Ashen Dragon

After a marathon gaming session, Mantou finally released the first episode of his video on the forum and some video sites simultaneously.

"Erezer Diary: The Beginning of the Dragon Knight"

"First"

"Front row, munching on melon seeds"

"Missing persons, coming back repeatedly."

"King Tiger Covering the Earth, Mantou charisma 9!"

Mantou's face appeared in the video, but he looked somewhat inexplicably downcast at the moment: "Hey everyone, welcome to the much-anticipated first episode of 'Erezer Diary', I'm Mantou."

"During this period, I spent, um... an unforgettable eighteen days in this world of swords and magic. Next, I will share my experiences from a personal perspective, including the shocking secrets of the Ashen Nest faction and the bygone days of Barto City."

After the opening lines, Mantou, looking sleepy, seemed almost ready to drift off.

"Why does Mantou look so drained?"

"Mantou's been popular in the game lately, working as a slave with a few pro players."

"Hahaha, I know right."

"Black Slave Team, Blood Sweat Squad."

"Where did you guys get the beta qualifications? I want to play too."

"All gone already, wait for the public beta in a few months."

It started with three top-tier pros inviting Mantou to their team. These three were well-known in the full immersion gaming circles, far more famous than Mantou, naturally causing a barrage of comments.

"Summer Night Autumn Rain! My wife!"

"Nonsense, clearly my wife."

"War Maniac Bro's hair is still so lush."

"Caught a wild Xin Dog!"

Players also started discussing the [Mysterious Invitation]:

"Damn, this Eight Hook invitation is so expensive? It could outfit several squads."

"How come I didn't see this special item?"

"Cloud players not familiar with the game might not get what ten gold coins mean. For context, a normal player can earn 35 copper coins in a day mining, and ten gold coins equal about 4,000 copper coins, which means you'd need to mine for 114.514 days."

"The previous example had some bias..."

"Damn, for a crappy quest item, why?"

The next scene shocked the players even more. The invitation summoned a flame portal, leading the team into a dark cave.

In the cave, they met the ridiculously handsome [Mystic Dragonvein Spellcaster, Cassius], opened the [Mithril Shop] and [Mithril Shop], and discovered the use of faction contributions and the advanced occupation of [Red Scale Conqueror].

Mantou even added in the narration that the identity of this mysterious spellcaster was the leader of the Ashen Nest, the King of Flying Flame, Red Dragon Cassius!

Instantly, the comment section exploded, and both cloud players and gaming fans were shocked.

The casual viewers were mostly amazed by Cassius' charisma, making all kinds of over-the-top remarks:

"Damn, this NPC is too hot!"

"I'm in!"

"Think it through, this is a dragon, how big must it be—"

"A dragon? Even better!"

"From now on, I am Lord Cassius's dog!"

"I want to lick Lord Cassius's horns..."

"Join the Cassius Support Group, group number 697838040."

The gaming community, however, focused on the impact of these revelations on the game, especially the appearance of the [Red Scale Conqueror], which caused a massive uproar among players.

"Damn, faction contribution is this useful? Feels like I missed out on a billion!"

"These gears are all divine tier!"

"Can you afford it? Starting at ten gold coins, just a toy for major guilds from the greedy devs."

"Damn, the faction leader's handsomeness is on par with mine!"

"Stop bragging, the one above."

"Whoa, innate dragon bloodline, large dragon vein creature mount, plus exclusive traits, this advanced occupation is god-tier!"

"Red Scale Conqueror is a god!"

"The sky is the limit for a man's dreams, I want to be one!"

"Enough said, I've switched to warrior already. Paladin? Never heard of it!"

The later video showed Mantou's woeful eighteen days: mining, brick-lugging, wall-fixing, dust-busting. He faced ogre overseers' insults, goblin officers' commands, chases by phase spiders in the mines, and was mocked by fellow players...

"Feels like the American 18th century..."

"I now get why they're called the Black Slave Team..."

"I thought he just went bankrupt, but Mantou was biding his time, enduring hardships!"

"Just eighteen days..."

"I'm willing to do the same to become a Dragon Knight!"

"Heh, by the time you save up the contribution, the flowers will have wilted."

"Not watching anymore, time to head back to Erezer for some brick-lugging!"

Mantou's first episode of the "Elzegai Diary"—or Mantou's Slave Labor Blood and Tears History—soared in views like a rocket, quickly hitting the day's hot trends. This helped many beta players learn about Cassius, this crucial NPC of the Ashen Nest faction. Now, his status among players was significantly important.

What's more widely known was his astonishing charisma, breaking beyond the gaming circles.

It even trended with tags like:

#Incredibly Handsome NPC

...

"Got killed by a Wild Sorcerer teammate, heartbroken, thinking of kicking him out."

"Rogue Beast caught "

"Is the Mysterious Invitation out of stock? Why can't I find it on the shelf!"

Cassius browsed the forum, watching players chat and joke around, but soon he saw a familiar name—Singo.

This guy posted several guides in a row, even while being a slave for eighteen days straight, making one wonder if he had another organ growing on his liver.

"Shock! The real identity of the mysterious NPC Cassius is—"

"Stunning! The uses of faction contributions are—"

"Unbeatable! Analysis of the Warrior's advanced occupation [Red Scale Conqueror]" Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"Why no one should choose the Mage in the current version"

But his posts' comment sections were a mess, with players who struggled due to his newbie guides pouring in to vent, calling him Xin Dog and cursing relentlessly.

He pretended not to see it at all.

"Xin Dog, you screwed me over so bad, I only have fifty contributions now!"

"Xin Dog, give back my faction contributions!"

"So greedy, misleading us with posts to earn contributions yourself, huh!"

"I say he's doing it on purpose, let's gather a group and block Xin Dog at the respawn point!"

"Count me in!"

"+1"

"+10086"

Singo innocently commented: "You guys should hurry and do quests, go too late, and you won't get them. Even if you kill me, I won't drop faction contributions."

This only fueled the players' rage.

"Damn, this guy really deserves to die—"

"Xin Dog, prepare to die!"

"I declare that Xin Dog and Rogue Beast are now the two beasts!"

"Don't slander me, I, Swashbuckler, have always been a just and honorable person."

"You can die together with Xin Dog. Picking a Trickster Thief, lurking in the mines all day and stealing. Last time, you emptied my potions using Mage's Hand."

"I, I took them with my own skills, can that be called stealing?"