T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 7.7. Lord of Nothingness
Jiang Heyi and the others did not rush to teleport.

This region, which is obviously far from the Ana Empire, can only be reached by teleportation, and the damaged Starry Sky Jade requires energy to be injected each time it is used.

If they suffer casualties during the exploration, it means they must return to the Wind Pod to regroup, at a tremendous cost.

Jiang Heyi witnessed firsthand the lantern girl's terrifying ability to kill instantly and the nun ghost's eerie movement speed.

We'll evaluate it based on everyone's current understanding of the game, their level, and their equipment...

"Hey, watch me beat this game in one life," the jailer suddenly said.

It was indeed a one-life victory, but who it was was uncertain...

In order to maximize the team's survival rate, Jiang Heyi and others began to purchase props.

Their first stop was outside Windpod City. The [Inferior Flame Potion] was cheap and easy to use. Its unstable properties could also generate an upper limit when triggered, which was very useful for them, who were relatively weak at the moment.

Along the way, the jailer kept talking to Orange Tea, while Zhong Zemo patiently gave her some necessary explanations so that she could better integrate into the team, or perhaps... her tolerance was not high enough, and she politely said goodbye after finishing the dungeon.

Whether or not someone can become a regular teammate is always a two-way selection process.

"Brother Jailer, why did you choose such a name?" Orange Tea suddenly asked.

[Jail Guard Appreciation Expert], what's so appreciable about jail guards?
Is it a reference to some game?
This question made Zhong Zemo, who was mainly acting as a conversation lubricant, twitch at the corner of his mouth, while the prison guard just chuckled.

Clearly, Orange Tea's social circle was far removed from Jiang Heyi and his ilk, and she couldn't comprehend the extraordinary nature of Jailer Bro's identity from his ID.

The jailer didn't explain further, just laughed it off and cleverly changed the subject. A funny guy, a social terrorist, he could always smoothly switch between different topics.

You'll never have to worry about awkward silences when chatting with him.

A temporary market lining the main trade route of the Anna Empire outside Fengjia City.

Hunters, magicians, and merchants about to embark on their journeys would simply pick up a blanket and spread it on the ground to create a stall. Others would skip this step altogether and simply place their goods on the ground.

Besides players wandering among the stalls, NPCs from the game also come to make purchases, creating a confusing mix and making it difficult to distinguish who the players are.

Zhong Zemo once asked an interesting question.

"If players don't have the ability to bring up the information panel, how can we tell who is a player and who is an NPC?"

Since there is no tax to be paid to the city-state's governor, the prices of goods here are relatively low, but the quality naturally varies.

Aside from the stall marked "Original Flame Fries" where the witch Brana sells "Inferior Flame Potions," Jiang Heyi didn't dare to try out the other stalls for the time being.

I wonder if this amazing pharmacist will be so popular and his medicine so hard to come by the next time he logs in.

"Ok?"

One stall caught the attention of Jiang Heyi's entire team, and quite a few players also stopped to admire it.

Dozens of fish of varying sizes lay on a damp linen cloth, the largest of which was at least 1.7 meters long. It was huge and plump, and its silvery-white scales reflected a beautiful and mesmerizing light.

It stood across the stall, its powerful visual impact stunning every passing player, leaving them stunned for a few seconds as they stared blankly at the stall owner who was casually calling out to sell fish.

ID: Chestnut Warrior

This is an ordinary human player who creates their character's face.

Besides players like Jiang Heyi who enjoy exploration and challenges, some players of Proof of the Stars were so drawn to the game that they switched to trying out the life simulation gameplay.

Since the Proof of the Stars offers enough freedom, they can find their own way to relax here and make up for some of the impulses they can't indulge in on ordinary days.

Just as a fisherman in real life might get lost in his neighborhood after a great catch, the chestnut warrior's stall clearly had ulterior motives.

Before long, he caught several fellow fishing enthusiasts in the crowd.

"Are you selling this fish?" Jiang Heyi asked.

"I won't sell the big ones; I'll keep displaying them," the chestnut soldier frankly stated.

As a casual player who doesn't compete with the world, he practically gave all his winnings from the past two days to Jiang Heyi as a gift.

There was no one competing with Jiang Heyi, so he got to buy everything.

At this stage, most players are focused on improving themselves. It's too wasteful to spend hard-earned materials on items that are useless for improvement.

"Why did you buy so many fish?" Zhong Zemo asked curiously on the way back to the city.

“Feed the doll in the garden. It eats everything, so this should be fine too.” As he spoke, Jiang Heyi looked at the orange tea. “Consider it a loan to you temporarily.”

Orange Tea shook her head repeatedly: "It's nothing, it's just a little trinket."

The shouts interrupted their conversation.

"That martial artist in front."

This shout made everyone on the street stop and look in the direction of the sound.

Jiang Heyi was no exception; he met several provocative gazes.

They were players, but Jiang Heyi didn't know them at all.

"Cyber ​​Potato, that's the right ID. You're the one who uses the stress monster to mess with people, right?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Jiang Heyi sighed helplessly.

He said, as a formality, "I'm not under any pressure," but the other person didn't believe him.

They spread the word to people along the trade route about Jiang Heyi's glorious deeds in framing "Watermelon Shaomai," a game streamer with 10 followers.

The idea of ​​stealing dropped items is very relatable, and anger simmered amidst the hushed discussions.

Some of them were unaware of the lengthy manifesto about watermelon shumai beforehand, and hadn't even eaten the watermelon, but that didn't stop them from following the trend and joining in the celebration.

