire dragon breathing flames at a sturdy bull-like monster, a photo of the cottage and herbal garden of Doctor Zhang Yijie, and a frame-by-frame depiction of intense combat focusing more on the Dark Horse Guild, with blurry images of Chang Long's group.

There was also a blank map with a note explaining that only those with the secret skill to read magical maps, acquired from the princess quest, could see it. Pictures of Hero and Jane sniping, showing their backs and guns clearly, a majestic image of Duncan wielding knives while fighting a beast, and expansive shots of the flower field with fairies, both in group scenes and close-ups showing their faces and outfits clearly.

"How is it, Master?"

Kimhant asked nervously. This time, he had not shown Chang Long the content beforehand, so he feared she might not approve it and the 20,000 copies would go to waste, causing him a significant loss.

"Uh-huh, it's good, but won't the Dark Horse Guild hunt you down across the land for this, hehe?"

Chang Long laughed, amused by the content in the newspaper that mocked the Dark Horse Guild without holding back.

"They deserve it. Otherwise, they'll keep strutting around like they own the place. Big guilds often act like gods, causing trouble for other players. Even you've had issues with them, Master!"

Kimhant said, recalling the incident with Merlin's Top Protege in Kirisakura City when they wanted to take Hulu.

"Yeah, yeah. Do as you like, just don't let your news bring trouble our way. Speaking of Hulu, he must be really lonely. Let's call him out to meet Anya… Unseal Hulu."

Chang Long cut off the conversation and unsealed Hulu from the bracelet. Kimhant received a one-day special guest pass, allowing him to enter and leave the house without Chang Long's help. He happily went off to distribute the newspapers to various shops in the city.

"Wow, this is a sacred beast, Chang Long. It's so beautiful."

Anya looked at Hulu with dreamy eyes and flew over to stroke his iridescent white scales and fluffy white fur, while Hulu stood there, bewildered.

"Master, what is this creature?"

Hulu asked, looking confused, making Chang Long almost burst out laughing. Anya froze and glared at Hulu, her eyes turning green with anger, indicating she understood what he said.

"Uh… Hulu, this is Anya. She's the last Night Fairy of her kind. Anya, this is Hulu, a pure-blooded Rainbow Kirin."

Chang Long introduced them. Anya was already upset with Hulu for calling her a "creature," while Hulu, unaware of why Anya was angry, quickly went off to find Kitsune.

"What's this? He didn't even apologize to me!"

Anya said, looking at Hulu in disbelief.

"Hulu is still young and quite proud. Don't take it to heart. While we're waiting for the cooldown, I'll make some more tea."

Chang Long consoled Anya, then sat down and took out her tea-making equipment from her bag, along with a box containing ten night roses petals.

Chang Long took out the black rose tea recipe given to her by Elder An, who had made her buy 500 spirit tablets before he would teach her. She looked at the messy handwriting on the rather crumpled paper and scratched her head, finding it even harder to read than the ancient script in the four temples. Nevertheless, she persisted in deciphering it, as black rose tea significantly affected her in-game life.

Chang Long set up a fire on the sandy ground and boiled dew water in a pot. She then squeezed the juice from the ten roses petals she had prepared it. Once the dew water boiled, she poured it into a basin containing the black night rose petal juice, which was pitch black. She added some fragrant rice flour to thicken the tea slightly, followed by honey and salt for flavor. She mixed everything well and tasted it.

"It's even better than Elder An's."

Chang Long nodded contentedly.

"Player Chang Long has met the basic requirements for beginner profession. Receiving Ingredients Selection Skill Level 1 and the Cooking Skill Level 1."

The system announcement made Chang Long's eyes widen. Well! Just by doing this, she had gained new skills. Since the system did not specify that these were profession-specific skills, it seemed they were foundational skills for advancing in profession.

"Hey Chang Long, near the flower, there are seed pods. Can you plant them? I'd love to have a flower field too," Anya said excitedly when she noticed the seed pods attached.

"We can plant them?"

Chang Long was just as excited, thinking that if she could grow night roses at home, she would not have to worry about running out.

