Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After a while, Orthus finally calmed down after venting his anger. He turned to Ye Ci and let out a long sigh, "Elf, are you interested in listening to a story that isn't particularly interesting?"
"Of course, Mister Ortus. If you're willing to tell it to me, I'm more than willing to listen." Ye Ci bowed again. She did not choose to skip the conversation. She knew that in an Epic-tier quest like this, the NPC's story would usually contain important clues. These clues were not only hidden in the NPC's words, but also in the NPC's tone and actions. If she skipped the NPC's story, she would miss out on some of the more important clues, which would greatly affect the completion rate of the quest. More importantly, it would greatly affect the final reward.
Ye Ci's answer satisfied Ortus. He paced back and forth in front of Ye Ci, but this time, he walked at a much slower pace. His long hands were placed behind his back, and he looked like an old scholar.
Ye Ci stood silently by the side. She was a very patient person, especially when faced with an Epic-tier quest like this. Her patience was far greater than the average person's.
After walking for a while, Ortus jumped onto a broken wooden pillar and sat down. He gazed into the distant sky. The moon was shining brightly, but its bright light could not illuminate the dark land. All it could do was cast a desolate silver glow.
Ye Ci had checked the map. They were currently in the Fragrant Wilderness of the Western Continent. The monsters here were mainly between level 50 and level 60. However, most of the monsters here were passive, so there were still many players leveling up here. It was dangerous for Ye Ci and her party to remain in the area. If they were discovered by the Western Continent's players, they would be hunted down and killed by the Western Continent players.
However, even if it was dangerous, Ye Ci could not change the fact that Ortus had chosen to issue the quest here. Ortus was a Goblin. No matter which continent he was in, he was considered a neutral race. Therefore, he would not be attacked by the players.
However, it was not difficult for Ye Ci to hide from the players of the Western Continent. Even though Ye Ci was standing quietly in front of Ortus, she was still alert. She would not allow herself to be killed the moment she set foot on the land of the Western Continent.
Ortus looked at Ye Ci who was standing quietly by the side. She was respectful and quiet, which pleased Ortus greatly. Goblins were highly intelligent and proud creatures. Before the continent was divided, they dealt with all kinds of races. However, the Goblins didn't like these races. In the eyes of the Goblins, the noblest race in the world was the Goblins themselves. The other races were either too stupid or too stupid. They simply didn't have the ability to be compared to the Goblins.
As for Ortus, he was a loyal believer in bloodline. He despised other races even more than other Goblins, but he rarely showed it. He did not really like the Elf in front of him, but compared to the others, she seemed to be very polite. She did not have much ambition, nor did she try to get anything from him. This made Ortus quite satisfied, so he spoke to her in a much gentler tone.
"A long, long time ago. Actually, I don't know how long ago it was. As you know, we Goblins have a very long lifespan, so it doesn't matter whether we remember time or not. At that time, Goblins did not live underground or in secret places. They lived in a place called Vo 'sok. That place was filled with all kinds of resources that Goblins needed. Ores, Power Gems, and all kinds of precious Black Oil. You must think that since there are these things, it must be a foul place. But you are wrong. There are trees everywhere. There are wild flowers and weeds everywhere. There are many small animals on the grass. There are many, many fish in the river. It is too beautiful. And I was born there. "
Orthus was immersed in his own memories. His voice was low and gentle, and his eyes were shining with a misty light. It was not hard to tell from the intoxicated expression on his face that the memories were the most beautiful part of Orthus' memory.
"I don't know who my parents were because my teacher, De 'frei, saved me from the grass. He said that when he woke up that day, he heard a baby crying outside the house. He walked out and saw me in my swaddling clothes. As for me, I was crying really hard, but when the teacher picked me up, I smiled at him. In the Goblin world, orphans who are not adopted will become slaves. My teacher could not bear to see me face such a tragic future, so he adopted me and named me Ortus. Oh yes, in the language of the Goblins, Ortus means beloved companion. Therefore, I was not only my teacher's child and student, but also his most beloved companion. "
Orthus' expression became gentler when he talked about De 'frei. Orthus' ugly face did not look as repulsive as before.
