Chapter 47 – Hanging Gardens

On a bright afternoon, most of the Five Peaks Pavilion members were diligently leveling up, hunting for bosses, or running dungeons. No one noticed a few uninvited guests sneaking into their YY channel, heading straight for the password-protected leader’s room.

“Give me a rank,” 2B demanded as soon as he entered.

“You really don’t see yourself as an outsider, huh?” White Dragon Horse teased in a voice that sounded nothing like his adorable pet-like ID—rugged and laid-back, perfectly matching his personality.

(T/N: I have a confession to make. His ID is actually Nicknamed Little White Dragon. Little white dragon is the Third Prince of the Dragon King of the West Sea in Journey to the West. White Dragon Horse is the form this character takes later after he was transformed into a steed. The name stuck in my head when I was researching it and I forgot it wasn’t the literal translation so I used it for this ID. I only realized my mistake on the second editing run because this joke makes more sense if the “adorable” ID was little white dragon, but it was too late to make major edits by then.)

“We’re all part of the same team. If he wants a rank, just give it to him,” Drink Till You Drop’s voice was as suave as his ID, clear and refreshing with an undercurrent of righteous energy—the kind of voice you’d expect from a classic martial arts hero. “Even though it’s hot out, running around naked isn’t proper.”

2B was clearly outmatched one against two. But then, Sister Blood Bull chimed in from nowhere: “It’s fine, let him stay naked. I don’t mind other girls getting an eyeful. After all, a good body is meant to be shown off.”

2B, who had been at half health, instantly revived at full HP. He Alt+Tabbed out to check and realized White Dragon Horse had already assigned them ranks. He immediately protested, “Why’d you act so fast?! Strip it off me right now! Don’t you know Laozi hates wearing clothes?!”

White Dragon Horse was speechless. After racking his brain, he finally managed a single sigh: “2B, your wife is a real man.”

2B suddenly turned bashful: “Hehe, not yet~ So annoying~ But I’ll keep trying!”

After that, White Dragon Horse stayed silent for a long time. Meanwhile, the others properly introduced themselves. The Ghost Server Legion members needed no introduction. From Five Peaks Pavilion, there was Blood Warrior Drink Till You Drop, Berserker Nicknamed White Dragon Horse, healer Summit of Mount Tai, Assassin Unintentional Mistake, Demon Refiner Suave Not Sleazy, and Spirit Master Fire Cloud Evil God.

As they talked, the group entered the dungeon.

The reason the Hanging Gardens was called the Hanging Gardens was because it was built atop a palace, blending into the blue sky and white clouds from afar, as if suspended in midair. As they entered, they were greeted by a greenhouse the size of about five or six guild halls, with glass walls, ceilings and floors. Looking up, they saw the sky; looking down, the palace hall. The entire greenhouse was like a massive glass box.

Countless exotic flowers and plants filled the hall, with winding paths barely visible beneath the dense foliage. The twelve of them could only see a short stretch ahead before the plant life obscured the rest.

This was a new dungeon, with no prior experience to rely on. They had to proceed carefully.

“White Dragon Horse and I will take the front, Fighter Jet and Blood Bull will guard the rear, and the rest of the spellcasters and healers stay in the middle,” Drink Till You Drop quickly assigned roles. “Stay alert and keep an eye on your surroundings.”

The plan was standard, with no obvious flaws. But usually, Birdy took on this role, so Fang Zheng felt a bit off. Still, since Polly didn’t object, he kept quiet.

With twelve people, maintaining formation was tricky, especially amid the dense foliage. Fang Zheng nearly veered into the plants several times. Just as he was about to warn the meandering teammates ahead, 438 suddenly yelled in YY—

“Ah! I know this! It’s a pitcher plant!”

At almost the same time, White Dragon Horse barked, “Don’t touch it! This thing’s gotta have high attack power!”

The joint team reflexively braced for battle—until 438 weakly raised his hand: “Uh, I already gathered it…”

The entire team fell silent.

Nicknamed White Dragon Horse suddenly realized: “Oh, so this wasn’t a mob but a rare material!”

The team remained silent. =_=

They pressed on in silence, only to encounter swaying sunflowers a few steps later, their golden petals bright and dazzling. 438 was eager, but someone beat him to it—

White Dragon Horse: “Why should all the good materials go to you? This one’s mine!”

438 reluctantly stepped back, and White Dragon Horse immediately double-clicked the sunflower—

In the blink of an eye, countless sunflower seeds shot out, peppering White Dragon Horse until he looked like a pincushion!

The seeds didn’t deal much damage, so by the time the attack ended, White Dragon Horse had only lost a tiny bit of HP.

“Turns out this was a mob!” White Dragon Horse declared triumphantly, as if cracking a major case.

