A cabin nestled in the woods. Below it, a well-stocked underground storage room.
It had been half an hour since the modpack finished loading.
Just past 8 a.m., Gong Qu roused Keqing from bed.
After a simple breakfast, the two began preparing for their journey by selecting supplies from the basement.
Gong Qu was ready to explore the map.
In the Dragon Adventure modpack, players came equipped with a full-scale map, even including a biome radar akin to a satellite.
However, unexplored regions were displayed in black, they remained invisible until one physically set foot there.
That was where the teleport anchors they had bought earlier came into play.
Gong Qu's rough plan was to place a teleport anchor every 50 kilometers or so.
That distance wasn't set in stone, encountering villages, temples, or other special landmarks could mean placing two or even three anchors within ten kilometers.
"Bread, grilled fish, iron ingots, anvil, cobblestone, planks... Hmm, that should do it."
"How's it going on your end, Keqing?"
"Ugh... give me a bit. I honestly don't know what to bring."
Keqing sounded visibly troubled.
Gong Qu walked over to find her comparing two swords.
"The Dragonbone Sword has 1 more attack point than the Diamond Sword, and it's more durable too. What's there to debate?"
"Well, obviously! Don't you think the Diamond Sword's sparkly look is way more appealing? The Dragonbone Sword is strong, yeah, but it gives off this... corpse-like elemental vibe. It's kind of gross."
Gong Qu blinked, then activated Elemental Vision the way Keqing had taught him.
Hum!
A streak of green Dendro energy flashed across his vision. The seemingly plain bone sword transformed instantly.
Its silver-gray blade was shrouded in a strange dark crimson aura, an illusory flame that radiated a palpable heat, as if cursed by some powerful being.
"What is that... the grudge of a dragon after death?"
Keqing tilted her head. "Didn't you say you'd played this game before? You've never seen this happen?"
Gong Qu shook his head. "Never... But if the Dragonbone Sword really is 'cursed' by the dead dragon's wrath, wouldn't wielding it in front of other dragons be seen as a provocation?"
"Hmm, yeah... probably."
Keqing thought it over. If someone showed up holding a sword made from a human spine in front of her, she'd probably consider them an enemy on instinct too.
Gong Qu frowned slightly.
Back when he was just playing, he'd never imagined that these little "flavor text" details could come back to bite him like this.
But that wasn't reason enough to ditch the Dragonbone weapon line.
Sure, he couldn't use the Dragonbone Sword right now (8 base damage), but once he could start hunting dragons, the Dragonflame Bloodbone Sword (9.5) and the Dragonflame Steel Sword (26) would easily outweigh the risks.
"Good thing I bought a bunch of enchantment books. A Sharpness IV Diamond Sword (7 + 2.5) should be plenty for the early game. Keqing, you can use this until you find a way to properly maintain the Mistsplitter."
Gong Qu was relieved he hadn't impulsively enchanted the Dragonbone Sword for a mere 1-point damage gain.
As strong as it was, rivaling Netherite weapons, the built-in aggro mechanic wasn't worth the trouble.
After double-checking their gear, Gong Qu took Keqing to the general store, bought six more teleport anchors, and installed one at the cabin, leaving them with seven.
Between that and today's wheat sale, their total currency balance sat at 7,300 World Coins.
Around 10 a.m.
In front of the woodland cabin
Gong Qu solemnly closed the arched door behind him and gazed into the distant sky.
"Let's go, Keqing. Let's see what this world has to offer!"
The sun hung high overhead,
But it wasn't sweltering.
On an unfamiliar path, Gong Qu and Keqing walked side by side, heading east through a birch forest.
As they approached a small lake and decided to rest, Keqing spotted something she'd never seen before.
"Huh? What kind of animal is that?"
She pointed at a small creature cooling off in the shade under a large tree.
It resembled a lizard, six-legged, scaled, horned, and covered in deep crimson skin.
"That's a Lesser Drake. Kill it and you get Low-Grade Meat. It's somewhere between chicken and beef in terms of fullness."
"Low-Grade Meat, huh... Yeah, it doesn't look too tough."
Keqing's martial skills had grown rusty over time, but ever since she learned they'd be adventuring, she'd been itching for a fight.
This unknown beast was the perfect appetizer.
Gong Qu got the hint and cast an elemental skill on her.
[Nature's Blessing]: Grants the target increased attack speed and deals continuous Dendro damage to nearby enemies. When the target triggers Aggravate, Bloom, or Hyperbloom reactions, the attack speed bonus doubles.
A flash of green lit up over Keqing's head. She felt lighter immediately.
With a burst of speed, she dashed forward five meters.
"Hah!"
With a crisp shout, three or four arcs of sword light slashed down in an instant. The red lizard, its eyes wide with shock, was carved into pieces.
A flash of white light followed, the corpse vanished, leaving behind several chunks of meat that looked like tail portions.
Hiss hiss~
The remaining lizards, sensing danger, turned and fled.
But with Keqing in bloodlust mode, they had no chance.
One by one, they were sliced apart, dropping into tidy little meat piles.
Keqing gathered them up and returned to Gong Qu.
"Just like cows or sheep, they drop processed meat when killed. But the texture definitely looks different from normal animals... You think it's edible?"
"Should be fine once it's cooked."
As the two debated whether to grill a few, a sudden rustle came from the nearby grass.
"Careful! Something big's coming."
Gong Qu stepped protectively in front of Keqing, ready to summon his shield at a moment's notice.
Rustle, rustle
"Rrroo?"
A dopey-looking head poked out from the bushes.
A brown bear.
Followed by two small cubs tumbling out behind it.
"Aww, it's cuter than the lizards! Look at the fuzzballs!"
Keqing's eyes sparkled as she stared at the baby bears.
"Rrroaaar!"
Sensing a threat from her, the mother bear growled, eyes filled with wary fear.
"Brown bear. Neutral mob. Around 40 HP. Can't be tamed. In vanilla, it'll attack players wearing the Ring of Seven Curses, but won't deal damage."
That said, looking at those sharp fangs, Gong Qu doubted anyone would want to test whether they could pierce human flesh.
"This world has already gone beyond its original game logic. If you really want to, Keqing... you might be able to tame them."
"Alright, I'll try!"
Keqing sheathed her sword and pulled out a piece of cooked beef.
The aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air.
All three bears sniffed.
Eventually, temptation won out, and they approached Keqing cautiously.
With Gong Qu's Dendro energy soothing them and food in hand—
A few minutes later
The bears lowered their guard and began munching happily on their rare steak. Keqing, delighted, ran her hands through the baby bears' fluffy fur.
"Rrroo~"
Finished with their meal, the mother bear let out a friendly grunt.
"My Dendro sense is telling me that's a gesture of goodwill. Keqing, want to try taming one?"
Keqing shook her head.
"If I take one of the cubs, the other will be left behind and lonely, right?"
"Cubs don't have emotions that complex."
"They totally do! No, they absolutely do!"
Suddenly, Keqing grabbed Gong Qu's hand, speaking with a rare seriousness.
...Huh?
From her emotions, Gong Qu sensed not just sympathy, but sorrow. Directed at him.
He smiled wryly and tapped her nose.
"So Miss Keqing is being sentimental again? I told you, I've made peace with my past as an orphan."
"Liar! I always catch you gazing at the moon at night with that wistful look on your face."
That was just the look of
(To be continued...)