"Big Baddie?" The Poet blinked in mild surprise, seeming to find the name a bit odd.
"You just mentioned the story of Instakill. How did you come by his tale?" Huang Yi looked at the Poet, showing a hint of interest.
"I saw it on the forums just now." The Poet said, pouring another cup of fruit wine, "Last night, someone named Chen Yuxi posted a video on the forums. In the video, it seems that Instakill took their Spirit Cat and killed them. Not only that, Instakill chased them down to their Resurrection camp and slaughtered them repeatedly, annihilating the camp and even a leader fell by his hand, a bloody and brutal scene."
"Really? I should take a look when I have time," Huang Yi nodded slightly.
In truth, he wasn’t too concerned about the matter. Even if the world misunderstood him, even if they thought of him as an unforgivably wicked overlord, it wouldn’t bother him. In the real world, he had already been misunderstood by everyone once; he had long since come to terms with such matters, knowing that as long as he could protect what he wanted to protect, he needn’t care about the opinions of others.
The Poet downed the fruit wine in his cup and continued, "However, videos can be spliced and edited. The true situation may not be as it appears. Moreover, there are many versions of the video. This version conspicuously has no sound and has been edited, which is quite suspicious. There are also some videos that only show Instakill in the Resurrection camp and omit the part where he seized the Spirit Cat, but these do retain the audio. Instakill spoke of the cause in the video, saying that Chen Yuxi and her two companions nearly killed his mother, and that’s why he sought revenge. The truth of the matter is uncertain, but if someone could release the complete video of Instakill’s first clash with the three from Chen Yuxi, the truth would naturally come to light."
"Mm, the truth is often in the hands of the few," Huang Yi said calmly, a sentiment he could deeply relate to.
"Actually, what the truth is isn’t the main point anymore; the main point is that the video showcased Instakill’s strength for the first time," said the Poet incisively. "This is the first video about Instakill, and that’s why it’s so sensational. Before, Instakill was known only by name, an enigmatic figure. But in this video, Instakill appeared before the world for the first time, revealing such astonishing power. He was, what, Level 15 at the time? Practically a novice. Yet such a novice wiped out a camp and killed a leader. A character like this, once grown, would be too terrifying; merciless to foes, with a callous heart and ruthless hand. Others seek revenge by killing their enemies once, but he avenges by repeatedly slaying his enemies into Reincarnation. In some ways, it’s better to offend Dao Feng than to cross Instakill."
"What kind of person is Dao Feng? Can you tell his story?" Huang Yi asked with renewed interest. Dao Feng’s name was widely recognized—even though Huang Yi had yet to interact much with the outside world, he knew of Dao Feng’s reputation.
At this, the children around them all lit up, eagerly looking forward to the Poet, hoping to hear Dao Feng’s tale.
Seeing the expressions of the children, the Poet smiled warmly and said, "Alright! I’ll tell you about Dao Feng. The reason Dao Feng is so famous has a lot to do with his early rise to fame and his tremendous strength. He was the first person in the world to complete a Rare Quest, and since then, he’s always been number one on the World Rankings, he’s never slipped from that spot. Not only is he very powerful, but he conducts himself with integrity and generosity, showing true leadership qualities."
As the Poet spoke, there was a trace of genuine admiration in his tone, "There was one occasion when an enemy sent an assassin to try to kill Dao Feng. The attempt backfired, and Dao Feng captured the assassin. But instead of killing the would-be killer, considering the difficulty of Level Grinding, he let the assassin go. The assassin thought he was as good as dead but was surprised to find his life spared. Struck by Dao Feng’s magnanimity, he then pledged himself to Dao Feng and even bit back at the enemies. Later, under Dao Feng’s mentorship, this assassin became a Great Assassin, his name echoing across the continent. Do you know what this assassin’s name is?" The Poet then teased, turning his gaze towards the children around him.
"Could it be Dragon Spike?" one of the kids guessed immediately.
"Impossible, Dragon Spike is the world’s number one assassin, and it’s said that he and Dao Feng are mortal enemies. It can’t be Dragon Spike," another child immediately retorted.
"Besides Dragon Spike, the most famous assassins on the continent are Dragon Dominates the World, Nameless, Mirror Broken, and Seeking Flowers," another child said, extending a delicate little hand and counting off on his fingers like he was listing treasures.
"How smart!" the Poet patted the child’s head, admiringly exclaiming, "That assassin is indeed Dragon Dominates the World! One of the top ten assassins of the continent. Although he isn’t as famous as Dragon Spike, his progress is extremely fast, and it’s estimated that he might compete with Dragon Spike in the future."
Regarding the person Dragon Dominates the World, Huang Yi did have some impression. This individual was currently ranked fifth on the China Region’s level rankings. Although level wasn’t a very important indicator of strength, being able to rank fifth was already quite an accomplishment.
"Brother Poet, can Dragon Dominates the World really catch up with Dragon Spike? I heard that Dragon Spike kills without blinking, even his own brothers, without any emotions, without any weaknesses. Even Dao Feng considers him the most dangerous person," another child spoke up and asked at this moment.
"That’s not necessarily true!" the Poet shook his head slightly, "Actually, the most terrifying people aren’t those without emotions, but exactly those with genuine feelings. People without emotions are always the same, and enemies can always predict what they will do. But those with true emotions can be changed by their feelings, becoming someone even enemies can’t recognize. All knowledge an enemy has of them becomes outdated, and no one knows what they might become because of their emotions."
"Well said!" This time, Huang Yi couldn’t help but express his admiration, and his respect for this Poet grew. This Poet appeared to be quite ordinary, seemingly just the most common bard, traveling the continent, begging drinks, and telling stories. But he had his own set of unique values, his own views on every issue rather than following the crowd. What’s more, the values he held seemed to make some sense and were somewhat persuasive.
"Big Baddie brother, our paths crossed by chance and you even treated me to a drink. I like making friends like you. Here’s my card, call on me anytime you need, as long as there’s drink involved," the Poet said heartily, laughing as he handed out a card to Huang Yi.
Huang Yi extended his hands politely, accepting the card and examining it closely. At the center of the card were two characters—Poet. Below that was a line of basic information—Race: Elf Race; Occupation: Bard.
By now, Huang Yi had collected two people’s business cards, one from Blood Song, who was Mr. Huang Sha of Era Corporation, and the other from this Poet in front of him. He could send them messages at any time in the future.
"The morning sun illuminates the earth, and the world bursts with life. Another beautiful day has arrived, and I must set out again, to continue my journey through this beautiful continent. Farewell, everyone!" With those words, the Poet stood up and, with a dashing wave of his hand amidst the reluctant gazes of the children, he left the tavern. He left behind a fading silhouette as he walked towards the distance bathed in sunshine.
Such is the Bard, wandering the world, with no bounds to his journey.