Nie Yan downloaded some information related to monsters from the official website and began studying the terrain structure. After seeing these materials, some memories gradually became clearer. Some elements in the materials overlapped with what he remembered.
Near the Hilton Fortress, there were still a few suitable spots for monster farming.
Nie Yan thought of a suitable spawn point and went to a branch of the Starry Sky Pharmacy to collect more than one hundred high-grade fire resistance potions and more than ten intermediate invisibility potions. Intermediate invisibility potions were common and cost about five gold coins each. High-grade fire resistance potions cost roughly ten gold coins in materials, and with labor, the total production cost was around sixty gold coins. However, their market price was as high as three hundred gold coins per bottle—five times the cost. Such an expensive potion was unaffordable for ordinary players unless for special situations, such as raiding a dungeon, when they might buy one or two.
Each high-grade fire resistance potion sold could generate a fivefold profit—this was the profit margin of the Starry Sky Pharmacy!
Currently, high-level alchemists were rare, and the formula for high-grade fire resistance potions was also uncommon. With decent market demand, the price of these potions remained consistently high. Ordinary players had to think carefully before using one, since three hundred gold coins could buy a decent piece of epic gear. A fire resistance potion, once consumed, was gone.
In his past life, Nie Yan had never dared to use such expensive potions—each bottle could have bankrupted him. In this life, however, he took more than one hundred high-grade fire resistance potions without even blinking.
With his current wealth, he didn’t need to worry about such expenses. Great investment brought great returns.
The fire resistance potion could increase a player’s fire resistance by 50 points for two minutes, with a ten-minute cooldown.
Besides the fire resistance potion, Nie Yan had another treasure—Core of the Inferno.
Core of the Inferno: Special item.
Item attributes: Fire resistance +50, fire magic amplification 20%, comes with the skill Core of the Inferno. Core of the Inferno: When this skill is used, the user gains the power of the Core of the Inferno, becoming immune to fire damage and even capable of walking through scorching lava. Duration: 30 seconds. Skill cooldown: 20 minutes.
With these two items, their fire resistance could stack up to 100 points. Combined with the base fire resistance of at least twenty to thirty points that players normally had, they could largely ignore the fire damage from regular monsters. If things got too intense, they could always use the Core of the Inferno skill to gain complete immunity to fire damage.
In addition, Nie Yan had also prepared some fire-resistant rogue gear that added seventy to eighty points of fire resistance.
More than twenty minutes later, Xie Yao arrived, and the two met at the entrance of the villa in the Hilton Fortress.
Xie Yao wore a light blue robe. The slightly form-fitting robe made her look tall and graceful. The robe emitted a faint blue glow, highlighting her fair complexion. A light blue ribbon adorned her hair, making her look charming and adorable. In her hand was a staff more than a yard long, crafted from magical nanmu wood—slim, delicate, and topped with a large blue magical gem, with magical elements swirling around it.
The faint blue glow surrounding the robe gave Xie Yao an air of holiness.
“This robe, this staff, and this ribbon are components of the High Priestess Kristina Set. Do you like it?” Xie Yao twirled around gently and smiled.
Her pure smile made Nie Yan feel happy and forget many troubles.
“It’s beautiful,” Nie Yan nodded. There was no doubt about it. With Xie Yao’s natural beauty, she looked good in anything she wore. Judging from the reactions of the surrounding players, they couldn’t help but cast glances toward her, filled with envy when looking at Nie Yan.
As Nie Yan and Xie Yao walked along, chatting, time seemed to freeze on the streets, with Xie Yao as the sole focus.
“Who is that girl?”
“Yaoyao, the woman of Rogue Nie Yan.”
“So that guy in the black cloak must be Rogue Nie Yan.”
“That must be him.”
The players whispered among themselves. After Nie Yan had been pursued and killed over a hundred people by the Eternal Guild, Yaoyao had also entered the players’ radar. Later, when it was revealed that Yaoyao was Nie Yan’s woman, everyone had an “aha” moment. They hadn’t expected Nie Yan’s woman to be so strong as well.
“Nie Yan, where are we going now?”
“To grind monsters for experience.”
“Just the two of us?” Xie Yao asked in surprise. She had heard that even the weakest monsters there were elite or boss-level creatures of around seventy to eighty levels, which were hard to deal with.
“Two people are enough,” Nie Yan smiled. Grinding monsters for experience with just two people was faster. If they formed a team to fight bosses, the experience would be split.
“Where are we going next?”
“The Fire Cavern,” Nie Yan replied. The Fire Cavern was an area where level 80 elites and bosses were active.
