There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

"What do you mean being a kept man isn’t a Profession?"

The Divination Master planted her hands on her hips, annoyed. "Finding a suitable meal ticket takes keen judgment. Capturing their heart takes charm. Making them willingly provide for you takes skill. That’s how you can stay home all day and live an easy life just by offering up some love. How is such a high-difficulty job not a Profession?"

Duan Fei sighed helplessly. "You’re completely unreliable. And Jinghong, don’t you dare give me that ’You can do that?’ look. You’re exactly the type to get scammed by a kept man!"

"Duan Fei, just change your Profession to ’kept man.’ I’ll support you," Jinghong said earnestly, clasping his hands.

"Don’t you go agreeing with her!"

Seeing that Duan Fei was genuinely unwilling, the Divination Master sighed. "Okay, okay. A Profession should suit your disposition, and it requires personal interest. Well then, the second option is actually even more suitable for you than the first."

"Then why didn’t you just introduce the second one to begin with?"

"Because it’s very difficult to develop. It’s the Summoner."

This Profession sounded more legitimate, so Duan Fei asked, "What’s it like?"

"It’s a super late-game Profession. The more dungeons you clear, the stronger it gets. However, it’s tough in the early stages if you don’t have good relationships with NPCs, and it’s also hard if your reputation isn’t high enough. In short, everything about it is hard. This Profession will synergize with the summoning system that’s being updated soon... Whoops, did I just reveal a spoiler?"

Sticking her tongue out, the Divination Master smiled. "Actually, I’m not an NPC. I’m one of the admins—the Divination Master. It’s not really a secret at this point, but could you not spread it around?"

"That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone blow their own cover."

"Besides, I don’t actually know how to perform divination. A program does all the calculations, and I just read out the answer."

"Come on, leave yourself a little bit of mystique."

"And another thing..."

"Okay, that’s enough! Don’t shatter my illusions any further. I’ll look up the details later. Just tell me where I can find a clue for this Profession."

The Divination Master put on a mystical act for a moment before saying, "For five thousand Abyss Coins, I can give you one clue."

"Do you admins have to be such shameless profiteers?"

"It’s a system regulation. My hands are tied."

"Actually, I can pay for you... if you change your Profession to ’kept man’," Jinghong said, her eyes shining brightly.

"Forget it. I’ll pay."

Sighing, Duan Fei took out the money and handed it over.

The Divination Master snatched the money, then pulled a key from a nearby box and handed it to Duan Fei.

"You’re new to the city, so let me explain. Using a key to open a dungeon is pretty much the same as in the Endless Office. Find a fire door inside a building and open it. Once you complete that dungeon, you’ll unlock the second half of the clue for your Profession. Okay, Jinghong, your friend’s problem is solved. Come and waste some time with me. I’ll tell you a story about myself from sixty years ago."

Duan Fei watched her in confusion. ’This NPC seems to be constantly saying things that can’t be proven or disproven,’ he thought.

’How can someone who looks twenty claim to have a sixty-year-old life story?’

Jinghong, however, politely stood up, pushed her chair back into place, and said, "I can’t. I’m going to run the dungeon with my friend."

"Is your friend more important, or am I?" the Divination Master asked, puffing out her cheeks like a pufferfish.

Jinghong frowned. "Why don’t you save yourself the embarrassment?"

"I think you should say yes to her. Maybe we can get my five thousand coins back," Duan Fei whispered.

"...Suddenly, I’m starting to think you’re not that important either," Jinghong retorted with a sigh.

Key in hand, Duan Fei left the Divination Master’s cottage and asked, "What now?"

"We’re going to buy a phone."

"...Using a phone... in a game?"

"Yep. In the game, you can use a phone to contact people, add friends, browse forums, and use features like Feixin. But once you enter a dungeon, the signal gets blocked. A lot of people are so used to that, they forget their phones can send Feixin messages."

’No wonder Little Fatty didn’t send a Feixin message back then. So that’s why.’

Nodding, Duan Fei followed Jinghong into a phone shop by the side of the road.

And as luck would have it, the shop was a Rongge Company store.

The Rongge Company logo was a giant, cartoonish little boy giving a thumbs-up to the passersby, endlessly repeating the company’s slogan:

"Rongge Company, your best good neighbor."

On a screen in front of the shop, an introduction to the Rongge Company played on a loop.

"Rongge Company was founded 130 years ago, formerly known as the Rongge Armaments Company. It made a fortune from the war, then decisively pivoted to civilian enterprise, where it promptly experienced its first failure. The company owner tried to hang himself in his garage but failed because the rope he bought was of such poor quality! It was even worse than the one he’d made himself! Then, inspiration struck. The owner started selling ropes, and at last, he found success once more."

Duan Fei stared at the screen in bewilderment. He wondered if something was seriously wrong with this company for it to broadcast its entire sordid history for all to see.

But he had to admit, it was surprisingly entertaining.

Especially with the accompanying video, which transitioned from black and white to color, from standard definition to high definition, and finally, to a hologram indistinguishable from reality.

Rongge Company’s 130-year history unfolded, and the weight of all those years only made the Rongge brand shine brighter.

After it was over, Duan Fei clapped softly, only to find he wasn’t the only one.

Several other players, who looked like newcomers just like him, were standing outside the shop window. They had silently watched the story of Rongge Company’s rise and fall, and were now offering it their sincere applause.

Having seen the historical short, Duan Fei followed Jinghong into the phone shop and began browsing the phones.

There was a dazzling array of phones, from low-end models costing a few hundred Abyss Coins to high-end ones priced in the tens or even hundreds of thousands.

The low-end models had only the most basic functions. Mid-range models could play some games and even connect to the city’s free Wi-Fi to download and play free games.

On a related note, there were thousands of games available, all of them free. But for some reason, Duan Fei couldn’t download any of them.

The high-end models were like the one Little Fatty had. Each was basically a portable supercomputer, and the prices were, naturally, breathtaking.

Little Fatty’s model was worth 98,000 Abyss Coins. Converted to real-world money, that was 9,800—enough to buy a real phone in the real world.

Even though Little Fatty said he got a 70% discount, that was still nearly three thousand in real money.

Looking at his remaining 5,000 Abyss Coins, Duan Fei was about to buy a cheaper phone when he heard a pleasantly surprised voice from nearby.

"Mr. Duan Someone?"

Turning his head, Duan Fei saw a refined, middle-aged man walking toward him, his face filled with irrepressible delight.

’He doesn’t have an ID over his head. He must be an NPC,’ Duan Fei thought.

Glancing at the man’s name tag, Duan Fei asked hesitantly, "Mr. Xiao... Do you know me?"

"Of course I know you. Rongge Company’s clearance level was raised recently, so I was able to learn about certain past events. It is a great pleasure to meet you, great player, nemesis of the Evil God, our savior," Mr. Xiao said excitedly. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m the CEO of Rongge Company. Whichever model you’ve taken a liking to, I can give it to you for free."

"Ah... there’s no need. I can buy it myself."

’Best not to accept things from strangers, even if he seems friendly.’

"How about our flagship model? It’s a brand-new product. I use one myself."

Looking at the phone the man held up—a device brimming with a sci-fi, futuristic aesthetic—Duan Fei felt a pang of desire, but he still said, "Sorry, I..."

"How about ten? That’s our entire stock."

"...Thank you."

Duan Fei had fully intended to refuse.

But the offer was just too good.

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