……

[Five Peaks Pavilion Guild Channel]

[Legion] Summit of Mount Tai: Why do I suddenly feel so embarrassed…

[Legion] Suave Not Sleazy: +1

[Legion] Unintentional Mistake: +2

[Legion] Fire Cloud Evil God: +10086

[Legion] Drink Till You Drop: +ID number

[Legion] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Drink~~~~ [crying]

[Legion] Drink Till You Drop: Acting cute the moment your wife’s not around is shameful.

[Legion] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Are you a sassy auntie? =_=

……

[Ghost Server Legion Guild Channel]

[Legion] Refined Into a Demon 715: No one’s talking in YY, but I hear keyboard sounds. Are they typing in guild chat?

[Legion] Crossplayer’s Blessing: Probably. If my deputy leader embarrassed himself like that, I wouldn’t wanna talk either. ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Legion] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze: Suddenly, our leader doesn’t seem so bad.

[Legion] Milk is Mom: Explain this “suddenly.” =_=

[Legion] Polly: Stop chatting and stay alert.

2B Fighter Jet: “White Dragon Horse, you’re such a dumbass, hahahaha~~~~”

Five Peaks Pavilion: ……

Ghost Server Legion: ……

Damn, this guy’s reaction time is slower than Xiang Piao Piao milk tea circling the Earth N times!

The sunflowers were like a rallying cry—after that, all sorts of bizarre mobs appeared in rapid succession, some alone, some in groups. The team was momentarily scattered, but the tanks held aggro well, and soon everyone was splitting into small groups for balanced DPS. They fought their way to the end of the greenhouse without any good drops, only to find a white-bearded old man standing there, smiling kindly with eyes narrowed into slits.

Fang Zheng stared for a few seconds, wondering if this was an elite mob or a miniboss.

At the critical moment, 438 fearlessly stepped forward and clicked on the old man, which brought up a system dialog:

Brave warriors from afar, the king spent a fortune building this Hanging Gardens for his queen. Do you think it was worth it?

1. Such love moves heaven and earth.

2. Such extravagance for a woman is absurd.

Well, this was an NPC. =_=

Suave Not Sleazy: “Which one do we pick?”

Unintentional Mistake: “Let’s vote.”

2B Fighter Jet: “What, are we electing a class monitor? For system questions like this, only careful analysis and deduction to arrive at the correct answer makes you a pro gamer~”

Summit of Mount Tai: “Then, oh pro gamer, you do it.”

2B Fighter Jet: “1, obviously. What else? ‘Love is the supreme emotion, worth living and dying for.’ Isn’t gaming all about love?”

[Legion] Fire Cloud Evil God: Gaming is…

[Legion] Summit of Mount Tai: …about love?!

[Legion] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Why are you questioning him in guild our chat instead of YY…

[Legion] Suave Not Sleazy: He sounds so confident, I don’t even feel like questioning him. =_=

Since Drink Till You Drop had invited the Ghost Server Legion, he was the party leader and had the final say.

Drink Till You Drop: “Healer, what do you think?”

Summit of Mount Tai: “Uh, leader, are you asking me or…”

Drink Till You Drop: “Learn from the good ones, not Whitey’s shameless cuteness.”

Summit of Mount Tai: “My bad, sorry. Milk is Mom, our leader’s asking you.”

Fang Zheng froze for two seconds before realizing—Damn, how’d I forget I’m a leader too? TAT

“I’d pick 2,” he answered without hesitation.

After a moment’s thought, Drink Till You Drop selected 2.

The white-bearded old man remained smiling. The system notified them that all party members received one gold coin.

Though they didn’t know the coin’s purpose, the door behind the old man slowly opened, revealing a new area—clearly, they’d passed this stage.

Drink Till You Drop was curious: “Healer, how were you so sure?”

Fang Zheng chuckled: “Trade secret.”

The Ghost Server comrades shared the same silent thought—Because our leader doesn’t like women. =_=

The Five Peaks Pavilion members exchanged glances, equally puzzled—Why the sudden silence? So suspicious…

As they exited the greenhouse, the world opened up to reveal a landscape completely different from that which they had left behind. The scene looked like the Peach Blossom Spring described in ancient tales.

This time, they were greeted by towering emerald-green hedges forming a maze.

Amusement parks sometimes had similar setups—walls just over a person’s height, layered into a maze with dead ends but ultimately solvable. But what would a game maze look like? No one was sure, as pre-expansion Huaxia dungeons had never featured such maps.

The twelve of them marched in.

Two minutes later: dead end.

Three minutes later: another dead end.

Five minutes later: third dead end.

Seven minutes later: 2B Fighter Jet and Nicknamed White Dragon Horse got lost.

“Leader, HELP~~~” 2B’s wail came through YY.

White Dragon Horse, robbed of his line, could only echo: “Same.”

Fang Zheng couldn’t fathom how these two managed to get lost—losing one person was understandable, but losing ten? That deserved a spot in the Top Ten Unsolved Mysteries!

