Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 757 - 755 The Middle Class

"Right."

Li Ang glanced at the lengthy-titled book Chaichai was hugging and casually asked, "Are you revising the tome? Let me have a look."

"No way!"

Chaichai hugged the book tightly and turned away, declaring righteously, "It's not finished yet! As the title says, it's still being modified."

Li Ang said unconcernedly, "Just show me the revised version for now."

"I refuse," Chaichai declared, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "Would a five-star restaurant's chef serve half-cooked dishes to customers? Would a programmer use a program that's only halfway done? Does a turd, snapped mid-poop, have any value worth a second glance?"

Seems like a rather... flavorful example got mixed in, Li Ang's eye twitched, but he didn't insist further. "Then I'm heading to the mall. Watch the house."

He patted Chaichai on the head, left the Breeding Box, and teleported into the Game Square.

The square was as bustling as ever, crowded and noisy. Every few seconds, a columnar Beam flashed, indicating another player had teleported in.

What was different was that the attire of the people in the square seemed a bit more uniform than before. Nearly half of them were dressed in various guild uniforms, with guild emblems on their collars or chests. They only added touches of personal style to places like the cuffs.

It seemed that with the Gate Contention War approaching, the major guilds all wanted to vie for talent. Uniformity in clothing and other such details was also a means to showcase a guild's image and facilitate recruitment.

Since all organizations were flush with cash—thanks to the high exchange rate of Game Currency, even hobby groups with just a few members had tens of millions in deposits—most uniforms were created by professional designers from the real world. They were flashy and cool, solemn and dignified, extravagant and ostentatious, or dark and brooding.

(This didn't rule out the possibility that some small hobby groups might have chairpersons who overestimated their own taste and crafted some clothing with a rural-urban fringe aesthetic to distribute to their members.)

The Global Occult Coalition, Special Affairs Bureau, the Supernatural Accident Place of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gru Super Psychology Department, Germany Anomaly Control Bureau, Japan Islands Anomaly Investigation Bureau Section Nine, and other official institutions, to project a sense of formality, generally wore custom-tailored formal suits.

Civilian organizations had fewer restrictions.

The Clock Tower Mages each wore luxurious robes with gold trim adorning the collars and cuffs.

The Heterodox Academy and Sword King Court wore Eastern-style blue shirts.

The Demon Scientist Alliance was too loosely organized for a uniform, but its members generally favored a dark and dreary Gothic style.

As for the Witch Alliance...

This guild, composed mostly of women whose average appearance far surpassed that of other guilds—their power system seeming to naturally include a beauty-enhancing effect—had a wide range of outfits. Their styles were diverse: Sweet Lolita, featuring white, pink, and blue as primary colors, paired with abundant lace to create a doll-like, cute, and romantic look; Gothic Lolita, characterized by dark and brooding black-and-white color schemes; and Classic Lolita, known for its simple, unadorned, clean, and elegant style. They also wore Hanfu, JK uniforms, suit JK uniforms, and Hanfu Lolita, showcasing a truly varied range of styles.

Hmm... Since the Witch Alliance and its members are generally quite wealthy, these outfits were likely all custom-made by craftsmen, so there were no counterfeits. Therefore, Li Ang suppressed the formidable power of his ten-year uniform inspector persona—his 'all energies'—and did not rush to accuse these people of wearing counterfeit outfits, nor did he demand the mall security expel them.

How delightful.

Dressed in his signature Dragon Head Mask and a white lab coat, Li Ang headed straight for the Immaculate Furnace Shop.

He first took out newly concocted Magic Potions from his inventory to restock the shelves. Then, referring to the customer information list, he sent messages to several players on the surgery application list, informing them they could now undergo their procedures.

The notified customers were mostly below Lv10, apparently peripheral members of small to mid-sized organizations. Upon receiving Li Ang's message, they enthusiastically logged into the mall, ran to the shop, and lined up on chairs, waiting for their surgery.

Over time, the Immaculate Furnace Shop had gradually built a reputation. Many players on the forums knew there was a shop southeast of the Game Square specializing in Magic Potions, equipment forging, and alteration surgeries. It offered fair prices and honest services. The shopkeeper himself was also very amiable and scholarly, handsome, and wealthy. It was just a pity that he seemed too busy, only logging on for a short time each day. The time available for performing surgeries was limited, and the application list was already booked two months in advance.

The most painful thing in the world is to die before spending all your money.

For players above Lv15, they could request salary advances from their organizations to save up for high-level equipment. The organizations, recognizing their inherent worth, would also increase their investment in them, providing low-interest loans.

But for newcomers below Lv10, or even Lv5, their value had not yet been fully demonstrated. When guild organizations invested in them, they also had to worry whether these players could survive the next scenario quest. If they died in the quest, all previous investments would go down the drain. Even the most precious player slots could not be recovered.

Currently, Lv5-Lv10 players found themselves at an awkward entry point. Above them were the Lv15 and Lv20 players. Having endured countless trials, they were deeply trusted by their organizations, possessed formidable personal capabilities, and were eagerly preparing for the Gate Contention War. Below them was an influx of Lv1 and Lv2 players. The talent cultivation programs of various nations were beginning to show results. Nationwide physical strengthening initiatives, combined with militarized physical education in middle and high schools, produced many young players selected by the System. These Lv1 players were often naive, having not experienced the treacherous intrigue common among earlier player organizations, and still retained their purity, righteousness, and beauty. Being of credible heritage, they more easily gained the trust of organizations. Consequently, guilds were more inclined to prioritize investing resources in them—loyalty was one factor, and ensuring player slots weren't lost was another.

Thus, the Lv5-Lv10 players, caught in the middle, were often the most anxious, most motivated, and most willing to pay any price to enhance their own strength.

In some ways, this was consistent with the middle class of the real world...

After completing surgeries for several customers, Li Ang sat behind the cash counter at the Immaculate Furnace, resting for a moment while watching a news program on TV. (The Watcher's Society had already established a television media outlet and begun recording programs in the Game Square.)

Before long, he received a text from Bai Haozheng.

Bai Haozheng: "I've contacted the Ant King. He has seen the body 13MARK transmitted. I briefly told him what happened in the hotel, explaining that Danfei and Black Holy Son conspired to kill 13MARK. He's grateful we preserved 13MARK's entire body, as well as the Mercury Blood Amber and Tracking Chip. He's willing to pay 5,000 Game Coins as a gesture of gratitude."

Oh? Li Ang raised an eyebrow and began typing into the chat box.