Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Crimson Millions tapped his fingers on the table in a slow but orderly manner. His fingernails weren't very long, and they made a "knock knock knock" sound as they tapped on the table. Although the sound was soft, Hidden Dragon felt as if it was a ghostly talisman that was about to take his life.
He sat there timidly, not daring to even breathe loudly as he stared at Crimson Millions' fingers on the table. Hidden Dragon was very afraid of Crimson Millions. Other than having good skills, good equipment, and being an elite player in the guild as well as a senior manager in the guild, he always felt that there was a deep mystery surrounding Crimson Millions. Crimson Millions was very meticulous, and no one could see through him. Although he wasn't the same person as the former vice guild leader, Zero Arsenic, Hidden Dragon sometimes felt that they were definitely the same type of person. Just sitting there and smiling was enough to send chills down one's spine.
Crimson Millions carefully pondered over the details that Hidden Dragon had mentioned. After a while, his fingers stopped tapping, and his gaze swept over Hidden Dragon once again, "Are you sure you met the Dark Iron Dwarf called Jasmine in the Lesser Demon Sanctuary when you were Level 40?"
"I … I …" Hidden Dragon couldn't remember clearly what had happened. Moreover, he had completely lost the ability to judge the situation due to the constant attacks from his party members. He could only stare blankly at Crimson Millions, not knowing how to answer his question.
"I want to hear a more objective answer, but you must be honest." Crimson Millions looked at Hidden Dragon's expression, and timely reminded him not to boast, and even more so not to lie.
Hidden Dragon suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if there was a huge pressure pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to breathe. He listened to Crimson Millions' warning, nodded his head hurriedly, took a deep breath, and said, "That was when I was Level 40. At that time, my level was not enough to accept a quest in the Lesser Demon Sanctuary. I only went there because I got lost in the side map, and accidentally stumbled into it. I wanted to see if I could accept a quest, but after asking around, I still couldn't get one. I remembered that Jasmine was sleeping in a corner of the camp. When I spoke to her, she would reply half-heartedly. She was a very ordinary NPC. However, a few days ago, I went to Black Wind Mountain with my party to level up. When I returned to the camp to replenish my supplies, I didn't see Molly anywhere. "
Hidden Dragon couldn't help but look at Crimson Millions as he spoke. He had briefly mentioned these things earlier, but he was afraid that Crimson Millions wouldn't be interested, so he didn't go into detail. He just didn't know if Crimson Millions would be annoyed if he said it now.
Crimson Millions didn't show any disgust, but he didn't show any interest either. He just sat there with his eyes closed, tapping his fingers on the table lightly. It was the same action as before.
Hidden Dragon saw that Crimson Millions didn't show any reaction, so he continued slowly, "Originally, NPCs in Fate could go anywhere. I thought that she must have left, so I didn't think much of it. But later, I actually found her in a corner of the Lesser Demon Sanctuary. Not only that, she had two Dark Iron Dwarves with her. This time, when I spoke to them again, they didn't respond at all. But judging from their actions, they seemed to be searching for something … So, I asked everyone to go take a look, but I didn't expect that we would find nothing. "
After listening to Hidden Dragon's words quietly, Crimson Millions couldn't stop thinking. Why was it a Dark Iron Dwarf exploring? If it was another race, perhaps Crimson Millions wouldn't care so much about this matter. However, there seemed to be an unwritten rule in Fate. As long as there were Dark Iron Dwarves in the area, there would be good ores. From the looks of it, ores were only used to make weapons and equipment for close combat. But in the long run, the value of ores was definitely more than that.
According to a reliable source, the Island of Heroes and The Black Plum Family in the Southern Continent were already itching to make a move on a desolate city in the wilderness. One could imagine that in the near future, countless desolate cities and strongholds would be fought over on this continent. At that time, there would definitely be a large number of construction machines, and the appearance of siege machines would definitely affect the demand for ores. Therefore, any guild with a little bit of foresight would not sell off their high grade ores now. Instead, they would keep all of them and use them together when the time came.
