Chapter Thirty-Five: Global Announcement

The pale demon was the second player to reach level 10, gaining 2 points of Prestige. Every attribute point was precious, and those 2 points already made him quite happy. He had chosen a diplomatic support path, so reaching level 10 and becoming a Second Lieutenant, with the privilege of recruiting subordinates and establishing a base, was less important to him than the 2 points of Prestige, which were of far greater assistance.

A higher Prestige made it easier for players to gain the respect of NPCs, thus providing certain diplomatic advantages. For Chen Hao, who wished to forge his own path, higher Prestige meant he could recruit more outstanding NPCs, which was equally important to him. A Second Lieutenant could recruit up to ten subordinates, but only if the NPC considered the player worthy of allegiance; generally, very few excellent NPCs would be willing to become the subordinate of a level 10 player.

Chen Hao’s political skill was Bewitch, which gave him a 1% chance to make an NPC change their allegiance and become his follower. As long as he gained complete control over an NPC, he could repeatedly use the Bewitch skill on them until they agreed to surrender.

Activating a skill in the game consumed Stamina, and Satiety would drop rapidly. While players could purchase food to replenish Satiety, they couldn’t gorge themselves endlessly and become gluttons. According to the rule of a maximum of four meals per day, the highest Satiety a player could replenish in one in-game day was 400 points.

As long as one didn’t constantly use active skills, 400 points of Satiety per day were sufficient for leveling and monster hunting. With only a 1% success rate for Bewitch, and each use consuming 20 Satiety, theoretically, the skill could be used at most 20 times per day. However, because Satiety also declined naturally when idle, in practice, even with ample food, he could only use Bewitch about 15 times a day.

With a 1% success rate per use, fifteen attempts yielded only a 15% chance. Therefore, unless he was targeting an exceptionally powerful NPC, Chen Hao wouldn’t use this skill lightly.

Upon gaining the ability to recruit subordinates, his first thought was of Broadsword Wang Wu, but he knew that was unrealistic. Wang Wu was a wanted criminal of the Qing court; even if he agreed to become Chen Hao’s bodyguard, Chen Hao dared not keep such a ticking time bomb by his side.

According to the standard game storyline, in a few months, during the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance, Wang Wu would die under their gunfire. If Chen Hao did not recruit Wang Wu as a subordinate, altering the plot to save him would be near impossible.

This thought left Chen Hao quite conflicted. Keeping Wang Wu around would cause endless trouble, but without him, a legendary hero would perish, and Chen Hao’s mastery of swordsmanship would never advance further.

It was now January 5, 1900, in-game, with more than nine months remaining before Wang Wu’s death on October 25. For now, Chen Hao could set the issue aside. When the system notified him that he could establish a base, he hesitated, considering whether to build one immediately, since the first player to do so would also receive a 3-point Prestige reward.

To establish a base, a player first needed the Command Center Blueprint. Only after building the command center could other facilities be constructed at the base. The chosen location had to be under the player’s absolute control, for if the construction encroached on NPC land or provoked local hostility, the player might be besieged by NPCs.

Chen Hao had always planned to wait until after the Wuchang Uprising to develop his base, but the lure of being the first and earning 3 points of Prestige was tempting. After some thought, he resolved that once he acquired the blueprint, he could simply build the command center in a remote mountain forest, claim the Prestige, and then abandon the base.

In the early game, the Command Center Blueprint was the most coveted in the game, with many players obsessed with becoming a local warlord and fanatically seeking the means to establish a base. From Chen Hao’s memory, the first base in the Huaxia region was founded at the end of January, and the blueprint reportedly sold for 5,000 silver dollars, roughly equivalent to 200,000 RMB.

Chen Hao couldn’t afford to buy the blueprint, but he was willing to waste one for the 3-point Prestige bonus because he remembered the quest line for acquiring it. His memories from the next ten years were invaluable, giving him clues to the locations of many key items.

“January 5, 1900, 16:05, in the Huaxia region, Qilu Province, Penglai County: player Chen Baxian has reached level 10 and become a Second Lieutenant, the first in the region to do so. He is awarded 3 Prestige points—congratulations to him!”

“January 5, 1900, 16:06, Huaxia region, Qilu Province, Penglai County: player Pale Demon has reached level 10 and become a Second Lieutenant, the second in the region, and is awarded 2 Prestige points—congratulations to him!”

When Chen Hao and Pale Demon reached level 10 and became Second Lieutenants, the system broadcast the news across the entire server, making them instant celebrities in the Huaxia region. Aside from them, no other player had even reached level 9; the third place was still at level 8. Their leveling speed stunned the entire region.

The ambitious players who had hoped to be first to reach level 10 were immediately deflated, cursing their misfortune. Those aspiring to become local leaders sent their subordinates to investigate Chen Baxian and Pale Demon, hoping to recruit them into their own factions.

Leaders not based in Qilu Province dispatched people to the post office to send letters, sincerely inviting the two to join their groups. Those native to Qilu Province went to the carrier pigeon station to send messages, similarly extending olive branches.

Whether by letter or pigeon, it would take time for the messages to reach them; otherwise, they would have been overwhelmed by countless invitations.

In the southern part of Penglai City, Three-Life Stone was leveling with Alphabet Song and three other formidable fighters. Upon seeing the system announcement, he was momentarily stunned, then sneered, “The first player to reach level 10—our opponent is no weakling.”

Alphabet Song said angrily, “That guy must have had some absurd luck. Without any team support, he actually managed to be the first to reach level 10.”

Alphabet Song’s tone turned cold. “Luck is a part of strength. His combat skill is about ten points higher than yours. It’s only natural he got there first—I should’ve expected it.”

Clutching his iron cudgel, Alphabet Song said, “I won’t lose to him next time. Boss Zhou, now that he’s level 10, how should we deal with him?”

Three-Life Stone replied coolly, “His combat prowess is probably thanks to Wang Wu. If we don’t sever his connection with Wang Wu, he’ll only become stronger. Right now, the Qing dynasty still rules—if he continues to associate with Wang Wu, he’s taking a big risk. I’ve already asked Wang Yu to organize surveillance in the city. As soon as we find Wang Wu, neither of them will come to a good end.”

A nearby player, holding a musket, said, “Boss Zhou, firearms are dropping in the game now. No matter how good his fighting skills are, one bullet will settle it.”

“Idiot,” Three-Life Stone snorted. “You put all your free attribute points into Marksmanship, and even now it’s barely at 30. Even if he stood still, you’d only have a thirty percent chance to hit him. If he closed the distance, you’d be dead for sure.”

(P.S.: Burning the midnight oil to post a new chapter—brothers, please click and vote to support me, let’s storm the charts together…)