They really couldn’t find them.
Even Laoji Fuli had gone to the trouble of accepting a mission, but he had only managed to dispatch fifty people, and he had no connections in Fengdu Town.
Besides, where the Thorn Guild went was their own business.
Yet Laoji Fuli felt as though a cat were scratching at his heart.
He was simply too curious.
And at that moment, it wasn’t just him.
The players were just as puzzled.
[Map]: “What’s going on? Where are Plant Boss and the others? How did some total stranger end up in first place on the contribution rankings?”
[Map]: “Shh, don’t you read the news? Elder Ji is now the official representative of Linjiang City!”
[Map]: “Holy crap, the eastern wall is empty. There’s practically no one defending it.”
[Map]: “The people from the Thorn Guild on the western wall have disappeared too.”
[Map]: “Something’s wrong. A thousand things are wrong. Could the big shots have been erased by some mysterious force?”
[Map]: “You’d rather believe they were erased by a mysterious force than believe they secretly struck it rich without telling us?”
Inside Fengdu Town.
The only other guild, the Star Guild, had also grown considerably by now.
It had a full five thousand members.
Although they had survived in the cracks under the Thorn Guild’s suppression, even a little that slipped through the fingers of the strong was enough for the weak to survive.
Because prices were cheap and everyone could afford golden equipment, the Star Alliance had flourished as well, becoming a terrifying money-making machine.
Jiang Yixing’s development had been excellent.
Thanks to his succubus talent, all five thousand players in the guild willingly allowed him to drain them.
He was the person who least wanted the Thorn Guild to keep growing stronger.
If the Thorn Guild had suddenly been erased by some unknown force, that would have been fine. What he feared was that they had discovered something valuable again.
Whenever something abnormal happened, there was always a reason.
Jiang Yixing immediately sent people to investigate.
“Quick, go see what’s happening east of town.”
The fastest players under his command hurried toward the east, but they kept walking and walking without seeing a single monster—or anyone from the Thorn Guild.
It was extremely strange.
Inside the guild, reports were coming in as well.
“The guy who used to sit in a wheelchair on the western side is gone too.”
“That Arrogant but Not Delicate person and Suture Saint are gone as well. They’re really all gone.”
Finally, after sprinting for twenty minutes, the player saw the spatial rift outside the eastern part of town and immediately reported the news to Jiang Yixing.
Jiang Yixing suddenly understood.
They had actually entered that dungeon called Origin!
And there had to be something good inside.
“Let’s go. We’re going too. With Plantman there, even if we just follow behind and pick up the scraps, we’ll still make a fortune!”
What Jiang Yixing was doing was frankly shameless.
But he was doing it deliberately.
The Thorn Guild had always targeted the Star Alliance, but Jiang Yixing also knew that only by following Plantman could he obtain anything valuable. Even a sip of the broth would mean a huge profit.
Besides, this was a public dungeon. With Plantman and the others leading the way, what did he have to fear?
As for dying and having to wait a hundred days before resurrecting?
The Thorn Guild had three priests capable of reviving people. For the right price, they would revive anyone. At worst, they could simply endure the guild’s exorbitant demands.
With that thought, he immediately rushed over and applied to enter.
All five thousand members of the Star Alliance were instantly transported into the Origin dungeon.
…
Inside the Origin dungeon.
The ground had been cleared completely. Even the 250 enormous crystals had been dismantled and carried away by the members of the Thorn Guild.
[Goblin Divine-Power Replication Crystal (Diamond-grade Special Item): Can replicate goblin clones for the purpose of exploring, invading, and plundering other planes. Can only replicate goblins.
The crystal contains immense energy. Collecting it may have other uses.]
They smashed every one of them apart and carried them away.
After cleaning up the battlefield, Shen Chi returned as well.
Shen Chi’s mech was the fastest. He had flown straight ahead, covering thirty kilometers in only a few dozen seconds. Before long, he discovered a primitive city.
It was roughly two kilometers in diameter as well. Since it was primitive, the space inside had not been used efficiently, so the population seemed relatively small and spread out. There were probably only around twenty thousand goblins.
The entire goblin city was in chaos. The goblins gathered together, shouting “wa-woo, wa-woo” in their strange language as they rushed toward the outskirts.
Some archers even spotted Shen Chi and fired arrows at him.
He hurriedly fled.
It seemed they had some method of reconnaissance. The only question was whether they knew the route his group was taking.
Shen Chi lured the goblins away, but a group of three thousand goblins still headed toward the area where Chu Fu and the others were located.
Clearly, they knew where Chu Fu and the others were.
“Plant Girl, get your people away from there. Around three thousand goblins are heading your way.”
Chu Fu immediately understood.
“Move!”
Chu Fu chose a direction and led the army forward.
With Feng Huimin’s formation skill, everyone’s speed was surprisingly well-balanced. The fast players instinctively slowed down, while the slower players even received an additional boost.
Twenty thousand players moved at high speed as one, obeying orders to the letter.
They also quickly analyzed the situation before them.
“If these goblins use the replication crystals to attack Fengdu Town, there will be 250 goblins for every level. Ten levels would mean 2,500 goblins. That means there are at least four directions they could attack from. We’re heading south.
“If pursuers come after us, we’ll kite them. If they catch up, we retreat.
“Everyone must keep up with the movement speed of the formation.”
“Yes!”
The members of the Thorn Guild answered loudly.
Chu Fu discovered that the map channel was unusable, but Feng Huimin could still relay commands to everyone in the formation through her class abilities.
Once the order was issued, the unaffiliated players were fired up as well, their faces filled with excitement.
They had struck it rich by tagging along.
The experience alone was astonishing. After this battle, the players had generally gained two levels.
One had to understand that even during the town-defense battle, only the very best players had managed to reach Level 25.
Now, there were still three goblin armies to fight, as well as an entire goblin city to conquer.
Could they reach Level 30 after finishing everything?
What was more, the trip would be worthwhile even if they obtained just one piece of dark gold equipment.
And Chu Fu was extremely fair, which meant everyone else was fair as well. If someone reached the end without receiving even a single piece of dark gold equipment, those who had obtained extra items would definitely give one up.
As for how much dark gold equipment was worth, or how much real-world money it could be exchanged for…
In Fengdu Town, they had long since stopped caring about money in the real world.
No matter how valuable dark gold equipment was, with the Thorn Guild around, it would eventually become standard equipment for everyone.
Why fight tooth and nail over one or two pieces of gear? Being generous could earn them a good reputation. Who knew? Perhaps they might even be accepted into the Thorn Guild’s reserve ranks.
After cleaning up the battlefield, all the players moved together, rapidly withdrawing from the area and heading toward the forces on the western side.
Shen Chi said, “That group of goblins is still heading east. They probably have no way to receive real-time information.”
