Hero City

The sun was still shining high up in the sky. There was no sign that the weather was getting colder even when autumn was almost arriving.

Ye Ci rolled down the window on the passenger seat, and warm wind immediately blew onto her face. She stared at the rows of houses beyond, her thoughts unfathomable.

"Are you worrying about the game?" asked Bai Mo.

And she grunted in affirmation without looking back at him.

She was worried.

The experiences she had in her last life was very different from the life that she was living in the present. Is the Fate that I knew the same with the Fate now? Will the measures I take now be useful?

It was a big question that had been troubling Ye Ci deeply.

"Are you worrying about Golden Era?"

Ye Ci was snapped out of her thoughts. Am I really worrying about Golden Era? No. I'm worrying about my lack of ability to protect the people that I care about from the coming storm.

She was fortunate to be given a second chance, and she knew what should be the most important things in her life. She wanted to protect the things, but she was afraid. She was afraid that she might lose what she had gained once again.

"Not really." Ye Ci responded with a sigh and shook her head, "I'm just worried. I'm worrying that I can't protect mom and dad like I am now when Golden Era arrives." and she continued after a pause, "and you, Polang, and Upwards Ho! too."

Bai Mo glanced at Ye Ci, and turned his head back to the road ahead. He did not immediately speak up, but there was a smile on his face. The sunlight shone down on his slender, long fingers. It was a good sight. "Little Ci, the people you want to protect want to protect you as well." he finally spoke up after a long moment of silence, "They're not the only ones who need protection. They are also protecting you. Don't you worry about it. Golden Era is just a single guild. There are things that can't be destroyed by even the strongest of storms."

Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. She stared at Bai Mo, and was at a loss for words.

And she let out a laugh. I'm wasting my time worrying about things that are not in my control again.

Fate was already bustling with activity by the time Ye Ci logged into the game. Of course, it was not solely due to the influx of Golden Era players. The pre-existing players of Fate were very eager for the release of the new patch, where their level cap was finally raised and the Middle Continent was made available to all. They might not be able to survive in the maps infested with monsters, but they could still take a stroll in Hero City of the Middle Continent.

The Hero City was accessible by spending a few gold coins to rent a flying pet from the Flight Manager stationed beside each of the main city's Teleportation Stone. It was not a straight flight to the continent itself. Perhaps due to design by the developers to allow their players to appreciate the beauty of the world of Fate, the flight plan of these flying pets would take players across the skies of each of the maps in their home continent before finally arriving at the Middle Continent. It meant that the flight would consume a large amount of time, and of course, gold coins.

But to players who are eager to explore the new continent, the time spent in the air for nearly an entire day was a worthy price to pay. There was already a long line by the time Ye Ci made her way to the Flight Manager. Every player who were at lvl30 and had more than 2 gold coins in their pockets were queuing up in a trip to the Middle Continent.

Ye Ci wasted no time in joining the queue of thousands of players. Fortunately for the players waiting in line, the NPC was not set to deal with players one at a time. But even with its capacity of dealing with 50 players at a time, there was still a long wait ahead for players to finally be able to fly.

Ye Ci could see familiar faces in the queue. Some of them friends, while others were her enemies. They wore excited smiles on their faces, eager to soar into the skies and explore the Middle Continent. Despite her knowledge about the continent from her past life, Ye Ci could still feel the anticipation growing in her heart as she waited among the countless thousands.

The voices of players who knew each other could be heard from the large group.

"Hey, XXX, are you heading to the Middle Continent?"

"Yup! Are you going to the Middle Continent as well?"

"That's right! Do you want to go together?"

"Sure! It's good to have company."

Similar conversations were happening along the entire line.

Ye Ci directed Ol' Four forward as the line advanced slowly. Ol' Four was not happy at all to b e surrounded by such a large crowd. It would have broken into a fit of rage if Ye Ci had not calmed it down in time.

"Where are you headed, Dear Traveler?" asked the Flight Manager as Ye Ci finally made her way to the front of the line.

"I want to go to Hero City, sir." Ye Ci stated her destination.