"I have been with my teacher for a very long time. I have been with him since I was a baby. My teacher is the smartest Goblin. Although everyone says that Goblin Engineering is the basic talent of the Goblins, you outsiders do not know that the real Goblin Engineering is not something that ordinary Goblins can come into contact with. The so-called Goblin Engineering that ordinary Goblins know is nothing but a scam in our eyes. Only you foolish outsiders would be so superstitious and give away so much money to those useless bastards. " Ortus snorted. He had the pedantic aura of an old scholar, and he always looked down on ordinary Goblins. However, he did have the right to do so.
According to the books, due to the Goblins' obsession with making money, fewer and fewer Goblins were willing to study the essence of Goblin Engineering. The only true inheritors of Goblin Engineering were De 'frei and his student, Ortus. Putting everything else aside, it could be seen from the mechanical condor that if it was made by an ordinary Goblin, it definitely wouldn't be able to fly so steadily or so quickly. Most importantly, if it flew so far, it would have already fallen apart.
"My teacher was the last Grandmaster of Goblin Engineering. I only reached the Grandmaster level and didn't advance any further." The gentle expression on Ortus' face suddenly dimmed, and he looked very sad.
"Why?" Ye Ci asked in a timely manner to guide the rest of the quest.
"Because I left Vo 'sok," Ortus replied in a deep voice.
"Isn't Vo 'sok a very suitable place for Goblin Engineering research? Since you are a Grandmaster of Goblin Engineering, why did you leave Vo 'sok? Did you find a better place? "
"Vo 'sok is my hometown. Is there a better place in the world than my hometown?" Ortus had a sorrowful expression on his face, "I left Vo 'sok to avoid being hunted down."
"Hunted down?" This was strange as it was not recorded in the books. Ye Ci had never heard of such a thing before.
"Yes, I studied under my teacher. The long lifespan of Goblins gave us an endless amount of time to support our research. I even thought that I would spend the rest of my life like that." Ortus' eyes glowed with gentleness again, but there was a hint of sadness in them. "However, I did not expect that the continent would be split apart one day. The Demon King Naga's claws reached out to the continent and Vo 'sok. Goblins are a race that is proficient in engineering. No matter how crude the products made by Goblins are, they are still the most exquisite technology in the eyes of outsiders. Of course, the Demon King Naga also saw them as the same. The Demon King Naga declared war on the God of Gods, and the God of Gods summoned all the races on the continent to resist his invasion. In that war, the heroes of all races paid a heavy price. " Ortus turned to Ye Ci and continued, "Just like the Elven King Dau 'er of your race, he was slaughtered, and even his soul was imprisoned by the Demon King Naga."
Ye Ci's heart skipped a beat. The Elven King Dau 'er! This was one of the Racial Side Quests that she had received. As Dau 'er's Map Fragment was not fully recovered, she did not complete the quest. There were no books in the National Library that recorded the history of the Continental War. Even if there were, there were only a few records. Ye Ci thought that this might have something to do with the main quest of the game. That was why the game did not provide any hints or guidance. The players had to explore the Continent on their own.
"Where is Dau 'er's soul?" Ye Ci could not help but ask Ortus.
Ortus frowned as if he was displeased that his narration was interrupted, "Aren't you here to listen to a story? Why are you asking this? "
Ye Ci looked at Ortus' expression. She knew that her question had displeased the Goblin, so she quickly changed the topic, "Respected Mr. Ortus, after that war, the Elven race no longer had a King. The Elven race was divided, so …"
Orthus could empathize with Ye Ci's sorrowful tone. After all, he was an NPC who had experienced the war. He sighed, "That's right. You Elves are quite pitiful. You've been torn apart. I only know that Dau 'er's soul is imprisoned, but I don't know where it is. This is the secret of the Demon King Naga. How could we possibly know the secret of the Demon King Naga? "
Ye Ci nodded. Since this was the main quest of the game, the Hidden Side Quests were an important part of the game. How could the answer be revealed so quickly? Now that she knew that Dau 'er's soul was imprisoned by the Demon King Naga, she could only wait for the right opportunity. "My apologies, Mr. Ortus, for interrupting your narration. Please continue."
