Chapter 49 – Mercenary Team

The first Garden Maze Wanderer’s Wristguard on Huaxia Summit.

Though slightly less prestigious compared to the North Sea Siren, the treatment was the same—the system broadcast for Milk is Mom obtaining the wristguard was visible to all of Huaxia——

[Huaxia] Elephant Moves Field: Garden Maze? What’s that?

[Huaxia] Nuan Nuan: Never heard of it, must be new gear added in the update.

[Huaxia] Little Strong Immortal: So this so-called milk found a new World Boss or dungeon?

[Huaxia] Nuan Nuan: Probably not a world boss, otherwise, the system would’ve announced the kill.

[Huaxia] Take a Few Steps: So it’s either mobs from a new map or a new dungeon?

[Huaxia] Don’t Worship Me: Wait, the ID “Milk is Mom” seems so familiar…

Of course it was familiar. Not long ago, nearly half of Huaxia Summit’s players had spectated this ID on the Mesopotamian Plains =_=

But at this moment, the major guilds that had participated in the chaos were eerily quiet.

Well, quiet in the World chat at least…

[Meteor Blitz Guild Channel]

[Legion] Big H: I knew we shouldn’t have trusted Little P back then! There’s definitely something fishy going on!

[Legion] Greatsword: Stop whining. Instead of relying on others, why not find one yourself? You think the devs would only add one new dungeon in such a massive update?

[Legion] Big H: Easier said than done! Where am I supposed to find it?!

[Legion] Greatsword: Gather ten people and head back to the Mesopotamian Plains. I know how they got in.

[Legion] Big H: Holy shit, Brother Sword, I freaking love you!

[Legion] Greatsword: I know. But please restrain your emotions.

[Legion] Big H: ……

[Legion] Kill All Who Block Me: The whole guild’s watching. Can you two take this to whispers? =_=

[Huaxia Dominion Guild Channel]

[Legion] Seven Injuries Fist: That’s Parrot’s team. They really made it into the new dungeon.

[Legion] Harry Porret: Never realized Parrot was this cunning before.

[Legion] Laugh It Off: You’ve barely exchanged enough words with him to fill a college essay.

[Legion] Carved in Bone: I remember when Fighter Jet left the guild, he also mentioned Parrot. Who is this guy? What’s his history with our guild?

[Legion] Harry Porret: That’s a long story without a mother…

[Legion] Seven Injuries Fist: Short version: Former Deputy Commander. Didn’t mesh well with the guild. Later, he ambushed the wife of Five Peaks Pavilion’s Deputy Commander in a pretty scummy way. Got hunted down, corpse-camped to level zero, until we transferred from Mirage Server.

[Legion] Harry Porret: Objectively speaking, though, as a Deputy Commander, he was solid—did right by Huaxia Dominion.

[Legion] Carved in Bone: So when he was being hunted, you guys didn’t help?

[Legion] Laugh It Off: Oh, we helped.

[Legion] Harry Porret: Yeah, helped with the hunting.

[Legion] Carved in Bone: ……

[Whisper] Seven Injuries Fist: But even now, Xuanyuan hasn’t appointed a new Deputy Commander.

[Whisper] Laugh It Off: Damn, you scared me! Thought you posted that in guild chat!

[Whisper] Seven Injuries Fist: Xuanyuan would murder me. Haven’t you noticed how he avoids talking about Parrot? I think he regrets it a little.

[Whisper] Laugh It Off: Even if it happened again, it’d be the same. It’s a clash of gaming philosophies—like a business partnership. If wavelengths don’t match, it’ll fall apart eventually.

[Whisper] Seven Injuries Fist: Back on the Mesopotamian Plains, it was the first time I’d seen Parrot speak in full sentences, and his smugness was off the charts. I think the current Parrot is finally having real fun.

[Whisper] Laugh It Off: You’re reminding me of that one guild’s dirty tactics… =_=

[War Banner Guild Channel]

[Legion] War-Snow Wolf: Interesting.

[Legion] War-Black Gold: Getting scammed is interesting?

[Legion] War-Snow Wolf: That’s what makes it exciting, hahaha!

[Legion] War-Six Souls: Oh no, Old Wolf’s adrenaline is pumping again.

