Magic Farm 76

Chapter 76: A Very Lively Person

Six minutes remained before confirmation.

Qi Yu made sure all his equipment was properly worn, pulled up the hood of his Guardian Mage Robe, and pinned on his level-three mage badge.

Then, in one go, he bought two hundred sets of basic magic scroll materials from the Magician’s Association shop and hastily inscribed two more scrolls.

He stashed them in his backpack ahead of time—if he ran into any danger and ran out of scrolls, he could always inscribe more on the spot.

The timing of this resource zone opening was almost too coincidental—his mana and mental strength still hadn’t fully recovered.

Fortunately, he had plenty of magic scrolls in his backpack. If something happened, he could just throw them all at once and buy himself some time.

Four minutes left.

Making sure nothing was missing, he selected “Enter Resource Zone.”

Soon, he heard movement outside the shelter. Qi Yu stepped out and saw that, outside his shelter, where the Star Forest’s natural landscape used to be, a road had appeared out of nowhere.

This must be the path to the “Resource Zone.”

Since he’d decided to go, Qi Yu didn’t hesitate. He walked over and stepped onto the mysterious path.

The road stretched straight ahead, and as he walked, the scenery on either side changed rapidly.

Qi Yu silently counted his steps. After ten, his vision suddenly opened up.

A burst of light, and a cacophony of voices surrounded him.

So many people—it reminded him of the Blackrock Mountains.

Golden sunlight made Qi Yu, used to the gloomy rainy season of Star Forest, squint in discomfort.

He quickly surveyed his surroundings and was startled to find that there were not just players here.

Not that his observation was especially sharp—it was simply… too obvious.

One group, either standing alone or in small clusters, all shared certain traits: wary postures, bodies showing signs of muscle or training, weapons at their sides, and… they were dressed like normal people.

The other group was much more distinctive: some wore straw hats, vests, and flip-flops; some wore armor with rain boots and a raincoat thrown over the top; some had light armor and a bizarre crown on their head…

For example, right in front of him, a man wore two necklaces, a bracelet, and ten extravagant rings—one on each finger. He wore a green robe resembling a mage’s, but on his feet were golden warrior’s boots.

Even by Qi Yu’s unconventional standards, this outfit was a bit too much.

For once, he was speechless: so this is what happens when you wear all your gear at once?

He suddenly felt grateful he didn’t have that much odd-looking equipment yet.

His Emerald Set was all simple and practical in appearance, the Brute Fang Bracers were inconspicuous on his wrist, and the Phantom Armor blended perfectly into his clothing.

Most importantly, the Guardian Mage Robe covered him from head to toe.

Not only did he look fairly normal—even if he didn’t, no one could see it anyway ^_^.

The only things exposed were the five rings on his fingers: Shadow Ring, Silence Ring, Power Ring, Emerald Ring, and a plain ring with +2 attack.

Qi Yu admired them for a moment, still convinced that these rings looked great on his hand.

So what if the players looked ridiculous? What did that have to do with him, a certified mage of the Magician’s Association?

Besides, there was one more bit of good news: he’d already met the locals last time, and they didn’t look much different from him. Now, seeing the players, he could finally relax.

If anything, these mostly black-haired, black-eyed Blue Star players looked even more like him.

How nice—he’d never have to worry about looking like a weird alien again.

He calmly glanced around and noticed that on this vast island, people were still “dropping in.”

He wasn’t exaggerating—each person really did just appear out of thin air, with no warning, as if they’d fallen straight from the void.

Qi Yu guessed everyone arrived the same way: walking the mysterious path, then suddenly appearing here.

This little road must have a teleportation function, like the wild carriage.

He’d known from President Sean that locals could also enter the resource zone, but he hadn’t expected that locals and players wouldn’t be separated.

Seeing there was no official or management presence, Qi Yu didn’t bother to wander. He stood quietly in place, body always on guard for anything unexpected.

Most of the locals did the same, but the players were different—running around, chatting with strangers.

Qi Yu heard someone exclaim, “My panel doesn’t work!”

Immediately, the surrounding players all made the same motion, but Qi Yu noticed that even among players, they couldn’t see each other’s panels.

The locals, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to the players’ words and actions.

Someone even tried to strike up a conversation with Qi Yu.

“Respected Mage, may I ask if you came to the resource zone alone?” A burly red-haired man approached, his gentle tone at odds with his appearance. “My teammates and I are quite capable. If you need company, you might consider us.”

“Thank you for your offer,” Qi Yu shook his head, “but I don’t plan to team up.”

The man didn’t seem surprised, shrugged at his companions, and walked away.

Mages had always been out of place with other classes.

He’d just seen a rare solo mage today, looking quite valuable, so he’d tried his luck.