"Alright. Have a safe journey!" said the Flight Manager as he led Ye Ci to her Gryphon on a platform, and two gold coins were immediately deducted from Ye Ci's inventory. Gryphons were the most common flying pet in all four continents. They were already domesticated by Humans, and were very tame in nature. Their great endurance made them the ideal means of transportation for long distances.

The Gryphons are not the only flying pets in Fate. There was a wide range of flyers such as giant bats, eagles, and other winged beats that could be kept as pets. These beasts lived in abandoned forts, and could not be obtained in the state of the game where none of the guilds had successfully conquered an abandoned fort, which meant that Gryphons were the only form of transportation in the current state of the game.

"My Gryphon is too thin. Look at how large I am. What if it falls out of the sky in the middle of my flight? Give me a stronger one!" It was the first thing that entered Ye Ci's ears when she ascended the platform and stood beside the Pet Trainer. A Barbarian Warrior was grumbling at the trainer, and standing in front of him was a petitely built Gryphon.

The size of flying pets were randomly generated to provide players with a different experience each time, but their stats remained the same. But the body size of the Barbarian simply did not match the size of his ride. It was easy to see why he was unwilling to mount the Gryphon.

"This is the only one, take it or leave it!" the trainer was at the end of her patience. She turned around to talk to another player, and resumed glaring at the Barbarian.

"No! Give me another mount, or give me a refund!"

NPCs in the major cities had received a major boost in their AIs capability after the release of the new expansion. Their dialogues were no longer limited to the few lines that were predetermined by the system. This made the conflict between players and NPCs after the update a common sight, and the Barbarian was starting an argument with the trainer which was one of the NPCs with a more intelligent AI.

"No refunds! Take it or leave it! Now stand aside, don't get in the way of the customers behind." at the current stage of the game, Flight Managers were still exclusively available to the capital city of each continent. This meant that they had a monopoly on air travel, and were not afraid to offend the players.

The Barbarian's face was red with rage, but there was nothing he could do.

"Are you headed to Hero City?" Ye Ci had long since dismissed Ol' Four and stood before the trainer alone. As long as players do not attempt to incur their wrath, the NPCs would display a good attitude. Ye Ci received an entirely different treatment from the Barbarian before.

"Yes." Ye Ci nodded.

The trainer offered her a smile and clapped her hands. A large Gryphon appeared before Ye Ci. It was a majestic beast with shiny feathers and a wingspan of 4 yards. There was a seat cushioned with feathers strapped on the Gryphon's back. It looked like a comfortable ride. "Enjoy your journey."

Ye Ci nodded at the NPC, and was about to mount the Gryphon before she felt a presence behind her. She dodged out of reflex, but the person was quicker, and managed to grab hold of her arm. This came as a shock to Ye Ci. She turned around, and found the Barbarian standing behind her.

The man was facing Ye Ci with a smile, "Come on, Elf. Help me out here. Why don't we exchange mounts?" and Ye Ci raised an eyebrow at the man. Does size really matter that much to him? It's just a bunch of codes.

"You see, I'm big, but the NPC gave me a small mount," the Barbarian continued when he received no response from Ye Ci, "Don't you think it's not appropriate?"

"How so?"

"It's a long trip to the Middle Continent, and this Gryphon is so small. What if it dies of exhaustion in the middle of its flight? And what if I have to pay for the loss of the Gryphon?"

"The size of the flyers might be randomized, but they still share the same stats. Your Gryphon has the same stamina and carrying capacity as mine. Something like that will not happen.��� Ye Ci pursed her lips. The reasoning behind the player's action was simply too absurd. It was information that was already released by Fate officials to the players in the patch notes.

Even when his excuse was easily brushed aside by the Elven Huntress, the Barbarian did not give up, "Aiya, aren't we players from the same continent? Let me out here! I'll look ridiculous riding that small thing. I won't look cool at all? How am I supposed to impress the ladies? Just think of it as saving a life!"

Ye Ci could never understand how young male players interpret the aesthetic judgement of female players. To her, stats was more important than appearance.

