my pokemon player.

At the Corviknight taxi stand in Firefly Town, Hao Ren and Old Ma stepped out of the car and greeted Patrick Star, who was waiting there.

"Good morning, Mr. Patrick Star. How did you know we came back in a Corviknight taxi?" Old Ma said with a wink, his face full of smugness.

Patrick said irritably, "Of course! Didn't you guys send a message in the group chat asking me to come pick you up?"

Hao Ren shook his head helplessly: "Ignore him. This guy just wants to show off that he rode in a Steel Raven taxi, otherwise he wouldn't have sent you a message in the group."

Patrick Star suddenly realized what he meant, then glanced at Old Ma with disdain and said angrily, "You're so hopeless!"
"What a loser! It's just riding in a Corviknight taxi once. What's there to brag about? People who don't know any better would think our guild is really poor!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Ma's eyes lit up immediately: "Does the guild leader mean our guild is very rich? Can I ask the guild to reimburse my commuting expenses in the future?"

"Ahem, let's talk about that later. How did your mission go?" Patrick coughed lightly twice, awkwardly changing the subject.

"Didn't we say in the group chat that the mission went very smoothly? Salty Fish has gained the priestess's trust and successfully infiltrated the Church of Shadows."

"So," Old Ma looked at Patrick with anticipation, "can the commuting expenses be reimbursed? If so, I'll take the Corviknight taxi every time I travel from now on."

Patrick was speechless: "You're a newbie, and you want to ride Corviknight every time you go out? You're dreaming. Why don't you ride a Dragonite instead?"

"It's not like I haven't ridden a Dragonite before. To be honest, it's just so-so. Although the flight speed is fast, the comfort is not as good as the Corviknight taxi. The most important thing is that the driver's attitude is terrible!"

Old Ma's words sounded like a complaint, but it was easy to see from the smug smile on his face that he was simply showing off that he had ridden a Dragonite.

"Alright, all you did was ride a Dragonite once. You've mentioned it dozens of times in the group chat, and now you want to brag about it in the game too?"

Patrick Star's tone was a little sour. Although he wasn't interested in flying, he was very interested in Dragonite. After all, which boy hasn't fantasized about being a dragon rider?

"I'm not bragging, just stating the facts. The Corviknight taxi is indeed more comfortable, so guild..."

Before Old Ma could finish speaking, Patrick interrupted him, saying, "Impossible, can't pay, stop talking!"

"Alright, Lao Ma, stop teasing him. Our guild hasn't been officially established yet, where would we get the money to reimburse you?" Hao Ren said, trying to smooth things over.

Old Ma chuckled: "Hey, I'm just used to it. In real life, work expenses are always reimbursed. I just wanted to see if I could fool the chairman a little."

Patrick Star said angrily, "I get it! You were just playing me!"

"How can this be called playing tricks on you? I just wanted to see if you, Chairman, are really as magnanimous and unpretentious as the rumors say!" Old Ma flattered him with a grin.

Others might feel embarrassed by Old Ma's blatant flattery, or even think that Old Ma is being sarcastic, but Patrick Star wouldn't think that way.

His lips curled into an uncontrollable smile as he excitedly exclaimed, "Rumors? I've got rumors about myself?"

Old Ma feigned surprise and said, "President, don't you know? We newbies have all heard rumors about you and have long admired you!"

Patrick's smile grew even brighter as he scratched his head and said, "I really don't know what the rumors are about me?"

Old Ma paused for a moment, then began to spout nonsense in a serious tone: "Rumor has it that you have a heart as vast as the ocean and are especially friendly to new players."

"They also said you have great potential and will definitely become the king of the sea in the future. Many newbies want to follow you, and they have all come to me."

Upon hearing these words, Hao Ren's lips twitched slightly.

If you told this to a hundred people, ninety-nine of them wouldn't believe you, but
He glanced at Patrick Star, who was beaming with joy, and sighed silently.

It's obvious that this fool is the only one who will believe him.

Hao Ren glared at Lao Ma, signaling him to stop fooling the idiots.

Old Ma nodded knowingly, and was just about to change the subject when he heard Patrick Star burst into laughter:
"Hahahaha, I didn't know I was this famous! Even the newbies have heard rumors about me!"

