Chapter 15
Pei Sen was filled with excitement, and so were the other players. The reason was simple: they had already discovered that accepting quests in this game was incredibly difficult.
Although there seemed to be many special NPCs, very few players actually managed to receive quests. The tasks available from guide NPCs offered almost no experience points. Nowadays, when ordinary NPCs in the city saw players, they turned and fled as if encountering monsters. Under such circumstances, only those with extraordinarily high charm stats could ever hope to accept a quest.
Only a handful of players, targeted by Kui Lang, had ironically benefited from their misfortune and successfully received quests.
Just then, the arrival of the faction’s main storyline quest felt like long-awaited rain for the players.
“But if we join this faction, there must be an opposing one. Can’t players choose?” a player asked.
“Choice? The problem is you can’t even find where the other factions are.”
“This game is way too free; it’s nothing like a normal game!”
“Not only is it fully immersive, but the NPCs’ intelligence is somewhat terrifying. It’s possible that by helping Lord Eagle Langno fend off the lich back then, we triggered this main quest!”
“…”
Indeed, this is the most plausible conjecture, as they have all identified the key figure of this faction: Eagle Langno, whom they once protected during a time-limited mission.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, their actions at that time should have triggered this faction’s main quest.
“There should be no choice,” Braised Spicy Gluten Stick said, looking at the few players beside him whom he had already grown familiar with. “On our first day, we triggered a time-limited protection mission; this faction main quest must be the follow-up. In other words, for now, we newbie players can only join this Thorny Rose faction. As for the future, that’s a matter for later.”
“Agreed.”
Thus, without exception, all two hundred closed-beta players surged toward the Golden Rose Manor.
Pei Sen had already handed the brand-new blueprint to Eagle. “Young master, destruction is necessary before construction. Didn’t you previously wish to demolish your fief? Doing so now will not arouse suspicion among those with ill intentions.”
“Ding! Player Pei Sen has submitted [Kaixi City Construction Blueprint · I]. Contribution points +1000.”
Pei Sen knew clearly that this thousand points was already a doubled reward; it seemed contribution points were not easy to earn. However, since the leader of this faction was Eagle, he naturally belonged to this faction. Unlike players who started with neutral faction reputation, he began with friendly status, placing him ahead of all other players.
Eagle looked at Pei Sen in surprise. “You know how to draw blueprints?”
“Yes, young master,” Pei Sen said with a smile.
This was truly his old trade; Pei Sen had thought he would never need it again… Thinking of the studio he had just opened in his previous life, he sighed inwardly.
As an architect who had worked tirelessly for several years, he finally managed to open a studio with his partner, only to inexplicably transmigrate to this place.
Speaking of which, it was truly heartbreaking.
This blueprint was actually a test piece; Pei Sen had drawn only part of it. He wanted to see whether this thing would actually work or be accepted—in other words, whether there would be any reward.
Since he had successfully submitted it, he could continue drawing.
“And Young Master, I can also teach Neil the methods for crafting certain materials; however, we must first dispatch someone to ‘clear out’ that area.”
Tearing down the entire city of Kacey to rebuild it is a matter requiring great resolve. Yet for Eagle, the act of demolishing Kacey itself holds far more amusement than its reconstruction.
“Destroy first, then be reborn?” Eagle laughed, looking thoroughly delighted. “Excellent. Then let us begin by destroying Kacey. I suddenly find myself in no hurry to kill Wallis; at the very least, I shall make him watch helplessly as I tear his city apart before I finally take his life.”
Wallis, the governor of Kacey City, regarded the city as his personal possession. Even though he knew Eagle was the true lord, he had always considered himself the actual master of Kacey.
If Eagle truly destroys Kayce City, Wallis would be heartbroken beyond measure, not knowing whether it will ever be rebuilt.
“The Bixes could be enlisted to help,” Pei Sen thought. With roughly a month’s time, they could first demolish Kayce City. This period coincides with early autumn in this world; the air still carries the lingering warmth of summer, and the fields outside the city are nearing harvest season. Even if the city’s inhabitants lose their homes and are driven out, they would still be able to survive.
In a place like Kai West City, the indigenous people who managed to survive under the oppression of the city lord and squeezed between various forces such as Kui Wolf were never the kind, hardworking, honest folk.
To be honest, the atmosphere in Kaiton City was so corrupt that Pei Sen felt there were hardly any truly sympathetic people left; the place could almost be called a City of Sin. Many residents had ties to underground factions, or at the very least, served as their informants.
In one month, they will destroy Kaixi City; by the next month, just in time for the second closed beta, they will gain two thousand additional laborers.
The biggest difference between players and the original characters is that players don’t fuss over details; they’ll do the job as long as there’s a reward. Moreover, the bulk of these rewards doesn’t even need to come from Eagle—the game system provides them. Essentially, for Eagle, players are absolutely super cheap labor.
When it comes to understanding players, Pei Sen, who had played this game for several years before, was second to none.
Although most players would certainly be willing to take on such tasks for the rewards, there will definitely be some who have no interest in them at all.
