26: Chapter 26 Baron

Jiang He quickly familiarized himself with the functions of the Battle Pet Space.

It turned out to be a dedicated resting space for battle pets; not only could they cultivate there, but they could also quickly recover their stamina.

Just after putting Ah Li inside, his friend list started flashing.

[Game ID]: Hahaha, brother, guess who I saw?

[Game ID]: ?

[Game ID]: That idiot Zhang Zixuan got sent back to the Novice Village by someone! He's in the wilderness hacking at monsters and cursing up a storm right now! Hahaha!

Jiang He understood instantly.

Right?

Zhang Zixuan had just reached Level 20 when he was killed; he's probably dropped to Level 19 now, hasn't he?

His team of thirty lackeys... weren't they all sent back to the Novice Village by me in one go?

[Game ID]: Cough... it might... have been my doing.

[Game ID]: Holy crap! How did he end up in Chang'an City too? Badass! That's so damn satisfying, brother!

[Game ID]: Don't celebrate yet. How much further do you, Xiao Yao, and Xiao Xue have to go?

[Game ID]: Almost there, almost there. Half a day at most. Going to grind monsters now.

Closing the chat box, Jiang He turned around, intending to return to the city to hand in his quest.

Suddenly, a mess of footsteps surged toward him.

"Over here! It must be that guy named Game ID who snatched the loot."

"Exactly. The gear dropped by a Level 40 BOSS must be coughed up."

Jiang He's heart sank; he had still been cornered.

Judging by the sound, there were definitely a lot of people.

Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, a dense crowd of players emerged from the woods, surrounding him completely.

"Hand over the BOSS gear," someone shouted directly.

Being surrounded by hundreds of people, a head-on confrontation would be suicide.

Just as Jiang He was getting nervous, the crowd suddenly parted to make a path.

Gu Qingming walked in calmly with his people.

"Everyone, calm down." Gu Qingming's voice wasn't loud, yet it suppressed the clamor. "The BOSS didn't die at all."

"What?" The crowd went into an uproar.

Someone cried out anxiously, "Impossible! Ronin is dead! Only Game ID is alive; the gear must be on him!"

Gu Qingming smiled. "Who heard a system announcement?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, making the frenzied crowd freeze.

Right?

A first kill always comes with a region-wide announcement.

There hadn't been any sound at all along the way.

Jiang He reacted extremely quickly and immediately cried foul, "Yeah! The BOSS escaped with low health! I couldn't catch up!"

Everyone looked at each other, each with their own thoughts.

The BOSS ran away? It was possible.

But there were always those who were unwilling to let it go.

"So what if there was no announcement? Kill him! The gear he's wearing will drop just the same!"

Jiang He was speechless.

Since when was killing and looting so self-righteous?

Right then, the people behind Gu Qingming stepped forward silently, shielding Jiang He in the center.

Gu Qingming's gaze instantly turned cold as he scanned the field. "Gentlemen, we all operate in Chang'an City. Have you thought through the consequences of tearing off the mask and committing murder and robbery today?"

Many were intimidated by his icy gaze and the imposing stance of his team.

Some began to quietly back away.

But there were still dozens of greedy desperadoes who refused to retreat.

Suddenly, someone screamed, "Shit! That kid is gone!"

Everyone snapped their eyes toward Jiang He's previous position; there was no sign of him.

Just a moment ago, while the crowd was distracted by the chaos, Jiang He had decisively activated his Invisibility Technique and slipped out of the encirclement soundlessly.

Gu Qingming looked at the empty ground, momentarily stunned, then a playful smile quirked at the corner of his mouth. "Heh... interesting."

Beep beep...

A friend request notification sounded.

[Player Game ID has requested to add you as a friend. Accept?]

Gu Qingming casually clicked accept.

[Game ID]: Thanks, Young Master Gu! I have urgent business, so I'm leaving first! I'll remember this favor!

Gu Qingming closed the panel and waved his hand to lead his people away, as if nothing had happened.

The Great Hall of Chang'an Imperial City was solemn and majestic.

