It had to be said, as administrators, even those who seemed unreliable, none were easy characters to deal with.
Wei Jiangli glanced at Zhong Liyu for a moment, then his gaze fell on Lu Qingjia.
He smiled: “I was so focused on Old Zhong that I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Wei Jiangli.”
“Lu Qingjia.” Lu Qingjia reached out to shake the other’s hand, but when he tried to withdraw, his palm was grasped.
Zhong Liyu’s expression changed, ready to separate the two, but Wei Jiangli had already let go.
It seemed he had learned enough of what he wanted to know.
Zhong Liyu became displeased: “Will you extract the memories yourself, or should I help you forget?”
Wei Jiangli replied: “Don’t be so domineering, Old Zhong. You just killed one of our Game’s advanced players.”
“As an administrator, I need to understand what happened, right? Otherwise, if people act recklessly at our doorstep and we do nothing, wouldn’t we administrators of the Infinite Game lose face?”
He added: “Don’t worry, I didn’t look at anything I shouldn’t have.”
Then, with interest, he looked at Lu Qingjia: “Impressive work. I haven’t seen many intermediate players perform so well in such a high-difficulty chaotic instance and come out victorious alone.”
Through his contact with Lu Qingjia, he had seen everything that happened in the last instance from Lu Qingjia’s perspective.
“Now I somewhat understand why the Trickster is so eager to eliminate you.”
Wei Jiangli smiled: “After all, a potential player like you, who cannot be buried and will eventually rise high, would make anyone with even a slight possibility of enmity with you choose to nip you in the bud during your growth phase.”
Lu Qingjia smiled, not as tense as Zhong Liyu.
In fact, he wasn’t angered by the slight offense. There was a chasm-like status gap between administrators and ordinary players.
In this Game that follows the law of the jungle, expecting two people originally from ancient noble classes to treat an intermediate player equally was unrealistic.
Although Zhong Liyu and Ouyang Bai might seem foolish in front of Lu Qingjia, the premise of their relationship was their personal connection before becoming players.
Lu Qingjia hadn’t encountered truly unfamiliar people in the Game who were much higher in level than him.
Only now in Infinite City, where all players, including administrators and advanced players, gathered, could the class system among players be truly seen.
But he didn’t intend to let this clever prince continue guessing.
He looked at the other and said: “You flatter me, but even if you say so, we probably can’t bring you much benefit this time.”
Lu Qingjia smiled, as if he were about to meet an insignificant character.
“The Game rules are here. According to your words, as outsiders, we enjoy the highest level of safety guarantees in the Infinite Game, so naturally, we can’t break the rules it sets.”
“I’m not sure about the power shifts among the Infinite Game’s administrators. As far as I know, the current administrator composition has changed from a few years ago.”
“Besides the emperor’s enduring fame, it seems the musician who was pushed out by the Trickster has disappeared.”
“I understand your keen sense of power struggles, Prince, and I admire your ability to grasp opportunities and act decisively.”
“But whether the Game thinks the same is still something to consider, right?”
Wei Jiangli’s lazy laughter gradually faded, and his gaze at Lu Qingjia became serious.
He had come up from being a new player and knew very well which type could go the distance.
Previously, he thought this intermediate player had stirred Zhong Liyu into impulsive actions, expecting some fun and also wanting to observe the attitudes of the Trickster and the Game side.
He hadn’t expected this intermediate player to be far more rational than he appeared, even probing the attitudes of all parties beneath seemingly impulsive actions.
Even the question about the “Game’s thoughts” was probably a counter-probe.
After all, no matter how high Zhong Liyu’s status was, he was an administrator of another Game and couldn’t possibly fully understand the current situation of the Infinite Game’s management.
Wei Jiangli smiled: “The more you say, the more I want to see the fun.”
He stood up: “Let’s go, I’ll accompany you to meet the Trickster.”
Before Zhong Liyu could refuse, he added: “I need to ensure you don’t start a fight. Having an intermediary with ties to both sides isn’t bad, right? Let’s go.”
The emperor didn’t stop him, as if he had already adapted to Wei Jiangli’s unpredictable behavior.
Seeing Zhong Liyu and the others about to leave, he stood up: “It seems you’ll be staying in Infinite City for a while. I’ll prepare fine wine and dishes, and we’ll have a drink later.”