And today, from what Hidden Dragon discovered, the Dark Iron Dwarves must have found some ores. But if Jasmine was a normal NPC, even if she had found some ores, she wouldn't ignore a player who spoke to her. In that case, there were only two possibilities for Jasmine to ignore a player. First, this was a small and insignificant bug in the game. If that was the case, then there was nothing to be surprised about. After all, such a small bug wouldn't be accepted even if it was submitted. But the second scenario wasn't the same …
The second scenario was that this was a quest initiated by a player, and at this stage, the quest would automatically be locked. If that was the case, then this matter had to be considered. What kind of player initiated what kind of quest? If it was a normal ore, would it be locked?
In just an instant, a series of questions swept through Crimson Millions' mind, and he suddenly felt a sense of excitement. He raised his head and said to Hidden Dragon, "Submit a bug to Fate's customer service now."
"What bug?"
"Submit the bug where Jasmine ignored you. Indirectly ask if the game developers didn't set up a suitable conversation." Crimson Millions knew that it was very difficult to get an accurate answer to such a question, but as long as there was a chance, he would definitely not let it go. If Fate's customer service denied that this was a bug, then all the answers pointed to the second scenario. Then, he could send people to keep an eye on the area, and immediately kill the player who was about to do the quest. That way, the Iron Blood Guild would be able to receive the follow-up quest, and who knew what kind of rewards they would receive.
"Alright." Even though Hidden Dragon didn't know why Crimson Millions would instruct him to do so, he still submitted the bug truthfully. However, the answer he received from customer service was that this might be a small bug, and had already been submitted to the game developers. The game developers would make adjustments and changes, and to thank him for his attentiveness, they rewarded Hidden Dragon with 100 gold coins as a reward.
When Crimson Millions heard this answer, he wasn't surprised. After all, such a small problem wouldn't necessarily attract the attention of customer service. However, even though the answer he received from customer service was ambiguous, to Crimson Millions, a vague direction had appeared in front of him, as if countless clues had already pointed to the second scenario.
Hidden Dragon was really uneasy. He really couldn't understand what was going on in Crimson Millions' mind. And now that he was even more silent, Hidden Dragon didn't know what to do. He could only sit on the chair cautiously, cautiously looking at Crimson Millions, and wait for his final order.
After thinking for a while, Crimson Millions finally remembered that there was someone else in the guild meeting room. He smiled apologetically at Hidden Dragon, "Sorry, I'm a person who doesn't pay attention to the situation around me when I'm lost in my own thoughts. Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"No, no, no, Boss Crimson Millions, please continue." Crimson Millions' apologetic words made Hidden Dragon feel even more flattered. He quickly stood up and waved his hands.
"This information is very important. I'll get the finance department to give you two months' salary as a reward. I hope you'll pay more attention to such situations in the future." Crimson Millions smiled. To the higher-ups like them, the salary of these third-rate members was nothing worth mentioning. However, it was an incredible reward for the other party. Therefore, when there was punishment, there must be an appropriate reward as well. Only then would they be able to win over the hearts of the people.
Sure enough, after hearing this news, Hidden Dragon's panicked eyes immediately became excited. Even though he hid it well, Crimson Millions still noticed. He waved his hand in satisfaction, "Go and level up. Don't get into any more conflicts with the guild members. A great man knows when to yield and when not to."
"Yes, Boss Crimson Millions, I understand!" Hidden Dragon stood up excitedly. This was how unpredictable the world was. A month's salary had just been deducted, and now he was rewarded with two months' salary. This was great!
"Don't mention this to anyone else." Crimson Millions obviously wouldn't instruct Hidden Dragon.
"Yes, yes, I understand. Then I'll go and level up, Boss Crimson Millions. I won't disturb you any further." Hidden Dragon smiled very happily. His excitement couldn't be hidden at all. After saying that, he walked out of the house.
Crimson Millions only quietly watched Hidden Dragon's figure leave. After that, he immediately contacted The Setting Sun and reported the matter truthfully to him. Recently, The Setting Sun had been fighting with Unbridled Willow to the death, whether in real life or in the game. Therefore, most of the guild's matters were handed over to his trusted subordinates. Only the most important matters needed to be reported to him. On the other hand, he led a group of elites to various dungeons to clear dungeons and obtain equipment. He was doing his best to maximize the guild's benefits.
