Chapter 180 – The Long Waterway (Part 3)

As everyone knew, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce was divided into three branches: the Windmill Faction, White Chapel, and Sunflowers. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce wasn’t a single guild but rather an umbrella term for these three groups. Don’t Stop the Meds didn’t belong to any of them—forum gossip claimed he had always been a free agent, merely spiritually leading the three major branches. Yet now, this man proudly bore the title “Dutch Chamber of Commerce” above his head.

[Team] War-Snow Wolf: Did they create another Dutch Chamber of Commerce?

[Team] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: We talked about this back on Skull Island. It never existed before—must be newly formed.

[Team] Big H: Probably just made so Don’t Stop the Meds could board the Flagship. It’s not hard—he’s got so many people under him, just grab a few dozen and toss them in.

[Team] Milk is Mom: But here’s the question—why did you drag me and Birdy into the team chat when you were discussing Don’t Stop the Meds? ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Team] Big H: Are you dumb? Can’t you see other servers have groups of six or seven people from the same guild?

[Team] Milk is Mom: Those are all guildmates, of course they’d team up. We’re not guildmates—at best, we’re half-acquaintances.

[Team] Big H: That’s why I made a team—close enough to fight together, but distant enough to go our separate ways afterward.

[Team] Milk is Mom: ……Let’s just go back to talking about Don’t Stop the Meds.

[Team] Carved in Bone: He’s strong.

[Team] Polly: How strong?

[Team] War-Snow Wolf: Didn’t I say before? Back when we played together, he dominated the server. Later, he probably got bored and moved to Holy Light Sanctuary. By now, he’s probably taken over there too.

[Team] Milk is Mom: Isn’t it just about gathering every possible ally and using Zerg Rush tactics? Like a pyramid scheme. If I expanded the Ghost Server Legion, I could unify the Summit server too.

[Team] War-Black Gold: Please spare us…

[Team] Carved in Bone: He soloed five members of Silence.

[Team] Milk is Mom: Isn’t he a Demon Refiner? Why does your description make him sound like a melee fighter?

[Team] Carved in Bone: It kinda does. The five surrounded him, but he just stood there without moving and used his pets to counter-surround them.

[Team] Milk is Mom: ……

Isn’t a Demon Refiner supposed to be a ranged class?! Aren’t they supposed to just effortlessly command their pets to crush their opponents?! Aren’t they supposed to have time to bend over and gather materials mid-fight?! Why does Don’t Stop the Meds turn into a Blood Warrior here?! =_=

Demon Refiners are inherently not a melee class—that’s determined by their profession’s attributes, regardless of how overpowered their pets are. So while Fang Zheng believed in Don’t Stop the Meds’ strength, he still suspected Carved in Bone was exaggerating.

[Team] Big H: If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t believe it either. Damn, that guy’s a freaking BUG!!

[Team] Polly: Impossible.

[Team] Big H: Tch, what good would lying to you do me?!

[Team] Polly: I mean Don’t Stop the Meds couldn’t have just tanked it. If people surround a Demon Refiner, they won’t keep attacking the pets—they’ll all focus the Refiner. But a Demon Refiner’s HP and Defense can’t withstand attacks from five people at once. No gear is that good, especially against five experts. So he couldn’t have just stood there—he must’ve used Sprint to dodge in an extremely tight space, making it look like he wasn’t moving while buying time for his pets to attack.

[Team] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: If he was using Sprint and could dodge that precisely, why didn’t he just break out of the encirclement instead of standing there getting hit?

[Team] Polly: Didn’t he end up wiping all five of them?

[Team] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: ……

Right—why run when you can win?

He wasn’t standing there getting hit—he was just that confident in his victory!

No wonder someone as strong, arrogant, and seemingly lacking any sense of collective honor as Thousand Mountains was still willing to stay under Don’t Stop the Meds’ guild banner. It wasn’t just about riding the coattails of a big tree—it was an acknowledgment of the leader’s strength.

But still…

[Team] Milk is Mom: Wasn’t Skull Island a chaotic free-for-all where everyone was beating the crap out of each other? How did you guys have time to watch someone else’s fight in such detail? What were you even doing?!

[Team] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Observing.

[Team] Big H: Observing the whole time.

[Team] Milk is Mom: Damn, why didn’t Don’t Stop the Meds wipe you guys out? =_=

[Team] Big H: You think he didn’t want to? March just got a lucky hit in first. ╮(╯_╰)╭

No matter how cocky you are, you still gotta watch out for a sneak attack.

As the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Especially when these guys were clacking away on their keyboards right under said devil’s nose. After dealing with the princess, Don’t Stop the Meds decisively spoke up: “Stop having your little side chat. If you’ve got something to say, say it out loud.”