Exactly; these are the hardcore combat-oriented players who only want to fight monsters and have no desire to complete quests.
“Young Master, the construction process will require many materials, and we’ll also need mages to assist later… Aren’t there quite a few materials useful for mages out on the Starfall Plains?”
Eagle glanced at him. “Yes, but the Starfall Plains are dangerous.”
“Would the outskirts be safer?”
“Perhaps, but that place is too desolate. Even adventurers are reluctant to venture into the Starfall Plains.”
Compared to the Starfall Plains, adventurers in the Kingdom of Asmia had far better options. The Starfall Plains beneath the Azkin Mountains were hardly an appealing choice. With many more rewarding locations available throughout the kingdom, why would anyone choose such a barren wasteland?
However, Pei Sen didn’t see this as a problem at all. The respawn point was located outside Kaixi City, and players currently had no way to explore areas that far away. Precisely because of this, the edge of the Starfall Plains made for the perfect beginner training ground.
Moreover, it was time these players realized that combat in a holographic game was nothing like traditional keyboard-based games. Furthermore, this world was so realistic that even the animals they hunted could deliver immense “surprises.”
Pei Sen dared to guarantee that within a short time, those combat-oriented players would be taught a harsh lesson by seemingly harmless little creatures.
The creatures in this world were inherently stronger than those on Earth. Even a small rabbit that looked no different from an ordinary hare could actually be a Savage Leaping Rabbit—a Level One Magical Beast capable of dropping Wind-attribute Magic Crystal Fragments.
It’s quite interesting when you think about it.
“Young master, how many mages are there in total in our estate?” This was a question that needed to be asked. Ever since Pei Sen arrived at the Golden Rose Estate, apart from Keso and his apprentice Bertha, he hadn’t seen any other mages.
Eagle thought carefully for a moment. “I heard Sardin mention that the estate has a mage corps, though their strength is rather poor—roughly seven or eight novice mages plus several dozen magic apprentices. There are only three intermediate-level mages, and as for high-level mages…” He reluctantly added, “there’s only Keso.”
He spoke with obvious disdain, yet Pei Sen was astonished. After all, in this world, mages held extremely high status. Not to mention novice or intermediate mages—even a mere magic apprentice would be eagerly sought after by many upon stepping outside. For instance, regarding those adventurers Eagle mentioned earlier, just one magic apprentice would be sufficient to join a fairly capable adventurer team.
However, the mages in the Golden Rose Manor were essentially just biding their time, doing nothing of value; even during Eagle’s previous assassination attempt, they didn’t lift a finger. The manor’s true elite fighting force consisted of the guards, mostly swordsmen and knights, who were largely under the command of Sardin and the defense steward Ichabod. The entire guard unit was exceptionally powerful.
Then there were assassins like Aken and Jeco, specialists in stealth and protection, who were never seen during ordinary times, likely hiding in some shadow or another.
In comparison, the mage team could truly be called worthless.
The Golden Rose Estate could already be considered an undeniably formidable force. Pei Sen pondered thoughtfully; it seemed that His Grace the Duke had not truly abandoned his son to the frontier and forgotten him. Such powerful guards were certainly not something a minor count in a remote region could normally possess.
Players joining Eagle’s faction would definitely not be making a loss.
At this moment, the players finally arrived at the Golden Rose Estate. Naturally, Eagle would not meet them personally. For now, their administrator was Neil, the newly promoted miscellaneous affairs steward. Not even Pei Sen came out to greet the players. Leading six footmen, Neil met all the players in the estate’s front hall. Following Pei Sen’s instructions, he steeled himself to receive these exceedingly strange Bix Cube beings.
Having received prior instructions, the footmen of the estate ultimately possessed stronger psychological resilience than ordinary people. They managed to withstand these Bix Cube individuals who incessantly repeated strange questions, successfully conveying the tasks they needed to accomplish.
“Combat missions and construction missions are available!” The players excitedly discovered this. A few had already banded together to form a party. Although they couldn’t组队 by class like in typical games—since everyone was a swordsman—uniting would surely amplify their strength.
The combat mission required traveling to the Starfall Plains to gather certain materials from there.
As for the construction mission, needless to say, it was currently very simple: flatten Kayce City. Meanwhile, they could learn some life skills from one of the male servants standing beside Neil.
For example, logging and gathering; as for more advanced construction skills, Pei Sen hasn’t taught those to the male servants yet, so they don’t possess them.
Pei Sen doesn’t need to keep an eye on these players, since everything can be found on the game’s forums.
He knows that nearly fifty players have already formed groups and headed toward the Starfall Plains, while the rest, wielding the heavy hammers provided by Golden Rose Manor, are charging fiercely toward Kaiwest City.
Smashing through the entire city, violently dismantling everything—this is the first phase of the construction quest.
What? This will incur the hatred of the natives, damage the players’ reputation, and possibly lead to retaliation?
Heh, does any of that matter to the players?
Obviously, not in the least.