After receiving the news from Crimson Millions, The Setting Sun pondered for a moment. Even though Crimson Millions' considerations were very meticulous, this didn't conform to The Setting Sun's principles of doing things. Even though The Setting Sun didn't have a big heart, he was more open-minded when doing things. Therefore, these trivial matters were all handled by Zero Arsenic. One of them was careless, while the other was meticulous. They cooperated very well. Now that Zero Arsenic had been assigned to Unbridled Willow by the old man, The Setting Sun originally thought that he was a little bad. However, he didn't expect Crimson Millions to be as meticulous as Zero Arsenic. Moreover, Crimson Millions had been with him for many years. Therefore, he was even more at ease to let him handle all the matters.
Faced with Crimson Millions' information, The Setting Sun only pondered for a moment before saying, "We don't have any leads on these matters yet. You can do as you see fit. If there are any major changes or situations, then let me know. You can make all the decisions for the rest."
Since Crimson Millions had received The Setting Sun's approval, it was much easier to handle things. He immediately began to anxiously ask the Thieves to conduct a comprehensive search and inspection of the area provided by Hidden Dragon to see if there were any players who could possibly complete this quest. After that, he arranged for a large number of high-level Miners to prepare to move to the coordinates and see what kind of ores could be excavated there.
Compared to the actions of the Iron Blood Guild, Up Everyday's movements were much quieter. Although Up Everyday's reputation was spread far and wide, they were still no match for the Iron Blood Guild in terms of guild size. Moreover, the Iron Blood Guild had already begun their investigation, so Up Everyday was even more discreet and cautious.
Since the investigation of the Mithril ore vein had been handed over to Timely Rain, Ye Ci was no longer worried about this problem. Although Ye Ci was rather suspicious, once she had decided to use a person, she would no longer be suspicious of that person. As the saying goes, 'Don't doubt the people you use, and don't use the people you doubt.'
This matter had come to an end.
However, Ye Ci was still not completely at ease. She still had two things on hand. The first was to complete the Epic-tier quest, and the second was to complete the prerequisite quest for the Mithril ore vein in the Northern and Southern Continents. Currently, no one in the Southern Continent had discovered the existence of the Mithril ore vein. However, if she did not complete the prerequisite quest as soon as possible, the quest would no longer be a secret by the time everyone reached Lvl50. Moreover, it was quite dangerous for her to travel to the Northern Continent. As for the Epic-tier quest, there was no time limit. As long as she delayed the completion of the quest, there should not be any problems.
Since she had made up her mind, Ye Ci set off for the Southern Continent.
Although The Black Plum Family and the Isle of Heroes would never have guessed that Ye Ci would once again arrive in the Southern Continent, Ye Ci was still very cautious. After all, she had already been followed once. This did not mean that she would not be followed again. Therefore, the Brooch of Deceit became one of the necessary items for Ye Ci to travel around the Northern and Southern Continents. In the Southern Continent, the Brooch of Deceit could be used for a longer period of time. It could be used for up to three hours, with a cooldown of one day.
Ye Ci took advantage of the cooldown to travel to Gale City's Teleportation Stone and arrived in the Southern Continent as a Human Huntress. After returning from the Western Continent, Ye Ci no longer had any hope for her little red pony. It was simply too slow. Therefore, before she left the Eastern Continent, she went to the horse farm and picked a brown pony with decent stamina. The pony did not stand out in any way. It was an extremely common pony among the players. Of course, its movement speed was not as fast as The Fourth Prince's, but it was still 110%. It was an economical and practical pony that ordinary players from all continents would love.
The main reason why Ye Ci chose this horse was because she would not attract the attention of any players wherever she went.
As expected, Ye Ci was not followed by any Southern Continent players. In the eyes of the players, she was just an ordinary Huntress of the Southern Continent. She was not worthy of any attention. It was this lack of attention that allowed Ye Ci to reach the Kalor Plains of the Southern Continent.
The Kalor Plains was a vast grassland. However, there was a continuous mountain range in the northwest corner of the plains. It was the main mountain range of the Southern Continent, Mount Flora. It was also the source of the Mithril in the Southern Continent. There were many Cannibals roaming the Kalor Plains. They were tall and burly, two to three times the height of the average player. They were muscular, violent, and bloodthirsty. However, their intelligence was extremely low. They were basically no different from low-level animals. Most of them were above level 60. As long as Ye Ci was careful, and with the help of The Fourth Prince, she could easily deal with four or five of them at a time.