Zhong Liyu said to Lu Qingjia: “The emperor’s banquet is quite a treat, want to try it?”
Lu Qingjia was more than willing. Although administrators were all wealthy, when it came to ultimate luxury, probably no one was more fastidious and skilled than the emperor.
As the three left together, Xiao Ji couldn’t help but say: “Brother, aren’t we going to check it out?”
“You said it yourself, forcing the Trickster to act so recklessly must involve something significant. That intermediate player, though not high in level now, is quite impressive. Otherwise, Wei Jiangli wouldn’t have said that. That guy wouldn’t waste a word on someone he didn’t value; if he praises someone, there’s definitely something to it.”
“Plus, with Zhong Liyu involved, the Trickster’s troubles probably won’t end soon. Recently, the Trickster has been on the rise, and his people have been challenging ours everywhere. Why not take this opportunity—”
The emperor smiled, somewhat pleased: “You’re finally starting to use your brain.”
“But no need, Wei Jiangli is going to observe for now. No matter what happens, it’s indeed not suitable to handle in Infinite City. He needs to keep an eye on things.”
“As for Zhong Liyu, he’s not the main player in this matter, so there’s no need to predict the outcome based on his style.”
“Given how shrewdly he protects that person, if there’s a need, he’ll probably come to us himself.”
As the brothers talked, Wei Jiangli had already transported the two to the Trickster’s residence.
The Trickster’s residence looked quite ordinary, though it was still spacious, elegant, and luxurious, but its style wasn’t unique in reality.
The other party must have anticipated their arrival, as the door opened silently the moment they landed, inviting them in.
Unlike the emperor’s palace, which was filled with guards and maids, the Trickster’s place seemed much more desolate.
Indeed, in Infinite City, players’ houses didn’t need personal maintenance. Ordinary players could clean their rooms with a thought, let alone the administrators’ territories.
The Trickster didn’t invite many of his subordinates to live with him; from the gate to the mansion to the hall, it was eerily quiet.
It looked like an empty city, but everyone knew the Trickster was inside.
Because from a distance, one could feel the pressure of an administrator’s level.
Zhong Liyu sneered, took Lu Qingjia’s hand, and in a flash, they appeared in a hall where several people were already seated.
Among them was Lu Qingjia’s old acquaintance, the God Envoy, who now looked completely healed, with the tooth Lu Qingjia had pulled out regrown, appearing unscathed.
Seeing Lu Qingjia appear, he looked at him with a murderous gaze, revealing a hint of malice: “Heh, you’re still alive?”
Before he could finish, he was sent flying.
He crashed into a decorative pillar in the hall, his forehead immediately swelling, his face puffed up, and his teeth shattered, blood and broken teeth filling his mouth.
It was Wei Jiangli who struck; Zhong Liyu hadn’t even had the chance to act.
As an administrator of the Infinite Game, Wei Jiangli’s strike on an intermediate player didn’t result in the multiple backlash it would for an exchange student, only deducting some Points. To this extent, even killing the other for fun would be negligible.
The God Envoy hadn’t expected to be beaten in his own stronghold. He looked up in disbelief at the group, feeling pain, dizziness, anger, and humiliation, and hurriedly looked to the Trickster: “Uncle, look—”
“Shut up!” The man at the head of the table raised his hand, calming the room, and said to someone beside him: “Take him away, useless thing.”
Then he stared at Wei Jiangli: “Prince, my nephew, no matter how incompetent, is for me to discipline. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself, right?”
Wei Jiangli grinned: “If it were something else, fine, but the current situation and the upcoming serious discussion really don’t suit having a fool in the way.”
“Plus, since he’s the cause of the trouble, and he dares to shamelessly show such stupidity, I only gave him a little physical pain. If Old Zhong had acted, you, having never dealt with him, wouldn’t know how heavy his hand is. If you had to fish your nephew out of the River of No Return, it wouldn’t be worth it.”
The Trickster gave Wei Jiangli a deep look, but didn’t deny his words.
But compared to Zhong Liyu, who had an absolute advantage in strength at the moment, the Trickster’s gaze directly fell on Lu Qingjia.
A subtle feeling came over him, as if a previously inexplicable sense of crisis had finally identified its source.
Though it was somewhat laughable to say this about an administrator and an intermediate player with such a vast difference in strength, the Trickster indeed exhibited this state.
