Chapter 29
Pei Sen quickened his pace. In such a short time, relying solely on the experience gained from minor mobs and the first boss, he had already reached level 22. He allocated all his free skill points into Intelligence, at least boosting his magical attack power slightly.
At this stage, judged by “NPC” standards, he was merely a Tier One Swordsman. He might grow stronger in the future, but for now, his magical abilities were clearly superior.
“[Pei Sen] Lv22
Strength: 132
Agility: 22
Intelligence: 44
Willpower: 22
Constitution: 22
Free Points: 0
…”
After glancing at his base stats, Pei Sen noted that for a level 22 character, his Intelligence still left much to be desired, while his Strength would surely make any swordsman envious.
“However, precisely because my Strength is so high, when Kui Lang finally managed to close in on me after trying every trick in the book, I simply ran him through with a single thrust. Having learned swordsmanship, I now have virtually no weaknesses.”
After clearing another wave of minions together, they finally reached the second boss. Pei Sen looked at this person in surprise, then glanced over at Eagle.
Pei Sen was actually quite familiar with the figure before him; he was the very first person from the Golden Rose Manor that Pei Sen had encountered in this world.
The former steward of miscellaneous affairs, Vago.
As the steward handling various chores for the Golden Rose Manor, even though his status within the manor wasn’t high, he commanded considerable respect outside. Moreover, since he was responsible for the manor’s procurement matters—a lucrative position—it was Vago who most frequently traveled to Casey City.
However, because the subordinates he dispatched attempted to assassinate Eagle, Vago had already been stripped of his position. Yet Pei Sen had heard that he was executed; how could he possibly appear here?
“Can I say that, up until now, I haven’t even managed to get angry?” Eagle said with a bitter smile. “People in the manor probably just humor me; how many truly obey my orders?”
Wago’s presence here could only mean one thing: someone in the manor had secretly disobeyed orders, released Wago, and deceived Eagle.
The so-called secret execution was, in fact, a covert release.
However, this former steward, who once cut a dignified figure within the manor, now looked rather downcast; his face was haggard, his eyes fierce and ruthless. Clearly, things hadn’t gone well for him lately. Moreover, he had injured one leg, which still appeared unhealed, making his movements somewhat difficult.
Pei Sen breathed a slight sigh of relief, because he knew that at his normal level, Wago was a fairly capable Tier-3 Swordsman. Had he been in his prime, it would have been extremely difficult for Pei Sen to defeat him in a one-on-one duel.
Only now does the situation truly match the difficulty level of this dungeon.
“Who are you…” Vago had just begun to speak when Pei Sen, wasting no words, launched three consecutive ice blades straight at him.
Nearby, Eagle Langno watched the false Vago thoughtfully. He reasoned that Kui Lang was indeed dead, yet judging from the scenes before entering this place, the enslaved people they were meant to rescue had also perished. Vago, however, was most likely still alive. Where could he be? In Arqi Town?
Clearly enraged by the direct attack, Vago dragged his injured leg, hindering his movement, yet his offensive power remained formidable. Had a swordsman player been here instead, the fight would have proven quite challenging; closing in would risk instant death at Vago’s hands. After all, despite his injuries preventing him from reaching his peak condition, his swordsmanship, rooted in his foundation as a Tier-3 Swordsman, remained razor-sharp.
However, Pei Sen was a mage, making it quite convenient to kite Vago; for a mage, this boss was even easier to defeat than Kui Lang.
Eagle hadn’t been much help. He looked at the chest that had formed from Vago’s corpse and said, “Pei Sen, once we head out, let’s check Arqi Town to see if Vago is there.”
Pei Sen hesitated for a moment. “Young master, we’d better return to the estate as soon as possible.”
There isn’t enough time; if we don’t go back now, something terrible will happen.
Eagle thought carefully for a moment. “Very well, we can sneak out again in a few days.”
Pei Sen: “…………….”
What are you talking about? Who said we’d wait a few days before running out again? Wasn’t once thrilling enough?
