Siegfried, knowing Chang Long had received a quest, eagerly volunteered to help as soon as he learned friends could join. He requested to add Chang Long as a friend, which made him realize he had turned off his communicator to avoid being teased by Rafael and others about Chang Long.

"All set. Chang Long, please create a party and invite me,"

Siegfried instructed, with Chang Long following his guidance on how to set up a party.

"Thanks. Having another high-level player like you join makes me feel a lot better,"

Chang Long genuinely thanked him.

"It's nothing. We're friends, after all!"

Siegfried quickly dismissed the praise, his face flushing.

"Right, master. Why not invite the friends we met at the Royal Cliff too? Sabia said there would be rewards for everyone involved in the mission, although she won't tell what they would be..."

Kitsune remembered Oliang and Wet Trash Can, their humorous friends!

"That's a good idea. They'd be interested in the rewards too!"

Chang Long agreed and immediately called Oliang using her wristwatch phone's function.

"What's up, Chang Long? Do you want to join us for some beast hunting?"

Oliang answered almost immediately.

"Not really, Oliang. I was calling to ask for your help with a quest,"

Chang Long clarified.

"What quest? And where do we have to go?"

Wet Trash Can, who was listening in, asked eagerly.

"It's a secret quest called Guardian Spirit quest. We need to safely escort a child back into the Fairy Forest and also slay the Goblin King!"

Chang Long answered truthfully. These two are smart, they would find out eventually, even if she lied. She wanted them to know exactly what they were getting into to make an informed decision, even if Oliang and Wet Trash Can might decline.

"Slay the Goblin King!!"

Both men exclaimed loudly, startling Chang Long.

"Why are you yelling? You scared me!"

Chang Long complained, trying to calm herself.

"It's us who should be shocked! Do you have any idea how strong the Goblin King is? And to reach him, we'd have to fight through hordes of his minions!"

Oliang responded, alarmed. With just the four of them, Oliang, Lidded Wet Trash Can, Chang Long, and Kitsune, seemed hardly enough for such a formidable task!

"So, you're saying you won't join? Then, I'll hang up,"

Chang Long briskly concluded.

"Wait a minute! It's not like that, Chang Long. I just wanted to ask who else would be joining you. Or is it just the four of us, me, Trash Can, you, and Kitsune?"

Oliang quickly clarified and asked back promptly.

"Siegfried is joining as well,"

Chang Long succinctly responded. The two men on the other end fell silent for a moment before shouting so loud that it almost burst Chang Long's eardrums,

"Siegfried from the Pendragon Guild!?"

"I guess so... unless there are multiple Siegfrieds in this game?"

Chang Long inquired while glancing at the young man next to her, who was giving her a faint smile.

"Oh... I can't believe Chang Long knows someone of that caliber. With him on the quest, we have a chance of succeeding. But we still need to recruit more capable people to be sure,"

Wet Trash Can responded in disbelief.

"What do you mean by that!"

Chang Long asked icily, taken aback by Wet Trash Can's seemingly derogatory remark.

"Er... it means..."

Wet Trash Can stammered, unable to find a good excuse.

"He means Chang Long is more resourceful than we thought!!"

Oliang quickly covered for him.

"Hmm... So, are you guys joining or not? If not, I'll invite others..."

Chang Long's tone was still slightly irked.

"Of course, we're in! But when do we start the quest?"

Oliang quickly replied.

"Not now. Meet me in the starting town first. It'll be more convenient. I'm about to go offline soon," Chang Long said, checking the time.

"Ok... I heard that there are goblins attacking the town though, it's not related to your quest, is it?"

Oliang inquired curiously.

"Well... it is, a little bit! See you in the starting town."

Chang Long ended the call abruptly.

"Are you going offline now?"

Siegfried asked after Chang Long finished her call.

"Yeah... So, I'm entrusting Sabia to you,"

Chang Long replied with a smile.

"Is Kitsune also going offline?"

The young man turned to Kitsune, who was playfully interacting with the little girl.

"Er... yes, that's right," Chang Long awkwardly replied.

Beep beep.

Siegfried's phone interrupted their conversation. He looked at his wristwatch, which showed that Draco, his best friend, was calling.

"What!"

He answered.

"Man! It took you forever to turn on the phone. Get back to the guild now, Sieg. Rafael and I are filling in for you!"

Draco immediately complained as soon as his friend picked up.

"Filling in... for what? What's going on?"

Siegfried asked, puzzled.

"Wow, are you deaf, buddy? There are explosions all over the town, people are screaming and panicking because a horde of goblin beasts has invaded. Didn't you notice anything at all? Right now, Draco and I are dispatching guild members to help fend them off. Other players of relatively high levels are also lending a hand. But you, the guild leader with the highest level among all the players on the starting island, mysteriously disappeared. What would others think?!!"