[Legion] War-Sister Liuli: I want that wristguard too [cries]

[Legion] War-Sorrel: Forget that trash! I’ll get you something better!

[Legion] War-Bodhi Patriarch: I want it too [wiggles]

[Legion] War-Six Souls: Forget whether a Blood Warrior even has use for a healer’s wristguard—that wiggling fat-ass of yours… Do it again. I DARE you.

[Five Peaks Pavilion Guild Channel]

[Legion] Solitary Desert Blade: Commander, we’ve held back long enough. Care to explain what you and the Deputy are actually doing?

[Legion] Marilyn MengPing: And Mount Tai’s already wailing about being a mere mortal ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Legion] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: The Commander is busy.

[Legion] Legend of Xujiatun: What about you, Deputy?

[Legion] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: I’m also busy, obviously!

[Legion] Basic Beauty: Oh, so you two are busy together……

[Legion] Summit of Mount Tai: Why do I feel like these six dots are very telling…

[Legion] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Telling your grandma’s claws! Focus on healing, dammit!

At that moment, the joint team had successfully escaped the maze and was now trekking along a countryside path that reminded one of rural England. The mobs along the way were numerous and tough, making progress painfully slow. After much struggle, they finally reached a lakeside.

The lake was vast, its waters a deep blue. A modest yet elegant castle stood on the western shore, exuding an ancient charm.

“Do we swim straight across or take a detour to check out the castle?” Drink Till You Drop asked.

Fang Zheng noticed something: while Drink had been effectively leading the team, his style differed from Birdy’s. Instead of giving direct orders, he presented reasonable options for the team to choose from—even when there was only one viable path, he’d still ask for consensus. Neither approach was inherently better; it was just a matter of personal style. Though, with Birdy, you’d always get the loot~\(≧▽≦)/~

Okay, he was getting off track. But there was no denying that Drink’s style suited the joint team better—it made everyone feel respected and comfortable.

“Obviously the castle,” 2B chimed in. “There might be a princess!”

Blood Bull: “Or a lord.”

Crossplayer: “With a bunch of minions.”

“Zombie, what do you think?” Drink asked Birdy directly.

Fang Zheng facepalmed: “Hey, handsome, I’m the Commander here.”

“Mhm, I know,” Drink replied gently. “Zombie, what do you think?”

The Ghost Server Legion silently lit candles of sympathy for their Commander in their hearts.

“Let’s go to the castle. It’s probably another miniboss,” Birdy finally answered, amusement clear in his voice.

“Then we swim to the castle,” Drink said, diving into the lake first.

The rest of the joint team followed suit, splashing into the water one after another.

On-screen, only Milk is Mom remained motionless.

Off-screen, Fang Zheng gnashed his teeth in frustration, viciously biting the innocent towel around his neck.

[Whisper] Polly: Just tally it all up. Once your aggro meter’s full, I’ll let you vent.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Really (⊙o⊙)?

[Whisper] Polly: Yeah. I won’t fight back.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Pfft, as if I’m that weak~

[Whisper] Polly: Skip the fluff. Just keep the subject and the idiom.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Why didn’t those mobs kill you already?!

Meng Chudong wanted to say, Because you fed me so well, but halfway through typing, it sounded too much like 2B’s lovestruck nonsense. He cringed and deleted it.

But his heart still itched, as if someone was teasingly blowing air on it, making him restless—unable to calm down no matter what.

Meng Chudong tried to recall: back then, with Xuanyuan, he’d simply wanted more time to play together in-game. When Xuanyuan wanted to expand the guild, he helped. When Xuanyuan wanted to fight for a fortress, he charged ahead. Everything revolved around the game.

But now, with Milk is Mom, even if they weren’t running dungeons, fighting mobs, or participating in events, he still wanted to initiate conversations—even about movies or gossip… Wait, what was the healer’s real name?

Meng Chudong was stumped by this sudden question. Racking his brain, all he could recall was “Kite.”

But that couldn’t be a real name.

Normally, Meng Chudong kept games and reality separate. To him, games were just games—even the relationships formed within them were fleeting once logged off. Yet now, this question plagued him, and for some inexplicable reason, he started mentally running through surnames…

Soon, the joint team reached the castle’s base—including Milk is Mom, who’d jumped in last.