He said to Lu Qingjia’s group: “Please, sit!”
As the Trickster observed him, Lu Qingjia also scrutinized the other.
The storm in his heart didn’t show on his calm face, a far cry from the loss of composure he showed when he saw the button on the God Envoy.
The Trickster wasn’t old, appearing in his early thirties, but players at a certain level didn’t need to consider age’s effect on appearance. According to the prince, the Trickster’s real age was probably over forty.
If his old uncle hadn’t died, he would be about the same age as the other.
The Trickster’s appearance was quite distinctive, different from Lu Qingjia’s initial guess of a deceptive, non-threatening look.
He had sharp features, appearing quite strong, with shrewdness in his eyes, matching his style in Infinite City.
Lu Qingjia’s lips twitched upwards, but before a smile could form, it was suppressed, his expression turning deep, his thoughts unclear.
Wei Jiangli, as the intermediary, naturally had to lay out the issue for resolution.
He said: “Just now, Mr. Lu was almost killed by an advanced player upon leaving the apartment.”
“That player has been working under you, clearly aiming for a life-for-life exchange.”
“At this point, we shouldn’t beat around the bush.” Wei Jiangli said: “With everyone here, let’s get straight to the point.”
“Trickster, if it weren’t for Old Zhong’s presence, Brother Lu would probably be in dire straits. You bullied an intermediate player and hit a hard wall. Such matters need to be addressed.”
The Trickster glanced at Wei Jiangli, not angered by his aggressiveness, but his subordinates in the hall showed discontent.
One of them sneered: “It seems the young prince has been idle lately, even bothering with such trivial matters as mediation.”
“Although our two sides have had no dealings, we at least share the camaraderie of being in the same Game. You come here to accuse the teacher, aren’t you just taking the opportunity to make trouble?”
Wei Jiangli smiled at him, then with a wave of his sleeve, sent the other flying, crashing through several pillars before stopping, severely injured.
But this man wasn’t a waste like the God Envoy; he was a powerful advanced player who had earned his place here as an administrator’s confidant through strength, yet was humiliatingly treated like livestock.
He got up, his face twisted in rage towards Wei Jiangli, for recently the Trickster had been on the rise, while the prince, as an administrator, had always been more low-key and young.
But now it seemed, the other’s personality was not one to avoid confrontation.
Wei Jiangli scoffed, saying to the Trickster: “When the masters are having a serious talk, can you not control your dogs? If you can’t, what’s the point of keeping them here?”
He then addressed the remaining people: “When I speak, it’s not your place to interrupt.”
The Trickster smiled: “The prince is still as young and impetuous as ever.”
His words showed no sign of humiliation from having his territory violated.
Instead, he stunned everyone by stating plainly: “I calculated that Mr. Lu would become a significant hindrance to me in the future, so I sent someone to eliminate him.”
Lu Qingjia himself showed no reaction, but Zhong Liyu’s killing intent surged.
He looked at the Trickster, his smile chilling: “Actually, I think the same; if someone is a hindrance, it’s better to eliminate them.”
The atmosphere tensed to the extreme, the administrators’ killing intent putting the remaining advanced players on alert, but they also felt the despairing difference in strength, their faces pale, soon drenched in cold sweat.
Even the Trickster couldn’t help but tense momentarily, but then relaxed his defensive posture.
He spoke quite sincerely to Zhong Liyu: “I’ve long heard of Mr. Zhong’s strength.”
“If I had known of your involvement from the start, I wouldn’t have made such a wrong arrangement. This is my responsibility, and I apologize to both of you.”
“However, objectively speaking, you must admit my actions weren’t entirely unjustified. My nephew suffered greatly in the Game. Though I’m not petty enough to throw a fit over a child’s minor injuries, Mr. Lu seems to have a deep fixation on me.”
“Putting yourself in my shoes, if you encountered such a persistent enemy, with extraordinary talent and a frightening growth rate, already signaling future trouble, would you sit idly by?”
“Of course, I have no intention of making an enemy of Mr. Zhong. For my previous disrespect towards Mr. Lu, I am willing to offer some compensation. But since we’re here to talk openly, why not bring out the utmost sincerity to resolve this?”
The Trickster was eloquent, and his logic was sound.
Lu Qingjia was only an intermediate player; the current situation was entirely due to Zhong Liyu’s influence, something everyone knew.