"Yes, let me tell you how!"

Anya, in a very good mood, explained the planting process to Chang Long. It was not difficult; it just required knowing the suitable environment for each plant. Night roses preferred dark, shadowy places with rich soil and abundant water. Chang Long decided on a small forest behind her house, as it was so overgrown that barely any light could penetrate, and it also had a small waterfall.

Chang Long spent half the day clearing the overgrown area to plant the night roses. This earned her one level each in the skills of digging and planting. The system also informed her that she had successfully created a flower bed and would need to wait fifty days to harvest. Anya looked at the flower bed with satisfaction, not expecting Chang Long to be such an excellent student.

"Wow, it's already noon, and I've only practiced my skill once!"

Chang Long complained when she looked at the time on her watch. She glanced at the public communication channel, which was scrolling rapidly with messages from players, most of which were discussing information from the The Reaper's Whisperer newspaper.

"It's already causing such a stir in just half a day. No wonder the game doesn't reveal anything and lets players figure it out themselves. Otherwise, it wouldn't be such big news everywhere… Oh, the communication system is down,"

Chang Long shook her head and walked back to the front of the house, where she saw Kitsune wrestling with Hulu.

"Kitsune, Hulu, let's eat!"

Chang Long called out, and they ran over happily.

"This is the moment I've been waiting for!"

Hulu wagged his tail excitedly, making everyone laugh.

Chang Long brought everyone to sit under the big tree in front of the house and ordered a large amount of food for herself, Kitsune, Hisa-chan, and Davy-chan. Hulu received a handful of elemental crystals, and Anya got a small cup of nectar from flower pollen, just right for her tiny hands.

After eating quickly because she wanted to continue training, Chang Long resumed practicing the Dimensional Shift skill until evening. Only then did she allow the others to have their meal. Kimhant returned with a broad smile, clearly indicating that the newspapers had sold so exceptionally well, as if it was offered for free.

"The shops I left the newspapers at were all competing to offer high prices to buy my entire stock. So, I divided them, giving each shop five hundred copies. Even the merchant players wanted to buy some to sell in other cities. It was quite a commotion for a while!"

Kimhant boasted.

"How much did you sell them for?"

Chang Long asked.

"I set the price at 20 coins per copy, but the price skyrocketed, and I ended up selling them for 50 coins each. Pure profit, a total of six hundred thousand coins,"

Kimhant grinned so broadly his cheek could burst.

"You've got a lot of money now from the share Siegfried gave you. Why don't you start a guild and recruit members to help out? That way, you can print enough newspapers to meet demand and sell them at the price you want,"

Chang Long suggested, and the two ghosts agreed.

"I've thought about it, but now isn't the right time. It's better to wait for the new patch. I heard Siegfried is looking for clues about a special area to relocate the guild's base and build a city as he wants..."

Kimhant said, looking dreamy.

"A special area for building a city, is that possible?"

Chang Long asked, confused.

"Yes, the game has announced that we can do various things with the special area, including building a city. Although it won't be as big as the system's cities, the absence of villages or small towns along the way in the game is probably because they're waiting for this new patch to update,"

Kimhant explained with his usual expertise. Chang Long was imagining a kingdom created and governed by players, making it almost a real-world simulation.

"That's right! Master, you should find a special area and build your own kingdom. I'm sure you can do it!"

Kimhant suggested, realizing that the woman in front of him had the ability to create a city in the game.

"I don't think so. I'm on my own, how could I fight against the guilds? Besides, I still have the problem with the Land of the Dead, which I don't know how to get back there,"

Chang Long responded, dismissing Kimhant's suggestion. Then she went back to the front yard to continue practicing the Dimensional Shift skill.

Kimhant, Kitsune, Anya, and the two ghosts continued discussing the special area. Davy-chan was particularly serious, considering it a matter of honor and prestige. Especially knowing that Heaven's heir was also looking for a special area, he felt even more competitive. Davy-chan planned to persuade Chang Long and forced others to cooperate by saying:

"For the greatness of our master!"

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