Chapter 1 A Beauty's Allure

Seeing Nie Yan ignore Mo Tao and Mo An, Mo Yan sidled up to him, her voice sweet, "Brother Nie Yan..."

Nie Yan glanced at Mo Yan. Seeing his expression, she shrank back timidly, noticing the disdain in his eyes. Mo Yan was considered a beauty, above average in looks, except for being a little short. However, in front of Nie Yan, she lacked confidence. Kuangzei Nie Yan (Mad Rogue Nie Yan), just uttering his name was enough to make countless beauties throw themselves at him. It would be strange if Nie Yan took notice of her. Yet, Mo Tao and Mo An kept winking at her from the side.

Seeing this scene, Nie Yan instantly understood the scheme of Mo Tao, Mo An, and Mo Yan, and sneered inwardly. Someone like Mo Yan wouldn't pique his interest even if she stripped naked and stood before him.

A beauty walked over from beside Zhai Hao. Standing next to Nie Yan, Mo Yan immediately paled in comparison. Her slender figure, translucent skin, and delicate features made Mo Yan feel utterly inadequate. Mo Yan glared at the newcomer with envy.

Nie Yan found the person familiar. Looking at her name, he remembered it was Jiang Yingyu. He didn't expect to see her with Zhai Hao and the others.

"Kuangzei Nie Yan (Mad Rogue Nie Yan), I didn't expect it to be you." Jiang Yingyu had just received the news that Nie Yan was Kuangzei Nie Yan (Mad Rogue Nie Yan). While surprised, it also felt inevitable. Someone like Nie Yan was destined to stand at the peak, looking down on them.

Nie Yan smiled politely, "The world is full of coincidences."

Although Nie Yan's expression was unreadable, Jiang Yingyu sensed a distance in his polite tone. Nie Yan gave off an unapproachable feeling. Sensitive, she immediately thought of Xie Yao and felt a wave of disappointment. She didn't think she was much worse than Xie Yao, but some things were predetermined. She wasn't as lucky as Xie Yao.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere between them, Zhai Hao quickly intervened, "Nie Yan, I'm really sorry for taking up so much of your time. Didn't you say you were going to the auction house?"

Zhai Hao winked at Nie Yan, and Nie Yan immediately understood. He laughed heartily, "I have a lot of things to do. I'll take my leave. Let Shaobing and the others take you to the Dark Swamps. Zhai Hao, Li Rui, let's get Xu Chen together sometime. If you consider me a brother, don't be so polite with me. If you are, I'll get angry."

Nie Yan had only met Liu Xuchen a few times but still remembered him. Li Rui was touched, "Definitely, I'll get him over in a few days." Just based on Nie Yan's words, Nie Yan was his brother from now on!

Zhai Hao patted Nie Yan on the shoulder emotionally, "Brother."

In fact, Nie Yan's feelings were more intense than Zhai Hao and Li Rui's. Zhai Hao and Li Rui were his good brothers for so many years. He didn't want them to become estranged.

Seeing Nie Yan so sincere with Zhai Hao and Li Rui, Mo An and Mo Tao were green with envy.

"Damn it, Zhai Hao and Li Rui are so lucky," Mo An cursed jealously in his heart.

Shaobing and the others, seeing how close Nie Yan was with Zhai Hao and Li Rui, were envious and took Nie Yan's instructions even more seriously. They couldn't neglect Zhai Hao and Li Rui.

"I'm leaving first," Nie Yan said goodbye to Zhai Hao, Li Rui, and the others, put on his black cloak, and walked away.

Watching Nie Yan's figure fade into the distance, Shaobing turned to Zhai Hao and said, "Boss told us, if you need any help in the future, just ask." Shaobing then gave instructions to the others, "Heizi, go to the Starry Sky Pharmacy and tell Bird-Doesn't-Lay-Eggs to get some antidote potions. We'll prepare to set off immediately."

Everyone immediately busied themselves, preparing various items. Shaobing had boasted to Nie Yan that they would clear the Dark Swamps thirty times a day; he couldn't go back on his word.

Seeing Shaobing and the others busy, Mo Tao and Mo An approached Zhai Hao.

"Zhai Hao, how did you meet Kuangzei Nie Yan (Mad Rogue Nie Yan)?" Mo An asked with an awkward smile.

Zhai Hao was about to explain when Li Rui interrupted coldly, "Do we need to report to you how we know Kuangzei Nie Yan (Mad Rogue Nie Yan)?" He wasn't someone with a good temper. Thinking about the faces Mo Tao and Mo An had shown earlier, he was filled with anger.

Zhai Hao quickly stopped Li Rui. There was no need to make things difficult. When they didn't need something from people like Mo An and Mo Tao, it was best to keep a distance. If they fell out, these petty people might stab them in the back at any time.

