Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Bai E had sensed someone approaching, but he hadn't expected that person to be coming straight for him.

He had been at the tavern for a while now, dressed in the practical clothes of the military camp due to a lack of spare attire.

Not particularly lavish or expensive, but they certainly bore an air of Order, clashing noticeably with the atmosphere here.

The moment he walked in, he could distinctly feel the ambience of the place quiet down, and it took several conscious seconds before the vitality resumed.

No one paid him any direct attention, yet it seemed he was being watched from every corner.

Bai E, aware that he had attracted notice, refrained from making any overt gestures that might be misunderstood and quietly made his way to the bar to order a glass of water, sitting alone.

Being undisturbed was quite fine with him, after all, he was just there to listen to people boast—

"Hey, do you guys know? Yesterday a bunch of idiots came from the south, and Old Yi Deng and his group made a good sum of money off them!"

"Those garbage collectors are always up to no good, they'll offend someone important sooner or later!"

…

"Did you hear all that 'clang clang clang' down below this afternoon?"

"Who would go down to the sewers that have been abandoned for so many years except for those mischievous kids?"

…

"I heard there's going to be another war in a few days, the military is drafting all over the place."

"Anyway, don't we have those artificial humans? Why bother drafting us as soldiers?"

…

"Has there been some movement in the Black Forest recently? The other day when I went to collect firewood, I smelled a strong scent of blood… It scared me so much I ran straight back."

…

"The day before yesterday, Ge Langtai found a broken mining machine in the territory of those metalheads and made a lot of money selling it!"

…

In the time he had sat there, he had captured quite a bit of information from the buzzing voices—

[Obtained Power Information (Unidentified): Garbage Collectors.]

[Obtained Knowledge Information (Unidentified): Post-natal care for sows.]

[Obtained Current Affairs Information (Unidentified): War.]

[Obtained Current Affairs Information (Unidentified): War Spoils.]

[Obtained Rumors Information (Unidentified): Wandering Orcs.]

[Obtained Resource Information (Unidentified): Iron Ore Vein.]

…

As for whether the information was useful or accurate, that was unknown.

The truly secretive content wouldn't be tossed around by these drunkards; for them, it's probably all common knowledge.

And it was precisely this common knowledge that Bai E lacked.

And at this moment… someone coming over to chat broke into Bai E's solitary leisure time.

A woman?

He didn't turn around, but simply stirred the liquid in the iron cup in front of him, "Do we know each other?"

Gong Yan leaned forward with a chuckle, trying to catch a glimpse of Bai E's face.

The dim, flickering lights cast shadows, and underneath the light, the visible chin hinted at a steadfast and resolute contour.

The specific features were unclear, but they seemed quite pleasing; at least the face was crafted to fit human aesthetics.

Must be a player…

Gong Yan's lips quirked slightly, her eyes squinting into slits resembling crescents, "Sorry, my mistake, I thought you were someone else."

Unabashedly, she seated herself on a high stool next to him, "Aren't you going to buy me a drink?"

"I have no money…"

Bai E's expression remained unchanged as he refused; even the money for the glass of plain water in his hand was borrowed from Song Ying… after all, artificial humans like him didn't receive military pay.

"I have money…"

Gong Yan tilted her head, still focusing intently on Bai E's profile as if trying to melt this block of wood with her gaze, "Let me buy you a drink."

"No need… Aren't you waiting for someone?"

"Waiting for someone, huh…" Gong Yan's tone wavered, she tilted her head up to think for a moment, then let her hair fall loosely as she leaned close to Bai E's ear and said in a low voice, "But I think you might be more interesting than him~"

"…"

Using such a tactic?

Bai E realized that this woman might be targeting him and couldn't help feeling resigned as he turned his head, looking at her for the first time…

"…"

Gong Yan's concentration shattered instantly, and she stared with wide eyes, her mouth slightly agape in surprise, "Sir... Sir?"

Thanks to his self-restraint, Bai E maintained his composure without a hint of surprise, simply placing his index finger in front of his lips with a calm demeanor, "Shush~"

Gong Yan quickly lowered her voice, "What are... what are you doing here?"

"...Investigating."

After about two seconds, Bai E finally came up with a plausible excuse.

"Investigating?" Gong Yan's eyes lit up, "Investigating what?"

It sounded mysterious and fun.

Bai E shook his head, his tone somber, "Your skills are still too immature, don't ask."

"Aww~"

Her eyes rolling, Gong Yan wasn't content to stay silent, "By the way, sir, about the task you assigned us, it seems like we're having some difficulty?"

"In what respect?"

"None of us have experience with underground construction, so I was wondering if you could find an experienced expert to guide us a bit, otherwise this underground warehouse..."

Her thoughts scattered, never rigidly hoping to rely solely on her own strength to accomplish everything.

If there's a problem, bring it up; keeping it to yourself will only harm you.

The ideas proposed by Dai Lian, they were but child's play for her.

"Expert?"

Bai E considered briefly, weighing the pros and cons of deployment.

After a moment, he shook his head, "Can't spare anyone right now, everyone's got their own tasks to attend to."

A single lie necessitates a hundred more to cover it up; he couldn't very well admit that the organization he used to intimidate them was something he had whimsically concocted on the fly, now could he?

"I see..." Gong Yan's eyes darted around, lively.

However, the profound bass voice, carrying an indescribable sense of duty, broke through first.

"We always start from nothing, beginning from the trivial. Not every difficulty comes with past experiences to learn from; we're on a path no one has ever walked, and you should learn to do things you've never done before."

"..."

Gong Yan was momentarily taken aback.

Her mood, previously light and cheerful, shifted slightly.

Life in this world wasn't easy, as she could see.

And what greatness then would such NPCs, burdened with heavy missions, hold in their own world?

Teasing them now seemed a bit disrespectful...

"Yes... I understand."

The atmosphere turned silent for a moment, and the tavern's noise once again pressed in.

Suddenly, someone shouted outside the door, drawing the attention of many idle drinkers to go see—

"Fire! Fire!"

Bai E's body moved, following the departure from the bar.

He loved a good spectacle.

In the dimly lit street, tiny flames blazed like stars, streaking through the air, with a burly man of a stature hard for ordinary people to match, leading the way in a clumsy escape.

"What are they doing?"

"And what's chasing them… what is that?"

The more chaotic the spectacle, the better; some thrill-seekers even climbed to the roofs on either side of the street, idly making up theories.

Bai E squinted his eyes, and it took him a moment to make it out, "It's rats..."

Rats on fire, chasing after the few figures with a mad ferocity.

Quite a lively scene...

"Ah!"

Screams emanated from various parts of the street.

The calamity spread, the crazed rats attacking anyone they saw, and the spectators quickly becoming part of the spectacle themselves.

"It's them..." whispered Gong Yan, standing beside Bai E, a comment he heard.

"You know them?"

"Know them..."

Bai E looked at the residents being attacked by the flame-covered rats, struggling and howling in agony throughout the street, and couldn't help but shake his head.

"We'll talk about it later... first, save people."