Chapter 345: Anthony and the Beggar in the Dark Alley
"Ding! You have entered the 'Rockfire Forest'."
Following the system prompt, Li Xiang arrived in a new map under the girl's guidance.
Li Xiang surveyed the map. This was an 80-level map. Given that this girl couldn't even defeat a few ordinary NPCs, her ability to traverse such a high-risk map suggested her identity wasn't simple.
After a short while, the girl stopped and looked at Li Xiang with vigilance, "No one will come here. You can show your true appearance now, right?"
Li Xiang nodded.
This NPC girl had already seen through him, so there was no need to hide any further.
After he returned to his original appearance, the NPC girl circled Li Xiang twice.
"I can't tell... I can't tell..."
"Alright, I've returned to my original appearance. You should tell me why you could see through my true form now, right?"
The girl nodded, "My name is Anthony, and I am the Fire Spirit you are looking for."
Anthony?
Fire Spirit?
Li Xiang looked at her with a suspicious expression.
"A Fire Spirit... beaten up by a few ordinary people?"
"I..."
Anthony turned her head away, "I cannot harm Humans, or the God of Fire will punish me."
"Does the God of Fire really exist? Can it know if you harm Humans?"
Anthony nodded, "Whether other Gods truly exist, I don't know, but the God of Fire definitely exists.
I was born from a wisp of the God of Fire's divine consciousness. If the God of Fire didn't exist, I wouldn't exist either."
"So, because you are a Fire Spirit, you could directly see through my true form?"
"That's right, that's how it is."
After speaking, Anthony looked at Li Xiang warily, "We had an agreement, you can't have any designs on me!"
Li Xiang observed the surroundings, "You are in control of this forest, right?"
Anthony nodded, "You're quite smart, aren't you? That's right, this forest is under my control. If you dare to harm me, all the monsters here will appear and tear you to shreds."
Li Xiang nodded and carefully read his clue again.
The information on the clue was for him to find the Fire Spirit; it didn't say what to do afterward.
In other words, the breakthrough point was with this girl. Harming her was naturally impossible.
Moreover, Li Xiang also learned that the clue for this Divine-grade ability was for the God of Fire's ability.
"Don't worry, I won't harm you. I wanted to find you simply because I wanted to know the whereabouts of the God of Fire's ability."
"As for the God of Fire's ability..."
Anthony appeared thoughtful, "It seems the God of Fire did instruct me that if someone came looking for its ability, I should..."
Li Xiang looked at her expectantly, "Give it to me, right?"
"You wish!"
"The God of Fire's ability is not something just anyone can obtain; you must pass a test!"
As expected, it wasn't that simple...
This was also within Li Xiang's expectations.
If one could obtain a Divine-grade ability so easily, that would be too ridiculous.
Which of the Divine-grade abilities he had previously obtained wasn't a reward received only after performing actions that shocked the World?
This clue's direction certainly couldn't be to directly obtain a Divine-grade ability.
"You seem quite rich, right?"
Li Xiang nodded slightly, "Compared to you, I have a little bit of money."
Anthony wrinkled her nose, "Don't compare yourself to me... There's a reason I'm poor."
After speaking, she looked at Li Xiang, "If you help me with something, I'll give you the Divine-grade ability."
"Huh? The Divine-grade ability is on you?"
"Of course! The thing the God of Fire entrusted to me, I definitely have to keep it close!"
Li Xiang understood why she was afraid of being harmed. Previously, players or NPCs in this World must have also searched for her. By killing her, they could likely obtain the Divine-grade ability.
Few people could resist such temptation.
He was different. With the guidance of the Divine-grade ability clue, he could obtain the Divine-grade ability without harm.
"Tell me, what favor? As long as it's not too difficult, I'll help you."
Anthony nodded, "Come with me."
This time, she led Li Xiang back to Aotan City.
Then she asked Li Xiang for a silver coin, bought a large pile of unappetizing black bread, and under Li Xiang's puzzled gaze, led him into a dark alley.
As soon as they entered the dark alley, Li Xiang was stunned.
There were many children in this dark alley. All of them were beggars, covered in dirt. Seeing Anthony, they surrounded her.
"Sister Anthony, where did you go? You haven't been back for a long time, we were so worried."
"Sister Anthony, I'm hungry..."
"Anthony, I'm hungry too..."
Anthony squatted down and distributed all the black bread she had bought.
Watching the beggars happily eating the black bread, Li Xiang walked up to Anthony, "You probably haven't eaten either, have you?"
"I... I'm not hungry... I'm a Fire Spirit, I don't need to eat..."
Gurgle...
A sound came from her stomach.
Li Xiang grabbed her arm and pulled her out.
"What are you doing?"
The group of children behind them all swarmed forward, hitting Li Xiang, "You're not allowed to hurt Sister Anthony!"
"Bad guy, bad guy!"
"Let go of Sister Anthony!"
Li Xiang looked at them, took out some food from his backpack. All of this had been prepared for Li Xiang by the chef players in the Gods Guild when he came. It added various attributes, could quickly restore stamina, and was also extremely delicious.
However, for Li Xiang, there was no need for it.
These children had never seen so much delicious food before and scrambled for it.
Li Xiang continued to lead Anthony away. Their destination was the most high-end restaurant opened by an NPC in Aotan City.
"Serve all your signature dishes."
"Yes, sir, please wait a moment." The NPC waitress happily went back.
Soon, a table full of top-tier dishes appeared on the table. Anthony's stomach rumbled even louder, but she didn't pick up her chopsticks.
Li Xiang looked at her, "Eat. I wouldn't want you to starve to death before I get the Divine-grade ability I want.
Besides, as a Fire Spirit, wouldn't starving yourself to death be a great embarrassment to the God of Fire?"
Anthony couldn't resist the hunger any longer. The aroma of the dishes on the table was constantly tempting her taste buds, "Then... I won't be polite."
Li Xiang looked at the thin Anthony, and his scattered thoughts drifted away.
Having been an orphan since childhood, there was a period when he lived like a sewer rat, surviving by scavenging leftovers from trash cans. If he hadn't been discovered by community workers and sent to the orphanage, he would probably be in his early teens now...
This game is truly damn frustrating...
It's just a game, why does it have to create even this kind of background...
