Virtual World: Close Combat Mage
chapter-200

Chapter 200 - Clients from All Over

Having the ability to insta-kill a bunch of men with a raise of his hand, such an indomitable Mage was truly a rare specimen.

Dusky Cloud and his gang had long wanted to get in touch with the masked Mage that had helped them out greatly in the war against Past Deeds in Yueye City, so when they saw on the forums that an opportunity to get acquainted with the mysterious Mage was present, they hurriedly traveled from Yueye City to Yunduan City.

“You guys have traveled so far. Still, don’t you have to participate in the PvP tournament in your own city,” Brother Assist tried to break the ice with the three new arrivals who had journeyed for three hours from Yueye City to Yunduan City just to meet Gu Fei.

Dusky Cloud laughed boisterously, “With our mercenary group and guild’s strength, losing the three of us won’t affect the outcome of the matches in the least.” He swept his gaze over the empty seats in the bar, “You’ve arranged for such a big event. I suppose a lot of people will be attending this?”

Brother Assist nodded his head.

Dusky Cloud once more gazed at everyone before him and asked, “Where’s brother Sword Demon? Why don’t I see him?” Sword Demon had fought side by side with them back in Yueye City, so they were more familiar with him.

“He has something on, so he won’t be coming,” Brother Assist fibbed.

“It’s rare for me to come by for a visit; we should all come together and have a drink or two once this is over!” Dusky Cloud declared.

Young Master Han was obviously the most thrilled over his suggestion to drink, but he had a slight altercation with Dusky Cloud in Yueye City.

Thinking that it was important to choose his drinking partners as well, Young Master Han kept quiet about his suggestion when he would usually be approving with two thumbs up.

The rest of them were quite indifferent to Dusky Cloud’s suggestion, as the various guild leaders and mercenary group leaders of Yunduan City started trickling in the bar. Brother Assist hurriedly stood up from his seat and began welcoming each new arrival.

Welcoming the clients was actually only secondary and his main purpose was really to collect the 100 gold coins fee from the guests as he ushered them to their seats.

Not everyone responded similarly when this happened. Some unhesitatingly handed over their coin pouches, while others fussed about this being an elaborate scam and expressed their wish to part with their coins only when they saw the subject in question.

Some attempted to curry favor from him when they saw this by handing over their coin pouches and loudly saying, “I believe you just from the fact that you are Brother Assist.”

Young Master Han only realized now that the success of this business venture was not just due to Carouse’s and Cloud Herder’s two days of madness but also due to Brother Assist’s fame as an information expert. Truly, Brother Assist’s influence on the forums was not something to scoff at.

Brother Assist patiently coaxed those who were still unwilling to pay upfront, “You are all leaders or influential figures in our city!? How am I going to live peacefully in this city from here onward if this is truly an attempt to scam you all out of your money?”

Some found his explanation sound and happily handed over their coin pouches, yet a few were still unwilling to do so.

Brother Assist could not help but wonder if those refusing to pay were the real scammers who tried to find out who the mysterious Mage was for free, instead. He was the ‘seller’ who should be collecting the entrance fees from the attendees, but he would truly have no choice if any of them chose not to fork out their money after the conference was over. It was only 100 gold coins, after all. Gathering reinforcement just to get away from paying this paltry sum would be an awkward proposition to pose to their friends! It would also be very demeaning to boot.

“But what if you do meet someone like that?” Young Master Han, who had predicted such a situation, asked Brother Assist this earlier.

“I guess we can just ask them to leave,” was Brother Assist’s answer.

At this moment, Brother Assist calmly said to the players who were unwilling to pay the fee, “Guys, the rule here is for you to pay the fee first before meeting the Mage. Many other leaders have already paid the fee. Won’t it be unfair to them if you guys refuse to do the same? If you still insist on not paying up, then please excuse yourselves.” He politely indicated the door.

Someone felt slighted by this. Slapping the table, he stood up and began shouting at Brother Assist. He also attempted to incite the other leaders by claiming how illogical it was for him to collect the fee before even showing them the product in question and that everyone should join up to protect their rights.

“What if someone attempts to create uproar? What will you do?” Young Master Han had also predicted such men to turn up for this meeting.

“It would be dangerous if the price we set was 1000 gold coins; fortunately, the price we set is only 100 gold coins. Most leaders here are influential characters that would think nothing of this price. Only those insignificant shrimps would actually create a scene for this bit of money, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Brother Assist answered.

The other leaders barely reacted to this cry of solidarity from the shrimp, causing Brother Assist to smile in relief. The shrimp was filled with resentment and was about to go into a full-on tirade when someone suddenly stood up and banged the table.

Just as the shrimp was feeling gratified that his words had finally affected someone in the crowd, the man pointed straight at him and cursed, “F*ck! You’re noisy. Who are you, anyway? If you’re unwilling to pay the fee, then get the f*ck out!”

“Boss Innocent, please don’t say it like that. You see, I’m just trying to…” The shrimp was just some unknown player, while the man who had stood up was a leader that everyone knew and recognized. The man was someone that even the shrimp knew about. Unfortunately for the shrimp, the man, as well as the other influential leaders, turned a deaf ear to his words, with some even glaring hatefully at him.

It was just as what Brother Assist had said earlier… Would there be a way for anyone to live peacefully in Yunduan City if they offended all these leaders? Seeing that the crowd was against him, the shrimp immediately shut his mouth and hurriedly slinked out of the bar.

