Chapter 158 – Purple-Tier Phoenix (Part 1)

Perhaps the fact that all players who longed for the phoenix came up empty-handed the previous night had spurred the hearts of those who originally didn’t want to join the fray. Tonight, the number of players in Spirit Valley had swelled even further. The elusive Golden Phoenix’s refusal to be captured gave everyone the hopeful thought, “Maybe it’s waiting for me!” Thus, wave after wave of fortune-seekers poured into the valley, and once they entered, none seemed to leave.

[Party] Iron Abacus: Damn, it’s like a temple fair in here.

[Party] Self-Made Man: Not to be that guy, but with how densely packed this valley is now—each person barely has two square meters—and yet no one’s managed to catch the Golden Phoenix despite this carpet search. Could it be that the devs are trolling us?

[Party] Fair and Square: The system literally announced it. If this turns out to be a joke, the playerbase will gather at the devs’ windows at midnight to hang themselves.

[Party] Silk Road Merchant: Hey, there’s a little pony over there. Should we grab it?

[Party] Iron Abacus: Might as well. Better than nothing.

Before the group could even move, a warm golden light enveloped the little pony. When the glow faded, the pony was gone—clearly, someone had already captured it.

[Local] Iron Abacus: What the hell?! Who’s got such sticky fingers?!

[Local] Moriarty: Your Uncle Moriarty. Got a problem?

[Local] Iron Abacus: Oh, my temper’s flaring. It’s been years since I’ve shown my blade, and the Jianghu’s forgotten about Iron-Nanny Abacus, huh? Want me to smack some sense into you with my hammer?

[Local] Moriarty: ……

[Local] Iron Abacus: Scared now?

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: I think he’s just in awe of your illustrious title.

[Local] Moriarty: Silk Road?

By now, the two groups had entered the clearing where the little pony had been captured. The distant taunts turned into face-to-face confrontation, but since they’d run into acquaintances, the tension dissipated somewhat.

[Local] Iron Abacus: Silky, you know them?

[Local] Fair and Square: What’s wrong with your eyes? Can’t you see they’re all from Wandering the Four Seas?

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Yeah, we’re from the same server.

[Local] Wandering Monk: That’s a modest way to introduce yourself. You’ve practically monopolized the material market on Wandering the Four Seas. I had to cross servers just to buy some Ephedra Herb.

[Local] Self-Made Man: Damn, business is booming on your server, huh? Materials are that hot?

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: I just price things a little higher. But really, it’s for the customers’ sake. Think about it—buying something at sticker price versus haggling it down—the satisfaction is totally different. So if I want customers to haggle, I’ve gotta leave room for negotiation…

[Local] Iron Abacus: Excuses =_=

[Local] Fair and Square: Scammer =_=

Wandering Monk’s two-man team consisted of Demon Refiners—a common sight in Spirit Valley. In contrast, the other side—

[Local] Moriarty: Enough catching up. Can someone explain this lineup to me? Healer + Blood Warrior + Demon Refiner + Zombie + Spirit Master?

Even in Vanilla Forest, finding a team with such a well-rounded composition is rare =_=

[Local] Wandering Monk: Isn’t it obvious? They’re all working for the Demon Refiner.

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: You’re half right. We’re here to farm the phoenix for a Demon Refiner, but not the one in front of you.

[Local] Self-Made Man: Uh, I have a name, you know. You can call me Big White or Little Hand…

[Local] Moriarty: So all five of you are mercenaries?

[Local] Wandering Monk: Perfect then. How much is your employer paying? I’ll add 10%—just hand the phoenix over to us.

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: No.

[Local] Wandering Monk: 30%! That’s gotta work, right?!

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Honestly, it’s not about the money…

[Local] Iron Abacus: He emotionally blackmailed us! TAT

[Local] Moriarty: I’ve been wondering—Silk Road being here makes sense, he’s a merchant alt. But what are you guys—healer, zombie, Spirit Master—doing here? Just to work for someone else?

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: They’re merchant alts too…

[Local] Wandering Monk: Damn, your employer must be something else. Hiring a whole squad of merchant alts to work for free and still keeping you all loyal…

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Let’s just say… maybe you’ll meet him someday. Out of server camaraderie, I’ll tell you his glorious name so you can avoid him if you ever cross paths.