Nie Yan always came up with strange and clever ways to grind monsters. Xie Yao had an almost obsessive trust in Nie Yan. After hearing him say this, she stopped worrying and simply followed his arrangements, knowing that Nie Yan must have already made preparations.
“Take these. You’ll need them later,” Nie Yan said, trading the Core of the Inferno and more than one hundred fire resistance potions to Xie Yao.
Xie Yao nodded and confirmed the trade.
The two left the Hilton Fortress together, heading toward their grinding location.
Inside a house in the Hilton Fortress, Kuangfa and Shengyan, along with several others, were gathered. Those present were all high-ranking members of the Mage Alliance and Sacred Guardians, totaling seventeen people.
“I heard that the Bull Tribe is now challenging level 90 bosses. The contribution we earn from killing five or six level 80 bosses probably doesn’t even match what they get from defeating one level 90 boss. At this rate, the Bull Tribe will grab all the land in the Hilton Fortress,” Shengyan said. Purchasing land required paying a certain amount of contribution to the fortress’s governor. The more contribution one accumulated, the more land they could claim. In the future, the Hilton Fortress would become a battleground for lawful good and lawful evil players, the main arena for players to accumulate honor. High-level players from the entire Granland Empire who pursued a combat path would gather here, and its future prosperity was certain. Moreover, players in the Hilton Fortress had much higher spending power than those in other cities. If the Bull Tribe took over this huge market, they would definitely not be happy.
“If necessary, we’ll have to play dirty,” Kuangfa said coldly. They couldn’t just watch as the Bull Tribe bought up all the land in the Hilton Fortress. Even a rabbit would bite when cornered.
“You handle the arrangements. Let me know if you need help—we Sacred Guardians will cooperate,” Shengyan said. He had never liked investing too much effort in such matters. Since Kuangfa was handling the planning, he was happy to take it easy.
The relationship between the Mage Alliance and the Sacred Guardians was very delicate. They belonged to the same boss and had both received investments from the Century Financial Group, so they had to collaborate. At the same time, they were also rivals. Both were level 7 guilds, each controlling a city, and both were heavily relied upon by the Century Financial Group. But neither side respected the other, each wanting to surpass the other and secure more investment from the Century Financial Group to improve benefits for their own guild members. Thus, they also regarded each other as strong competitors. The Mage Alliance was actively targeting the Bull Tribe to gain the Century Financial Group’s support, while the Sacred Guardians preferred to focus on internal development and avoid getting too involved in the Century Financial Group’s conflicts with the Bull Tribe, often just going through the motions.
Seeing this, Kuangfa inwardly sneered at Shengyan’s half-hearted attitude but said nothing. They were still in an alliance, and the Century Financial Group would not allow this alliance to break, so there was no need to confront each other openly.
Kuangfa then found some rogues and gave them instructions. The rogues began tracking the Bull Tribe players’ movements as ordered.
“I heard that Rogue Nie Yan is in the Hilton Fortress and even bought a villa here,” Shengyan said. Nie Yan’s activities had caused quite a stir, and the rumors about him online were legendary.
“I even saw him just now,” Kuangfa said.
“You saw Rogue Nie Yan? Where?” Shengyan was stunned, surprised that Kuangfa had encountered Nie Yan.
“In the governor’s hall of the Hilton Fortress. I had just completed a quest and was leaving when I saw Ignatius leading Nie Yan inside. I’m certain the quest he accepted must be extraordinary. Ignatius is an extremely important figure in the Hilton Fortress, yet he showed great deference to Nie Yan. There’s only one possible explanation: Nie Yan’s status surpasses even his. I don’t know what title Nie Yan obtained, but shortly afterward, rumors spread that he had acquired a villa—it must have been his quest reward. From now on, if we encounter Nie Yan within the fortress, we should steer clear of him. His status is higher than ours, and any conflict would put us at a disadvantage,” Kuangfa explained. He recalled the incident where Pothian, the former guild leader of the Triumphant Empire, had been imprisoned for several days after clashing with Nie Yan. Therefore, if the Mage Alliance and the Sacred Guardians intended to target Nie Yan, they would have to do so outside the city, employing careful strategies to avoid being countered by him.
Shengyan wore a thoughtful expression. Nie Yan was indeed no ordinary person. Although the Bull Tribe was only a level 5 guild at the moment, its strength was no less than that of the Mage Alliance or the Sacred Guardians. In some aspects, such as the number of elite players, it even surpassed them. Combined with the recent revelations of Nie Yan’s high status in Carol City and the Hilton Fortress, it would not be easy for the two guilds to take down the Bull Tribe. This was simply beyond their capabilities. It all depended on what measures the Century Financial Group would take. If Angel Domination was willing to go all out, there might be a chance of success.
