Turning the clock back eight hours ago (OtherWorld ti), when Yang Qiu was still peacefully asleep on earth… Daybreak arrived.
Due to the heavy contamination of his mind, Charlie Rex couldn't laze around in bed like others his age. He was awake as soon as the first light of day shone.
Rex had long gotten used to only being able to sleep for six or seven hours a day at max. After changing into a set of fresh clothing, he issued a breakfast preparation quest to the undead while he went to collect and heat up water for himself and Mia to freshen up.
The tireless undead frolicked around the campsite nonstop, and even when Rex was washing his face and brushing his teeth, soone ran over asking for quests. This bit was sothing that Rex had already grown accustod to.
Long-term harassnt would also cause one to build up resistance. Rex had not only adapted to the eccentric bunch of players but even ca to enjoy the experience of being able to make the undead move when issuing quests.
Of course, the condition was that rewards had to be settled imdiately upon quest completion; otherwise, the undead, who could switch from docile to aggressive in an instant, might try to test if they could snatch equipnt off one's body…
Rex still couldn't understand why the undead were willing to do things for "reputation." And this was especially so after Yang introduced a new "territory prestige" which made the undead enthusiastically collect materials from beasts and monsters just to change specific values on the matrix's "panel." But that didn't really matter to Rex. All he understood was that this system was way more convenient than dealing with copper coins.
After all, copper coins were heavy, and after a settlent of copper coins, an account had to be made in the matrix to keep track of where every single coin was given out to. While it wasn't labor-intensive, it was certainly troubleso.
While sending an undead that ca for a quest to collect wild vegetables, Rex, with toothbrush still in mouth, heard a mournful wail from the neighboring tent.
He imdiately spat out the foam and rushed over to see what was going on.
Tuttle, who occupied the neighboring tent, was standing over a tricycle cart that had been ransacked, with even the tarp in disarray.
Tuttle was fuming so hard that he seed to have lost his sanity. Twirling his arm, he paced around the ssed up tricycle cart furiously. "—Who! Who touched my stuff?! Co out, you jerk!"
Rex, observing in secret, didn't make a sound and silently backed away.
Both he and Mia wouldn't go through Tuttle's cart, and neither would the others. That only left the undead.
More than 200 undead had co along with the caravan, and from ti to ti, several would disassemble themselves and lie down in the tricycle carts. Finding the "culprit" would be really difficult, and nothing much could be done even if the culprit was identified.
In any case, Rex had no interest in this matter since it had nothing to do with him. Also, he hadn't grown close to the forr bandits to the extent that they would share common enemies.
However, the fact that these undead, who cared only about equipnt and reputation, were sneaking around and stealing from others' carts surprised Rex. He felt that he ought to be more vigilant and bring important items into his tent when setting up camp for the night…
While Rex was feeling sowhat amused by Tuttle's misfortune, he saw two undead approaching.
One of them was called "Ji Tang" and Rex had a rather favorable impression of this skeleton. Ji Tang was an undead, but he possessed a certain masculine air about him. As per usual, Rex greeted Ji Tang with a friendly nod from a distance.
"Huh!" Give dicine, who was accompanying Ji Tang, expressed exaggeratedly, "Ji-God, how high is your warrior reputation? Why is the NPC so polite to you?"
"Uh… Honored," Ji Tang replied.
"For real? My treasure expert reputation is Honored as well, but Finley's always black-faced when he sees as if I owe him several million," said Give dicine bewilderedly.
Ji Tang couldn't exactly say that the motions of a living, breathing person weren't quantifiable, so he shifted the direction of the conversation, saying, "Perhaps it's due to the difference in personalities of these instructor NPCs. Rex has a better temperant than most of the other instructors."
During this ti, the two had jogged up to Rex's tent.
Many years in the military ant that Ji Tang had built up a rather straightforward nature. When they arrived at Rex's tent, he imdiately got straight to the point.
"Rex, we picked up two orcs and a human outside the camp. We can't communicate with them due to the language barrier and we would like your help finding out where they are from."
Rex, who had initially assud Ji Tang was here for a quest, tensed up upon hearing this.
A short while later, in the improvised tent set up by the undead, Rex saw the dark-haired teenager and the two orcs.
At the sa ti, he also noticed… dessert packaging (cake, wafers, carton milk were considered desserts to the natives) casually strewn in the corner of the tent.
Rex: "…"
He didn't particularly have a sweet tooth and wouldn't go out of his way to hoard snacks for indulgence. The only person he knew with such a habit was Tuttle.
Rex silently turned his head and subtly took asure of Ji Tang.
You must have been quite the character in your past life, huh? Even knowing how to steal stuff…
People who weren't in the imprint matrix couldn't communicate with the undead, as Yang had explained to them so ti ago, so Rex wasn't too surprised by this. He carefully chose his words and, with a stern face, addressed the adult orc, "I am Charlie Rex, the leader of this undead rchant caravan. Why have you appeared near our camp?"
The three rescued individuals revealed undisguised panic when they heard what was said.
