Infinite: Dawn Game

"Who says it's not?"

The middle-aged sailor who pulled out the cork sighed, tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls of wine before wiping his mouth.

"At least we can eat if we become sailors, so we won't starve to death and have to work ourselves to the bone..."

The middle-aged crew member's dark face showed a hint of helplessness, and his rough hands, exposed outside his uniform, slapped the stone next to him forcefully.

Xu Han's eyelids twitched.

...It looks painful. Doesn't this NPC feel pain?

"Yes."

Other crew members nearby also sighed, their eyes, filled with exhaustion and weariness yet faintly filled with hope, fixed on Xu Han and Yu Shi.

"As long as we get on the ship, if we're obedient and work hard, our families won't go hungry. Hey! Maybe we'll even meet a kind-hearted gentleman or lady who'll give us a tip?"

The other crew members nearby laughed, and the crew member who had taken a sip of rum laughed so hard he slapped his thigh.

"What are you dreaming about in broad daylight? We're lucky if we can even get off the ship alive and get some money. You want a tip? You might as well go back and wash your neck and start dreaming some more!"

This was clearly a very unlucky statement, but the NPC crew members around them just laughed even harder.

Some even laughed loudly, "That's great! I heard that people get a lot of compensation when they die. My greedy son will have money to go to school then!"

"Our little one can even go to school?" One of the crew members clapped his hands with delight.

"That's good, that's good too. I'll have my wife, Afen, enroll my daughter in a sewing class. I heard sewing can be quite lucrative these days!"

"..."

The conversation between the NPC crew members made Xu Han's eyelids twitch, and he couldn't help but look at Yu Shijiu, who had been silent all along.

Yu Shijiu listened very attentively, and even sat directly on the ground without minding the dirt, rubbing a smooth seashell back and forth.

"..." Xu Han swallowed hard, once again expressing his admiration for Yu Shijiu's audacity.

Although nothing seems amiss so far... judging from the NPCs' constant use of the word "die, die, die," Xu Han could guess that this "peaceful" period wouldn't end once they boarded the ship.

The two silent "little guys" were quickly spotted by the crew, and the crew member who had been drinking burst into laughter, emboldened by the alcohol:

"You two little brats are so lucky to have been selected, have you thought about what you're going to do with the money after you get off the ship?"

Xu Han and Yu Shijiu: "..."

The former was extremely anxious and wanted to find an excuse to brush it off, while the latter blinked slowly and thought seriously about many things in his mind.

Although the identity of "sailor" wasn't real, it was still an experience in her life... Yu Shijiu thought about it seriously for a moment, and was about to speak—

"What else could they be thinking of?"

An older crew member, probably in his early forties, shook his head with a smile:

"Young bastards like them are full of youthful vigor; what else could they possibly want besides finding women?"

Xu Han and Yu Shijiu froze, their mouths agape.

Yu Shijiu turned to look at them blankly, muttering to himself, "Looking for a woman?"

Xu Han felt a sudden chill run down her spine for no apparent reason, and called out to him in a low voice.

"Shi Jiu?"

Yu Shijiu turned her head to look at him again, feigning confusion: "Hmm?"

Xu Han: "..."

He was momentarily at a loss for words.

Yu Shijiu really didn't understand what those NPCs were saying? He just couldn't believe it...

"what happened?"

The crew member approached Yu Shijiu with a grin, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe before finally sighing:

"However, your estimate won't cost any money."

Yu Shijiu: "?"

He leaned closer curiously, "Why don't I have to pay?"

Yu Shijiu isn't some innocent, naive child who doesn't know the ways of the world... Having lived in a sanatorium for so long, he knows everything he needs to know.

He just lacks some common sense.

"With a face like that," the crew member clicked his tongue, "you could walk out and any girl who cares about looks would be head over heels for you."

Yu Shijiu, who never expected to hear such an answer, was speechless.

His smile faltered slightly as he glanced down at his thin, bony arms, clearly displeased.

"Angkor Wat's physique and face are the only kind that look good—"

"Shi Jiu!" Xu Han, who was standing next to him, was so shocked that he immediately stood up and hurriedly said:

"I think we should talk to our older brother and the others more about what kind of work we should do on the ship, don't you think?"

