Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu wandered around the town but didn't encounter Zhen Ye's puppy, who was hunting in the wild and couldn't rush back to town immediately.

However, he did meet another odd fellow.

If it weren't for the ID on the fellow's head, Ma Lu would have almost mistaken him for a new NPC in town.

Mainly because his appearance was a bit... hard to describe.

Because there had been rumors on the forum that making your character look like a dog could unlock a hidden identity and following Zhen Ye's example, quite a few players had indeed turned themselves into dogs at the beginning.

However, they soon discovered that the town's NPCs didn't treat them any differently.

Also, dogs were smaller than humans and naturally had lower carrying capacity, which made collecting Black Mud less efficient, so gradually, players stopped turning into dogs.

Those who had turned into dogs also felt regret, but thankfully in this game, death meant deletion of the character.

So, those people stored their little belongings with friends, chose to commit suicide, and were reborn as humanoid Skeletons.

However, the player Ma Lu met, whose ID was Drink Water When Unhappy, did the opposite. He neither became a human nor a dog but turned himself into a Skeleton Horse.

Ma Lu stood in the middle of the road looking at Drink Water When Unhappy, and Drink Water When Unhappy was also looking at Ma Lu.

A moment later, Ma Lu spoke first, "Buddy, can I ask why you turned yourself into this?"
Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

Drink Water When Unhappy pawed at the ground.

"You're not the first to ask me that, nor will you be the last. But it's so annoying, answering everyone individually is too bothersome; maybe I should just make a post on the forum and answer all questions at once."

"But there will still be people who don't read the post and ask you," Ma Lu reminded him.

"You're right," Drink Water When Unhappy seemed a bit annoyed but still answered Ma Lu's question.

"Bones are a resource."

"What?"

"I said, in this game, bones are a resource, just like equipment, and they come in different colors. White is the lowest, least valuable."

"But even so, if you want white bones, you either go out to fight Wild Monsters or you have to buy them from NPCs, and there's only one way to get white bones for free."

"At the initial character creation screen?"

"Exactly."

Drink Water When Unhappy shook his head, "So, the strategy is pretty simple. Players should use as many bones as possible when creating a character. The more you use, the more you free-ride."

"The bones I used for my horse form are five times that of a regular humanoid Skeleton, which means I scrounged four times more initial resources than an average player."

"Wow, that actually makes a lot of sense," Ma Lu said. "But why didn't you make yourself bigger, like a T-Rex or something? Wouldn't that earn more?"

"Too big doesn't work," Drink Water When Unhappy said. "I've tried that. If it's too large, it moves inconveniently, and it becomes difficult to dodge attacks. A horse is just right—higher carrying capacity, fast running, and I'm planning to start a horse business."

"Ah? To be ridden?"

"Yeah, I haven't decided on the charges yet, but probably full price for male players. For female players willing to chat, maybe half."

"I can also help carry goods. Backpacks in this game are expensive, and there's a risk of loss when taken out. Although players have started offering retrieval services now, it's still not cheap.

"So, I think there's still a good market for pack horses."

Ma Lu couldn't help but feel respect upon hearing Drink Water When Unhappy's explanation; the comical image of the Skeleton Horse in his mind suddenly seemed grand.

Indeed, there's never a lack of genius among players.

On one hand, Boss Hu and others brought their factory management experience into the game, leveraging the organizational advantage of players. On the other hand, Drink Water When Unhappy used the imagination of an ordinary player and boldly developed... his own body.

This prompted Ma Lu to implement the Mount System that was originally set to launch in version 3.0, two major versions earlier.

And he successfully managed to fleece some wool off the stingy group led by Baldy.

Show-stopping, absolutely show-stopping! The best of the best!!!

After 'Drink Water When Unhappy,' he even invited Ma Lu to join his horse shop, offering his services as a face alteration guide.

But Ma Lu politely declined.

Ma Lu continued wandering around the town, and he came across several players with distinctive appearances.

For instance, he saw a skeleton Gundam that was twice the size of 'Drink Water When Unhappy.'

It looked imposing, but unfortunately, its cannons and bone swords were just decorations.

In actual combat, it was extremely weak, weaker than an ordinary skeleton, so it could only stay in town and offer photo sessions with other players.

Besides that, Ma Lu encountered a little genius who had attached propellers to his back, attempting to add flying capabilities.

And there was another expert who swapped the positions of his butt and head, hoping to confuse the monsters and hide his vulnerable points...

However, in just a week, many players had really started to get creative with the face alteration system.

Ma Lu also collected a wave of feedback and decided to add a one-click memory appearance feature in the next update.

That way, if you die and respawn, you wouldn't have to redo your face.

This feature was especially crucial for someone like Gundam Brother, who had spent an entire day customizing characters; otherwise, the cost of dying once was too high.

By the time Angie had finished live streaming, Ma Lu had also concluded his inspection, and he received a transfer notification.

Ma Lu glanced at it and saw the amount was a whopping 5 million, labeled as meal expense, which immediately dispelled any sleepiness.

At that moment, a message from Angie arrived on WeChat.

—It was absolutely exhilarating!!!

—What?

Ma Lu replied.

—Throttling Blackie face-on felt absolutely exhilarating!!!!!!

Angie, clearly still excited, typed rapidly.

—Hey, hey, hey, did you see the live stream just now?

—I did, you did well.

—Just well? I was totally dominating, way cooler than those heroes in TikTok dramas or online novels!

—Really? But to me, you looked like you were about to cry.

—You don't understand, this is all about suppression before liberation. The crooked-mouthed Dragon King even had a scene of being scolded by his mother-in-law. But it's exactly because of that, his return as the Dragon King felt incredible!

Angie continued.

—I owe you big time for coming to my aid that quickly, and paying back that grievance.

—No worries, I was partly involved too. Without me, you wouldn't have been bashed for lip-syncing.

Ma Lu said.

—Hey, then I really won't be polite with you anymore; from today onwards, we're both tied to the same string.

—Hm?

—I made a big statement during the live stream that my singing skills have greatly improved, so from now on I can't do without your 'Singer's Sandwich.'

—That five million is my meal expense, paid upfront to you.