"I understand now. Thank you for explaining,"

Chang Long smiled at Kungten, causing the clerk to be momentarily charmed.

"So, Mister Chang Long, you would like to purchase two sets of the level 10 Nobleman's Autumn Outfit for a total of six million thirty-five thousand two hundred coins, correct?"

Kungten asked cheerfully before fetching another set of the nobleman's autumn outfit.

"Ah... Yes,"

Chang Long was slightly taken aback by the price but then handed over her VIP card. The clerk took it with a smile so wide her cheeks nearly burst.

"Thank you very much for your patronage,"

Kungten bowed deeply as she saw Chang Long leave the store. It was a rare encounter to find a big spender like Chang Long in the starting town.

Chang Long and Kitsune walked down the city streets looking for a potion shop and a pet supply store. Along the way, the two attracted significant attention, especially Kitsune, who clearly outshone his master. Female players looked at Kitsune in awe, admiring his graceful demeanor and handsome face that seemed almost divine, not to mention his soft nobleman's air. His master, on the other hand, was becoming worried, as he was incredibly handsome in human form and oddly striking in his beast form with three tails.

"Master, let's hurry away from here. I can't stand their stares any longer,"

Kitsune said to Chang Long, his cheeks blushing slightly.

"...Come here!"

Chang Long pulled Kitsune by the arm into a potion shop they had just reached, quickly closed the door behind them, and locked it immediately. The group of girls running after them was left disappointed as Chang Long shut the door in their faces.

"Hey, lad! How dare you close my shop," the potion shop owner, a kindly old man, scolded Chang Long for shutting his shop door.

"Wait, grandpa, don't open it unless you want to die!!"

Chang Long urgently stopped him as he was about to open the shop door.

"Hey, are you threatening me! What a hooligan. I'll report you to the GM," the old man said indignantly.

"It's not like that, grandpa. It's just that there are a lot of female players outside,"

Chang Long hurriedly explained, realizing the shop owner misunderstood her intentions.

"Having a lot of players around is good for business; my shop could use the sales," the old man grumbled, still intent on opening his shop as before.

"That might be the case if you manage to sell anything without getting trampled to death first,"

Chang Long remarked, causing the man's hand, poised to unlock the door to open the shop, to hesitate.

"What do you mean by that, lad!?"

The elderly owner of the potion shop asked with a surprised expression.

"I mean exactly what I said. If you want to open your shop soon, you should hurry up and sell us the potion so we can be on our way,"

Chang Long said while browsing various potions in the shop, aside from the blood crystals and mana crystals she was familiar with.

"So, those girls were following you two, huh? Sigh... Just grab whatever you need so I can open the shop properly,"

the elderly owner understood what Chang Long was implying, especially upon seeing how striking the two customers in his shop were.

Chang Long bought 20 jars of medium blood crystals (400 crystals), 10 jars of medium mana crystals (200 crystals), 2 boxes of high-quality healing salve, 2 jars of antidote (40 pills), and 2 jars of curse removing crystals (40 crystals). She thought the speed enhancing and power boosting crystals were too expensive (selling at 5000 coins per pill). She also bought 5 jars (100 crystals) of clear crystals that the owner said were for rejuvenating crystals, specifically for Kitsune.

After paying, Chang Long used her swift movement skill to dash out of the potion shop, so fast that the female players barely saw them leave. Luckily for Chang Long and Kitsune, most players on the starting island were newbies not exceeding level 30.

Chang Long then entered the general store to buy a comfortable tent, which had amenities on par with a hotel room, and a portable water bottle for Kitsune (naturally, receiving 5 teleportation scrolls as freebie due to the high price of the tent). Then, they went into the pet supply store, where they picked out a bracelet that looked like a player's wristwatch for Kitsune to wear, deceiving other players' eyes.

"We've bought everything we need, haven't we?"

Chang Long talked to Kitsune in a dark corner between the White Horse Hotel and the Nine Moon Restaurant.

"I believe that is everything, Master,"

Kitsune, standing in a contemplative pose, said.

