[Trial Countdown: 2 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds.]
A red floating countdown window appeared before Jiang Ye.
Every second, the numbers on it flipped, from large to small.
This was the most tense moment Jiang Ye had experienced since playing games.
Her heart pounded, her mind raced, as she opened the game's level rankings and filtered through the players she knew and understood.
Ah Xing and Yuchi Xi were a must. They had played dungeons together before, had chemistry, and were familiar enough. But Yu Chi didn't know about the relationship between A Leaf Boat and the island, so she had to guard against her identity being revealed.
And Ah Xing...
If he came, but A Leaf Boat didn't.
Jiang Ye had no doubt that someone would start connecting A Leaf Boat and 'Streamer So Poor Won't Chat's' identity.
For example, some people who had been paying attention to A Leaf Boat from the beginning.
Hmm, this was trouble.
At the same time, if she could recruit from the top ten of the level rankings, that would be ideal.
The first place was her, but her combat power was uncertain for this dungeon, so she temporarily ignored it.
The second place was 'Sleepyhead', Jiang Ye hadn't interacted with him, she didn't know him.
The third place was an old acquaintance, Chun Deng Luan. This guy, although he had always indirectly probed for her information before, perhaps from some organization or with other intentions, he had paid for her live stream multiple times. She was familiar with him, so she had some understanding. Although inviting him carried risks, he was more controllable than others.
Looking further down, the remaining two acquaintances were 'I'm Super Fierce' and 'Xian Feng'.
One was a frequent visitor to her live stream, the other was the guy who last made Ji Shanshui quit the game and then offered his allegiance to her.
Jiang Ye frowned slightly, contemplating.
She opened her chat history with Xian Feng, carefully examining the content, then observed Xian Feng's account, and finally searched his ID on the forum.
Based on the available information, Xian Feng was likely a professional player.
Or at least, he had a group of people he could command.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to disgust Ji Shanshui to the point of quitting the game through such bizarre methods.
Recruiting him was a good choice.
But if she wanted to proactively ask him to bring some people to participate, it would be best to use A Leaf Boat's identity.
Because only by using the information points A Leaf Boat possessed could she deduce the conclusion she just made.
Jiang Ye quickly organized her thoughts in her mind and realized that the success of this dungeon and the quality of the team depended entirely on herself.
Everything revolved around A Leaf Boat.
Due to the matters she had caused in the game in the early stages, A Leaf Boat was quite well-known and had sufficient appeal. If A Leaf Boat joined the recruitment, the participation of any other player would not seem strange to others.
Furthermore, A Leaf Boat had posted dungeon guides on the forum, and new players were still using the guides to clear the 'Hunt the Deep Mountain Wolf' hidden instance.
In the eyes of most people, the name A Leaf Boat had two most important labels.
The top-ranked god-like player and a player skilled in dungeons and writing guides.
Combined, these would undoubtedly allow A Leaf Boat to become the commander in a messy, haphazard team of fifteen people.
Regardless of anything else, Jiang Ye was determined to control the command of this trial dungeon.
After all, this was her own island!
She couldn't rest assured entrusting the decision-making power at a critical moment for the island's survival to someone else.
This meant she had to participate in the dungeon herself!
Going in circles, it all came back to the original problem.
How to have A Leaf Boat and 'Streamer So Poor Won't Chat' appear simultaneously?
Jiang Ye hoped for a forum search, wanting to see if anyone on the First Server's West Continent could find such a magical item. After searching, she found no information at all.
Just as Jiang Ye was at a loss, she noticed Fan Xiaoche and He Xiaoshang nearby, who were forced to play house with Nata Shark.
Nata Shark was holding a wooden stick tied into a stick figure and proudly said, "I'm the mommy. Mommy is going to hunt in the sea now!"
--!
Jiang Ye had a flash of inspiration, opened her backpack, and clicked on the doll she had drawn before but found useless.
