115: Chapter 115 Noble Monopoly Dungeon? All permissions are blocked.

Red maple leaves from Luofeng Village swirled and landed on the stone table on the earthen slope. The wind, wrapped in Natural Divine Power, swept through the Elf District. The soft glow of the laurel lamps washed over the stone steps, making everything feel warm and cozy.

Lin Chen was biting on half a piece of osmanthus spirit honey cake, his short legs dangling. A translucent, pale golden light screen floated in front of him, densely packed with player complaints from various Novice Areas across the entire server.

Beside him, Lin Yueyao was hugging the Great Priest's staff, which was taller than she was, squatting on the ground and gently poking the thousand-year fire dragon egg sent by the Dragon Clan. The eggshell emitted muffled thumping sounds with each poke. The Great Elder of the Elves nearby broke into a cold sweat, not daring to breathe, terrified that this little ancestor might accidentally crack the dragon egg, for which no one could bear the responsibility if the Dragon Clan came to hold them accountable.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

The light screen suddenly popped up a dozen red pinned complaints, all with the prefix [Saint Light City Novice Area], and the pop-up frequency was more than three times higher than other complaints.

Lin Chen chewed on the spirit honey cake, his little claws slowly tapping on the top one. The complaint from player [Noob Little Warrior] included a clear video, and his voice carried a sobbing tone: "Archon, save us! The three novice dungeons in Saint Light City have all been monopolized by the noble scions! If you want to enter, you have to pay a 300 maple coin entrance fee; if you don't, they hack you back to the respawn point. They even snatched the blue-grade gauntlets I just farmed. When I appealed to the officials, they said it was a private matter of the noble fiefdom and wouldn't interfere at all!"

Below this complaint, there were hundreds of similar feedbacks, with screenshots more outrageous than the last: dozens of noble descendants dressed in brocade and finery were blocking the entrances to the [Withered Bone Cave], [Wolf Valley], and [Dense Forest] dungeons, holding enchanted weapons and swinging them at any solo player who refused to pay the entrance fee.

There was a newbie stripped down to just his novice underpants, squatting on the side of the road and wiping away tears. There were also noble descendants arrogantly declaring, "The dungeons in Saint Light City are decided by our family; if you're not convinced, go to another Novice Area." There were even records of them transferring money to official inspectors, each transaction clearly marked, with the highest amount reaching 100,000 maple coins.

The spirit honey cake in Lin Chen's mouth slowed down. His little brows knitted together with a "swish," and he slapped the remaining half of the cake onto the stone table. His milky voice was laced with obvious anger: "Daring to bully solo players and even bribing official personnel! This is too evil!"

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the light screen, and the pale golden Power of Rules swept across instantly. The backend data of those noble descendants who were monopolizing the dungeons immediately popped up, with dense violation records listed clearly: within the last month, they had maliciously PKed solo players 1,742 times, snatched equipment and items with a total value of 1.27 million maple coins, illegally profited 3.4 million maple coins from dungeon entrance fees, and accumulated over 200,000 in bribes given to official inspectors—the evidence was solid and irrefutable.

"Hmph, do they really think the server-wide Novice Area is run by their family?" Lin Chen wrinkled his little nose, and his soft little claws waved abruptly. Pale golden threads of the Power of Rules instantly darted into the server-wide account system, his tone resolute and domineering.

Beside him, Lin Yueyao also lifted her little head, shook the heavy Great Priest's staff in her hand, and added in her milky voice: "We must also seal their access to the Elf Secret Realm, stop them from using maple coins, and not even let them buy potions!"

"Right! That's exactly what we'll do!" Lin Chen nodded vigorously, his fingertips quickly adding another penalty clause, his eyes full of seriousness.

Hum—!

The next second, two bright red pinned announcements suddenly covered the screens of all online players, flashing for fifteen seconds before slowly fading away. The scarlet characters were exceptionally eye-catching, making people's eyes dizzy:

[Server-wide Announcement: Upon investigation, 37 noble descendants in Saint Light City have been long-term monopolizing the Saint Light City novice dungeons, maliciously PKing to seize property from solo players, and bribing official inspectors. The facts of the violations are clear, and the evidence is irrefutable. The following penalties are now issued: 1. The 37 core individuals involved are permanently banned from accessing all Novice Areas across the server, permanently deprived of eligibility to participate in the Elf Secret Realm and all official events, permanently frozen from using maple coins, and all illicit gains are confiscated and deposited into the server-wide Novice Area public welfare account; 2. The 12 official inspectors who accepted bribes are all dismissed, their official management permissions are permanently banned, and all illicit gains are confiscated; 3. All registered civilian players in the Saint Light City Novice Area will be compensated with a permanent 10% EXP buff, effective from the date of this announcement.]