Just then, Kuangfa received a message. The people he had sent to track Nie Yan and Xie Yao had lost them completely—they had completely lost Nie Yan’s trail.
Kuangfa’s mood gradually darkened. It seemed that tracking Nie Yan’s location was no simple task.
“By the way, who were those five people who recently tried to ambush and nearly killed Nie Yan?” Shengyan asked. This was a piece of information he had painstakingly obtained from inside the Bull Tribe. The Mage Alliance had more timely intelligence, so he asked for details.
“They were from Blood Demon. I checked. These five people weren’t hired by the Century Financial Group. It seems that besides the Century Financial Group, another group is also targeting Nie Yan. They also seem quite formidable,” Kuangfa replied. Previously, they had sent Shadow Kill to ambush Nie Yan, but it had failed. These five from Blood Demon had nearly succeeded, forcing Nie Yan to use a random teleport scroll to escape. It seemed that in the future, fighting Nie Yan with just one or two people would be impossible. If they couldn’t match Nie Yan in skill, they would have to rely on numbers.
“There’s another faction targeting the Bull Tribe. This is going to get interesting. Can we make contact with them?” Shengyan smiled slightly. The more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it was for them.
“We haven’t been able to contact them yet. Blood Demon hasn’t responded. My people are already watching the Bull Tribe’s forces. Interested in pulling off something big?” Kuangfa looked at Shengyan and smiled.
“Go ahead, tell me your plan,” Shengyan said. He still needed to carefully weigh the options.
Outside the Hilton Fortress, Nie Yan and Xie Yao were swiftly heading toward their destination. Their speed was sufficient to evade any player tracking them. Previously, several players had followed behind Nie Yan and Xie Yao, attempting to tail them, but they were quickly discovered. Their speed was simply no match for Nie Yan and Xie Yao’s. They could only watch helplessly as the two disappeared into the horizon.
About ten minutes later, Nie Yan and Xie Yao arrived at the entrance of a cave.
This cave was located at the base of a cliff, with waves of scorching heat gushing from its entrance. Flickering firelight could be seen deep within.
Nie Yan removed several of his sub-legendary grade equipments and switched to fire-resistant gear. These fire-resistant equipments were also embedded with many fire-resistance gems. In total, Nie Yan’s fire resistance was now around 130. He turned to Xie Yao and said, “Put on the Core of the Inferno.”
“I already did,” Xie Yao replied, placing the Core of the Inferno in her accessory slot.
“How much fire resistance do you have now?”
“Without using fire resistance potions, about seventy or so,” Xie Yao replied. This level of fire resistance was already quite decent for her current level.
Nie Yan pondered for a moment and said, “That should be enough. When we start grinding monsters, follow my instructions and remember to use the high-grade fire resistance potions.” Xie Yao was the main damage dealer, so she needed to ensure sufficient magical damage output and couldn’t switch to a full set of fire-resistant gear like Nie Yan. For a mage, seventy fire resistance was already quite good.
“Nie Yan, I have something here. I’m not sure if it will be useful,” Xie Yao asked, handing Nie Yan two scrolls from her backpack.
These two scrolls were entirely woven from golden silk threads, rolled into a scroll, emitting a soft golden glow. They looked extremely exquisite. As soon as he caught a glimpse of them, Nie Yan’s gaze was drawn. He could be certain that these scrolls were definitely very rare and high-level items.
“What are these two scrolls?” Nie Yan asked.
“Scrolls of Resurrection, which can revive a teammate once. I obtained them while completing a quest,” Xie Yao replied, trading the scrolls to Nie Yan.
So they were Scrolls of Resurrection. In his previous life, Nie Yan had heard a little about resurrection scrolls and knew what they were. He had heard that a scroll like this could sell for several thousand gold coins, making it an exorbitant price among all consumables, but he had never had the chance to see one. Generally, such items were only accessible to top-tier teams or players. Once obtained, they usually wouldn’t be sold at auction but kept for emergencies. Therefore, these kinds of scrolls were rarely found in auction houses.
Nie Yan checked the attributes of the Scroll of Resurrection. The Scroll of Resurrection could revive a fallen teammate, but upon resurrection, the teammate would lose 20% experience, with additional penalties for red names. The revived teammate would be in a weakened state for ten minutes, with a 90% reduction in attributes, fully recovering after ten minutes. This Scroll of Resurrection could be used during combat.
In the absence of a priest, if a teammate died, using a Scroll of Resurrection was relatively cost-effective. For players like Xie Yao and Nie Yan, who were in the seventies to eighties or even nineties in level, losing one level meant a significant loss of experience points, which was far more valuable than the scroll itself.
