Everyone present shifted their gaze to Gu Jiu.
Since both Odinson and Huo Ting had revealed their trump cards with genuine sincerity, if they were to cooperate, it was only fair for Gu Jiu to reveal hers as well.
Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze felt a little uneasy.
The trump cards Odinson and Huo Ting had presented were simply too advantageous, significantly aiding their mission. If their young lady couldn’t present a card of equal value, they wouldn’t openly criticize her. However, it would tarnish her reputation, causing others to subconsciously exclude them. Not only would it affect their standing among the players, but it would also result in fewer points.
While fewer points might be tolerable, squandering such a golden opportunity to build connections would be a real pity.
Chai Yingying, always quick-witted, had already deduced the main system’s intention in bringing players from the Eastern and Western factions together.
The mission in Ella Town wasn’t particularly challenging. The only real threat came from the magical creatures, but with Huo Ting’s presence, that danger was significantly mitigated.
For the players, Ella Town served as a testing ground—a way for the system to evaluate the necessity of collaboration between the Eastern and Western factions.
If successful, it might even influence the future game-clearing mechanisms.
Naturally, she hoped the young lady could demonstrate an ability so dazzling that everyone would be left in awe and wholeheartedly convinced.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Gu Jiu remained composed.
She smiled lightly and said, “I can disperse the fog in advance, though only for a limited time.”
Huh?
The players looked at her in surprise. That was indeed a feasible plan. The fog was tied to the magical array, and being able to control it indirectly meant controlling the activation of the array.
“That’s a good idea,” Odinson nodded slightly.
Huo Ting, however, kept his gaze on Gu Jiu. Based on what he knew of her, this was probably not all she had to offer.
Sure enough, Gu Jiu smiled brightly and added, “And, I think I know where the Witch Ella is.”
The room erupted in astonished murmurs.
This was what truly captured their attention.
Their mission was to find the cursed Witch Ella. But with so many Ellas in this town, they couldn’t tell which one, if any, was the witch. So far, they hadn’t found a single clue related to Witch Ella.
Odinson asked with interest, “Where is the Witch Ella?”
Gu Jiu shook her head. “There’s no point in saying it now.”
“What do you mean, ‘no point’?” A Western player, looking skeptical, questioned her. His expression suggested he suspected she was bluffing, unable to present a convincing trump card.
Huo Ting shot the player a cold glance and said, “I trust her.”
Odinson’s deep green eyes locked onto Gu Jiu for a long moment, but in the end, he refrained from pressing her further.
The three began discussing their next steps.
As dawn broke, the group checked the time and decided against returning to their rooms to rest. Instead, they pulled out their provisions and started their breakfast.
Upstairs, the resting players gradually came down.
As the players who had been resting upstairs trickled down, they were surprised to see a group already seated in the hall, having breakfast.
“Odinson, you’re up this early today?” Mina asked. “Are you planning to head out again later?”
The Western players accompanying Mina discreetly observed Odinson. While he had indeed been waking up early over the past few days, his followers usually weren’t as disciplined. Yet, here they were, all sitting together early in the morning. This unexpected scene made them think twice.
Odinson merely nodded slightly without offering any further explanation.
Chen Zhiru, coming downstairs with Yang Bing, glanced at Huo Ting and then at Gu Jiu, her expression shifting unpredictably.
Yang Bing asked softly, “Brother Ting, did you guys not sleep last night?”
Huo Ting replied, “We did.” He added casually, “Just woke up in the middle of the night, that’s all.”
Hearing this, Yang Bing refrained from asking more questions. However, she vaguely guessed that something must have happened last night—something unnoticed or deliberately concealed by this group.
Chen Zhiru, on the other hand, was simmering with frustration.
She felt excluded by those two once again.
In the past, her lack of qualifications stemmed from merely being the daughter of the Chen family—her status and family background weren’t enough. But now, she was also a player. Why was she still not allowed to join?
—
After finishing their breakfast, Odinson led his teammates outside first.