"Come on, I've waited for almost half a day here for a ride. You're the only one who managed to get such a large Gryphon. Why don't we exchange our rides? I will look so cool on that Gryphon that the ladies will certainly be impressed. If you ride on the small one, you'll appear small and petite, and the gents will want to protect you…"

Ye Ci cut the Barbarian off before he could continue his string of nonsense and spoke to the trainer, "Can we switch mounts?"

"If you're both okay with it, I don't mind." The trainer, who was already thoroughly annoyed by the Barbarian Warrior, immediately accepted the proposal so that he would disappear from her sight.

"Alright, this is yours then." Ye Ci handed the reigns of her Gryphon to the Barbarian, not wanting to waste more time on something as trivial as the appearance of her mount.

The smaller Gryphon was actually very beautiful as well with its body covered with golden skin, and its head with white feathers. It was a shame that these Gryphons belonged to the System, and were not easily obtainable by players.

Ye Ci leapt onto the Gryphon and grabbed hold of its reigns, taking off with an almost perfect posture. The Gryphon circled around the players below before finally climbing high up into the sky.

Even with their flight paths set, players were still in charge of the take off and landing of their flying mounts. A less skillful player would find himself or herself falling off a mount very frequently. Of course, such dangers only presented themselves in the process of taking off and landing. Players were protected by the system during their flight, which would prevent them from falling when they were in the sky. This meant that players who were flying for their first time would not fall out of the sky due to their own anxiety.

Ye Ci had her fair share of embarrassments from falling off her mount in her last life, and had already mastered the art of mounting a Gryphon, as well as taking off. Her body automatically assumed the most correct posture out of reflex as she completed these actions in a series of fluid motions to the surprise and even envy of players around her before soaring into the blue skies.

"Wow! You were so cool back there! Teach me how to do it, Elf!" Ye Ci heard a voice behind her when she was in the sky.

Why is this voice so familiar and yet so annoying?

Ye Ci turned around and saw the Barbarian Warrior behind her with a wide grin on his face, riding on the Gryphon that he had traded from her earlier on.

Ye Ci's principle in life was to avoid unnecessary trouble. She had already exchanged her steed with the Barbarian, and she would be an idiot to engage him in a conversation.

This was why she turned away from the Barbarian, and ignored his words.

But the Barbarian was unfazed by her action.

His barrage of words continued even when he received the cold shoulder from Ye Ci, "I saw what you did back there! You were holding onto the leash when you mounted your steed. Can you accomplish that beautiful arc by grabbing onto the reins?"

"Oh, by the way, Elf. What do I have to do to land perfectly? You have to teach me how to do it! There will be a lot of pretty girls at the landing point in the Middle Continent. I'll be able to win over a lot of hearts if you can teach me how to land."

"Oh come on, Elf. Teach me. I'll pay, generously."

As the Barbarian Warrior continued to jabber on and on, Ye Ci tried her best to ignore his words.

She was slightly impressed with his patience. The man was able to continue the conversation even when he was ignored by the other party. He would even change the topic of the conversation so that he would not feel lonely or bored talking to himself.

"Wow! Where are we now? It's so beautiful! I've never been here before!"

"Ahh, the wind is so cold here. I should wear more clothes next time."

"Ah! Why is the Gryphon ascending vertically? Will we fall? Will we fall??"

As the Gryphons would fly through the same route at the same speed, and players were not allowed in any way to prematurely end their trip, Ye Ci could only beart with the constant yapping of the Barbarian.

To make matters worse for Ye Ci, he would always shout his words out whenever he spoke. Almost shouting out every word would not deal damage to a player's character, but it was dealing critical damage to Ye Ci's mental well being. She was beginning to regret her decision to fly up into the sky immediately. Wouldn't it have been nice if I waited for a minute or two and took off after he did?

"Hey Elf, look at that! We're so high up in the sky right now! We're literally flying through the clouds! I can touch them with the tips of my fingers! This is so cool!"

