Chapter 1093: Deep Schemes (First Update)
"Hmph, a tiny alliance dares to oppose the Horde? How utterly delusional!"
Even though he had already reached the entrance of the Scarlet Monastery, Zou Zhuo couldn't help but replay the massive battle in Hillsbrad Foothills between the Alliance and the Horde in his mind.
After the flames of war ignited yesterday, the contested territories of Hillsbrad Foothills, Arathi Highlands, and Stranglethorn Vale had erupted into chaos as the Alliance and Horde clashed almost simultaneously. Zou Zhuo and Old P had fought until the skies darkened in Hillsbrad Foothills, only stopping when they were utterly exhausted, barely managing to complete a few quests and level up before logging off.
At just over level 30, they could finally attempt to farm the Scarlet Monastery.
Zou Zhuo and his group had already picked up several quests for the Scarlet Monastery. They could have headed straight to Arathi Highlands to continue leveling through quests, but since they were so close to the monastery, there was no reason not to farm it.
As their squad arrived at the monastery entrance, they spotted two familiar figures.
A glance at the guild names confirmed it—those were their old enemies from before!
Besides those two, there were three other members. This was an Alliance party!
Zou Zhuo barely restrained himself from charging straight at them, only to see the entire Alliance party pull out magical reins from a distance, mount up, and ride off without a second glance.
Watching the Alliance party disappear into the distance, Zou Zhuo forcefully suppressed his urge to charge.
It was then he realized they were all a solid level 40...
Looking at himself, barely past 30, he knew that if he had charged, he'd probably be a corpse before even reaching them.
"I have a question... Did we get played by those two Alliance guys?"
Zou Zhuo scratched his head in confusion.
What was going on? How had the level gap widened again in just one day?
And not only that, but the entire party had already bought mounts. What the hell?
Lin Xue also reflected deeply: "If I remember correctly, those two were the ones causing chaos in Hillsbrad Foothills, right? Then... while the Alliance and Horde were locked in battle, they just slipped away, farmed the Scarlet Monastery, and hit level 40?"
"This is... all a scheme!" Zou Zhuo was stunned. "But I have a question—how could they farm the dungeon and buy mounts at the same time?!"
It was no wonder Zou Zhuo couldn't figure it out. The Alliance didn't have it as easy as the Horde when it came to reaching the Scarlet Monastery. For the Horde, it was just a short run from the Undercity.
But for Humans and Night Elves, getting to the monastery meant a long trek through the Wetlands, then back to their respective capital cities. That journey took forever.
Old P thought for a moment: "Little fatty, use your brain. They just took turns going back... then used the summoning stone to pull everyone back."
Zou Zhuo looked baffled: "But they'd still have to make the trip one way!"
Old P sighed: "They must have bound their hearthstones to their capital cities before coming to the monastery. That way, when they hit the right level, they'd hearth back, buy the mount, and get summoned back to the dungeon. Then the next person would do the same. As for the gold—I heard riding skill is expensive, dozens of gold—but with their leveling speed, their whole guild must have been supporting them. They could borrow gold from guildmates and pay it back later."
Zou Zhuo was shocked: "This... the city is full of schemes! So you're saying these Alliance players have already finished farming the Scarlet Monastery?!"
Old P nodded grimly: "I think that's very likely."
Zou Zhuo: "...They finish the dungeon, run into us at the entrance, and show off. This is truly unbearable... Wait, I've got a weird feeling."
The little fatty suddenly sensed something was off.
Those two Alliance players seemed way too skilled at this game...
First, their mechanics. That Mage and Hunter had incredible control, especially the Hunter's technique of "kiting" elite mobs. After videos of it spread across various streaming sites, it had sparked heated discussions. Countless Hunters, as if discovering a new continent, had abandoned their quests to frantically practice this technique.
Was it hard? Of course it was! Try running forward while spinning 360 degrees, firing an arrow, and hitting your target dead-on!
Of course, World of Warcraft had adjusted the physics and player capabilities so that any player could perform a 360-degree spin in the air with practice—it was allowed by the game's mechanics.
But to fire an arrow mid-spin and hit your target required talent and a lot of practice...
And these two Alliance players weren't just mechanically skilled; they had an incredibly deep understanding of the game's mechanics...
Looking back, the entire war in Hillsbrad Foothills, Stranglethorn Vale, and Arathi Highlands had been sparked by those two. They stirred up chaos, fueled the hatred between Alliance and Horde, and then just slipped away!
While everyone else was locked in battle, they seized the precious time to clear the entire Scarlet Monastery. And judging by their efficiency, they were leveling fast too—already at level 40...
Zou Zhuo would never believe they didn't have prior knowledge of the game's mechanics.
He suspiciously opened his friends list. Chen Mo and Li Jingsi's statuses were both gray.
But Zou Zhuo had a nagging feeling something was wrong. With World of Warcraft launching, there was no way those two wouldn't be playing!
Since they weren't online, it could only mean one thing... they were secretly playing on alts.
Although Thunder Game passes were tied to ID numbers, one ID could be linked to multiple accounts. There was no restriction on creating alts.
"Let's get into the dungeon first. I need to ask the boss if those two Alliance players are them."
As he entered the dungeon, Zou Zhuo opened his chat software in the game pod and messaged Chen Mo: "Boss! Tell me the truth, was that Alliance player with the ridiculously long name at the Scarlet Monastery entrance you?!"
Chen Mo replied instantly: "No!"
Zou Zhuo was certain: "Don't bother denying it—it's definitely you! If it weren't, your first reaction would be to ask who the Alliance player was, not to immediately deny it!"
Chen Mo: "Heh."
Zou Zhuo was stunned. What the hell was "heh"? Was that a roundabout admission?!
Chen Mo: "Leveling in World of Warcraft is pretty slow."
Zou Zhuo: "???"
No kidding, who didn't know World of Warcraft leveling was slow? After over twenty hours, other triple-A titles would have nearly finished their storylines, but in World of Warcraft, they were only around level 30...
Zou Zhuo: "Boss, do you really need me to explain why I'm leveling so slowly?"
Chen Mo: "No, I mean, leveling is so slow. It'd be a shame if your account got banned and you had to start over from scratch."