It was rare for the greedy old man to speak, so Xiao Hua took the opportunity to ask a few questions. However, Libert quickly reverted to a state of ignorance, only emphasizing that killing was prohibited within Blackmist City, violators would be imprisoned, but there were no restrictions outside the city.
Realizing he wouldn’t learn more from Libert, Xiao Hua left the prison.
What a dilapidated ruin of a city!
The airship landing site and the prison were at the end of a street in Blackmist City. The prison gate faced a mostly intact wall, but turning right, Xiao Hua saw a vast expanse of ruins stretching far into the distance. Everywhere he looked, broken buildings lay in ruins, none intact. The collapsed structures resembled grand Roman architecture, suggesting a devastating battle had occurred, leaving buildings severely damaged. Several buildings in the distance appeared to have been split in half by a massive weapon, leaving a deep crevice.
Blackmist City had no carriages, and mounts weren’t allowed within the city limits. Even if he could use one, Xiao Hua wouldn’t dare summon his Chocobo, fearing it would attract unwanted attention. He entered stealth mode to move faster and safer. Walking along the streets of Blackmist City, he found the number of players was surprisingly low. During his journey, he only saw about ten people, making the city unusually quiet. He had expected chaos but found unexpected peace, with several blacklisted players passing each other without incident.
Xiao Hua also noticed that players couldn’t see the black aura usually visible around blacklisted players in normal cities. Here, regardless of PK value, the aura was hidden, making it impossible to gauge a player’s PK status.
After circling the city, Xiao Hua observed that NPCs were scarce, mainly providing supplies, and the prices were three times higher than in ordinary cities. Basic items like potions and materials for life skills were available, but equipment was limited to basic 30 and 50-level gear, with no 40-level gear available, which was odd.
Apart from supply vendors, there were a few civilian NPCs, though they were indifferent to players. Guards patrolled the city without regard for blacklisted players, who didn’t avoid them.
After investigating, Xiao Hua realized that much of the forum information was outdated. The city had changed over time, especially given the sparse NPC population. However, one aspect remained accurate: there were no mailboxes, making it an isolated city, akin to a giant prison.
Finally, Xiao Hua found an NPC named Bella in a remote corner of Blackmist City.
In reality, Bella was in the center of the city, but her house was overshadowed by tall buildings. The small house was surrounded by debris, requiring a winding path through ruins to find it. Without careful attention, it was impossible to locate Bella. Xiao Hua spent considerable time finding the entrance, unsure if he had taken a wrong turn.
Bella was a charming blonde woman with curly golden hair cascading down her shoulders. She could rival a princess in elegance, but she wore inconspicuous black leather assassin attire, giving her a wild allure instead of royal grandeur.
Before meeting Bella, Xiao Hua assumed her location would be bustling with blacklisted players since she was the sole NPC handling bounty quests, similar to guild quest NPCs in normal cities. However, Bella’s stone house was surprisingly quiet, with Bella lounging lazily on a chair, twirling her golden curls and yawning.
"Kid, here for a quest? No quests here, go back where you came from and don’t bother me," Bella yawned, dismissively waving Xiao Hua away after noticing him approaching.
Despite looking young, Bella spoke with a casual demeanor, shattering Xiao Hua’s initial impression. Her lazy attitude suggested that surviving in Blackmist City was no easy feat.
Xiao Hua wasn’t there for a quest but to post one, so he continued towards the beautiful Bella.
In reality, Bella hadn’t told the truth; there were quests, but none had been completed in years. She doubted a newcomer could handle them. New quests hadn’t been posted in a long time.
"There really are no quests, please go back," Bella pleaded, lying on a soft bear-skin chair. She had grown accustomed to the lazy feeling and didn’t want to stand up and operate the ancient magic machine if Xiao Hua insisted on checking.
"I’m not here for a quest," Xiao Hua said, observing Bella’s lazy demeanor.
"Not for a quest... then you’re here to post one?" Bella, though lazy, wasn’t stupid. Confirming with Xiao Hua, she awaited his response.
Xiao Hua nodded, and Bella sprang up from the chair, instantly energized, her demeanor changing completely, becoming radiant and vivacious, making her appear even more attractive.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Can you tell me the size of the quest? Note that I only accept quests with rewards of 500,000 gold or more!" Bella reminded him, recalling a crucial detail.
"Fifteen million gold," Xiao Hua replied, confident despite spending nearly four million gold, leaving him with less than sixteen million.
"Fifteen million gold? Are you sure?" Bella trembled, cautiously verifying.
Xiao Hua nodded affirmatively.
"Wow! This is great! When this quest is completed, I can leave this wretched place!" Bella cheered, pulling Xiao Hua to a corner table.
"Please wait a moment, starting this old machine takes time." Bella fiddled under the table, and a faint light appeared, projecting a magic screen.
"It’s working! Esteemed guest, please fill out the form and submit the gold, and your quest will be posted!" Bella said excitedly, her fair skin flushed with excitement.
Xiao Hua was familiar with the quest posting interface, having seen a sample form on the forum.
The form on the magic screen matched the forum version. Xiao Hua filled it out quickly.
