Nian Yan’s voice message came through.
“Are you in the city? I’ve already got twenty silver coins. Where are you now? I’ll come immediately.”
The message came from Cui Can Dao Guang (Cui Candanguang).
“I’m at the auction house.”
“Okay, I’m coming right away.”
“I have a friend coming over,” Nian Yan said to Daotou Dage Qi Zi (Daotou Dage Qizi) and others.
“No problem, we don’t have anything else to do. We can chat together,” Daotou Dage Qizi replied. He had heard that Nian Yan was planning to form a team and was still considering whether to form his own team or tag along with Nian Yan. Although he had always wanted to form a team, he had struggled due to the lack of skilled and experienced players around him. Forming a team with Nian Yan was also difficult for him emotionally.
While Nian Yan was chatting casually with Daotou Dage Qizi and others, Cui Candanguang approached.
“Hello,” Cui Candanguang greeted Nian Yan.
Cui Candanguang’s appearance astonished Daotou Dage Qizi and the others. His outfit was impressive: a set of silver-white armor, and a dark golden shield in his left hand. The armor and shield were clearly no ordinary equipment, evident from their design style and the runes engraved upon them.
His equipment was stunning, leaving a strong first impression on Daotou Dage Qizi, Wang Ji (Forgotten), and others.
Cui Candanguang seemed to be in a bad mood, looking somewhat discouraged. It seemed that the incident Nian Yan had warned him about had indeed happened earlier than expected. Nian Yan glanced at Cui Candanguang’s chest and noticed he wasn’t wearing a guild badge.
“Did you quit the guild?” Nian Yan asked.
“Tsk, that piece of crap guild. I wasn’t happy there anyway,” Cui Candanguang replied disdainfully.
Nian Yan could tell from his tone that Cui Candanguang had indeed fallen out with Hei Zhuo (Hei Zhuo). Anyone betrayed by their best friend and lover would naturally be upset. The reason Zong Heng Tian Xia (Zong Heng Tian Xia) had grown so quickly was largely due to Cui Candanguang’s reputation. Later, as the guild expanded, Hei Zhuo gained real power, and Cui Candanguang’s role diminished. Nian Yan’s unintentional interference had caused Zong Heng Tian Xia, still in its infancy, to suddenly become unstable.
“It’s just a guild. Don’t take it too hard,” Nian Yan comforted Cui Candanguang. Although Cui Candanguang was somewhat arrogant, he was a good person, otherwise Nian Yan wouldn’t have warned him in the first place.
“I’m not that narrow-minded,” Cui Candanguang forced a smile. Although he tried to appear indifferent, only he truly knew how he felt inside. He would never admit to being betrayed by his lover and best friend—he couldn’t bear the shame.
Since Cui Candanguang didn’t bring it up, Nian Yan wouldn’t pry into his wounds.
“Now that you’ve left the guild, do you have a team yet?” Nian Yan asked. In the previous timeline, Cui Candanguang had been one of the top three tank warriors. If he was free, how could Nian Yan let such an opportunity slip?
“Not yet. Are you forming a fixed team now?”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it.”
“If you can form a fixed team, that’s fine. But let me make one thing clear—I’ll leave if I feel this team has no future,” Cui Candanguang’s words were harsh and somewhat offensive, but at least they were honest, which was better than those who pretended to be friendly while being insincere.
“Fine with me. I’m just forming this team for fun anyway. Occasionally, we’ll team up for a dungeon, but I won’t restrict the members’ freedom,” Nian Yan replied. He himself preferred a more relaxed lifestyle and didn’t want the burden of managing a team constantly. As long as he knew enough people, he could gather a group whenever he wanted to tackle a dungeon. To retain team members in a fixed team, the main issue was whether the team could consistently provide good rewards and survive the challenges of dungeons, rather than restricting members’ freedom.
Nian Yan’s ultimate goal was to have several top-tier gear-farming teams and a loyal following. Occasionally, he would guide them through dungeons, gradually building up his strength.
Nian Yan preferred to work alone. His understanding of the game had surpassed others’, and even as a solo player, he could become an extremely powerful rogue.
“That works. Just let me know when we’re heading into a dungeon,” Cui Candanguang agreed.
“It’s still early. Let’s talk about it in a few days.”
Listening to Nian Yan and Cui Candanguang’s conversation, Daotou Dage Qizi started thinking. If Nian Yan could recruit a tank warrior with such excellent equipment, joining his team wouldn’t be a bad idea. For them, finding a good tank warrior was extremely difficult.
“If you ever head into a dungeon, count us in,” Daotou Dage Qizi said.
“Sure,” Nian Yan nodded. At this point, they had a top-three tank warrior, a holy priest, a decent rogue, and Tang Yao’s acceptable magic damage. Recruiting a few high-damage mages and a few technically skilled players would form the prototype of a top-tier team.
They had only been chatting for a while when Nian Yan received another voice message—this time from Shi Tou (Shi Tou).
“Expert, are you free today?” Shi Tou asked.
“What’s up?”
“Our guild wants to move our scheduled time for the Ogmat Mire dungeon to today. According to official news, a new dungeon called Sos Valley will be released tomorrow, and we might need to go there for the initial clearing,” Shi Tou explained, feeling somewhat embarrassed since they had originally agreed on tomorrow.
“That’s fine. I don’t have anything else to do today, so I should have enough time,” Nian Yan agreed. Tomorrow, the Sos Valley would open, and he could wait a bit. He could gradually release his stock of Black Fen reagents after the market’s supply had been exhausted. Tomorrow would have its own challenges, but for today, time was limited, making it the perfect opportunity to tackle a dungeon. “I have a few friends here. Let me say goodbye to them first. Where should we meet?”
“Meet at the teleportation point in Carol City in five minutes.”
“Got it.”
Nian Yan agreed and turned to Cui Candanguang, Daotou Dage Qizi, and others. “Sorry, I have to go with my friends to the Ogmat Mire dungeon today. Let’s talk another time.”
“No problem. I need to go grind experience soon. We’ll talk next time,” Cui Candanguang nodded.
Daotou Dage Qizi, Wang Ji, Yi Yan, and others showed expressions of envy. They hadn’t formed a team yet and were completely cut off from dungeon content, especially high-end dungeons like Ogmat Mire. This further solidified Daotou Dage Qizi’s decision—joining Nian Yan’s team was a more sensible choice. After all, Nian Yan frequently participated in various teams and had extensive dungeon experience, which would help them avoid many pitfalls.
Nian Yan traded the Lion King Shield to Cui Candanguang, receiving twenty silver coins in return. He said goodbye to Cui Candanguang, Daotou Dage Qizi, and others and headed toward the teleportation platform.
Eager to try his new equipment, Cui Candanguang immediately equipped the Lion King Shield. The Lion King Shield was a brown tower shield made entirely of metal, extremely sturdy, with magically reinforced edges. The golden glow on its surface was dazzling.
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