You never know—might as well ask. It costs nothing to speak.

.

The first player to discover the survival panel didn’t work was panicked, but once everyone realized no one’s panel worked, they calmed down.

Qi Yu heard someone say, “Looks like there’s no signal in this resource zone.”

Of course, the real reason for their calm wasn’t that everyone was equally unable to use the panel, but that their storage backpacks still worked.

Qi Yu figured this was because the storage backpack was “equipped” as an item.

Nearby, he heard a player say, “Damn, that guy in the green cloak looks so cool! That’s exactly how I imagined myself.”

“I wanted to dress like that too,” someone else said.

“Then why didn’t you?” another player teased.

The first rolled his eyes. “You think I didn’t want to?”

Someone else called out, “Any players from Region 703? Let’s get acquainted!”

Then someone nearby blurted, “703? Wait, are we all from different regions?”

“I’m from Region 93.”

“I’m from Region 06.”

“I’m from Region 88.”

Qi Yu heard a familiar number and instinctively looked over. The speaker was a young man, dressed more normally than the flashy players around him.

Qi Yu saw that he was thin and didn’t look like a body-tempering martial artist, so he lost interest and looked away.

With so many regions and so many players with resource cards, what were the odds he’d run into Shen Ben Wuxiang?

Just then, someone else said, “I’m from Region 01.”

As luck would have it, Qi Yu had just seen this person—it was the guy in armor, rain boots, and a raincoat, though now he’d taken the raincoat off.

Someone commented:

“Region 01? Isn’t that the one that always gets server-wide announcements?”

“Is everyone in your region a cheater? By the game’s logic, your number must be the first server, right?”

“Bro, what’s with your outfit? That’s unique.”

“Don’t even start. It’s been raining every day in our region. At least the shelter doesn’t get moldy.”

“Man, I’m jealous. We’re in a desert, it’s hot as hell.”

“If only we could add friends and trade here, that’d be awesome. Too bad this damn game disables panels in the resource zone.”

“Who’s number one in your region, that simp game master or that ‘My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s’ guy?”

Qi Yu: …

Though they didn’t name names, he instantly realized who “simp game master” referred to.

He gave the speaker a cold, hard stare. Hmph, you just don’t understand the joys of Survival Game.

Shallow Blue Star people.

But he also realized that, though these players seemed carefree and less guarded than the locals, their noisy chatter only revealed very general information.

Clearly, no one here was actually an idiot.

Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath his feet. Qi Yu, always alert, immediately steadied himself.

He instinctively looked around, but before he could raise his head, a massive shadow fell, plunging everything into darkness.

It was just the shadow of a colossal creature.

Qi Yu’s eyes widened. For humans, this island was enormous, but before this beast, it was like a toy.

And to this giant, the people on the island were probably no more than mayflies in a vast ocean.

Qi Yu couldn’t even see its full form—only two sun-like orbs.

Those were its eyes.

“The resource zone for this month is now open…” The voice boomed like thunder, making Qi Yu’s ears ring.

“…All cardholders, proceed to the area matching your card’s color.”

The shadow lifted, sunlight returning to his skin.

Qi Yu was still dazed.

“What the hell… what was that?” a player nearby said in despair.

“That can’t be a mutated beast, can it?”

“If that’s a mutated beast, I’m done for.”

“Country bumpkin, don’t even know the Inspector?” someone suddenly said.

All the players immediately fixed their eyes on the speaker.

One player, grinning, sidled up. “You’re right, brother, I’m just a country bumpkin, first time in the resource zone. Please enlighten me—what is this place, and who is the Inspector?”

“Don’t get smart with me.” The warrior rolled his eyes. “The resource zone’s about to open, I don’t have time to explain. You’ll learn the rules inside. As for the Inspector, just know that he doesn’t care about small fry like us. His presence is just a deterrent to those who don’t want to follow the rules.”

As he spoke, three colored light gates—red, green, and black—appeared ahead.

Almost all the natives immediately scattered toward the gates. If you looked closely, you’d see each held a card, entering the gate matching its color.

Qi Yu took out his green card and walked toward the green gate.

A figure happened to pass in front of him, a clear voice following: “Excuse me, I’m heading to the red resource zone.”

Qi Yu looked up and met the other’s gaze.

He saw a pair of bright eyes.

“Wow, your look is really cool!” The owner of those eyes gave him a thumbs-up.

In his right hand was a red card, which he waved at Qi Yu. “Thanks!”

Qi Yu watched him stride lightly toward the gate, soon swallowed by the crowd.

A very lively person, Qi Yu thought.

Bathed in that sun-bright smile, his mood lightened a little as he stepped into the green gate.