Orthus nodded, "In that battle, the advanced technology of the Goblins made the Naga suffer a great loss. After that battle, the Naga ordered his minions, the Bloodthirsty Undead and the Sinful Orcs, to take control of the entire Vo 'sok." Orthus was enraged, "No! They did not take control of Vo 'sok, they took control of that bastard Ciel! Ciel is not fit to be the King of the Goblins. He betrayed his race to save his own life! The Demon King Naga and Ciel kidnapped my teacher DeFrei in order to obtain the secrets of the Goblin Engineering! My teacher left me a message before he was taken away, so I was not imprisoned. I managed to escape from Vo 'sok, but my teacher was imprisoned in the deepest part of Ciel's palace! "
Ortus became even more agitated, "My teacher is my father, my savior, and my closest friend in this world. However, I abandoned him and wandered around the continent for so long, and I still could not find a way to save him! In the end, I had no choice but to come to an agreement with Lord Moore. He would help me find someone who could save my teacher, and I … "Ortus paused. It was obvious that he did not want to tell Ye Ci about the agreement between him and Lord Moore of Dark Clay City.
He narrowed his eyes and continued, "After a long wait, I've finally found you, Elf."
"I'm willing to serve you, Mr. Ortus." Ye Ci finally received a quest after a long explanation. "But where is Monsieur d'Frey? How do I find him? "
"If I'm not mistaken, he should still be in the Goblin Palace in Vo 'sok." Ortus took out a compass and handed it to Ye Ci, "This is a Goblin Compass that I invented. As long as you have it, you will be able to find my teacher after you enter Vo 'sok."
Ye Ci took the Goblin Compass and studied it closely. It was indeed a product of Grandmaster Goblin Engineering. It was much more intricate than the Goblin Compasses that were sold on the market.
"Go, Elf. If you can save my teacher, I will reward you handsomely." Ortus stood up from the wooden pillar and pointed at Ye Ci, "Blow that spoon, and I will appear. Good luck, Elf. "
After saying that, Orthus' not-so-tall figure gradually disappeared into the night. Even the mechanical eagle disappeared just like that. Ye Ci was left alone in the Fragrant Wilderness.
The map of Vo 'sok was nowhere to be found in the four continents. Ye Ci was certain that Vo' sok had fallen into the enemy's hands after the war. But where is Vo 'sok now? Ye Ci flipped open the quest description and read it page by page. She finally found a sentence at the corner of the quest description: Vo 'sok was once a beautiful place, but it has disappeared. Those who wish to find it should search for clues in the Bloody Wilderness.
The Bloody Wilderness.
The Bloody Wilderness was a large map near the main city of the Western Continent, Saint Light City. The terrain there was complicated, and there were many high-level monsters in the area. It was not a good place for players to level up. Furthermore, there were no supply points in the area, which was why most players would not choose to level up there.
However, players generally wouldn't choose to train there, but that didn't mean that there weren't any players there. Ye Ci believed that there were over a billion players in Fate. Even if there were 250 million players in each continent, it was impossible for all of them not to level up in the Bloody Wilderness. The monsters in the area respawned quickly, and it was a good place to level up as long as one could find a suitable way to level up. However, there were fewer players in the area, which would be a great help to Ye Ci when she sneaked into the Bloody Wilderness.
Ye Ci was unable to activate a teleportation point in the Western Continent, and she could not ride on the Fourth Prince's back. The only way to travel from one map to another was to walk.
Fortunately, the Fragrant Wilderness was right next to the Light of Light City. She would be able to reach the Codo Forest in just a few hours as long as she carefully made her way to the edge of the map.