Draco almost ranted the listener's ears numb.

"Got it, I'll head there now. How's Peach Blossom?"

Siegfried responded, partially annoyed but did not forget to ask about his sister, whom he remembered was spacing out in his room the last time.

"She's fine now. She's cheerfully heading out to fight the goblins with the guild members,"

Draco snorted before replying.

"Umm... that's good. That's all for now, then. I'll head back to the guild."

"Okay, see you then."

"Chang Long, so I..."

Siegfried turned back to see a bewildered Chang Long looking at him, making him unable to continue.

"You... you know Peach Blossom?"

Chang Long pointed her trembling finger at Siegfried.

"Yes, I'm her biological brother... Oh, and it seems like Peach Blossom really likes you... Wait, where are you going, Chang Long?!!"

Siegfried, who was in the middle of speaking, saw Chang Long dash away without saying goodbye, leaving him dumbfounded and staring after her in total confusion. Was it something Peach Blossom did that upset Chang Long?

"I must go as well, sir. Please take care of Sabia for me,"

Kitsune said as he handed the young green-haired girl to Siegfried and hurriedly followed Chang Long.

"What's the rush with them... They must be about to go offline, I guess,"

Siegfried scratched his head, watching Kitsune rush off just like Chang Long.

"Big brother, I'm so hungry..."

The young girl Sabia tugged at Siegfried's sleeve.

"Hehe, are you hungry? Have some cookies first, hehe,"

Elder An, trying to make amends for frightening the girl, put on a cat mask and offered her a plate of cookies. He tried to sound as friendly as possible. Siegfried and the young girl Sabia turned to look at him simultaneously. Even though he covered his face, Elder An's voice still sounded quite creepy.

"W... Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

Sabia burst into loud cries the moment she saw the wrinkled, skeletal hand of Elder An. Even Siegfried was almost ready to run off right then and there but was worried about manners.

"I... I'll be going now,"

the young man bowed slightly and said goodbye to Elder An. Then, carrying Sabia who was still crying loudly, he walked away slowly. As soon as he was out of Elder An's sight, he started to speed up immediately, leaving the old man frozen in his cookies offering pose.

...

Chang got up from her gaming console at six in the morning, went to the bathroom for her morning routine, then walked down to the lower floor of her house.

"Good morning, Miss. You're up early today,"

Greeted Moddang, the housekeeper, as she saw Chang entering the kitchen.

"Good morning, Moddang. Where is Aunt Im?"

Chang replied and immediately asked about her nanny.

"Aunt Im is out giving alms, but she has prepared breakfast for you already,"

Moddang answered, serving Chang a bowl of fish porridge.

"What about Dad?"

Chang asked about her father next, even though she pretty much expected the answer.

"Master left around 4 AM, said he's off to Australia for 5 days,"

Moddang responded while pouring orange juice for Chang.

"Did anything seem off?"

This question implied 'was there any woman involved?'

"Nothing of the sort. Master said the board meeting was strictly a corporate,"

Moddang assured her, recalling that there was not any unusual cheerfulness or secretive calls while she helped pack his stuff.

"Uh-huh,"

Chang dragged her response, pondering over something. Lately, her dad had been getting too good at covering his tracks, making it hard to catch any slips.

"By the way, Miss Mi called around 10 PM last night, asking you to call her back,"

Moddang quickly added, remembering.

"Thanks."

Chang finished her second bowl of fish porridge and headed back upstairs. She picked up her mobile phone, which had been turned off, and called her best friend named Mi immediately.

"Hello, Chang,"

Mi answered warmly.

"Hi, Mi. Sorry I missed your call, was caught up in playing a game,"

Chang spoke while settling into a comfortable stuffed rocking chair.

"Playing a game? I'm playing one too, called Adventure World Online. What game are you playing?"

Mi asked excitedly.

"The same one,"

Chang replied, not surprised that she was also into gaming, as Mi was a hardcore gamer herself.

"Really? That's awesome! What's your in-game name? What level are you at? Have you chosen a class yet? And what city are you in right now?"

Mi bombarded her with questions, leaving Chang dizzy thinking which question she should answer first.

"My in-game name is Chang Long. I'm currently at level 43 and still in the starting town,"

Chang managed to reply, rocking the chair back and forth.

"Huh? When did you start playing? Level 43 means you've been playing for a while, right? As for me, my in-game name is Valentine, and I'm a level 49 ninja."

Mi rattled off in one breath.

"I just started yesterday..."

Chang answered, absentmindedly fiddling with her nails.

"Just started playing yesterday!! Are you joking, Chang? You just started playing yesterday and already hit level 43? Even with a double XP event for 7 days in-game time, 43 is way too high!"

