Chapter 10: From Today On, Protecting Fu Bao
After a wail like tortured souls and howling wolves, the players gradually calmed down.
At moments like this, one had to maintain gentlemanly decorum and not act recklessly, or they might just turn Bai Fu’s favor from positive to negative.
These were lessons learned with blood.
On the first day the server went live, many players unfamiliar with the situation assumed that, like in other games, seeing a pretty NPC meant running over to cling.
But without exception, these players all got beaten up, and the NPC’s affection for them instantly dropped from 【Normal】 to 【Eyes that look at trash】.
Some players were harassing mere passerby NPCs—being disliked didn’t affect their gameplay.
Others suffered more—they messed with NPCs like the town’s “Chicken God” of Ximu, and as soon as these NPCs appeared, the entire newbie village swarmed to beat them up, forcing those players to delete their accounts and start over just to play normally.
After experiencing those events, players began paying serious attention to the “affection” value.
At this moment, a group in the livestream chat was debating just how much Bai Fu’s affection for the in‑scene players had risen.
“It was probably the normal 0 at first, but after what just happened, it’s probably over 20.”
“Only 20 points of affection and she’s treating them like that—what happens at 80 or 90?”
“Ha, I’m just guessing. Maybe affection is even higher than 20.”
“Anyone here learned Recon skills? Check it out.”
The Excavation‑Princess and others exchanged looks.
In‑game Recon skills weren’t automatically available—they had to be learned, and from server launch until now, none of them had taken that path.
But the problem was solved quickly.
While they exchanged glances, more players arrived.
One female player in particular, called 【Calamity Dragon】, stood out.
Despite the fierce name, her appearance, hairstyle, and accessories were all cute.
Her softly curled pink bob stood out normally in a sea of afros, Saiyan tails, and starfish hairdos.
“I’m here, I’m here—it’s not late, I’m right on time!”
“Wait, you have Recon skills?”
“Lucky, super lucky.” Calamity Dragon laughed heartily.
“Go, go, go—onto the front row! Let me see!”
Calamity Dragon was thus pushed to the front row.
In that moment, the world seemed to stop, and everyone watched, waiting for her Recon results.
Whoosh!
Calamity Dragon cast a Recon skill.
Then she shared the detected info with Excavation‑Princess, who posted it in the livestream chat.
【Name】: Bai Fu
【Template】: ?
【Main Class】: ?
【Sub Class】: ?
【HP】: ?
【Stats】: ?
【Skills】: ?
【Talents】: ?
【Affection】: Cherished as a Treasure (82)
【Danger Level】: Red 4
When the results appeared, everyone except Bai Fu was stunned.
“Do…do my eyes deceive me?”
“You’re seeing it right—82, really 82! Even if you don’t know what those numbers mean, ‘Cherished as a Treasure’ is clear—it means Fu Fu treats us like treasured gems!”
“Get out, get out—Fu Fu treasures Excavation‑Princess and her crew, not you lurkers watching the livestream.”
“I’m so jealous—why wasn’t I at the abandoned Cooling Plant? I also want to enjoy Fu Bao’s love!”
“No way, that has to be fake. How can it be that high? That’s 82! A few more points and it’ll be at the ‘intimate’ level. There’s no way helping Bai Fu once could raise it that much. It must be a bug—definitely a bug!”
The players in the livestream chat began arguing fiercely about whether it was a bug.
Those who believed it wasn’t a bug had solid reasoning, and naturally gained the upper hand in the argument.
“Are you all stupid? Fu Fu is clearly a kind-hearted person. Plus, she doesn’t know we can revive. Think about it—if someone like her saw us die for her, how could her affection not skyrocket?”
“Damn, that makes sense! If an NPC died for me, my affection for them would soar too!”
“Fu Bao, my treasure, how are you so adorable?”
“Gross.”
Watching the players’ discussion and the displayed Recon data, Bai Fu couldn’t help but quietly give a thumbs up.
That Recon skill really knew how to read people!
If you asked whether she disliked players—of course not.
If you asked whether she considered players treasures—well duh. They helped her with quests, praised her, showered her with gold coins. If she didn’t treat these players as “treasures,” what else could she possibly treat as such?
Right now, she only regretted not having more treasures, or she’d ascend on the spot.
With that thought, she suddenly said, “What’s wrong with you all? Why aren’t you moving?”
Her puzzled voice instantly snapped Excavation‑Princess and the others out of it.
Now wasn’t the time for livestream drama—Bai Fu was still standing right in front of them.
“It’s like this,” Excavation‑Princess quickly explained, “we talked it over and we can’t take this money.”
“Yeah, right, right, we really can’t take it.”
“Sis Fu Fu, don’t worry about us. You should go tend to your wounds.”
The players all chimed in.
Bai Fu frowned. “No, you have to take this money or I’ll get mad!”
If you don’t take it, how will I tell Martin I was late and you guys took the lion’s share?
If I don’t say that, how do I pocket most of the money I got from Big Bro Biao?
Bai Fu had already planned it out—the 【Debt Repayment】 quest only said to collect as much as possible, but didn’t specify how much “as much” was. So if she dumped the blame on the players, then gave Martin a little to get rid of him, it’d all work out.
“This…”
Excavation‑Princess and the others clearly hadn’t expected Bai Fu to be so insistent.
After repeatedly trying and failing to refuse, they finally accepted Bai Fu’s gesture in silence.
Now that they had the money, from today onward they’d serve as Fu Bao’s protectors!
Excavation‑Princess even started preparing to write an article in the community forums.
That’s more like it.
Bai Fu was very satisfied with the players’ reaction.
She had eliminated her enemies, gained money, experience, and tons of popularity, and the players received emotional value from her—it was a bright future for all!
“I should’ve helped you bury your fallen comrades, so their souls could return to the stars, but…” Bai Fu clutched her chest and sighed. “The commotion here will soon attract attention. For safety, you should leave like I will.”
Patrick Star hurriedly asked, “Then where can we find you if we need you?”
Bai Fu paused her steps but didn’t look back.
“When we first met, I told you—some things are better left unknown. But you still came close anyway.”
She paused, seemingly composing herself, and after a while, she continued:
“I hope next time we meet, you’re as safe and well as you are now.”
Bai Fu left.
Bathed in the sunset glow, her back looked both lonely and dignified.
The players were momentarily entranced.
Not until Bai Fu vanished did Calamity Dragon scratch her head and ask, “So does this mean Bai Fu agreed to let us seek her out?”
Patrick Star nodded. “Looks like she gave in because we pestered her too much.”
“Yay!”
The surrounding players erupted in cheers.
Relentless pestering might be shameless, but it really worked—they could keep farming affection now!
“Let’s go too.”
The players, in small groups of two or three, left while laughing and joking, leaving the long-dead Big Bro Biao behind.
They felt like they’d absolutely crushed it today.
Not only did they win Bai Fu’s favor, but after defeating Big Bro Biao, they earned far more experience than from grinding bricks.
Some lucky players even picked up weapons—it was insanely satisfying.
Even the battle-maniac player Black Tiger Afu, who normally didn’t care about Bai Fu’s looks or status, was grinning from ear to ear.
Alright, alright—next time, he was definitely sticking with Excavation‑Princess to latch onto Bai Fu’s golden thigh!