“We’ll each take one of these Scrolls of Resurrection. If one of us dies, the other can revive the other,” Nie Yan suggested. Having these scrolls meant adding an extra layer of insurance for the two of them. If they encountered danger, as long as both didn’t die, it would be fine, and losing around 20% experience was manageable.
Under normal circumstances, with so many escape skills, Nie Yan wouldn’t easily die, but Xie Yao was more vulnerable. As a spellcaster, reaching such high-level areas meant that any monster hitting her once would kill her.
The two placed the Scrolls of Resurrection into their bags, fully prepared. Nie Yan entered the cave first to begin exploring.
After receiving the signal from Nie Yan, Xie Yao slowly entered the cave as well.
Based on information and vague memories from his previous life, Nie Yan explored the cave, avoiding the most active monster areas, gradually advancing deeper. Both Nie Yan and Xie Yao had high darkvision, so they wouldn’t get lost in the darkness.
Nie Yan led the way, with Xie Yao closely following about ten yards behind. This was a relatively safe distance; if Nie Yan encountered monsters ahead, Xie Yao would have enough time to hide.
Moving cautiously through the damp cave, in the distance Nie Yan spotted a tall giant completely engulfed in flames, holding two iron chains. He stood two yards tall, with a muscular frame composed entirely of rock, wearing only underwear.
The ground the giant stepped on ignited into raging flames, burning persistently.
An eighty-level boss creature, the Flame Giant!
In the dark underground world, Flame Giants were formidable foes that ordinary players couldn’t handle. They often appeared in areas with lava accumulations, possessing formidable combat power. Besides their strong melee capabilities, they also had decent fire magic attacks.
“Finally reached the area where Flame Giants spawn,” Nie Yan thought, estimating the distance between them and the Flame Giant to be about thirty yards. According to the location and information available, there was a passage leading to the area where Golden Beetles spawned nearby. This passage was about two hundred yards long, allowing only two players to pass side by side. There was a suitable spot for a Flame Giant to spawn there.
They needed to bypass this eighty-level boss Flame Giant first.
Seeing the Flame Giant moving in the distance, Xie Yao stopped, hiding in a corner.
“Nie Yan, what should we do now?” Xie Yao asked.
“Use invisibility potions, follow me,” Nie Yan said, entering stealth mode and moving forward cautiously.
After hearing Nie Yan’s words, Xie Yao took out the invisibility potions, drank one in one gulp, and her body faded into the darkness.
“Send me your coordinates,” Nie Yan said in the party chat; he needed to know Xie Yao’s position to coordinate.
Xie Yao sent her coordinates to Nie Yan.
“I’ll distract it,” Nie Yan said, taking out the Headless Horseman Doro’s Crossbow from his bag and shooting into the depths of the cave.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Five arrows flew through the air, landing in the depths of the cave and making some noise.
The Flame Giant, in a wandering state, heard the sound, stopped, hesitated for a moment, and then walked toward the source of the sound.
“Move together!” Nie Yan urgently said in the party chat. Both of them simultaneously quickened their pace.
By shooting arrows with the crossbow to distract the Flame Giant, it was estimated to move away for a few seconds, enough time for them to pass through.
Just as they were about to pass through, Nie Yan’s gaze locked onto a corner of the right rock wall. There were many Fire Stones piled there. Fire Stones were just ordinary ores; even if sold on the market, they were merely mid-tier junk worth one gold coin each, so Nie Yan wouldn’t normally pay attention. However, what caught his attention was a red treasure chest partially buried among the Fire Stones.
Nie Yan couldn’t tell what material the chest was made of, but it was baked red-hot by the fire elements emitted by the Fire Stones, radiating a scorching heat.
Even though it was just a fleeting glance, Nie Yan could be certain that this chest was at least dark gold level! Having opened so many chests, Nie Yan had a sharp eye for identifying chest levels.
In his previous life, when passing through this area, Nie Yan had never noticed any treasure chest, so it was likely that someone else had already opened it back then.
Soon, the heavy footsteps of the Flame Giant came from afar. Nie Yan’s expression changed; they had to leave quickly! Otherwise, if the Flame Giant returned and discovered them, they would be in danger.
Nie Yan and Xie Yao quickly rushed toward the distant passage, first hiding from the Flame Giant. As for how to open the treasure chest, they would have to make plans later.
The two quickly disappeared into the darkness of the corner.
The Flame Giant returned to its original position, looked around, and resumed its wandering state.
Nie Yan, hidden in the shadows, noticed that the Flame Giant was only five yards away from the dark gold treasure chest. Unless they defeated the Flame Giant, there was no way to open the chest.
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