Chapter 37: Diablo and Special Sprite

A considerable crowd had gathered in the shop today, and without exception, every single one of them surprisingly turned out to be a student from Lingyun Academy, all here to watch Resident Evil!

Fang Qi could not help but wonder, "Where did all these people come from?"

Right at that moment, Fang Qi noticed that the task had already been completed.

Task: Sell 50 movie tickets for Resident Evil One Movie Version (Completed)

Task Reward: Diablo Two Virtual Reality Remastered Edition (Act One)

At the same time, Fang Qi discovered that he had received a new task once again.

New Task One: Total player time in Diablo Two reaches 1000

Task Reward: Legend of Sword and Fairy One

System Reward: Seeing that the internet cafe space provided by the host perfectly meets the requirements, a reward of 200 bottles of Sprite is now granted for exclusive sale.

Note: 3 spirit crystals per bottle, limited to one bottle per person per day, not to be taken away, and not to be traded with others.

"Sprite?" Fang Qi stared blankly around the room, "Where is there any Sprite?"

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the freezer in the corner: "Is this for holding Sprite?!"

He hurriedly opened the freezer, and indeed, it was packed full of Sprite!

The issue was, this world abounded with all sorts of spiritual objects and spiritual wines—the one Fang Qi drank last time could even enhance martial qi—so what purpose did this Sprite serve?

Fang Qi asked curiously, "System, can drinking this Sprite increase one's cultivation?"

"No," the system replied.

"..." Fang Qi grew even more bewildered, "Can it improve skills then?"

"What you are describing is not Sprite."

"..." Fang Qi was left speechless, "Then what does it do? This isn't just ordinary Sprite, is it? For 3 spirit crystals?"

"The host will know upon trying it."

"Try it?" Fang Qi could only pick up a bottle of Sprite.

The moment he lifted it, the system displayed: "Please pay."

"???" Fang Qi was dumbfounded, "Even I have to pay?"

"To prevent the host from keeping all the Sprite for himself, payment is mandatory."

"Holy crap!" Fang Qi's face immediately contorted in disdain, "What kind of Sprite hadn't I drunk before I crossed over into this world? Don't tell me this is some vintage Sprite from 1982?"

"It's just Sprite, why would I keep it all to myself?"

Utterly unconvinced, Fang Qi popped open a bottle of Sprite and took a sip.

In the next instant, Fang Qi's eyes suddenly flew wide open!

As the liquid entered his mouth, an icy crispness blended with the sweetness of frozen lemon continuously stimulated his taste buds, while countless effervescent bubbles seemed to dance upon his tongue, delivering an unparalleled rush of refreshment!

Swallowing it down, he could feel a thoroughly soul-refreshing chill seep from his throat straight into his vital organs!

It was the height of summer, and even the morning hours had begun to carry a hint of stifling heat, yet this single gulp of Sprite left his entire body feeling delightfully cool!

"This is amazing!"

"How can it taste this good?!"

Sprite was still Sprite, but Fang Qi had never tasted anything quite so sublime!

"This is the system's own specially crafted Sprite!"

"What's so special about crafting Sprite? Isn't it all the same?" Fang Qi curled his lip.

"Of course it is not the same," the system stated. "The water used in this system's specially crafted Sprite is drawn from deep mineral springs beneath the Great Snow Mountain. It has been refined through deep subterranean volcanic rock for thousands of years, circulating, adsorbing, and filtering over centuries—a true volcanic cold spring."

Fang Qi listened in stunned silence, yet he still muttered, "So it's just better water."

"There is also the honey, which is gathered by swarms of bees drawn to a precious spiritual flower known as the Ice-Heart Flower, possessing the effects of soothing the spirit and calming the mind."

"..." Fang Qi looked thoroughly bewildered, "And what about the lemons? Can you actually spin a grand tale out of something like that too?"

"These are specially cultivated lemons, derived from the finest strain perfected through centuries of breeding and domestication, subjected to strict temperature control and optimal light exposure."

"And the carbon dioxide..."

"Utilizing advanced future technology with high-efficiency, silent compressors and radiators..."

"Alright, alright!" Fang Qi was utterly exasperated, "A single bottle of Sprite is this extraordinary, so on what grounds does your Diablo Two cost so much? To think that Act One alone requires 8 spirit crystals!"

The system calmly replied, "Diablo Two uses the most classic game from the host's original world as its template, blending it with virtual reality linking technology centuries ahead of your world. It incorporates the most rigorous systems of magic and combat techniques from the Western fantasy realm, while reconstructing its unique equipment and rune words system via advanced runic technology."

Fang Qi was completely floored, giving a thumbs-up to the empty air as he said, "...You win!"

At some point, a portly man dressed in blue robes strolled into the shop.

The identity of this blue-robed fat man, Ouyang Bo, placed him squarely among the elite of the younger generation in Jiuhua City; several members of the Ouyang clan held substantial offices at court, his elder sister held the esteemed rank of Imperial Noble Consort, and with the family's deep roots in the Jiangnan region, their power was currently at its zenith!

A man of such considerable status within Jiuhua City had actually come today to the commoners' district in the eastern alleyways.

In the past, such an occurrence would have been utterly unimaginable, but now...