"Look down there, Elf! Is that the sea? It's so wonderful up here! It would be nice if I can have a beautiful girl with me along on this ride. It'll make a very romantic date."

"Woooow! Look at that thing in front of us, Elf! Is that the Middle Continent?"

After three hours of nonstop noise pollution, Ye Ci was finally at her limits. "Shut the f*ck up!" she turned around and shouted at the Barbarian Warrior.

The Barbarian Warrior, who had grown used to Ye Ci's long silence, was caught off guard by her sudden outburst. He was stunned for a few moments before finally continuing his chatter with renewed vigor, "Ah! So you've been listening to me all along! I thought you couldn't hear me from there!"

Ye Ci rolled her eyes. She even wished that she was deaf at that very moment, just so that she would not suffer through his endless yapping along their entire flight. Only an idiot would talk to him.

"The name's Lotus Supercenter. What is your name?" the Barbarian offered his name, ignoring the fact that Ye Ci had been paying no attention to his words the entire time.

Lotus Supercenter? Isn't that the name of a supermarket? Ye Ci glanced at the Barbarian, and revealed her name after some slight hesitation, "Gongzi You."

"Eh?" Lotus Supercenter was momentarily stunned, and his annoying voice disappeared. He craned his neck and stared at Ye Ci's face, causing her great discomfort. She turned around and glared at the man, and Lotus Supercenter immediately averted his gaze. After a few awkward moments and some chuckles after his breath, the man shouted as if he had seen a ghost, "You're Gongzi You???"

Ye Ci stared off into the space ahead, her heart filled with regret. I shouldn't have talked to him. Now I'm in more trouble!

But Ye Ci's lack of response did not affect Lotus Supercenter by one bit. He continued his chatter, and his topic was now focused on the gossip about Ye Ci.

"Gongzi You, is it true that there's something going on between you and Fleeting Time of the Western Continent?"

"Gongzi You, is it true that your love transcends the difference in race?"

"Gongzi You, how did you and Fleeting Time come to know each other? Was he the one who tried to woo you first or was it the other way around?"

"Gongzi You, will you and Fleeting Time ever get married? Will you live in separate continents after the marriage? Or will one of you move?"

"Gongzi You, don't forget to invite me to your wedding with Fleeting Time. I'll help collect the red packets for you. I'm very good at maths."

Ye Ci's head was at the verge of exploding. Where did this guy come from? He's so dang annoying! "Keep talking if you want me to place a one-month bounty on you." said Ye Ci with a dark expression.

She was successful in shutting Lotus Supercenter up. He stared at Ye Ci, and noticed that he had truly angered Gongzi You. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Well I was just curious. A person is not truly famous without some gossip. It's good to have gossip about you!"

Ye Ci glared daggers at Lotus Supercenter, who immediately raised his hands in defence, "Alright! Alright! I get it! I'll not talk about Fleeting Time again."

With tranquility finally returning, Ye Ci let out a sigh of relief. It would take one more hour to reach the Middle Continent's Hero City, and when she was there, she could finally rid herself of Lotus Supercenter for good. It was a happy thought in her mind.

But the silence was all but temporary. Lotus Supercenter was not willing to give up on the chance to talk to Gongzi You, the legend of the Eastern Continent. It did not take long for the chatterbox to once again pepper Ye Ci with a torrent of words.

Of course, he was smart enough to avoid any topic about Fleeting Time.

"Those Northern Continent players are so petty. How could they place a bounty on you? Three months! Don't you think that they're very despicable?"

"Aiya, these people are just looking for trouble, aren't they? Is the bounty troubling you, Gongzi You?"

Ye Ci lowered her head and grimaced. She finally understood the saying "the cowardly fears the valiant, and the valiant fears those who have no regard for their lives.". Lotus Supercenter was a prime example of such a person.

She was as silent as the dead throughout the rest of the journey, while Lotus Supercenter grew more and more excited as he babbled on.

When she finally arrived in Hero City, Ye Ci pulled on the reins of her steed, and circled it around the air on top of the Flight Manager before slowly descending to a spot beside the Trainer. She leapt down from her steed and immediately disappeared into the crowd.

