Chapter 104 - ARRIVING AT BLACK LAKE

WHEN the feeling of being pulled in a vacuum was gone, Luo Yan opened his eyes.  In front of him was a large lake.  Its water was as dark as obsidian.  And no, it's not because the surrounding was dark.  The sun still hadn't completely set and yet the water on the lake was still as dark as the night sky.  Its surface was even glistening.  As if hundreds of diamonds were thrown into it.  

So this was Black Lake?

It was located in the middle of the forest, surrounded by colorful wildflowers.  There were black crystals protruding from the lake, adding some kind of magical atmosphere to the whole surroundings.

"Xiao Yan, do you know why the color of the water of Black Lake is like that?" Bai Ze asked, putting his arm on Luo Yan's shoulder.

Because that's the way the game developers designed it?  But of course, Luo Yan didn't say such a sarcastic respond.  "Why?"

"See those black crystals?  The bottom of the lake is filled with those.  The crystals secrete black liquids when they're in contact with water.  Then those black liquid merged with the lake water, making it black.  Thus the name 'Black Lake'."

"Wow, Brother Ze knows a lot!" Luo Yan said.  Although he wasn't really that interested, it was still a nice information to know.  

Bai Ze laughed.  "Of course I know a lot."

Su Yuqi looked at Bai Ze indifferently and she almost snorted.  What 'know a lot', if she's not mistaken, it was Shen Ji Yun who told him that.  She was too lazy to correct it, so she just looked elsewhere.

"Right, before I forgot.  You two, try not to call us by our real names and just call us by our game account name," Bai Ze added after a while, talking to his little cousins.  "Of course we'll do the same.  But what to do?  Xiao Jin's game name is so long," he said that last part with a bit of teasing.

Luo Jin glared at Bai Ze.  "Just call me Jin!"

Luo Yan knew that Bai Ze and Su Yuqi's game names were White Marsh and Morganite respectively.  But he still didn't know the game name of Shen Ji Yun's real game avatar.  So he turned to him.  "Brother Ji Yun, what is this avatar's name?"

"It's YUN."

Luo Yan's mouth pumped when he heard the name.  His alt account's name was SHEN, then his real account was named YUN, if we add those to his WeChat ID – [luckycloud] – one could immediately see that Shen Ji Yun was not really the type to waste time thinking of imaginative names.  After all, all of these usernames originated from his real name. 

When they arrived, there were already other players who arrived there before them.  All were staring at the five who just arrived.

"Hey, look at that guy with horns.  What race is that?" one asked his friend who came with him.   

"I seem to have seen him somewhere.  Ah!  That's right!  He's the captain of that team!" his friend said.

"That team?"

"Yunyue!  The first champions!"

"Yunyue?  You mean the fallen champions?  Then that guy-" the first one who asked looked back at the guy with golden antler shaped horns.  "Is the Qilin?"

The same kind of conversations were happening around them.

Three female players who belonged to team Sirens were all excitedly looking at team Yunyue.  Particularly at their captain.  Well, probably not all three.  The one with cat ears and tail was staring at the white-haired elf and the little black haired gnome standing beside him.

If Luo Yan saw her, then he would probably recognize her as that cat beastkin who stopped him and Luo Jin at Olkdale Town and asked for a screenshot of his game avatar.

"Jingyi, isn't that the player YUN?" asked a female elf to another female player beside her.  "We should take as many screenshots of him as possible!  The captain would definitely be happy if we show it to her.  After all, getting new photos of him nowadays is pretty rare."

The female player who was called Jingyi by the elf had long light blue hair and a pair of sea green eyes.  Her ears were like fins.  Below those, if one would just look closely, they would see gills-like openings.  Both her hands were webbed, a thin filament was connecting one finger to another.

She was staring intently at the captain of Yunyue.  This player, YUN, was the one admired most by her sister – the captain of Sirens.  Zhu Jingyi didn't expect that he would also attend this event.  After all, Yunyue had been pretty low-key these past years.  She also recognized the other two with him.  The lion beastkin, White Marsh – one of the strongest Berserkers in the game.  And the pink haired pixie, Morganite – a Priest that could not only support but also attack.

Zhu Jingyi knew that both were part of Yunyue.  So it's not a surprise to see them with YUN.  But who were the other two?  One was a gnome with hair and eye colors unusual for his race.  The other was a white-haired elf who was even more eye-catching.  Porcelain white skin, big blue eyes dusted with gold, and pinkish lips.  With a face that simply transcended gender, anyone could be captivated by him if he so wished.

"Xia Li, who is that elf?" she asked the cat-eared girl.

"His game name is Noctis, a Moon Elf.  It's one of the Special races added after the latest update," Xia Li answered.  "Oh, not only him.  But that gnome is probably also a Special race."

Zhu Jingyi frowned a bit.  If they got those avatars after the last update, then could they be… beginners?  If that's so, what were they doing with Yunyue?

Xia Li didn't have any complicated thoughts like Zhu Jingyi.  All she could currently think of was all the good materials she could collect during this event.  She would surely be able to draw a lot of good stuff after this.  She looked back again at Noctis, her eyes shining.  Lucky!

When all was still talking about Yunyue, there was a distortion in the air.  A sign that someone was about to teleport.  Then a tall figure slowly appeared in front of everyone.  It was a male player wearing a black suit and holding a cane in his hand.  His black hair was slicked back, his skin was deathly pale, and his eyes were blood red.

"Oh, did I make it in time?" Xu Ru asked with a seductive smile floating on his red lips.