After confirmation, the magic screen disappeared, and another appeared before Bella.
"Let me check... Yes, everything is correct. Once you submit fifteen million gold, your quest will be posted. Additionally, according to our rules, quests over ten million gold receive special perks!" Bella explained, visibly thrilled by the largest transaction in her history.
"Special perks?" Xiao Hua asked, intrigued.
"Yes! First, you get a free Impersonation Card; second, you will never become a target of a solo bounty quest; third, if you’re a guild leader, your guild won’t be targeted unless the opposing bounty exceeds the total bounty amount of your quest!" Bella elaborated, clearly pleased.
Unexpected benefits! Such information wasn’t available on forums.
"Esteemed guest, your form is perfect. Please submit the gold, and I’ll post the quest!" Bella eagerly awaited Xiao Hua’s payment.
"I have a question. Will the quest go unclaimed? This city seems deserted!" Xiao Hua expressed his concern about the quest going unnoticed, fearing a waste of fifteen million gold.
"Don’t worry. There’s always someone willing to take quests here. Let me tell you a secret: players who completed large quests in the past are still here! You just haven’t found their hiding spots. Blackmist City isn’t as simple as it looks. Stay longer, and you’ll discover its secrets!" Bella whispered, seemingly sharing forbidden knowledge.
Xiao Hua had read similar speculations on forums, but now he knew it was true.
Satisfied with Bella’s assurance, Xiao Hua transferred fifteen million gold. Looking at his remaining gold, Xiao Hua sighed, feeling like a true spendthrift.
Bella accepted the gold and retrieved an Impersonation Card from under the table.
"This card will help you survive here. Please keep it safe!" Bella handed the card to Xiao Hua.
**System Notice:** You successfully posted a bounty quest, quest ID ZX000369!
**System Notice:** You obtained an “Impersonation Card”!
"Esteemed guest, thank you for your visit. Due to your patronage, I might leave this place in a month! As a personal thank you, I have a secret to share, but I can only reveal it on the day I leave. If you want to know, visit me in a month!" Bella whispered mysteriously.
This sounded like a hidden quest hint!
Xiao Hua felt the fifteen million gold was worth it. If it helped dismantle Bingfeng Guild, it would be money well spent!
"Sure! I’ll visit you then!" Regardless of the information, it seemed beneficial. Xiao Hua agreed, hoping he’d still have PK value in a month.
However, Xiao Hua would soon realize this concern was unfounded!
With the quest posted, Xiao Hua set out to find a suitable leveling spot outside the city. He aimed to grind monsters, level up, and reduce his PK value, while also practicing his skills, as having levels without skills was worse than having skills without levels.
Blackmist City seemed built on a plain, but after walking through grassy plains for about half an hour, Xiao Hua discovered the area was not flat. His view shifted from vast plains to numerous valleys formed by low, barren, gray-white rocky spines.
Considering safety, Xiao Hua chose a moderately visible valley to enter.
Typically, monsters were scarce near cities. The same seemed true for Blackmist City. According to monster distribution rules, closer to the city meant lower-level monsters. To reduce PK value, Xiao Hua needed to kill monsters at least three levels below his own, so he sought out 35-level monsters.
Soon, Xiao Hua spotted several scattered monsters. Initially, he underestimated them, thinking they were around level 25. However, a monster’s attack knocked off over 200 HP, revealing it was actually level 30!
Identifying the monsters, Xiao Hua found that the lowest level was 30, jumping to 35 after a short distance.
The 35-level monsters were two-meter-tall Goblins wielding heavy black chain hammers. These usually low-level Goblins were now high-level, causing Xiao Hua some frustration. Worse, these Goblins could perform ranged attacks, throwing stones if players were too far away.
Fortunately, the Goblins were scattered, typically resulting in one-on-one encounters. This pattern held true for all monsters Xiao Hua encountered, suggesting the system gave blacklisted players a chance to survive.
Dealing with the Goblins was straightforward due to their slow movements and physical attacks. Xiao Hua dodged most attacks easily.
Focusing on skill training, Xiao Hua practiced various skills, including poison, injury, and shadow strike, aiming to improve them from beginner levels. Though these skills weren’t immediately effective for leveling, they would enhance his output in the long run.
Blinding was another essential PvP skill Xiao Hua needed to practice. Higher-level blinding increased success rates and duration, making it more effective with extreme force.
Each 35-level Goblin had 5,000 HP and over 300 defense. Xiao Hua, wearing agility-based equipment, could easily dodge their attacks. Stacking poison dealt significant damage, often surpassing normal attacks. A Goblin with 5,000 HP was defeated within 20 seconds, improving efficiency. Combining other skills, Xiao Hua could dispatch a Goblin in less than 15 seconds with luck.
Having not grinded monsters in a while, Xiao Hua enjoyed the familiarity and nostalgia, focusing solely on skill training as he did in the newbie village.
He spent an entire day grinding Goblins in the valley, eating buns to replenish stamina. His agility allowed him to dodge attacks without consuming potions, though he used up most of his poison vials and would need to resupply soon.