Chapter 48: Influence

In his previous life, the Bluestar faction only truly unified after a long period of adjustment following their arrival in Arthur. In fact, the seeds of the faction had already been sown the moment they crossed over, but it wasn’t until a year or two later that they could finally make their voices heard.

The old powerholders, suddenly thrust into a new world, were naturally unwilling to relinquish their authority and still tried to wield the remnants of their influence. Yet, when confronted with Arthur—a world resplendent with supernatural powers—they were utterly powerless.

Many Arthur players, seeing the old leaders still clinging to their control, simply turned away without hesitation, since they already belonged to established factions within Arthur itself.

The internal strife within Bluestar’s ranks persisted until high-level players ascended to the leadership, imposing their authority and quelling various disputes. This outcome was anticipated by most.

High-level players, aside from their innate qualities, gained immense strength after the crossing—their bodies endowed with the powerful attributes from the game. Intelligence granted them cunning, perception made them keen observers, and charisma elevated their leadership—each far surpassing normal human standards.

By virtue of their attributes alone, they became superhuman within the Bluestar faction.

Zhao Xu chose to retain his human racial attribute, partly to secure a future position of influence within Bluestar’s leadership. As long as his level remained among the highest of Earth’s players, he would certainly hold a seat on the Supreme Council.

Elves, dwarves, beastmen, and half-beasts—all these races had their own patron deities. Only humans were born without a god of their own.

“Xu, the grand alliance? I doubt even a draft will take shape in a month or two,” Zhang Qi remarked. “Everyone’s still too low-level to seize the initiative from Arthur’s native powers.”

Zhao Xu nodded. In truth, none of the players would be able to claim leadership within this first year. The first true Bluestar-led town wouldn’t emerge until after the next mass crossing, when the entire faction could pool its resources.

Arthur was never meant to serve the players, nor did it cater to their desires.

After chatting for a while longer, Zhao Xu excused himself and went out for a run. He spent most days lying in bed or sitting in a chair, immersed in the world of Arthur. If he kept at it, his muscles might well atrophy.

Though being disabled no longer worried him—since after the crossing, his in-game body would become his real one—he still tried to maintain his energy. After all, dropping dead from exhaustion would leave him with little recourse.

Both male and female students of his academy lived in the northern district, their dormitories nestled among tree-lined paths. Too lazy to head to the stadium, Zhao Xu jogged under the shade right outside the dorms.

As he ran past the campus convenience store, he happened to cross paths with several female classmates emerging from inside.

Among them was Cui Lu, the most beautiful girl in their class—regarded as the department’s flower. Since his return, aside from a fleeting glance at his classmates entering the lecture hall before classes began, Zhao Xu had spent the past half-month battling relentlessly in Arthur. Today, for the first time in years, he caught sight of the girl he once had feelings for in university.

But it was nothing more than a passing glance; he quickly ran on. In his previous life, even after crossing over, he’d never tried to pursue her—let alone in this one.

His university was a comprehensive institution, with many outstanding female students—several of whom were hailed as goddesses. But these goddesses, who now looked down on gaming enthusiasts, had no inkling that one day those very gamers would rise to dominance.

Zhao Xu remembered that Cui Lu, admired for her courage in love and her gaming prowess, was always popular among the boys and enjoyed high regard throughout the year. Under normal circumstances, she would have been the one everyone inquired about and reminisced over during future reunions.

After the crossing, Cui Lu led an extraordinary life. In his previous life, her archery skills as a Ranger became legendary, and it was under her that the grand alliance was finally unified. Even Li Tiange, their class’s top scholar, pursued her fervently after the crossing, hoping to form a powerful partnership, but ultimately to no avail.

Cui Lu always looked after her classmates after the transition, Zhao Xu included; he benefited from her help more than once. Later, she rose to a high position within the Bluestar faction, though she remained unmarried.

In every sense, Cui Lu was out of his league—both before and after the crossing. Now, he was only interested in the grand alliance she would one day lead across all the universities of Bincheng, not in Cui Lu herself. He had no desire for anyone’s affection.

“Lulu, did you see? That was Zhao Xu, jogging past just now,” said a bespectacled girl, shaking Cui Lu’s arm.

“I saw him. What’s up?” Cui Lu replied, momentarily confused.

“Everyone guesses he’s a top-tier player,” the girl explained. “His roommates say he spends every day fighting in Arthur. Since you want to use the class guild as a base to form a department-wide alliance, you need people who can work tirelessly like that—he’s certainly a high-level player.”

“Hmph, Lulu, don’t bother with him,” interjected Fang Xiyue, the class monitor and one of the class’s most admired girls. “He’s been skipping classes far too much—I’ve even covered for him several times.”

Cui Lu nodded along with the monitor, but her lively eyes kept drifting toward the figure of Zhao Xu as he ran into the distance, an odd look flickering across her face.

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After his run, Zhao Xu grabbed a quick meal at a fast-food restaurant, then returned to his dorm to browse the forums until midnight, before showering and heading to bed.

The next day, when he logged into the game, he found himself in high spirits once again. Early in the morning, he meditated in his dorm, spending less than half an hour to prepare his mage spell slots.

Over the next few days, unless he used up those slots, they would remain available—no need to prepare them again. If he changed his mind the following day, he could adjust his prepared spells accordingly.

After finishing his preparations, he pored over the dense and difficult religious texts. Only when he heard the bells for morning prayer did he leave the priest’s quarters assigned to him.

Outside, many apprentice clerics like himself were bustling toward the morning prayer hall. Zhao Xu had already memorized the layout of the area yesterday—he knew exactly where to go.

Now dressed in ceremonial robes and carrying a sacred text, he looked the part. Several apprentice clerics eyed him curiously, but seeing his badge and attire, they had no doubts.

In this crowd, people came and went daily; few knew one another. Only the deacon in charge kept the master list.

Upon entering the prayer hall, Zhao Xu found a seat and began his devotions. The supervising deacon glanced at him, confirmed his identity, then returned to his own chapel once most had arrived.

The prayer hall was vast, with three hundred seats filled to capacity. At the front stood a statue of the goddess, four or five times the height of a person.

Every district of the Sacred Heart Cathedral had its own prayer hall for priests; this one was reserved for apprentices. At this hour, unless special duties called, all clerics would be praying to the goddess to receive their divine powers.

All the apprentice clerics here were on one-year terms. Only when an apprentice received divine spells and became a junior priest would they be moved to pray with the ordained clergy.

Thus, most in the hall were engaged in pure devotion. Only Zhao Xu was genuinely preparing his spells.