Out of all those men who had refused to pay the fee upfront, two left immediately, while the rest finally forked out the 100 gold coins and stayed.

Although this was but a small episode, it helped reduce the amount of work for Brother Assist from here on out. Any players that came afterward and showed reluctance to pay the 100 gold coins upfront received a stern glare from all the leaders present, allowing Brother Assist to swiftly collect the money from them.

Of course, there were still the regular patrons who were hanging out inside the bar. Having wised up to the fact that they had just spent money just to catch a glimpse of this mysterious Mage while these tavern patrons could do so for free, the leaders of different groups turned their glares toward these curious onlookers, as well.

These onlookers more or less understood the reason behind the piercing stares after watching everything unfold for so long, so most of them began to leave the premise. There were ten among these tavern patrons who had grown curious over this matter and had the money for the fee, so they expressed their intention to stay and paid Brother Assist 100 gold coins. This unexpected windfall made War Without Wounds, who was hiding in a corner, very happy that he could not stop his mouth from forming a wide grin.

Why was he hiding in a corner? It was because he felt so embarrassed by his attire that he could not bring himself to stand in front of the crowd and be seen.

After everything had settled, the entire Ray’s Bar had ended up becoming the stage for this conference. Everyone noisily rearranged the seats once more, making it more spacious and comfortable for all.

No one else entered the bar after waiting for quite some time. Although it was still a while before the appointed time, all were already impatiently asking Brother Assist to start things early.

“Some people have yet to arrive.” Brother Assist smiled, “We will begin at the exact appointed time, so everyone please indulge in a drink or two. It’s on me.”

All the leaders did not say much after. Having spent 100 gold coins just to sit here, they were not exactly thrilled at the prospect of getting a few free drinks since since the amount they had just paid would surely cover the expenses of a few mere drinks.

It was at this moment when the bar doors were pushed open from the outside and a fully geared Warrior quietly stepped in. Everyone seated recognized this person as Black Index Finger, the group leader of the largest mercenary group in Yunduan City.

Black Index Finger did not say much. Casually looking for a spot to sit on once he entered, he placed a coin pouch on the table and allowed Brother Assist to pick it up whenever he liked.

All started to whisper among themselves. Another person came right after, and it was someone whose name was recently gaining popularity in Yunduan City: Silver Moon. He brought his two fellow mates along with him and warmly greeted Brother Assist and the others, “To think we would meet so soon.”

“You, too…” Brother Assist was quite surprised. Silver Moon and Gu Fei were already acquainted, so there was no need for him to be here!

Silver Moon did not say another word and just handed over the fee, getting himself a seat.

Four ladies of Amethyst Rebirth entered the bar together, too. They were July, Luo Luo, Svelte Dancer, and Lie Lie.

This group’s appearance here made Brother Assist feel surreal. They were already familiar with Gu Fei, so what were they doing here?

They casually paid up the 100 gold coins as Svelte Dancer glanced at Brother Assist, “Let’s see what you guys are up to this time!”

A Mage, Fighter, and Thief entered the bar next. Before Brother Assist could say anything, Royal God Call already leaped to his feet and addressed the newcomer, “What are you doing here?!”

“Insta-killing Mage! Naturally, I wish to get to know this person,” the Mage smilingly replied.

“Who are you?” Brother Assist came forward and asked.

“Drifting,” the person answered as he lifted a coin pouch to pay.

The whole bar immediately burst into activity. Unlike Svelte Dancer’s showy appearance to Yunduan City due to her membership to Amethyst Rebirth, few people knew that the Mage Drifting had come to the same city, as well.

Al the leaders’ blood immediately boiled. This sort of talent was also someone that they had prioritized as potential recruit!

Some players looked at Drifting for a bit before they glanced at Svelte Dancer, wondering if there would be any sparks between the two players who were part of the Five Unyielding Experts. Sadly, the two did not even deign to exchange words with each other.

Instead, it was the quarrelsome Royal God Call who pointed to Brother Assist Drifting’s coin pouch as he shouted, “Take it! Quickly take it!” Inside, Royal God Call was rejoicing, Let him spend 100 gold coins, only to discover that the person is someone he already knows! Ha ha ha! This is gonna be great!

Once Drifting handed the coins over and took a seat, a beautiful lady entered the bar. Looking around, she muttered, “I should have done this sooner.” As she took out her coin pouch, someone from the crowd of leaders stood up and pointed at her.

The lady awakened from her dream with shock, “Oh, yeah… This sort of public method will never work for me.” The lady then hurriedly made her escape, leaving Brother Assist, who was about to extend his hand to take her coins, at a total loss.

In no time at all, the bar door was pushed open once more and the guild leader of Yunduan City’s largest guild, Oathless Sword, came in. Behind him were his two long-time partners, Youthful Reflection and Gale Force.

“Hmph! So many people!” Oathless Sword had the air of a leader of a large guild. Walking in majestically and picking a seat, he tossed a coin pouch over to Brother Assist and asked, “Shall we begin?”

Brother Assist caught it and nodded his head, “Please wait a moment.” With that, he sent Gu Fei a message, “Come over to Ray’s Bar for a bit!”

“Oh? How coincidental. I am actually on my way there!” Gu Fei said.