Chapter 639: Boss Fang's Hometown?

To the east of this vast continent, past the expanse of the great ocean, lay another land, ancient and steeped in mystery—the East Continent.

Legends whispered between the two shores of worlds that enfolded these lands, moving like the sun, moon, and stars revolving around the earth, rising at dawn and setting at dusk.

Indeed, the celestial bodies were said to circle the realm, a truth passed down through countless tales, leading many to believe that these strange, nebula-shifting worlds behaved in the exact same manner.

Though devoid of any concrete proof or factual basis, it was, at the very least, a conviction held by the vast majority.

"What kind of person do you suppose this shopkeeper really is...?" The morning hours passed in leisurely comfort as a few elves, lingering within the shop, sipped their cappuccinos and conversed in hushed tones.

"Ah... this milky richness blended with such a pure, botanical fragrance... it is a taste born entirely of nature." A few elves bore expressions of utter intoxication. "They say it is made primarily from the powder of a certain plant's beans mixed with milk. To think there are still plants in this world unknown to us?"

"Those are called coffee beans," Sera chimed in, offering her expertise. "Could it be a plant native to the East Continent?"

"That cannot be right either... the great assassin pioneer, Altaïr, clearly does not look like someone from the East Continent."

"But we have never heard of places like Rome or Florence around here, either." An elf beside her shrugged, adding, "Never heard of them in our entire lives."

To the humans of this realm, their perception of the humans from the East Continent differed little from how they viewed the elves and dwarves—as entirely distinct, alien races.

Because of the immense distance separating their worlds, the Easterners seemed, in their eyes, even more shrouded in mystery than the exceedingly rare elves.

This was especially true after witnessing the recent conflict at the Arbitrate Union—though that belonged to yet another continent, and perhaps not the East Continent itself, it was undeniably the same race of people.

This spectacle had caused their previously vague impressions to crystallize into a sharp, clear understanding:

They wielded a mysterious and formidable "magic," capable of soaring through the skies upon sword-shaped magical artifacts;

They possessed unparalleled combat arts alongside mighty "magical weapons";

They adhered to an upright and elegant etiquette—take that white-robed elder, for instance, who had inquired about the true meaning of the sword's path before the battle even commenced;

They proved through undeniable fact that the descriptions painted by the Church and other ancient lore were nothing but fragile lies, easily pierced.

"Do you think the shopkeeper might also possess one of those flying 'magical artifacts'?"

At that moment, Boss Fang sat alone on the sofa, quietly sipping his morning tea, entirely oblivious to the lively speculation surrounding him.

"Boss," Sera said, taking a blissful sip of her cappuccino before drifting over to seat herself beside the solitary Boss Fang, inquiring, "Do you not have any cultivation realms here that are... say, a specialty of your homeland?"

Having frequented the shop for so long, they had naturally grown familiar with the owner—even if this rigid shopkeeper never granted his regulars a single discount.

Irina spoke up then as well: "You are a man of the East Continent, so how is it that your shop lacks anything in the style of the East Continent?"

Evidently, she harbored quite a bit of curiosity toward such novel things.

By this time, she had already cleared both Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood more than twice, and was currently challenging the higher difficulties.

Beside Sera, Elder Chivi spoke up: "Well now... we have been out here for a considerable time. It is about time we returned to the Silver Moon Forest."

"Can we not stay just a little longer?" Sera cried out in dismay the moment she heard this.

"Certainly not!" Elder Chivi replied sternly. "I still have affairs to manage within the council, and you all have duties of your own to perform."

"Oh... Elder..." Sera looked thoroughly depressed. Why must they return so soon? It felt as though barely any time had passed at all!

She wanted nothing more than to build a nest right here and never leave.

After making a fuss for a long while and seeing that Elder Chivi remained entirely unmoved, she could only change the subject in boredom, pressing on, "Boss, we are asking you!"

Seated on the adjacent sofa, Boss Fang took a sip of his cappuccino and froze on the spot. "My homeland?"

"Is there one?" Commander Elven, who had been buried in his tea, subconsciously looked over at that moment. To them, the distant East Continent would forever be draped in a shroud of mystery; even Commander Elven was clearly quite intrigued.

"Are you speaking of the next new cultivation realm?"

"Hmm? There really is one?!" Sera instantly forgot all about Elder Chivi's insistence on returning and eagerly asked, "What is it like?"

"...It is called 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy,'" Boss Fang's face twitched slightly. How was he supposed to describe what it looked like with mere words? "You will know once you try it for yourselves when the time comes."

"This sounds promising!" Commander Elven, having completed two entries of Assassin's Creed and one of Resident Evil, held quite a favorable view of the shop's "cultivation realms."

At the same time, they greatly appreciated the format of the shop's realms, which offered complete stories and fully realized worlds—vibrant, profound, and entirely devoid of rigidity.

"Elder Chivi, how about we see what this new realm is like before we head back, please?" Sera quickly implored.

"..." Elder Chivi looked thoroughly vexed, relenting with great reluctance. "Just a quick look, then. We leave immediately after."

"Can we not take a few more looks...?"

"No!" Elder Chivi's face was the picture of cold regality, refusing to grant her even a single glance as she spoke with absolute finality.

...

Meanwhile, the players back at the old shop had also received the news.

At this moment, the Legend of Sword and Fairy Penguin chat group was practically on the verge of exploding.

Su Tianji: "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4?!"

Nalan Hongwu: "When is the release date?!"

An Huwei: "Do we have to wait for that Softstar senior to finish crafting it?"

Tang Yu: "Holy crap! A fourth installment of Sword and Fairy is coming out?!"

Xiya: "Buy, buy, buy! Anyone who doesn't buy it isn't human!"

Gabriel: "(Tears streaming down face) Broke several weapons trying to enhance them... Can it be sold a bit cheaper? I'm broke."

Following this, a screenshot was posted showing someone sleeping on a pile of firewood, accompanied by the text: (If I knew enhancing my weapon to +13 would fail, I wouldn't have done it. Haven't eaten in days, so hungry...)

Song Qingfeng: "(Funny face) Who photoshopped this? 666..."

Luo Piaoling: "Look for Xiaoyue if you want photoshops (Funny face). By the way, does anyone know when Sword and Fairy 4 will be released? @BigBossFang"

...

Naturally, a good number of people at the new shop were also hounding Boss Fang with the exact same question.

"Not yet?" Sera felt a pang of disappointment, but then she recalled that before Assassin's Creed was released, there had been a cinematic preview trailer to watch. She quickly asked, "Then is there a trailer we can watch for this one?"

An itch of anticipation clawed at her heart.

"There is no trailer for this one. The release should be in about a week," Boss Fang stated with utter calm.

"Why does it have to be next week?!" Upon hearing this, several people instantly grew displeased.

At that moment, the customers from the old shop in the Penguin group caught wind of this news and also began to vent their frustration: "Can it not be today?!"

"Strongly support releasing it today!"

"Boss, give us a little teaser today! Just a tiny bit!" Sera was practically dying of impatience. Why did they have to wait another whole week?

"We are all so familiar with each other, can you not make an exception?" She then began to try and cozy up to him.

"Not today," Boss Fang remained entirely unmoved by her efforts.

Oh! How could this shopkeeper be so incredibly rigid in his ways?!

The crowd practically wanted to beat him up.

At this juncture, though the players of the old and new shops had never once met face-to-face, they unexpectedly stood in a perfectly unified front, glaring at Boss Fang with green, envious eyes.