At this point, Patrick seemed to have thought of something and asked with a puzzled look:

"That's not right. If I'm so famous, why don't newbies actively seek me out to join their guilds?"

"I invited a few newbies before, but they all ignored me. Could it be..."

When Old Ma saw that Patrick Star seemed to have realized what was happening, his heart sank, and he quickly looked to Hao Ren for help.

Hao Ren rolled his eyes at him, indicating that he couldn't help him. Who told him to bully an idiot? He deserved to have his car backfire!
Seeing this, Old Ma realized he had gone a bit too far. Just as he was about to apologize to Patrick and tell him the truth, he heard Patrick suddenly clap his hands and shout:
"Are they shy in front of me? Too embarrassed to express their feelings?"

"Huh?" Old Ma was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's probably what they're thinking!"

"As expected of President Patrick, he's so smart! He guessed their true intentions right away!"

My admiration for you is like a surging river, endless and unstoppable, like the Yellow River overflowing its banks!

Hao Ren frowned upon hearing this. Why did that last sentence sound so familiar?
Patrick Star, however, raised his head and said in a nonchalant manner:

"Keep it low-key, keep it low-key. I never thought that you would discover the wisdom I had hidden for so long."

"Actually, I usually pretend to be stupid just to give Brother Good Guy and Brother Crow a chance to show themselves."

Old Ma gave Patrick a thumbs up: "I see, Chairman, you are truly wise in your apparent foolishness!"

"Think about it carefully. You and Lord Ryan have never fought each other. Is this because kings do not meet, or is he avoiding your sharp edge?"

Upon hearing this, Hao Ren could no longer hold back and shouted, "Enough! Are you two never going to stop?"

"If these words reach Lord Ryan's ears, the goodwill we've worked so hard to build up might just vanish!"

Patrick and Old Horse both knew the importance of favorability, especially Lord Ryan's favorability, so they awkwardly shut their mouths.

Hao Ren shook his head and changed the subject, saying, "Let's talk about the upcoming Northern Expedition."

"According to Brother Crow, the enemy's air force has become increasingly aggressive these past two days, coming to our territory to scout several times a day. This must be because the enemy's army has almost finished assembling, which means that war is about to break out!"

"I don't need to elaborate on the importance of this game; you all understand. Putting aside the other rewards, the beta test invitations alone are enough to drive all players crazy. After all, just one invitation can lead to financial freedom." Old Ma echoed in deep agreement, "Yes, more and more wealthy people know about this game, causing the price of invitations to skyrocket. Didn't Qian Duoduo mention in the group that if someone wants to sell them, making a few million is no problem?"

Patrick exclaimed in astonishment, "A few million? Really? Are those rich people crazy, spending so much money to buy a beta test qualification for a game?"

Hao Ren said calmly, "You said they are rich, why would they care about such a small amount of money? What those rich kids want is this sense of superiority that I have and you don't have."

"And haven't you heard the saying, 'It's not that we're afraid of the second generation squandering the family fortune, it's that we're afraid of the second generation starting their own businesses'? Those big shots are smart. Rather than letting their descendants do nothing, they'd rather let them play games."

"Most importantly, our game is a 100% virtual reality game. Do you know what that means?"

Patrick Star stared with his clear, foolish eyes and asked, "What does it mean?"

"This means that once the game is released for public testing, it will inevitably monopolize the entire game market, thereby giving rise to various industries. This is a vast blue ocean, and no one can resist its allure."

Hao Ren replied that this was one of the reasons why their department attached such importance to this game.

"Just you wait and see. Once some wealthy people from their social class buy an invitation and confirm that the game is real, the price of the invitation will continue to rise. A few million is just the beginning."

Seeing Hao Ren's certainty, Patrick Star swallowed hard and muttered to himself:
"My goodness, this isn't an invitation, it's a ticket to financial freedom!"

Hao Ren nodded slightly: "You're right. Other players will soon realize this as well, so the competitive pressure in this war will be very high. We must determine the main attack direction before the war begins."

