PFRG: Chapter 90

Thanks to Qiu Ji leading the way, Chi Ting and his companions were much more goal-oriented.

On the way, Captain Qiu, who was rated by Chi Ting as a good person, didn’t forget to give them some advice.

In general, the Sanctuary wasn’t much different from the small world below. Apart from the difference in player qualifications, they could basically eat and sleep. If it was time to go to an instance, they could either pay points to buy safe time or go to the instance obediently. To be honest, the player team was a unique way of existence here.

Players in the Sanctuary came from different small worlds. By joining the same team, they could build stronger bonds and fight side by side while sharing internal cards with each other. In other words, as long as one person in the team successfully completed the card collection, it meant the entire team could jointly obtain the qualification to challenge the ultimate instance.

In addition, the higher the team ranking, the more generous the team packages that team members could get during the weekly settlement period. Special gift packages often contained many top-quality items that ordinary players couldn’t obtain no matter how hard they tried. It was also said that the only Joker card that had been put on the trading floor for sale so far was drawn by the captain of the team currently ranked first.

“Joker?” Chi Ting had played several instances so far. The rewards were quite high but he really hadn’t seen the rumored Joker cards. “I heard a friend say that this card seems to be very scarce?”

“It is more than scarce,” Qiu Ji said slowly. “Let’s put it this way. Currently, there are only two people in the Sanctuary who own the Joker card and they have been secretly competing with each other. No one has been able to convince the other to transfer the card in the other person’s hands to them. After several overt and covert contacts, they have become a bit angry. Now these two teams simply don’t like each other and are secretly competing with each other.”

Yue Ren was amused. “Shouldn’t it be a normal operation not to transfer it? You said that the Joker card is so scarce. Once it is sold, won’t it be equivalent to handing the opportunity to challenge the ultimate instance to others? They are all top players. Who would be willing to exchange the opportunity to leave here for some items and points that have no real use?”

Qiu Ji was originally very wary of Yue Ren, but after chatting with him a few times along the way, he responded much more casually.

Hearing this, Qiu Ji smiled and said, “That’s what you say, but who knows what you will encounter after entering the ultimate instance? In any case, as far as I know, so far only one great god from the 1st World has successfully started the challenge. The result was a failure.”

Yue Ren slightly raised an eyebrow. “The great god of the 1st World?”

Qiu Ji nodded. “But that was a long time ago, even before this Sanctuary appeared. I don’t know how the great god collected all the spades and Joker cards and directly started the ultimate challenge. It was said that when the challenge started, all the players saw the announcement and waited outside for a long time. Since then, no news was received.”

At this point, he paused for a moment before continuing, “Let alone what happened in the instance, no one knows whether he cleared it or not or if he is alive or not.”

Chi Ting also heard about this matter from Li Tao. Now that it was mentioned again, he was a bit curious.

What made him even more curious was that for some reason, Yue Ren seemed to be very interested in the so-called ultimate challenge.

Chi Ting glanced at Yue Ren before asking, “If he is a great god, he should have a name on the leaderboard. Whether he is dead or alive, shouldn’t it be determined by whether his name was still on the list?”

Qiu Ji replied, “The ultimate instance is different. Once you enter it, it is like saying goodbye to this unlimited world. Regardless of whether you pass it successfully or not, all your achievement points, including your items and points, must be cleared before entering this instance. In a way, it is like completely giving up everything you own. Moreover, at that time, the Sanctuary hadn’t been opened yet. There was no such thing as a leaderboard. Even this matter was passed down through word of mouth by the players of the 1st World.”

Yue Ren suddenly laughed in an unclear tone. “It seems that Captain Qiu isn’t very clear about this matter either.”

Qiu Ji coughed twice softly.

It could only be said that he was very curious about this rumored god-level player who opened the ultimate instance, but it was true that he hadn’t personally experienced it. Now he couldn’t help talking a bit more. “I only heard about it after I came here. After all, it has been opened to the 13th World now and there aren’t many players left from the original 1st World. At that time, most of the people who knew about the situation were top players. Now there aren’t many insiders left. According to the information I got here, I basically know that the player was called God Lou. As for the specific name, I remember it seemed to be Lou Yue or something…”

As he was speaking, he looked up and saw the building not far away. He immediately changed the subject. “This is the Joint Team Administration. We are here.”

Chi Ting raised his eyes and looked at the ordinary building that seemed a bit too inconspicuous from the outside. Then he followed Qiu Ji inside.

Compared to the overly rustic exterior, the interior of the Joint Team Administration was quite lively with people coming and going.