Eagle laughed. “If we do it a few more times, Sardin and the others will probably get used to it.”
Pei Sen: “…” He had no desire to be beaten to death by Sardin.
“Then this time, after we get out of here, we’ll return to the manor. Next time we come out, I want to kill Vargo myself.”
He would not let this traitor go.
“Young master, it’s not very safe outside,” Pei Sen said tactfully.
Eagle smiled. “You’ve seen Vargo standing right here. Do you really think the manor is safe?”
Eagle didn’t know what those people within the manor were truly thinking, nor could he dig out each of their hearts to take a look.
Pei Sen was right about one thing: only by becoming stronger himself could he truly secure his future.
“Even if there’s no such place next time, it doesn’t matter,” Eagle said softly. “If I remain locked inside the manor alone, even mastering magic won’t let me use it skillfully. Only by venturing outside can I grow stronger. Pei Sen, you’ll help me, won’t you?”
Suddenly, Pei Sen felt he had boarded this young master’s ship of no return.
“Let me get through this current challenge first,” he sighed helplessly. If he couldn’t even overcome this obstacle, there was no point talking about the future.
Eagle knew his concerns. “Rest assured, I won’t let them lay a finger on you.” Not even in death.
While the two were still inside the dungeon, an increasing number of players had already flocked to the Golden Rose Manor. Yellow Yolk with Rice and Egg White with Noodles were truly “good players” who cared nothing for personal gain or loss. They didn’t mind that sharing the quest with more people would mean fewer rewards; their only thought was to complete this quest no matter what.
Although most players highly valued experience points and rewards, there were always those who came purely to “play” and didn’t care much about such things.
These two brothers belonged precisely to that category.
They were the kind of lucky few with extremely low odds. Out of six roommates, the four who eagerly jumped up and down, desperate to play, weren’t selected for the closed beta. Instead, these two, who had only applied casually alongside their friends, got chosen.
In truth, after being selected, they would have been willing to give their accounts to the roommates who really wanted to play. However, the price of a closed beta account online was now too high. Even though they usually had great relationships, their roommates didn’t dare to accept them. Since these two came from relatively well-off families and had no intention of selling, they could only log in and play themselves.
Thus, something unexpected to Pei Sen occurred: nearly a thousand players all received this chance encounter quest because of their sharing.
…Fortunately, it hadn’t yet reached the two thousand players that Pei Sen feared would all end up with this quest.
However, the difference between one thousand and two thousand is not always that significant.
Normally, players can accept quests at the Golden Rose Manor since it belongs to their faction; however, their activities are restricted to the front hall. The so-called front hall is essentially still outside the manor proper, located mostly in its exterior grounds. The only time they truly entered the inner part of the manor was during Eagle’s birthday celebration.
The players aren’t fools; they know the manor is heavily guarded and that barging in would likely lead to trouble. Besides, they currently belong to the Golden Rose Manor faction and have no desire to be forced out of it.
“Moreover, judging by the quest description, this seems like a puzzle-solving mission.” The designer glanced at the quest list, noting its extremely concise content. “Fortuitous encounters exist in many games, and they generally share one characteristic: fortuitous encounter quests rarely require combat.”
Or rather, the focus of fortuitous encounter quests isn’t on combat.
Even though this is the first time anyone has seen such a quest type in this game, most of them aren’t playing a game for the first time. No one recklessly charged straight in. Reckless players do exist, but even recklessness must follow basic logic. Those guards are no joke; it would be a miracle if anyone could actually break in.
Soon, Neil and the group of male servants in the front hall suffered greatly as a dense crowd of players squeezed into the space, nearly suffocating them.
“What happened at the manor last night?”
“Did something happen at the manor last night?”
“What incident occurred at the manor last night?”
“…”
The players kept asking the same question over and over, making Neil feel as if five hundred flies—no, thousands of them—were buzzing incessantly around his ears with a relentless “buzz, buzz, buzz,” driving him nearly to the brink of collapse!
