I Just Want Players to Save Money, They Insist on Giving Me!
Chapter 176 - 82: Recharge for a Better Gaming Experience!_3

Chapter 176: Chapter 82: Recharge for a Better Gaming Experience!_3

No longer did they attack the little Knight,

whenever the little Knight passed by.

They would press their claws to their chests, bow their heads, and salute, sending the little Knight off into the distance.

This feeling was great, and Wang Laoju’s previous torture that had almost led to a breakdown was instantly gone, like smoke dissipating into thin air.

Leaving Mantis Village loaded with honor, Geo, and the reward of the amulet,

the passage to the left was opened, and continuing on, he arrived at the Queen’s Post area.

Glancing at the computer time,

he discovered that almost four hours had unknowingly passed since the stream started.

From the initial skepticism,

to getting more involved,

to being on the brink of collapse,

and now, he was deeply impressed by Designer Ke’s astonishing control over the game.

He designed the overall pace of the game so well!

Moreover, other action games often become dull over time due to poor storytelling, making monotonous gameplay directly proportional to the length of time played.

The longer it goes, the more tedious it becomes.

In contrast, this game, although the moves are simple, and even now with the unlocking of the Cut Down, Soul Blast, Dash, and a series of abilities, the gameplay still revolves around three core button positions.

The key is, the more the player experiences, the more surprises they find. Every NPC they meet, even each opponent, and the world view hidden in the background, leave a lasting impression.

Take the bank he passed by just when entering the Queen’s Post area, for example,

Wang Laoju couldn’t help but admire Designer Ke’s awe-inspiring creativity.

He actually added a bank mechanic to this game!

You see, what’s the most annoying thing for players up to now?

It’s retrieving their corpse, over and over again.

What’s even more annoying than retrieving a corpse?

Not retrieving it properly.

In places with longer distances and no save points, the entire corpse retrieval process is doubtlessly nerve-wracking.

Because if you die again before you get your Geo back, that sum of money will completely disappear.

Geo has a lot of uses in Hollow,

for maps, fast travel posts, buying amulets, as well as upgrading the health/Soul Quantity limits.

Sometimes, due to complex terrain that’s out of your control, you can’t spend it right away and end up carrying several thousand Geo, a huge amount.

If you fail to retrieve your corpse due to a misstep,

you’d feel like smashing the computer.

Designer Ke clearly thought of this, too,

and considerately set up a bank right in the middle of Queen’s Post.

Players can deposit all the Geo they’re carrying, all at once!

They can come back and withdraw it when needed.

This is just too thoughtful!

Wang Laoju hurriedly handed over the 5000+ Geo he had painstakingly accumulated to the NPC managing the bank.

Unfortunately, he could only deposit 4500, and for the first time, Wang Laoju felt he had too much money on him.

Quickly finishing the deposit, his pockets were empty, but his heart was settled.

On the road again!

This time, he passed through a Fungus Wasteland.

Using the newly acquired Mantis Claw, he climbed a wall that had previously been insurmountable.

Finally, he arrived at a brand-new area.

City of Tears

As soon as he stepped into the city, Wang Laoju was immediately attracted by its exquisite architecture.

Unlike other areas with their decay and ruin, or nothing but dirt tunnels looking extremely impoverished,

this City of Tears had an insectile architecture that was beautiful and classical.

Moreover, true to its name, it was constantly drizzling, like the tears of the heavens falling without end.

In addition, there were three large elevators moving up and down automatically, surrounding the city in an encircling manner.

The elevators provided access in all directions, almost reaching all surrounding areas.

This was starkly different from before, where players had to manually travel, creating a world of difference.

"It seems that this must be the very center of power in the Holy Nest. To be able to build a city of this level indicates that the insect race in the city center must have obtained a certain level of civilization. We’re probably getting closer to the truth behind the decay of the Holy Nest," explained Wang Laoju while wandering around in the City of Tears.

Soon, a statue with a unique and exquisite design, exuding a cold metallic texture, caught Wang Laoju’s eye.

The statue looked similar to the small Knight, a Bidentatus Spade Beetle Insect type.

However, compared to the little Knight, it was taller and more striking, with two horns that were even more formidable, forming an inverted V shape.

He moved closer to read the inscription upon it.

Before long, a line of text emerged.

’Beneath that high and distant black dome, his sacrifice keeps the Holy Nest from decline forever.

—In memory of the Hollow Knight’

"Ah?" Seeing these words, Wang Laoju paused.

"Does this mean... that this statue is the Hollow Knight?"

"If that’s the Hollow Knight, then who am I?"

Up to that point, Wang Laoju had always seen his character as the Hollow Knight.

This was generally a tradition in games, where the game title usually summarized the protagonist’s journey, deeds, or future title to be obtained.

At the beginning, other NPCs called him the little Knight, and Wang Laoju thought that maybe one day, his little Knight would grow after some big battle and eventually transform into the Hollow Knight.

But now, seeing this scene,

it seemed to differ from what he had imagined.