21. Zhuge village

The Zhuge village was a charming and idyllic place. It sprawled across a vast expanse of land, providing shelter to around a hundred people. The houses were constructed from bamboo harvested from the nearby forest, and they looked adorable, especially under the soft glow of the setting sun. The same light also reflected off the surface of the river, creating a mirror-like effect that mixed with the lush greenery, creating a breathtaking sight.

The scene was so captivating that Xu Lei couldn't help but stop and admire it for a moment before continuing his approach toward the village.

As he surveyed the area, he noticed that a part of the population earned their livelihood by chopping down and exporting bamboo, while the rest concentrated on farming. The rice fields were irrigated by the water delivered through a network of canals straight from the river. Further away, villagers raised cattle and pigs.

Amidst all this, there was one building that stood out. It had a stone base and was constructed from wood. At the entrance, several people huddled around small tables, drinking and playing cards. It was evident that this was the local inn.

As he drew closer, he noticed a sign on the wall that read: "Zhuge Village Inn." Uncertain how much time he had before the alarm went off, Xu Lei headed straight inside to gather some information before pursuing the quest any further.

Although the notes he had were informative, they could not replace the knowledge of the locals about the surrounding areas.

Mostly humans, but also a few representatives of beast folk and stoichians, mostly of the aqua subrace, were loitering around the entrance, completely ignoring him.

'I'll talk with the bartender or the owner of the inn. They should know more than just a random villager,' Xu Lei thought to himself as he walked past them and entered the building.

Inside, it was dimly lit, but the light that filtered in through the open windows and the candles on the tabletops provided adequate illumination. A few tables were occupied by yet another mix of humans, beast folk, and stoichians - all of them unwinding after a hard day's work. They were enjoying themselves by drinking, playing games, and chatting.

By the counter, Xu Lei spotted a short but muscular man with a nicely trimmed brown beard. "Good evening," he said as he approached him. "I'm a traveler, looking to explore this land hoping for luck," he smiled, trying to appear more confident.

"Then good evening to you, traveler. How can I help you? A drink? Or maybe are you hungry? We can serve you some rice," the bartender replied with a smile.

"Oh. I was hoping to find out what to be aware of in these parts of Initium. I want to go towards the mountains," Xu Lei explained.

"If you are going to the mountains, then you should first be aware of the Great Tusker. That's what we call a particularly vicious boar that lives there. You would have to be really unlucky to encounter him because the bamboo forest is vast, but it's something to definitely be aware of," the man said, putting his elbows on the counter and leaning forward as if he expected the conversation to be a long one.

"Great Tusker? It's the first time I'm hearing of this. What does this creature look like?" Xu Lei asked.

"Oh, trust me. When you see that beast, you will know. It's hard to miss. A piece of advice. Don't try to be a hero. Run. This beast is not something a man can handle," the bartender warned with a serious expression, leaving no trace of the smile that was present there before. "Even a dozen villagers don't scare that thing."

"Villagers? So this beast has come here? How did you deal with it, then?" Xu Lei leaned forward slightly on the counter, as curiosity took over, practically forcing him to ask.

"It really likes a type of rare mushroom that grows in the forest, so when it's dug out, the Tuskar can sniff it out if it's not too far away. Sometimes the villagers find those mushrooms and dig them out because you can earn good coin for them, but it also lures the beast. In the past, it caused problems, but then we discovered that if you burn some of the cane commonly growing by the river, the smoke irritates the beast and makes it leave, so that is what we do nowadays," the man took his time to explain, slightly gesturing with his hands as he did.

"Thank you for the warning. I'll keep your words in mind," Xu Lei assured, nodding. He even smiled slightly to add more conviction to his words.

"On the other hand," the bald man almost interrupted him, as he actually didn't stop talking. The window for Xu Lei to speak was only a brief pause in his monologue, but the player's words were enough for him to hesitate if he should continue.

"On the other hand?" the outsider asked, trying to squeeze more information out of the bartender.

He waved his hand in the air as if it wasn't that important, but the look Xu Lei gave him was enough for him to actually continue. "On the other hand, we had recently a whole group come by. They headed to the woods, probably to hunt for that beast, so maybe it is no more. Hopefully. With that creature, you never know. They all could very well be dead too," he shrugged his shoulder.

"That's interesting," the player thought. "Thank you again for the information. It is very useful for me," he spoke out loud.

"Words are just words, stranger," the bartender responded, knocking with his index finger slightly on the surface of the counter. The look he gave Xu Lei was telling even more than this little gesture.

'He wants gold. I don't have any,' went through the player's head, then he smiled awkwardly. "All I have are words, but I'll definitely remember this when I visit this place again with a full coin pouch!" he assured, as he slowly began to retreat.

A chuckle from some of the patrons in the inn only further deepened the feeling of shame, but there was no other option. He had to leave like this because he was completely broke.

Outside, sighing heavily, he directed his footsteps toward the bamboo forest beyond the village. 'I bet everything on this quest... It better pay off,' he thought.

Just as he did, the sound of the alarm warned him that it was time to log out and prepare for work. A bit disappointed, Xu Lei left the game.

He took the helmet off and crawled out of the machine to drag his feet as he headed towards the bathroom to wash, only stopping to grab a change of clothes along the way. His mind was still focused on The Elysia.

He couldn't stop thinking about how annoying his situation was. Having to work instead of focusing only on the game was terrible for pursuing his ultimate goal.

'I need a guild. I need a sponsorship,' he kept thinking. 'I'm gonna look for another meeting this afternoon,' he promised himself as he started preparing the noodles after returning to his apartment from the bathroom.

He finished them quickly and was off to work.