A flash of light appeared, and Chen Tian's figure vanished instantly from before Xie Tianyi and Xie Mie. Xie Tianyi and Xie Mie glared at each other in anger. Xie Tianyi berated, "It's all your fault! Otherwise, how could this guy have escaped!"
"Hmph! Blame me? If you hadn't argued with me from the start and let me attack, would this guy have gotten away?"
"Do you think I'm afraid of you? Don't think that just because you call me 'Big Brother' I'll acknowledge you. This guy was clearly my prey!"
"Bullshit! This guy has destroyed two of my clones consecutively. Who do you think you are? This guy is mine."
"Xie Mie, fine, very good. We'll settle this properly next time!"
"Do you think I would lose to you? If I hadn't been born a few minutes later than you, would I call you Big Brother? Don't you realize that in my eyes, Xie Mie, you are nothing!"
Xie Tianyi and Xie Mie started to argue, even appearing ready to fight. The duck that was within reach had flown away, and who wouldn't be angry? They could have dealt with the opponent, but it was all because of the other that Chen Tian managed to escape.
Chen Tian's figure appeared in the world on the first level. Chen Tian looked around in a daze. The situation above? Had he narrowly escaped death?
What was that beam of light just now?
Then, a faint glow appeared in Chen Tian's hand. Chen Tian looked at it. It was the fragment from before, but it had lost its luster, appearing like rusted scrap metal. The light gradually dissipated.
Chen Tian looked at the fragment in his hand. Did the fragment save him?
A "ding!" sound appeared in Chen Tian's ear, and a panel appeared before his eyes.
Chen Tian opened the panel. It was a quest interface, an SSS-level quest.
Quest: Repair and collect all fragmented weapon pieces. Quest Reward: Unknown! Repair Materials: Thirty strands of gold thread, sixty strands of silver thread, Starlight, Celestial Meteorite, Heart of the Firmament.
Chen Tian looked at the quest panel. An SSS-level quest with an unknown reward. Chen Tian clicked "Yes." Unknown rewards made things more challenging.
Then, Chen Tian looked at his inventory. He had obtained gold and silver thread from fighting bosses before, but only one strand of each. It seemed he needed to start fighting bosses and collecting materials. kuAiδugg
Then, his figure disappeared from the first level. He appeared in the second level, the Winter Dominion. The pigeon had already completed its mission and returned, so Chen Tian could continue to the water region to complete his quest.
On the journey to the water city, walking on roads of ice in all directions, Chen Tian looked at the scenery before him. It was exceptionally beautiful. The view was quite lovely.
"Kid, hand over what you have!"
A voice appeared in Chen Tian's ear. Instantly, five or six players surrounded Chen Tian. All of them were level forty-one players. Chen Tian's expression turned cold.
Chen Tian looked at the surrounding players. They had the demeanor of bandits. Chen Tian said calmly, "Are there thief classes in the game now? Unbelievable!"
Chen Tian scratched his head. The game "Era of Time" pretty much included all classes, including thief classes, making it possible for people who played rogues and the like to participate.
Chen Tian looked at the players before him. Their names were all adorned with the word "Bandit," clearly indicating they were members of a guild, and a small one at that.
"Kid, hand over all the materials you have, and we'll spare your life!"
"Boss, why waste words with him? Just chop him down with one blow. A level thirty newbie, it'll be a piece of cake."
"Haha!"
"Kid, what do you say? Have you made a choice? Your life or your backpack!"
Facing the harassment from the surrounding petty thief players, Chen Tian didn't reply. He didn't even want to bother with them. They were only level forty players; it wasn't like he couldn't defeat them. However, he was about to reach the water city, and Shui Li had messaged him, asking him not to cause a huge commotion when he went to see him. Chen Tian didn't want to act.
"What are you doing?"
A seemingly small child appeared before Chen Tian. Chen Tian was stunned. An NPC. It was an NPC.
The NPC boy's name was Xue Yuanlong. He looked like a normal child, about fifteen or sixteen years old. This child now stood in front of Chen Tian, looking at the bandit players and saying, "What are you doing? You're not allowed to bully Big Brother!"
"And fighting is forbidden here. Leave quickly!"
Xue Yuanlong said with a stern expression. The bandit players looked at the NPC before them and were stunned. An NPC dared to block their way? He was courting death!
"Little fellow, do you think you can protect him? Don't be ridiculous!"
"Yeah! You don't have any combat ability at all!"
Facing the words of the surrounding bandit players, Xue Yuanlong hesitated. "I will protect Big Brother."
Chen Tian looked at the NPC before him. No, it could be said that he was no longer an NPC but a person, a real person.
Even though he was just an NPC, his consciousness and will were no different from that of a player.
"Big Brother, don't be afraid. I will protect you!"
The little boy turned his head and looked at Chen Tian, saying with confidence.
"Courting death! Brothers, attack! Take him down!"
"Yes, boss!"
Three or four petty thieves charged towards Xue Yuanlong. Xue Yuanlong became flustered. He then grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and threw it, but it had no effect on the attackers.
A terrifying blade light flashed. The little boy instantly closed his eyes, but the outcome he expected did not materialize. A figure appeared in front of the little boy, grabbing the attacker's long saber with one hand.
