Chapter 331 New Version: Serving Fire (2)

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: “Nice. You just pulled an all-nighter gaming, but you know how to spin it.”

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: “Hey, I got some sleep, didn’t I? (Shrugs)”

My hamster’s name is Guagua: “By the way, why did Candle Island suddenly change in this update? The hall in the CG obviously isn’t from any of the dungeons. (Confused)”

The exploration team had, of course, already shared what happened in the Golden Sand Islands with the other players.

However, with Guagua’s simple little mind, it was clearly difficult for them to process such complex information.

Storyteller: “It’s probably related to the ‘Broken Core,’ an important item for the dynamic plot. The Spirit Candle devs have been setting this up for a long time, so they must have had this planned all along.”

Storyteller: “The scene where the Candle Spirit appeared was probably showcasing a new class and a new beginner tutorial… And this ‘Serving Fire’ thing… These are probably the two most important things in the new version.”

Storyteller: “But we’ll have to get in the game to know the specifics. I’ll check if the Candlekeeper has any related dialogue options then.”

Storyteller: “I’ll analyze the CG again… but it’s pretty fucking useless now. We can play in less than an hour, so I can’t even milk a video out of it.”

My hamster’s name is Guagua: “Oh, oh, I see now, I get it… (Smart-aleck emoji)”

Gray Sky: “No, you don’t.”

My hamster’s name is Guagua: “(Smiling emoji)”

Never Air Force Fisherman: “I give up. There are over ten update notes and a whole CG video, but not a single one is related to fishing. These devs are just cruel.”

Brother Yu’s complaint didn’t seem to attract much attention. The other players just laughed and moved on.

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: “What the hell are this ‘Fire Worship Ceremony’ and ‘Power of Fire’ anyway…”

I do Bull’s Push-ups: “If you ask me, it must be a new mechanic (Thinking emoji).”

Time to Eat Mushrooms: “Like what?”

I do Bull’s Push-ups: “Like Qi Transformation into a Horse.”

Crafty Frog: “Nice, hahaha.”

Time to Eat Mushrooms: “With the level cap increase in this update, we should be able to beat that Tasolomo guy, right? I wonder if he drops any rare loot.”

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: “Holy shit, you’re right. I almost forgot about that asshole boss. The second I log on, I’m getting my revenge!”

Sitting and Not Forgetting the Dao: “There’s a new bloodline, too. I wonder how strong it is. Hopefully, it’s not as useless as the Frogman Candle Spirit.”

Crafty Frog: “? What the fuck? Are you targeting me? How is the Frogman Candle Spirit useless? Watch your mouth!”

Sitting and Not Forgetting the Dao: “No, I’m not targeting you. There’s still Li Qun, right?”

Venerable Lique: “???”

Venerable Lique: “You’re getting cocky, kid. Come to Sea Zone One and duel me. I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

Black Mountain Little Demon: “Aiya, Forgotten Dao, how could you say that? It’s true the Frogman Candle Spirit isn’t very strong, but they’re also bad at fighting on land!”

Crafty Frog: “…So sad. I’m leaving the group chat…”

Black Mountain Little Demon: “The Spirit Candle Shop is updated. Does that mean we can finally top-up now?”

Bron Really Not Deaf: “I can’t even be bothered to roast you anymore. Big boss, toss me 50 to see how rich you are…”

[“Black Mountain Little Demon” has sent a red packet.]

[“Black Mountain Little Demon” has sent a red packet.]

[…]

Li Miao’s pupils contracted. With quick reflexes, he tapped on all ten red packets one by one.

DING!

[You have claimed “Black Mountain Little Demon’s” red packet. +86]

[You have claimed…]

From the ten red packets, Li Miao collected a few hundred yuan.

Seeing this, the other Prison Players jumped in, completely changing the direction of the chat.

The air was thick with the stench of money.

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: “Boss, you’re awesome! 666!”

I do Bull’s Push-ups: “So generous! May all your wishes come true, boss!”

My hamster’s name is Guagua: “Holy crap! I snatched over eight hundred! Little Demon Lord, please accept this humble girl’s worship!”

Bron Really Not Deaf: “…Please, humiliate me like this again!”

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: “Aaaahhh! Why are all my red packets single digits?! (Sobbing uncontrollably)”

Black Mountain Little Demon: “? Then I’ll give you another chance.”