Lotus Supercenter was not as adept as Ye Ci in the handling of a flying steed. He struggled to control his landing in the air for quite some time and came to a rough landing beside the Trainer. He jumped down from his steed and studied his surroundings, but Gongzi You was nowhere to be found, "Aiya, I've forgot to add her into my friend list. What a shame!"

"Lotus, you're here as well?" a voice called out to him as he was still looking around for Ye Ci.

He turned around, and walked towards the source of the voice, "Damn right. Have you been here for long?��

The man responded with a smile as well, "Yeah. What took you so long?"

"Ah, I was caught up with something in Champion City just now." Lotus Supercenter scratched his head, not willing to tell the tale of his argument with the Trainer about the size of his steed. "Where did the guild leader create his character?"

"The guild has divided itself into four sections stationed on each continent. The leader and Death Blossom have not joined the guild yet, so we do not know which continent they will be on. Our men have started their grind for experience points. Go lead a dungeon expedition if you have the time."

"Don't worry, I will." Lotus Supercenter patted his chest, "But I want to explore Hero City for now, and see if there's anything new."

His companion sighed, "You're just looking for pretty ladies, aren't you?"

Lotus Supercenter let out a hearty laugh and waved the man goodbye before heading into Hero City.

Ye Ci headed straight for the Job Center after leaving the Flight Manager.

Players from all four continents flocked to Hero City for different reasons. Some of them were here for the sight, and to explore the new continent. But Ye Ci was here to increase her level cap.

With the release of the new patch, the level cap of players was increased to lvl100. The experience points to advance through these 40 levels was greater than that of the previous 60 levels. Players were unable to increase their level cap in their home continent, and could only do so by visiting specific NPCs in Hero City. Despite the increase in level cap, there was still not many players who have reached the level of 60.

Despite the huge number of players in Hero City, the Job Center was relatively empty.

To accommodate the players from all four continents, Hero City was built to be larger than the capitals of all four continents. The Job Center was a white building situation in the middle of a wisteria garden on the eastern side of the city. The contrast between the purplish garden and the white of the building gave off an air of otherworldly beauty.

Bards and poets could be found around the wisteria garden, singing and reciting songs and poems from the olden days as they played their instruments.

The combination of falling wisteria buds, bards and poets, as well as tables filled with fruits and cups of wine formed a beautiful scenery. Many of the female players who passed through the garden stopped and began taking pictures of the place.

Ye Ci made her way through the garden and into the Job Center. Of all the players in the area, she was the only one who seemed to be in a hurry.

She could still remember how mesmerized she was by the same scenery when she first visited the garden. But as time passed, she had grown numb to its beauty.

"It was a night just like tonight. The beautiful moonlight was shining down on us. You told me that you will embark on a long journey; and I gave you my promise, that I will await your return. You promised me the prettiest bellflower from the Missia Summit as a decoration for my wedding gown. I've waited, oh have I waited for you.. My wedding dress has been ready for many years but oh my hero when will you return?"

"I want not the bellflowers from the Missia Summit. I want not the most beautiful decoration for my wedding dress."

"My hero, do you know that..."

"That your love is the most precious gem to me?"

"Please do not let war slow down your pace, and the wild flowers cloud your eyes, and return to me… Oh my hero…"

One of the bards was reciting a poem that was different from the rest, and even Ye Ci stopped dead in her tracks to listen to the bard who was standing below a wisteria tree with a crowd of players gathered around him.

She drummed her fingers against her arm, trying her best to remember the quest that was related to the poem.

Each poem and each song of every bard in the wisteria garden had an origin their own. They would often lead to a new quest, but such a fact was still not known by players. Ye Ci herself only knew about the secret behind them because of the experiences in her last life.

That particular poem was related to a preliminary quest for a particular dungeon. But due to the passing of time, Ye Ci could no longer recall the name of the dungeon. She gave up with a sigh, and decided to settle the matter at hand first.

With that thought in mind, she immediately headed into the Job Center.