Talk Therapy Has Met Its Match! So Terrifying!

"Take care, boss. Come visit An City when you have time. It'll be my treat." An City's Director chuckled. "Mingyang City is fine too, but Xiezhi probably won't take you out for any ‘adult' entertainment. He's way too serious."

Wu Wang chatted with the two of them for a little longer.

They finalized the payment for clearing the 【Chronicle of the Desolate Village】 and he got answers to a few of his more trivial questions. These concerned reality being affected by Instances, as well as the existence of Calamity Lairs.

The truth was even more shocking than Wu Wang had imagined.

Although the saying goes that history is a little girl anyone can dress up, Wu Wang never expected her to be wearing so many weird and bizarre outfits.

He learned from Xiezhi that Instances influencing reality didn't just start in modern times. Even the distant history of humanity had been altered by players from the present or the future.

This was because a certain player had once experienced and cleared an Instance set in ancient history. In it, he played the role of a lieutenant general, and the final objective of the solo mission was to win a small-scale battle.

Afterward, the Abnormal Affairs Bureau investigated that period. To their astonishment, they discovered that the methods the lieutenant general used to win the battle, as recorded in the annals of history, almost perfectly corresponded to what that player had done.

The only difference was that game-related elements, like items and equipment, had been rationalized away in the historical records. There was no mention of anything that did not belong to that era.

"Fortunately, Instances of this type have an extremely low probability of appearing. Ninety-nine percent of players will never encounter one in their lifetime," Xiezhi added, sounding relieved.

That made sense. If a large number of players could experience Instances that affected reality, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.

Wu Wang had gotten the information he wanted. They agreed to get in touch in three days. He would hand over the clear process to either An City's Director or Xiezhi in person, and they would bring the corresponding payment.

In reality, this was just a cover. After all, Wu Wang only planned to meet with Xiezhi. He couldn't stay in An City forever.

He had to return to Mingyang City eventually. Otherwise, if he was gone for three or four days, that kitchen destroyer, his Second Sister, would probably be eating instant noodles for every meal. She wouldn't be getting enough nutrition!

Of course, the extra payment portion of the deal could be postponed for a while. Nightmare-level Instances weren't that easy to find, and Wu Wang wasn't the type to be pushy or unreasonable.

Once the time was set, An City's Director dispelled the barrier. The item could be actively deactivated by the caster; otherwise, it would have lasted for twenty-four hours.

Leaving Yin Fate Mountain, Wu Wang returned to the city. He booked a high-speed rail ticket back to Mingyang City for the next day, using a fake identity, of course.

For tonight, he just needed to find a hotel to crash in.

He hadn't been walking down the street for long when he was stopped by a scantily clad woman wearing heavy makeup.

The cloying, pungent smell of her perfume almost made him black out.

"Hey, handsome. Looking for a room? We offer a special service with an ethnic dance, you know."

The woman winked at Wu Wang several times. Her intention was obvious. It was late at night, and the streets were sparse with pedestrians, so some of the gray industries that couldn't see the light of day had emerged to start their work shift.

It dawned on Wu Wang. After glancing around, he lowered his voice and asked cautiously, "What kind of ethnic dance? What are the costumes?"

The woman's eyes lit up. She hadn't expected her casual, routine question to actually pique the interest of this seemingly proper young man. It looked like she was about to make her first sale of the night right after coming out!

Giggling so much she swayed, she gently hooked Wu Wang's arm and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Of course, it's the kind… with no clothes. How about it? I can give you a discount, little brother."

But to her surprise, Wu Wang's expression immediately darkened.

He slapped her hand away.

"You psycho!" he grumbled. "If you're not wearing any clothes, how am I supposed to know which ethnic group you're from? Trying to pass yourself off as an ethnic minority to trick me into paying for a fake performance? I'm not falling for it!"

With that, Wu Wang's figure gradually faded into the distance, leaving the streetwalker alone, reeling in the wind.

A moment later, she finally snapped out of it and cursed through gritted teeth.

"Fuck your mother! You're the psycho! You really think you're here to see an ethnic dance? Go see your @&!%"

The curses behind him faded as he quickened his pace.

Wu Wang, in a cheerful mood, found a hotel that looked pretty decent. He took out his good brother Zhang Wei's ID card, booked a room, and plopped down on the bed with great satisfaction.

He opened the Daily Shop and started browsing.

He had seen an item earlier that he quite liked, but because of the whole Yin Fate Village incident, he hadn't had time to look at it closely. Now, he finally had some time to study the shop.