[Local] Wandering Monk: All ears ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: [Refined Into a Demon 715]

[Local] Moriarty: ……

[Local] Wandering Monk: Nice knowing you, Silk Road. See ya.

……

[Party] Iron Abacus: Did those two seem kinda weird to you guys?

[Party] Self-Made Man: Yeah…

[Party] Silk Road Merchant: Don’t underestimate them. They’re top-tier among Demon Refiners.

[Party] Fair and Square: On your Wandering the Four Seas server, right? No offense, Silky, but your server’s kinda irrelevant.

[Party] Silk Road Merchant: That’s called “low-key luxury with substance.”

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Are you here to catch a phoenix or to speed-date? Quit yapping.

[Party] Self-Made Man: Coffin, you’re single, aren’t you? Yeah, you must be. Even a chubby girl in a down jacket would freeze to death sitting next to you.

[Party] Iron Abacus: Silent Fortress, huh? The players and the server share the same vibe.

[Vanilla] Congratulations to Refined Into a Demon 715 for obtaining the Millennium Arhat Fruit!

The system only announced rare materials or pets upon acquisition. The five-man squad exchanged glances…

[Party] Fair and Square: The moment they leave us, they score a rare material…

[Party] Iron Abacus: No, don’t say that. Damn, that hurts TAT

[Party] Silk Road Merchant: Luck—you gotta believe in it…

Though Silk Road Merchant’s words of wisdom came in the first half of the night, they perfectly summarized the five-man squad’s struggles in the latter half. By the time dawn broke, Refined Into a Demon 715 had logged off with three rare materials, while the squad remained empty-handed. Still, the five had given it their all. Whether 715 knew it or not, they knew—and that was enough.

From then on, each would go their separate ways.

While 438 slept soundly, unaware that five people had fought hard for him all night, his mother had left for a tutoring session. The lack of sleep from the previous night was made up for during the day, and the happy Demon Refiner dreamed until 4 p.m.

His mother hadn’t returned yet when he woke up, so 438 hurriedly logged into the game. The three high-tier materials from the previous night had boosted his score to 400. If things went well, he might not even need to wait until midnight to hit 500, leaving him time to hunt for the phoenix~~\(≧▽≦)/~

This was the final night of the three-day window. He had to give it his all… Wait, had anyone caught that bird yet?

[Vanilla] Refined Into a Demon 715: Has anyone caught the Golden Phoenix yet?

[Vanilla] 2D Boundary: Did you catch it?

[Vanilla] Refined Into a Demon 715: Nope.

[Vanilla] 2D Boundary: Then why are you jumping around? The system would’ve announced it if someone did.

Hmm, so the little phoenix was still waiting for him. Compared to that, some rude guy’s attitude could be ignored~~\(^o^)/~

He resumed his diligent gathering, only for the progress bar to complete without yielding anything. Realizing his inventory was full again, 438 looked around and immediately spotted a familiar face—

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Hey~ handsome~~

Coffin Shop, who had been staring at the screen the whole time, twitched at the corner of his mouth. He’d been watching 715 since the guy logged in, but after a quick shout in World Chat and some digging, the guy hadn’t spared him a glance. Now that his inventory was full and gathering had failed, he suddenly remembered Coffin Shop existed. And when he didn’t need him, it was “Coffin this, Coffin that,” but now it was “handsome”…

[Local] Brother Whirlwind: Hey hey, who’s calling me?

[Local] Reeking of Demon Aura: Right here, bro.

[Local] Little Li Guang: 715, you need something?

Damn, where’d all these confident guys come from? =_=

438 was also embarrassed and quickly clarified—

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Sorry, not you guys. I’m looking for that expressionless zombie in black over there.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: ……Shit, I said the quiet part out loud, what do I do? >_<

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Honesty is a virtue.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, please don’t abandon me, Coffin Shop…

[Local] Brother Whirlwind: What’s going on??

[Local] Little Li Guang: I’m out…

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Finish your sentence.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: ……’s material buying services!

[Local] Reeking of Demon Aura: =_=

Coffin Shop sighed. At this point, he was basically a scrap collector—

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Hand them over.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: ~~\(≧▽≦)/~

Another bag of worthless weeds. Coffin Shop gave him a bundled price—slightly better than selling to the shop, but not by much. Just a little psychological comfort for the gatherer.

