"Penalty after death!"

Oliang and Wet Trash Can, Peach Blossom, Draco, and even Rafael all exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief. They all knew how skilled Chang Long was. The fact that she had never died once since playing the game made it even harder for her friends to accept this sudden turn of events.

"How is this possible? Chang Long is dead!"

Oliang was the first to speak, his expression one of utter disbelief.

"Exactly. She could handle all kinds of tough beasts, and even high-level players from guilds like Dark Horse couldn't defeat her. What on earth happened to Chang Long!"

Wet Trash Can was equally perplexed. The group put aside guild matters and began an earnest discussion about what could have led to the death of someone they considered one of the strongest players in the game.

Before long, Kimhant called Oliang, followed by Destiny, Phiros, Jane and Hero, and Duncan. They all shared the same confusion and curiosity about what had happened to Chang Long, assuming that Oliang and his group might know since they frequently accompanied her on adventures. But it turned out that this time Chang Long had gone solo, leaving everyone clueless about the cause of her death. Still, they all speculated that someone as strong as Chang Long had to have died at the hands of a Beast King, especially since she had been on Aseana Island, a place notorious for powerful and deadly creatures. High level Beast King were not hard to find. The speculation continued wildly, with the group even imagining epic battle scenes between Chang Long and the mysterious Beast King. After more than an hour of these discussions, they decided that the best way to solve the mystery was to ask Chang Long directly.

"Less than an hour left—Peach Blossom will call Master Chang myself!"

Peach Blossom volunteered enthusiastically.

"Why does it have to be you? I think master wouldn't want to receive your call!"

Kimhant, who was part of the conference call, objected. He wanted to be the one to contact Chang Long himself.

"Why wouldn't Master Chang want to take my call? She would definitely take my call, I'm her dearest. If you call though, she might just hang up!"

Peach Blossom snapped at Kimhant, forgetting her promise to Chang Long to be on her best behavior and not act out.

"I think master's eardrum would burst and then she would die again before answering any of our questions,"

Phiros quipped. Even now, he had to hold his phone away from his ear due to Peach Blossom's shouting. There was no way Chang Long, who was easily annoyed, would tolerate it.

"And who do you think you are to say that!"

Peach Blossom turned her wrath on Phiros, infuriated by someone she did not know daring to criticize her. She was so angry she wanted to rage at him right away.

"I'm Phiros, the leader of the Caesar Guild from Troy,"

Phiros introduced himself flatly, using his pinky finger to clear his ear after the loud shouting.

"Hahaha. Looks like the head of a big guild from Europa managed to shut you up, Peach Blossom!"

Hero teased Peach Blossom loudly, thoroughly enjoying the moment, and soon everyone burst into laughter, not holding back at all. This upset Peach Blossom. She angrily left the call and walked away. Her older brother could only shake his head in exasperation, though he did not try to stop her, thinking it was best to let her cool off.

"So, who's going to call Chang Long?"

Destiny asked curiously, once everyone had finished laughing and returned to the conversation.

"I'll do it,"

Siegfried volunteered this time. Everyone turned to look at him simultaneously before shaking their heads in disagreement.

"You can't. By the time you manage to have a proper conversation with Chang Long, it'll be next century!"

Draco and Rafael objected together.

"What did you say!"

Siegfried snapped back, annoyed at his two friends' comments.

"Honestly, by the time you two get a word in, Chang Long would probably hang up out of sheer boredom. Let me do it. I guarantee results!"

Oliang offered confidently. Everyone quickly agreed without hesitation, knowing that Oliang, as part of the Oliang and Wet Trash Can duo, had known Chang Long first and could talk to her more easily. They all decided to wait for Chang Long's penalty period to end so Oliang could call her and clarify what had happened to her. They also made a silent vow: whoever had managed to kill Chang Long would be someone to avoid at all costs.

Outside the log-in building, a tall, fresh-faced young woman with a slightly boyish appearance walked out, looking frustrated. She had sighed countless times, still unsettled by what had happened two hours earlier. The Beast King Jezebel, level 130, had perished just minutes before she herself had died. Chang Long had gained a significant amount of experience, but she had been punished by losing five levels, dropping from 68 to 63, and half of her accumulated experience points had been wiped out. This meant the newly gained experience only pushed her up by one level, placing her at level 64. In her hand, she held a black orb—the Eye of Darkness—though she had no idea what skills it held within.

Chang Long wandered out of the log-in building in a daze, unfamiliar with the city around her. The architecture was styled in ancient Chinese design, and she felt as though she had been transported back in time to an ancient world. It was grand and held a strange sense of magic. The only thing that reminded her she was still in an online game was the various players of different professions bustling about, buying items from merchant players who had set up stalls along the streets. Feeling confused and out of place in this unfamiliar city, Chang Long decided to approach a player who seemed friendly.

"Uh, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead, bro!"

The player responded eagerly, not even looking up at Chang Long, as he was busy polishing his twin swords with great care.

"What's the name of this city?"

Chang Long's question caused the man to pause and look up at her, astonished. He stared at her as if she were some kind of oddity, but quickly composed himself, laughed, and awkwardly asked back,

"Oh come on. You must be messing with me, right? Trying to test my knowledge. A city with this kind of traditional Chinese decoration can only be Longshan City!"

