Chapter 5: Selling the compendium, rejecting the official invitation

Twelve o'clock.

Charles entered the forum and took a look.

He found that twenty-seven people had already purchased the compendium and made their payments.

Some of them were in the city where the game was developed.

Others were from nearby cities.

Charles had no intention of personally delivering the compendium. Instead, he went to a nearby courier service and shipped all the orders, notifying the buyers.

Upon returning home, Charles noticed a man and a woman standing at his doorstep.

The man looked ordinary, wearing a suit and even had a bald head, giving off the impression of an ordinary office worker.

On the other hand, the woman was young and beautiful, dressed in casual white attire. When she saw Charles, she walked over with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Charles."

"Who are you two?"

Although he had some guesses in his mind, Charles still asked.

The girl introduced herself with a smile. "My name is Ni Meng, and this is Wang Jianguo. We are members of the 'Night Watch' Shanghai branch. We chatted on the forum today, and my ID is Daxia."

Just as he suspected.

Charles nodded and smiled. "I suppose you're here to collect the Monster Compendium? I have it ready. Please wait a moment, and I'll fetch it for you."

"Oh, there's no rush."

Wang Jianguo quickly stopped Charles and smiled. "Although we're here for the compendium, there are two other things we would like to discuss with Mr. Charles."

"Oh? Let's talk inside then."

Charles invited the two of them into the house, poured two cups of tea, and asked, "I wonder what two things Mr. Wang is referring to?"

"The first one naturally pertains to the game."

Wang Jianguo said, "You should already be aware of the game's uniqueness, Mr. Charles. We're here to confirm your identity, but of course, it doesn't mean anything significant. It's just a record."

"As long as Mr. Charles doesn't engage in anything outrageous, nothing will happen."

"I'm more than willing to cooperate."

Charles had already anticipated this and proactively took out various identification documents for them to photograph and record.

After completing these procedures, Wang Jianguo glanced at Ni Meng.

Ni Meng took a deep breath and spoke up. "In addition to that, we have another matter."

Charles remained silent and showed a listening attitude.

Ni Meng said sincerely, "We would like to extend an invitation to Mr. Charles to join the Night Watch organization and serve the official side."

Just as Charles was about to refuse, Ni Meng continued, "Mr. Charles, there's no need to rush into declining. Please let me finish."

Seeing this, Charles could only gesture for her to continue, and he listened attentively.

Ni Meng earnestly said, "If Mr. Charles is willing to join the Night Watch, the official side will provide you with a helpful weapon for early exploration, free of charge. Additionally, we have various special rewards obtained within the game, including extraordinary items that can be obtained through exchange."

"Joining the Night Watch won't restrict your freedom, and there are various social benefits and high remuneration."

"What do you think, Mr. Charles?"

After all, this was Daxia, not another country.

The official side was very accommodating towards players. As long as no crimes were committed and they lived like ordinary people, there would be no forced actions against them.

Of course, it would be even better to join the official side, with benefits and treatment not being low.

However, Charles immediately declined on the spot.

He knew that soon the world would be shrouded in darkness and calamity. If he joined the official side, he would be bound to laborious work. Although there were advantages, such as better security after the darkness descended, Charles preferred to go it alone.

Although he had anticipated their offer, Ni Meng and Wang Jianguo were still disappointed.

Ni Meng asked, "May I ask why?"

Charles smiled. "There's no particular reason, just a simple dislike for any form of constraints."

Finally,

Charles added, "Of course, if there is anything I can assist the official side with in the future, I am more than willing to help."

Upon hearing Charles's refusal, Ni Meng and Wang Jianguo nodded.

Since Charles declined, they didn't linger and hastily left after taking the Monster Compendium.

Charles ordered takeout and enjoyed lunch before embarking on today's gaming journey.

...

One o'clock in the afternoon.

Charles opened the air conditioner, sat on the bed with his phone, and opened the game.

Familiar background music played.

The screen displayed the image of a shelter.

Charles controlled his character to enter a separate room within the shelter.

There was a metallic sphere here.

This was the shelter's core, where shelter upgrades took place.

As he approached, the shelter's information appeared.

[Shelter.]

[Owner: Charles.]

[Size: 100 square meters.]

[Upgrade Count: None.]

[Evolution Count: None.]

[Earthquake Resistance Level: 1.]

[Soundproofing Level: 1.]

[Insulation Level: 1.]

[Comfort Level: 1.]

[Layout: Core Room x1, Bedroom x1, Living Room x1, Bathroom x1.]

[Special Buildings: None.]

[Materials Needed for Current Upgrade: Wood x1000, Stone x1000, Iron x100.]

The shelter evolved once every three upgrades.

Charles checked the materials in his backpack and found that he had enough, so he directly placed all the materials into the core and clicked the upgrade button.

The core emitted a soft white light, covering the entire screen.

After waiting for a minute, the light dissipated.

The layout of the shelter underwent a tremendous change.

First, the walls, originally made of soil, were now all made of stone, and the floor and ceiling were made of wood.

The area doubled, with the extra space being open and allowing Charles to arrange it freely.

All the resistance levels—earthquake, soundproofing, insulation, and comfort—were at level 1.

There were no new special attributes added.

Such as anti-magic or spirit-resistant.

Charles wasn't disappointed because these attributes had a probability of being obtained during evolution.

After the upgrade, Charles emptied some materials from his backpack and placed them all in the shelter, then controlled his character to venture outside.

"First, I'll deal with that Shrieker."

Charles decided.

Since there was a Shrieker in the church, it was highly likely that there would be good things inside.

Even if there weren't any, killing the Shrieker wouldn't be in vain, as it should provide valuable materials for synthesis.

Although he died at the hands of a Shrieker yesterday, it was because he was unprepared.

Now that he knew, Charles had the confidence and ability to deal with it!