Scourge Messenger

Chapter 464 Pre-war meeting
After a brief moment of consideration, Deng Jin nodded emphatically: "I don't want to miss out on something this interesting. I want to participate."

“Me too,” Wei Bai said calmly.

"Then, then, shall I give it a try?" Ning Xiaoxiao swallowed hard and said cautiously, "I will follow orders, but I might not be as strong as them..."

“Although there are five of us on our side, for safety reasons, I will only participate in necessary tactical operations. The real combat will be handled by the seven of you. Therefore, the five of us will only receive half of the spoils, and the other half will be shared by you.” Jiang Shi looked at Deng Jin and the other two and said, “You are all messengers who meet my recruitment criteria. As long as you follow orders, your contributions should be at the same level. Therefore, my distribution strategy is a ‘fish-scale selection’ by both sides, and a ‘seating selection’ among you. Any problems?”

The so-called 'fish scale selection' means that all the spoils are listed out, and you choose one after another, like fish scales closely intertwined; the 'seating order selection', as the name suggests, means that everyone can get spoils by taking turns according to their seating order, with the only difference being the order in which they are selected.

“It’s a very fair distribution system, I have no problem with it.” Deng Jin looked at Wei Bai and Ning Xiaoxiao: “Shall we arrange the seating order first? I’ll go second.”

“I’m third,” Wei Bai said.

Ning Xiaoxiao's eyes widened as she listened. Shouldn't everyone be vying for the first seat? Not only would they be able to choose the best loot, but they also wouldn't miss out on any round.

"It's decided then. You're first, I'm second, and Wei Bai is third." Deng Jin didn't give her a chance to choose, deciding it with a wave of his hand. Ning Xiaoxiao's face turned bright red, but she didn't dare to object.

“Let’s talk as we go,” Yan Qing said, taking over the leadership of the group. “The Sorrowful Daoist is waiting for us inside.”

At the highest level of the dungeon, there are no more mobs or elite demons; the entire dungeon world consists only of the Demon King. Although there are no mobs, each dungeon has its own unique features. For example, the Paradise Palace has various gambling devices, and players who are interested can try their luck. Deng Jin, for instance, was quite eager to give it a try.

"I visited the Paradise Palace a long time ago, but I only stayed for two days before leaving," Deng Jin said to everyone. "I never thought I'd have the chance to come back to the Paradise Palace in the East Sea... Fairy Jubao, can your summoning order specifically call for a particular person?"

"Yes."

"Ahem, I think I'm pretty good at it, and I should be able to meet your requirements. How about inviting me to these kinds of events in the future?" Deng Jin blinked. "Instead of recruiting strangers, why not conquer the secret realm with familiar teammates?"

"Let's clear this secret realm first," Yan Qing said preemptively.

Even so, Yan Qing was already somewhat tempted. No matter what game you play, a fixed team is always much better than a random random team. Delta Force, Monster Hunter, Dota, PUBG... Especially since Yan Qing plans to tackle high-difficulty content in the future, as the saying goes, "the team is the best at the limit, and you can't make mistakes in desperate situations." If you can form a fixed team that you know well, it is of course better than recruiting random teams.

Yan Qing still remembers a controversial post on the forum that roughly said, "All random teams will eventually become fixed teams. If someone has been playing in random teams for several months and still can't get a fixed team to join them, it means that he can only live a relatively unsuccessful life."

If Yan Qing encounters particularly pleasant, friendly, and powerful teammates during the recruitment process, she'd certainly like to get to know them and then invite them to run dungeons together in the future. It's like drawing an SSR card; would you simply choose not to use it and instead keep drawing more cards?
But let's not rush to say it now; let's see how they perform through this instance first.

Passing through the hall, the group arrived at the deep hall of the Blissful Immortal Palace, the "Never-Ending Feast," where they saw the "Extreme Sorrowful Daoist" floating in mid-air. The hall was filled with the sounds of laughter and revelry, but apart from the Sorrowful Daoist, there was no one else there, exuding an eerie atmosphere that sent chills down their spines.

"To eliminate the Weeping Taoist, we need two shield bearers, two healers, and four combatants." Yan Qing looked at Deng Jin and the other two: "Which of you will be the shield bearer and the healer?"

Deng Jin and Wei Bai exchanged a glance, and Deng Jin smiled and said, "How about I do it?"

“I am Shieldblade.” Wei Bai stepped forward.

Deng Jin never hid his acquaintance with Wei Bai, and Yan Qing didn't care either; as long as teammates could follow orders and clear the level, they were good teammates. He looked at Ning Xiaoxiao, who nervously said, "My special ability is [Sharing Rain], which can reduce the damage of enemies in the area and continuously restore the defensive barrier of allies."

"Can it effectively treat a single target?" Yan Qing asked.

Although Yan Qing's terminology was unfamiliar and peculiar, it was very easy to understand, and Ning Xiaoxiao had no difficulty comprehending it. She nodded and said, "Yes, [Sharing Rain] will connect me with my allies, and I can consume my own defensive barrier to replenish my allies' barriers. My defensive tokens are very powerful, and the upper limit of my defensive barrier is very, very high. I can replenish my allies' defensive barriers in just a moment, and [Sharing Rain] will have a three-fold effect on me."

I see. This is the healing style that doesn't aim to directly heal teammates, but rather maintains their health by exchanging blows, and excels at healing itself.

“I understand. Now I’ll assign the positions,” Yan Qing said. “Ning Xiaoxiao and I are healers, Lang and Wei Bai are shield bearers, and everyone else is a combatant.”

