The value of real estate can only be realized in the future; left untouched, its price soars at an astonishing rate day by day.
With his current funds, Nie Yan’s purchasing power was extremely limited; buying even one or two plots of land was already a difficult task. Nie Yan could only strive to accumulate more capital, but human ability had its limits—he could only do so much.
“Hillock is a beautiful city, and its residents are kind and hospitable. Welcome to Hillock and consider purchasing property here; I hope you enjoy your time here,” said Governor Karen with a friendly smile.
Governor Karen appeared very approachable. Hearing her words, Nie Yan raised his eyebrows and suddenly recalled something: it was said that Karen, the governor of Hillock, was the kindest among all governors and especially enjoyed hearing players praise Hillock.
“I love Hillock; it’s the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. It’s the brightest pearl in the entire realm of Griland…” Nie Yan lavished compliments without restraint, spouting words of praise until he felt goosebumps on his skin.
However, Governor Karen wore a delighted expression, her eyes narrowing into slits as she looked at Nie Yan with increasing warmth.
System: You have gained Governor Karen’s favor. Hillock Reputation +7.
Nie Yan hadn’t expected that flattery could bring such benefits—unexpectedly earning seven points of respect.
“Hillock is indeed a beautiful place, and that’s beyond dispute; thus it earned the name ‘Emerald City’…” Governor Karen began sharing some interesting stories about Hillock with Nie Yan. Initially, Nie Yan treated them as casual anecdotes, but gradually he became more and more astonished.
Governor Karen told Nie Yan that to the south of Hillock lay a fabled Gold City, well known to everyone, but few were aware of a Golden Island located in the eastern sea near Hillock. Accessible only at level sixty, the island was rich in various gems and was said to be the last place where the legendary item, the Orapa Staff of Judgment, disappeared.
Additionally, Karen mentioned that in a house in the northern district of Hillock lived a mysterious equipment master named Ke Xi, who sold some extraordinary gear every Monday and Wednesday. With Karen’s recommendation, Nie Yan could go there to take a look, and Karen even provided the location and coordinates. If he was lucky, he might purchase one or two top-tier items.
Karen also shared information about other places where low- and mid-tier rare items were sold, which greatly benefited Nie Yan.
As they were chatting, some noise came from the entrance of the hall. Nie Yan looked up and saw a warrior clad entirely in dark iron armor walking toward him and Governor Karen.
His dark golden armor was covered in black patterns. The gauntlets, breastplate, horned helmet, greaves, and pauldrons were all lined with metallic serrations, making him appear fully armed and armored. A massive iron sword was slung across his back, and with each step, the heavy metal armor struck the crystal floor rhythmically. His tall frame and heavy armor gave off a powerful, imposing presence.
Upon seeing Nie Yan, the warrior hesitated briefly, then walked straight over.
It was Metal Storm—the ultimate set for Berserkers! Nie Yan cast a detection spell on the warrior and narrowed his eyes.
Ai Qiang Sha (Love Damage): Level 11 Warrior.
Nie Yan would never believe that a player with such impressive gear could be an unknown ordinary player, but he never expected it to be him!
Ai Qiang Sha was the leader of Hillock’s top guild, the Berserker Alliance. It was said that at its peak, the Berserker Alliance controlled five of Hillock’s six major strongholds, making it the undisputed ruler of Hillock. Its strength ranked among the top five in the entire Griland Empire, until certain events caused it to drop from the rankings. Besides being a famous name in the game, Ai Qiang Sha was also a prominent figure in real life—the leader of the Berserker Studio, ranked fifth on the Professional Player Rankings, and his ranking was still rising.
In his previous life, Nie Yan had never reached the level of someone like Ai Qiang Sha. Back then, Nie Yan’s position on the professional player rankings probably didn’t even reach the top two hundred. Although Nie Yan had once been just one step away from becoming a Shadow Dancer, many skilled players had fallen short at that very point. Ai Qiang Sha, however, had always remained in the top three of the Berserker Rankings and had even held the number one spot for an entire year at his peak.
The emerald city of Hillock became extraordinarily glorious because of him.
The Berserker Studio had always been powerful, with at least six players among the top thirty professional rankings. Known for their iron discipline, their guilds swept across Hillock and even captured two strongholds in Moonlight City.
When Kai Xuan launched his campaign for supremacy, the Berserker Alliance stood alone against both Kai Xuan and Zhan Dao Shixue (Bloodthirsty Blade), inflicting heavy losses upon them. With an army of fewer than 100,000, they repelled over 600,000 troops from Kai Xuan and Zhan Dao Shixue, establishing themselves as the most formidable force of their era. However, under the machinations of the capital tycoon Cao Xu, the Berserker Alliance began to crumble from within—nearly twenty studio members departed, and Ai Qiang Sha’s Berserker Alliance ultimately suffered a devastating defeat. Many guild members resigned, and the entire organization dwindled to fewer than 60,000 members.