Below the announcement, clear screenshots of all violation records were attached, from transfer vouchers to PK records and detailed lists of entrance fee collections, all complete and unambiguous, allowing all players on the server to see clearly.

At this moment in the Saint Light City Novice Area, several noble descendants were leaning against the dungeon entrance, leisurely collecting entrance fees, watching the solo players who dared to be angry but didn't dare to speak, and laughing arrogantly.

Suddenly, a glaring red ban notification popped up before their eyes. Before they could react, they were forcibly teleported out of the Novice Area by the system, and most of their account permissions went gray—they couldn't enter the wild monster-grinding areas, nor could they use maple coins to buy potions. They could only stand stupidly on the main city street, becoming a joke for everyone to watch.

The surrounding solo players were stunned for three seconds, and then, deafening cheers broke through the clouds, almost shaking the giant stones at the dungeon entrance loose.

The [Noob Little Warrior] who had his blue gear snatched earlier, looking at the 10% permanent EXP buff that suddenly lit up on his body, was so moved that tears fell. On the spot, he crushed a directional teleportation talisman, intending to specially deliver the thousand-year refined iron ore he had just dug to Luofeng Village as a gift of thanks.

"Finally someone has dealt with these dog-like things! I saved up money for half a month just to buy one dungeon entrance ticket, and then I had the drops snatched by them after entering. This time, I can finally vent my anger!"

"A permanent 10% EXP buff! I was supposed to take half a month to reach level 20, but now I can do it in less than ten days! Archon Lin Chen is the living Bodhisattva for us solo players!"

Players in Saint Light City rushed into the dungeons like crazy. The three dungeon entrances, which were originally deserted, had long queues within ten minutes, and laughter and cheers spread throughout the entire Novice Area.

The news spread to the world channel at the speed of light, and the entire server was instantly flooded with messages, even lagging for three seconds due to message overload. The screen was filled with ecstatic messages:

[Holy crap? The noble tumors in Saint Light City are finally done for? I went to Saint Light City to visit a friend before and had 800 maple coins snatched by them. It pissed me off so much! Well done, Archon Lin Chen!]

[Are the players in Saint Light City too lucky? They can even get a permanent 10% EXP buff! I'm crying with envy! I also want to be bullied by nobles and then receive compensation!]

[Previously, the officials took bribes and didn't care about anything. Now that Archon Lin Chen is managing the server-wide Novice Area, let's see who dares to monopolize or bully solo players!]

While rejoicing, the solo players of Saint Light City did not forget the kindness of Lin Zhe and his son. Remembering how Lin Zhe was harassed by nobles when he first arrived in Saint Light City, and that the Remnants of the Three Clans had been causing trouble in the dark, they organized themselves.

They compiled the evidence they usually collected—correspondence between noble scions and the Remnants of the Three Clans, the meeting spots of the remnants, and the locations of warehouses where they secretly hid supplies—into a thick roster. They selected ten player representatives to go to the palace gate and hand it over to Lin Zhe personally.

In the Saint Light City palace at this moment, the state banquet had just ended. Su Ninghua was discussing the matter of the Remnants of the Three Clans with Lin Zhe in the side hall. She was having a headache because the remnants were hiding too covertly, and investigating them was time-consuming and laborious.

The Royal Guards walked in holding the thick roster and bowed to report: "Your Majesty, Mr. Lin Zhe, there are ten player representatives from the Saint Light City Novice Area outside. They say they have important information about the Remnants of the Three Clans and want to hand it over to you personally."

Lin Zhe raised an eyebrow and signaled the Royal Guards to present the roster. He flipped through two pages casually, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes—the information on the roster was absurdly detailed.

It not only marked the number of guards at each stronghold of the remnants, the secret codes for private contact, and the location of the cellars where weapons were hidden, but even listed the hiding places of several side branches of the three clans who had previously hired assassins to kill him. This alone saved him at least half a month of investigation work.

"These players are quite thoughtful." Lin Zhe tapped his fingertips lightly on the mark of the remnants' stronghold on the roster, his lips curling into a faint, cold smile, a trace of coldness hidden in his eyes.

Su Ninghua leaned over and took a look, her eyes lighting up immediately. She had been worried about not being able to find the hiding places of the remnants. Unexpectedly, the players sent the intelligence directly to their door. She immediately ordered the Royal Guards to set up surveillance overnight according to the information on the roster, so as not to alert the enemy and let the remnants take the opportunity to escape.

Lin Zhe leaned back in his chair, looking up at the night sky outside the window. His Rule Perception quietly spread out, covering the entire Saint Light City. He could clearly perceive that the malicious auras hiding in the dark were still restless, yet they did not know that their foundations had long been thoroughly exposed.

He rubbed the cover of the roster with his fingertips, a flash of certainty in his eyes.

The good days for these clowns are about to come to an end.