Chapter 104 – The Tavern

Chapter 104 – The Tavern

Cheng Yang approached the trial manager, who immediately recognized him as the lord of the village. The man bowed respectfully, “Honorable Lord, I am Pi Fan, the manager of this trial hall. How may I assist you?”

“Greetings, Mr. Pi Fan,” Cheng Yang replied. “If I’m not mistaken, I can be directly teleported to trial dungeons through you, correct?”

“Your wisdom shines through, Lord. That is indeed the case,” Pi Fan confirmed.

Cheng Yang nodded, then pointed towards a shimmering curtain of light. “In that case, what is that portal-like light screen over there?”

Pi Fan glanced at it with a smile. “Lord, this is what makes Phoenix Village so special. It’s rare for a level 3 village to already possess an inter-dimensional portal. The trial hall not only manages trial dungeons but also oversees all inter-dimensional portals within the territory.”

Cheng Yang understood that these “inter-dimensional portals” referred to dungeon entrances. However, the fact that they were managed by the trial hall was new information. *If Pi Fan is surprised by a level 3 village having one portal, imagine his reaction if he knew we had one at level 1,* Cheng Yang thought, though he kept this to himself.

“So, Mr. Pi Fan, does this mean my villagers can directly enter the Blood Church dungeon through this portal? Is that light screen the entrance to the Blood Church?” Cheng Yang asked.

Pi Fan nodded, then shook his head. “You’re partially correct, Lord. While they can enter the Blood Church through this portal, it’s not exclusive to that dungeon. This portal serves as the gateway to all inter-dimensional spaces within your territory.”

Cheng Yang’s eyes lit up with understanding. “So if other inter-dimensional portals appear in my territory, I can access them through this one?”

“Exactly,” Pi Fan confirmed. “Moreover, you can manage access permissions here, allowing or restricting entry as you see fit. By default, all territory combatants are permitted entry to all portals.”

After clarifying the management system, Cheng Yang thanked Pi Fan and approached the shimmering portal. Following Pi Fan’s instructions, he accessed the portal’s management interface, which displayed an option: Blood Church Dungeon.

From this data, Cheng Yang gleaned several insights. The portal level determined daily entry limits, while the dungeon level reflected monster strength. The Blood Church being a beginner dungeon meant its easiest monsters were only at the first-tier initial stage.

The portal’s upgrade progress was only at 11%, with no shortcuts available – only through accumulated completions could it progress. Cheng Yang decided against restricting access, as the hard difficulty was already beyond most combatants’ capabilities, and his village’s military structure prevented unauthorized entries.

After bidding farewell to Pi Fan, who unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to attempt the trial dungeon, Cheng Yang headed to the tavern. While not a drinker, he hoped to gather information there.

The tavern was surprisingly quiet, contrasting sharply with his memories of bustling activity in his previous life. A waiter approached as he entered, “Welcome, Lord!”

“A beer, please,” Cheng Yang ordered, taking a seat. While not particularly fond of alcohol, he knew ordering something was necessary to stay.

After paying 5 spirit energy points – the minimum charge – a virtual panel appeared above his table, resembling pre-apocalypse gaming forums in style and layout.

The panel displayed four sections: Regional Chat, Heroes’ Arena, Treasure Pavilion, and World Rankings. In his previous life, Cheng Yang had only accessed two: Regional Chat and Treasure Pavilion. The Heroes’ Arena was exclusive to lords and major guild leaders, while the World Rankings remained a mystery to him until his death.

The Treasure Pavilion functioned as an auction house, allowing combatants to trade items. In his past life, Cheng Yang had witnessed its efficiency – sellers could list items’ attributes, and upon successful bids, simply hand the item to tavern staff for delivery, with spirit energy automatically transferred to their accounts.

However, this convenience came at a steep price: a 10% commission with a minimum fee of 1000 spirit energy points. This made it impractical for anything but rare treasures.

Regional Chat served as a true forum, divided into hierarchical sections. With his current expenditure, Cheng Yang could only access the Xiang City region, which was currently quiet due to limited development in the area.

Higher tiers – provincial, national, and global – required greater spending. Message delays increased with each level: 3 hours for regional, 8 for provincial, a day for national, and three days for global.

While both the Treasure Pavilion and Regional Chat held little novelty for Cheng Yang, the Heroes’ Arena intrigued him. In his previous life, he had never accessed this section, which was revered by most combatants as a hallowed space for lords.

With anticipation, Cheng Yang opened the Heroes’ Arena section, only to find it empty. The visitor counter displayed a solitary “1” – he was the first and only person to access it. *This time,* Cheng Yang realized, *I’m not looking up to anyone. I am the world’s first lord.*

PS: Seeking recommendations and collections. Thanks to Passing Dance for the evaluation votes…