Chapter 2: The Novice Village

Pleasant sounding music rang out in Shen Jingbin's ears and she suddenly felt faint. The next thing she knew, she found that she was now standing at the entrance of a small village. Many people made their way about the village. Practically every house had a stall set up in front of it with people buying and selling various items.

Looks like this must be the legendary novice village.

To ease player congestion, <<Legends of Celestials and Demons>> established many novice villages and randomized each player's starting village.

Based on what Shen Jingbin knew, this game had been on the market for more than two years. In general, the population of most games would peak in two years unless a new version or a large scale event was held. After which, any growth the game experienced, if at all, would be minimal.

But looking at the number of people who were milling about the novice village, making it appear no less bustling than before, Shen Jingbin couldn't help but lament over the game's popularity. It really was worthy of its title as the number one VRMMORPG. ¹ Its title wasn't just for show.

"Where did this ugly person come from? Is she trying to show off her looks by blocking the road?"

As she sized up the novice village, Shen Jingbin suddenly heard a mocking voice from behind her. Looking back, she found that a female player – who had probably just created her character as well – was currently glaring at her.

Due to the Beautification attribute within the game, handsome men and beautiful women who looked like celebrities were a dime a dozen. Who knows how many points the female player behind her had had to spend on her Beautification attribute before she managed to make herself look like the celebrity, X Bingbing.

"What're you looking at? Never seen a beautiful woman before?" The female player said as she shot Shen Jingbin a supercilious look. She then swung her slender waist to the side and walked past Shen Jingbin.

Beauties truly were beauties, they looked good even when they rolled their eyes. This was definitely an era emphasizing one's looks. Shen Jingbin wordlessly lit a candle for herself in her heart before she strode forward and followed the female player into the novice village.

Based on how the houses looked, this novice village was probably situated on the frontier. All of the houses were short and constructed with mud bricks. Due to weathering, the protective layer of lacquer covering them were now in bits and pieces, giving them a mottled appearance.

The clothes that the NPCs ² wore were different from the costumes she'd seen in dramas. Instead, they bore similarities to the apparel of minority groups. With white as a base, it was embroidered with mysterious and pleasant looking totems. Additionally, each NPC had a piece of cloth that was as wide as an entire finger’s length tied to their forehead. Just like their clothes, this piece of cloth was equally white and had totems embroidered on top of it.

Shen Jingbin carefully examined the totem, noticing that it portrayed several green dragons stepping on magic clouds. These NPCs were likely believers of the Celestial race, and this novice village was probably located near them.

Crashing sounds could be heard when the beautiful female player entered the village. Following that, several male players suddenly appeared by her side as they enquired about her health and invited her to join their party, causing the scene to become exceptionally lively. Several other players who were a step too slow very resourcefully shifted their gazes to Shen Jingbin who was standing behind the female player as they prepared to go on the offensive against her. However, they immediately broke into a run once they were able to clearly discern her face, while others who had greater mental fortitude leaned against the wall and vomited.

Shen Jingbin rubbed her nose and paid it no mind. Not having any playboys around her was a good thing! This big brother can admire his own beauty!

"Please proceed towards the Village Chief's residence to report and to receive your reward as a new player."

During their stay at the novice village, the actions of new players would be closely monitored and the system would provide some prompts to teach them how they should normally act. Shen Jingbin consoled herself by fussing with her travel attire as she proudly strode around the group of men who only concerned themselves with looks. She followed the new player's guide and walked towards the Village Chief's abode.

The Village Chief resided at the back of the village. Luckily, the novice village wasn't all that large, so it only took a little while before she reached it. Different from the coarse looking mud brick houses that the villagers live in, the Village Chief's residence was clearly a level higher. One could tell just by looking at the fence that surrounded it, and the two fierce looking dogs that guarded the entrance. Shen Jingbin sized herself up and glanced at the two healthy and vigorous looking dogs. She had serious doubts whether she'd be able to safely get past these two dogs and enter the Village Chief's house.

Holy shit, these two little brutes! Just wait till this Young Master becomes an expert, I'll definitely come back and slaughter the two of you! As she thought that, a male player came barrelling out of the Village Chief's residence while swearing. He rushed out so quickly that Shen Jingbin could even feel a gust of wind sweep past her ears.

Eh? Was this a test that relied on speed?

Shen Jingbin bowed her head and looked at herself as she thought "Forget it, I wouldn't be able to make it even if I ran till these stubby little legs of mine broke. It's better if I don't put myself at risk."

Maybe she should jump over the fence instead? But, rumour had it that the NPCs within the game possessed human personalities, and people who bore the title of "Village Chief" generally had a dislike for villains and people who committed misdeeds. For all she knew, jumping over the fence might ruin the Village Chief's impression of her. In that case, the gains she received would definitely outweigh her losses.

Shen Jingbin was definitely a tyrant when it came to matters relating to knowledge, but she was helpless when it came to things such as these. She couldn't come up with any good ideas even after she wracked her brain, so she decided to look around the perimeter of the Village Chief's residence to check if there was any other way of getting in.

Unexpectedly, just as Shen Jingbin was about to leave, the female player who resembled X Bingbing appeared alongside a throng of male players. Stopping in front of the Village Chief's house, these two large and ferocious looking dogs didn't even issue a single yelp when they saw the number of people crowding the area. Instead, they crouched down on the floor in an exceedingly obedient manner and, without a hint of hostility in them, followed the female player with their eyes as she sashayed into the Village Chief's residence.

This was why the answer to some things, at times, was just that simple.

1. Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game ↩
2. Non-player character ↩