Normally, these Bix creatures were merely unsettling, but never this overwhelming. At this moment, Neil truly couldn’t take it anymore; he kept repeating, “No, no, there really isn’t any,” until he gradually became numb, feeling as though his soul was about to depart from his body.
Just then, Atwell emerged from inside. He had already taken an interest in these Bix creatures earlier, and upon hearing that many of them had gathered in the front hall, he decided there was no need to seek them out specially in Kaixi City anymore, so he simply came out to see for himself.
Meanwhile, after pestering Neil and the others for quite some time, the players were disappointed to find that these common NPCs seemed to hold no clues whatsoever.
Artwell’s appearance was uncannily timely.
Thus, nearly every player’s gaze fell upon Artwell. Could this amiable and delicate-looking priest be the key to the quest?
“I’ve never seen this NPC before.”
“He just happened to show up right when we were doing a chance encounter quest.”
A group of players stated with certainty, “It must be him!”
The key NPC has appeared!
Given Artwell’s bold nature, he harbored no fear toward the Bix race. As a priest meticulously trained by the Church of Light, Artwell had dealt with far more bizarre alien races, such as several tribal communities residing on the other side of Mount Lumina, each possessing their own peculiar traits.
Compared to them, the Bix race at least appeared outwardly like normal humans.
Just as he was about to converse with these Bixians, he noticed them swarming toward him, leaving him standing there in stunned silence.
What… what’s going on?
Then, the players began clamoring over one another to ask him about what had happened last night.
Atwell frowned. “Last night?”
The players grew excited upon noticing his response differed from Neil’s and those of the other male servants. It really was him!
There must be clues hidden within this NPC.
“Something happened at the manor last night, didn’t it? What exactly occurred?”
Since these Bixians spoke with such certainty, Atwell recalled the previous night. It had seemed perfectly calm. Yet, to claim these Bixians were merely spouting nonsense might hold true for one or two individuals, but when hundreds or even thousands all appeared convinced that “something definitely happened last night,” Atwell couldn’t help but reconsider.
He was not Neil; in terms of meticulousness of thought, almost no one in the manor could compare to him.
“Although the Bix race is strange and their behavior somewhat inexplicable, it hardly amounts to collective delusion,” Atwell mused, calmly countering amidst the chaos, “Who told you that something had happened at the manor?”
Upon hearing this, the players sensed an opportunity. They never imagined that an NPC was actually probing them for information; instead, they perceived the dialogue as resembling a puzzle-solving mode.
“Last night, amidst the fog, two mysterious figures clad in black cloaks informed us that an incident had occurred at Golden Rose Manor and urged us to investigate,” Egg Yolk Mixed Rice stepped forward, staring intently at Atwell as he spoke.
Artwell was puzzled. A mysterious figure in a black cloak?
But if this were true, he would certainly know about any major incident occurring within the estate.
Out of caution, Artwell said nothing further; he hoped to glean more information from these Bixians.
Just then, a guard emerged from inside and, upon seeing such a large crowd, froze momentarily in surprise.
He knew that Bixians often gathered in the front hall, but honestly, it was rare to see so many of them crowded there at once.
It was only early morning; were these Bixians really this diligent?
“Wait a moment, aren’t you Edmond, the guard from the Inner Guard?” Atwell also noticed the guard who had come out so early in the morning and looked somewhat puzzled. “What brings you here? It shouldn’t be your shift change time yet, should it?”
According to the rules, guards of the Inner Guard were not supposed to leave their posts casually.
Edmund said calmly, “I’m here to see Robi; there are some matters I need to discuss with him.”
“Robi…” Atwell glanced at him, saying nothing about the fact that Robi was already on the list of suspects.
Previously, in order to investigate the assassination attempt on Young Master Eagle, Atwell had followed certain leads and included several people within the manor on a list of suspects. Of course, at this stage, they were merely under suspicion.
He had reported this matter to the Young Master and Steward Sartin, but no one else was aware of it yet.
Rushing out to find Roby so early in the morning, outside of shift change hours? Although this Edmond wasn’t originally on the suspect list, such behavior is far too unusual.
