Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree

September 30, morning, Imperial Airport.

A young girl with delicate features, carrying numerous bags, entered the waiting hall.

She looked around eighteen or nineteen, had fair skin, a tall figure, and sported two strikingly long legs that caught the eye.

As she jogged along, looking flustered, she shouted over her shoulder:

"Su Su, hurry up! If we're any later, we might miss the flight!"

Following behind her was another young girl of a similar age.

The girl had a bob haircut, was on the short side, looked sweet and cute, with a little tuft of hair sticking up adorably on top.

Sleepy-eyed, she ran breathlessly, muttering in a playful voice:

"Han Han... slow down a bit. I don't have long legs like you, can't run that fast..."

Hearing Su Su's words, Zhou Menghan turned around, glaring fiercely at her friend:

"Who told you to play games so late last night? And if you did, why not sleep in the game? You knew we were leaving today! It's a good thing I came to the Imperial Capital to get you, or else were you planning on gaming all the way to tomorrow, skipping the meetup?"

Upon hearing this, Su Su yawned:

"Yawn... Isn't there a recent myth that says if you play games while sleeping, it's hard to draw an advanced class slot? So I just drank more coffee and tried to stay awake..."

Zhou Menghan said,

*That was such a good reason, she was left speechless.*

*Especially since she was one of the first to be lucky enough to draw an advanced class slot.*

"So, did you get it?"

Zhou Menghan asked again.

Su Su perked up, flashing a triumphant smile and making a peace sign:

"Yay!"

Zhou Menghan looked at her in surprise, raising an eyebrow:

"Not bad, not many drew it among the test stage four players."

"Hmph, hmph, well of course, who am I! I'm a devout Believer of the Goddess, surely she'll bless me with an advanced class slot! Heh heh, now I won't fall behind you! Eventually, I too can become a high-end player!"

Su Su proclaimed proudly, hands on her hips, standing straight.

Zhou Menghan said,

*She rolled her eyes at her best friend, speechless,*

"Hurry up, if you keep babbling, we'll really miss the plane!"

"If we miss the flight... huh... just get a new ticket then..."

"Get out of here, I don't have as much money as you do!"

...

Afternoon, Demon City South Station.

The clear and pleasant standard voice announcements echoed cheerfully in the hall, with bustling crowds coming and going, the train whistles occasionally sounding...

As the economic hub of the southern Tianchao, the station in Demon City was always lively, full of vitality and energy.

Exit platform number eight.

A young man of about twenty, clad in a denim jacket, sporting a neat hairstyle, exited.

He looked ordinary, with a slightly round face, dragging a medium-sized suitcase behind him.

Though he appeared fatigued, with bloodshot eyes, the young man seemed to be in good spirits and in a good mood.

Seeing the large characters on the station's billboard, "Welcome to Demon City," he first let out a long yawn, then flashed a bright smile:

"Finally arrived."

His voice was gleeful and expectant, yet there was a hint of nervousness.

Looking around, he pulled his suitcase and headed to the station restroom.

After a brief respite, he stood before the mirror over the washbasin, attentively grooming his appearance.

Hairstyle, perfect.

Smile, perfect.

Outfit, passable.

The only dissatisfaction might be his slight belly, visible even through the loose sweatshirt...

"I should still look okay, right?"

He muttered to himself.

"It's just a bit hot. I didn't expect the temperature in Demon City to be so high, should have worn something lighter."

He tugged at his denim jacket, remembering the heat wave he felt upon alighting from the train, the young man shook his head helplessly.

However, his denim jacket was his only slimming outfit.

Patting his protruding belly, the young man shook his head regretfully:

"I need to lose weight. How long have I been in college, and my abs are already a single block."

"Li Mu, Li Mu, once you get back, you should start running and working out. Even your usually oblivious dad noticed you gained weight when you went home for Mid-Autumn, and if you don't lose weight, you'll really have a hard time finding a girlfriend."

He sighed deeply, splashing his face with cold water.

*Though he'd made quite a few videos, actually meeting people in real life was still somewhat nerve-wracking, especially with several female players coming this time...*

Muttering to himself, the young man pinched his thigh:

"What are you thinking about?! You're here to meet fellow enthusiasts, not to hit on girls!"

With a self-deprecating chuckle, he grabbed his suitcase again, unlocking his phone while speaking to it:

"Little E, Little E, navigate to Tianchen Hotel."

...

Demon Capital Galaxy District, in a three-story mansion with Western architectural style.

"Aunt Liu! Aunt Liu! How do I look in this?"

In front of an upscale, elegantly designed full-length mirror, a young girl, appearing fourteen or fifteen, held a purple dress, looking eagerly at the middle-aged woman behind her.

Every year, the woman called Aunt Liu furrowed her brows and said,

"Guoguo, won't this dress make you look too mature?"

Upon hearing Aunt Liu's words, the girl puffed her cheeks, smiled, and said,

"That's exactly the point! As the guild leader, I need to make an impression!"

Aunt Liu said,

*She hesitated, sighed, and then replied,*

"If you want to look a bit more mature, maybe change your hairstyle and put on some makeup."

Hearing this, the girl's eyes lit up, and she quickly sat at the dressing table:

"Ah, you're right! Aunt Liu, please help me get ready. I need to look at least like an adult! Hmm!"

Aunt Liu nodded helplessly and began styling the girl's hair.

"By the way, is the hotel reservation all set? There are quite a few people coming this time."

The girl asked again.

"No problem."

Aunt Liu nodded.

After saying this, she paused and reminded:

"There's one more thing... Guoguo, I just want to remind you that although it's the company's hotel and it's fine to host some events, regarding the budget..."

"Don't worry, Aunt Liu. This gaming offline event, I'm just covering a portion of the costs for some people, the rest are only getting a small discount."

The girl smiled, counting her fingers as she explained.

Afterwards, she squinted her eyes, added:

"Besides, if you really calculate, with so many attendees, I've already figured it out; overall, the hotel will still profit! I'm thinking of making these meetups a regular event, won't cause any loss to the hotel."

"Don't worry, I'm not truly wasteful. I know my priorities. Even when gaming, after spending a bit of pocket money at the start, I haven't spent much since, right?"

Hearing this, Aunt Liu finally nodded gently:

"As long as you know what you're doing."

At that moment, the melodious and pleasant ringtone suddenly sounded.

This was a clip of her favorite BGM from the game that the girl had set on her phone.

The girl picked up her phone from the table, her eyes lighting up when she saw the caller ID.

Happily answering, she spoke sweetly,

"Hello, Sister Gugu, it's Miao Miao!"

"What? You've arrived already? Where are you? I'm coming to get you right away!"