If this is a conflict zone where confrontations are allowed, then surely some of these people would have already made a move?
On the way back to the city, Jiang Heyi was always accompanied and "protected" to ensure that they could not go out to explore normally, and their IDs and deeds were constantly reported.

The prison guard, who has an exceptionally high tolerance for pressure, even had the energy to raise his hands high and, in a standard gesture of declaring "I'm an idiot," jeer at the crowd, "Louder!"

The experienced Zhong Zemo remained calm and composed; as a teacher, he had seen far bigger scenes. As for the original flavor fries, her composure was legendary.

Orange Tea hadn't been surfing much, and this scene left her somewhat bewildered.

To reassure her, Jiang Heyi revealed, "I have evidence to prove my innocence, so don't worry."

The jailer got excited.

"Is the evidence substantial enough? The other side is a 'big' streamer~~~"

He deliberately drew out the word "big," and his frivolous tone and contemptuous gaze revealed his true thoughts.

"You scoundrel, trying to scam us at Proof of the Stars? We have to slap you in the face and rip your suit off."

Wherever there's fun, there he is; the prison guard's spirit of fun is burning!

Zhong Zemo asked in surprise, "If you have evidence, why don't you release it immediately?"

"Releasing her out immediately would indeed prove my innocence, but it wouldn't punish her for turning the tables. At this point, people's emotions haven't built up yet, and it can't be transformed into 'momentum.' Only by setting the fire on and making the onlookers feel that their sense of justice has been mocked will she be backfired by the fire she started."

“Her persona is a necessary facade for her to make money, and it’s very important to her.” Jiang Heyi’s lips curled up. “I want to tear it to shreds and make her pay a heavy price. To achieve this, I’m willing to pay a negligible price to accompany her.”

When a game is misunderstood, insulted, or slandered, you can see someone's livelihood being overturned by an angry mob. Although uncontrollable factors may cause deviations in the process, overall, it's a worthwhile trade.

"I'll help you stir things up after you get up." The jailer was rubbing his hands together, eager to see what the big fun would be like.

With little time left in the game, Jiang Heyi distributed the items to everyone and returned to his home.

Garlic Sprouts sat upright at the stone table, staring motionlessly at the spot where Jiang Heyi had appeared. It seemed that she had been in this position for a very long time, much like an elder who longs for his children to come home.

"Want some fish?" Jiang Heyi asked as the fresh fish he had bought spilled out of his backpack.

The garlic sprout eagerly floated forward, and its belly suddenly split open with a huge slit, opening and closing like a Venus flytrap, sucking the fresh fish dry in one gulp.

Its body is small, but it's like a bottomless pit.

After eating, the outlines of eye sockets, lips, and nose appeared on Garlic Sprout's face, which previously lacked facial features. Its bluish body also gradually turned flesh-colored, a noticeable change.

Perhaps because he was full, the garlic sprouts gave Jiang Heyi some reminders.

"As your puppets, we can learn and grow according to the branch you choose, and provide services including but not limited to refining basic magic potions, which may be of great benefit to you."

"Very useful information, but I don't have any more material to share with you. I'll definitely do it next time."

After several communications, Jiang Heyi finally understood that the Home Doll is equivalent to a butler who remains in the game when the player logs off, and its functions will be unlocked as you feed it.

Once you reach a certain level of development, you should be able to achieve the effect of a puppeteer slacking off.

Jiang Heyi suddenly had a whimsical idea. He looked at the garlic sprouts that were spinning rapidly on one foot like a ballet dancer.

"If I asked, 'Who created you?' what would you answer?"

Three game hours had passed since Jiang Heyi entered the game, yet he still knew nothing about its background.

There are no official guides or explanations for the gameplay; it's entirely up to the players to discover.

There are no instructions when you enter the game; you have to figure it out yourself.

These all fit into some of the marketing rhetoric used for "Proof of the Stars," such as "A second life after falling asleep" and "Your other possibility."

Aside from the player information panel that can be accessed, the boundary between fantasy and reality is incredibly blurred here.

But what is the connection between these and the game's name?

Jiang Heyi has not yet found the connection between this world of swords and magic and the stars.

Surely, in this medieval setting, there can't be unspeakable extraterrestrial visitors ravaging other regions?

"Creation" is a good starting point. If Garlic Sprouts is not responding to designers, authors who give them personality traits, or AI by breaking the fourth wall, then it should involve some basic world-building.

"god."

At this moment, Garlic Sprout suddenly knelt down on one knee in reverence, covered her chest with her hands, and looked up at the sky with her face, which only outlined the basic features of her features.

Jiang Heyi followed her gaze and looked up. The sun was high in the sky, under a blue sky with white clouds.

"What god?"

The barely defined eye sockets of the garlic sprouts gleamed with a faint white light, as if an invisible hand was filling in her broken body and mending her shattered soul.

Those were a pair of sea-blue eyes, deep yet clear.

"You can understand it, and you can't understand it."

"The world is woven and turned by her hands."

“The soul is conceived in her soft hymns.”

"Flesh and blood are like clay, which can be molded at will."

"Far beyond what can be felt by anything in the present world."

"She is the void of things without souls."

"She is nothingness."

For some reason, Jiang Heyi's heart was beating very fast.

Is it the serious and earnest way Garlic Sprouts spoke, mocking the ignorance with pity, or is it the ripples left by the undulating praise that stirred up a storm in my heart?

"What god?" he decided to ask again.

The description of Garlic Sprout's eyes came to an abrupt end, and she fell silent.

(End of this chapter)