Illegal Immigrant was a subordinate of Guo Huai's. He currently did work for World Bloc and was tasked with all sorts of odd jobs, such as travelling around to different auction houses to purchase equipment, materials, and various other goods; delivering and accepting parcels; and so on. He was one of Guo Huai's friends, and so was acquainted with Nie Yan.
Generally, important matters like these would only be entrusted to close confidantes.
"Nie Yan asked me to deliver some equipment to you three. He hopes that you all respect his wish to keep this matter an utmost secret," Illegal Immigrant said.
Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe looked at each other with puzzled expressions. What was so important that they needed to keep it a secret?
Seeing Illegal Immigrant's earnest appearance, Fei Zhe and the other two nodded. "Alright, we swear we won't reveal this to anyone."
Xu Yan eyed Illegal Immigrant suspiciously. He was sure he had seen Illegal Immigrant somewhere before, but he couldn't put his finger on where.
"Alright, I'll start handing over the equipment to you guys. I'll need you to sign this stub, so I'll have something to show when I go back," Illegal Immigrant said.
Illegal Immigrant wants to trade. Do you accept?
With a heart full of suspicion, Xu Yan hit yes.
A trade window popped open in front of Xu Yan. Illegal Immigrant started placing the equipment inside.
「This is the full Level 90 Goldflow Set which can be worn at Level 80. It's composed of gauntlets, chestplate, leg guards, greaves, greatsword, cape, and shoulder guards. Please confirm everything is here,」Illegal Immigrant said in the trade chat.
Seeing the equipment appearing in the trade window, each piece crafted beautifully and sparkling with a golden radiance, Xu Yan's eyeballs nearly popped out of his head.
"Am I dreaming...?" Xu Yan muttered in a daze. His heart raced as he checked the equipment. Damn, what amazing properties! Gauntlets with over 800 defense! My god! Of all things, a 7-piece Dark Gold-grade set. Just where did this come from?
"This, this, this is unbelievable!" Xu Yan couldn't help but wonder about Nie Yan's identity inside Conviction.
In the entire Viridian Empire, the number of people wealthy enough to give out such equipment this freely could be counted on the fingers of one hand! A certain player popped into Xu Yan's mind. Wait, don't tell me-no way... C-could it really be him? I have to confirm with Undying Scoundrel later!
Seeing the blank look on Xu Yan's face, Xia Tianyu and Fei Zhe grew even more bewildered.
Fei Zhe nudged Xu Yan. "Hey, you alright? Say something!"
The two were curious and wondered what sort of equipment Illegal Immigrant gave Xu Yan.
"Yeah, tell us. What did you get?" Xia Tianyu anxiously urged.
"Stop asking so many questions. You'll see soon enough, and I bet you'll be in for the shock of your lives," Xu Yan chuckled foolishly, regaining his wits. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would be wearing such amazing equipment one day. He felt like meat pies were raining down from the sky.
Xia Tianyu and Fei Zhe were both stunned.
"Please confirm everything is here, then sign this stub for me," Illegal Immigrant said.
"Alright, thank you." Xu Yan signed off on the stub.
"Good! Now, onto the next person." Illegal Immigrant faintly smiled. He then turned to Fei Zhe and sent over a trade request.「Demon Hunter equipment is a bit more difficult to find. The equipment our contacts sent over from the Satreen Empire isn't the highest quality, but it should be more than enough for your needs. This is the full Level 85 Dark Gold-grade Dusk Walker Set which can be equipped at Level 80...」
Fei Zhe was a Demon Hunter who originally belonged in the Satreen Empire. After becoming friends with Xu Yan and Xia Tianyu, he pooled together the several hundred gold required to teleport over to the Viridian Empire and joined them in doing quests and levelling here.
Seeing the equipment Illegal Immigrant was placing inside the trade window, Fei Zhe's reaction was pretty much the same as Xu Yan's.
Even with his limited knowledge, Fei Zhe understood that gear of this quality generally wouldn't appear in the marketplace. Only large, powerful guilds had the resources and manpower to complete such equipment sets. After which they would be set aside for guild members to use. Listing them up for sale in the auction house was unthinkable. The only times this occurred was when a guild was in dire straits.
It would take an ordinary player forever just to complete this kind of Dark Gold-grade set.
"You're really giving this to us?" Fei Zhe asked in disbelief.
"No, it's a loan. However, you don't have to worry. You can simply return it to me when you're high enough level to find better equipment," Illegal Immigrant replied.
"I see." Fei Zhe nodded. Even if it was just a loan, he was still grateful. Needless to say, this kind of Dark Gold-grade set would completely change his life.
After Fei Zhe was Xia Tianyu, who received the Level 90 Dark Gold-grade Arcane Seeker Set.
"Since my job here is done, I should get going and report back to the boss," Illegal Immigrant said.
