Chapter 98: Fated Encounters

Lu Kuan gave the group a brief overview of the key points for the quest, especially highlighting some hidden locations and the more intricate steps in the process. This guidance would help them progress a bit faster. After all, the higher a player's reputation ranking at the end of the quest, the richer the rewards—those in the top ranks would gain a significant amount of experience.

The tailor shop was crowded and noisy, hardly a conducive place for pondering storylines or quest details. Bored, Lu Kuan simply browsed his character panel, tidying up his inventory in the meantime.

Just then, two groups entered the shop one after another. Lu Kuan glanced up, raising his eyebrows in surprise—what were the odds?

"Old Lu? Haha, what a coincidence!"

The person leading the first group was Paradise Eternal Night. Upon seeing Lu Kuan sitting on a wooden bench against the wall, his previously somber face broke into a grin as he strode over.

Lu Kuan smiled back in greeting. Just a few steps away, Moonlit Meteor was chatting animatedly with a young man, acting as if he hadn’t noticed Lu Kuan at all.

The young man had his arm around a rather attractive young woman, whose clothing was purely decorative, with no combat attributes—quite revealing, in fact, drawing the gaze of every passing player.

Lu Kuan’s eyes flickered with confusion as he looked at the young player’s face.

Liu Xueliang! How did he end up with Moonlit Meteor? And they seemed quite familiar with each other…

If it were someone else, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but both Moonlit Meteor and Liu Xueliang were no ordinary people—one was a sub-leader of the Glory Guild, and the other had a father ranked among the top five tycoons in Donghai City. Seeing the two together inevitably sparked speculation.

Lu Kuan unconsciously rubbed his chin, casting a few more glances their way. Paradise Eternal Night, noticing, chuckled, “Didn’t check the almanac before heading out today—fancy running into this guy here. I remember Moonlit Meteor suffered quite a few losses at your hands, right?”

“Heh, not too many,” Lu Kuan replied modestly, then nodded toward Liu Xueliang. “Who’s that? Moonlit Meteor seems to value him quite a bit.”

Though he couldn’t hear their conversation, Moonlit Meteor’s expressions, body language, and deliberate smiles all indicated that Liu Xueliang was someone special.

Paradise Eternal Night gave Lu Kuan a surprised look, lowered his voice, and said, “He’s likely connected to one of Glory Guild’s investors—probably the son of someone on the board.”

Lu Kuan’s thoughts raced. So it was true—Liu Genghong’s company had already extended its reach into the virtual gaming industry.

It seemed more and more people were recognizing the enormous potential of virtual games and wanted a slice of the pie.

Lu Kuan’s expression remained unchanged as he chatted with Paradise Eternal Night. He soon learned that Paradise Eternal Night had just completed the first phase of the backpack quest and was here to report to Mitchell.

“Perfect. I’m at the same step as you. Let’s go together,” Lu Kuan said after checking the system time with a smile.

Together, Lu Kuan and Paradise Eternal Night headed for the stairs, falling in just behind Moonlit Meteor’s group.

As they chatted, Lu Kuan sensed a hostile gaze flickering his way. When he looked up, he caught Liu Xueliang quickly turning away.

Lu Kuan didn’t mind, following the crowd up the stairs and then standing with Paradise Eternal Night on the periphery, watching as Moonlit Meteor spoke with Mitchell.

“Is everyone here for the backpack quest? It’s really popular now?” Lu Kuan commented, noticing Liu Xueliang handing over a pile of materials to Mitchell—among them, the Shadow Grass he himself had put up at auction. He smiled and remarked to Paradise Eternal Night.

“Hah, you might not know—over the past couple of days, several villages have been discovered in the Black Forest. They make for great supply points and have made the quest much easier than before,” Paradise Eternal Night explained. “Plus, someone suddenly put Shadow Grass up for auction, which lowered the difficulty of the second phase… That player must’ve made a fortune.”

Lu Kuan chuckled. He’d chosen to sell the Shadow Grass anonymously, not wanting to draw attention, and hadn’t expected to influence the pace of the backpack quest in doing so.

Several people with Moonlit Meteor and Liu Xueliang looked rather familiar. They kept glancing at Lu Kuan with arrogant, brazen eyes—openly rude.

Paradise Eternal Night glanced curiously at Lu Kuan, but seeing he wasn’t inclined to explain, said nothing.

“Ha, I did it!” Liu Xueliang, after fiddling for a while, suddenly laughed aloud in triumph. “Now I just need to fetch a tool, and I’ll be done.”

“Congrats, congrats!”

“Brother Liu, you’re the first among our classmates to reach the second phase, aren’t you?”

“We don’t care about those two extra inventory slots—it’s all about bragging rights, right? Haha—”

The group was abuzz with excitement, and Liu Xueliang’s delight was obvious. But when he turned and caught that faint, elusive smile on Lu Kuan’s face, his good mood vanished as if doused with cold water.

In the past, Liu Xueliang would have taunted Lu Kuan or even picked a fight in the wild, but now, whenever he saw Lu Kuan, he felt a strange unease—no confidence at all.

Seeing Lu Kuan was like spotting a venomous snake lying in wait—silent most of the time, but poised to strike at the critical moment, leaving pain that cut to the bone.

With that thought, even the attractive girl at his side seemed less pleasing to Liu Xueliang. That spot should have belonged to the stunning Wu Xiaoxiao!

Once the others finished their business, Lu Kuan and Paradise Eternal Night stepped up to Mitchell. Paradise Eternal Night handed in his quest first, then waited at the side for Lu Kuan.

“Now that the quest’s gotten easier, even the riffraff can complete it,” someone who recognized Lu Kuan sneered as he approached. “But by the second phase, the paupers will show their true colors—they probably can’t even afford the materials.”

The others laughed deliberately. Only Paradise Eternal Night looked at them like idiots—were these fools really mocking Old Lu? Were they out of their minds?

Moonlit Meteor, unaware of the conflict between Liu Xueliang and Lu Kuan, also found the scene puzzling. Lu Kuan himself felt a strange sense of awkwardness, as if being jeered at by a bunch of kids—hardly worth the trouble of getting angry.

“Your backpack is ready,” Mitchell announced, unbothered by the players’ chatter as he handed the stitched backpack to Lu Kuan. “You brought excellent materials—take a look, there might be a surprise.”

A spark of anticipation lit up in Lu Kuan’s heart. Did he get lucky and score extra slots this time?