The Great Thief

Just like how it was nice to sit under a shady tree, it was very relaxing doing quests with Hachi Chan.

Bilgewhizzle looked at the Divino-matic Rod with surprise and praised Hachi Chan, completely disregarding the players that had followed her.

After a wordy speech of gratitude, Hachi Chan took another five or six quests from Bilgewhizzle and everyone acquired an EXP bonus.

The EXP was actually a decent amount and it even made Lu Li’s EXP bar jump. This was the first and only time that he would award that kind of EXP.

Hachi Chan also received a mechanical squirrel that looked quite cute.

Her luck was rather good, but it was far from game-breaking. Things like this mechanical squirrel had no effect on her strength.

However, Hachi Chan really liked it and was happier than when she received equipment.

As they walked around Gadgetzan looking at the Desert Science and Technological facilities, they were also tried to trigger a quest that would give them a lot EXP.

Lu Li suddenly received a private message from a weekly publication company.

This kind of large-scale media company worked with Dawn’s creators and communicated through special channels. Most players couldn’t pretend to do this.

With that in mind, the person he was going to talk to probably wasn’t a scammer. But why were they looking for him?

The Gaming Weekly representative was very polite. After a formal greeting he asked, ”Great Guru Lu Li, can you please write a strategy for the Zul’Farrak Instance Dungeon? We will do our best to create a following for you.”

Lu Li suddenly realized what this was.

The gaming Media seemed to have realized that strategies were a large and potentially profitable product, so they were starting to try and carve up a market for it.

Regardless of whether they were the media or a social platform, the ultimate goal was to gain more users. Gaming Weekly was a magazine that was based electronically, but once upon a time, they had provided physical magazines.

They wanted Lu Li to write a hot strategy for their magazine that would attract users to subscribe for the information.

In exchange, they would also promote Lu Li and Ruling Sword. They might even conduct an interview one of the key members of the club. After all, the magazines required content to fill them.

”Why didn’t you ask Drizzle Court? They got the First Clear.” Lu Li had read a lot of strategies in the past, but it would be difficult for him to write one. He didn’t have time to dabble in something like this, especially something as unsubstantial as a magazine.

”Uh… Water Fairy told me to ask you.” The representative at Gaming Weekly was having a hard time too.

It appeared that he had been thrown under the bus. Lu Li squatted before a man on the streets of Gadgetzan and looked at his meagre merchandise before rudely saying, ”There isn’t actually a strategy for Zul’Farrak. It’s just a very difficult dungeon…”

”Heavens, not this again,” the representative who was called ‘Gaming Weekly’ lamented, then continued with some resentment, ”Great Guru Lu Li, we have come to you in good faith to talk to you. Can you at least show some respect?”

”Oh, sorry. Let me be a little more serious,” Lu Li said. He rubbed his hands on a piece of pottery only to find that it was too rough.

He wasn’t an antique enthusiast – there were few decorations in his house. It was only his sister who would bring home such boring things. He was going to collect a few strange items so he could tell her some stories to make her happy.

”Although this is the first time we are doing this, our Boss is very confident in this idea and we intend to do whatever it takes to make sure it goes well,” Gaming Weekly promised.

”Alright, I accept. But go and discuss it with Square Root 3.” Lu Li wasn’t really interested.

Gaming Weekly wasn’t disappointed as his purpose had been achieved.

As to whether Ruling Sword could offer the best strategy was besides the point. Many people were going to read their weekly magazine to find out the Instance Dungeon Strategy.

Of course, the strategy wouldn’t be given away for free. Gaming Weekly was bound to pay a certain price and Square Root 3 would negotiate that with him. Lu Li wasn’t going to worry about something like that.

His current attention was being drawn to a small bottle in his hand.

A Noggenfogger Elixir?

The reason he recognized this was because he had bought this potion in his previous life. He had purchased it for a small fee of 1 gold, and it could have one of three effects. The first was to transform into a skeleton, the second was to become smaller and the third was to become lighter. These three effects could be stacked and had a duration of only 10 minutes.

If you became smaller, you could squeeze into spaces that you couldn’t before. If you were lighter, then falling would deal less damage.

As for the skeleton, in addition to being able to breath underwater permanently, you could look more handsome, cooler and more eye catching…

In his previous life, there were many players who bought this potion for its effects, but even more players bought this potion purely for the skeleton model.

”Sir, I’m thirsty. Can I have some water to drink?” the Goblin NPC that was leaning on the wall asked with a sickly look.

This was the opposite of the tycoon Goblin that Lu Li remembered from his past life.

Speaking of tycoons, who else was more of a tycoon than Mr. Marin Noggenfogger?

He was the only supplier of Tanaris. In the process of conquering Gadgetzan from the Trolls of Zul’Farrak, he had visited the Caverns of Time and explored Uldum in the south, then travelled to the Forest of Un’goro in the west and resisted the Silithus swarms. There was also the Hot Sand Group which controlled the Swampy towns in Theramore’s Fall, the Winterspring Forevertown, as well as parts of Rattan City in the Barrenlands. It was difficult to estimate his true presence in the market, but it was definitely sky high.

Lu Li wasn’t sure if Mr. Marin had bought the Hot Sand Group, but was certain that he had been slowly making his way into Gadgetzan the moment Lu Li started playing the game. Mr. Marin had already become the spokesperson for this city.

His most common line was, ”I represent the distinguished Hot Sand Group and I sincerely hope you have a good stay here. Remember that all are welcome at my Gadgetzan, all except pirates…”

He was so arrogant at that time, which was quite different to how things were now.

Lu Li suddenly took interest in this famous place and took many glances at the little Goblin before him that was about to die. It was definitely the future Gadgetzan tycoon.

Marin Noggenfogger was horrified by what he saw.

”This adventurer doesn’t have some weird hobby, right? I’ve been so weak recently that I won’t be able to resist…”

”What is this rubbish that you have here?” Lu Li asked as he threw a potion and smashed a jar.