By now, Chai Yingying and the others understood Odinson’s daily routine: he was exploring the fog-covered town of Ella, mapping it out. They had discovered that the entire town was essentially a giant magical array. Odinson and his team needed to measure every inch of it.
Huo Ting patiently waited for Yang Bing and Chen Zhiru to finish their breakfast before leading his own team out.
Like Odinson, Huo Ting was also mapping Ella Town, ensuring every magical node that summoned creatures was accounted for, leaving no gaps.
Gu Jiu wiped her mouth leisurely and took Chai Yingying and the others outside.
“Where are we going, Miss?” Jiang Ze asked.
“East woods to gather Mistgrass.”
With their destination decided, the four headed straight for the eastern woods.
—
On the way, they encountered magical creatures but quickly dealt with them. Over the past few days, their battles with these creatures had helped them develop several effective strategies. By now, unless the number of creatures exceeded five, they weren’t much of a threat.
An hour later, they arrived at the eastern woods.
The thick fog limited visibility to only 100 meters. Within this range, the edges of the woods were covered in Mistgrass.
This Mistgrass seemed inexhaustible. No matter how much had been harvested the day before, it would regrow by the next morning, as though the fog itself was its fertilizer. As long as the fog remained, the Mistgrass would continue to grow endlessly.
This time, Gu Jiu harvested a large amount of Mistgrass and instructed Chai Yingying and the others to gather even more.
“Why are we gathering so much?” Chai Yingying asked.
“It’ll be useful.”
Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze exchanged glances, both feeling slightly baffled. Although they had been moving as a group for most of the mission, save for three hours around midday, Gu Jiu always seemed to know more than the rest of them. It left them wondering if they were simply not paying enough attention—or if their young lady was just always one step ahead.
“Why is all the Mistgrass gone here?”
A shocked voice emerged from the dense fog. The four of them immediately recognized it as Chen Zhiru’s.
Gu Jiu’s group casually uprooted the last patches of Mistgrass. Eventually, within the 100-meter visibility range, they saw Huo Ting and his team, who also noticed Gu Jiu’s group.
“Did you guys harvest all the Mistgrass here?” Chen Zhiru asked in disbelief.
Gu Jiu ignored her and instead asked Huo Ting, “What brings you here?”
“Just passing by.” Huo Ting walked over, his gaze shifting subtly between Gu Jiu and Lu Ji, his expression slightly complicated.
Lu Ji looked at him calmly, deliberately inching closer to Gu Jiu. However, his girlfriend quickly wrapped her arm around his waist. He flushed slightly, a bit embarrassed but also smug in front of a potential rival.
Huo Ting’s eyes swept over him and shifted to the depths of the forest. He asked, “Ah Jiu, have you gone inside?”
Gu Jiu gave a light “Mm” in response. “The boundary of the barrier is about 4,000 meters in.”
Chen Zhiru was fuming. Gu Jiu didn’t bother answering her, and yet Huo Ting seemed entirely focused on speaking with Gu Jiu. It was enough to make her nearly explode with rage.
“Why are you collecting so much Mistgrass?” she asked again.
Chai Yingying grinned and said, “Obviously for a good reason. Why else would we bother collecting it? Isn’t that a silly question?”
Chen Zhiru’s face turned pale with anger as she glared at Chai Yingying. To her, anyone hanging around Gu Jiu, including Chai Yingying, wasn’t a good person. They were probably just as infuriating as that young lady herself.
Still, beneath her disdain, she also pitied Chai Yingying. It was clear to her that Chai Yingying was merely a lackey. What’s there to be smug about being someone’s sidekick?
—
After getting confirmation from Gu Jiu, Huo Ting led his team into the forest to continue measuring the boundary of the town’s magical barrier.
Chen Zhiru glanced at them as they left. Clutching a lone stalk of Mistgrass she had found nearby, a malicious thought crept into her mind. She could secretly toss the Mistgrass onto Gu Jiu when no one was paying attention. If the magical creatures went berserk and killed her…
It wouldn’t be her fault.
“Zhiru.”
Her heart leaped in panic as she looked up and saw Huo Ting. He had stopped at some point and was now staring at her with deep, penetrating eyes. For a moment, she felt as if he had seen right through her thoughts, and her face stiffened.
