Chapter 311: Daily Life on Candle Island, Part 2

“Yo, Brother Tie Chu, you’re here?”

A player, having just finished a dungeon, was about to get an Enhancement for his gear when he spotted a familiar figure and called out a greeting.

“Yeah.”

Brother Tie Chu smiled and nodded in response, then took out his fully enhanced Candlefire Longsword and sat down at the Milestone Spirit Candle.

Seeing this, the passing player couldn’t help but offer a kind reminder, “Brother Tie Chu, it’s faster to farm the Snake Nest in Gael’s Depression now. But it’s best to grab an Old Eight Fire before you go.”

Just like Wo Wo, Tie Chu was like an NPC. He logged on at a set time and killed monsters at a set location every day. You rarely saw him running new dungeons or teaming up with others.

Hearing the player’s reminder, Tie Chu thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“Thanks for the tip, brother, but I prefer grinding over here,” he said with a smile.

Hearing this, the passing player shrugged and didn’t say anything more. ‘Maybe Brother Tie Chu just doesn’t like the Old Eight Fire.’

A lot of players disliked the Old Eight Fire, so that wasn’t particularly strange.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly realized something.

‘Brother Tie Chu spends all day killing monsters and farming Wax Oil like this. How strong is he now?’

Thinking of this, the passing player turned his head, ready to ask him.

But the spot next to the Milestone Spirit Candle was now empty. Brother Tie Chu had clearly already left to complete his “daily tasks”…

Seeing this, the player scratched his head, gave up on the idea, and turned to leave.

…

Of course, new players in Spirit Candle didn’t just have to fight and explore. There were plenty of more casual ways to play, like fishing and planting.

When it came to fishing, as a game with an “Ocean” Element, Spirit Candle attracted some players for that very reason.

The fishermen were a fairly peaceful bunch, randomly popping up wherever there was water and fish. The most representative player among them was, naturally, Brother Yu.

Of course, the reason he was seen as their representative was simply because he was more well-known among the Spirit Candle Players, not because he caught a lot of fish…

Luo Ge didn’t think the growing community of fishermen would affect the overall exploration efforts.

First, this type of player was only a small fraction of the total population, as Spirit Candle did screen its players.

Second, the fishermen weren’t just one-trick ponies. Many of them were players who came to relax after getting tired of exploring and fighting.

Besides, fishermen could not only fill out various creature encyclopedias, but they could also occasionally reel in a good item or two.

Their “fishing rods” also wore out over time, and bait had to be obtained by killing monsters or through purchase. This even led some fishermen to start competing with each other…

All in all, the fishing community played a pretty significant role.

Recently, however, the fishermen had run into some trouble…

“Hey, I’m telling you, the Zi Wu Valley strat wasn’t completely impossible…”

“Nah, no way. Any sane Marshal would never have agreed to it…”

“…”

In the Jinghai Islands, three fishermen were sitting on the shore, chatting excitedly.

But just as their conversation was getting good, a commotion suddenly erupted from the sea ahead.

“WOOHOO~”

“The smell of gunpowder gets my blood pumping!”

“I look like my dog, my dog looks like me~”

A player stood at the prow of a Spirit Fire Raft, swinging a cape in his hand and excitedly wiggling his butt while shouting strange things.

“Holy crap, you’re mixing your MOBA references…”

“Goddammit, get down here and help, you dumb mutt!”

“Tuzi, have your Giant-tailed Sea Monster herd the fish to the side!”

“Where’s Worm? Found any shipwrecks or anything?”

“Haul in the net, haul it in!”

A group of players from a trawling crew bustled about noisily on the sea. Soon, they hoisted a massive, bulging Salvage Net full of fish from the water using their Spirit Fire Sail.

This made the three fishermen on the shore’s faces darken, and they stopped their discussion about history.

“Hey, you guys with the nets! Can’t you stay a little further away?! You scared all my fish off!”

“Yeah, have some public decency, will you?”