Qiu Ji did seem to be quite well-known. As they entered, Chi Ting noticed that many people were frequently looking at them as they passed by.

He walked inside with a familiar look and stopped after passing two turns. He pointed to a window not far away and said, “Over there is the team information registration center. You can go there to submit your application. Then complete the registration of the other team members besides the captain within the specified time.”

Ji Xingque looked in that direction, nodded seriously, and asked, “And then?”

“Then? Then the registration is complete.” Qiu Ji turned around and saw Ji Xingque’s incredulous expression of ‘Is it so simple?’ He paused before saying, “Of course, adding the first team member is only the first step. The most important step to complete the team registration is the second step. Many teams are strangled in the bud because they failed in this step.”

He glanced at the three people present. “However, I think with your strength, it should be able to be completed smoothly.”

Yue Ren raised his tone slightly. “We don’t have to clear an instance again, do we?”

This tone of disdain made Qiu Ji’s eyes flicker. “To be exact, it is a test using an instance of a certain difficulty. As long as you pass it successfully, your strength will be recognized, and you will be promoted from a reserve team to a formal team, entering the team rankings.”

Chi Ting paused in realization. “So that’s it!”

This instance that just ended did make him have a bit of PTSD about entering the next instance, but he had to admit that this method was much easier to accept than arranging some very cumbersome procedures.

Without hesitation, he went straight to the window.

After mentioning his intention to come here, the registration proceeded in an orderly manner with the assistance of the employee NPC.

Finally, the final confirmation panel popped up in front of them.

“Captain, you can enter the team name!” Ji Xingque had been impatient for a long time. Just by listening to his tone, one could sense his anticipation. “Dawn! Dawn! Quick, quick. Captain, input Dawn and see!”

A slight smile appeared on Chi Ting’s face.

His fingertips touched lightly a few times. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he typed the word ‘Dawn’ and submitted it for confirmation.

There was a ding dong sound.

Then Chi Ting received the system message that the team was officially established.

“The Dawn team is formed!” Ji Xingque’s cheer occurred the moment it was submitted. His unconcealed excitement attracted the attention of people not far away. However, he didn’t take it to heart at all. If the venue wasn’t limited, he would’ve even wanted to take out his precious guns and cannons on the spot to blast a burst of fireworks around him.

“Okay, keep a low profile, keep a low profile.” Chi Ting looked at the newly added team affiliation column in his panel and his eyes were full of a gentle smile.

His gaze swept over and lingered on the long-lost code name for a long time. Then he withdrew his gaze with a lingering feeling. “Let’s go. Hurry up and complete the team member registration. Then you can go back and rest.”

Having said that, he stepped forward and walked toward the next window that Qiu Ji mentioned.

The two people who had just finished the instance were indeed very tired. If it wasn’t for the excitement brought about by forming a team, even Chi Ting would’ve felt a bit drowsy.

After quickly pulling Ji Xingque and Yue Ren into the team, he couldn’t help smiling with satisfaction at the gradually growing team.

He returned to the door and expressed his gratitude to Qiu Ji for his assistance along the way. “I’m sorry to bother you today, Captain Qiu. If you need anything in the future, just let us know. We at Dawn will definitely be happy to help.”

Qiu Ji maintained the smile on his face. “You’re welcome, you’re welcome.”

Chi Ting glanced at the current time and suggested, “Shall we go and rest first?”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

Chi Ting smiled. “See you soon.”

Qiu Ji didn’t retract his gaze until he saw the three of them leave his field of view.

The exhaustion from being a tool made him sigh deeply in his heart. He tried to digest the bad news that the duck in his hand not only flew away but also became his competitor. Then he turned and walked toward the nearby teleportation point.

Not only had the plan to enter the instance been delayed, but he hadn’t been able to successfully invite anyone to join the team. It seemed that he would have to explain this to the team members after he returned.

On the other hand, Chi Ting was looking for a nearby hotel.

Ji Xingque was still very excited by the Dawn team certification on his panel. His face was full of excitement. “Who told Old Song not to wait for us? Now it is okay. The ranking of joining the team has been updated. Let him be fourth!”

As he said this, his footsteps suddenly paused as he remembered something. “By the way, Captain. I heard Captain Qiu say that a team can only have five regular members and one substitute player?”

Yue Ren realized what he was about to say and silently looked back.

Sure enough, he heard Ji Xingque ask directly, “There were originally five people in our team. If all of them are found, who will be the substitute at that time?”

“Who do you think is suitable?”