Uh…

The Summit server gossip squad fell silent. After all, another old saying goes: a guilty conscience betrays itself.

“Polly?” Not getting a response, Don’t Stop the Meds suddenly called out Birdy’s ID.

Birdy reflexively responded: “Hm?”

“If you’re there, say something,” Don’t Stop the Meds said in a tone so familiar it was like talking to an old friend. “What were you guys just talking about?”

Everyone was surprised, and Fang Zheng even shot Birdy a questioning look. Birdy shrugged, his expression clearly drawing a line between himself and Don’t Stop the Meds, all while calmly replying: “Nothing much. Just that Dragon Wonton ruined the formation, and that March’s guild didn’t disband—they just all moved to The Gods.”

Don’t Stop the Meds laughed: “You guys are so gossipy.”

Birdy: “Heh.”

Summit server members’ inner thoughts: How the hell does he manage to lie so shamelessly with that poker face? =_=

Fang Zheng’s inner thoughts: Which of the sweet nothings you’ve told me were real and which were fake? TAT

March’s inner thoughts: Detective Polly, at your service.

“Then why not gossip about me?” Don’t Stop the Meds might be the only person in the world who’d actively request this.

Birdy didn’t want to disappoint him: “We’ll definitely gossip about you next time.”

Don’t Stop the Meds paused for two seconds before asking in a strangely knowing tone: “Do you always talk like this?”

Birdy thought seriously for a moment before replying: “Yeah.”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “You know it kinda pisses people off, right?”

Birdy: “I feel fine.”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Ah, that’s exactly the punchable tone that makes me want to take some measures against you.”

Birdy: “PK?”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “You think you can beat me?”

Birdy: “Don’t know. Wanna try?”

Despite there being over thirty people in the chat room, when Birdy and Don’t Stop the Meds spoke, it was almost as if no one else was making noise. It wasn’t that everyone else had muted the chat and gone off to do their own thing—the silence was precisely because everyone was paying attention. Because they were paying attention, they carefully avoided disrupting the battlefield. And now, everyone held their breath as the orange-geared zombie drew a circle on the ground and sent a PK request to the purple-geared Demon Refiner.

[System] Don’t Stop the Meds has rejected Polly’s duel request.

Birdy: “Slipped?”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Nah. I like you—why would I want to bully you in a circle?”

Birdy: “I can confidently say that if you confess to people like this, tragedy is the only possible outcome.”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Wanna join our guild?”

Birdy: “No.”

See, I told you it’d end in tragedy. ╮(╯_╰)╭

Wait a minute! No wonder he singled out Polly from the start—he was trying to poach him! And doing it blatantly too!

Fang Zheng: “Hey, Yao Yao, shouldn’t you ask the owner before trying to steal someone’s man?”

[System] Don’t Stop the Meds has challenged Milk is Mom to a duel.

Damn, now he remembers the circle. =_=

[System] Milk is Mom has rejected Don’t Stop the Meds’ duel request.

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Why not accept?”

Fang Zheng: “How can you have the nerve to challenge a healer to a duel? That’s downright despicable!”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Aren’t you a DPS Healer?”

Fang Zheng: “Of course not! I’m on the absolutely harmless G-cup healer route!”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Then you’ve got even less reason to cling to that zombie. You can’t even heal him properly.”

Fang Zheng: “……”

So this is what it feels like to be rendered speechless by someone’s words. Huaxia Dominion, Meteor Blitz, War Banner, Five Peaks Pavilion… my friends, I’ve failed you. TAT

Don’t Stop the Meds: “How about this—I’ll level two top-tier accounts for you on Huaxia Summit. You can pick the class and gear, and in exchange, you give me Polly.”

Fang Zheng: “Even purple-tier gear?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the healer felt a sharp glare from beside him, as if a knife had sliced through his arm. =_=

Don’t Stop the Meds, however, was completely unfazed: “Of course. Then it’s settled—two top-tier purple-geared accounts. I’ll get them to you within a month.”

The onlookers—no, the eavesdroppers—were electrified. They had assumed Don’t Stop the Meds was just messing around, teasing one of the Summit server’s experts. Though not as flashy as No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains, Polly had built up some fame and popularity over the years—first with his glory days on Mirage Server, then with the Ghost Server Legion’s antics. But the plot was moving too fast—this cross-server poaching attempt, which had seemed totally impractical, was now on the verge of being sealed with a deal?! And even if Polly was a pro gamer, was he really worth two top-tier purple-geared accounts? Wasn’t this transfer fee a bit too high…

Polly: “I refuse.”

