Love Bitstream: Chapter 15 - Light Boat Has Passed Has Good Mechanics
Chapter 15: Light Boat Has Passed Has Good Mechanics
[I'm crying. Another day of him speaking up for Endless Time.]
[He's so in love. I've said it so many times I'm tired.]
[The way he stubbornly tries to explain himself is so adorable.]
[Everyone take it easy. Ever since Xiao Chi found out Blue Sky Beyond lurks in the stream, he's been deleting comments like crazy!]
[Uh-oh, he's flustered. He's flustered.]
[We're just here for the entertainment. The moment you take it seriously, you've already lost.]
Chi Zhen felt like coughing up blood.
That really wasn't what he meant. He just didn't want the trouble he'd caused to drag Endless Time into it. After all, he wasn't a member of Way of Heaven. If he fell out with them, it didn't matter much. But Endless Time still had to stay in the guild, and Chi Zhen didn't want to make things difficult for him.
"Autumn Rain." Endless Time spoke calmly. "Is this really necessary?"
Misty Autumn Rain responded with two cold chuckles.
Everyone held their breath, eagerly watching the drama unfold.
Unfazed by her mocking laughter, Endless Time continued in the same steady tone. "If you want to fight over world bosses, fine. If you want to bring your friends to fight, fine. If you want guild members to join you, that's fine too. But not everyone in this guild is obligated to stand on your side and add people to their kill list based on your personal likes and dislikes."
[Party] Blue Sky Beyond: Exactly.
[Party] Thousand Feathers: Did everyone forget there's still another boss left? Why has nobody moved?
Misty Autumn Rain replied coldly, "Are you telling me how to behave?"
"No," Endless Time said. "I'm telling you to keep quiet while you're in my party."
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Even Chi Zhen was dumbfounded.
[This is that intense?!]
[MMORPGs are wild.]
[People play these games purely for the drama.]
[Endless Time is so righteous I'm actually stunned. Do people really make justice speeches while playing online games?]
[A guy talking to a girl like that doesn't seem great, especially after she just confessed to him.]
Chi Zhen wondered whether he should stop the stream for a while. He was terrified that tomorrow's forums would once again be filled with gossip threads.
But when it came down to it— Why had Misty Autumn Rain insisted on joining this dungeon run in the first place? If she hadn't come, none of this would've happened.
"Old Time, that's a bit much." An unfamiliar male voice suddenly came through YY. "Little Rain, if you wanted to run Mount Xumi, you could've just told me. We could've put together a team ourselves."
Chi Zhen clicked over to the YY window. The speaker's ID was Cold Sword Shadow.
Most people's YY IDs matched their in-game names, making raid coordination easier.
[Party] Blue Sky Beyond: Ooooh.
Blue Sky Beyond was fearless. He was the only person brave enough to keep talking in party chat. Everyone else had gone completely silent.
Misty Autumn Rain said, "I've never seen anyone clear Mount Xumi with only eight people before. I was curious, so I came to take a look."
Cold Sword Shadow's voice was gentle, almost coaxing. "If you don't want to run it, I can log onto your account and finish it for you. There's only one boss left, right?"
Thousand Feathers suddenly turned on his mic. "Guild Leader, you can't do it. Your healing isn't good enough."
[Party] Explosive Red: ...
[Party] Blue Sky Beyond: ...
[Party] If A Dog Wants To LeaveI Dont Stop It: Sometimes I really want to cut open Thousand Feathers's brain and see what kind of bizarre structure is inside.
[Party] Thousand Feathers: ?
Cold Sword Shadow choked on his words. For a moment he couldn't even respond. After a long pause, he finally said, "I've cleared Mount Xumi before. It's not that difficult. I'm just worried Xiao Yu might be upset. If she leaves, it'll be hard for you guys to find another healer."
Endless Time remained as calm as ever. "Autumn Rain is tougher than you think."
Cold Sword Shadow replied, "She's still a girl. You should take good care of her."
[This Cold Sword Shadow guy is so greasy I can't take it anymore.]
[No wonder Misty Autumn Rain confessed to Endless Time. None of her other pursuers sound remotely normal.]
[Why do I feel like Endless Time's words have another meaning behind them?]
[I've fallen in love with the man named Thousand Feathers. He hits my sense of humor perfectly. Streamer, please feature him more often in the future!]