Based on her experience in the Eastern Continent, Ye Ci did not spend much time to find the Dark Iron Dwarves in the Kalor Camp. She also successfully triggered the quest for the Mithril ore vein. Currently, there were no players grinding in the Kalo Plains. It wasn't because of the level restriction, but because most of the monsters here were solo players. Moreover, the respawn rate was slow. If one relied on Mages to grind here, it wouldn't be very efficient. Moreover, if one came here alone, the drop rate of the monsters here wasn't high. It was very likely that they wouldn't be able to earn back the money spent on potions. Therefore, aside from Level 55 and above players who would come here to do quests, no other player would choose to grind here.
With such good fortune, Ye Ci's quest in the Kalor Plains went smoothly. It only took her a day and a half to complete the quest for the Mithril ore vein in the Southern Continent. Seeing that the Dark Iron Dwarves had begun to explore the ore vein, Ye Ci left the Kalor Plains without worry.
Reaching the Northern Continent was a simple task. At the very least, it was not as troublesome as reaching the Western Continent. As long as one paid a certain amount of gold coins at the pier in Dark Clay City, one would be able to reach the neutral map of the Northern Plains, Dorami Wetlands.
Because the Eastern Continent and the Northern Continent were adjacent to each other and both piers were located in neutral maps, there were still many players from each other's continents in these two maps. Since one would have to pass through Dark Clay City's pier to reach the Northern Continent, it was a good idea to turn in the quest at Dark Clay City.
Although the Northern Continent players had toned down their arrogance after the massacre of the Eastern Continent players, there were still a lot of players in Dark Clay City. Furthermore, the soldiers of Dark Clay City would not attack players for no reason. After all, this was a neutral map. Unless players were severely punished for fighting in the city, Dark Clay City was as peaceful and prosperous as any other large city.
In order to keep a low profile, Ye Ci did not summon the Fourth Prince. Instead, she rode into the city on her horse. With the help of the Brooch of Deceit, no one knew that she was actually the Eastern Continent's Solo King, Gongzi You. Ye Ci arrived at Dark Clay City's City Hall and met with Mayor Lada.
Lada had always given Ye Ci the impression that he kept her at arm's length. No matter how high her reputation in Dark Clay City was, this feeling of alienation would always remain. Not only that, but for some reason, Ye Ci always had a strange feeling about Lada. It was as if she was being schemed against, or rather, it was a conscious deception.
Although Lada had always treated Ye Ci with respect and kindness, this feeling would still surface from time to time.
Ye Ci had tried to test Lada a few times, but her attempts were all in vain. In the end, Ye Ci decided not to waste her time on such meaningless matters.
Ye Ci's arrival came as a surprise to Lada. He stared blankly at the unharmed Ye Ci before standing up and bowing, "My most respected friend, you've returned. Please accept my respect for you."
As she spoke, she received a system notification. Her prestige in Dark Clay City had reached 'Respected', which was one level higher than her previous' Intimate 'status. The NPCs who were originally friendly to her were now even more respectful towards her. This was the benefit of having a high reputation. The higher a player's reputation in a city, the more benefits they would receive. Being respected by NPCs was only a small matter. More importantly, they would receive discounts and receive more quests. Moreover, the reputation of a city was linked to the reputation of the continent. Ye Ci's reputation in the Eastern Continent had already surpassed 'Intimate' and reached 'Respected'.
Once a player's reputation in the continent reached 'Respected', they would be able to exchange for a small position in the continent's parliament. The higher their reputation, the higher the position they could exchange for. This was a great temptation for players. After all, being able to obtain a position in the continent's parliament was a great benefit to both the guild and the player.
"Mayor Lada, this is the letter that Orthus asked me to pass to Mayor Moore." Ye Ci took out the quest item that Orthus had given her when she handed in her quest.
"It is a great honor to receive a reply from Goblin Grandmaster Orthus. Respected Gongzi You, I never thought that you would be able to complete this quest. I would like to express my respect and congratulations to you." Lada did not accept Ye Ci's Quest Item as he would have done in the past. Instead, he smiled at Ye Ci and spoke politely.