A Hunter's Stealth was not as good as a Rogue's, especially in the Western Continent. There were players from the Western Continent everywhere, and Ye Ci would not engage in any conflict with them unless absolutely necessary. Besides, the more she fought with the players from the Western Continent, the more time she would have to spend in the Western Continent. Ye Ci did not forget that she only had 10 days to explore the Mithril ore vein. There were 30 days left before the release of the new expansion pack, and Golden Era's entry into Fate was imminent. She did not have the time to waste.
That was why Ye Ci did not dare to take the main road. Although she would not encounter any monsters if she took the main road in the middle of the map, it was still too dangerous. Ye Ci moved in Stealth and made her way towards Codo Forest. If she did not encounter any players along the way, she would be able to kill a few monsters along the way. But if she encountered any players, she would have to take a detour.
After a few hours of Stealth, Ye Ci finally arrived at the intersection between Codo Forest and the Fragrant Wilderness. There was a sturdy stone bridge in the area, and a gentle river flowed beneath it. Wild flowers and plants grew along the banks of the river. It was a peaceful place. After all, she was near the main city of the Western Continent, and there were high level guards everywhere. It was a safe place.
However, the peaceful atmosphere was nothing short of ominous for Ye Ci. The bridge was large enough to accommodate four carriages at a time, and 65 Elite Guards with over 1,000,000 HP were stationed at every step of the bridge. All of them were equipped with Chain Attack, and if Ye Ci were to accidentally aggro one of them, the hundreds of Elite Guards on the bridge would immediately pounce on her. At that time, Ye Ci thought that even if she had wings, she might not be able to fly out.
Not only that, but they were also 5 levels higher than Ye Ci. Normal Stealth and Stealth would not be able to fool them. Furthermore, the guards were equipped with detection abilities. Even if Ye Ci was able to sneak in right under their noses, she would not be able to escape their detection abilities.
From the looks of it, it was simply impossible to cross the bridge.
The only way out was under the bridge.
However, there was a river below the bridge. If Ye Ci jumped into the river, she would not be able to use Stealth. She would have to swim across. However, there were many patrolling soldiers and players fighting monsters by the river. Although they did not expect a Hunter from the Eastern Continent to be lurking around them, it was impossible for them not to notice the glaring red light that was emitted from their bodies after they jumped into the water.
Ye Ci crouched in a bush beside the bridge, trying to figure out a way to cross the bridge. After pondering for a while, Ye Ci could not come up with a better idea. In the end, she had no choice but to use the Brooch of Deceit. The Brooch of Deceit could disguise a player as a hostile continent player. However, it could only be used once a day for half an hour each time. Not only that, the Brooch of Deceit could not be used to enter a main city as the city guards could not be fooled.
Ye Ci initially wanted to save the Brooch of Deceit's effect for half an hour so that she could find a town to replenish her supplies when she ran out of potions and consumables. However, it seemed impossible now. If she did not use the Brooch of Deceit now, she would be stuck here for the rest of the day.
Ye Ci no longer hesitated. She activated the Brooch of Deceit and disguised herself as a Human Rogue from the Western Continent. She stood up calmly from the bush. Rogues were a class that could not be exposed to the public. There were too many things that she had to do to hide. Her appearance did not attract the attention of the other players and guards. In order to increase her speed, Ye Ci summoned her red pony. Although the red pony was slow, it was still faster than two legs. Ye Ci did not dare to summon the Fourth Prince in this place. So, she decided to go with the flow.
Ye Ci climbed onto the pony's back. She tried her best to suppress her nervousness as she made her way to the bridge.
The Brooch of Deceit's ability to fool NPCs was something that had been tested before. However, whether or not the Brooch of Deceit could fool enemy NPCs was still unknown. Ye Ci's heart was in her throat. She tried her best to appear as calm as possible as she galloped across the bridge like an ordinary player.
In fact, the Brooch of Deceit was very effective. When Ye Ci galloped past the hundreds of guards in the middle of the bridge, not a single one of them noticed that Ye Ci was an imposter. None of them noticed that an Eastern Continent player had entered the map of Holy Light City.
"You have discovered the Yarker Bridge."
"You have discovered the Kodori Forest."