Yu Shijiu looked up at him, swallowing back her own complaint, and said, "Mm."

Yu Shijiu nodded.

Seeing this, the crew members nearby all laughed, and some joked:

"They really are young rascals. They're embarrassed when we say a few words to them?"

"What's there to be embarrassed about, you men? We didn't ask you to do anything."

"You can't say that, can you? We're the seniors, after all; we should take care of the juniors..."

"..."

Yu and Xu, who were being teased, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xu Han's lips twitched as he watched the crew members chatting more and more enthusiastically.

"I feel like the things they're thinking about are all pretty, pretty boring."

Yu Shijiu nodded, deeply agreeing.

"I feel so too."

“…However,” Yu Shijiu turned around and leaned closer to Xu Han, frowning slightly:

"Didn't we initially want to ask who we are?"

Why are we suddenly talking about such a pointless and boring topic?

Xu Han choked for a moment.

“…Good question.” He scratched his forehead, his fighting spirit rekindled: “Wait, I’m going to chat with them for hours! I won’t shut up until I get their identities!”

Yu Shijiu let out a soft "Wow," and said, "Go for it."

Xu Han immediately straightened his back and joined the crew's lively conversation.

Unlike Yu Shijiu and Xu Han, who were trying to get information out of each other indirectly, He Lingling stood quietly to the side without saying a word.

It wasn't that she didn't want to say... but if her guess was true, then "woman" on this ship that was about to dock... certainly wouldn't have a very good position.

Not to mention that the crew members, who were probably around thirty or forty years old, were still talking nonsense.

She was a little annoyed... but looking at the smiles on their faces and their unrestrained drinking, He Lingling sighed.

Thinking of this, He Lingling glanced discreetly at the players gathered in twos and threes not far away.

She could feel the players' gazes always falling on them, intentionally or unintentionally. Some even wanted to come over but were pulled back and shook their heads by their companions.

He Lingling didn't bother to think about what they were thinking. She just looked at the players and, as expected, didn't see many female players among them.

There were very few female players in this instance; including He Lingling, there were only three.

However, one of the short-haired female players, who was huddled in a corner with her head down, looked somewhat familiar—just as He Lingling was about to take a closer look, a man's angry roar suddenly rang out behind her.

"I was only gone for a dozen minutes! And you dare to be this lazy?!"

It's Angkor.

The crew members who were scattered on the rocks immediately changed their expressions, quickly sat up from the ground, dusted themselves off, stood up straight, and looked at Angkor.

Angkor's face darkened, and he sneered, "You really think you can rise to the top just by becoming a sailor?"

"A bunch of idiots!"

Neither the players nor the NPCs dared to utter a single word in their defense.

The middle-aged crew members who were just teasing Yu Shijiu and Xu Han were now unusually quiet. Even the crew member who had been drinking kept his head down and was still holding the bag of rum he hadn't finished.

When He Lingling looked down, she saw the rum in his hand, and her heart sank.

Based on Angkor's recent outburst of temper, she felt there was a high chance he would get angry over this bag of rum.

The next second, Angkor strode forward and slapped the middle-aged crew member carrying the rum.

Snapped!

The loud slap made everyone present jump.

The unfortunate male player, huddled among the crowd of players, felt somewhat better.

See, see, so Dawn Games treats everyone equally; NPCs and players alike get slapped...

Having achieved a strange sense of balance, the male player now felt that his face was no longer in pain.

"Are you new here too?"

“Ah Jin”.

Angkor slapped the middle-aged man named Ah Kim again, and roared in a gloomy voice:

"Don't you know the rule that drinking is not allowed on the shore?"

Ah Jin lowered his head after being hit, his hand holding the wine bag trembling. He tried to explain in a low voice:

“Angkor, I know that, I was just thirsty, so I drank it—”

"quibble!"

Angkor scoffed, "My rule is no drinking on board. Are you a pig-brain?"

As he spoke, Wu Ge slapped Ah Jin's face a few more times.

The sound of slapping continued to echo in the area, and this time Ah Jin dared not speak.

"I'm making the rules clear right now! Aside from the fact that you have to drink alcohol on the ship, who dares to take a sip in front of me after you get off the ship?"