He strode forward, pushing open the door, and grumbled with displeasure, "Didn't those two rascals, An Cheng and Bu Che, say they would meet me here this morning? How dare they stand Fatty up?!"

At this moment, Fang Qi was sitting contentedly in front of a computer near the main entrance, preparing to launch Diablo.

"Owner!" Ouyang Cheng barked, "I heard you sell some kind of biographical novels here? Bring them out for Fatty to look at!"

"Biographical novels?" Fang Qi rolled his eyes, "I don't sell biographical novels here."

"Then what do you sell?" Ouyang Cheng dismissed with a wave of his large hand, "Never mind what it is, just bring out whatever good stuff you have for me to see!"

Fang Qi pointed toward the small blackboard: "Look for yourself and see what you want."

Ouyang Cheng followed the direction of Fang Qi's finger and saw written upon it:

Game: Diablo Two Act One for 8 spirit crystals, Resident Evil One for 5 spirit crystals

Movie: Resident Evil One for 3 spirit crystals

Drink: Sprite for 3 spirit crystals

Computer Usage Fee: 2 spirit crystals per hour

"It really is quite expensive!" Ouyang Cheng remarked, "But this master happens to like expensive things! As long as it satisfies me, no price is too high!"

"So, which one do you want to try?" Fang Qi inquired.

"Let's start with the most expensive one!" Ouyang Cheng chose Diablo Two right from the start.

Pointing to the small blackboard, Ouyang Cheng said, "This Diablo thing, the name alone sounds exactly like a biographical novel, yet you insist it isn't! Fatty here will see for himself!"

"I have actually heard that the biographical novels in this shop are quite extraordinary." Just then, a youth wearing a silver crown and a young master in black robes stepped inside, "It is said that one can see real scenes, though I know not whether it is true or false!"

An Cheng remarked, "Word has it that the backer of this establishment is a remarkably powerful cultivator, so achieving such a feat is entirely possible."

"You two finally showed up!" Ouyang Cheng greeted them upon seeing the pair, "We shall first play this Di... whatever this game is called."

"Diablo!" Fang Qi rolled his eyes once more.

Following a brief explanation from Fang Qi, the men quickly grasped the game's methods of operation: one was to control it through the virtual apparatus in a virtual reality mode, while the other was to use the keyboard and mouse, observing the progression of the game through the screen.

"It seems quite fresh and novel!" The group swiftly entered the game, where the logo for "Origin" was the first to grace the screen.

Because the game was a remaster of Blizzard Entertainment's "Diablo II," a closer inspection would reveal another logo in the bottom right corner of the screen, second in size only to "Origin"—the Blizzard emblem.

Following the logos, the game truly commenced.

The options for single-player and multiplayer connectivity appeared first, prompting the two to look at the screen in bewilderment: "Boss? Which one do we choose?"

Fang Qi replied, "If the two of you intend to play separately on your own, choose single-player. If you wish to embark on an adventure together, choose multiplayer."

"How fascinating! This shop truly possesses an extraordinary ingenuity!" An Cheng laughed heartily, thoroughly pleased with this development, and turned to Bu Che. "What do you say? Shall we head inside together and take a look?"

"Ask Fatty if he wants to join us." Bu Che clicked on the multiplayer option and, under Fang Qi's guidance, created a room. "Let us all go in together!"

Soon enough, he arrived at the character selection interface.

Beholding the remarkably lifelike characters before his eyes, Bu Che marveled in awe, as though he had discovered a whole new world: "They all said this little shop was miraculous, and indeed, it does not deceive!"

As the cursor hovered over the form of each character, an introduction to that role would manifest, each rendered in meticulous detail:

Amazon (Female players only): The Amazon tribe consists of formidable female warriors, a jungle people originating from islands near the southern seas...

Assassin: Specializing in the martial arts, her body and will are lethal weapons.

Paladin: The Paladins hail from a specialized army close to the religious sanctuary of Zakarum, soldiers who use faith as a shield and stand ever ready for battle, fighting for the convictions they hold to be true.

Sorceress: She specializes in elemental spells: fire, lightning, frost...

Druid: Commanding the forces of nature, he can summon wild beasts and fierce storms to fight alongside him.

...

"A choice of professions?" Bu Che stared at the screen in dumbfounded amazement at the seven classes displayed before him.

"To think we can actually choose what we want to be ourselves?"

He nudged An Cheng's shoulder. "Which one should we choose?"

An Cheng furrowed his brows. "This Sorceress seems quite similar to a cultivator. Since the spells I have mastered best are all related to fire, I shall choose the Sorceress."

"Then I shall choose the Druid," Bu Che decided. "Commanding the forces of nature—could it be that this Druid cultivates the Heavenly Dao? It looks rather formidable; I will give it a try first!"

"What about Brother Ouyang?" An Cheng inquired. "What will Brother Ouyang choose?"

"The Sorceress as well!" Ouyang Cheng chuckled with delight. "When the time comes, I shall practice lightning spells, and Brother An, you can practice fire!"

"As for those warriors, only a fool would choose them!"

"I reckon only those lowborn martial artists would pick them!"

With a collective laugh, the group eagerly entered the game.