"Thank you. Thank you very much!" Xu Yan, Fei Zhe, and Xia Tianyu were quite moved.
"No need to thank me. I'm just the errand-boy." Illegal Immigrant chuckled. After bidding them farewell, he departed.
The three watched Illegal Immigrant's figure disappear into the crowd. Withdrawing their gazes, they stared at each other, shock vivid in their eyes.
"Wow, Xu Yan, who do you think Nie Yan is?" Fei Zhe asked, finding it difficult to calm his emotions.
"My best bet is that he's actually Nirvana Flame, but I'm not 100% sure. I'll have to ask Undying Scoundrel to confirm. Anyway, make sure you don't tell anyone about what happened here today," Xu Yan said.
"Of course. We promised the same thing to Illegal Immigrant too. I'm just surprised how much tolerance Nie Yan has. I can't count how many times Fu Guangtao has tried getting under our skin. If I were in Nie Yan's shoes, I would've long since taught that cocky bastard a lesson!" Xia Tianyu sighed in amazement.
"Probably because once you reach Nie Yan's level, you can't be bothered to pay attention to nobodies like Fu Guangtao, Zhao Shiyu, and their lot," Fei Zhe said after thinking for a moment.
"Well, all that aside. We still have to thank Nie Yan. This equipment he gave us today will change everything!" Xia Tianyu said.
The three couldn't calm their excitement for a long time.
Xu Yan put on the Goldflow Set. The gorgeous golden armour sparkled with a dazzling radiance. He looked like a celestial guard, exuding a domineering pressure. The armour resembled a bodysuit. It was impenetrable, with the joint areas protected by mysterious runic seals.
"Damn, this is amazing." Xu Yan felt power coursing through his body as if nothing in the world could stop him.
Fei Zhe and Xia Tianyu also switched into their new equipment. Fei Zhe sported a large crossbow and azure leather armour. Compared to his previous shabby equipment, the difference was stark, like heaven and earth.
"Wow..." Fei Zhe sighed in amazement. He traced his fingers over the azure runes on his gloves.
Xia Tianyu's dusk-gray robes exuded a mysterious aura.
As soon as the three donned on their new equipment, the surrounding players immediately took notice and broke out into discussion.
Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe held their heads up high and puffed out their chests. We definitely can't disgrace our new equipment!
At this moment, a Level 70 female Thief approached them. She had a slim and curvaceous figure and swayed her perky butt hypnotically with every step, invoking a carnal desire in the hearts of men. She was fairly beautiful, with bright eyes and a charming appearance.
"Hey, you three. You're such big, strong guys. Do you mind bringing me along? You wouldn't let a weak little girl like me go out all on my own, would you?" the female Thief asked in a coquettish voice, making full use of her charm.
"Sorry, miss. We're busy with a quest. Maybe next time," Xia Tianyu directly refused. Now wasn't the time to be picking up girls. Levelling took precedence. This was their opportunity to soar and become dragons amongst men. Missing it would lead to a lifetime of regret. They had to seize the moment!
The three basked in the envious gazes of the crowd as they departed.
"Let's go level! Five days! I swear, that's all the time we'll need to surpass Fu Guangtao, Bai Jun, and them!" Xu Yan clenched his fist. An hour ago, he definitely wouldn't have dared to make such a bold claim. It was Nie Yan that gave him this confidence.
Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe were just as skilled and put in even more effort into raising their levels. However, Fu Guangtao and the others had the gear advantage, as well as a wealthy backer providing them the best resources available on the market. So try as they might, they simply couldn't close the gap. And with nowhere to vent their frustrations, their determination faltered and outlook turned bleak. But things were different now. They had equipment that was even better than that of Fu Guangtao and the others. If they still couldn't catch up in level, they might as well ram their heads into a wall.
"Who knows, we might not even need five days! With this equipment, we'll level at least 10 times faster than before! I really want to see the look on the faces of Fu Guangtao, Bai Jun, and Zhao Shiyu, the next time we meet!" Xian Tianyu said in high spirits. Even if he fought with Fu Guangtao now, he had a good chance of victory.
"Let's get Nie Yan's opinion first before we challenge Fu Guangtao and them," Fei Zhe said, worried they might incur Nie Yan's displeasure.
"I think Nie Yan will be fine with it. Since he can't be bothered to deal with Fu Guangtao and them, we'll do it for him. However, we definitely can't disappoint him!" Xua Yan said. He had long since wanted to teach Fu Guangtao, Bai Jun, and them a lesson.
With these hopes in their hearts, the three set off to do some levelling.
...
Back in the Ancient World, Nie Yan received word from Guo Huai that the equipment had been delivered to his three friends.
With this matter settled, Nie Yan had one less thing to worry about. He believed Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe were seedlings worth nurturing. The equipment would definitely be of help to them. But whether or not they could join the ranks of first rate players would depend on their own efforts.