Yet Ai Qiang Sha still managed to hold onto Hillock’s final stronghold with his remaining 60,000 members, resisting relentless attacks from 300,000 enemies and remaining as solid as a rock. He repelled countless assaults from Kai Xuan and Zhan Dao Shixue, forcing them to retreat.
With unshakable will, he earned the title of hero.
Although the Berserker Alliance had dwindled to fewer than 60,000 members, it remained a steel-clad alliance. Each member held deep loyalty toward the guild, embodying a firm faith and belief. As for those who had left, they often expressed regret when speaking of the Berserker Alliance. They should have stood shoulder to shoulder with the alliance on the city walls, but instead, they had betrayed it. Compared to those who remained until the end, they were despicable traitors—cowards without honor.
To fight together, to face powerful enemies together, to share life and death—there is a bond known as comrades-in-arms!
Nie Yan had once been deeply moved by this kind of bond, and thus held Ai Qiang Sha in great respect.
“Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Ai Qiang Sha.” Ai Qiang Sha’s smile was bright, snapping Nie Yan out of his thoughts. Ai Qiang Sha’s demeanor made it hard to associate him with the iron-fisted leader of the Berserker Alliance from Nie Yan’s past.
“Nice to meet you too. I’m Nie Yan.” Nie Yan nodded. “An enemy of my enemy is a friend.” In the past, Ai Qiang Sha had clashed fiercely with Kai Xuan and Zhan Dao Shixue, and there must have been good reasons for that—perhaps they had already had conflicts in previous games.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” Ai Qiang Sha felt that he knew most of the notable players in Hillock, at least by name if not in person, but Nie Yan seemed unfamiliar.
“I came from Carol City.” Nie Yan replied without hesitation; Ai Qiang Sha probably already knew.
“Carol City, huh? There must be many big guilds there.” Ai Qiang Sha smiled. Although Hillock was known as the sixth-largest city, compared to Carol City, it was just a small town. “You don’t seem to be in a guild.”
“I’m an independent player.”
“You bought that piece of land?” Ai Qiang Sha casually glanced at the city model in the distance and pointed toward the southern plot, asking in surprise.
“Yes.”
“I’ve had my eye on that land for a while. It took me three whole days to gather the money, but I didn’t expect you to buy it first. You’ve got good taste.” Ai Qiang Sha chuckled bitterly.
“What a coincidence.”
“Well then, I’ll just buy another piece.” Ai Qiang Sha waved it off, accepting the situation with a broad mind.
“May I ask which plot you’d like?” Governor Karen smiled at Ai Qiang Sha.
“I’ll take this one.” Ai Qiang Sha pointed to a plot and completed the transaction with Governor Karen. Although this plot was slightly inferior to the one Nie Yan had chosen, it was still a prime location, clearly showing Ai Qiang Sha’s sharp eye. His high ranking on the professional player list proved his deep understanding of the game; his strategic insight was no worse than Nie Yan’s.
Meeting Ai Qiang Sha reminded Nie Yan that there were many powerful players in the game. If Ai Qiang Sha had already started acquiring land, then other guild leaders would likely follow suit. With these big players devouring the properties, the land would soon be completely divided. If Nie Yan didn’t act quickly to secure more plots, he would soon miss his chance.
“Let’s add each other as friends. More friends mean more opportunities. Would you be interested in joining our guild? With your financial resources, if we cooperate, we could achieve great things. At least in Hillock, no guild can rival the Berserker Alliance.” Ai Qiang Sha extended an invitation—that was his true intention. Although he didn’t know Nie Yan’s background, the fact that a player could spend such a large sum on land at once was already impressive.
“Adding friends is fine, but I prefer to remain an independent player. I’m not used to the restrictions of a guild.” Nie Yan politely declined.
“No problem.” Ai Qiang Sha hadn’t expected much, but adding a friend was still a good outcome. Since Nie Yan had decided to purchase land in Hillock, their paths would inevitably cross again. Whether they ended up as allies or enemies, it was better to get to know each other first—knowing yourself and knowing your enemy ensures victory in every battle.
System: Ai Qiang Sha has requested to add you as a friend. Do you accept?
Yes!
System: You are now friends with Ai Qiang Sha.
Nie Yan added Ai Qiang Sha as a friend with a thought in mind: for now, they had no conflicting interests. If one day Ai Qiang Sha’s Alliance clashed with Kai Xuan, then Ai Qiang Sha could become an ally Nie Yan could count on.
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