Earth's Best Gamer - Chapter 257
Chapter 257: Newcomers and Reemerging Black Serpent
“Look at their clothes and weapons. They must be heroes from this settlement too. Let’s guess who they are.”
“I don’t recognize the other two, but the white-robed silver-armored hero on the left side is holding a long spear. He must be Lin Chong, the Leopard Head.”
“How is it possible? Lin Chong should be a sullen uncle in his forties. That man is too young and handsome to be him.”
“Damn it. Why do you think that Lin Chong isn’t handsome? I think that Lin Chong is the most handsome guy in Water Margin. He’s a coach of the royal guards, and he’s known as Young Zhang Fei on Liangshan!”
After that, some of the newcomers speculated their identities.
However, because Yan Qing arrived after the Ten-Species Competition, and Zhao Yun not a long time earlier, it was impossible for the newcomers to figure out who they were.
As for Ji Ye, his personal information had been kept confidential by the Confederate government so far. Although everybody knew that the master of the Twin Dragon Mount fort was a player, nobody really recognized him.
“Master, Chief Zhao, Chief Yan!”
Seeing that the newcomers were attracted to Ji Ye and his companions, Wu Song, Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi, and the other heroes who were at the entrance of the Temple of Providence were all greatly relieved. They wouldn’t frown even if they were to fight ten thousand enemies, but they were rather uncomfortable to be watched by a bunch of “Chosen Ones” and hear their passionate gossip.
After the arrival of Ji Ye, Yan Qing, and Zhao Yun distracted most people’s attention with their attractiveness, the other heroes weren’t “jealous” at all. Instead, they were very grateful!
“What’s the demography of the newcomers this time?”
After recalling the Dragon Aura that carried Zhao Yun back to the fort, Ji Ye asked Su Nongying.
Su Nongying, who was busy with Shang Yan and a few assistants before her desk in the Temple of Providence, opened the golden Registration Book on which the information of the newcomers was popping up.
After the Ten-Species Competition, her talent skill leveled up to Extraordinary.
She was able to view more information in the Temple of Providence. For example, the birthplaces and the real-life professions of the players that came to this settlement.
“Preliminary statistics show that the players from Yang City take up about half of the total number and that the rest are from other cities in the southwestern province in proportion to the populations of those cities!”
Su Nongying, whose forehead was slightly sweaty, replied.
“As we expected, players from other cities have arrived this time!”
Not all the newcomers that arrived at the Twin Dragon Mount fort in the third batch came from Yang City; there were as many players from other cities including Guan City!
Someone had discussed the possibility of such a way of distribution on the forum after the Confederate government calculated the headcount of different cities in the third batch of players.
Some of the smaller cities had lost all their settlements on the Land of Inheritance during the Ten-Species Competition, yet they still had the headcount of new players. So, their only choice was to send the players to the settlements of other cities.
But of course, the city to which a settlement belonged definitely had privileges.
For example, the statistics of the Confederation Office of Yang City showed that more than three thousand players were allowed to join the game. The proportional increase was obvious considering that Yang City only had a headcount of two hundred players in the first round when they were a million beta testers.
Of all the newcomers that the Twin Dragon Mount fort received, the natives of Yang City took up half.
“But is it a good thing or a bad thing?”
Most geniuses of Yang City had left to work in bigger, more prosperous cities. Would the additional headcount given to Yang City affect the average quality of this batch of players?
“From what we have seen, I don’t think the influence is too bad…
“According to rough statistics, most of the players from Yang City that just arrived can be described as ‘Common’ players, whereas many from other cities are ‘Elite’ players. So, in general, the Elite players and the non-Elite players are still fifty-fifty, exactly like in the second round!”
Su Nongying’s long eyelashes moved as she winked and shook her head.
“Also, it’s not hard to imagine that when this way of distribution is passed back to Earth, a lot of people will move to Yang City. The population of regular residents will soar. As long as we impose a restraint on the immigrants and only allow the geniuses to move in, we’ll have many more Elite newcomers next time!”
Shang Yan, on the other hand, added in excitedly.
It was truly a good thing from that point of view.
Yang City, as a fourth-tier city, wasn’t very attractive, and many talents from here decided to work in other cities.
But thanks to the Twin Dragon Mount fort, those who wanted to enter the Land of Inheritance would move to Yang City. As long as the leaders of Yang City seized the opportunity, the city could likely reach the second tier and even the first tier!
For the second-batch players who were from Yang City, to indirectly contribute to the development of their hometown was naturally something to be proud of.
“Right, one other thing. Some of the newcomers are the acquaintances of the people from the second batch.
“It’s exactly like what you speculated, Brother Ye!”
Su Nongying reported another piece of information.
The conclusion wasn’t exactly made with the Registration Book by Su Nongying, but it was found by the old players on their own.
For example, Mister Bug found a female classmate from his high school among the newcomers, Li Qing ran into an old comrade who used to be in service with him, and Qin Yueyu was recognized by one of her remote relatives!
That was while the situation was still rather chaotic and many friends probably hadn’t met each other yet.
“So, my speculation was correct? Well, Nongying, when you register them later, check if the people on the name list that I gave you earlier are among them.”
Ji Ye’s eyes glittered, and he nodded at Su Nongying.
After the conversation, Ji Ye turned around and spoke to the nine hundred noisy newcomers in the square calmly.
“Silence!”
His voice wasn’t loud, yet everybody heard him loud and clear. The hint of “dragon might” that it contained awed all the newcomers who were talking excitedly into silence.
“First of all, welcome to the Twin Dragon Mount fort, Earth’s only Extraordinary Rank-9 settlement on the Land of Inheritance. I am Ji Ye, master of the Twin Dragon Mount fort!
“I’m sure that, as the third batch of players from Earth, you’d known enough about the Land of Inheritance before you arrived, so we won’t waste each other’s time on that information anymore.
“As a member of the settlement, what you should learn next is the history of the Twin Dragon Mount fort’s development to this point!
Ji Ye didn’t care about the thrill, excitement, and even affection on the faces of the newcomers after they learned that he was the master of the fort.
The Void Ring let out a purple flash, and the Mirage Dragon Pearl, which was half the size of an egg, appeared in his hand.
Following that, the thousand people in the square all felt that the environment changed.
“Hiss!”
A serpent, which was more than ten meters long and covered in black scales and had two pointy horns on its head, appeared at a corner of the square. Its body that was as thick as a bucket slithered quickly on the ground, and it bit a fort soldier at the edge of the square.
“Ah!”
“Caught unprepared”, the soldier was bitten by the serpent, whose tongue was thicker than a baby’s arm and whose mouth was wider than the height of an adult after being opened.
Pew!
His flesh was bitten off by the serpent’s sharp teeth, and his blood gushed out.
Then, despite his desperate struggles, he was taken to the sky by the black serpent that was almost ten feet tall after it coiled its body and craned its head.
In the next moment, he was swallowed into the serpent’s stomach!
“Whoa!”
“What a huge snake!”
“Help! The snake just ate someone!”
The newcomers who were closer to the scene had been talking and laughing, wondering whether they should learn from Wu Song or Lu Zhishen or maybe just straight from Ji Ye to acquire resources and power more easily.
More than half of them retreated palely in a hurry.
Several of them even collapsed to the ground with softened legs and cried out loud for help!