This time, the item's information was no longer unreadable due to insufficient level.
Everything appeared before Jiang Ye.
Item: [God's Puppet] (Unused) (Unbound)
Level: 1
Effect: Can create a puppet after use, which the player can set to perform as they wish. Usage duration is 3 hours, with a cooldown of 24 hours. The puppet's combat power is 0, please use with caution.
Description: A little figure tied with wood by Nuwa when she was creating humans. Unlike the lucky mud splashes, it has no self-awareness and can only be used through spiritual projection.
This seemingly useless item solved Jiang Ye's urgent problem.
Without hesitation, she used the item. While binding it, she copied the data of her streamer avatar onto the puppet.
Then, she dug a hole in the ground and, according to the item's usage instructions, planted the doll in the soil.
As Jiang Ye waited anxiously, fifteen minutes later, a stick figure gradually grew from the soil.
Its appearance was exactly the same as the streamer 'Streamer So Poor Won't Chat'.
Even Jiang Ye herself found it difficult to distinguish the difference.
Jiang Ye tried to control the puppet with her spiritual power to speak and perform basic actions.
After repeated adjustments and confirmations, Jiang Ye felt that this puppet could be put to use.
At least, it would be enough to fool others before the dungeon started.
As for the puppet disappearing after 3 hours and needing a 24-hour cooldown before it could be used again...
Although Jiang Ye had a plan, she wasn't sure if it would succeed 100%, so she could only comfort herself, thinking that a solution would present itself when the time came. She would just charge ahead for now!
With the items prepared and everything in place, all that was missing was the final push.
Jiang Ye started her live stream first. After a brief introduction of the situation, she posted the recruitment notice and specifically invited 'I'm Super Fierce' and 'Chun Deng Luan'.
I'm Super Fierce: γMeow??? What's going on!γ
Chun Deng Luan: γThis means we can go to the island, right?γ
"Yes," Jiang Ye replied, "This dungeon will take place on the island."
With her words, others became envious.
Whether they played games or not, they were all envious.
If only they had worked harder in the game! Perhaps with a high enough level, they too would have been invited by the streamer to participate in the recruitment!
Chun Deng Luan: γI agree. Is it just us?γ
"Of course not, I need a total of 15 people," Jiang Ye explained, "In a while, there should be a notification in the game interface."
I'm Super Fierce: γMe too! I want to come too!γ
"Yes," Jiang Ye said with a smile, "I specifically invited you."
Three minutes later, after the system reviewed and loaded Jiang Ye's recruitment, a message was posted in Jiang Ye's live stream and the world channel.
[System: Island Owner has issued an urgent quest recruitment to you. Interested individuals, please participate immediately.]
[World Β· Gossip Little New: What's going on with this!]
[World Β· Drizzle: Could this island owner be the one I'm thinking of? The island of the super popular streamer recently?]
[World Β· Just Watching Not Talking: Why can't I click the 'Join Recruitment' button!]
[World Β· A Leaf Boat: I can.]
[World Β· Drizzle: Catching with a Master Ball!]
[World Β· A Leaf Boat: It might be a targeted recruitment.]
After stirring up the waters in the world channel, Jiang Ye put on a show in her live stream, appearing as the stick figure.
"Great! I see the big boss A Leaf Boat has accepted my recruitment," Jiang Ye said, feigning extreme joy, "So the big boss also watches my live stream."
γThe dimensional wall has broken! My favorite streamer and the big boss I admire the most are actually going to meet!γ
γWahahaha! So exciting!γ
Chun Deng Luan saw this scene and thought about how he and Lu Jingsui had initially speculated about a connection between A Leaf Boat and the streamer... Now, it seemed utterly absurd.
After Jiang Ye finished her act, she turned off the live stream.
Ah Xing, who was online, immediately sent her a private message.
[Private Chat Β· Young Master With Money: What's going on? Aren't the streamer and Yi Ye Zhou both you?]
