Chapter 1781: Invitation to a B-Rank Instance
“That’s why I said it’s different, but this topic is too early for you. Focus on raising your player level first.” The Magician glanced at the time and added, “I’ll be leaving the E-Class Wormhole Point soon and won’t be back for a long time. Don’t come looking for me for a while.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than he vanished from his seat, clearly having gotten off the train somewhere.
Xu Huo felt a slight disappointment. The Magician was already among those who had touched upon the rules of the game’s operation.
A few minutes later, a torrential downpour began outside the tracks. Within two minutes, it turned into a thunderstorm, then into hail, hammering against the carriage with a crackling sound.
Someone walked over from the front carriage, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite Xu Huo.
Xu Huo lounged lazily against the soft sofa back. “Something on your mind?”
The Golden-Eyed Player had shed his previous confrontational attitude and was now remarkably calm. “I didn’t expect you to know a Super Player.”
Xu Huo lifted his eyelids to look at him. “You’re not thinking of fighting me on the train again, are you?”
“That’s not it.” The Golden-Eyed Player smiled. “If I wanted to make a move, I wouldn’t have helped you out of that jam.”
He was referring to the earlier incident when Xu Huo had been trapped inside a prop by six players.
“Thanks.” Xu Huo paused, then said, “This is the second time you’ve copied my ticket. Isn’t that a bit wasteful?”
“Not a waste.” The Golden-Eyed Player’s smile didn’t waver. “Consider it making a friend.”
Xu Huo didn’t take the bait.
The Golden-Eyed Player didn’t mind and continued on his own, “A Bounty Hunter has professional ethics. Since I accepted the bounty, I naturally can’t turn against the client midway.”
“However,” he shifted the topic, “just as I can accept a bounty, I can also abandon it.”
The implication was clear: he no longer intended to pursue Xu Huo for that box.
“You’re pretty flexible,” Xu Huo remarked, as if the player hadn’t previously insisted he would never “set a precedent.” “You don’t know what’s inside the box?”
Xu Huo asked.
“The person paying generally doesn’t tell the Bounty Hunter the specific item being pursued,” the Golden-Eyed Player said. “A reputable Bounty Hunter won’t deliberately open it to look, either. Those without reputation don’t last long in this trade, and no one will pay you a high price.”
It was clear he loved this profession.
Xu Huo was silent for a long moment. “A bounty item worth fifty million White Notes—the price offered to you probably wouldn’t exceed that figure. You’ve followed that box through at least four or five districts. Aren’t you taking a loss?”
The Golden-Eyed Player fell silent too, then said after a while, “Most of the time, it only costs some tickets and time.”
He rarely encountered a situation like this one, where the bounty item had changed hands several times, each time in a different district, and was too slippery to hold onto.
Bounty missions were generally downward-facing. The client would provide some information, and if the holder’s strength was clear, players of equal or higher rank would take the job. The Golden-Eyed Player, being skilled in tracking, could do it at a lower cost with a higher success rate.
The price for such bounty missions was reasonable—not too low, but not too high either.
For missions where the holder was unknown and the bounty item was priced higher, there was often a premium, as the risk was greater and required higher-ranked players to complete.
“Overall, Bounty Hunter is a relatively high-income profession.”
Xu Huo nodded slightly, waiting for him to get to the point.
Soon, the Golden-Eyed Player tentatively stated his purpose. “Are you interested in tackling a B-Rank Instance?”
“I looked into the details of the Ember Maiden Instance. There’s too much useless information in it. Sifting through it is extremely difficult, and filtering out accurate, useful clues takes a lot of time. Plus, Master Solan didn’t give any hints about the painting’s hiding place. That’s why no one has cleared it in the ten-plus years since it appeared.”
“That’s normal. Even I couldn’t clear it within the Instance’s time limit. It’s only natural you got an SSS rating.”
“But that’s not why I helped you out.”
“Whatever your motives, the fact that you were willing to seek justice for someone who died over a hundred years ago shows you have principles. Like someone with professional ethics, you’re not the type to be a great villain. So I want to invite you to a B-Rank Instance together. You need to level up anyway. With your strength, cross-rank Instance clearing shouldn’t be a big problem, and it can shorten your leveling time.”
“You can invite players of the same rank,” Xu Huo said.
“There are very few people I can trust, especially for team clears.” The Golden-Eyed Player said with a hint of self-mockery, “For some reason, I don’t have much luck with friends. I’m always prone to betrayal.”
“But I don’t think someone like you would do that.”
Xu Huo stared at him for a few seconds before asking, “What kind of Instance? I can consider it.”
“A search-and-find Instance.”
The Golden-Eyed Player roughly described the Instance’s content: it involved finding a publicly known lost item, a legendary and very special prop once lost by a certain Super Player. After the Super Player’s death, it formed an Instance. However, the Instance had existed for many years, and no one had ever cleared it.
Of course, if the lost item had been found, the Instance probably wouldn’t still exist.
“Due to environmental changes, finding the lost item has become more difficult and dangerous. Few people specifically do this Instance anymore. And the old Instance clues are basically useless now…”
The Golden-Eyed Player looked at Xu Huo. “If you’re interested, we can search together. Whoever gets the prop can keep it, and the other person just compensates with money.”
“You’re good at tracking?” Xu Huo mentioned.
“That’s right, but searching for items is still a bit different,” the Golden-Eyed Player said. “Besides, that Instance is best played in a team. Going in alone is too dangerous.”
Meaning he knew about this Instance but hadn’t been there himself.
Xu Huo thought for a moment and then refused. His reason was simple: he could level up step by step without taking unnecessary risks.
“You’re not tempted by a Super Player’s lost item?” the Golden-Eyed Player asked, as if in disbelief.
“So many high-level players haven’t found it. Why do you think I’d have that luck?” Xu Huo asked with a smile.
“There are many high-level players, but very few have gotten an SSS rating,” the Golden-Eyed Player pressed on. “If you don’t trust me, that’s fine. I can wait until you’re healed.”
He left a business card with his contact information, then stood up and left the carriage.
At the door, he stopped and turned back. “I hope you’ll consider it carefully. For someone with real strength, this kind of Instance is an opportunity.”
After the carriage door closed, Xu Huo moved to a seat near the front door and set up a simple defensive arrangement.
Opportunity or not was hard to say, but the Golden-Eyed Player was clearly not someone to be trusted. Even if Xu Huo were to go to a B-Rank Instance, he wouldn’t choose this one.