“I think, naturally…” Ji Xingque didn’t react for a while and was about to respond very naturally. Then he suddenly realized who the voice came from and his words were choked up. He looked back, and the glance was enough to make people feel a cold gaze. He immediately continued very sensibly, “Of course, whoever joins last will be replaced!”

Yue Ren smiled slightly. “That is a good proposal.”

Ji Xingque also smiled.

Seeing Yue Ren playing around with Little Bird again, Chi Ting was speechless for a while. Finally, he saw a hotel with a good environment on the side of the road and beckoned for the two of them to walk in together.

In front of the counter, he gently tapped on it with his finger and said politely, “Hello, three rooms.”

This sentence made Yue Ren, who was originally teasing Ji Xingque, look over suddenly. “Three?”

Chi Ting looked back. “Is there any problem?”

“Of course, there is.” Yue Ren stared at him. “Aren’t you going to live with me?”

“…You still want to continue living with me?”

“What else?” Yue Ren looked at him like it was natural. “You said from the beginning that you would be responsible for me. After only living with me for a few days, are you going to turn your back on me so soon?”

Chi Ting felt that such an accusation made no sense at all. “I just think that living separately can help you sleep better.”

Yue Ren snorted lowly. “I think it is good to sleep with you.”

Chi Ting didn’t understand very well. They always slept separately in the standard room they had lived in. Could this improve the quality of sleep?

He looked at Yue Ren and still confirmed it. “So you mean?”

Yue Ren stated directly, “Of course, it is the same as before. One room.”

Ji Xingque had been standing silently beside them with an obedient look since the two of them started their conversation.

At this time, he looked between Yue Ren and his captain, his face full of a learning attitude toward this adult world.

Chi Ting felt a slight headache.

He originally arranged for them to live separately. Not only would this show that he was relieved about Yue Ren, but also because… he felt that they needed some time and space to slow down after what happened in the previous instance. He never expected that Yue Ren would insist on this.

He was silent for a moment before finally compromising. “Then let’s have two rooms. One with a king-sized bed and one standard room, thank you.”

The hotel staff quickly booked the rooms.

Ji Xingque changed from his previous excited state and remained silent all the way until the elevator reached the fifth floor. Then he couldn’t wait to get rid of the silent atmosphere and ran away holding his room card.

This left the two people at the door of their room. Yue Ren swiped the card to open the door. He smiled and made a ‘please’ gesture.

During this time, his eyes vaguely passed over the beads. This made Chi Ting very suspicious that this man might reach out and say ‘tie me up’ at any time.

Chi Ting shook his head at his strange thoughts. He walked into the room, took off his coat, and hung it on the hanger.

What was strange was that the two of them were talking to each other downstairs, but once they entered the room, they inexplicably fell silent.

In such a quiet atmosphere, they went to the bathroom to wash away their fatigue and went to bed.

It might be due to the influence of high alienation, but a certain experience in the Ark Laboratory was indeed far beyond Chi Ting’s usual understanding of life. It was fine when Ji Xingque was present before, but now that there were only the two of them left, he could always inexplicably feel a very subtle atmosphere.

Moreover, this feeling seemed to be infinitely magnified in a relatively narrow space.

This was the main reason why Chi Ting originally wanted to live separately, so he could calm down. He didn’t expect that Yue Ren would be so insistent downstairs.

He had thought that by doing this, perhaps the man had something to say. However, after lying on the bed and waiting a long time without seeing any movement, his heart gradually settled down.

In the silence, he finally fell asleep due to the intense fatigue from the high-intensity alienation in the instance.

It wasn’t until midnight that Chi Ting felt in a daze that something seemed to be slowly approaching him.

His usual vigilance woke him up from his sleep instantly. Just as he was about to turn over quickly, he suddenly smelled a familiar breath. This made him pause in all his movements.

The man behind him seemed to have noticed his movements, and his breath brushed past Chi Ting’s ear. “Sorry, I woke you up.”

The quiet night made Yue Ren’s voice sound a bit low.

His chest was pressed against Chi Ting’s back. Due to the slight difference in body size, it was a perfect fit that allowed him to hold this person in his arms at any time.

At this time, Chi Ting already realized that he had relaxed too early.

As a hand slowly came up from the side, he heard the person behind him politely ask, “Do you think this hugging posture is okay?”

The tone sounded as natural as asking what was for breakfast tomorrow.

The premise was that he couldn’t clearly feel the violent heartbeat of the person behind him, his heart almost jumping out of his chest.

This behavior, which was obviously a pretense of calmness, made Chi Ting realize that he wasn’t the only one who had been thinking too much.

He laughed softly. “Of course.”

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