[Black Mountain Little Demon…]

After another chaotic scramble, On Shore finally managed to grab a double-digit red packet, moving him to tears.

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: “Little Demon Lord, I’m your long-lost brother from another mother!”

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: “Get out of the way! My godfather is an only child; he doesn’t have a dumbass brother like you! Godfather, please accept this son’s bow!”

Storyteller: “Damn, no wonder Little Demon never wears the same gear twice.”

Black Mountain Little Demon: “Ahem, no need for such formalities. In the future, if you get any good gear or items that don’t suit you, just think of me first. I’ll make it worth your while, fellow bosses. (God of Wealth emoji)”

“…”

The conversation had strayed again. While the Spirit Candle update announcement revealed a lot of information, they would still have to enter the game to find out the specifics.

After eating and drinking his fill, Brother Mangzi finally opened the group chat again.

Battle Bliss: “Huh, not many people here?”

Storyteller: “…Brother Mangzi, I advise you not to scroll up. (Shakes head and sighs)”

「A moment later.」 After scrolling through the chat history, Brother Mangzi let out a heart-wrenching roar of grief and fury.

“Aaaahhhh!!!”

…

「The players waited, every second feeling like a year.」

Finally, the eagerly awaited moment arrived. In what felt like an instant, countless players swarmed in.

But soon, many of the slower players were stunned to see a notification.

[The number of players currently entering the game is too high. Please wait a moment…]

[In queue…]

Meanwhile, Luo Ge had also noticed the situation, which left him a little speechless.

Although the ability contained within the Spirit Candle was incredibly powerful, many of its functions needed to be configured and expanded by him, just like the feature that brought in the players’ consciousnesses.

The number of players in the past hadn’t been small, but they didn’t all rush in at once, so the Spirit Candle’s old settings could still hold up.

But now that players were flooding in at the same time, problems naturally arose, and a queue was needed.

‘Not a big deal, though.’

Luo Ge quickly resolved it, and players began popping in one after another.

“Wuhu! Hahaha, I’m fucking here!”

“New version, new version!”

“Huh? Holy shit? Something’s not right. Where’s the hut? The Sin Furnace? The cave? The Fishman Coach?”

Finding themselves on an island beneath Candle Island and seeing how empty it was compared to before, the players quickly realized something was wrong.

Li Miao, however, immediately noticed that the light was off. He looked up and froze.

“Holy shit…”

“Guys, look at the sky!”

Hearing this, the other players all looked up. They were so startled that they practically jumped out of their skin. For a moment, shouts of “Holy shit” and “Holy fuck” filled the air.

Suspended above their heads was a massive island, surrounded by numerous smaller floating islands like stars orbiting a moon. The sight was absolutely breathtaking.

Li Miao snapped back to his senses and saw the notifications that had appeared in his info panel.

[Ignite the Warfire. After your Ignition Point reaches “Embers,” you may enter the Candlefire Hall through the Spirit Candle.]

[Players who have reached the level cap can now perform the “Fire Worship Ceremony” via the Spirit Candle to activate the “Power of Fire!”]

[The Spirit Candle Shop has been changed. Candle Spirits who have reached the “Embers” Ignition Point can now open the Spirit Candle Shop at a Spirit Candle to purchase items.]

[The new bloodline “Curse Master” is now available! Characters with this bloodline have a brand-new combat style. Feel free to try it out!]

[…]

The stream of notifications caused Li Miao’s brain to overload. After thinking for a good while, he made a decision.

‘First, I’ll go check out the [Candlefire Hall]!’

With that in mind, Li Miao quickly made his way through the noisy crowd of players to the Milestone Spirit Candle. He opened its interface and saw an option that read [Go to Candlefire Hall], marked with a small red dot.

Li Miao selected it without hesitation.

[You are about to travel to the Candlefire Hall. Please be prepared.]

‘Prepared? Prepared for wha—’

“Aaaahhhh—”

The question hadn’t even fully formed in his mind before Li Miao felt a terrifying sense of weightlessness as his body shot straight up into the sky at high speed.

His screams naturally drew the attention of many players.

“Holy shit, someone’s ascending!”

“Pass it on, someone’s been abducted by aliens!”

“Fine wine in a luminous cup… and the High Level players are the first ones up!”

“What the hell was that noise!”