22. The cake

Xu Lei was surprised by the lack of customers. Slow days happened once in a while, but this time it was clearly here to stay. He leaned on the counter, scrolling through pictures on his phone, checking out different advertisements from various guilds. With nothing much to do, he switched to exploring the internet, mainly to check the news.

He came across a couple of articles about two recent gates opening nearby, one in Hong Kong and the other in mainland China. He stared at them, feeling the anger building up in his mind. His heart began to accelerate, and the dull sound of drums in his ears, beaten by his own blood made him switch to something else.

As he scrolled further, he read an article about a recent assault. "The Elysia player assaulted by former guild members after leaving the guild," he read. 'Nothing new,' he thought. 'This is why I want to pick my guild carefully, so I won't have to look over my shoulder after leaving.'

Suddenly, the sound of someone entering the grocery shop put him on full alert. Xu Lei dropped his phone on the counter and jumped to a straight position before looking to the side. It was Asher Wong. He was wearing sunglasses, which wouldn't be surprising at this time of the year if not for the dark shadow poking out from underneath, around his left eye.

'Has he got beaten up again?' a thought popped up in Xu Lei's mind.

The boy bowed immediately. "Hello, brother," he said politely, his cheeks slightly red. It was obvious that he felt ashamed, probably because of his look - despite the efforts to cover everything up.

"Hi Asher," Xu Lei replied, grabbing his phone. "You can take over." Despite his words, he kept looking at the boy while slowly taking off his apron. Then he went to put it back on the hook in the backroom.

As he walked outside, the wind washed away his worries, replacing them with a slight, exciting feeling about the guild gathering. It also brought up images of beauty with blue hair. He tried to fight them off, and kept asking himself, 'Should I do something?'

A loud car horn jolted Xu Lei out of his thoughts, followed by a cacophony of city noise that assaulted his ears. The blistering sun beat down on his skin, making him wish for air conditioning outside. He sighed to himself, reaching into his pocket to check the location once more before hurrying off, determined not to be late.

The thoughts focused around Asher were clearly not enough to be turned into actions, so he ended up leaving anyway.

Despite the half-hour walk, he arrived five minutes early, spotting the enchanting beauty in the black dress and long, flowing blue hair who was handing out leaflets to people headed to the gathering. She kept a safe distance from the venue, so as not to attract the attention of the event organizers, but close enough to identify those who were heading inside.

Xu Lei couldn't take his eyes off her, her loveliness captivating him completely as he entered the cozy cafe where the event was to be held. The place had been entirely reserved for the guild members, with tables pushed to one side to make space for the speech.

As guests filtered in, they were given complimentary tea and cake, a welcomed change to Xu Lei's diet. He couldn't help but ogle the sweets as he took his seat, entranced by the delicious aroma that filled the room. Soon after, the event began, and he listened intently, digging into the cake as he took sip after sip of his delicious hot tea.

The speaker, a man, stepped into the empty space inside the cafe and began his speech. The projector flashed an image of the Dragonfire guild's headquarters, a modest building clearly sponsored by a clothing and food brand, as the respective logos came right after.

"We are a new guild with plenty of funding to support our members in their pursuit of glory in The Elysia," he began, before chuckling to himself. "But we have a unique approach compared to other guilds. We focus on the economy. Others focus solely on leveling up and speculating on which weapons, spells, or tactics are the best, ignoring a crucial factor - the economy. Skills don't matter if you can't afford the right gear. The items are what's important."

Xu Lei listened intently, nodding in agreement with the man's words. The idea of a guild that focused on the economy was intriguing, but definitely something which, in his mind, had a shot at completing the final quest.

The more this man spoke, the more Xu Lei started to realize that coming to this gathering was another miss.

His attention eventually drifted away from the speaker, and his eyes fixated on the glass door, providing a glimpse of the bustling sidewalk outside.

'Both levels and gold are meaningless. The secrets are important. Hidden knowledge. Hidden quests. What's at the front is for idiots like you to waste time, while the real players pick the good stuff as you are busy chasing rabbits,' he thought, letting his mind wander away.

Suddenly, a blue-haired woman walked past, and Xu Lei was captivated by her ethereal beauty. Her stunning features and enchanting eyes held him in a trance, as though she were a goddess reborn.

The sound of laughter jolted him back to reality, but his thoughts remained with her for the rest of the meeting.

When Xu Lei stepped outside, he looked around hopefully, eager to catch another glimpse of her, but she had vanished like a fleeting dream. The streets were teeming with people, cars, and scooters weaving in and out of traffic. Bikes darted here and there, but the blue-haired beauty was nowhere to be seen.

Feeling disappointed, Xu Lei sighed heavily and began the trek home, feeling as though the meeting had been a waste of time. However, the memory of the cake he had indulged in earlier made him smile, brightening his mood as he thought to himself, 'At least I got to eat the cake.'