The situation among the Infinite Game’s administrators was tense, not at all like the relaxed atmosphere of the Horror Game’s management, and their administrators changed frequently.
If he chose to oppose Zhong Liyu, there were plenty of would-be administrators who could use this to bring him down, as Zhong Liyu was indeed a powerhouse across the three Games in terms of individual combat.
He didn’t shy away from his thoughts, sincerely expressing his reluctance to oppose Zhong Liyu.
His words were simple: he had acted against Lu Qingjia, but that was before he knew he had an administrator backing him. Had he known, he wouldn’t have made such a foolish move.
An administrator’s abilities were nearly god-like, with few problems they couldn’t solve.
His previous actions were his fault, and as long as it wasn’t excessive, they could discuss compensation. Then they could sit down and slowly work out a solution. It’s better to resolve grievances than to let them fester. Unless it’s irreparable, it’s not good for anyone if two Game’s administrators are at odds.
In a few sentences, he cooled the entire situation, making it clear and simple.
It was just that Zhong Liyu, being overly concerned for Lu Qingjia, saw Lu Qingjia’s value as incomparable to any compensation or risk.
But objectively, even Wei Jiangli, who had no goodwill and some malice towards the Trickster, thought the other’s handling was indeed sharp and clear.
Not a bad deal for someone adept at assessing situations, quickly adjusting his stance.
From the Trickster’s perspective, the only uncertain factor in the current situation was Lu Qingjia.
Given his persistence, he probably wouldn’t easily suppress his emotions. Frankly, he was already surprised by how calm the other was now.
At the same time, he became more wary of the result of his prophecy.
But conversely, Lu Qingjia didn’t express anger or lose control over the Trickster’s dismissive attitude.
Instead, he smiled, showing interest: “Oh? Receiving compensation from an administrator, that’s an opportunity not to be missed.”
“What can you offer, Mr. Trickster?”
The Trickster’s eyes darkened, then he smiled: “With Mr. Zhong’s backing, your standards surely won’t be low.”
“At this stage, giving you something too advanced would not only be of little use but could increase your difficulty level in clearing instances, which would be counterproductive. But if you trust me, you could store it with Mr. Zhong.”
“Sure!”
Lu Qingjia answered without hesitation, leaving the Trickster momentarily speechless.
Frankly, this proposal was originally a test to see the extent of trust between Lu Qingjia and Zhong Liyu, with a bit of a provocation.
If Lu Qingjia had hesitated, the Trickster could have judged that the relationship between the two wasn’t so impregnable, leaving more room for manipulation.
He hadn’t expected Lu Qingjia to unhesitatingly agree to store such a rare treasure with Zhong Liyu.
Although Zhong Liyu, at his level, would surely disdain such things, whether it was out of trust in Zhong Liyu or quickly making the most beneficial choice by controlling his greed.
Neither was good news in the Trickster’s eyes.
He thought this but showed no sign of it, waving his hand to produce a few items on the meeting table.
Frankly, Lu Qingjia couldn’t tell what they were, but Wei Jiangli raised an eyebrow: “You’re being unusually generous.”
The Trickster smiled: “After all, I’m sincere.”
Finally, the two looked at Zhong Liyu and Lu Qingjia. Lu Qingjia nodded, and Zhong Liyu put the items away.
Wei Jiangli said: “So the matter of sending someone to attack is settled.”
“But it seems there’s a deeper conflict between you. Does the Trickster intend to resolve that as well?”
The Trickster nodded: “From what I learned from my nephew, Mr. Lu seems to have a strong reaction to one of my Items?”
This was somewhat vague; with an administrator’s abilities, he probably had already found out everything about Lu Qingjia’s past lives.
But formalities still had to be observed.
Lu Qingjia also surprisingly straightforwardly nodded: “Yes, one of the buttons was my uncle’s relic. He died in the Game.”
“Can you say this has nothing to do with you, Mr. Trickster?”
The Trickster was also truly without scruples, directly answering: “This was an Item I obtained by chance in an intermediate-level instance. It’s very effective and convenient, and I’ve used it to overcome many difficulties.”
“Of course, when gathering abilities, I can’t say I’m blameless for every one. If it contains a relic of your relative, then indeed, it was my doing.”
