novelhk Chapter 304 Call Me James
Chapter 304 Call Me James
Chen You left the bustling central square and headed north, following the map's directions.
The buildings on both sides of the street are mostly constructed of mud and stone, with rough surfaces and a large number of unpolished wooden load-bearing columns.
The streets were covered with a thin layer of snow, which was trampled into mud by the NPCs and players passing by.
Chen You avoided the puddles on the ground and scanned his surroundings.
The local inhabitants were mostly dressed in thick animal skins and looked hurried.
The entire city exudes a primitive, rugged, and barren wasteland atmosphere.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Chen You finally stopped.
Ahead was a large stone fortress.
The outer walls were built of huge black rocks, without any superfluous decorations, except for a few narrow lookout holes.
Above the main gate hangs a rusty iron plaque: Cangxing City Lord's Mansion.
Chen You stepped onto the stairs.
Two long halberds crossed, blocking the way.
"The City Lord's Mansion is a restricted area; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter."
Chen You looked up and sized up the guards blocking his way.
These are two female NPCs.
They are nearly two meters tall and have dark brown skin.
Chen You's gaze paused as he looked upwards.
The two guards had slightly outward-spreading jawbones and broad, flat chins, exhibiting a very distinct shovel-shaped physiological structure.
Combined with the feminine features accentuated by the leather armor binding their chests, the visual impact is extremely strong.
Chen You paused slightly in surprise.
What kind of racial setting is this?
Without a word, he flipped his wrist, took out a token from his backpack, and handed it over.
The order given by Meng De to the deputy city lord of Qianguang City.
The dark-skinned guard on the left took the token and glanced down at it.
He immediately stood up straight, respectfully returned the token with both hands, and simultaneously withdrew his halberd, stepping aside to make way.
"Sir, please come in."
Chen You put away the token and stepped over the high threshold.
After passing through a dimly lit stone corridor, a spacious open courtyard came into view.
boom.
boom.
boom.
A dull thud came from the center of the courtyard.
It has a great rhythm.
Chen You slowed his pace. The impact was powerful, and each time he landed, the ground trembled slightly.
He speculated that the city lord Sander must be a top-tier berserker proficient in hand-to-hand combat, currently honing some kind of fierce martial art.
Chen You stepped out of the corridor, and his view suddenly opened up.
In the center of the courtyard, there were no swords, spears, halberds, wooden stakes, or sandbags.
A robust woman, also nearly two meters tall, with dark brown skin, was standing with her back to Chen You.
She wore a loose, sleeveless, coarse cloth shirt that revealed her muscular arms.
She bent over, lowering her center of gravity.
He was clapping a ball with both hands.
The surface of the sphere has a rough, dark red texture with black lines dividing it.
boom.
The ball landed and bounced.
The dark-skinned woman controls the ball with her right hand and protects it with her left.
Suddenly, her shoulders swayed, and the ball passed between her legs and into her left hand.
Immediately following a dramatic change of direction in front of the body, the body suddenly leaped into the air.
Flip your wrist and flick your fingers.
The orange-red sphere traced an extremely high parabola in the air.
Swish.
The ball landed precisely inside an iron ring hanging on the wall at the end of the courtyard.
A tattered hemp rope net hangs below the iron ring.
Chen You stood frozen in place.
This action.
This is a parabola.
The crisp sound of the net being rubbed.
It was... basketball?
Thinking back to the inexplicable singing, dancing, and rapping I encountered before, the combination of these elements created an extremely absurd sense of dissonance.
The ball passed through the rope net, hit the ground, and rolled all the way to Chen You's feet.
Chen You looked down at the dark red sphere.
Then he bent down and picked it up with one hand.
The surface is rough and grainy, but it has excellent elasticity.
The interior should be hollow, and it's unclear what kind of gas it's filled with.
This... isn't this just basketball?!
The dark-skinned woman in the center of the courtyard turned around.
Her physical characteristics were the same as the guards at the door, with a slightly splayed jaw and a shovel-shaped chin.
However, her eyes were sharper, and she exuded the unique aura of a leader.
She strode towards Chen You.
Chen You tossed the basketball in his hand, his expression returning to calm.
No matter how the game's world-building is pieced together, the quests must continue.
"Lord Sande, greetings." Chen You spoke, taking out a token with his other hand. "I am Chen You, and I have come to pay a visit on behalf of Lord Mengde."
The dark-skinned woman stopped a meter in front of Chen You.
Chen You's two-meter height created a certain sense of oppression from above.
She didn't look at the deputy city lord token that Chen You took out; her eyes were fixed on the basketball in Chen You's hand.
Then, she raised her eyelids and looked into Chen You's eyes.
"To be precise," her voice was low and husky, with a hint of a leader's seriousness, "my name is James Sand."
"..."
A breeze swept through the courtyard, lifting the hem of Chen You's robe.
Chen You looked at the serious, dark-skinned face in front of him, then at the basketball in his hand.
"James Sand?"
"Yes," Sander nodded.
"This is a glorious surname bestowed upon us by our ancestors. It represents power, dominance, and unparalleled breakthrough capabilities."
God-level, unparalleled breakthrough energy!
Chen You took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind.
I came here for a mission, to help the monsters siege the city.
Each major city has hidden quests that can trigger monster sieges. Based on previous experience, these quests are most likely part of the main storyline.
As for how to trigger the hidden state...
Chen You glanced at the basketball in his hand, then casually handed it out again.
Sander caught the basketball with one hand, his fingers spread wide, easily grasping it in his palm.
"What are you doing in my Hidden Star City, people of Thousand Light City?" Sander said, holding the ball in one hand and putting the other hand on his hip.
"So, you want to challenge me to a duel?"
Chen You's gaze involuntarily shifted back to the basketball.
A friendly match? How about playing basketball?
He pondered the various possibilities, when suddenly something came to mind.
"Lord Sander."
"I prefer people to call me James," Sander said, frowning slightly.
Chen You didn't respond, and continued speaking to himself.
"That fadeaway jump shot you just made."
His tone was extremely serious: "I've been walking."
The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze instantly.
Sander's expression froze.
She glanced at the basketball in her hand, then at Chen You, her eyes flashing with unprecedented anger.
"What did you say?" Sander's voice rose an octave, causing the wooden pillar beside him to tremble slightly.
"The central pivot has moved," Chen You said, pointing to the ground expressionlessly.
"You took an extra step with your left foot before jumping. That's a violation."
Sander's fingers tightened suddenly as he gripped the basketball, causing it to slip from his hand and fall to the ground.
dong dong dong-
Chen You looked at the other party quietly, showing no intention of backing down.
He bet that this basketball setting, which was created by the system as a joke, was the key to triggering the hidden plot that followed.
Sander stared intently at Chen You.
A full ten seconds passed.
"This set of movements is an unparalleled combat technique passed down from our ancestors!" Sander laughed angrily.
"You're an outsider, what do you know about the value of a 'four-step layup'?"