A thought suddenly struck Atwell. Recalling the earlier issues with this group of Bixes, before Edmond could even react, he demanded sharply, “Did something happen last night—was it the young master?”
Edmond’s eyes flickered for an instant, and he immediately tried to compose himself. However, Atwell had already noticed his unease; without saying another word, he charged straight inside!
“Holy crap, I’ve definitely triggered a plot event!”
“He really is a key figure!”
“So last night’s incident has something to do with our little Count? I hope the little Count is alright,” some female players said worriedly.
“Wait, that NPC just went inside…”
“It’s fine; don’t we still have someone here who knows what’s going on?”
All the players’ gazes fell upon Edmond, and this level-four swordsman couldn’t help but shiver under their scrutiny.
Near Eagle’s bedroom, Kara paced restlessly back and forth. Glancing at Linnie, she said, “We shouldn’t have rashly sent Edmond to find Robby. This could expose Edmond and might even implicate us.”
“No, this news is too important; it must be spread no matter what.” Linnie was far calmer than Kara. “It’s too difficult to make a move against Young Master Eagle within the manor. Now that he’s outside… if anything happens, no one can be held responsible.”
Even now, Kara found it utterly incomprehensible. “How could Young Master Eagle elope with a commoner? No matter how good-looking that commoner may be, he’s still just a commoner—not to mention he’s a man.”
“Isn’t that just perfect?” Linny sneered, curling her lips in disdain. “Such an incompetent noble, good for nothing but his looks, dares to compare himself to Lord Frey…”
By calculation, Frey should be a cousin to Lether and Carolina, yet he is less than ten years older than Eagle. Since his father was killed by Lether, he has had to keep a low profile. Judging by his governance of the territory, he truly deserves to be called a promising young talent.
While looking down on Eagle, Linny also waited anxiously for contact from the mage outside. Due to the extremely strict control within the manor, they rarely communicated with the outside world to avoid exposure. However, a high-ranking mage stationed externally could issue commands to them through special means. Now, all they could do was wait for Edmond to find a way to send out the message as quickly as possible.
“We cannot keep this news hidden for long; we can only hope that before Lord Sardin discovers it—”
“What should we do before Lord Sardin discovers it?”
A man’s voice suddenly rang out, startling Linnet so severely that her soul seemed to flee her body. Turning around, she saw Atwell standing not far away with an expressionless face, and her heart plummeted.
She guessed the worst possible outcome: Edmond must have been exposed.
How could this happen so quickly? Edmond was never impulsive; he had always been steady and reliable.
How was he exposed?
What she didn’t know was that Edmond was on the verge of collapse. Unable to move, trapped amidst a crowd of Bixians, he felt like a drowning man, barely able to breathe.
While Pei Sen and Eagle had not yet reached the third boss, the grim-faced Sardin Brisk had already arrived at the front hall together with Atwell. Upon spotting them, Edmond realized his cover was blown. With the Chief Steward present, any hope of escape vanished.
In fact, had he not been completely surrounded by this group of Bixians, Edmond might still have had a chance to flee immediately upon discovering his exposure.
“A person who elopes with a man is unworthy of becoming the heir to our Kingdom of Asmia!” Edmund roared, startling the surrounding players. “He is defiling the bloodline of Asmia. Someone will spread the news, and he will never be allowed to return to the capital again!”
Soon, Edmund collapsed and died; clearly, he had ingested a fast-acting poison.
Satin spoke calmly, “Quite a loyal knight to his master, pity his master isn’t Young Master Eagle.”
“Most likely another scheme by that Viscount Frey.”
All the players present were completely bewildered. What kind of plot twist was this?
A female player whispered, “Does he mean our little count eloped with a man?”
Players: “???” Was it really that thrilling?
“Artwell, go find Ichabod. You must bring the young master back before sunset today.” Sardin didn’t even glance at the already deceased Edmond. As for that Robbie, he certainly wouldn’t meet a good end either. In fact, after capturing Kara and Linny, they might even uncover more people involved.