And the person in question wasn’t even on board. =_=

The enthralled eavesdroppers were starting to wonder if they should grab some popcorn—otherwise, they’d be doing this dramatic scene a disservice!

Don’t Stop the Meds adopted a tone of sudden realization: “Ah, silly me—I forgot about you. Don’t worry, if you come to Holy Light Sanctuary, I’ll get you purple gear too. Though I can’t guarantee a full set right away…”

“I said, I refuse.” Meng Chudong cut him off. In truth, Meng Chudong rarely interrupted others—he was genuinely impatient now. Though the real culprit wasn’t Don’t Stop the Meds, but that cheeky bastard who’d asked about purple gear. But that could be settled later.

Don’t Stop the Meds didn’t push further. He might seem unreliable, but don’t forget—he’s practically unified Holy Light Sanctuary. Strength is one thing, but his emotional intelligence alone could fill Heavenly Lake. So he simply asked: “Reason?”

Meng Chudong was an honest man and didn’t hesitate: “You’re too arrogant. Not likable.”

Don’t Stop the Meds wasn’t angry—he laughed instead: “Experts are all arrogant. Aren’t you the same?”

Meng Chudong: “Yeah. I kinda annoy myself too.”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Your guild leader isn’t arrogant. So you think he’s likable?”

Meng Chudong: “He’s alright.”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “But he just gave you to me for two purple-geared accounts.”

Meng Chudong: “He doesn’t have the authority to give me to you. He’s mine to begin with.”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “……”

Not just Don’t Stop the Meds was left speechless—the eavesdroppers were also thoroughly impressed. In this war of words, Polly, you’ve won!

Amid the strange silence, a weak voice drifted out: “Uh, Yao Yao… I really didn’t say I was giving Birdy to you. I was just testing the waters to see how confident you were about the purple gear, and if possible, maybe ask for some advice…”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “You think I’d share with you?”

Well, now it was definitely impossible. TAT

But—

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: What did you mean by “alright” just now? =_=

[Whisper] Polly: Exactly what it sounds like.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: You don’t love me anymore…

[Whisper] Polly: Keep running your mouth, and even “alright” will be gone.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: TAT

……

[Team] Scholar Lu: Even the guild leader fails sometimes. I say skip the talk—just PK him, wipe him out a hundred times, and he’ll know who’s boss.

[Team] Rain Ceases: Scholar, when will you learn to be less brute force? The guild leader wants willing recruits—forcing them ruins the aesthetic.

[Team] Little Willow: But guild leader, didn’t you just say their leader was cute? Why go straight for poaching the deputy?

[Team] Don’t Stop the Meds: Cute ones are for teasing. Savage ones are for teaming up. But their leader is pretty adorable—no wonder the zombie’s so devoted~~ [Melancholic]

[Team] War of the Gods: Boss Yao, your taste is honestly beyond us…

And it wasn’t just the Dutch Chamber of Commerce struggling to keep up. The large guilds boarding one after another had turned Perfect Storm into a chaotic mess. There were new enemies from Skull Island, old leaders from before the game’s update, legendary pro gamers whose screenshots were often seen on forums but whose real selves were rarely encountered, and then there were guys like Boss Yao, who carried a shovel ready to poach at any moment. In short, filtering through the online list of IDs in the chat room and extracting relevant information from memory was something every Perfect Storm member was doing. And that didn’t even include the constant departure announcements from the ship—

[System] The Prince has set sail!

Fifteen minutes earlier, The Old Man and the Sea, which only required five people, had already departed for the second time.

There were only three ships at the port, but there were far more than 80 players. So each time a ship reached its passenger limit, it would depart, and a new empty ship would spawn, waiting for the next batch of players.

Watching others set off one after another, the Perfect Storm crew was getting restless—

[Perfect Storm] Quicksilver: It’s been over an hour. Are we ever gonna get enough people?

[Perfect Storm] Rock N Roll Will Never Die: Are we gonna end up like a mahjong game where no one wins and it just ends in a draw?

[Perfect Storm] Blue Front: Nope, I can’t take this anymore. Later, guys.

[System] Blue Front has left Perfect Storm.

As long as the ship hadn’t set sail with a full crew, any player could freely disembark and choose a different ship. But once the ship was full and entered the next stage of the map, players were bound to that ship and couldn’t switch until the voyage ended. Of course, whether the ship had set sail or not, players could log off at any time—though their characters would still occupy a slot on the ship, just offline. It was like being in a dungeon when a teammate suddenly disconnects—you can’t kick them, you just have to keep going with one fewer member.

