Chapter 1541: Chapter 958: The Path to Transcendence (VII): Offline Celebration_2
Dongdong covered her mouth and laughed.
"No, no, no, Ms. Dongdong, there were so many early entry players in Tianchao, but only you became the first in the Priest profession. That’s a testament to your skill."
Tony praised.
Saying that, he looked at Meng Zhihan and praised as well:
"Ms. Meng Zhihan too, the Forging Master is such a demanding life profession that requires both time and talent. To reach the pinnacle of this profession, both talent and effort are necessary. You are definitely a genius!"
Upon hearing his words, Dongdong laughed heartily, and Meng Zhihan modestly responded.
After many years, their personalities seemed different from when they first started the game. Dongdong became less quirky and more open-minded and carefree, while Meng Zhihan appeared steadier.
They exchanged identities and started chatting away, and as their identities were exposed, even the other people on the bus were drawn to them.
Not just Dongdong and Meng Zhihan, even Tony, ranked over four thousand, was enough for the vast majority of players to look up to.
At this moment, the three elites together naturally became the focus of the entire bus.
As the conversation progressed, Tony gradually gained a deeper understanding of the two female players.
They’ve been playing for at least nine years. In reality, Dongdong is a reputable university lecturer with a PhD from Jinghua University.
While Meng Zhihan is a full-time professional player in "Elf Kingdom."
This was not much different from the information Tony already had.
He had long suspected that the server’s top forging master, Meng Zhihan, must be a professional player because the frequency and quality of her creations implied it was not simple work; even with accelerated thinking, it probably required very long online hours.
Anything from Meng Zhihan is considered a premium product, just from selling magic items, she might’ve earned more than one could in a lifetime in reality.
Incidentally, nowadays, among the eighty million players, quite a few professional players make a living from "Elf Kingdom."
As for Dongdong... Previously, he vaguely heard someone mention she was a super academic achiever, but he didn’t expect her to be a Jinghua University graduate and even a university teacher.
Yet, to Tony’s slight disappointment, both beautiful female players are already married.
The game brought them closer, sitting on the bus sharing laughter, gradually becoming acquainted.
The streets on both sides sometimes featured tall "Elf Kingdom" billboards, and near cinemas, there were promotional posters for movies set in the "Elf Kingdom."
Melodious music drifted from shops along the road, the familiar Elf Style Music, naturally creating a sense of endearment.
It must be said, the influence of "Elf Kingdom" is evident.
Tony had no doubt it might be the most impactful game on reality in human history.
Unprecedented, and likely never to be surpassed.
The gathering’s venue was the Tianchen Hotel, a five-star.
Supposedly, the hotel is the property of their president, Little Xian Miao’s family.
Tony still clearly remembers his shock upon learning the offline gathering’s venue was also their president’s property.
Perhaps... this is life.
Some are wealthy in the game but poor in reality.
While some are not only affluent in the game, but also admirable in reality.
No... Maybe precisely because Little Xian Miao wasn’t short of money in reality, he was able to quickly develop his guild and various industries in "Elf Kingdom" from the start...
Wealth in reality leads to wealth in the game.
Tony sighed internally.
When the bus arrived, it was almost five o’clock.
The hotel entrance was packed with cars, bustling with traffic.
According to Tony, every year at this time, the offline celebration would be held at the Tianchen Hotel, even utilizing the exhibition center behind the hotel, which was also operated by Little Xian Miao’s family’s company.
Since a few years ago, more and more players have attended the offline celebration annually, last time reaching four thousand attendees.
Notably, attendees are divided into invited and registered players; registered players cover their own costs, while invited players get in for free.
The number of invited players is small, only around five hundred, limited to well-known "Elf Kingdom" players or core members of the Mengmeng Committee, which Tony was part of thanks to his core membership.
The main celebration will take place at the exhibition center, while the hotel serves as accommodation and hosts various small gatherings organized by players.
Invited players will have a party in luxurious private rooms after the major event, which is the highlight for mingling with more elites for those invited.
As for registered players, they can freely roam.
From a certain viewpoint, there’s quite a difference in treatment between invited and registered players, with registered players even needing to pay hefty registration fees.
Yet, even so, tickets for the offline celebration are sold out quickly every year. This year, five thousand tickets were issued and sold out in no time.
There’s a reason for this.
Besides the annual grand performances related to "Elf Kingdom" during the celebration at the exhibition center, the offline celebration is an excellent platform for many players to conduct offline transactions, especially large guilds, which take advantage of the event to sell great in-game items.
And for registered players, it’s easy enough to meet some elites even with low probability, not to mention the celebration paired with the large market is naturally fun.
By the way, the market is open to the public, so there’ll be a considerable number of players who failed to register, flocking to the market for various exhibitions and auctions.
In recent years, events at the offline celebration have grown increasingly diverse. It’s hard to imagine that the first event was just five hundred people dining and meeting together.
Incidentally, every room at Tianchen Hotel has a pod, traditionally, besides offline activities, everyone logs into the game at night to continue the celebration online.
It’s not just a celebration for attendees, probably the entire Chosen City will be buzzing like a festival, after all... the market and online transactions are happening simultaneously.
Tony currently has no particular items he wants to buy, but if something interests him, he wouldn’t hesitate to spend.
The primary aim this time is to meet those he often plays with in the game.
It’s amusing that although he’s from M Country, most of his friends are Tianchao players.
Thinking this, he follows the crowd into the hotel.
After presenting his invitation, Tony was quickly and warmly guided by staff to an exclusive counter, registering amidst the envious eyes of other registered players, and received a special tote bag.
It contained the celebration schedule, room card, materials, and small gifts from the event room.
The gift is quite cute, a chibi Goddess doll.
As Tony took out the room card to check his room number, a pleasant yet surprised voice came:
"Foreigner? Invitation? Wait a second... are you Tony?!"
Tony felt a stir in his heart, quickly turned, to see a beautiful girl in her twenties appearing before him.
Tony was pondering which Tianchao friend from the game it might be, when Dongdong, who had just finished her room card process, excitedly greeted:
"Hey! Guoguo! Haven’t seen you for a year, you’ve gotten even prettier!"
Guoguo?
Who might that be?
Tony was slightly puzzled.
His mind raced, unable to match any similar ID.
Until the girl sighed a bit helplessly and said:
"Sister Dongdong, better call me by my game ID, using my real name always feels strange..."
"Hahaha, alright then, Miao Miao, long time no see~"
Dongdong laughed.
Miao Miao?
Tony was puzzled again.
No, hold on!
Miao Miao...
Little Xian Miao?!
He finally realized who the girl actually was.