[Private Chat Β· A Leaf Boat: I'll explain later. I'll send a message in the small group with Yu Chi later, inviting you and him to the island recruitment. Remember to play along.]
[Private Chat Β· Young Master With Money: No problem at all.]
While dealing with this, Jiang Ye sent a message to Xian Feng.
[Private Chat Β· A Leaf Boat: Hello, are you there? I need your help with something.]
The other party replied instantly.
[Private Chat Β· Xian Feng: Yes!]
[Private Chat Β· A Leaf Boat: Is voice chat convenient?]
[Private Chat Β· Xian Feng: It's my honor!]
Jiang Ye made a call, explained the situation, and expressed her hope that Xian Feng could find a few reliable players to participate, preferably ones he knew well and had cooperated with before.
Xian Feng readily agreed.
"Do you want any specific reward?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No need," Xian Feng replied, "Playing a dungeon with a big boss like you is the best promotion for me. Besides, a recruitment for a hidden instance like this must have rewards! Even if there aren't, being able to come to the island for a visit isn't a loss. I'll go find people. Big boss, wait for my news."
Xian Feng was quick-witted and efficient. He soon told Jiang Ye that he, along with his friends, could gather five people.
These five people were Xian Feng's regular team, all of whom had transferred classes and had balanced professions.
One shield, three offense, and one healer, with cooperative experience.
Jiang Ye calculated, and including herself, there were now ten people.
She was a melee DPS with summoning for AOE and crowd control. Ah Xing had transferred to shield, his skill level unknown.
Yuchi Xi used a bow, a ranged shooter. Jiang Ye remembered his aim was good.
As for 'I'm Super Fierce' and 'Chun Deng Luan', Jiang Ye learned through private chats with them on her streamer account that both were DPS players.
Two-thirds of the 15 slots were filled, so the remaining five people needed to be found carefully.
Ideally, a reliable healer and shield.
If Jiang Ye's alternate accounts couldn't be online simultaneously, she would have opened two accounts herself.
Unfortunately, Jiang Ye had to close the targeted recruitment and open up five slots.
As time ticked away, Jiang Ye browsed through the profiles of some of the recruitment applications while using A Leaf Boat's account to invite everyone to a small group chat.
"Hello everyone, I am A Leaf Boat. The streamer told me that we are currently short five people, and we need some strong shields and healers. Does anyone know or recommend anyone?"
'I'm Super Fierce' was a loner. As soon as she entered the team chat, she pretended to be dead. Not closing voice chat was her last bit of politeness.
She was different from other players who admired A Leaf Boat. She didn't worship strength. Therefore, when A Leaf Boat spoke, she remained silent.
"I've found the people I can find," Xian Feng's youthful voice came through.
"Sorry..." Yuchi Xi said, "I don't know anyone."
"I know someone," Chun Deng Luan said after some thought, "Let me ask."
"Okay," Jiang Ye replied.
After a while, after Jiang Ye confirmed the information of the three people sent by Chun Deng Luan, she found their corresponding player applications and agreed to their joining.
Jiang Ye looked at the players who joined.
Qian Shan Ye, Level 17 Shield.
Jin Luyi, Level 20 Healer.
The last one was a heavyweight DPS.
His ID was 'Sleepyhead', the very person she had surpassed on the leaderboard.
This way, two more people were needed.
Jiang Ye was helpless and re-scanned the list of applicants, picking a healer and a DPS with decent levels to join the team.
With the 15 people assembled, Jiang Ye initiated the island teleportation invitation.
In the game, 'I'm Super Fierce' guarded the respawn point and killed 'Old Man With Lots of Hair', whom she had painstakingly paid someone to help her play the game for. She sneered and disappeared from the spot.
Chun Deng Luan watched the men before him. He waited for Qian Shan Ye to finish his last sip of tea, for 'Sleepyhead' to finish his yawn, and for Jin Luyi to pick out a skirt and change clothes before they all teleported away together.