Chi Zhen hurriedly turned on his stream microphone. "Please stop judging people randomly. You're going to get me killed. Seriously, thank you, everyone. I don't even know the guy. How am I supposed to feature him on stream?"
[Relax. Blue Sky Beyond is one of us.]
Misty Autumn Rain's voice was cold and distant, carrying an unmistakable sense of detachment. "It's fine. I'll finish the second boss. Endless Time's strategy is pretty interesting. The Spirit Cultivator is the key piece."
"Our guild has Spirit Cultivators, too. Several of them." Cold Sword Shadow's words seemed to carry a deeper implication.
Chi Zhen immediately felt sweat forming on his back.
"We could try this strategy in our guild as well," Misty Autumn Rain said.
Unexpectedly, Endless Time showed absolutely no concern for preserving his guild's pride. He replied directly: "Light Boat Has Passed has good mechanics."
In other words, there wasn't a single Spirit Cultivator in Way of Heaven who could match Light Boat Has Passed's mechanics.
Everyone immediately started sweating.
Then Thousand Feathers piled on: "That's right. Light Boat Has Passed also has better game sense. With only eight people, it'd be very difficult without a Spirit Cultivator of his caliber."
Cold Sword Shadow was clearly getting annoyed. He tossed out a curt, "Fine. You guys do the run," and left the YY channel.
[Party] Blue Sky Beyond: Let me explain. They just say whatever's on their minds. They aren't trying to set you up, Xiao Chi...
[Party] Drunken Breeze of Fleeting Life: Is it still possible for me to leave the party?
[Party] Explosive Red: These two really give people headaches.
[Party] Light Boat Has Passed: ...
It seemed Endless Time hadn't even noticed the heavy atmosphere hanging over the group. Calmly, he began explaining the mechanics of the second boss.
The biggest thing about the second boss was that it was random. Based on how the party performed against the first boss, the system would evaluate the group's size, strength, and composition, then adjust accordingly and randomly select a boss.
In short—This random boss got stronger when facing strong teams. And when facing weak teams… It was still strong.
Fortunately, there were only three possible random bosses. The developers had limited funding. Even if they wanted to create a hundred random bosses, they couldn't afford to.
After briefly explaining the mechanics of all three possibilities, Endless Time led the party deeper into the dungeon.
"There are no mobs." Walking at the front, Blue Sky Beyond suddenly spoke up.
Everyone found that strange.
Normally, monsters should have been blocking the path.
"What's going on? Did those dogshit developers change something?" Explosive Red asked.
The group advanced cautiously, wary of an ambush.
As they ventured deeper, the dungeon became colder and more humid. Beyond the training hall lay a cluster of dilapidated buildings. This was supposedly the back mountain of Mount Xumi. Not the real back mountain, but a fragment sealed within the dungeon. Suddenly, a system message appeared.
[System] Jue Xin: Where is this? Mount Xumi doesn't have a place like this. What's going on?
A Buddhist Cultivator dressed in an inner disciple's cloth robes staggered out from one of the ruined houses, carrying a martial staff.
[System] Jue Xin: Amitabha. Esteemed immortals, this humble monk is Jue Xin. I was practicing at the back mountain of Mount Xumi when, for some reason, I wandered into this place and can no longer leave. May I ask where this place is? Why does it resemble Mount Xumi's back mountain so closely?
The party members looked at one another.
Wait. Since when did this dungeon have an NPC?
Everyone furiously clicked on Jue Xin’s head. No dialogue window appeared.
Blue Sky Beyond was speechless. "There's no dialogue box! How are we supposed to talk to him?!"
The group ran circles around Jue Xin. They moved away from him. They jumped repeatedly over his head. They even attacked him. Nothing triggered any response.
Jue Xin remained standing there with the same vacant expression.
Endless Time stood quietly to one side, carefully observing the surroundings. Finally, he said: "We may have rolled a fourth boss."
Chi Zhen quietly agreed. "I think so too. I've never seen this before. It's not in any guide or video."
Blue Sky Beyond wailed. "Is this good luck or bad luck?! How are we supposed to fight something that doesn't move? Xiao Chi, quick! Ask your stream viewers if anyone's ever encountered this!"
Chi Zhen watched the chat for a while before shaking his head. "Nope."
[The streamer definitely has some supernatural luck.]
[What's going on? How did the streamer randomly trigger an NPC nobody's ever seen before?]
[Maybe try walking through the area again?]
Blue Sky Beyond read a few of the suggestions and was about to try retracing their steps when Jue Xin spoke again.
