77: Chapter 77 On the Eve of the Great Battle

Two days is neither long nor short.

But for all of Tianqi City, these two days felt like years.

News that the Shadow Pavilion was about to attack had spread throughout the entire city.

In every street and alley, everyone was on edge, and a tense atmosphere permeated the air.

Players gathered in small groups, discussing the situation:

"Have you heard? The Shadow Pavilion is going to attack Tianqi City!"

"I heard that a long time ago. This isn't some minor skirmish; it's said that the Shadow Pavilion has mobilized five hundred elites!"

"Five hundred elites?! My god, can our Tianqi City withstand that?"

"What's there to be afraid of? The City Lord's Mansion, the Sword Pavilion, and all the major guilds have joined forces. We have the numbers, so why fear them?"

"That might be true, but the Shadow Pavilion's strength... tsk tsk, it's hard to say."

I walked down the street, listening to these discussions, my heart feeling heavy.

Five hundred elites...

This number was indeed extremely stressful.

But what was even more worrying was that the Shadow Pavilion must have backup plans.

The four great guardians were said to be experts above level 35; any one of them could sweep through the area on their own.

"Ergou!"

A familiar voice came from behind me.

I turned around to see Old Li, one of the blacksmiths sent by Mo Wentian to assist me.

"Uncle Li, what's wrong?" I asked.

"The city defense array core... it's a success!"

Old Li's face was flushed with excitement, and he was stuttering a bit.

My eyes lit up: "Really?!"

"Really! Go and take a look!"

Without a word, I took off running toward the smithy.

Pushing open the door to the smithy, a dense wave of energy rushed toward me.

On the pedestal in the center of the smithy, a fist-sized crystal core was emitting a soft glow.

The light was pale gold, completely different from its original dark color, clearly having undergone a special transformation.

[System Prompt: city defense array core created successfully! It can activate a protective shield when the city is under attack; duration is 30 minutes, cooldown is 24 hours.]

Looking at this system prompt, I let out a long breath, a gratified smile appearing on my face.

Finally, it's a success!

These two days of sleeplessness were finally not in vain.

"Good! Good! Good!" I said, repeating the word three times, carefully lifting the crystal core. "Uncle Li, thank you for your hard work!"

"Not at all, not at all," Old Li waved his hand. "It's mainly because your design blueprints were good; we just followed them to build it."

I smiled and didn't say anything more.

This city defense array core truly condensed my blood and sweat.

From the design blueprints to the material proportions, I personally oversaw every step, fearing even the slightest mistake.

Now, it was finally complete.

"Uncle Li, please clean up. I'm going to the City Lord's Mansion," I said.

"Go ahead, go ahead. Leave this to us."

I nodded, carefully put away the city defense array core, and turned to leave the smithy.

The City Lord's Mansion is located in the center of Tianqi City and is a magnificent building.

When I arrived at the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion, the guards had clearly been notified and let me through directly.

"Young Master Chen, the City Lord is waiting for you in the council hall."

"Alright."

I followed the guard all the way to the council hall.

Inside the council hall, the Tianqi City Lord was sitting in the main seat, with several high-ranking officials from the City Lord's Mansion sitting nearby.

"Chen Ergou greets the City Lord," I said, cupping my hands in a salute.

"No need for formalities," the City Lord stood up, a warm smile on his face. "I heard you created the city defense array core?"

"That is correct," I said, taking the crystal core from my pocket and offering it with both hands. "Please take a look, City Lord."

The City Lord took the crystal core and examined it carefully; the smile on his face grew wider.

"Good! What a fine city defense array core!" the City Lord exclaimed. "Chen Ergou, you have performed a great service this time!"

"The City Lord is too kind," I said humbly. "It is my honor to be able to contribute to Tianqi City."

The City Lord laughed heartily and patted my shoulder: "Good! What a fine Chen Ergou! No wonder Elder Mo speaks so highly of you; you truly are a talent worth cultivating!"

"The City Lord is too flattering."

"Alright, enough modesty," the City Lord put away the crystal core and said seriously. "With this city defense array core, our chances of winning have increased. Chen Ergou, if you have any requests, feel free to ask; I will certainly fulfill them!"

I thought for a moment and said: "City Lord, I do have one request."

"Speak."

"I would like to open temporary stalls in the city to sell some combat potions. I will keep the prices as low as possible so that more players can afford them."

The City Lord was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily: "Good! That's a good request! I approve! Not only that, but I will also send people to assist you to ensure your stalls can operate smoothly!"

"Thank you, City Lord!"

After leaving the City Lord's Mansion, I rushed back to my three stalls without stopping.

During these two days, besides creating the city defense array core, I was also frantically producing various potions.

Health potions, mana potions, berserk potions, defense potions... I had prepared a full warehouse of all kinds of potions needed for battle.

"Boss, you're finally back!" The clerk, Xiao Wang, saw me and was so excited he almost jumped. "Where have you been these past two days? We were worried to death!"

"It's nothing, just handled some important business," I waved my hand. "Xiao Wang, send word out. All three stores are to stock combat potions immediately. Keep the price at cost—don't make a single cent of profit!"

"Huh?" Xiao Wang was stunned. "Boss, what are you doing…"

"Don't ask, just do as I say," I said in a deep voice. "The great battle is imminent; we must make a contribution for our brothers."