Xian Feng completed his last proxy play right on time. After sending the items to the boss, he set off with his studio friends.
When they arrived, Jiang Ye had already turned off the stick figure effect and, in A Leaf Boat's identity, appeared on the island with Ah Xing and Yuchi Xi who had arrived earlier.
As soon as 'I'm Super Fierce' arrived on the island, intending to maintain her cool persona and stand aloof to the side, her gaze swept across the crowd and she froze completely.
...That black-haired older sister, wasn't she the one who helped her back then?
'I'm Super Fierce' instantly blushed, fidgeting in place, unsure whether to step forward and say hello.
Did the other person recognize her?
But how to say hello?
She didn't even know the older sister's name.
While 'I'm Super Fierce' was scratching randomly at a coconut tree by herself, Jiang Ye had already noticed her.
She hadn't expected such a coincidence.
Jiang Ye smiled and walked towards the cat-eared girl who had her back to her.
"Hello, I am A Leaf Boat."
"I don't care about A Leaf Boat, I'm very busy right now, you betterβ" 'I'm Super Fierce' turned around fiercely and saw the woman before her, stunned.
Her large cat eyes blinked.
Her pink ears turned red.
"Sister?"
ββββββ
When everyone else had arrived, 'I'm Super Fierce' was holding Jiang Ye's wrist, petting her head.
This usually fierce and independent little cat turned into a clingy house cat in front of Jiang Ye.
Her long white cat tail wagged.
Every time she was petted, 'I'm Super Fierce' closed her eyes comfortably, almost purring.
Jiang Ye hadn't felt the joy of petting a cat for a long time, so she couldn't help but reach out to the fluffy top of 'I'm Super Fierce's' head and rubbed it for a long time.
When Chun Deng Luan arrived, he saw this scene and frowned slightly.
What was going on?
And... was that cat-dressed girl the 'I'm Super Fierce' who had been battling her in the live stream room?
Was this guy intentionally buying the beastfolk costume, or was it his actual appearance?
Qian Shan Ye glanced at Chun Deng Luan, who immediately nodded and stepped forward to greet Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye stopped petting the cat and smiled at everyone.
"Hello, I am A Leaf Boat."
The gazes of the remaining fourteen people couldn't help but linger on her as she spoke.
A Leaf Boat.
Was this the mysterious player who had reached first place on the level rankings from the start, rarely appeared in the game, and whom few people had seen?
She was completely different from what they had imagined.
Whether it was the matter of the hidden dungeon before, or A Leaf Boat publicly punishing 'Old Man With Lots of Hair', the impression this special player left on everyone was only three words: not to be trifled with.
But the woman standing before them now, with flowing black hair, wearing a slightly ethereal-looking skirt outfit, her skirt swaying with the wind.
She stood in the sea breeze, her smiling greeting as warm as the sun on the sea at this moment.
She was a person who looked easy to get along with and comfortable to be around.
Could such a person be A Leaf Boat?
Everyone present made their own judgments.
Only Ah Xing and Yuchi Xi exchanged glances. They read the same sentence in each other's eyes.
"Look, more people are fooled by this guy's appearance."
If anyone was most deceived, it was undoubtedly 'I'm Super Fierce'.
After learning that the beautiful older sister who had helped her was A Leaf Boat, 'I'm Super Fierce' completely changed her perception of the player A Leaf Boat.
As expected of a beautiful and kind sister...
She was actually ranked first on the level leaderboard!
So amazing!
After initial greetings and self-introductions, they officially formed a team.
Jiang Ye looked at the current team situation.
Xian Feng's team was lively. Several people were clearly old friends, always having something to talk about when they gathered. Although it was a bit noisy, it reminded Jiang Ye of the troublemaking friends she had met in the keyboard warrior era.
Besides Xian Feng, the female shield in the team caught Jiang Ye's attention. For some reason, Jiang Ye always felt a similar aura from her as from 'I'm Super Fierce'.