But it was just a thought—she hadn’t actually done anything wrong.
With this justification in mind, she mustered some confidence. “Brother Ting, what is it?”
Huo Ting said, “I know you’re not very bright. You’re no match for Gu Jiu, so admitting that she’s better than you isn’t a big deal.”
Chen Zhiru: “…” Get lost! Why would she admit something so upsetting?
“So don’t do anything foolish. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to give up on you,” Huo Ting said, unusually serious.
Chen Zhiru’s eyes instantly reddened. She looked at him with a pitiful expression and choked out, “Brother Ting, what are you saying? Are you really going to…”
Huo Ting remained unmoved and simply said, “Mm. You know my bottom line. I hope you remember it.”
Chen Zhiru’s heart burned with resentment. “Your bottom line is Gu Jiu?”
“No,” Huo Ting said calmly. “My bottom line is the real world and the nation.” He paused for a moment. “Gu Jiu is also a citizen of our country.”
Chen Zhiru: “…” So, in the end, doesn’t that mean your bottom line includes Gu Jiu?
This time, Chen Zhiru was genuinely heartbroken. In the past, when he had forbidden her from using player tactics against ordinary people, she had consoled herself with the thought that Gu Jiu was just a regular person. The Chen family would inevitably overpower the Gu family, and she could crush Gu Jiu using ordinary means.
But now, with Gu Jiu revealed as a player, her leverage was gone.
How could she possibly compete with Gu Jiu now?
—
Gu Jiu and her team returned to the town’s only plaza.
Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze grew tense. The memory of nearly being run to exhaustion by a horde of magical creatures the previous day was still fresh in their minds. If it hadn’t been for Gu Jiu stepping in, they might have taken a detour altogether.
Knowing full well that the open terrain here meant more magical creatures and greater danger, they had no desire to come back.
Cautiously, the two trailed behind Gu Jiu and Lu Ji as they approached the large clock tower in the plaza.
The ticking of gears echoed faintly through the fog.
“You two wait here. I’ll go up and take a look,” Gu Jiu instructed Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze.
They nodded and watched as she and Lu Ji moved to the stone wall beneath the clock. There, an iron door sealed an entrance. Behind it, a staircase led to the clock mechanism above. Town residents occasionally used this entrance to wind the clock whenever it stopped.
The iron door was rusted and covered in grime, a clear sign that the townsfolk rarely ventured inside.
Gu Jiu grabbed the chain lock on the door and, with a slight pull, broke it. She opened the door and ascended the staircase.
Lu Ji stayed at the entrance, keeping watch as Gu Jiu climbed upward.
Gu Jiu remained at the top for nearly ten minutes.
Meanwhile, Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze waited nervously below. They had no idea what she was doing up there and were hyper-alert, watching and listening for any signs of approaching danger.
As more magical creatures gathered in the fog, their anxiety mounted.
“Miss, there are already six magical creatures here,” Chai Yingying warned.
Whether Gu Jiu heard her or not from behind the stone wall was unclear. Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze, facing the growing number of creatures, were sweating profusely and clutching their weapons tightly.
Finally, two magical creatures charged toward them.
Jiang Ze raised his energy gun and fired, trying to hold them back.
The creatures were incredibly fast. Despite their best efforts to delay them, the number of magical creatures quickly swelled to over a dozen, surrounding the stone wall and the clock tower.
Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze felt like helpless prey encircled by a pack of wolves.
Just as they were about to be struck by the creatures, Lu Ji emerged from behind the stone wall. With barely any visible movement, several creatures were flung backward, hurtling dozens of meters before coming to a stop.
The two were left speechless. As expected of the hidden powerhouse, finally willing to make a move.
During last night’s three-way discussion, both of them had been tempted to reveal Lu Ji’s strength. After all, their young lady wasn’t the only one with trump cards—Lu Ji had plenty of his own.
Gu Jiu finally descended from the tower. With a flick of her blood-red nails, she carved a path through the creatures, leaving a trail of carnage.