Xiao Wang looked at my serious expression and nodded heavily: "Yes! I'll go do it right away!"

Soon, all three stalls posted the same announcement:

[The great battle is imminent. All combat potions at the stalls belonging to the Dawn Guild are for sale at cost price. Quantities are limited, first come, first served!]

Once this news came out, the entire Tianqi City boiled over.

Players flocked to the stalls, and long lines formed in front of the three shops.

"Holy crap, cost price? Is Chen Ergou crazy?"

"Crazy my ass, this is called righteousness! Do you understand?"

"Hurry up and buy, hurry up and buy! You won't find a deal like this again!"

"Give me ten health potions! Five berserk potions!"

"I want twenty bottles!"

Watching the crowd frantically buying, a sense of satisfaction surged in my heart.

Money, well, can be earned at any time.

But my brothers only have one life.

After handling the affairs at the stalls, I rushed back to the Dawn Guild's headquarters.

Ye Liuli had already gathered all the members and was conducting pre-battle mobilization.

I stood behind the crowd, watching that upright figure on the stage, and a complex emotion surged in my heart.

Ye Liuli... Ye Qingcheng...

Last night's conversation was still echoing in my mind.

"Ergou," Ye Liuli's voice suddenly rang out. "Come up and say a few words."

I was stunned, then walked onto the stage under the gazes of everyone.

Looking at those familiar faces below the stage, I took a deep breath and began:

"Brothers!"

My voice wasn't loud, but it clearly spread across the entire plaza.

"I know you are all very nervous right now. The Shadow Pavilion, five hundred elites, four great guardians... just hearing it makes one's scalp tingle."

The area below the stage was silent; everyone was looking at me.

"But!" I shifted my tone. "I want to ask you a question—who has our Dawn Guild ever been afraid of?!"

"From the time we founded the guild until now, how many battles have we experienced? How many life-and-death moments? When have we ever cowered?!"

"The Shadow Pavilion is nothing! They just have more people and higher levels, but we have plenty of brothers! We have passion! We have the spirit of fighting back when we're not convinced!"

"Today, if they dare to come, we dare to fight! Kill one if one comes, kill two if two come! Let them know that Tianqi City is the Dawn Guild's territory! Whoever dares to invade must pay the price!"

My voice grew louder, and my emotions became more intense.

"Brothers, tell me, are you afraid?!"

"No!" A thunderous roar erupted from below.

"Good!" I roared. "Then let those bastards from the Shadow Pavilion see the power of our Dawn Guild!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Below the stage, all members raised their weapons, letting out a deafening war cry.

Watching this scene, my eyes moistened.

This is the Dawn Guild.

These are the brothers who fight side-by-side with me.

No matter how many difficulties lie ahead, as long as we are together, there is nothing to fear!

After the mobilization meeting, Ye Liuli found me alone.

"Well said," she looked at me, a rare smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. "I didn't expect you to have some talent for public speaking."

"Of course," I lifted my chin proudly. "Don't you know who I am? Tianqi City's number one…"

"Alright, stop joking around," Ye Liuli interrupted me. "I have something to tell you."

I looked at her serious expression, and suddenly had a bad premonition.

"What is it?"

Ye Liuli was silent for a while, seemingly organizing her thoughts.

After a long while, she finally spoke: "Ergou, do you know my real-life identity?"

I was stunned: "Real-life identity? No, I don't. You never mentioned it."

"My name is Ye Qingcheng," Ye Liuli said softly. "The daughter of the Ye Group."

"The Ye Group?!" I widened my eyes. "That… that major investor of the game 'world descent'?"

"That's right," Ye Liuli nodded. "The Ye Group is one of the three major investors of 'world descent'."

I stood rooted to the spot, unable to speak for a long while.

The Ye Group…

That was a top-tier domestic conglomerate with assets in the hundreds of billions, involved in gaming, technology, real estate, and many other fields.

Ye Liuli… no, Ye Qingcheng, was actually the daughter of the Ye Group?!

"You… why are you telling me this?" I asked, stuttering.

"Because of the Shadow Pavilion," Ye Liuli's eyes turned cold. "The Shadow Pavilion also has power in reality, and… it's related to the Ye Group's competitors."

"Competitors?"

"The Qin Group," Ye Liuli said in a deep voice. "The Qin Group is the Ye Group's biggest competitor and also another investor in 'world descent'. I suspect that behind the Shadow Pavilion, it is the Qin Group providing support."

I gasped.

This… this is a lot of information.

The struggles in the game actually involve commercial competition in reality?

"The reason I established the Dawn Guild was to counter the Shadow Pavilion," Ye Liuli continued. "I don't want the Qin Group to control the economic lifeline of 'world descent' through the game."

"Ergou," she looked at me, her eyes filled with a hint of pleading. "I know this news is very sudden, but… I hope you can understand."

I looked at her, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

So, behind all this, there was such a story.

"Qingcheng…" I called her by her real name for the first time. "No matter who you are, no matter who is behind the Shadow Pavilion, I will stand on your side."

"Because," I grinned, "we are brothers!"

Ye Liuli was stunned for a moment, then her eyes turned slightly red.

"Thank you, Ergou."

"What are you thanking me for?" I waved my hand. "Let's go, let's go get a drink! Before the great battle, we need to have a good drink!"

"Alright, let's drink!"