But saying this out loud felt a bit far-fetched and subtle.
This was just a fleeting thought in Jiang Ye's mind. She couldn't quite clarify this thought and could only attribute it to intuition.
Although her level wasn't high, her equipment was good. Sensing Jiang Ye's gaze, she looked over and greeted Jiang Ye.
Compared to Xian Feng's group of lively companions gathering for a dungeon, Chun Deng Luan's group looked more serious.
Everyone was silent, and everyone was reluctant to speak.
Jiang Ye observed and quickly noticed that although 'Sleepyhead' had the highest level, Chun Deng Luan was clearly following the orders of the person named Qian Shan Ye.
This person also seemed very wealthy.
The blue gem pendant on his ear was shining even brighter than the sea surface under the sun.
Qian Shan Ye met Jiang Ye's probing gaze and, as if intentionally, tilted his head slightly, revealing the side with the earring more to Jiang Ye.
The sunlight seemed to be drawn, falling down and sparkling.
Qian Shan Ye smiled.
Jiang Ye faked a smile, thinking: Show-off.
Besides this group, Jiang Ye also noticed the two players temporarily picked.
One was named 'Junlin Tianxia', with a fierce gaze and a silent demeanor, standing outside the crowd.
For some reason, Jiang Ye felt this ID was particularly familiar.
The other player was a male healer, named 'Feng Wu Yao Ji', who indeed had a standard tough guy face.
Jiang Ye couldn't help but suspect that this guy might not have known at the time that the game didn't allow gender changes, so he tried to create a cross-dressing account.
After familiarizing herself with and confirming all her teammates, Jiang Ye had a plan in mind.
Feng Wu Yao Ji was seeing so many top players for the first time, looking from one to another, his eyes dazzled.
Standing beside him was 'Junlin Tianxia'. Despite his domineering name, he was just a teenager. He had a stern face, his fierce gaze fixed on several important people.
Xian Feng, Chun Deng Luan, 'Sleepyhead', A Leaf Boat.
All of them were on the level leaderboard.
"What's going on now?" Xian Feng was impatient. After talking for a while without noticing any movement, he turned to ask A Leaf Boat. He had subconsciously regarded A Leaf Boat as the one in charge.
"I don't know, where's the streamer?" Jiang Ye asked.
Actually, she wanted to ask that too...
What's going on now!!
Why did the operation of the puppet, which had been practiced well just now, seem to have run into a problem?
Jiang Ye pursed her lips and projected her spiritual power onto the puppet.
Just as she felt like her entire being was being hollowed out, she realized that the puppet finally moved.
The door of the wooden hut on the island was pushed open.
A figure walked out from inside.
"Holy crap! Streamer!" 'I'm Super Fierce' exclaimed, "You're actually a stick figure?"
Jiang Ye glanced at the excited little cat beside her and spoke through the voice changer using the stick figure.
"Welcome everyone to my island."
"I'll leave everything else to you from now on."
"I cannot participate in this mission, but as the client, I will always be watching you and sending you my blessings."
Jiang Ye spoke casually.
"Now, to ensure that this recruitment mission is successfully completed, I want to select a representative from among you. Perhaps, do you have any opinions?"
After saying this through the puppet's body, Jiang Ye fell silent.
She was now extremely grateful that she had made her appearance a stick figure when creating her character.
Compared to humans, stick figures don't have so many intricate expressions and mannerisms.
They are simple to control, and any situation is less likely to attract attention.
Everyone was silent for a moment after hearing the island owner say this, digesting the information.
"It should definitely be the big boss," Xian Feng said enthusiastically, as A Leaf Boat's number one lackey, "The big boss is the highest ranked among us, and she also provided the previous dungeon guides. If the big boss isn't the representative, who else would be?"
"Right!"
"A Leaf Boat! A Leaf Boat!"
"If everyone trusts me, I am willing to try," Jiang Ye said with a smile.
