Chapter 57: The GC "I know," Xin said, attempting to explain his side of the story, but Xiaxia was on a roll.
"What the hell? Do you know Seraphina? How did that happen? When did you two get close that you’ve even ridden with her? What did you do? Explain yourself!"
Xin took a deep breath, trying to find a gap in Xiaxia’s barrage of questions. Finally, when he had the chance, he began recounting what had really happened with him and Seraphina.
". . . and that’s how it happened. It was just a coincidence. We don’t know each other, and it was her father’s request that she take me to the administration building," Xin explained, hoping that was enough to sate her questions.
Silence followed on the other end of the line, and Xin could almost feel Xiaxia contemplating her words.
". . . I know it. I know that it’s too good to be true. There’s no way that someone like Seraphina would fancy you," Xiaxia finally said, her voice softer now, mixed with relief.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Xin retorted, feeling a tinge of annoyance.
"I mean . . . look at you. No offense, but your face is always paralyzed. Your eyes are lethargic. Your tone is always lazy. You may look cool, aloof, mysterious, and all that, but you’re boring AF–– "
Xiaxia’s words were cut off as Xin decided to end the call, not wanting to hear the rest of her criticisms.
Taking a deep breath, Xin felt a mix of relief and frustration. At least she had stopped pestering him for the moment.
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Xiaxia’s comments about his appearance, though he knew she was right.
In the end, it didn’t matter what others thought of him; he knew who he was and what he wanted.
With a sigh, Xin continued on his way home while he scrolled through his phone to pass the time.
As he scrolled through various topics about Guildbane, he stumbled upon a video that caught his attention. To his surprise, the woman in the video was none other than Skylark, the avatar he had met in the game.
Xin was amazed to see that Skylark’s real appearance closely resembled her online persona –– with long pink hair, striking red eyes, and the same mischievous grin that showcased her canines.
"Looks like she really wanted those views," Xin mused to himself.
In the video, Skylark was live streaming from school, and Xin learned that her real name was Sky. She was having lunch with her friends and passionately discussing Guildbane, particularly the new race and class that she had right now.
Xin was then taken aback when he heard his own name mentioned by Sky in the video.
"By the way, Lord Schrodinger, if you’re watching this. Thank you for helping me in the Newbie Island! If you want to partner up again, just DM me." Skylark winked playfully, her grin as infectious as ever.
Her expression conveyed a message to Xin as if to say, "See, I told you that I would thank you live."
Xin couldn’t help but slightly shook his head with small smile on his face as he pressed like and subscribe.
He was confident that she wouldn’t recognize him among her countless followers.
As he scrolled further, Xin noticed numerous comments on Skylark’s video, many of which were asking about this mysterious "Lord Schrodinger."
Xin wasn’t particularly interested in the comments and decided to move on to other news.
Soon, his phone rang, and he saw it was Rever calling.
"Hey, man. Your picture suddenly appeared on GC. Did that guy, Tyler, add you?" Rever asked excitedly. "Damn. I was too hung up on seeing you again that I totally forgot to add you to the group."
"It’s fine."
"You’re going to accept, right? Everyone is already welcoming you."
Xin remained silent, still contemplating whether to accept the invitation or not. He knew that Meilyn would be in the group, and he wanted to avoid any awkward encounters or unnecessary gossip.
Rever chuckled on the other end. "I kind of feel awkward for these guys. They all congratulated and welcomed you, but you’re not there to see it."
He snickered, clearly enjoying the situation.
Xin appreciated the warm welcome from his former classmates, but he needed more time to decide if he was ready to reconnect with them.
"I’ll think about accepting it later," Xin said, contemplating his decision to join the group chat.
"Anyway, are you already in Eternia? Let’s raid a dungeon."
"Not yet. I’m still on the Newbie Island."
"What? You’re still there? Is there something on that island that you don’t want to leave? It’s been a week, man."
Xin wanted to correct Rever and say it had only been four days, but he kept the information to himself.
"When are you going off the island? Eternia has a lot more to offer than the Newbie Island. But I can’t really blame you . . . You only get to the Newbie Island once."
"I’ll just finish a few quest and get off," Xin replied. The Luckernaught coast was the last area on the Newbie Island that he hadn’t explored yet.
Once he finished it, he planned to leave the island and immerse himself in the vast world of Eternia.
"Luckernaught? Is there an island with that name?" Rever couldn’t recall.
"Yes," Xin confirmed.
"Man, it’s been years, so I forgot. Anyway, call me right away after you get off the island, okay? Got to go. My boss is calling me."
Before Xin could say goodbye, Rever had already ended the call.
Looking at his phone, Xin contemplated his plans for the day. If he was lucky, he could finish exploring the entire island within a week.
There was no rush, so he didn’t mind taking his time with the Newbie Island. Plus, he had the goal of acquiring Illyath’s rare items, which were more important to him right now.
Checking his Guildbane account, Xin saw that the auction was still ongoing.
He had auctioned his rare items for a week, so he had to wait for the auction to end before he could receive the money from the first batch of items he had sold.
There were still the second and third batches to go, but Xin was confident that the money from the first batch would be enough to buy the items her wanted from Illyath’s shop.