Apocalypse: Everyone Levels Up, I Return to the Time Before the Server Opened-Chapter 68

Chapter 68: The Hidden Third Continent!

Ye Qiu had lived an entire lifetime before.

Because of that, he had a deeper understanding of the Trial City.

The whole Trial City was divided into two continents — East and West — comprising over a hundred kingdoms and empires. These were the main areas where players operated.

However, it wasn’t until version 2.0 that players and even the NPCs on both the Eastern and Western continents learned of a third continent that existed within the vast land of trials — the Central Continent!

This continent was circular in shape, connecting the East and West, but was hidden away by a mysterious and powerful force.

Not even NPCs above level 100 could detect or enter it.

In fact, within the entire Novice Village, only the village chief, Elder Xu, knew this secret, and he hadn’t told a single soul!

It wasn’t until the invasion of Outer Demons that the Central Continent gradually began to open.

And the place Ye Qiu was heading to was exactly this Central Continent.

In this land, NPCs were unaware of the existence of “players.” There were no concepts such as the “Undying Clan” or “Outer Human Clan.” Yet, players could still receive quests there, and upon completion, the rewards in experience and attribute points were significantly greater than those offered by NPCs in the outside world!

It was completely different from the Eastern and Western Continents.

Only after version 2.0 launched and players set foot on the Central Continent did the average player level leap significantly.

Even Ye Qiu had gained ten to twenty levels on the Central Continent!

If the Eastern and Western Continents were the main storyline, then the Central Continent was like a dungeon questline, designed specifically to provide players with experience and attribute points.

At the Novice Village, Elder Xu was busy handling players who had just reached level 10 and needed to be teleported to a major city.

“First, pay the 1,000 gold coins to activate the teleportation array. Then line up in pairs and enter the formation…” he used a magical voice amplification charm to repeat these instructions to the crowd of players.

Meanwhile, he himself was sitting in a chair, sipping on wine and leisurely watching the level 10 players teleport away.

Each time the teleportation array flashed, a pair of players would be teleported. That’s 2,000 gold coins in the bag every 5 seconds.

A truly lucrative business!

“Grandpa Village Chief~!” At that moment, Ye Qiu approached.

Elder Xu had already noticed Ye Qiu but didn’t even lift his eyelids, casually saying, “What, you leaving the Novice Village too and heading to the city?”

Ye Qiu’s appearance caught the attention of many players.

In this Novice Village #0001, aside from the Elder Xu, Ye Qiu was the most discussed “NPC” among players!

On the forums, there were countless threads titled things like “Mysterious NPC” to attract clicks and traffic.

Other Novice Villages even started events to find similar “mysterious NPCs.” Some rich players even offered 100,000 yuan as a reward for finding one in their own village.

However, it seemed that only Novice Village #0001 had this cloaked mysterious NPC appearing occasionally.

No other villages had anyone like him.

Ye Qiu ignored the players’ stares and whispered to Elder Xu, “What kind of wine do you like? Sauce-fragrance? Strong-fragrance? Light? How about some grape wine?”

At this, Elder Xu finally opened his eyes, gave Ye Qiu a glance, and said, “Don’t just talk, where’s the wine?”

Ye Qiu pulled out a small glass of white liquor. 46% ABV Niulanshan Erguotou, costing only 14 yuan.

Elder Xu had initially looked indifferent, but the moment the wine was brought out, his nose twitched and his eyes lit up.

He immediately snatched it, took a deep breath, and downed it in one gulp!

Elder Xu not only liked alcohol, he was obsessed with it.

In Ye Qiu’s previous life, after the game merged with the real world, some clever players used modern Earth-made wines to curry favor with NPCs.

And it worked! Some players struck it big that way.

After finishing the drink, Elder Xu smacked his lips, savoring the taste.

“Just average,” he said, “Slightly stronger than my own brew.”

“You want more?” Ye Qiu quickly followed up and handed him another cup.

This time something a little better.

Elder Xu looked a bit surprised but drank it anyway.

This time, a subtle change came over his expression.

“What’s this wine called?” he asked casually.

Ye Qiu grinned. “Green Bottle Xifeng.”

That one cost over 50 yuan.

Elder Xu sat up straighter. “Got anything better? Bring it all out, stop being stingy!”

Ye Qiu just laughed and said, “I do have better ones. Lots, actually. But… they’re hard to come by, even for me.”

Elder Xu seemed to see through Ye Qiu’s game and said bluntly, “Say it. What do you want from me?”

He licked his lips, still reminiscing about the taste of the wine.

Ye Qiu chuckled internally.

As expected, Earth’s modern alcohols are unbeatable.

Even a powerful Sword Immortal who could split the heavens would fall to the charms of good liquor. And I hadn’t even brought out the Moutai, Wuliangye, or Fenjiu yet!

“I want to go to the Central Continent…” Ye Qiu lowered his voice.

But before he could finish the sentence, Elder Xu suddenly shot up from his chair and stared at him intensely.

His gaze was sharp and terrifying, like countless swords ready to pierce him.

Ye Qiu gulped nervously. That look was intimidating.

Fortunately, Elder Xu didn’t act further and calmly said, “Follow me.”

He then turned and walked deeper into the village.

Ye Qiu obediently followed.

With the two of them gone, the nearby players couldn’t help but gossip.

“Hey, what do you think that mysterious NPC wanted from the village chief? Maybe we can trigger a hidden quest if we follow them!”

“Why don’t you try?”

“Haha… no thanks.”

“Coward!”

“Hey, if an NPC gets mad, they really kill without blinking. Plenty of players have already died at the hands of the village chief!”

“By the way, I heard people who got teleported to the big cities are having a hard time!”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Some were forced to build city walls, others were enslaved to serve nobles, and a few accidentally joined vagrant groups and became bandits. Honestly… I kinda don’t want to go to the cities now!”

“Well, I heard a different version.”

“What version?”

“Just check the forums. Someone posted a video of a city called ‘Zhouxing City.’ It blew me away!”

“No way, this is a game?!”

“So breathtaking! It’s like traveling back to the golden age of the Tang Dynasty!”

“It’s like the second hometown I never knew I had!”

“I can’t wait to go to the cities now!”

The players’ attention quickly shifted to the forum, captivated by a video showing the interior of Zhouxing City.

Meanwhile, Elder Xu led Ye Qiu to a secluded clearing.

He raised his hand and formed a magical gesture. A barrier of light surrounded the two of them.

Then, he took out several talisman scrolls and placed them around the barrier to completely isolate them from the outside world.

Only then did he turn to Ye Qiu and ask seriously, “How do you know about the Central Continent?”

Ye Qiu had already prepared his excuse and response for this question…