438 didn’t mind. Having someone buy his stuff was already better than selling to the shop. After the trade, he turned to resume gathering, only for Coffin Shop to stop him. This time, the conversation shifted to whispers—

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: What’s your score?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: 400.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Still going?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Yeah, need 500 to enter Lover’s Constellation.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: That’s for early entry. After the three-day period, even 5 points will get you in.

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Uh, what are you getting at?

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: How much do you think a Purple Phoenix is worth?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: I’m not selling!

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: You haven’t even caught it yet, okay? =_=

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Oh, right. Then why ask?

Coffin Shop tossed the crushed orange into the trash and wiped his hands, feeling much better…

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: How much difference do you think there is between entering Lover’s Constellation with 400 points versus 500?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Honestly, I know there’s not much difference. It’s just a number. But every point counts, right?

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: What if it’s 500 points versus 400 points + Purple Phoenix?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: What do you mean?

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: You logged in as soon as the server opened, right? There’s less than eight hours left in the three-day window. Don’t you want to use this last chance to try catching the Golden Phoenix?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: ……

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: What do the six dots mean?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: It means I’m having an intense internal struggle >_<

Five minutes later—

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Uh…

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Struggle over?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Not yet. I just thought of something…

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Spit it out.

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: From what you’re saying, you wanna help me catch it?

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Yeah.

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: And then buy it from me?

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Would you sell?

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Over my dead body! TAT

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Then there you go.

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: You’d still help me even if I don’t sell?

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Yeah.

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Why?

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Because I want to.

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: ……

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: And these six dots mean…

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: I suddenly understand why the Commander loves singing when he’s happy!

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Don’t—

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715: Where there’s a heart~~~ there’s a dream~~~ love still exists between heaven and earth~~~~~~~~~~

What kind of legion is this?!

By the time the two entered Spirit Valley, the sun outside had mostly set. In the northern winter, night always came early. But in the valley, it was morning, with a light drizzle creating a misty effect that softened even the mobs.

438’s pets never even had a chance to leave their cages—every mob was quickly dealt with by Coffin Shop, including one unfriendly player. Even more impressive, Coffin Shop already had a mental map of the valley—where the dense forests were, the mountain streams, the clearings, the rivers—all roughly accurate.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: How do you remember this place so well without coordinates?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Run the map enough, and you’ll memorize it.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: I ran it all night too, and I still have no clue =_=

The merchant squad had run it for two nights, and he himself had spent two nights and half a day here. Coffin Shop mentally grumbled but said nothing. He didn’t know what possessed him to come help this guy, but as he’d said—he wanted to. No need to boast about it.

[Vanilla] The jade of Kunshan shatters, the phoenix cries; the lotus weeps dew, the orchid smiles. Player [Qin Xiaoxiao] has lured the Golden Phoenix with masterful music!

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Another one???

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Why is it always this player?! [Frustrated][Frustrated][Frustrated][Frustrated]

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: [Sweat] Calm down. This is the fifth announcement. You weren’t online for the first three.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: So… there are five of them?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: No way. If there were more than two, it wouldn’t be rare.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Then the system’s bugged?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Or maybe it’s trying to keep players from losing hope by constantly reminding them.

438 frowned. Something was nagging at him, just out of reach.

He focused, replaying the sequence from the first system announcement about the Golden Phoenix, to the fruitless all-night search, to today’s second… no, fifth announcement. Finally, the scattered clues clicked into place.

But this theory needed testing.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: I’ve been thinking—the Golden Phoenix has been around for so long. It makes sense that no one’s caught it, but aside from the very beginning, I haven’t heard of anyone even running into it. Not even sightings where it escaped. Have you seen anyone mention it in World Chat?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: If someone saw it, they wouldn’t shout about it. No one wants more competition.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Spirit Valley has no coordinates, so what’s there to fear? Plus, look—we run into people every two minutes, groups every five. Even if the person who saw it stays quiet, wouldn’t others who missed out stir the pot?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Like the guy who first shouted about it in World Chat?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Exactly.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: So?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Either the guy who first announced it in World Chat was lying…