[Legendary Quest: Retrieve the scepter of the nation completed]

Empress Li Changge, possessing a natural aura of authority, waved her jade-like hand.

A shimmering treasure chest appeared out of thin air in front of Jiang He.

"Warrior, this is your well-deserved reward."

Jiang He suppressed his excitement and opened the chest.

A golden light burst forth!

[Obtained Gold Coins: 50,000]

[Obtained Rare Gems: Red, Yellow, Purple * 5 each]

[Obtained Thunder Fury Staff (Purple Epic Grade)]

[Empress Li Changge's Favorability +30]

A bountiful harvest.

Jiang He didn't leave immediately; he had the gall to speak up, "Your Majesty... there's something I'd like to ask a small favor for."

The Empress's phoenix eyes lifted slightly. "Oh? What is it?"

"Well..." Jiang He was a bit embarrassed. "An identity document for entering the city? The queue outside is too slow. Could you..." He really didn't want to be left standing outside the city while waiting for his teammates.

Hearing this, the Empress laughed heartily. "I wondered what it was! It's just an identity document!" Her tone shifted. "But how could such a common item be worthy of your merit?"

The Empress took an object from her wide sleeve and handed it over.

"Retrieving the scepter of the nation is a service to the state. I bestow upon you a title, to enjoy the respect of the people!"

[Obtained Baron Token]

An invisible force surged into his body!

The ID above Jiang He's head changed instantly.

ID: Game ID (Baron of Chang'an City)

Almost simultaneously, a grand system announcement echoed throughout the Chang'an City region:

[Congratulations to player Game ID for becoming the first player to obtain an identity in Chang'an City. Reward: 1,000 Contribution Points]

[Chang'an City Level Rankings are now officially open]

[Chang'an City Exclusive Dungeons are now open]

...

A series of feature opening notifications lit up the expectations of countless players.

However, the moment the announcement sounded, the area outside Chang'an City exploded.

"Why? I've been doing the quest process for three days, so why him?"

"Shit! There must be some shady business! That Game ID guy, who saw him doing quests?" Even more people were indignant.

"Damn developers, he definitely went through the back door."

"Report him, we must report him."

Gu Qingming, who had just arrived at the quest hand-in point, happened to see this scene and heard the announcement.

A flash of realization and even deeper interest crossed his deep eyes.

This Game ID... is truly not simple!

This favor might not be so easy to repay.

Having obtained the status of a Baron, Jiang He felt his steps were much lighter.

He wandered around the city casually.

Players had already begun to enter the city after obtaining their identities through the normal process.

The players in the city looked at him with strange expressions.

Some players even spat at him as they passed by: "Pah, shameless, using the back door."

However, in the next second...

A squad of patrolling guards rushed over and surrounded that player.

"Impudent! How dare you be disrespectful to the Lord Baron? Men, throw him out of the city and permanently revoke his entry qualifications."

When the player was dragged away, he was still in a state of daze.

He had worked hard for two days grinding quest materials to exchange for a main city identity document.

Just because he spat at a player? It was revoked?

"Damn it, I don't accept this! Game ID, you're fucking cheating! I don't accept this!"

Not until the player's voice disappeared inside the city gate did the leading general ride his horse up to Jiang He, cupping his fists and bowing with an incredibly respectful tone:

"Lord Baron, I am Zhang San, in charge of patrols in this sector. From now on, if anyone else in Chang'an City is blind enough to offend you, I will surely punish them severely."

Jiang He looked at the back of the player being dragged away, then at the respectful general in front of him; his mouth couldn't help but twitch twice. "Good... good... thank you for your trouble."

He was ecstatic in his heart.

The privileges of even the lowest Baron rank were actually this terrifying?

After wandering enough, he figured the time was about right.

Jiang He walked to the safe zone at the city gate to wait.

White lights flashed one after another.

Three familiar figures appeared.

However, Jiang He's smile froze in the next instant.

The fourth figure that appeared right behind Game ID and the others made his pupils shrink suddenly.

Zhang Zixuan had actually returned so quickly?