Chapter 5: The Man on the Eaves

Kevin’s mouth was full of noodles. He wanted to finish quickly so the other three wouldn’t have to wait for him, but unexpectedly, the three had no intention of waiting and were already leaving. He could only nod his head.

Suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly spat out the mouthful of noodles and rushed out the door, but the three were already out of sight. It seemed that although they had appeared calm inside the room, as soon as they got outside, they must have sprinted away—otherwise, how could they have disappeared so quickly?

Damn, they didn’t even tell me which internet café they’re going to. How am I supposed to find them, ghosts? Kevin Young cursed inwardly, helplessly pulling out his phone for one last attempt, though he knew it was a long shot. The three always claimed that they couldn’t let worldly distractions disturb their spiritual cultivation in the game, so they never turned on their phones while playing. And outside of the game, they were always sleeping, so it was even more impossible to disturb them. In short, their phones were never on.

A pleasant female voice, speaking English more fluently and clearly than any listening exam, came from the phone, shattering Kevin Young’s hopes.

Helpless, Kevin Young finished his noodles and returned to the internet café he had left just an hour ago. The owner beamed when he saw Kevin Young, “Back again? Planning to stay all night?”

“You really know me, boss!”

“Of course! I’ve been running this internet café for years. Not only can I tell you’re planning an all-nighter, but I can also tell you weren’t a regular online gamer before!”

“Oh? How can you tell?”

“Heh, people who come to internet cafés to game all the time don’t look as neat and tidy as you, with your well-groomed hair!”

Kevin thought of his three roommates and realized it was true. “Boss, are there any computers left?”

“Yep, the one you used is still free. You can go back to your spot!”

“Okay!” Kevin replied and returned to his familiar seat by the window. He logged into the game.

In the game, Eric Ford was still in the newbie village, having just been bombarded by a series of “ding ding ding”s and had forgotten everything else—he hadn’t even left yet.

He went straight to find the village chief. The chief once again affirmed Eric’s achievements and gave him some words of encouragement for the future, then asked where he wanted to go.

“Can I go anywhere?”

“Not exactly. I can only send you to a few cities around our village!”

“Can I come back after I leave?”

“In theory, no. But since you’re the most accomplished young person in our village’s history, if you ever need help, everyone in the village will do their utmost to help you. After all, our village has, since a long, long time ago…”

“Ah, chief, I need to get going. Just send me anywhere, please!”

“Alright, good child. From now on, you’ll be traveling the world. Don’t bring shame to our village. After all, our village has, since a long, long time ago…”

“Don’t worry, chief, I won’t disgrace our village. Oh, looks like someone else is coming to the village—I won’t keep you, and you don’t need to give me any more advice. Just send me, come on, let’s go!”

Eric Ford really wished he could just slap the chief into the ground.

“Sigh, such a sensible child. I really hate to see you go! Alright, I won’t say any more. Off you go!” Before he finished speaking, the screen flashed, and Eric Ford had already left the village.

The scene darkened and then brightened, and he found himself in a huge plaza—how big, he couldn’t tell, as there were too many people.

The bustling crowd before him made Eric Ford excited; after a whole day, he was finally seeing some real people.

Among the crowd were people in cloaks and straw hats; some wore the village chief’s robe and waved paper fans; others were clad in bronze armor, holding long spears; some were bald and wrapped in monk’s robes; and there were quite a few female warriors in tight outfits with gleaming swords slung across their backs…

Wow, this is thrilling! What excited Eric Ford even more was that there were quite a few people dressed like him, in working-class clothes, and many were carrying Uncle Li’s legendary axe, making it look like an axe gang gathering.

After wandering around for a while, Eric Ford’s excitement gradually subsided. To be honest, this plaza was just a big marketplace! No wonder there were so many people. But this city was really huge—Eric Ford had only taken a few steps away from the plaza and was already lost.

Eric Ford was now weaving through several streets, but since this area was all residential, and the buildings all looked the same, he couldn’t tell one from another!

After circling a few times, Eric Ford finally saw someone sitting on the eaves of a house ahead. He hurried over. “Excuse me, where am I?”

The person gave Eric Ford a strange look, then, seeing his outfit, nodded in understanding and said, “This is Xiangyang City, one of the major cities.”

“So where am I in the city right now?”

“You’re just on a street. It’s not like in real life where there are street names and house numbers!”

“True. So how do I get back to that crowded plaza?”

“That’s hard to explain in words. Why don’t you come up here and take a look?” With that, the person leaped down, grabbed Eric Ford, and jumped up onto the eaves, then with another leap, landed on the roof of a nearby taller building.