Blue flames erupted in Chen Tian's hand, and the saber instantly shattered with a cracking sound. Chen Tian looked at the bandit players before him and said calmly, "Get lost. Don't let me see you again!"
"Or you will die!"
Chen Tian's entire body was enveloped in azure flames, and divine fire surged. At the same time, the bandit players were all terrified. This guy's aura was even more powerful than theirs!
This time, they had picked a fight with someone they shouldn't have. The leader of the petty thieves immediately panicked and shouted, "Retreat!"
As the bandit players retreated, Chen Tian approached the little boy. The little boy slowly released his hands, looking at himself still alive. He then looked at Chen Tian and meekly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know Big Brother was so strong. I just wanted to protect Big Brother!"
Chen Tian smiled and said, "It's alright. There's nothing wrong with protecting the weak. However, you need corresponding strength. Powerful strength is the most important thing. Your strength must match your abilities. It's not wrong that you want to protect Big Brother, but you don't have the strength. Be careful next time!"
"Then, Big Brother, can you help me increase my strength? I want revenge. I want to protect more people!"
Xue Yuanlong said with emotion. Then, a quest panel appeared before Chen Tian. Chen Tian was speechless. Another SSS-level quest. He truly had explosive luck.
Then, Chen Tian looked at the quest panel and became troubled. This quest was difficult to complete.
If the quest was to kill a boss or a storyline quest, it would be fine. But this quest was to help Xue Yuanlong gain immense power and complete his revenge. This was the first time Chen Tian had received such a quest. How could he help an NPC?
However, the quest reward was immense, and Chen Tian didn't want to give it up.
Then, Chen Tian suddenly thought of something and clicked "Yes." He then looked at Xue Yuanlong and said calmly, "Now you have two options to gain powerful strength and ability. The first is to follow me and constantly train and temper yourself, but this method is the slowest. The second is that you must sign a contract with me. The moment the contract is completed, you will gain power, but it will take time to master it. Choose!"
Xue Yuanlong listened to Chen Tian's words and showed a hesitant expression. The first option was more freedom, while the second option meant becoming his servant once the contract was signed, losing his freedom.
Scenes flashed through Xue Yuanlong's mind. He made a difficult decision and then said firmly, "I choose option two. I need strength, immense strength and power."
"Sigh!"
Chen Tian could see that the little boy before him was consumed by hatred, but he said nothing. He then slowly swiped his hand, and an interface appeared. Chen Tian truly didn't want to use this profession unless it was absolutely necessary.
He then swiped and tapped on the interface, and a mechanical paper appeared before the little boy. A black mechanical pen appeared before Xue Yuanlong. Chen Tian said calmly, "Sign your name. From now on, you will gain power, but this power will take time to fully master!"
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Xue Yuanlong immediately signed his name. Instantly, the mechanical paper turned into a silver glow and flew towards Xue Yuanlong's chest.
Before Xue Yuanlong could react, the light had disappeared. Xue Yuanlong knelt down and said, "Greetings, Master!"
"It's alright, get up! You don't need to do this in the future. In my eyes, you are also a person. There's no need."
"You've seen the contents of the contract you just signed. The Mechanical Heart only grants you an immortal body. Your entire strength and abilities need me to perfect them. This requires materials, but these materials are also easy to find, so don't worry."
Chen Tian said helplessly. A living person had now become like this. Chen Tian truly did not want to use the Technician profession. He hoped he would never have to use it.
Technician is a hidden profession. It allows players to modify any living creature. The moment a contract is signed, the subject is no longer a living being but a machine. Technicians can collect materials and assemble any machine onto them.
For Chen Tian, NPCs were not just NPCs. Whether it was Xue Yuanlong or Qing Ling, he had long regarded them as people. Now, turning someone into an emotionless machine was truly unbearable. Fortunately, Chen Tian had modified the contract's contents.
"Also, just call me Chen Tian. You don't need to call me Master. Let's go! Let's go see Shui Li and ask him if there are any materials he can collect."
Chen Tian swiped his hands, and a spatial gate appeared, composed of mechanical gears. Xue Yuanlong then entered.
Then, the mechanical gear gate closed, and an imprint instantly appeared in Chen Tian's left eyeball before disappearing.
A Technician can only modify two contracted mechanical beings in their lifetime, but this modification has no upper limit. As long as there are enough rare materials, the stronger the mechanical being created.
Also, a Technician's attributes must be all zero, meaning they have no combat ability or skills whatsoever. However, Chen Tian has mastered all professions, so this is meaningless to him. He can switch professions at any time. What is there to fear?
Then, he headed towards Shui Yue City. There are teleportation devices between cities. Chen Tian arrived at the city where Shui Li was located. He was currently in the center of the city.
In Shui Yue City, Chen Tian looked at the city. All cities had the same style. Then, Chen Tian opened his friend panel, found Shui Li's friend, and sent him a message.
At the same time, his entire body transformed into the appearance of an adult elf. In this elven city, it was better not to appear in human form when meeting Shui Li.
Then, Chen Tian closed the panel and headed towards the City Lord's Mansion in the center of the city. Shui Li was there. As a Monarch-level boss, Shui Li managed the lords of eight nearby cities, and all the elves within these eight cities would obey Shui Li's command.
Chen Tian headed towards the City Lord's Mansion, unaware of what he was about to face and what consequences he would cause.
To the extent that the Winter Dominion on the second level was almost destroyed.