Ye Ci noticed that Lada did not accept the letter. She knew that this matter was not as simple as it seemed.
As expected, Lada quickly replied, "Respected Gongzi You, I believe that Mayor Moore would prefer to receive this letter from you personally. So, please follow me."
Ye Ci raised her eyebrows. She was going to meet Mayor Moore? That mysterious City Lord, the supreme ruler of the neutral map? How interesting. Whenever she wanted to meet this person, she would not be able to meet him. But when she thought that it did not matter anymore, she could meet him so easily? Was this what they meant by 'a well-intentioned flower will not bloom, but a well-intentioned willow will grow'?
Ye Ci followed Lada through a long corridor behind the City Hall. They passed through a beautiful garden and finally arrived at a towering castle in the center of Dark Clay City. There was a very tall tower in the castle. Even from the Swamp of Sorrows, the tower's existence could be easily seen. Needless to say, it had already become a landmark in the city.
Ye Ci initially thought that it was a Magic Tower, but she later found out that it was Moore's castle.
This city was not as big as the castle of Red Lake City's Lord, Sakagar. However, the number of soldiers stationed here was much greater than the number of soldiers stationed in Sakagar's castle. Ye Ci followed behind Lada as they walked through the castle. From time to time, she would cast a Detection spell on the soldiers who saluted them. She would not know if she did not look, but when she did, she was shocked. Even the lowest-leveled player in the game was 120 episodes, and the soldiers in exquisite armor were Level 150 – 160 elites. It seemed that it would be impossible to break into this castle by relying on one's own strength.
It didn't take long for Ye Ci to arrive at the main hall of the castle. The hall was not luxurious, but it was filled with lvl160 Super Elites. Their armor shone with a cold light, and the swords in their hands glowed with a terrifying light.
In the middle of the hall, there was a person leaning on a high throne. He was dressed in a black robe with runes flowing on it. It was obvious that the robe was a top-tier equipment. Although Ye Ci was unable to determine the quality of the robe with her Detection skill, she knew that it was at least a Celestial tier equipment. His hair and beard were greyish white, and there were wrinkles on his face. At first glance, he looked very old. His hand was thin and bony, and he held a staff made of Black Snake Wood. On the top of the staff was a transparent gem the size of three fists. It shone with a dazzling light.
Moore sat there motionlessly with his eyes closed, as if he was asleep. Ye Ci could sense a strange aura surrounding Moore, but when she tried to sense it, she could not feel anything. After a few attempts, she finally gave up. The aura seemed to have disappeared, as if it had never existed in the first place.
In Ye Ci's previous life, Moore had never appeared in the eyes of players. He had mostly appeared in books and official documents. That was why Ye Ci had thought that Moore was a melee class. After all, the NPCs that were given the title of City Lord in Fate were all melee classes. But Ye Ci did not expect Moore to be a Mage, and a Mage that looked a little too old … This was really unexpected.
"My most respected City Lord, our good friend Gongzi You has returned. She has brought you good news from the Goblins." Lada, who was standing in the main hall, bowed to Moore on the throne and said with a smile.
Moore slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was as sharp as a blade as it shot towards Ye Ci who was behind Lada. Ye Ci was slightly shocked by the sharp gaze. It seemed that she had been very wrong. She had thought that Moore was a useless old man, which was why he needed so many guards to protect him. But now, it seemed that was not the case at all.
Although Moore's face was old, under the contrast of his gaze, there was a vitality that was not inferior to that of a young man. Not only that, under that gaze, Ye Ci suddenly felt a heavy pressure on her body. It was the kind of intimidation that came from a strong person.
Ye Ci had never felt this kind of pressure from any other NPC, but she felt it when facing Moore. So, almost at the same time when Moore looked up at her, she began to reevaluate her previous judgment.
"Oh, you are Gongzi You?"
"Yes, respected City Lord Moore." Super BOSS-tier NPCs were usually highly intelligent. They were able to discern a player's opinion of them through their actions and tone, and would react accordingly. This was why NPCs like Super BOSS-tier NPCs were not on the same level as the NPCs that could be found all over the streets. Ye Ci needed to be more cautious and humble when dealing with them.
