Quests of all kinds were one of the main paths to rapid leveling in-game. Completing them granted massive XP—and most came with rewards matching their difficulty.

High-tier gear, potions, items… even hidden classes or rare skill books. Harder quests meant better loot. No wonder players constantly hunted for new quest triggers.

Later in the game, intel brokers would emerge, selling high-level quest info for profit. But right now? It was still day one. No such luxuries existed. Everyone was grinding just to escape the starting village.

Bai Xia knew questing was the orthodox leveling route—Tianzheng didn’t need to spell it out. But…

“Where do we even *find* quests?”

True. The starting village was tiny, and every NPC was swarmed by thick layers of players.

Newbie NPC quests? Mostly slaughter three chickens, hunt five rabbits, gather herbs… pitiful rewards.

Better to brave dangerous zones than fight crowds over weak mobs. At least that was thrilling.

Noticing Bai Xia’s confusion, the man—who’d just steadied his emotions—offered only a mysterious smile. No explanation. He simply waved and led the way toward the village.

“Follow me. You’ll see.”

Bai Xia blinked. What was he up to? Still… he was a pro. Maybe he knew tricks she didn’t. Following would reveal it soon enough.

Without hesitation, she hurried after Tianzheng with light, eager steps.

No Town Portal Scrolls here, but the forest was close. Soon, they were back in the village.

Crowds had only grown since yesterday—proof that glowing player reviews were pulling in waves of newcomers to *The Otherworld*.

With full-dive VR characters unable to phase through each other like in traditional MMOs, Bai Xia quickly grabbed Tianzheng’s wrist to avoid getting lost.

He glanced at her, then gently closed his larger hand over hers and pulled her closer.

Bai Xia froze for a second. But *she’d* initiated it… so she stayed quiet about his boldness.

Thankfully, Tianzheng seemed purely practical—likely just ensuring her small grip wouldn’t fail in the crush.

Moments later, inside a village shop, he naturally released her hand.

Bai Xia’s gaze swept the space, confusion deepening. “A blacksmith’s? What are we doing here…?”

Small as the village was—nowhere near a real city—it had all essentials. Every shop type was present.

Yet the busiest spot wasn’t weapons or armor. It was the potion shop.

Healing potions were lifelines for new players. Not everyone handled the game like Tianzheng. Few were as lucky as Bai Xia to latch onto a pro immediately.

Unfamiliar with mechanics, ordinary players needed ample potions just to survive exploration.

Thankfully, while *The Otherworld* had notoriously low drop rates, starter potions were cheap—even if underwhelming.

If the potion shop was packed, the blacksmith’s was its opposite: virtually deserted.

Makes sense. Starting-village forging required player-supplied materials *and* a nontrivial fee.

Most couldn’t gather materials. Everyone pinched pennies. Who’d waste coins crafting gear?

Especially when this blacksmith couldn’t forge anything worthwhile anyway.

After early hopefuls left empty-handed, the shop fell silent.

All morning? Maybe a dozen visitors. Now, only Bai Xia and Tianzheng stood inside.

The shop was cramped—tools, half-finished weapons everywhere. At its heart, a roaring forge.

A burly, shirtless middle-aged man hammered a glowing ingot with a massive silver hammer. *Clang. Clang.* Each strike sent deep, resonant echoes through the room.

Totally absorbed in his work, he hadn’t noticed them.

Above his head, a friendly blue NPC tag floated: *Blacksmith Lao Wang*.

*Lao Wang? I wonder if the shopkeeper next door’s wearing a “green hat.”*

…Well, just kidding.

Lao Wang looked genuinely earnest, utterly devoted to his craft. Since Tianzheng made no move to interrupt, Bai Xia waited quietly.

Soon, the blacksmith noticed them. He halted, wiped sweat with a neck towel, and offered an apologetic smile.

“…Ah, sorry. Adventurers—here to forge weapons?”

Truly, *The Otherworld*’s NPCs were uncannily lifelike. Without context, no one would guess he was code.

After a long silence, Tianzheng finally answered: “Yes. We need weapons forged.”

“My skill only allows basic weapons. Gather the materials, bring them to me—I’ll craft class-appropriate gear.”

As he spoke, a system chime echoed in Bai Xia’s ear: *Weapon Crafting Blueprint Acquired*.

A Level 5 basic white dagger. Materials were modest… but the fee? Three silver coins.

Now Bai Xia understood the emptiness. Currency in *The Otherworld* followed standard tiers: 1 gold = 10 silver = 100 copper.

New players earned little. Drop rates were abysmal. Three silver could buy *fifteen* Minor Healing Potions—not counting material costs!

Ample potions versus a weak transitional weapon? Most chose survival. Gear barely mattered at this stage—and crafting’s cost-to-benefit was terrible.

This blueprint felt like a trap. A waste of time and coin.

Bai Xia shot Tianzheng a puzzled look. *Could this… really be his so-called quest?*