Chapter 241: Southwells County
The benefits of following the protagonist went without saying—just look at what Qingbai Wild Sake and Haicheng had gained. Through the task rewards from the meteorological tide, they had picked up several rare skills and an enormous amount of experience, keeping them at the top of the level rankings even now.
The group, brimming with excitement, had waited impatiently for night to come. They stocked up on bullets and potions, bringing their "game mode" to maximum intensity, and headed straight for the Darkland Steam Train Station with the resolve to pull an all-nighter.
Amid the throngs at the Darkland Station, they immediately spotted Zhou Ning—white shirt, leisurely expression—standing there as if the rush of the crowd had nothing to do with him.
There was no helping it. Compared to other NPCs, the protagonist's presence really was on a whole different level.
"Wayne, here's that diary we found in the abandoned mansion," Wrath of Thunder-Chasing Winds said, handing Zhou Ning a small notebook. "Oh, and we also found this badge next to it."
Zhou Ning took it and gave it a glance. Sure enough, it matched the quest description—heavy with a strong, almost choking scent of blood. The writing on it was obscure and strange, likely the demonic script mentioned in the quest, radiating an ominous air.
By his own estimation, the trip to Southwells County would take two to three days, so there was no rush to hand it over to the Sunwatchers until they returned.
The badge itself was only about the size of a dragon's eye, inscribed in Ruins Script with: The only way to gain wisdom is to buy it with your youth. On the back, there were detailed gathering instructions.
December 21st, 1452, 2:00 AM, Sea of Mists estuary.
It was most likely a secretive extraordinary gathering—probably even an evil-aligned one. Since the date was still far off, Zhou Ning didn't dwell on it and simply tossed it into his inventory.
"Well done," Zhou Ning said sincerely, giving them a wave. "Let's move out."
The Darkland Steam Train Station had a direct route to Southwells County, on the same line that led to Temple Port. The trip took about three to four hours.
The fare wasn't too steep: third-class for 2 Vecktas, second-class for 5, and first-class for 15. After buying six second-class tickets, Zhou Ning led the players onto the train.
They had barely stepped into the carriage when Zhou Ning caught sight, out of the corner of his eye, of a figure making its way toward him through the crowd.
He looked up—and to his surprise, it was his roommate, John. Oh, you've got to be kidding me. What are the odds?
"Wayne! What are you doing here?" John walked up, throwing an arm over Zhou Ning's shoulder with a grin.
"I've got some business in Southwells County," Zhou Ning replied with a smile.
"Oh? What a coincidence—I'm heading there too to deal with some family matters."
John turned and pointed toward a seat in the first-class carriage up ahead.
Following his gesture, Zhou Ning saw a group of six or seven people. At the head was a slightly portly gentleman who bore a resemblance to John, wearing a black tailcoat with a green cat's-eye gemstone pin on the lapel.
Beside him sat an attractive middle-aged woman with a graceful figure and a mature charm.
Flanking the two were a big and a small child—likely John's younger brother and sister, both of whom also resembled him. In fact, his sister looked like a carbon-copy "female version" of John.
Around them stood several servants helping with the luggage, radiating an air of prestige.
This, without doubt, was the father John had once spoken of—the man who ruled the old city's red-light district. Zhou Ning recalled John mentioning that his father was preparing to donate money to a political party in order to secure a hereditary title. The price… well, it was far beyond what someone like Zhou Ning could imagine. A viscount's seat alone cost 250,000 Vecktas, and a baron could go for over 600,000.
The joys of the rich were truly unfathomable.
Suppressing a twinge of envy, Zhou Ning lifted the brim of his hat and greeted them. Through the conversation, he learned that John's family home was in Southwells County, and they were returning because of some trouble there.
After a brief exchange, Zhou Ning returned to his seat as the steam train began to move.
The route from Darkland to Southwells County passed through two large arc-shaped regions of unpredictable weather. The conditions there could be bizarre, especially in the latter area, where hurricanes often formed in September.
They were lucky this time—no hurricanes, no elemental creature attacks. From just past 6:00 PM until after 10:00 PM, the trip was smooth, and the train finally rolled into Southwells County.
Stepping off the train, Zhou Ning was met with a chill in the air, colder than the warm carriage, and couldn't help shivering.
"Want to stay at my place for a few days?" John asked. "We've got an empty manor on Iron Cross Street—you can stay there."
Zhou Ning: …
Listen to that—textbook capitalist arrogance.
Smiling, he shook his head. "No need. I won't be here long. If I need anything, I'll come find you."
There was no time to waste. Players in Southwells County had been waiting eagerly for him; he couldn't afford to dawdle.
When he reached the plaza, a few idle players spotted him. At first they couldn't believe it, but once they confirmed it really was Zhou Ning, they were ecstatic, swarming toward him.
Soon, forum posts about Wayne Sturwell arriving in Southwells County exploded like a stone thrown into a pond.
The players here had long been anticipating this moment. Fortune had finally turned—after watching others enjoy the "male god" up close, it was finally their turn.
It was nearly midnight, but players' body clocks were never fixed. In no time, the plaza was packed with more people than he'd seen in West Lin Town or Darkland.
The moment Zhou Ning appeared, countless players surged forward, a dense crowd lining up to give him money and experience.
Compared to the previous two starter towns, the players here were lower level—around 12 or 13 on average—because the nearby monsters were tougher, and they couldn't switch to the early-game powerhouse Gunslinger like in the other towns.
They needed his help even more.
As usual, Zhou Ning opened his personal shop and taught skills, switching to idle mode as players queued up.
[Player XXX bought your Job Transfer Book. You received 11 Vecktas.]
[Your Shooting Mastery was learned. You gained 2,000 EXP and 11 Roshens.]
[Your Mozambique Shooting Technique was learned. You gained 12,000 EXP and 44 Roshens.]
[Your Dodge was learned. You gained 3,000 EXP and 11 Roshens.]
…
He had to marvel at the players' spending power. Even after raising prices, they still bought as if money were no object.
Zhou Ning understood the sentiment—if he were in their shoes, faced with such a handsome, mysterious, and powerful skill mentor, he'd join the Gunslinger ranks too.
The only pity was that the Starry Sky Guild had no more openings; otherwise, his sales in this mere hour could have broken records.
He didn't bother calculating the exact total—before long, his funds had returned to a comfortable 9,000 Vecktas.
Given the late hour, Zhou Ning wrapped up his business and found a place to stay for the night. According to what he remembered from his previous life, the Allsop Marsh was just five kilometers southwest of Southwells County, and he planned to check it out tomorrow.