"Ah... Look, that's a shrine over there. Let's check it out,"

Chang Long suggested. Without waiting for Kitsune's reply, she grabbed her faithful pet's hand and dashed into the shrine, enveloped in an eerie and secluded atmosphere.

….

At the Pendragon Guild's headquarters in the starting town, members gradually arrived for a meeting. Although the meeting was officially for administrative members and above, many members kept pouring in, eager to get real-time details of the discussions. This was because, after the meeting, the deputy guild leader would announce the decisions and details to all guild members immediately. Another significant reason for their attendance was to catch a glimpse of the guild leader's sister, Peach Blossom, whom many of the male members fancied.

"Peach Blossom, why aren't you joining the meeting?"

A male player bravely approached Peach Blossom, who sat with a scowl in the guild's lounge area.

"No way, it's so boring. Why does it say there's no player by this name!?"

Peach Blossom responded without taking her eyes off her wrist.

"What are you doing? Do you need help?"

The young man asked curiously, noticing Peach Blossom's fingers turning red from pressing her smartwatch screen so hard.

"Look, I'm trying to send a friend request to Master, but the system keeps saying there's no player by that name,"

Peach Blossom looked up at him for the first time, showing her smartwatch screen that read: There is no player by the name of Master in this game.

"Maybe you remembered his name wrong," the guild member suggested, his cheeks reddening as he met Peach Blossom's gaze.

"Impossible! I heard that young man who always follows him around calling him Master all the time,"

Peach Blossom said, visibly upset at the memory of her dream where Master was walking so close to that young man, making her even more furious.

"In that case, Master could be a nickname. Maybe he doesn't want anyone to know his real name, so he lets his... friend call him Master instead,"

the young man tried to offer the most plausible explanation.

"What! If that's true, how am I ever going to meet Master again!"

Peach Blossom whined instantly, regretting not asking for his real name and playing hard to get, to the point of not even knowing his name.

"If Peach Blossom and he are fated to meet, you will surely see him again. It's just a matter of time,"

the young man replied shyly.

"Right... Who are you anyway?"

Peach Blossom's mood improved, realizing she still had hope. She looked at the young man she was conversing with for the first time, thinking initially he was either Rafael or Draco who had approached her.

"You forgot me already? I'm Aden. Your brother invited me to join the guild a long time ago, but I just got around to it today,"

the young man explained with a smile, though Peach Blossom still did not seem to remember him.

"You might not remember my in-game name, Peach Blossom, but maybe you'll recall my real name. It's Mek. We live across from each other. Remember?"

He asked, unbothered by Peach Blossom's failure to recognize him.

"Oh, it's you! You got close to brother Id (Siegfried) pretty fast, considering you've only moved in a week ago,"

Peach Blossom acknowledged, finally remembering him.

"It's easy for a sociable guy like me to make friends,"

Aden boasted, and Peach Blossom laughed at his self-assurance, just as Siegfried walked in.

"You're... Aden, right?"

Siegfried inquired.

"Yes, that's me,"

Aden stood up to shake hands with Siegfried. He was a tanned young man with short, dark brown hair, sharp features, tall stature, and dressed in a ninja outfit.

"Sorry about the mess on your first day. I have to attend a guild meeting first before I can chat with you,"

Siegfried said politely, acknowledging Aden's well-mannered demeanor.

"No worries. I've already found someone to talk to. I can wait,"

Aden responded.

"Great... then, Peach Blossom, could you please take care of Aden? Show him around the guild or keep him company until I'm done with the meeting,"

Siegfried turned to instruct his sister.

"Sure thing. I was just looking for a shopping buddy anyway. But you better finish that meeting quickly, or your wallet might tear apart from waiting, hehe,"

Peach Blossom quipped before dragging Aden out of the guild hall in a hurry.

"Peach Blossom!!"

Siegfried could only call out as they disappeared.

"Damn it! Was it a mistake to give my dual credit card to Peach Blossom?"

The young man fretted before joining Rafael and Draco, who were waiting outside the meeting room.

"Who's that, Sieg? Peach Blossom seemed quite close to him,"

Draco asked as Siegfried approached, after observing the scene.