[System] Jue Xin: Esteemed immortals, why do you not answer my question? Do you know where this place is? I cannot return to Mount Xumi. The sky is growing dark, and I fear missing evening prayers. I am truly anxious.
[Nearby] Light Boat Has Passed: I don't know.
[Nearby] Endless Time: This is the Mount Xumi Secret Realm.
Unexpectedly, both Endless Time and Light Boat Has Passed spoke in the Nearby channel at the same time.
"What are you two doing?" Blue Sky Beyond boldly asked. "Performing some kind of telepathic soulmate act?"
The moment he said it, Jue Xin reacted.
[System] Jue Xin: The immortal lord does not know? Alas, then there is no helping it. Why don't we travel together and investigate what lies ahead?
[System] Jue Xin: The Mount Xumi Secret Realm? How can that be? I once heard the elders warn that the Mount Xumi Secret Realm is a forbidden land of our sect, layered with seals and not to be entered carelessly. I took no unusual actions, so why have I entered it? And how did you come here, immortal lord? Ah, never mind. Why don't we travel together and investigate what lies ahead?
After delivering two different lines of dialogue, Jue Xin finally started moving.
Everyone: "..."
Explosive Red complained, "Goddamn developers. I thought this was some groundbreaking innovation. Turns out you just have to talk in Nearby chat!"
Blue Sky Beyond said, "Who would've guessed that simply saying something would work? Though I have to admit, Xiao Chi and Old Time really do have some telepathic connection going on."
Misty Autumn Rain replied: "Hehe."
Thousand Feathers said: "Wow, I never thought of that. So you're supposed to talk to the NPC through Nearby chat. My thinking was way too rigid."
Chi Zhen cautiously asked, "Um... does anyone else think this Jue Xin guy looks kind of familiar?"
Blue Sky Beyond sounded puzzled. "Huh? Honestly, all the bald monks from Mount Xumi look the same to me—including myself."
Endless Time, however, agreed. "It does feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
"You two should just become sworn brothers already," Blue Sky Beyond said.
Chi Zhen: "..."
Bored from following the NPC around, Blue Sky Beyond started reading comments from the livestream. "'Blue Sky Beyond is my spokesperson. Please appear on stream more often.' Thank you, thank you, my friend. I will. In the future I'll do my best to beg Brother Xiao Chi to let me appear on stream."
"'What kind of luck does this streamer have? Doing daily quests spawned a world boss, forming a party matched him with the legendary Endless Time, and running a dungeon randomly triggered a brand-new storyline.' Exactly! I think Xiao Chi has some supernatural luck too. What's going on here?"
"'Maybe this is what people call destined fate.' Brother, that's beautifully said. I completely agree!"
"'Blue Sky Beyond, make sure to protect your alt account. Don't let Xiao Chi discover it, or he'll get embarrassed and ban you.' Got it. I guarantee he will never discover my account!"
Explosive Red suddenly spoke up. "Where's Light Boat Has Passed's stream? Give me the room number, Old Blue. I want to watch too!"
If A Dog Wants To LeaveI Dont Stop It raised a hand. "Me too! I want to go spectate!"
Thousand Feathers was confused. "He's literally streaming himself playing the game with us. Why do you need to spectate?"
Blue Sky Beyond copied the room number and privately messaged everyone one by one. "Sent it, ladies. Thousand Feathers, go away. You don't understand the joy of reading chat."
Misty Autumn Rain added: "Hehe."
At that moment, Chi Zhen genuinely wanted to find Blue Sky Beyond's alt account, kick him out of the stream, and ban him forever.
The group was still fooling around when the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to tremble. The dilapidated ruins of Mount Xumi's back mountain started changing. In the blink of an eye, everything was transformed.
Green mountains. Clear rivers. Small cottages. Fields of crops. The entire area became fresh and vibrant.
[System] Jue Xin: This is... what's happening...?
The story sequence had begun!
Author's Note:
A quick explanation about the Nearby Channel: Earlier, at Mount Zhaoyao, Xiao Chi's character was standing on the same map as Endless Time and Misty Autumn Rain. Although Chi Zhen himself had stepped away to get water, his character remained in place, so when he returned he could still see the conversation happening in the Nearby Channel. During the dungeon run, however, before Misty Autumn Rain arrived, her character wasn't physically near the others. Because of that, she couldn't see messages being sent in the Nearby Channel.
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