Coffin Shop waited for the second half of the “either,” but suddenly, a gust of wind rushed past him. He looked up to see a creature that was half-bird, half-fish soaring toward a nearby tree. In less than a second, the bird-fish hybrid whipped its tail, smacking something out of the tree—a poor Spirit Monkey. Before the monkey could even get up, the bird-fish began relentlessly slapping it with its tail, a sight so brutal it would bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

By then, 438 was within range. A flash of golden light later, the barely breathing Spirit Monkey was successfully captured.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: What pet is that?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: A Spirit Monkey. You don’t recognize it?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: ……

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I meant the one catching the monkey.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Oh, my 748! Flying Fish pet. Hehe, cool, right?

Cool? More like a fish-shaped meat grinder…

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: It wasn’t like this when you first caught it, was it? What did you feed it?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Secret >_<

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Uh, sorry.

Demon refining recipes were a Demon Refiner’s trade secret. Knowing one more recipe was like having an extra skill. You couldn’t just give them away—even paying for them depended on the seller’s mood…

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: But I don’t mind telling you~~\(≧▽≦)/~

Clearly, the man in question was in a good mood =_=

But Coffin Shop had only asked casually…

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Forget I asked. I’m a zombie—what would I do with a recipe?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Catfish Pet + Gale Pet + Two-Headed Snake + Five-Poison Herb.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I said I didn’t need it…

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: I want to tell you! I insist! It’s rare for you to be curious about something, hahaha~~~

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: =_=

The rain in Spirit Valley continued to fall. With Coffin Shop’s sound effects on, the pitter-patter created the illusion of being teased… Yeah, definitely an illusion.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Uh, where was I?

With a memory this terrible, just focus on talking instead of catching worthless pets!!!!

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: “Either the guy who first announced it in World Chat was lying.”

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Right, right. But the system did announce it, so I doubt he was lying.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I’ll pay you 200 bucks to just say the second “either,” okay?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Geez, so impatient~~

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Either the Golden Phoenix doesn’t look like what we imagine, because otherwise, with so many people combing the place, someone would’ve at least seen a feather.

Coffin Shop forced himself to ignore the first sentence and focus on the second.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Stop beating around the bush. Just say what you’re thinking.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: In all your time as a merchant, have you ever heard of any items related to music?

Half an hour later, 438 and Coffin Shop had ransacked the Item Mall—

Harmonica, Six-Fingered Devil’s Harp, Accordion, Scottish Bagpipes, Qiang Flute, Ancient Xun, Suona, Hulusi, Yangqin, Ziqin and Boya’s Harp, Fur Elise, Zhaojun’s Departure, Lament of the Border Town, Book of Songs, Fate Symphony, Wedding March…

Every music-related item in the game—over fifty in total—had been bought. Naturally, 438 footed the bill. It wouldn’t be right to make Coffin Shop work for free and pay too. Fortunately, the material sales from the other day had left him with enough to splurge.

Armed with their haul, the two returned to Spirit Valley, picking a secluded spot to begin testing—

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Harmonica.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Six-Fingered Devil’s Harp.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Scottish Bagpipes.

……

Half an hour’s worth of items were used up in five minutes. The Demon Refiner on-screen had become a one-man band, cycling through instruments with flashy animations—though the only visual effect was a few floating musical notes.

Once the instruments were exhausted, they moved on to sheet music—

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Fur Elise.

The headphones filled with the soothing melody of the piano, each note lifting the spirits.

Unlike instruments, sheet music came with actual sound effects, audible to all players within a 20-meter radius of the user. Typically, players paired instruments with sheet music so their character could “play” the tune.

What was the point of such items?

Answer: Picking up girls.

After the entire Fur Elise played, the valley remained silent.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: I’m so desperate TAT

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: How many left?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Fourteen…

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Keep going.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Fate Symphony.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses The Four Seasons.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Moonlight Sonata.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Nirvana.

[Local] Flying General of Dragon City: Holy shit, are you two done yet?! I’ve been holding back for ages! Are you throwing a damn concert or what?! Just get a room already!!!

[Vanilla] The jade of Kunshan shatters, the phoenix cries; the lotus weeps dew, the orchid smiles. Player [Refined Into a Demon 715] has lured the Golden Phoenix with masterful music!