As Ye Ci galloped across the Western Continent, the system continued to inform Ye Ci of more information about the Western Continent. Exploring hostile continents offered high rewards, especially those that were close to the main cities. Exploring a hostile continent would not only grant a considerable amount of EXP, but also a large amount of gold and Honor Points. Therefore, as long as a player was confident that they would not die, they could explore hostile continents. With the EXP and Honor Points, leveling up would be a piece of cake.
Since the Brooch of Deceit would not allow her to enter Holy Light City, Ye Ci did not bother to approach the city. She opened up her map and galloped towards the nearest location to the Bloody Wilderness. She only had half an hour, so she could not afford to waste it. It would be best if she could reach the Bloody Wilderness before the effects of the Brooch of Deceit wore off.
The number of players in the Kodori Forest was much higher than the number of players in the Delicate Fragrance Wilderness. Ye Ci would bump into one or more players with every two steps she took. The sight before her was a frightening sight.
To reach the Bloody Wilderness from the Kodori Forest, Ye Ci had to travel along a small path in the western part of the forest. As the path was close to the Bloody Wilderness, there were plenty of high-level monsters on it. However, the players here were obviously in groups. They were guarding their spawn points and waiting for the Ghouls to show up. Ye Ci had visited Holy Light City and the Bloody Wilderness a few times in her past life, so she was familiar with the terrain here. With this knowledge, she was able to reach the path without taking any detours.
Unlike the sunny weather in Holy Light City, the path dimmed as soon as Ye Ci set foot on it. It was as if she had entered a dark underworld.
"You've discovered the Rotting Path." the system prompted Ye Ci to explore another part of the map.
Ye Ci looked up and saw withered trees on both sides of the Rotting Path. Many corpses were hanging from the trees, and Ghouls would crawl out from under the trees to feast on the corpses. The atmosphere was disgusting and terrifying. Ye Ci had never thought that such a map would be right next to Holy Light City. What an irony.
Most of the players who had just entered Fate would be frightened by the ghastly terrors of some of the maps. There were many male players, and even more female players. But as the game progressed, the players' courage grew. Ye Ci even saw some of the seemingly weak female players casting their skills at the Ghouls before calmly plundering the loot from their corpses.
Such a scene would have been horrifying if the game had just started. But after a year of playing the game, the players had become numb to it.
The monsters respawned very quickly, and the experience points were very high. Even if players worked together to kill the monsters, the experience points would be very little. But the respawn rate made up for the lack of experience points. Because of this, every spawn point on the Rotting Path was guarded by a party of five or six players.
When other players arrived at the Rotting Path, these parties would inform the other party that there was already someone there.
Ye Ci immediately heard such a notification when she was crossing the Rotting Path. Players from the Western Continent spoke up, "Please make way, there's someone here. Please find another spawn point if you want to kill monsters."
"Make way, make way! Swords are merciless, and we won't take responsibility for any injuries."
"This spawn point is already occupied. Go somewhere else if you want to level up!"
… …
Along the way, there were many shouts declaring their sovereignty. It seemed that in order to level up faster, the so-called friendship of the continent's players was nothing but a fart. Ye Ci lashed her red pony's butt with her whip, hoping that it would run faster. She had less than three minutes left on her Deceit.
There were so many players on the Rotting Path, and the terrain was not suitable for combat. If her Brooch of Deceit were to fail here, she would be in deep trouble.
"Eh? Is that Rogue going to the Bloody Wilderness?"
"No way. She's going to the Bloody Wilderness alone without a healer. She must have a death wish."
"Maybe he's rich and has a backpack full of health potions."
"Tch, do you think that's a place where everyone can go? Do you think you're some kind of overpowered player? "
… …
Many players who were grinding their levels began to whisper among themselves when they saw Ye Ci's figure dashing towards the Bloody Wilderness. After all, the Bloody Wilderness was far more dangerous than the Rotten Bottom Path. There were very few players like Ye Ci who ventured into the Bloody Wilderness alone.
Ye Ci couldn't care less about what these players were saying. She took a deep breath and continued to gallop toward the Bloody Wilderness.