Atwell nodded. “What about Pei Sen?”
Sardin sneered. “Dead or alive.”
“The young master is likely to put up considerable resistance,” Atwell advised. “To be safe, I think it’s best not to make a move on Pei Sen just yet.”
Sardin thought for a moment. “Very well.”
They were well aware of Eagle’s stubbornness; if anything happened to Pei Sen, no one could predict what Eagle might do.
Players: “???”
Wait, is it really what we think it is?
“P-Pei Sen?” one player exclaimed in astonishment.
“Isn’t this our handsome and gentle faction merchant?”
“I heard he’s the young count’s personal butler.”
“Holy crap, that’s intense! So personally involved?”
“Eloping???”
The guards in the manor had already mobilized en masse; no one cared about these Bix Cube inhabitants anymore. In the eyes of people like Sardin, the Bix Cube residents were never important, and in such critical moments, who would bother with them?
The designer glanced at the quest log. “It seems this isn’t an elopement?”
“What?” TuTu HuaHua, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement, turned from her sketching nearby. “Of course it’s an elopement! Didn’t that suicidal NPC say so?”
“But the quest hasn’t been completed,” the architect stated plainly. “If the young count and Pei Sen had truly eloped, given that we now know about last night’s upheaval, this quest should have been marked as complete by now.”
“Hmm, the fact that the mission isn’t complete can only mean one thing,” the designer said with a smile. “They didn’t elope; something else happened. The NPCs in this manor just assume they ran off together.”
“Besides, who exactly were those two figures in black cloaks?”
Yet, regardless of whether it was truly an elopement, many female players were on the verge of screaming.
“Holy crap! Did the Young Earl and Pei Sen elope?”
“I don’t care; this must be true.”
“Of course it’s true. Didn’t you see that NPC was willing to prove it with his death?”
“Aww, they really eloped!”
“…”
However, the vast majority of players, just like the designers, noticed that the quest hadn’t been completed, realizing there was likely more to the story.
But no matter how hard they racked their brains, they could never guess the truth: Pei Sen had taken Eagle Langno to clear a dungeon…
They were unaware that Pei Sen was also a player; in their eyes, both Pei Sen and Eagle Langno were merely NPCs. How could NPCs possibly leave the estate just to run a dungeon?
Thus, it was destined that they would never arrive at the correct answer for this quest.
“It seems the NPCs in the manor don’t know the inside story either; we’ll have to think of another approach,” the designer said.
The players around immediately turned to look. “Should we go find them too?”
“Yes, we can. As long as we find the young earl and Pei Sen before the manor guards do, we’ll likely complete the quest.”
“Alright then, let’s go find them too!”
The players quickly left the manor, leaving Neil and the others still bewildered.
The male servants only exchanged bewildered glances after witnessing the entire Bix clan depart.
What’s going on? Did the young master and Pei Sen elope together?
Th-this… this can’t be possible, can it…
Pei Sen had been closely monitoring the progress of this quest on the forums, where some players were live-streaming the entire sequence specifically to cater to cloud gamers.
After witnessing the scene where Edmond shouted those two lines before taking his own life, Pei Sen’s heart instantly turned to ash.
At this point, jumping into any river wouldn’t be enough to clear his name…
Compared to this, the fact that the manor’s guards and players were now scattered everywhere in pursuit of them was no longer a major concern.
“What’s wrong?” Eagle glanced at him, his face filled with confusion.
Looking into the young master’s clear eyes, Pei Sen sighed sorrowfully.
“Young Master, if we return, some people might say strange things; please don’t take them to heart.” Pei Sen knew that certain rumors hadn’t yet reached Eagle’s ears; after all, no matter how gossipy those people were, they wouldn’t dare spread such talk in front of Eagle himself.
Eagle blinked, somewhat puzzled, but obediently replied with an “Oh.”
Strange words… what kind of strange words could there be?
For instance, guessing that she eloped with Pei Sen?
Eagle remained composed, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
He found it quite amusing.