Seeing Kite in such a sorry state, Shi Feng could hardly imagine how much resolve the free player known as Zuixiao must have mustered back then to make his choice. But the facts proved that Zuixiao's eye for talent was truly remarkable.
When it came to selecting personal bodyguards, two things mattered — a keen eye and a bit of luck.
If you picked poorly, you had only yourself to blame for lacking the insight and patience to see potential.
Before a player recruited an NPC under their banner, they absolutely could not see any of the NPC's stats. Even if they took on a regular bodyguard, that remained the case.
Anna was different — she had come as an assistant from an epic-tier quest and was entirely under Shi Feng's management, similar to a personal bodyguard, which was why Shi Feng could see her details.
Only after a player became a Viscount would they receive two personal bodyguard slots and forty-eight regular bodyguard slots. These slots were extremely precious. Once a contract was signed with an NPC, dissolving it came at a considerable cost.
For a regular bodyguard, the player could still bear that cost. After all, regular bodyguards could not grow, and as a player's strength increased, they would inevitably need to be replaced. Personal bodyguards were a different matter entirely — they could grow. Even Shi Feng dared not dissolve such a contract lightly, because the price was simply too steep.
That was why, in the Divine Realm, players who had attained the rank of Viscount were extremely cautious when choosing personal bodyguards. They would never use their slots casually, instead taking great care to select the right ones.
However, leaving a slot unused wasn't necessarily a good thing either. Even if someone else recruited a personal bodyguard with slightly lower potential, the fact that they started training that bodyguard earlier gave them a considerable advantage in leveling up. Moreover, the earlier a personal bodyguard was cultivated, the more it aided that bodyguard's growth.
Recruiting personal bodyguards wasn't a matter of simply choosing whomever you wanted. NPCs belonging to the great kingdoms, empires, and the Divine Realm's most powerful factions were impossible to recruit. In other words, the NPC you recruited could not belong to any faction. Additionally, the stronger the NPC and the higher their tier, the greater the difficulty in bringing them under your command.
A player who dreamed of recruiting a level 200, fifth-tier NPC right off the bat was flat-out delusional!
For Zuixiao to have zeroed in on the commoner Kite directly — that was a combination of sharp eyes and pure luck. Ordinary people simply couldn't replicate that.
But Shi Feng was absolutely set on this NPC.
"Mr. Kite, I am a Viscount who was recently promoted in White River City. I'm looking to recruit some bodyguards, and I was wondering if you might be interested?" Shi Feng asked.
Upon hearing this, Kite's expression grew somewhat excited. But after glancing at his arm, he let out a sigh. "Viscount, as you can see, I'm nothing but a useless man now. I'm hardly fit to serve as your bodyguard, my lord."
"I understand your concerns, Mr. Kite. I've heard that you became a second-tier Sword Master at a young age, and during the Great Demon War, you gravely wounded a third-tier demon — though you paid the price with the arm you once used to wield your sword. The fact that I've come here today to ask you to serve as my bodyguard means I've come prepared. See what this is?" Shi Feng smiled and produced a small crystal vial.
Inside the crystal vial was a single drop of deep blue liquid. Just looking at it through the crystal was enough to sense the immense life energy contained within.
"Water of Life!"
The moment Kite saw it, he recognized what was inside the crystal vial. A flicker of emotion crossed his normally stoic and resolute face. This was something he had been yearning for, something he had desperately sought — and now it was right before his very eyes. How could he not recognize it?
"That's right. As long as you agree to become my personal bodyguard, this vial of Water of Life is yours," Shi Feng said with a smile.
"Respected Viscount, are you truly willing to use such precious Water of Life on a mere Sword Master like me?" Kite was deeply tempted, but he forced himself to stay calm. "You should know, my lord, that with just a single drop of Water of Life, even a third-tier class powerhouse would agree without a moment's hesitation."
When Shuisè Qiangwei heard Kite say that, she was utterly shocked.
She had no idea the Water of Life was that valuable.
A single drop could secure the loyalty of a third-tier class NPC as a bodyguard.
That was a third-tier class — many players could only look up in awe at even second-tier class individuals, let alone third-tier.