Yan Qing took out a calligraphy brush and began to paint on the "Never-Ending Feast" from a distance. Deng Jin was somewhat surprised: "Even if we haven't entered the Demon King's territory yet, if you attack from a distance, the Demon King will still rush out to fight us."

"I didn't attack, I was just using punctuation."

The calligraphy brush in Yan Qing's hand was merely a token, which could potentially be obtained from any secret realm. Its only power was [Void Graffiti], which caused no harm but allowed drawing from a distance. Yan Qing drew a few strokes, creating a circle in each of the four corners of [The Never-Ending Feast] and in the center of the room in a cross shape, for a total of eight circles.

Deng Jin and Wei Bai were slightly moved when they saw this scene.

"Wei Bai, I need you to act as the main shield, responsible for drawing the aggro of the Weeping Taoist. Any problems?" "No problem."

"At the start of the battle, you need to pull the Weeping Taoist to the center of the room. Then, you stand in the southern circle. You can dodge and move around, but you must ensure that the Weeping Taoist stays in this position and always faces south. Can you do that?"

Wei Bai pondered for a moment: "Okay."

"Now I will explain the details of all of the Weeping Daoist's killing moves and how to deal with them. If there is anything you don't understand, please speak up." Yan Qing said, "First is [Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Happiness]. At the beginning, the Weeping Daoist will summon the four great divine masters: Joyful Slave, Angry Slave, Sorrowful Anger, and Joyful Slave. He will connect two of the divine masters to launch a killing move."

"When contacting Xi Nu, it is dangerous to be near the Weeping Taoist; one must stay away."

"When connecting with the Angry Slave, the Weeping Taoist knows that the East and West are in danger, and he needs to stand in a circle between the North and South."

"When contacting Ai Nu, the weeping Taoist priest said it was dangerous outside and he needed to approach;"

"When connecting with Le Nu, the Weeping Taoist is in danger in the north and south, and needs to stand in the circle between the east and west."

"You must clearly see which two supernatural beings he is connecting to, and determine where you should stand to avoid damage. We healers should prioritize Shieldbearer, and everyone else should avoid taking damage if possible."

……

...

The task assignment took a full half hour. Yan Qing not only explained but also used a sand table to simulate the specific situation. He couldn't afford to be careless. Although the "Unbreakable Alliance" could guarantee no risk, if the entire party was on the verge of wiping out and the dungeon was reset, it would still consume "Recruitment Orders." Recruitment Orders seemed to be usable many times, but in the context of clearing high-difficulty dungeons, even spending one Recruitment Order might not guarantee a successful clear.

What's reassuring is that all three teammates are very obedient SSRs. Ning Xiaoxiao goes without saying, but Deng Jin and Wei Bai, who are obviously important figures, are also very obedient. They occasionally offer opinions, but they don't use their seniority to question Yan Qing's arrangements. In fact, they become more and more serious as the conversation progresses.

"Thank you," Deng Jin suddenly said.

"Why thank you?"

“I have learned a lot from your strategy methods. When I go back and teach them to others, it will definitely improve the Dragon Poetry Clan’s strategy efficiency. If it were an equal exchange, I would be willing to exchange a fifth-tier legendary token for this knowledge.”

"Go ahead and send it, we don't mind."

“But this isn’t an equal exchange,” Deng Jin said with a sly smile. “I’m your teammate now, and you’re teaching us this knowledge so we can pass the game. Therefore, I can accept this knowledge without having to give anything in return, but I still have to say thank you to express my gratitude.”

"Me too!" Ning Xiaoxiao nodded emphatically. "I never imagined there were such convenient techniques for conquering secret realms. Thank you!"

Wei Bai didn't speak, but nodded almost imperceptibly.

"If you really want to thank me, then clear this secret realm in one go," Yan Qing said. "Since you've memorized everything, let's begin the strategy."

We're all Foundation Establishment cultivators, with memories far exceeding those of ordinary people. There's no need to waste time simulating multiple times. It's better to just do it once and see how it goes. Maybe some people are good at theory but will make frequent mistakes in actual combat due to nervousness. This isn't just about Deng Jin and his two companions, but also includes the thief women. If playing normal dungeons is like normal matchmaking, then playing high-difficulty dungeons is like ranked matches. There's no room for personal feelings between men and women; everything is for clearing the dungeon!

Yan Qing prepared five conscription orders for this operation with room for error. If there was a problem with the personnel, the personnel would be replaced; if there was a problem with the strategy, the strategy would be revised; if the mission could not be completed within five attempts, the mission would be abandoned!
Yan Qing looked at Jiang Shi, who took out forty talismans and gave five to each person.

Deng Jin raised an eyebrow: "The Great Bright Tathagata Talisman produced by the Longshi Clan of Xixia? That's not cheap."

"During the battle, you must ensure that your weapons and tokens are always imbued with the [Great Bright Tathagata ...

Deng Jin nodded thoughtfully: "Understood."

Wei Bai and Ning Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement.

"Finally, I will protect you." Yan Qing lightly flicked her right earring and took out a feather fan to activate a wide-range healing technique. Soon, Deng Jin and Wei Bai's expressions changed drastically, and their eyes were filled with horror as they looked at Yan Qing and Jiang Shi.

"Natural calamities and karmic consequences!" Wei Bai said, enunciating each word clearly, "You want to... destroy the Blissful Immortal Palace!?"

(End of this chapter)