50 seconds left. The Bloody Wilderness was right in front of her. Ye Ci could even see the crimson sky above the Bloody Wilderness.
The time was getting closer and closer. The red pony's speed was too slow. Ye Ci couldn't help but regret her decision. If only she had spent more money to buy a better horse. But she never thought that she would one day lose the ability to ride the Fourth Prince …
She was still a few dozen meters away from the Bloody Wilderness. Ye Ci still had 37 seconds left.
That should be enough. There were no players on the Rotting Path. Even if she ran out of time, no one would discover her.
12 seconds left. She was still a few meters away from the Bloody Wilderness. Ye Ci's heart was in her throat. Please don't let a player pass by! Please don't let a player pass by! If a player were to pass by here, it would easily alert the other players on the path, which would cause unnecessary trouble for them.
Just as she was deep in thought, a player riding on a unicorn sped past her. The player was extremely fast, but his face seemed to have been carved into Ye Ci's eyes. She couldn't help but hold her breath.
I can't be that unlucky! Why would I run into the person I didn't want to meet the most?
She knew that there was a high chance that she would meet this person as soon as she set foot in the Western Continent, but she still held on to the hope that she would be able to meet him. The Western Continent was so big, and she was only doing a quest. How could she be so unlucky as to run into him?
But it turned out that she was indeed unlucky. And when she was unlucky, all the bad things came together. She might have been able to deal with this person if he was not the one she was facing. But now that she was facing this person, Ye Ci could feel her world turning dark …
Motherf * cker, what kind of bullshit luck is this!
That's right, this person was Fleeting Time.
Although he was already lvl60, he was still very keen on farming for gems that increased critical hit in the Bloody Plains. Right now, his inventory was full, and the durability of his equipment was almost gone. Most importantly, he didn't have many arrows left, and Little Five's food was also gone. If he continued to fight, not only would he run out of ammunition, but Little Five would also go on strike. And so, Fleeting Time packed up his items and prepared to return to Saint Light City.
The Bloody Plains was a place that Fleeting Time frequented. He was already familiar with the safest route to take without attracting too many monsters. He summoned his white unicorn and nimbly mounted it. Then, he galloped toward Holy Light City.
Not only did he manage to pick up four Critical Gems with Minor Flaws, but he also managed to pick up a Flawless Strength Gem. If he were to bring it back to Saint Light City, he might be able to obtain a gem of higher quality. Fleeting Time was elated at the thought of being able to socket a Flawless Critical Hit Gem on his bow. As soon as he was happy, his footsteps became even more light.
Soon, he saw the Rotten Path from the Bloody Plains. It was a mountain pass. Looking over from the Bloody Wilderness, one could only see a dense mass of darkness. The Rotten Path was probably Fleeting Time's least favorite place. It was dark and smelly, and he hated it. But he was also impressed by the players who were able to grind in such a place for days at a time.
Just as Fleeting Time was about to enter the Rotten Path, he saw a player running towards him. It was a male Thief. His equipment was dark in color, and it was hard to tell what was good or bad with just a glance. However, the horse he was riding wasn't anything good. One look and you could tell that it was a piece of trash.
He had no companions.
Enter the Bloody Plains alone?
A Rogue should be able to do it. But he had to be good at it. There were not many solo players in the Bloody Plains, but there were at least 50 to 60 of them. They were all guarding their own spots, and Fleeting Time could recognize them. But he had never seen the Rogue before.
Fleeting Time did not suspect anything. There were so many players in the Western Continent, and everyone had their own way of playing the game. There was nothing Fleeting Time could do to stop the Rogue even if he wanted to seek his own death.
After all, the same rice could feed a hundred different people. Besides, this had nothing to do with Fleeting Time.
Fleeting Time was never one to meddle in other people's business. He merely observed the Rogue from afar, and did not think much of it. Fleeting Time's Unicorn was extremely fast, and it did not take long for the Rogue to pass by.
Suddenly, in a flash, he seemed to have seen something … If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