But after a headcount, only eleven remained. Checking the status bar, Birdy-kun’s name had turned gray.

Too focused on swimming, no one had noticed the system message——

[System] Polly has died.

Crossplayer’s Blessing cast a resurrection spell without hesitation, and Birdy-kun soon reappeared before the team.

Drink: “What happened?”

Polly: “Forgot to check the breath timer. Didn’t surface for air.”

White Dragon Horse: “So you drowned?”

Polly: “Basically.”

White Dragon Horse: “Dude, what were you thinking?”

Polly: “Philosophizing about life.”

YY chat fell silent.

With such a profound excuse, what could the team say? They let it go and refocused on the castle ahead.

Up close, the castle was indeed small—more of a tower, really, like the one Rapunzel was locked in. There was no door, just a high window near the top. Zooming in, the silhouette of a woman’s face could barely be seen.

White Dragon Horse: “Is that a mob or an NPC?”

Suave Not Sleazy: “Doesn’t matter. We can’t reach her either way.”

Refined Into a Demon 715: “But we can’t just leave.”

Crossplayer’s Blessing: “Maybe there’s a ladder nearby?”

2B Fighter Jet: “In fairy tales, the girl lets down her hair for the prince to climb…”

Blood Bull: “Like I said, for the prince.”

2B, deeply wounded, was about to check his reflection in the lake to see where he fell short of princely standards when he noticed actual hair cascading from the window!

The others saw it too and got excited—until the hair stopped.

If the window was thirty meters up, the hair had only extended about three meters down.

White Dragon Horse: “Why’d it stop?”

2B: “Clearly, hair length is proportional to the number of princes!”

Fang Zheng: “How romantic…”

Turns out, the game designer had no such fairy-tale sensibilities——

Polly: “Try dropping the gold coins we got at the entrance.”

Following Birdy’s suggestion, everyone tossed their gold coins onto the ground. Sure enough, the hair lengthened with each coin until it finally touched the earth!

This wasn’t Rapunzel—this was Madame Golddigger =_=

But regardless, the hair was now accessible. 2B, yelling, “I’m climbing first! No one steal my spot!” rushed over and gave the hair a mighty tug!

2B’d avatar didn’t climb.

But the girl was pissed.

[System] Princess Natalie: What barbarian dares yank my hair?! Such rudeness is unforgivable!

With the system message, the tower collapsed. From the rubble, the princess emerged gracefully, raising her lace sleeves as countless flames shot through the air…

“Damn, she’s opening with AoE?!”

“2B, I hate you!”

“Why hate me~~~”

“Because you’re a 2B.”

While fighting mobs was inevitable, there was a world of difference between a prepared engagement and an ambush—especially in a guild dungeon, where every mob packed a punch. Often, two or even three tanks had to rotate aggro just to survive.

The joint team scrambled under Princess Natalie’s assault, fleeing for about three minutes before Drink stabilized aggro and the formation steadied.

If the Clay Golem in the maze had been a hidden miniboss, then this princess was the dungeon’s first proper boss. Typically, dungeons scaled in difficulty, so early bosses were gentler with fewer mechanics—as long as the team coordinated well, victory was assured.

Princess Natalie was no exception. After roughly seven or eight minutes, she collapsed gracefully.

This time, Birdy was closest to the corpse—having dealt the final blow—so he looted it.

The moment the dice-roll prompt appeared, Five Peaks Pavilion’s hearts bled.

[System] Crossplayer’s Blessing has passed.

[System] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze has passed.

[System] Milk is Mom has passed.

[System] Drink Till You Drop has passed.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has passed.

[System] Summit of Mount Tai has passed.

[System] 2B Fighter Jet has passed.

[System] Suave Not Sleazy has passed.

[System] Unintentional Mistake has passed.

[System] Fire Cloud Evil God has passed.

[System] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse has passed.

[System] Polly rolled 66 points.

[System] Polly has obtained Mirror Lake Tower Zombie Chestpiece.

……

[Legion] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: THIS IS UNJUST AAAAAAAAAH!!!

[Legion] Unintentional Mistake: Whitey’s lost it.

[Legion] Summit of Mount Tai: I’m losing it too.

[Legion] Marilyn MengPing: Commander, what are you guys doing??

[Legion] Drink Till You Drop: Working as mercenaries. For free.