"Could that guy be Master, the one Peach Blossom is so obsessed with!?"

Rafael speculated, looking quite shocked.

"Really?!"

Draco was equally surprised.

"No, that's not him. That's Mek, the guy who moved into the house across from me last week. His in-game name is Aden. I think he's chosen the ninja profession,"

Siegfried explained to his best friends.

"Wow! Just moved in a week ago and he's already that close to Peach Blossom?"

Rafael commented, amazed. He knew very well how Peach Blossom, the guild's princess, was not one to easily warm up to anyone.

"Unbelievable! Or has our dear sister finally changed for real?"

Draco joked.

"I don't know. Ever since I saw her making a fuss about finding a player named Master, nothing surprises me anymore. Besides, it's good for her to have a friend so she won't be all by herself thinking about Master all the time,"

Siegfried said with a slightly exasperated expression.

"It's good though. With Peach Blossom's beauty and arrogance, she hasn't made a single friend in the game. She only had men chasing after her and women being jealous,"

Rafael said, laughing.

"At least that's one less thing to worry about Peach Blossom,"

Draco said with a smile.

"Guild leader, the branch leaders and unit heads are all present,"

a guild member reported to Siegfried.

"Alright. Let's start the meeting then. The discovery of one of the Pirate King's Tombs is more important than Peach Blossom's quest to find her Master anyway,"

Siegfried turned to his two deputy leaders.

"That's true... I'm still worried whether the one who found it is friend or foe,"

Draco agreed.

"If it's someone from the Dark Horse Guild or Doom Star Guild, then both we and the general players are in trouble. Those two are the most notorious guilds in the game,"

Rafael said with a worried tone.

"Anyway! All we can do is hold the meeting, gather all the information we have, and pray that whoever got the Pirate King's outfit is a good person,"

Siegfried consoled his friends with a big pat on their shoulders before leading them into the meeting room. The two men could only glare at his back before following him into the meeting.

The shrine Chang Long and Kitsune entered was eerily quiet and dim, with a chilly air and a faint mist, even though it was bright and sunny outside. Chang Long led the way along a single path paved with ancient, green stones. There were no structures along the way, only grave markers lined up on both sides.

"How come the sign says it's a shrine? This is clearly a graveyard,"

Chang Long muttered to herself as she continued to walk.

"Indeed, master,"

Kitsune, following closely behind, agreed, looking around warily.

After walking a considerable distance, they finally came upon a small, slightly dilapidated shrine, about four square meters in size at the end of the path. Chang Long approached for a closer look and saw an old man in a grimy white robe, stained with black splotches, sitting silently inside with his head down.

"Greetings~"

The old man's voice was hoarse and dry, startling Kitsune into jumping and clinging to Chang Long's arm, both of them retreated several steps with pale faces.

'A ghost... That's totally a ghost!!'

Chang Long panicked internally.

'It's a ghost, master, a ghost for sure. Let's flee!!'

Kitsune communicated telepathically in a panic.

'Calm down, Kitsune. Let's wait and see his intentions first!'

Chang Long telepathically reassured him. She mustered her courage. The master and her pet approached the old man again, though he sat far away, they were ready to run at any sign of danger.

"Hehehe... You're the first ones who didn't run away screaming. Come closer; I have something good to tell, hehehe..."

The old man looked up at Chang Long, smiling contentedly. He gestured for Chang Long and Kitsune to sit by him, then started preparing tea. The tea he brewed was thick, black, and bubbly.

Chang Long cautiously sat down. She was both curious and afraid of the old man, who has pale skin, wrinkled and with deep, dark panda-like eyes, and thin lips with a toothless mouth. He looked more like a ghost than a person.

"If you don't believe I'm human, want to touch and see for yourself? Hehehe,"

the old man insisted that he was indeed human by offering Chang Long to touch him.

"I don't think that's a good idea,"

Chang Long said, her voice trembling.

"It's fine. Go ahead, hehehe,"

the old man grinned, clearly enjoying teasing Chang Long. With no other choice and despite knowing the old man was just playing with her, Chang Long bravely reached out to touch the old man's body, under Kitsune's anxious gaze.

-----

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