Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 577: First Player Association

Chapter 577: Chapter 577: First Player Association

Artifact Maker is a special profession; Xu Huo had looked into this line of work in Zone 011.

Practitioners were complex; there were those like the Paper Servant Master who, after reaching a certain high level, could self-teach and use their unique traits to create items. There were also special players who developed talents in this area and then focused solely on it as they grew.

For someone like the Paper Servant Master, the Game Government would not only refrain from intervention but would actively cooperate with him, and thus some game instances would reward items crafted by him.

Players with the trait for crafting items were usually absorbed by the Game Government, which provided the materials and technology. After learning the craft, they could receive a high salary, become Grey Players, and were not required to join instances regularly while retaining their player panels.

There were also those who did not cooperate with the government but ran their shops or engaged in mutual trade with the district trading centers. These were rarer, and the ones who managed to keep their shops open were mostly very experienced Artifact Makers, because if it were just the plain buying and selling of items and potions, the trading halls and auction houses available in every district were clearly more suitable.

The above were the ones who lived comfortably within the profession; there were also Artifact Makers who could not create proper items and failed to obtain a work certificate from the Game Government. Most of them were employed privately or drifted into the black market, depending on good luck for stability.

Artifact Maker’s services were not only limited to crafting items, as the creation of items required a particular type of ore. This kind of ore was essentially monopolized by the Game Government; plainly speaking, one had to be wealthy to craft items. Otherwise, the failure rate of crafting alone could bankrupt a moderately well-off Artifact Maker, so usually, an Artifact Maker also moonlighted as a repairman.

For instance, the "Umbrella of Justice" had its leather covering crafted by an Artifact Maker before Xu Huo got his hands on it. After modification, the effect of the item also differed.

He did not see any Artifact Maker shops in Zone 011, and a simple thought told him why; such talents were basically monopolized by the Game Government, so it was not strange not to see any.

Listening to Sima Xiao’er describe it, those toy shops that appeared in bustling areas somewhat resembled Artifact Maker shops.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Already seated in the car, Sima Xiao’er couldn’t help but ask, "Should I call some helpers, just in case something happens and you need assistance?"

Xu Huo raised his chin towards the front, "Irregular driving, loved ones shed tears in pairs."

Sima Xiao’er almost rolled his eyes, then became restless again, repeatedly asking, "Brother Xu, do you think they are like that group from before who came from other gaming districts? But to buy houses and open shops... could it be that the housing prices in other gaming districts are so high that they’re driving players to start speculating in real estate?"

Xu Huo turned to look at him and after a moment, said, "You can start bottom-fishing now."

Sima Xiao’er let out a dry laugh, "Don’t make fun of me, Brother Xu, I don’t even have enough money to buy potions, let alone houses. Houses far from the Special Defense Department are indeed cheaper, but the commute is too long; it takes a long time to drive to work every day."

This time, Xu Huo genuinely laughed.

After more than an hour, a fleet of sports cars caught up from behind. The leader knew Sima Xiao’er, slowed down to greet him, "Who’s this creeps like a tortoise on the road... oh, it’s you. Tsk tsk, aren’t you embarrassed to drive this piece of junk on the road?"

The sports car roared as it maneuvered from the front to Xu Huo’s side, and the driver continued, "We’re old friends after all; seeing you regress instead of progress, why don’t you come work for me? I guarantee you’ll earn more than you do at the Special Defense Department."

"Don’t be so damn arrogant; you believe I won’t bring people to inspect the First Association every day?" Sima Xiao’er flipped the bird.

The sports car driver laughed heartily, "You’re welcome to try, but I doubt you’ll be able to command the Special Defense Department’s people. Besides, does your Special Defense Department have the guts to go head-to-head with the First Association?"

After saying that, he deliberately drove his car in front to block Sima Xiao’er, who was startled and quickly hit the brakes. To his surprise, the person in the passenger seat suddenly flew out!

Sima Xiao’er gawked in shock, his head snapping around to see the person in the passenger seat of the sports car before he exclaimed, "Brother Xu!"

Already seated next to the sports car driver, Xu Huo reached out and patted his shoulder, "Just focus on driving."

The sports car driver was also a player, but he hadn’t seen how Xu Huo got into the car at all. His mouth opened and closed, the anger on his face gradually turning into stiffness and fear, until his shoulder was patted.

"Bro, it was all my loose tongue. I’ll get out of here now, I won’t block your way!" the sports car driver said, his cowardice coming naturally.

"I also think Sima Xiao’er’s car is too slow, but yours is not bad," Xu Huo stared at him.

With a forced smile, the sports car driver said, "Feel free to take it and drive."

The car stopped quickly, and Sima Xiao’er proudly got into the sports car, throwing his vehicle key card at the sports car driver, "Take my car back for me, I’ll need it for work later."

The sports car driver, indignant yet not daring to speak out, had to stop his companions in the cars behind from coming to help him, sending them off with a smile on his face.

Xu Huo only spoke after the group had disappeared from the rear-view mirror, "The First Association has no control over its internal players?"

"Things are different now. As long as players don’t kill or set fires, the rules are lax about things like driving unlicensed, or drunk driving and speeding. There’s hardly anyone on the roads anyway." After finishing, Sima Xiao’er added fiercely, "But the folks from the First Association are too arrogant. Ever since they got recognized by the government, they’ve been causing trouble with the Special Defense Department. Our people on patrol frequently get entangled with them and can’t even fight back, it’s so annoying."

"If you ask me, this First Association should never have been set up. Those bastards are insufferable!"

This situation was also within expectations. As players’ abilities grew, the old rules that bound ordinary people didn’t apply to them anymore.

"But Brother Xu, you’re the real deal." Sima Xiao’er gave a thumbs up again, "That guy didn’t dare to confront you at all, he even handed over his car. Driving a sports car is just awesome, we’ll get there quickly."

However, he had spoken too soon. While the two were having lunch at the service area, the sports car driver came back with another group of people.

The staff at the service area, sensing trouble, hid away, and the sports car driver entered behind a cap-wearing player, pointing at Xu Huo, "Brother Li, it’s him."

The cap-wearing player, with a gun at his waist, came over and sat down opposite Xu Huo, pulling a smile, "Dude, you’re pretty tough, eh? Don’t you know Wang Meng is a player of the First Player Association?"

"You dare to carry a gun!" Sima Xiao’er slammed the table, trying to stand up, but his body froze halfway, holding a strange pose.

Xu Huo, completely unaffected, raised his hand to interrupt the cap-wearing player, "What’s your name?"

With a heh, the cap-wearing player replied, "Bao Jiali, what, you’re worried about whether you’ll get through today and already thinking about the future?"

In front of him, Xu Huo took out his phone and dialed a number, "This is Xu Huo, I need to speak to Tan Yang."