After being rebuffed by Li Rui, Mo An, although gnashing his teeth in anger, still smiled sheepishly, "It's nothing, it was just a misunderstanding. I apologize to Li Rui. It was my fault."

Mo An and Mo Tao understood that with Kuangzei Nie Yan (Mad Rogue Nie Yan) as a backer, Zhai Hao and Li Rui would be in clover. If they could establish a good relationship with Zhai Hao and Li Rui, they would be set for life. In Calore, Nie Yan's word was law. He controlled the entire city. A single word from Nie Yan could elevate them or make it impossible for them to survive in Calore.

Zhai Hao saw through Mo Tao, Mo An, and Mo Yan's true nature and cursed inwardly. These three snobbish people. Earlier, when Zhai Hao was preparing to go to the Dark Swamps and invited Mo Tao, Mo An, and Mo Yan, they were demanding and had a terrible attitude. If he hadn't been unable to find suitable people in his circle, Zhai Hao wouldn't have asked the three siblings. If he had followed Mo Tao's suggestion and brought in the Dark Ranger guild, he didn't know how much money he would have lost.

These three were simply kicking him when he was down. Fortunately, Nie Yan appeared in time to save him.

Zhai Hao said meaningfully, "We agreed earlier that all the magic equipment would go to you, plus a commission of ten gold coins..."

Hearing Zhai Hao's words, Mo An immediately understood his meaning. Zhai Hao wanted to renege on what he had said earlier. However, he also understood that with Shaobing and the others present, clearing the Dark Swamps would be easy. They would immediately become extras. It was impossible to get all the magic equipment and a ten-gold-coin commission. He said with a flattering smile, "Forget about all that. We were just joking, just saying it casually. If we really clear the Dark Swamps, we definitely won't take that much."

Li Rui snorted coldly, "Acting wise after the event!"

Li Rui's voice wasn't loud or soft, just enough for everyone to hear. Mo An pretended not to hear it, his expression unchanged, but he was cursing in his heart. What's so great about finding a backer! He also wanted to find a backer, but what annoyed him was that Nie Yan was already the biggest backer in Calore. If they wanted to continue living in Calore, Nie Yan was someone they really couldn't afford to offend, so they had to swallow their anger.

If Li Rui had said something like that before Nie Yan appeared, Mo Tao, Mo An, and Mo Yan would have already lost their temper. They wouldn't be as polite as they were now.

After Shaobing finished all the preparations, he said to Zhai Hao and Li Rui, "I'll take you to the Dark Swamps today. Another day, I'll take you to get a Level 65 set."

"Thank you..."

Zhai Hao was about to say something when Shaobing interrupted him, "Brother Zhai Hao, don't be so polite."

"Brother Shaobing, thank you for your trouble," Mo An interjected from the side.

Shaobing's face turned cold, and he glanced at Mo An, but didn't say anything, continuing to talk to Zhai Hao and Li Rui, leaving Mo An feeling snubbed.

After a while, Shaobing, Zhai Hao, and the others set off.

Nie Yan passed through the central plaza and arrived at the pet store, a sprawling building. After walking in from the entrance, he saw rows of kennels, filled with various pets. These pets varied in price, with the lowest costing only ten gold coins, and the highest costing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of gold coins, which ordinary players couldn't afford.

Nie Yan continued walking inside the hall. Several NPCs wearing Beast Trainer outfits appeared before him.

Nie Yan walked towards one of the pet appraisers.

"Respected Mr. Nie Yan, what do you need?" The middle-aged NPC Beast Trainer Collinson asked.

"Mr. Collinson, please help me appraise what this pet egg is," Nie Yan said, taking out the black giant egg from his backpack.

Seeing the black giant egg in Nie Yan's hand, the Beast Trainer Collinson's eyes lit up with surprise, "This is a high-level pet. Respected Mr. Nie Yan, are you sure you want to appraise this pet egg? Appraising this pet egg costs 2,000 gold coins, and if you want to hatch it, it will cost 20,000 gold coins."

Hearing the Beast Trainer Collinson's words, Nie Yan was startled. Appraising it cost 2,000 gold coins, and hatching it cost 20,000 gold coins! That was enough to buy a very good pet!

However, with such a high appraisal fee, Nie Yan was even more certain that this black giant egg was definitely not simple. He wondered if it was as high-ranking as the Dark Winged Dragon.

Nie Yan thought of the Dark Winged Dragon in his backpack. Since he could hatch this black giant egg here, could he also hatch the Dark Winged Dragon here?

He took out the Dark Winged Dragon egg. Putting the two giant eggs together created a contrast. Nie Yan found that the Dark Winged Dragon egg was significantly purer in color than the other black giant egg, and the Dark Winged Dragon egg radiated surging energy, which the black giant egg couldn't match. The rank of this black giant egg should be lower than the Dark Winged Dragon.

"Excuse me, how many gold coins does it cost to hatch this Dark Winged Dragon?" Nie Yan asked.