After defeating the Ancient Mystic Realm boss, Jiang Chen led Qing Ying and Tao Xiaoyao out of the dungeon.
As soon as they stepped outside, they saw a crowd gathered around the white vortex gate.
"They're out! It's Boss Qing Ying!"
"Three people completed the first kill?!"
"So many big guilds got stuck here, and Boss Qing Ying managed to clear it. That's incredible!"
"Our team couldn't even get past the small mobs. The gap between people is sometimes bigger than the gap between people and dogs."
...
The surrounding players were buzzing with discussion.
One knight player even rushed up to Qing Ying with an excited look on his face. "God Qing Ying, can I add you as a friend?"
With one person leading the way, many others quickly followed, trying to strike up a conversation, compliment her, or add her as a friend...
Qing Ying: ???
She knew completing the first kill would attract attention, but why was all the attention on her?
She was full of questions.
Seeing Jiang Chen and Tao Xiaoyao already walking ahead, she quickly said, "Excuse me, let me through."
She swiftly moved through the crowd to catch up with Jiang Chen and left the area.
"I'm so envious of that priest!"
"Having a goddess to lead you, that's too awesome!"
"Why can't I have a goddess team up with me?"
"Maybe you should look in the mirror first?"
...
While the nearby players were still in heated discussion, the three brothers of War Breaks the Sky emerged from the crowd after seeing Jiang Chen and his group leave.
"I told you, that female knight is a super god!" War Breaks the Sky said loudly.
As the one who had elevated Qing Ying to godhood, he naturally didn't miss the chance to boast.
The surrounding players all chimed in with agreement.
Unbeknownst to Qing Ying, the title of the number one knight in the national server was being placed on her head amidst countless discussions.
Moreover, some players had activated the in-game recording feature as soon as Jiang Chen and the others exited the dungeon.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
The entire process of Jiang Chen, Qing Ying, and Tao Xiaoyao leaving the dungeon was captured on video, with most of the footage focusing on Qing Ying.
Soon, a new video appeared on the official game forums.
Title: [Shocking! The Number One Knight in the National Server Revealed After First Kill, and She's a Beauty!]
The video quickly gained views and soon became a hot topic.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen returned to the Beginner's Village.
He opened the marketplace and listed the White Jade Bone Shield (Silver Level) and the Frenzy War Ring (Silver Level) for auction.
At the same time, he saw that the gold from selling the Blood Tide Greatsword (Gold Level) had been credited to his account.
After deducting the transaction fee, he received the gold.
"It's more than I expected!"
Jiang Chen had thought it would sell for around twenty to thirty thousand gold, but due to players getting stuck in the dungeon, the final price was much higher.
Additionally, he noticed that the price of gold had risen significantly, reaching a ratio of 1:100, nearly a week earlier than in his previous life.
After exiting the marketplace, Jiang Chen looked at Qing Ying and Tao Xiaoyao beside him. "Do you have any other business in the Beginner's Village? If not, let's head to the main city now."
Once they reached the main city, it would be difficult and costly to return to the Beginner's Village.
"No."
Qing Ying and Tao Xiaoyao both shook their heads.
Soon after, the three of them arrived at the village mansion.
In the center of the first-floor hall, a teleportation array had appeared.
All players who reached level 10 could use the teleportation array to go to the corresponding main city.
[Would you like to teleport to Giant Deer City?]
Upon stepping onto the teleportation array, the system prompted.
"Yes!"
Jiang Chen silently confirmed.
With a slight feeling of weightlessness, a white light flashed over him, and he disappeared from the spot.
[You have been teleported to Giant Deer City!]
Jiang Chen's figure appeared in the teleportation array of Giant Deer City, a large array covering several hundred square meters.
Beside him, two more flashes of white light appeared, revealing Qing Ying and Tao Xiaoyao.
Occasionally, other players also appeared in the teleportation array.
"Wow, it's so grand!"
Qing Ying curiously looked around, taking in the majestic buildings.
Tao Xiaoyao's eyes widened in awe at the magnificent scene.
Even the stone-paved street in front of them was tens of meters wide, stretching straight ahead with no end in sight.
First-time visitors to the main city were always struck by the grandeur of the scene.
Jiang Chen knew this was just a secondary main city, one of 32 in the national server.
Above these were eight primary main cities, which players couldn't reach at this stage.
All players, after leaving the Beginner's Village, would come to the corresponding main city.
The main cities were interconnected by teleportation.
Now, the game was truly beginning!
For the first time in a while, Jiang Chen felt a spark of excitement in his usually calm eyes.
"Let's go to the main city mansion to pick up some quests."
With that, Jiang Chen led Qing Ying and Tao Xiaoyao towards the center of the main city.
At the main city square, a seven-story building resembling a palace, covering nearly a thousand square meters, stood before them.
Inside were the lord, various city officials, and mentors for all classes.
There were also various shops inside.
"Brother Mortal World, what quests should we take?"
After entering the mansion, Qing Ying asked.
"Take all the mob farming quests. You two can look around and see if you can find any hidden quests."
After giving instructions, Jiang Chen went alone to the second floor's finance office.
The finance office managed the city's land, shops, taxes, and treasury.
Inside the finance office, a short, plump middle-aged man in official robes was lounging on a chair covered with soft animal fur.
His feet were casually propped up on the long desk in front of him, looking very relaxed.
"Adventurer, I am Ginter, an official of the finance office. How can I assist you?"
Seeing someone arrive, the official asked professionally.
"I want to lease some shops."
Jiang Chen planned to lease a few shops since the marketplace had a daily listing limit.
Having a shop would allow him to sell unused equipment and items.
Moreover, when Xia Rui'er learned the tailoring profession, they would need a store to sell the outfits she made.
"Would you like a shop inside the mansion or on the street outside?"
Seeing a business opportunity, the finance official immediately sat up straight.
"Inside the mansion."
Jiang Chen replied directly. Shops inside the mansion were more expensive but had much higher foot traffic than those on the streets outside.
"Here is a layout of the available shops inside the mansion, along with their prices. Just tell me which ones you want."
The finance official handed over a blueprint.
Jiang Chen took the blueprint, which showed the entire layout of the main city mansion, with the available shops marked.
Currently, all the shops were available for lease, as no players had leased any yet.
Jiang Chen selected six shops in the central area of the mansion's first floor.
The rental price for each was 1000 gold per month.
Converted to RMB, that was 100,000 yuan per month.
Not cheap.
But Jiang Chen knew that Giant Deer City would eventually have millions of players, and there were only about thirty to forty shops in the mansion.
Soon, these shops could be sublet for several times the current rent.
Finance Official: "Six shops, 6000 gold per month."
Jiang Chen: "If I lease for a year, can I get a discount?"
"Lease for a year?"
The finance official was taken aback. "If you lease for a year, each shop will be 10,000 gold per year. Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Jiang Chen nodded without hesitation.
If he had more gold, he would have leased all the shops!
[You have paid 60,000 gold to lease six shops in the Giant Deer City mansion for one year.]
"Alright, my wallet is almost empty."
Jiang Chen sighed softly.