“…”

The fishermen were extremely annoyed. They’d been running into this trawling crew a lot lately.

In response, the trawling players had their own things to say.

“Hey, hey, hey, if you’re coming up empty, you should look for the reason yourselves, ‘kay? Don’t go blaming us; we’re not taking the fall for it.”

“Ah, all these fishermen are like that. They’ve really mastered Brother Yu’s techniques, hahaha…”

“Hey, what kind of talk is that? We’re all friends on the same Server. We should be more considerate…”

As the player spoke, he picked out two small fish from the Salvage Net, threw them into the sea with a PLOP, and then grinned slyly at the three fishermen.

“Left two for you guys. Good luck!”

“…” Seeing this, the three fishermen’s blood pressure shot through the roof.

“Hehehe, we’re outta here!” Seeing things were about to get ugly, the trawling players quickly greased their wheels and sped off, all of them wiggling their butts as they fled.

“Son of a bitch, today I’m gonna…” One of the fishermen, furious, was about to give chase.

But another fisherman next to him suddenly shouted, “Hey, hey, hey! Got a bite! Got a bite!”

Hearing this, the angry fisherman’s rage instantly vanished. In a single leap, he lifted his fishing rod.

“It’s pretty heavy. This one’s a big one!”

His eyes lit up and he pulled even harder.

SPLASH! The water’s surface bulged, and he heaved up a heavy Coral Block.

“Fuck!”

Appearing along with it was a Frogman player, laughing heartily on the surface of the water.

Seeing the fisherman’s anger, he immediately dove headfirst into the sea…

…

DING-DONG.

The Storyteller was writing the script for a new video when he heard a notification from his phone. He glanced at it in confusion, then stopped typing, put on his helmet, and entered Spirit Candle.

After a brief exchange in a private chat channel, he arrived at the Milestone Spirit Candle and found his friend who was currently minding the shop in the Shadow Cave.

“Ryan?” After hearing what his friend said, the Storyteller’s eyes lit up. “Okay, I’ll be right there. Wait for me.”

With that, he headed to the Shadow Cave and saw Ryan waiting for him.

“Hello, my friend Ryan! It’s been a long time.”

“Where have you been making your fortune lately?”

The Storyteller greeted him enthusiastically.

“Uh… what does ‘making a fortune’ mean?”

Ryan also smiled and nodded, but he didn’t quite understand the term the Storyteller used and looked a little lost.

“Ahem, it’s nothing, just a greeting.” The Storyteller cleared his throat, not wanting to waste time explaining. He then immediately asked about the Giant Monster.

Ryan had no intention of hiding anything; this was the very reason he had come.

“…I successfully killed the Giant Monster in the tunnel. I have to thank Brother Miao for giving me the Applicable Curse Formula. It was very useful.”

He hoped the Storyteller could convey his thanks to Li Miao.

Then, Ryan got to the main point, though his mood seemed to have soured.

“After I killed the Giant Monster, one of the Sheep Horn Relic’s functions was activated. It helped me open the door at the end of the passage, and I was able to enter.”

“Inside, I saw the remains of many dead Warriors. They should be… my kinsmen…”

As Ryan slowly recounted his story, the Storyteller gradually came to understand his experience.

After receiving the Applicable Curse Formula from Li Miao, Ryan didn’t immediately challenge the Giant Monster. Instead, he continued exploring via the Campfires to increase his Power.

Only after accumulating enough Power did he go to challenge the Giant Monster. After a fierce battle, he successfully defeated it, activating one of the Sheep Horn Relic’s functions and entering the important room beyond the tunnel.

And in this room, Ryan saw the remains of numerous Warriors who looked just like him.

A Soul guarding the place told him that this was the Land of Remnants for their people, the “Yasumu.”

Although Ryan didn’t know the meaning of “Yasumu,” the guardian Soul told him he could choose the remains of a fallen Warrior to inherit their residual Power and memories.

If he were to die during his explorations, his remains would also be sealed here…