"If we choose the right main focus, we can easily obtain a lot of merit points and contribution points, which can not only be exchanged for invitation letters and achieve financial freedom, but also take the opportunity to meet the requirements for establishing a guild and gradually catch up with the top-tier players."

"On the contrary, if we choose the wrong target, we'll be lucky if we don't catch up with the veteran players, let alone be overtaken by the newbies."

Patrick nodded repeatedly: "Yes, we absolutely cannot let the newbie surpass us!"

"It's about catching up! That sounds really strange!" Hao Ren corrected.

Patrick waved his hand casually: "None of that matters. Have you decided on our main target?"

Hao Ren crossed his arms and said calmly, "You are the president, so you should be the one to make the decision."

"Huh? Me? Me?" Patrick stammered, completely losing his previous confidence.

"That's right! Didn't you say you always hide your talents? Now it's your time to show them! Make a decision quickly, our fate and the guild's fate are in your hands!"

Hao Ren urged, a playful smile curving his lips.

"Okay then," Patrick reluctantly agreed, then tentatively probed further.

"What do you think about us taking over Feiyu Town and attacking Qingquan Town? Brother Crow often carries out missions in Feiyu Town and knows it like the back of his hand. We can also get support from the air force."

Hao Ren looked at Patrick Star in surprise upon hearing this: "I didn't realize you were so capable."

Upon hearing this, Patrick Star instantly gained confidence and said smugly, "You guys always say I'm stupid, but I'm not stupid at all. Sometimes I'm even incredibly clever!"

"In Brother Ma's words, this is called 'great wisdom appearing as foolishness.' I don't usually reveal my wisdom; I only do so in life-or-death situations."

Seeing that Patrick was getting more and more excited, Hao Ren immediately raised his hand to interrupt him:

"Shut up already. You think you're so great just because I praised you a couple of times? I haven't finished speaking yet. You do have some skills, but unfortunately they're not very useful."

"Feather Town is good, but as everyone knows, the main force of Feather Town is the air force, and very few newbies can join. Many of the players our guild has recruited are newbies. How are they supposed to steal credit from the veteran players?"

"Therefore, Feather Town is not suitable for us to settle in. Let Brother Crow play there by himself. As one of the best in the air force, he can earn a lot of merit for the guild."

"It's not too late to call him over when we need air support."

Patrick Star's smile froze on his face when he heard Hao Ren's merciless rebuttal.

He pursed his lips, muttering resentfully, "So, according to you, Silverleaf Town and Wetland Town also have many veteran players who have settled there, so we can't choose these two towns either?"

“Yes, neither of these two towns is suitable.” Hao Ren smiled and praised Patrick, “You’ve finally figured it out! You can even apply what you’ve learned to other situations!”

"It's alright, this is easy for me, I just need to make a slight move and wait a bit!"

Patrick suddenly realized something and asked Hao Ren, "This isn't right. There are only three towns on the front lines. If you don't choose any of them, where are we going?"

Faced with Patrick Star's questioning, Hao Ren calmly replied, "Who said there are only three towns? Isn't there still Rose Town?"

Patrick Star's eyes widened upon hearing this, and his voice suddenly rose: "Rosetown? That's not the front line of the battlefield, but the base camp for life skill players."

"Wait! You're not suggesting we compete with those casual game players for tasks, are you?"

"No, no, this is too embarrassing! New players will definitely quit, and we can't compete with casual game players!"

Hao Ren shook his head: "I never said I wanted to compete with life skills players for jobs. You can't afford to offend them."

"Then why did you bring up Rose Town? It's located in the heart of the territory, with Firefly Town to the south and Feather Town to the north. Who are we supposed to fight there?!"

Patrick Star became increasingly confused; the Riddler was the man he hated most.

Hao Ren pointed to the east and west sides: "Is your only view north and south? Can't you look east and west?"

"What's so interesting about the east and west directions? Aren't they all just the Firefly Forest?"

"What about going through the Firefly Forest?"

"Going through it isn't a big deal; to the east is Moon-Viewing Lake, and to the west is..."

Patrick suddenly looked up at Hao Ren, and at that moment he finally understood Hao Ren's thoughts:
"You intend to cross the Firefly Forest to the west and attack Wisteria Town?" (End of Chapter)