Angkor's face was grim; he opened his mouth wide, revealing a set of sharp teeth stained with bloody bits of flesh.

"Get the hell out of here and feed the fish to the sea!"

"..."

The players and crew members instantly felt a chill run down their spines.

...Too fast.

This was the first time they had seen an NPC become monstrous within half an hour of entering the instance.

This time... is too fast, so fast that it has made them start to fear the "plot" they might encounter after boarding the ship.

If it's like this on the shore... then what about on the boat—

"Angkor."

Yu Shijiu suddenly raised his hand from the crowd, "Can I ask you something?"

Xu Han and He Lingling, who were standing nearby, were speechless.

The other players: "!"

What a brave warrior! No wonder Yu Shijiu has been making waves in town lately; he's really insane!

Xu Han almost couldn't catch his breath, and his outstretched hand, which was reaching out to grab Yu Shijiu, froze in place.

How did Yu Shijiu reappear so suddenly?!

Wu Ge's sharp, bloodied teeth slowly returned to normal. He frowned as he looked at Yu Shijiu, who had raised her hand.

"What are you asking?"

Angkor remembers the newcomer who sent his "pet" onto the boat ahead of time, and his tone was very unpleasant.

"Let me tell you, when the ship arrives, if you want your pet to live a good life, you'd better throw it overboard right away—"

"Brother Angkor, what should I do if I don't drink alcohol?"

Angkor, who was getting more and more excited, was speechless.

He stared blankly at Yu Shijiu for a long while, then suddenly turned his head to look at the group of old sailors and roared:

"This kid can't drink, which idiot put him in here?!"

The veteran crew members: "..."

He Lingling, who also doesn't drink, felt a jolt in Xu Han's heart. The latter looked at He Lingling in fear, somewhat confused as to why Brother Wu was suddenly so angry.

He Lingling probably guessed something, and slowly lowered her eyelids.

...If the background of the instance is indeed a slightly altered version of the ancient Age of Exploration, then there is a possibility that there is no fresh water on the ship that can be stored for a long time.

Although it sounds a bit absurd... the fact that they can be pulled into a strange game even after they die makes this point of inconsistency negligible.

After all, they were just poor souls who came here to clear the level and get a "chance to be reborn".

“…This,” one of the older crew members whispered, “weren’t these all chosen by those people above?”

Wu Ge was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Yu Shijiu, who seemed somewhat bewildered: "You need to learn how to drink."

Yu Shijiu: "?"

He vaguely guessed what was going on, but pretended not to understand. "You have to know how to drink?"

Angkor: "If you don't want to die of thirst, you must drink."

Yu Shijiu fell silent.

He stepped back into the crowd and silently lowered his head.

This interruption calmed Angkor's anger slightly. He snorted coldly and said:

"What are you standing there for? Can't you see the ship is almost at the shore?"

"Everyone, hurry up and follow! Move everything on the shore to the top!"

"Yes!"

This was the NPC crew's unanimous response.

The players, who were not quite sure what was going on, exchanged puzzled glances and followed the NPC crew forward.

The once empty beach was now densely packed with things... things like clothes, fishing nets, and even lots of liquids in buckets...

Various items needed on the sea have taken up most of the open space on the shore... Although Yu Shijiu was somewhat puzzled when he saw some obviously useless decorations.

Do we need jewelry and roses of all shapes and sizes on the sea?

I don't think that's necessary.

Despite his doubts, Yu Shijiu followed the NPC crew to move things. When he moved a wooden barrel that was as heavy as half a person, he smelled a strong, pungent smell of alcohol.

He Lingling and the other two female players were sent away by Brother Wu to move the lighter items, while Xu Han stayed by Yu Shijiu's side the whole time.

He could barely move the barrel; his face was flushed, and he moved it slowly, panting heavily. His face was almost entirely covered in pain.

"My God... why are we carrying so much liquor on board?! Are we supposed to drink it like water?!"

Yu Shijiu carried a wine barrel forward, saying, "It should be."

Xu Han: "..."

He fell silent instantly, exclaiming in disbelief, "We? You mean we're going to drink alcohol like water?!"

"correct."

Yu Shijiu walked forward with steady steps: "Otherwise, why do you think Brother Wu got so angry just now?"