"Do you have any objections?" the puppet said.
Jiang Ye felt like she was drowning in work.
After everyone shook their heads in unison, Jiang Ye, through the puppet's mouth, expressed that the role of representative would be given to A Leaf Boat.
"Player A Leaf Boat, you will receive the blessing of the Island Owner."
"May the sea be with you."
"Thank you."
After Jiang Ye finished her double-cast monologue, she operated the button to start the trial.
Formally entering the ten-second countdown!
The puppet smiled at everyone.
"Well then, I wish you good luck. I will be here, waiting for your return."
Other players were enthusiastically saying goodbye to the island owner. 'I'm Super Fierce' was still babbling about how she must eat the streamer's cooking after the mission was completed. Only Jiang Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She waited until the moment everyone disappeared in a burst of teleportation light before recalling her dispersed spiritual power.
She wasn't sure if it was her illusion, but she felt as if someone had looked at her as everyone vanished in a wave of teleportation light.
When Jiang Ye looked in the direction of the gaze, only a flash of blue passed by.
Was it Qian Shan Ye?
Before Jiang Ye could think, in the next moment, she and the other players had entered the island trial dungeon together.
And the puppet, now like a soulless fool, stood there blankly.
Ming Lian turned off his invisibility and stood beside the puppet.
His silver eyes stared in the direction the crowd had disappeared.
He sensed a familiar power.
Ming Lian looked up at the sky.
It was going to rain on the island again.
Dark clouds had already gathered, making the entire sky dim.
Ming Lian raised his hand, carried the puppet, and walked towards the eaves of the hut.
If Jiang Ye wasn't here, it would be bad if the stick figure got wet.
This rain came quite suddenly, as if foreshadowing an impending danger.
-- The Mermaid's Trial.
Now, Jiang Ye and the others who had been teleported away were on a large ship.
The wooden ship's sails billowed in the wind.
Jiang Ye glanced at herself and the surrounding players, realizing they were all uniformly dressed in fisherman's clothes.
"What are you all standing around for?" a domineering voice rang out.
Jiang Ye looked up. A guy was sitting at the top of the ship, holding a whip and cracking it down at them.
"Get to work! Prepare to cast the nets!"
"If you don't catch those things today, I'll cut you all up and feed you to the dogs!"
The fat-headed, big-eared man, adorned with gold and jewelry, exuded wealth.
His nameplate above his head read 'Jin Wanyin'.
In the team voice chat, Xian Feng was speaking.
"Is this a Scenario Immersive Raid?" Xian Feng asked.
"Not sure, let's adapt," Jiang Ye replied.
"This person should not be an attack target for now," Chun Deng Luan said, "His name is white."
"Story mode," Qian Shan Ye replied concisely.
Jiang Ye observed the situation.
Until she saw a woman appear, holding an infant.
The woman seemed reluctant, kissing the infant's cheek.
The infant giggled.
Little did she know what awaited her.
The woman picked up a knife and cut her infant's arm.
She held the child up, and the blood flowed down, dripping into the sea.
"Holy crap, is this the mother?" Xian Feng exclaimed in the team voice chat, "What is this operation?"
"Bait," Kun Wu replied, "They want to attract something by doing this."
"A monster?" Xian Feng frowned, "Are we going to fight a monster soon? Is this the first part of the dungeon quest?"
No one answered him.
Because at this moment, no one had the leisure to answer him.
The ship was being violently impacted.
A giant tentacle stretched out, snatching away the crying infant.
And Jin Wanyin grinned.
"It's here! It's here!"
"Keep feeding the child! Others! Cast the nets! Prepare to hunt!"
"This sea monster might sell for a lot!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a pop-up window appeared before Jiang Ye.
[System: Now, please make your choice.]
"Wait! Don't move!" Jiang Ye quickly called out, stopping her teammates, "Did you see that?"
"Choose... choose what? Do we still have a choice?" Feng Wu Yao Ji asked blankly.