Chapter 72: Seeking Partners

The Invincible stall owner enthusiastically explained much about Crimson Earth to her: such as the territorial influence of various organizations within the Main City and the services they provided; which public spaces existed, which Sanctuaries were open to Players, and which Sanctuaries belonged to private organizations; as well as the relationship between Civilian Players and Official Players, which Instance Dungeons could be farmed, and which were monopolized by the authorities.

This gave Kamiyu a general understanding of Crimson Earth, saving her from having to blindly seek information from others everywhere.

After listening to the stall owner’s introduction to Crimson Earth, Kamiyu thought to herself that Crimson Earth truly differed from the Real World—it was entirely self-governed and co-managed by Players, forming a unique ecosystem.

Kamiyu felt this ecosystem was much like an online forum.

There were no so-called “game authorities,” Guilds, Squads, or Club management committees—these authoritative organizations that established “laws” and maintained order.

Instead, order in the Main City was maintained through collective negotiation and mutual assistance among everyone.

This aspect alone greatly appealed to Kamiyu.

Moreover, there was freedom of movement—the three major organizations, Guilds, Squads, and Clubs, never restricted Players’ mobility, allowing them to decide for themselves where to stay.

Don’t like this Guild? Just leave—there was no rule about stripping departing Players of their possessions.

Want to be a solo Player? No one forced you to live a certain way; you could play however you wished.

Quitting the team? That simply didn’t work in Crimson Earth.

Kamiyu learned that originally, no one collected tolls at the various entrances and exits of the Main City—Players could come and go freely. However, since the so-called Official Players appeared and their numbers grew, they began setting up checkpoints to charge fees.

Yet, many Civilian Players also impersonated Official Players to collect fees indiscriminately, pinning the blame on the Official Players.

The Invincible stall owner told Kamiyu that many Official Players monopolized several Instance Dungeons in the Wilderness Zone, using cheap labor to farm items from these dungeons and dumping them on the market. Only they profited, ruining the market.

Some Official Players continuously brought the ways of Reality into Crimson Earth, seeking to completely dominate it and enslave everyone.

If not for a few opposing Beta Testers holding the line, Crimson Earth would have long become a cesspool.

After hearing all this, Kamiyu felt she hadn’t been wrong to kill those 10 Players earlier, nor to kill Bai Zhan.

Enslave everyone?

That meant standing in opposition to her own goals. For her to develop and survive, she could not allow herself to be enslaved by others.

She wanted to carve out a place for herself in Crimson Earth, establish a firm footing, and contend with the increasingly powerful Official Players.

Currently, the relationship between Civilian Players and Official Players was like fire and water. The Main City appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were swirling.

Now, looking back, Kamiyu realized why Civilian Players were so enthusiastic about farming equipment and wanted to purchase the 23 Weapons in her Trading Post space.

It was because they were building up their strength. Those 23 Weapons originally belonged to the authorities but had now entered the market, bought by both Civilian and Official Players.

For every additional Weapon bought by a Civilian Player, one less was Recovered by an Official Player. The strength of Civilian Players grew with each purchase, while that of Official Players diminished.

Kamiyu nodded inwardly and said, “So that’s how it is. What looks like a hot market is actually a tug-of-war, a struggle behind the scenes.”

She continued to let her imagination run wild. “Then couldn’t I play the classic role of an arms dealer, a merchant of death—selling equipment to fan the flames?”

“Hahaha, just thinking about it is thrilling.” The more Kamiyu thought about it, the more excited she became.

Since civilian players and official players held two different sets of values and followed two distinct “gaming philosophies,” it meant there was an irreconcilable conflict between them, one that would inevitably lead to a life-or-death struggle.

And in the middle of it all, there was room for Kamiyu to maneuver.

With her Manufacturing Sage Talent and Enhancement Talent, she was essentially a “Blacksmith” role. In reality, she would be the embodiment of a large military-industrial complex.

She could manufacture and sell items to support the civilian players.

If she were a bit more unscrupulous, she could even influence this “struggle”—or even “war.”

Originally, she had just wanted to brew a batch of Potions to apply Buffs to everyone, speeding up Material Farming so she could earn a bit more.

She never expected her small-scale efforts could escalate to this level.

A sense of excitement and impulse surged within Kamiyu, along with a grand sense of mission—as if a great responsibility had been bestowed upon her, and she could shape the game’s landscape.

“Action speaks louder than thoughts. Overthinking is useless. I must take action, I must take the first step.” Kamiyu took a deep breath.

She calmed down and seriously considered her next move. To grow, she couldn’t go it alone; she needed partnerships.

She had to choose her partners carefully. The Bandit Team, Dragon at Large? Kamiyu immediately ruled them out.

The stall owner from the Invincible Guild had been very warm and friendly toward her, but she couldn’t rely on just one source of information.

Kamiyu decided to head to a public place first—the Rose Tavern—to gather some intelligence.

Though called a tavern, it was actually a mission hall, similar to a Guild hall in a game.

What was special was that Crimson Earth had no NPCs. Everything was created and maintained by the players themselves. If there was a need for a place to exchange information or accept missions, the players would spontaneously establish one.

According to the stall owner, the Rose Tavern was actually a special Guild—one that treated Crimson Earth, a survival game with permadeath, as a role-playing game.

It provided intermediary services for Solo Players and Organizations, offered safe resting spaces for Solo Players, and created a pleasant, relaxed environment for everyone to socialize.

The Rose Tavern was exactly that kind of place.

When Kamiyu walked in, she found only a few people inside. Just a couple of players working NPC-like roles were on duty behind the bar. She thought to herself, of course—everyone was desperately Mob Grinding and Material Farming in the Wilderness Zone. Who had time to come here and idle around?

The staff player noticed the “newcomer” and greeted her warmly, “What would you like to drink?”

Kamiyu raised an eyebrow, feeling cautious. Crimson Earth allowed eating and drinking, but could these things be poisoned?

The staff player skillfully continued, as if talking to themselves, “Don’t worry, miss. The tavern is a public safe zone. Every item served will be personally appraised by a Light Priest right at your table.”

Kamiyu nodded. Since she was already here, she might as well try a drink. After all, if she remained seated without moving for two seconds, she would enter a 10-second invincible state. Even if she took an ultimate skill head-on, she wouldn’t die.

“Frog water, bat red liquid, wild agave… what are these things? Are they even drinkable?” Kamiyu sat down and glanced at the menu.

She felt that even if she wasn’t poisoned, she’d probably get an upset stomach.

“These are specialty drinks of Crimson Earth. They’re refreshing, quench your thirst, and can even apply buffs,” the staff member explained.

“Just give me a glass of water, please.”

Players in Crimson Earth had various status effects. If they were hungry or thirsty, they would suffer from debuffs.

“I’d like to know which organization or organizations here are the most powerful,” Kamiyu got straight to the point.

The staff member politely replied, “Our Rose Tavern is like a jack-of-all-trades for players. Since you’re a new player, we won’t charge you this time.”

The staff member then asked in return, “What kind of power are you referring to?”

Kamiyu thought for a moment and answered, “All aspects, especially in terms of transactions. Simply put, which Guild is the richest?”