The Trickster’s words were somewhat tactful, but given his status as an infinite Player and the fact that he had allowed such a nephew to exist, his style of clearing the Game was evident. He had climbed to the position of Administrator by stepping over the blood and bones of countless others.
This statement from him was almost a direct admission: “I killed your relative. We indeed have a deep-seated blood feud. You’ve found the right person.”
Even Wei Jiangli, who had already suspected this, felt a bit overwhelmed by the speed of the conversation.
However, while the Trickster remained composed—after all, he was on his own turf—Lu Qingjia’s reaction as a mid-level Player was beyond his expectations.
Lu Qingjia’s eyes momentarily darkened, as if a storm had passed through them, but he quickly regained his calm and ease.
He smiled at the Trickster and said, “That’s straightforward. I’ll look forward to what comes next.”
There was no exaggeration or emphasis in his words, no hint of a threat.
Yet, everyone could sense an indescribable confidence in this mid-level Player, as if he truly believed he could exact revenge on the Administrator.
The Trickster’s eyes flickered, and he smiled again. “Don’t rush. I said this is a time for resolving issues. Acting on impulse benefits no one.”
“The main conflict between us is simply the life and death of your uncle.”
“What if I told you I could give you the coordinates and an Item to bring him back to life?”
Half an hour later, the three of them emerged from the Trickster’s residence, all looking quite relaxed.
Wei Jiangli asked, “Are you heading to the Emperor now? Or would you like to stroll around for a bit?”
Zhong Liyu replied, “Let’s walk for now. Do you have something to do?”
Wei Jiangli nodded. “A friend of mine just returned from a mission. I’ll go check on him.”
The two parties tacitly made excuses to part ways, needing time to process what had just happened.
Zhong Liyu glanced at Lu Qingjia, noticing that he didn’t seem the least bit troubled and was rather at ease.
He then asked, “So, what’s the plan?”
Lu Qingjia replied, “What do you mean?”
Zhong Liyu cut straight to the point. “It’s good news that your uncle might be revived, but I know your personality. You won’t let this go just like that.”
“But now you can slow down, right? That’s what I think.”
“With your talent, you’ll become an Administrator sooner or later. When that happens, we’ll find a better opportunity to take down the Trickster. It’ll be much safer that way.”
This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about Lu Qingjia rushing into dangers he couldn’t handle.
Lu Qingjia exhaled. “Yes, I’ll have to be more cautious from now on. After all, the Trickster is even more cunning than I imagined.”
Zhong Liyu didn’t share this sentiment. In his eyes, the Trickster was nothing special—his Abilities were average. But since he had earned such a title, it was clear that he wasn’t known for his combat prowess.
While the man was indeed cunning, perhaps because he had adapted to Jiajia, Zhong Liyu felt he wasn’t that impressive.
He offered a flattering smile. “You’ll definitely take him down. Oh, by the way, let’s go through the treasures he gave you as compensation. Some of them you can’t use yet, and taking them into the Game might do more harm than good. But there’s one I can suppress for you—”
Before he could finish, Lu Qingjia interrupted. “Just throw them all away. They’ve all been tampered with.”
“Huh?” Zhong Liyu was startled and immediately used his spiritual sense to inspect them. “There’s no issue. I checked them all when we first got them.”
“Not now, but eventually,” Lu Qingjia said firmly. “There might be a trigger condition, or maybe they’re harmless to you, so they slipped past your detection. But I can’t say for sure about every one of them, but there’s definitely a trap waiting for me.”
As he spoke, he took out the bracelet he had obtained from the God Envoy and sneered. “That’s also why I didn’t erase the ownership mark on the bracelet directly.”
Otherwise, it would have been so convenient. He wouldn’t have hesitated to take better things if they were offered.
Zhong Liyu trusted Lu Qingjia’s judgment. He frowned and asked, “How are you so sure?”
Lu Qingjia’s eyes darkened. “Because this Trickster isn’t the real one.”
Author’s Note:
Jiajia is still too weak. Frankly, in the eyes of the big shots, he’s just Zhong Liyu’s appendage. The attention he gets is entirely because of Green Bro.
Though it’s frustrating, there’s no way around it at this stage. After all, the world of the big shots is currently beyond Jiajia’s level.
But the Trickster is different. His caution stems from his own prophecy. An Administrator’s prophecy is something that must be taken seriously.
What comes next is Jiajia’s path of relentless self-improvement.