Mi shouted through the phone so loudly that Chang had to tilt her head away from the piercing sound of her friend's voice.

"...Just happens to be good at it, you know. Hey! Are you in the starting town? I'm about to log into the game because I've planned to do a quest with some friends. Are you interested in joining?"

Chang asked back once Mi's deafening voice subsided.

"Nope, I'm in Kirisakura City on the Aseana Island, because I just finished a class change quest,"

Mi replied somewhat disappointedly.

"Then come back. I don't think this mission will be easy, even with Siegfried from the Pendragon Guild with us,"

Chang invited her friend.

"Siegfried of the Pendragon Guild? How did you know him? He's super famous, you know, for defeating the Jasper-scaled Dragon at Royal Cliff!!"

Mi's voice pierced through the phone once again.

"Uh-huh... Ah, let's talk later, Mi. I've got another call. If you get into the game, message me, okay? Bye,"

Chang quickly ended the call, fearing another ear-piercing moment.

"Bye."

"Hello?" Chang answered the incoming call after hanging up from Mi.

"Good day. I represent Asian Paradise Company. I'd like to request permission to publicize your discovery, if that's possible,"

the voice from the other end spoke directly to the point.

"My discovery?" Chang asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the discovery of one of the secret tombs of the Pirate King. We've only announced that it was found by someone but haven't disclosed who or where. On behalf of Asian Paradise Company, I am here to seek the permission from the discoverer before proceeding."

"As long as you don't mention anything about me or anything that can lead back to me, it's fine,"

Chang responded.

"In that case, I'll proceed with the announcement regarding the location of the discovery and the total value of the treasure inside. Regarding other details, I believe if we make it public, there's a risk that other players might deduce who the discoverer is... Thank you for your cooperation. Our company would like to offer you a small token of appreciation, which you can collect at the player service building immediately after you enter the game,"

the man, claiming to be a representative from Asian Paradise Company, concluded before hanging up.

"Oh, It's almost 8 o'clock. Better log into the game before Wet Trash Can and Oliang wait too long,"

Chang Long glanced at the clock as she walked towards her gaming console.

As soon as Chang logged in, she was greeted with the chaos unfolding in the starting town. Numerous players, both male and female, were running around, creating a rather headache-inducing scene. Chang Long headed straight to the player service area in the player service building to collect the reward that the man claiming to be a representative from Asian Paradise mentioned she could collect as soon as she entered the game.

"Hello, how may I assist you today?"

A female staff greeted Chang Long as she approached.

"I'm here to collect a reward..."

Chang Long responded, her voice lacking confidence due to her in-game character looking more masculine than her real self.

"You'll need to go to the quest reward section for that,"

the staff member replied with a slight chuckle, mistaking her request.

"It's not a quest reward..."

Chang Long clarified, slightly annoyed as she knew what the staff member was thinking.

"Oh! My apologies. What kind of reward is it then?"

The staff member quickly apologized and asked politely.

"Don't know!"

Chang Long replied curtly, causing the staff member to look distressed, thinking she had upset her.

"I...In that case, may I have your name, please?"

The staff member asked timidly, feeling guilty.

"Chang Long,"

she responded, still brief and to the point.

"One moment, please, Chang Long."

The staff member typed something into her computer, then bent down to pick up something and handed it to Chang Long, who walked away immediately after receiving it.

Chang Long stuffed the red envelope she received into her bag before finding a secluded corner to release Kitsune from the ring and summon Davy-chan from the spirit tablet.

'Welcome back, Master,'

Kitsune, in his large, fluffy, orange-gold three-tailed fox form, said affectionately nuzzling his master.

"I'm starving; let's find something to eat,"

Davy-chan said the moment he was summoned, eager for food without even wasting time greeting Chang Long.

"Okay, okay, but just let me make a call, one second,"

Chang Long hurriedly said, not waiting for Davy-chan's response before calling Oliang immediately.

"When did you log into the game, Chang Long?"

Oliang asked almost immediately after picking it up.

"Just now. Where are you and Wet Trash Can now?"

Chang Long asked in return.

"We're at the hotel, about to go out for a meal,"

Oliang replied.

"Great, then let's meet at the Nine Moon restaurant,"

Chang Long concluded and hung up.

"Uh... Kitsune, I'll have to seal you in the ring again. I'm worried there might be problems later since I'm not ready to reveal you're my pet,"

Chang Long explained, gently patting Kitsune, who was still in his majestic fiery fox form.

"Of course, Master. But don't forget to send my favorite food into the ring too,"

Kitsune cheerfully responded, understanding his master's feelings.

"Then... seal Kitsune!"

At Chang Long's command, Kitsune's form turned into a golden light and disappeared into the silver ring on Chang Long's finger. She then immediately called Siegfried.

-----

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