【Avalon Sheath (Low-spec Replica) (Common)】

【After the holder inserts their sword into the sheath, the sword's aura will be completely concealed. While the sword is sheathed, the sheath will slightly increase the holder's resistance, reducing incoming damage.】

【Remark. Saber! King Arthur, having lost his sheath, will ultimately lose Britain!】

【The stats are trash, but who cares? This is just a low-spec replica, what more could you ask for? (A message from the forging player, Gan Jiang Mo Ye)】

Judging from the remark at the end, this piece of equipment was actually made by a player?

Wu Wang was a little surprised. It seemed there was some kind of skill within the Spirit Calamity Game that allowed for forging equipment. Items could probably be made too, like potions in an RPG.

But then again, although this sheath was only 【Common】 grade, its effect was quite suitable for him.

The power of 【Xiaochuan】 required him to be holding it to see Spirit Bodies, but it was a broken sword. Carrying it around was rather strange, and any discerning person could tell at a glance that the sword was extraordinary.

Otherwise, who would carry a broken sword on them if it didn't have some special effect? A broken sword that was even flashing with a bewitching, purplish-red light.

If he had a sheath to hide its aura, it would be less likely to attract attention.

The only problem now was the price. It wasn't very pretty.

Wu Wang glanced at his Calamity Coin balance.

【3000】

It seemed he only had two thousand Calamity Coins from clearing 【Chronicle of the Desolate Village】. Where was he going to find the missing one thousand? His deal with the Abnormal Affairs Bureau included some Calamity Coins, but that was three days away.

The Daily Shop wouldn't wait for him. It refreshed daily, and it would do so punctually. By tomorrow, this sheath would be gone.

"Speaking of which… has anyone ever succeeded in haggling with the shop? Why does the Spirit Calamity Game have so many bizarre mechanics everywhere?"

Wu Wang's expression suddenly turned unnatural.

He remembered when Baili Dao was explaining the Daily Shop to him, he had added a strange piece of trivia. The shop had a haggling mechanic. It seemed to be one of the Spirit Calamity Game's sick jokes.

If you tried to haggle, a virtual boss would pop up to argue with you. But the boss's tongue was venomous and his will was firm. Every player who tried to haggle got a sound scolding, and when they came out, they found the item's price had increased by about ten percent. It was a case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it.

Not only that, but the failed player's ID would be displayed on other players' Daily Shops the next day to be mocked and ridiculed by others.

A thorough humiliation of the loser!

So far, no one was known to have ever succeeded in haggling.

"Haggle my ass! I'll risk it all! Turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!" Wu Wang steeled himself. "No shots, no pills, I'll just sit here and chat you up. I call this Talk Therapy!"

Then, he fiercely selected a tiny option at the bottom that was almost invisible. 【Haggle】.

The next second, the image of a glaring, bald man appeared before him. His brows were furrowed so tightly they almost merged as he stared viciously at him.

Before Wu Wang could even speak, the virtual boss struck first.

"Wanna haggle? Why don't you take a piss and look at your own reflection to see what you're made of? You're the kind of cheapskate who, when you go out to eat with friends, insists on AAB. They go Dutch, and you shamelessly B-mooch off them!"

"?"

Hold on, buddy, isn't that a bit too aggressive?

It had been a long time since Wu Wang had met such an opponent. He immediately collected himself and retorted.

"You're no simpleton either! A top-tier profiteer, so sharp that the light reflecting off your bald head is brighter than your entire future!"

"Getting cocky just because you're a virtual avatar? Buddy, you don't look so young anymore. Still single? If you are, you must have saved up a lot of money, right? If not, don't tell me your wife is a virtual avatar too? A 2D-loving bald otaku's private den, how disgusting!"

The virtual boss was stunned.

"?"

Hold on, buddy, aren't you here to haggle?

Why did you open with personal attacks?!

Where's the haggling part?

You're not just looking for a flame war with me, are you?

But it had come to this, and the shop's virtual boss couldn't show weakness. He could only scowl and fire back with a new string of curses.

The room began to echo with the sounds of their passionate interaction. The foul language gradually escalated from personal attacks to greetings of each other's relatives. With the female relatives of the other's family tree for the past eighteen generations as the radius, and their reproductive organs as the center, they inflicted area-of-effect mutual damage.

Just then, a hotel attendant happened to be passing by. He heard the profanity-laced tirade coming from inside, and his expression couldn't help but grow increasingly strange.

He remembered that there was just one guy in that room.

Could this guy be a psycho? Why is he cursing at himself?

Feeling it was all a bit unlucky, he quickened his pace and walked away.

The battle inside the room continued. The beautiful greetings were still being exchanged.

A duet of zithers in harmony. High Mountains Flowing Water. A meeting of kindred spirits.