At this moment, Feng Xingyun suddenly thought of something.
“By the way, it seems my talent and specter items all disappeared the exact moment I failed to clear the dungeon.”
Zuo Lin'an's tone was calm.
“Of course. Whether it's talents or specter items, those are exclusive to players. Since you failed to clear the dungeon and lost your status as a player, they naturally vanished.”
“I see.”
As for the specter items in Zuo Lin'an's possession, it would actually be more accurate to call them 【special items】 or 【specter objects】.
He only called the gold hairpin a specter item out of habit.
A true specter item could be etherealized and stored inside the body, but his gold hairpin could not.
Zuo Lin'an slowly stood up.
“I bought you a phone and showed you how to use it. If you have some free time, use it to learn more about this world. It will be beneficial for your life hereafter.”
With that, he returned to his room.
Leaving only Feng Xingyun sitting in the living room.
He looked up at the beautiful light on the ceiling, which illuminated the exquisitely decorated interior, and then turned his head to look out the window. Outside was a barren wasteland.
There was no greenery, no life, and even the sky was obscured by dark clouds, devoid of sunlight.
There was only dead silence and emptiness.
And... a pervasive gloom that seemed to offer no hope.
“...”
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” he muttered, planning to head back to his own room as well.
For countless years to come, that would be his home.
Before leaving, however, he grabbed some snacks from the living room.
Since he had to adapt to local customs, he might as well start with the food.
The night passed in silence.
After Zuo Lin'an got out of bed, he pulled out his phone to order a large quantity of wild animals, such as wild rabbits and pheasants—just about enough to feed twenty players for two to three days.
Once the delivery arrived, he threw them directly into the white mist of the inner ring.
Of course, now that he had a subordinate, all the dirty and exhausting work would be handed over to him.
Feng Xingyun stared at the white mist in front of him and followed Zuo Lin'an inside.
Only after entering did he realize that the conditions inside were no different from the outside.
“Is this... your dungeon?”
Zuo Lin'an nodded, then shook his head.
“This place, plus a large portion of the outer area, totaling about eighty-eight mountains, theoretically belongs to me. However, the area that can currently be designated as a dungeon is only about the range of these eight mountains.”
Feng Xingyun opened one of the cages, releasing the pheasants and wild rabbits trapped inside.
“So, these things are...”
Zuo Lin'an grabbed a rabbit and casually tossed it forward.
“This is the food prepared for the players.”
Feng Xingyun was puzzled. “Food?”
Zuo Lin'an took the opportunity to explain.
“Because a One-Star dungeon can only have one main quest, and the main quest I set has nothing to do with survival time, I have to provide some food and water.”
Feng Xingyun was still confused. “Wouldn't it be more convenient to prepare nothing at all? You could just let them starve to death.”
Zuo Lin'an shook his head.
“That won't work!”
“The underlying rules of the dungeon dictate that we must leave a path of survival for the players. Therefore, basic food and water are mandatory. However...”
He sneered.
“I can't just let the players stay here peacefully forever. While maintaining balance, I also need to give them a sense of urgency.”
“Thus, the food provided must not last more than three days.”
“Even though I didn't set a main quest related to survival time, the limited food serves as a death line I've secretly established.”
Feng Xingyun paused. He hesitated for a moment, but after careful consideration, he spoke up anyway.
“Actually, you don't need to prepare this much.”
Zuo Lin'an was taken aback. “Oh?”
Feng Xingyun said, “You haven't practiced martial arts, so you wouldn't know. For a martial artist, as long as they have a small amount of food and water, they can survive much longer than ordinary people.”
“A martial artist's vitality is far more resilient than you think!”
Take himself, for instance. He was already a hundred and ten years old when he first began his flight.
Yet, because he had reached the Xiantian Rank, he still stubbornly survived for over thirty years despite the grueling conditions and daily pursuits.
“Didn't you mention earlier that twenty players will enter when the dungeon opens this time?”
Zuo Lin'an replied, “Yes, what about it?”
Feng Xingyun pointed at the other unopened cages nearby.
“If you release all of them, as long as half of those twenty players are martial artists, this amount will be enough to sustain them for at least ten days.”
Zuo Lin'an frowned slightly.
“That much? I thought the stronger a martial artist is, the larger their appetite and the more they eat.”
Feng Xingyun did not deny it.
“That's not wrong to say, but it depends on the situation. During training, if they want to grow stronger, they naturally eat a lot. But if they encounter danger...”
“For instance, in a specter dungeon where food is scarce, they can prolong their survival by hoarding the limited food and rationing it systematically every day.”
“If the stronger individuals monopolize these resources, the weaker ones, or those who have never trained at all, will starve to death.”
“After all, as long as they don't kill anyone with their own hands, they won't trigger any penalties.”
Zuo Lin'an's brow smoothed out slightly.
He had to admit that he really hadn't considered this aspect thoroughly.
Because he had previously set a survival time of one day, and none of the players had survived past half a day, food and water hadn't mattered.
But now, things were different...
“You're right. So, how much do you think is appropriate to release?”
Feng Xingyun said, “The ones released just now are already enough.”
Zuo Lin'an did the math; it seemed they had only released ten wild rabbits and ten pheasants.
“Really?”
Feng Xingyun's expression remained unchanged, his tone perfectly normal, as if he were stating common knowledge.
“There will always be a disparity in strength among the players. When their own lives are threatened, they will inevitably discard whatever superficial morality they once held.”
“They will hoard the majority of the food, and if you get some particularly ruthless ones, they will seize all of it.”
“So, no matter how many pheasants and wild rabbits you release into the dungeon, the outcome won't change. Those destined to survive will manage to live for several days, while those destined to starve will still starve.”
“Releasing too much food will only allow the stronger players to survive longer.”
“You mentioned earlier that the dungeon needs a certain balance. In that case, you only need to ensure that the strong who monopolize all the food can survive for two to three days, right?”
Zuo Lin'an was somewhat surprised, but he had to admit that Feng Xingyun was absolutely correct.
“Alright, we'll do as you say.”
To his surprise, although Feng Xingyun could not yet enter the dungeon to act as an NPC, he had already proven his worth.
As expected of an elder who had lived to a hundred and forty and reached the peak of martial arts; he truly knew a lot.
And... he was sufficiently underhanded and ruthless!
Indeed, the one who knew them best was one of their own.
Satisfied!
Zuo Lin'an was extremely satisfied!
Rate on N.U.