With Blue Front’s departure, Perfect Storm’s crew dropped from 43 to 42. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce, Silence, and Outer Flame—three major guilds—accounted for 21 of those, exactly half. The rest were regular guilds without sub-groups—some, like the Ghost Server Legion, had both leader and deputy present, while others, like Big H or March, were solo.

Fang Zheng let out a big yawn, and soon the yawn spread like a virus through the chat room.

Just as everyone was dozing off, March to Liangzhou suddenly asked: “Where’s Iceborn?”

This topic clearly piqued the interest of most players who’d come from Skull Island, and they all chimed in: “Yeah, how’d we forget about them?”

It took Fang Zheng a while to realize March was talking about the “Iceborn Legion,” from Frostbite Canyon.

What Fang Zheng didn’t know was that Iceborn Legion, like Outer Flame and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, also had a main guild and sub-guilds, bringing a total of eight people. And back on Skull Island, they’d already been tangled in a free-for-all with players from other servers. What Fang Zheng really didn’t know was that Skull Island actually had a proper world boss. The reason no system announcement had popped up about the boss being defeated was because the major guilds all wanted to take it down themselves and refused to cooperate. But going solo meant risking being ambushed—after all, Skull Island allowed PvP. If they wore themselves out grinding the boss to half health, only for someone to snipe them and steal the kill, it’d be beyond frustrating. So they hesitated—not daring to go all out, but unwilling to give up either. It was a real dilemma. Meanwhile, the smaller guilds, having finally formed teams, found the boss already surrounded by the big guilds, leaving them no room to even hesitate. And after the system announced Milk is Mom’s boarding score, everyone’s focus shifted, and no one cared about the elusive boss anymore—they all turned and headed for the docks.

But clearly, Iceborn Legion was an exception.

Big H: “Dutch Chamber of Commerce, you guys left pretty late too—didn’t you see Iceborn?”

Mocha: “When we left, they were still fighting.”

Mouse of the Gods: “Then why haven’t we seen a system announcement yet?”

Trick or Die: “They haven’t finished. The boss has insane HP—it’ll take ages to whittle down.”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “They won’t kill it. The boss definitely regenerated.”

King of the Gods: “Tch, like you saw it yourself.”

[System] Divine Strategist has entered the chat room.

[System] Soldiers in Snowfield has entered the chat room.

Milk is Mom: “New friends! Welcome~~ Uh, Soldiers in Snowfield… did a gym teacher teach you Chinese?”

Soldiers in Snowfield: “I was the last to join the guild! All the good four-character ‘soldier’-themed names were taken! Who the hell decided that friend groups all need matching IDs? Not only is it childish, it’s super lame!”

War-Snow Wolf: “……”

War-Black Gold: “……”

White Dragon Horse: “Can you ask something useful, Milk is Mom? Hey, you two—anyone else behind you? We’ve been waiting for 50 people so long the flowers have wilted.”

Divine Strategist: “We’re at 44 now, right? Iceborn’s right behind us—they’ll be here in a minute. They’ve got more than enough people!”

Little Willow: “They gave up on the boss?”

Soldiers in Snowfield: “Couldn’t kill it. I saw it with my own eyes—the boss regenerated three times.”

War of the Gods: “Outer Flame, you hear that? Trust Boss Yao, gain eternal life.”

Big H: “I feel like the real highlight is ‘saw it with my own eyes’…”

Soldiers in Snowfield: “Ahem, I was just hoping to get lucky and snatch it. Didn’t expect to wait so long…”

The chat room’s system announcements came one after another, cutting off Soldiers in Snowfield’s rant.

[System] ice Iceborn has entered the chat room.

[System] Liaodong Iron Cavalry has entered the chat room.

[System] Ice on Fire has entered the chat room.

[System] Bells in the Rain has entered the chat room.

[System] Lantern Granny has entered the chat room.

[System] Grave Sweeping Scroll has entered the chat room.

Iceborn Legion had eight people, but Perfect Storm only had six slots left. Clearly, they’d chosen to leave two behind to board this first Perfect Storm voyage.

“Finally, you’re here~~” Boss Yao’s voice was as warm as spring, as if he hadn’t just been mocking Iceborn’s inability to kill the boss half a minute ago. “No time for small talk—let’s set sail, OK?”

Though this was addressed to everyone, the prompt to set sail only appeared on the screen of the first person to board—the one the system had defaulted as captain.

And so, the low-key healer, faced with the status “Total Crew (50/50); Online Crew (48/50),” had no qualms about ignoring the two players who might’ve logged off to smoke, eat, sleep, or deal with a blown fuse at their internet café. He silently clicked “Yes,” and as the grand sailing animation played out, he quietly released his mouse, his achievements hidden, his name unsung.