“Maybe we should split up,” Birdy suddenly suggested. “This maze seems big but relatively safe. Moving as a group is too inefficient. If someone gets out first, they can come back to guide the rest.”

“Alright,” Drink Till You Drop agreed without hesitation. “From now on, split up. Stay safe.”

The joint team scattered, quickly disappearing into the labyrinthine hedges.

Twelve people might seem like a lot, but once dispersed in the maze, finding even one became difficult. Everyone had their own strategy: Blood Bulls Don’t Graze and Summit of Mount Tai followed the left-hand rule; Drink Till You Drop and Birdy analyzed each fork carefully; most just relied on intuition or wandered blindly.

Fang Zheng guided Milk is Mom forward for five minutes before hitting a dead end. =_=

No choice but to turn back—just then, good news came through the headphones:

Refined Into a Demon: “Ahhh, I made it out!!”

The others were envious, but Birdy-kun stayed logical: “Remember the path? Think carefully, then come back for us.”

438: “No need! I memorized it already!”

Fang Zheng: “Nice!”

2B: “Sick!”

Crossplayer: “I love you!”

438: “Love you too~ But it seems like once you leave the maze, you can’t go back in…”

“……”

[Legion] Unintentional Mistake: Even though he’s not in our guild, can I punch him? =_=

[Legion] Drink Till You Drop: Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Relax.

[Legion] Unintentional Mistake: Leader, I’m angry, not giving birth. TAT

Birdy hadn’t expected the maze to lock players out after exiting. But now that everyone was scattered deep inside, regrouping was harder than escaping. They had no choice but to push forward.

Luckily, though time-consuming, most made it out safely. Only Drink Till You Drop, Nicknamed White Dragon Horse, Polly, and Milk is Mom remained lost.

[Local] 2B Fighter Jet: Does this maze specifically trap officers?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Don’t type, the leader might see.

[Local] 2B Fighter Jet: Wouldn’t talking be worse?

[Local] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze: Once you’re out, you’re isolated from inside. They probably can’t see.

[Local] Crossplayer’s Blessing: They shouldn’t see, or the leader would’ve yelled by now.

[Local] Fire Cloud Evil God: Then I’m relieved. Damn! How are the leader and deputy so bad at this? Total idiots!

[Local] Suave Not Sleazy: Talking behind their backs~~

[Local] Summit of Mount Tai: [disdain]

[Local] Unintentional Mistake: [disdain]

[Local] Fire Cloud Evil God: ……

Five seconds later—

[Local] Suave Not Sleazy: They really can’t see?

[Local] Unintentional Mistake: Seems not.

[Local] Summit of Mount Tai: Damn, will those two be lost forever?

[Local] Fire Cloud Evil God: Fuck…

The jinxing worked—the four officers were now hopelessly lost.

The more they panicked, the more the maze seemed to loop endlessly, like a ghost wall!

“Birdy, how’s it going on your end?” Fang Zheng asked, not expecting much, just seeking comfort in despair.

“Not great. I’ve lost track of the path.”

As soon as Polly finished speaking, White Dragon Horse snapped: “I can’t take this anymore!”

Drink Till You Drop sighed: “Whitey, just pretend you’re in an amusement park. Relax.”

White Dragon Horse didn’t respond—YY fell eerily silent.

Drink Till You Drop: “Whitey?”

Finally, the deputy leader’s rugged voice trembled back: “I can pretend it’s an amusement park… but… amusement park mazes don’t suddenly spawn mobs!”

As he spoke, the poor White Dragon Horse was already sprinting like a headless chicken!

Of course, no one could see this. All the bitterness was his alone… or maybe not.

“Ahhh, finally, people!” White Dragon Horse’s voice shifted from terror to joy.

The others were puzzled—until Birdy’s calm voice came through: “Hey, what a coincidence. But mind explaining what’s behind you?”

“No idea! It was hiding in a dead end and jumped at me! Took half my HP in one hit!” White Dragon Horse babbled before pleading, “Never mind that, just help me kill it!”

Birdy eyed the Hulk-like mob closing in and suddenly asked, “Huh, isn’t your wife here today?”

Huh? What did that have to do with anything?

The audience, unable to see and relying solely on audio, was totally confused.

Until the brilliant White Dragon Horse delivered a heartfelt confession: “Polly, I was totally wrong about you back then! In that situation, even if you hadn’t killed her, someone else would’ve—you just ended her suffering sooner! I shouldn’t have hunted you down, I should’ve thanked you! I sincerely apologize, please forgive me~~~~~~~~~~~~”

[Players’ Inner Thoughts]

Five Peaks Pavilion comrades: We kneel…

Ghost Server comrades: Someone more shameless than our leader…

Ghost Server leader: Who said Birdy-kun doesn’t hold grudges? =_=

Ghost Server deputy leader: ^_^