She bowed respectfully towards Moore. This was the highest etiquette a player could give to an NPC to express their highest respect. Ye Ci also rarely used this etiquette. She would only use it when facing NPCs of Moore's level. This was to give these NPCs a slight impression of her.
"I've always heard of your name from Lada, but this is the first time I've seen you." Moore looked at Ye Ci from head to toe and said, "Ever since Dole left, I haven't seen such a spirited Elf in many years."
Ye Ci hurriedly said modestly, "All Elves see His Majesty Dole as their goal. I hope to become a hero like him."
"That's how it should be." Moore nodded, "However, after Dole left, the Elves have been declining. How sad." Moore's face flashed with a hint of sadness, "However, to be able to see an Elf like you while I'm still alive, I believe that the Elves will rise again one day."
Moore did not seem to be in a hurry to talk about the Goblins. Instead, he struck up a conversation with Ye Ci, and Ye Ci carefully studied every word that came out of Moore's mouth. The atmosphere was very pleasant. After chatting for a while, Ye Ci finally found an opportunity to pass the letter that Orthus had given her to Moore.
Moore took the letter from Lada's hands and lowered his head to look at the emblem on the letter. He then waved his hand and said to Lada and the other soldiers, "You can all leave. I have something to say to this elf alone."
The soldiers and Lada could not disobey Moore's order. They immediately bowed their heads and left the hall respectfully. Their footsteps were light, but the soldiers' armours still made a sound as they hit the marble floor. The sound was finally blocked out of the hall by the sound of the door closing.
Moore was the one who had the absolute authority. As long as Moore did not say anything, Ye Ci would not dare to say anything. After all, Moore was the one who was going to announce the next step of the Epic-tier quest. Standing in front of Moore, he was very quiet. He gently opened the letter and quietly read it.
Ye Ci did not have much to do during this period of time. She could only wait quietly for Moore. After a while, Moore put down the letter and looked at Ye Ci, "Orthus said that you did something big in Vo 'sok. What kind of big thing is it?"
Ye Ci was puzzled. The incident was publicized in the World Channel, and almost all NPCs and players knew about it. Was Moore testing her, or was there some other reason? Ye Ci could not figure it out, but she still answered Moore's question honestly.
Moore's face revealed an extremely surprised expression. "What? You said that Vo 'sok was destroyed by Ciel? "
Ye Ci was surprised by Moore's reaction. It seemed that Moore really did not know about this. She said, "It seems like a lot of people know about this. Lord Moore, are you not aware of this?"
Moore was taken aback by the question. He looked at Ye Ci for a while before he spoke, "Elf, you've gained the recognition of the Doran Thieves Guild and the respect of the Goblins. You've even found a cure for my illness. Are you interested in hearing my story?"
"It's my pleasure. I'm all ears," Ye Ci replied respectfully. Moore was silent for a while.
He seemed to be in pain and in a daze, as if he was trying to recall something that he did not want to. After a long time, he slowly opened his mouth, "When I was young, Magia Continent was still divided into five parts like it is now."
Five parts? Wasn't the Majah Continent divided into four parts? Where did the fifth part come from?
Ye Ci's ears twitched. Did she hear wrongly? Or did Moore misspeak? She suddenly realized something.
Moore carefully observed Ye Ci's expression and smiled, "You must be thinking, isn't the Majah Continent divided into four parts? Why are there five parts? "
Ye Ci already knew the answer, but she still replied respectfully, "Lord Moore, are you saying that there's a distant Middle Continent?"
"Oh? It seems like you know quite a lot? " Ye Ci's reply was a pleasant surprise to Moore. He did not expect the Elf to be smarter than he had expected.
"I only saw it from the books in the National Library." Ye Ci obviously would not tell Moore. This was something that every player knew. She could only reply in a way that even NPCs would be able to accept.
Just as I came out of the little black room, I received a warm chapter. Today is the last day of February. I'm only 6 or 7 votes away from the book in front of me. Those who still have pink votes, please support the fireworks. Thank you ~ ~
Next month, 9K will be delivered every day. At the same time, I will reserve the pink tickets in everyone's hands. Muah ~ ~ If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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