Chang Long tried to recall the place. She had indeed been to Longshan City before, but it had been a rushed visit. She never really had the chance to explore it properly, as her first visit to Longshan was interrupted by a chaotic event. That time, she and her friends had come to find human ginseng, which led to an uproar in the city. It ended with them clashing with the local guild, Dark Horse, the largest guild on Asiana Island. Due to their (sarcastically) wonderful reputation of most players in that guild, Chang Long had not felt like returning to Longshan since. But she had to admit, the city was indeed beautiful.

"Oh..."

Chang Long responded absentmindedly. She thought about strolling around Longshan a bit. With her appearance now drastically changed, it was unlikely that any of the Dark Horse Guild members she had clashed with would recognize her. So, she left the player polishing his sword, who stared after her in equal confusion, and began walking slowly down the wide stone-paved streets of Longshan. Players bustled about everywhere, and the NPCs and AI characters were all dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, creating a mesmerizing atmosphere. For a moment, Chang Long wondered if the ancient martial world really looked like this. Here and now, though, she found herself enjoying the ambiance so much that she forgot about her recent level drop and the mysterious orb she had yet to identify.

Feeling more at ease, she did not even realize she was smiling as she wandered through the city. After everything she had been through today, she deserved some downtime. Devi-chan would not mind if his heir took a break from intense training to relax a bit. Chang Long continued to roam the city, paying little attention to the stares of the other players, as she was fully immersed in the beauty of Longshan City.

It was around 8 PM, and the city was still lively, with players browsing and shopping. Many eyes were drawn to a particular player who was casually strolling down the street, whether it was because of her appearance or the outfit she wore. Even the player who had been polishing his sword with such care was now following Chang Long, intrigued. Up ahead, there was a gathering of Dark Horse Guild members, most of whom seemed quite drunk. One of them, more intoxicated than the others, was being carried out of a restaurant by two large players.

Unaware of the commotion ahead, Chang Long kept walking, thinking of finding something to eat before renting a room to rest. However, loud shouting reached her ears, followed by something sharp and glinting whizzing past her face, narrowly missing her.

"Argh. Calm down, Guild Leader. We're investigating right now. We've got some leads."

A large player, carrying a muscular man about 180 cm tall who was clearly drunk, shouted loudly as he dodged the massive, high-level sword the drunk man was swinging around with ease. Players nearby quickly backed away, forming a circular gap around the group. Chang Long, standing nearby, watched the commotion with clear irritation.

"I don't care. You've kept me waiting forever with no progress. That damn Demos already got the Pirate King's set, and look at us—we've got nothing. Not even a lead on the map. And then he had the nerve to call and mock me. How am I supposed to just sit around and wait!"

The guild leader roared as he slashed the massive sword with golden Chinese dragon pattern on the handle at his two subordinates. With each swing, waves of energy in the shape of crescent blades shot from the sword, forcing the surrounding players to scatter in panic.

"Hey, you!"

Chang Long called out sharply, her patience clearly wearing thin. All three of the influential-looking players turned to her. The two large subordinates immediately looked displeased and seemed ready to confront her, clearly underestimating who they were dealing with.

"Hold it. You two, stop right there!"

The guild leader commanded, halting his men from trying to carp Chang Long. He then took a steady—albeit tipsy—stride forward, his expression softening in a surprisingly gentle way, a stark contrast to his earlier behavior. Trying to compose himself, he attempted to exude an air of authority and charm, despite his current state.

"How can I help you, young lady?"

He asked in a deep, seemingly impressive voice. Chang Long frowned and responded icily,

"Who's your young lady? Move aside, I'm in a hurry."

With that, she walked away, leaving the three players—and the surrounding onlookers—completely baffled. Everyone was surprised that the fiery-tempered guild leader, known for his impulsive and aggressive nature, did not lash out at Chang Long for daring to order him to move. Even more surprising was how the guild leader actually stepped aside without protest, watching her leave with an unusual gaze, his mood seemingly improved. He leaned toward one of his subordinates and whispered something. The subordinate scowled but immediately set off after Chang Long, who was quickly disappearing into the crowd.

"Let's head back, Ma,"

The guild leader, Aswa, said cheerfully to his remaining subordinate, Ma, who was still stunned by his sudden mood shift. Aswa even hummed a tune as he walked, leaving Ma scrambling to follow in silence, too afraid to question him in case Aswa's temper flared up again.

After that brief, annoying encounter, Chang Long decided to find an inn and get some rest. She figured she would order food from the Horn of Abundance, and have her spirits and pets join her meal. She found a room in a two-story Chinese-style inn and, upon entering, collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, Chang Long groggily woke up, her stomach growling. She reached into her bag, pulling out the Horn of Abundance and a set of tableware. She ordered food for herself and the favorite dishes of her spirits and pets, except for Alice-chan. She fished out a bottle resembling wine from her bag, setting it next to an elegantly cut wine glass on the table. Then, she took out three spirit tablets and the Fluffy –Head-chan puppet.

"Spirit Summoning. Release Kitsune. Release Hulu. Release Brownie. Anya, come out,"

The spirits and pets appeared before her, immediately surrounding her with concern, especially Devi-chan, who alternated between scolding and comforting her so much that it left her a bit dazed.

Brownie sat on the table near Anya, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds from a small dish and nibbling on them, his eyes fixed on the fairy girl. Anya, sipping nectar from flower pollen with a smile, seemed to enjoy Brownie's dazed expression and found his cute appearance quite endearing. She reached out to gently pat his head, causing Brownie to blush furiously and pass out, falling backward onto the table. His reaction elicited a round of laughter from the spirits sitting around the table.

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