CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: DRINKING AT A FLOWER FEAST WITHOUT PAYING? (SECOND UPDATE)

The Task was received by all Players, and Junlin and his team, who were Outside, were no exception.

At this time, the five of them had already entered the Brothel and were sitting in a cubicle screened by light gauze, the clamor from outside fully audible.

At first, the five of them were somewhat ill at ease.

The Young Ladies arranged by the Madam for them were exceptionally beautiful, and although they merely provided company over drinks, it was enough for them.

But when they saw the Task, the five of them were dumbfounded.

Make the name of the Profound Yellow Sect renowned? Five hundred Contribution Points. Isn’t the Reward for this Task a bit too high?

Junlin, however, was quite rational and understood immediately. "There’s no need to be surprised," he said. "After all, there’s a great demand for Contribution Points right now. Relying only on livelihood Tasks and construction Tasks certainly isn’t enough."

"So, the time limit for the Task has been extended, and the Rewards have been increased as well?"

"But wait, this time limit only states one month. If a Player were to make the Profound Yellow Sect’s name echo throughout Fengxiang Prefecture in just one day, wouldn’t all five hundred points be theirs?"

"So, does this mean the Task is only available to Players who join later?"

"The time limit, instead, tells us the importance of the Task; we must seize these five hundred Contribution Points!"

The five of them exchanged glances.

They hadn’t managed to gather any information in the Brothel.

It could even be said that there wasn’t much to find out about this particular establishment. The people who frequented this place were either merchants with some dealings or just travelers passing through; there wasn’t a single Jianghu Person among them.

So, triggering a Task here was proving too difficult.

Instead of wasting time, it was better to go out and directly build their reputation.

"With the appearance of this Task, Players will likely head out to find Jianghu forces, leaving Liang City relatively empty."

Under the Phoenix Tree pondered, "Liang City also falls under the jurisdiction of Fengxiang Prefecture. Making our name known here is just the same."

Hearing this, Junlin and the others nodded.

Indeed, this Task didn’t seem overly difficult. Whether it was a good reputation or a bad one, all that mattered was completing the Task. They only cared about the Rewards this time.

In that case...

"Shall we start with Liang City then?" Junlin raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "Liang City doesn’t have other Jianghu forces right now, but there’s still a Government Office. Making our name known through the Imperial Court’s side works just the same, doesn’t it?"

Suddenly, everyone was animated with excitement.

What’s the simplest way to gain renown? Actions!

Good deeds don’t go beyond the gate, while bad deeds spread a thousand miles!

After all, for Players, a good or bad reputation was all the same. If worse came to worst, they would deal with the major forces just like they had dealt with Black Tiger Hall. The Contribution Points in their possession were enough to allow them multiple Resurrections.

"How does the Suicide Squad strategy sound?" Junlin spoke with a smile. "We attack the Government Office, slaughter their leader, leave the name of the Profound Yellow Sect behind, and then commit suicide. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, a ripple of laughter went through them. To become famous, the fastest method was unexpected action.

"Why commit suicide?" Under the Phoenix Tree shook his head. "With our Power, the Constables of the Government Office can’t stop us. Then we can just go straight to other Cities and focus on attacking Imperial Court officials. After all, Jianghu is already in opposition to the Imperial Court, and we’re not losing anything."

That seemed to work as well.

The others also nodded. If they could fight, they would fight; if they couldn’t, they’d commit suicide. Anyway, they were just after the fame.

"Let’s do it! Let’s get going now!" Morgana picked up her Axe and started to head Outside.

Seeing this, the Madam of the Brothel quickly came forward to stop Morgana.

"My dear guest, you haven’t paid yet!" the Madam said with a smile. "The prices at our Happy Red Pavilion are not high. For the five of you, it’s just ten taels of silver."

Ten taels?! Morgana thought incredulously. We have to pay ten taels for doing nothing? That’s not right! We barely even drank; each of us only had a sip! This wine is too strong for us; just one cup was unbearably spicy.

"Ten taels?" Morgana said, her face darkening. "Why don’t you just rob us? We didn’t sleep with anyone and still have to pay? Who made that rule?"

The Madam’s expression changed. Seeing that all five of them were armed, she retreated a step, a little frightened.

Actually, ten taels of silver was indeed unnecessary. Considering they had barely drunk anything and hadn’t done anything else, one tael would have been more than enough. But someone had sent a message, insisting that these youngsters needed to run into trouble.

The Madam was in a difficult position. But thinking of the person who sent the message, she steeled herself and said, "Gentlemen, we have to be reasonable, don’t we? You have to pay when you enter a Brothel, right? Regardless of what you did, you have to leave some money behind, don’t you?"

"Hey, I’ve got quite a temper!" Morgana immediately rolled up her sleeves, ready for a fight.

Trying to extort us, huh? Do they really think we don’t know the going rates in a Brothel? Ten taels of silver for doing nothing?

"Forget it, no need!" Abbess, Don’t Love Me quickly held Morgana back and, at the same time, handed the Madam ten taels of silver. After all, silver wasn’t particularly important to them; if worst came to worst, they could just steal some more from the Sect when they returned. The silver and Gunpowder Bullets were stored together, and Abbess, Don’t Love Me could access them at any time.

Looking at the ten taels of silver in her hand, the Madam froze. What a bunch of suckers! They actually handed over ten taels just like that?

No, I can’t let them off so easily, she thought. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain things to the person who sent the message.

"Not enough! Ten taels isn’t enough!" the Madam insisted, forcing herself. "It has to be fifty taels! My girls kept you company with drinks!"

When the bystanders heard this, even those merely watching knew the Madam was deliberately making things difficult for these young people. After all, fifty taels was enough to live lavishly here for over a dozen days, with plenty of variety in their indulgences. For them to be charged fifty taels for merely stepping in and having a drink was clear bullying.

But the Madam was just a woman; would she dare to provoke outsiders so casually? Most likely, someone was backing her. In all of Liang City, only the Government Office possessed that kind of Power.

Since it was the Government Office making a move, the onlookers felt no need to defend Junlin and his team; it was better to feign ignorance about some things.

Junlin and the others also realized something was amiss and exchanged glances.

Morgana, her face dark, said, "You just said ten taels, and now you want fifty? We gave you the money. Are you going to ask for a hundred next?"

Her words made the Madam momentarily speechless. She inwardly hoped the person who sent the message would quickly come out and help.

And sure enough, right after Morgana finished speaking, a Middle-aged Scholar with a Goatee, followed by seven or eight Constables in Constable Uniforms, walked in.

At this sight, even the most naive person understood what was happening. It was too coincidental. It was clearly a trap, laid out for these young people to fall into.

"Who’s causing trouble here?" the Middle-aged Scholar stepped forward and asked. "Don’t you see where you are? You dare to cause trouble in Liang City? Are you Profound Yellow Sect Disciples tired of living?"

"Huh?" Under the Phoenix Tree raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. "How did you know we’re from the Profound Yellow Sect?"

Instantly, the Middle-aged Scholar’s complexion changed. I spoke too quickly just now; this is a bit troublesome, he thought.

"One can tell by your clothes that you’re from the Profound Yellow Sect!" the Middle-aged Scholar snorted coldly. "Daring to eat and drink in a Brothel without paying, do you have no regard for the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

"Arrest all five of them and lock them up! Notify the Xuanhuang Sect Leader to come to Liang City and explain!"

As soon as the Middle-aged Scholar finished speaking, the Constables behind him moved forward to arrest them.

Junlin’s lips twitched. Damn Game Designer, he cursed internally. Is this an intentional trap?