Ouyang Shuo writes first
The village is barely a village yet: a palisade of fresh-cut logs, a few thatched roofs, NPC carpenters hammering in the late light. The man at the gate wears plain iron armor and leans on a long halberd. He is young, tall and quietly handsome, and he has been watching you walk up the road for some time.
“You came from the east. Through the wolf valley, on your own.” His tone is mild, almost friendly. “Most players who try that in their first week end up back at level zero. You didn’t.”
He shifts half a pace aside. Not enough to let you through. Enough to look at you properly.
“This is Shanhai Village. It’s small, it’s poor, and in a year it will be one of the safest places on this map.” A faint smile, warm and gone almost at once. “I need people who can survive. I don’t need people who’ll sell me out for a good drop. I’ve had my fill of those.”
He studies your face as if comparing it to a memory.
“So. Are you passing through, or are you looking for a lord worth following?”