Rex was also taken aback by their reaction, but he soon ca to the realization that they weren't too far from the infamous red-light district, Weisshem. He also recalled the nature of those rchant caravans that had passed through the Sorenson Mountains…
Feeling disgusted, he quickly clarified, "Our caravan's owner is the esteed Lord of Taranthan. We aren't like those other horrible fellows. Now, answer my question."
The human teen and the orc girl, Lyka, who didn't know much of the world, were dumbfounded when they heard this caravan full of undead belonged to a certain lord. The teenage boy, especially, when he had been living hand to mouth in Indahl, couldn't even dream of coming into contact with servants of nobles, let alone nobility.
The adult orc, unlike his two companions, wasn't completely ignorant, but he was still rather surprised. When had Taranthan, a place ten tis more dangerous than Sorensen, gained a lord?
This adult orc couldn't help but cast his gaze at the players behind Rex who were looking on curiously…
These undead, who were nothing like typical undead, ca from Taranthan. Now, Taranthan had a lord and the ability to produce goods for trade?
The adult orc, who himself had once been a professional-level combatant before falling to such dire straits, thought for a bit, and an image of so unknown and powerful black mage ca to his mind…
Subconsciously, the adult orc straightened his back and no longer put on his exaggerated display of weakness. He was soone who had suffered a great deal, and he couldn't be easily bought over with food. If it weren't for Rex coming in person to explain the current circumstances, he would have planned to "feign weakness," eat a few als to build up his strength, and then find an opportunity to escape.
"Please allow to introduce myself first, esteed sir." The adult orc placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly, adopting a dignified posture he hadn't been able to use in many years. "My na is Ossirian Jin. I used… to be a mber of the Seleras Alliance."
"Seleras Alliance?!" At this point, it was Rex who revealed his surprise.
Seleras was a deity from the outer continent. The Seleras Alliance was an underground organization ford by descendants of Outer Continent orcs that had been trafficked to Navalon and mainly specialized in resistance activities in countries where orc slavery was legal (mainly the Kenyan Empire).
Naturally, the Kenyan Empire, which had prospered from selling orcs for several centuries, deed the Seleras Alliance to be an illegal organization.
However, many nations on the Navalon Continent weren't united, and so with frosty or even hostile relations with the Kenyan Empire were more than happy to give the Seleras Alliance official recognition.
Quite a few nations would also provide financial support to the Seleras Alliance discreetly. After all, the bulk of the Seleras Alliance's resistance activities was within the Kenyan Empire, and naturally, there would be many delighted to see the empire bleed from the inside.
But… roughly ten years ago, the Seleras Alliance had ceased to exist.
This organization, which had resisted the suppression of the Kenyan Empire for several centuries, was shattered overnight by a single piece of legislation, the "Orc Civil Rights Act."
Rex's stern expression softened. Any discerning eyes knew what the Kenyan Empire's "Orc Civil Rights Act" was all about. This emaciated orc before him, who had been a mber of the Seleras Alliance, deserved respect.
"Ossirian, why have you and your two companions co here?" Rex asked in a gentler tone.
Ossirian beca down-crested and, with so difficulty, said, "To be honest… I was sold into Weisshem several years ago. These two children… have experienced circumstances similar to mine.
"I had already given up on ever escaping… until last night, when soone attacked the Golden Coast, Weisshem's largest establishnt. That's when I had a chance to flee with these two. We were exhausted from the escape and fell asleep not too far from here."
"I see." Rex didn't pry too much into the experiences of these three. He said so words to comfort Ossirian, then beckoned the undead to step out together with him.
Before leaving, Rex made sure to collect the discarded packaging left in the tent. He planned to bury it discreetly later…
Next, Rex inford Ji Tang about the background of those three and subtly hinted that the undead shouldn't inquire too much about their past. Bringing them along would be more sufficient.
Rex's intention was to help these unfortunate souls if he could. After all, Yang had never explicitly stated that orcs couldn't be brought back to Taranthan.
However, the players who hadn't received a quest weren't willing to accept things as it was. Moreover, their common sense and general knowledge far exceeded Rex's expectations. Even though Rex had phrased his explanation as subtly as possible, saying that the three rescued individuals had been sold into Weisshem by unscrupulous rchants and that they were lucky enough to escape… the players still caught out.
Of the three rescued individuals, one was a boy, one was a girl, and the last was a man with nice features. All of them bore signs of having been held captive for so ti, so it was rather difficult for anyone to not think positively about their circumstances.
"Is Weisshem a hub for human trafficking?" Give dicine chortled in surprise. "Holy, wait a mont. There wouldn't still be red-light districts in this ga, would there?
Unceasing Entropy had already logged out as she had classes to attend in the morning. Blossoming Strokes was still around and gave a sideways glance at Give dicine. "Hey, hey, how are you so familiar with this? ntion a red-light district.
Give dicine hastily retorted, "Don't jump to conclusions, ma'am. I've never stepped out of my own country before, alright? I just watched 'Hostel' a while back and got curious about Europe…"
The two of them viewed this world as a ga, so even when knowing that there was human trafficking and red-light districts, they didn't think much of it. Ji Tang, on the other hand, wasn't the sa. He beca livid upon learning that the human boy and orc girl had been sold to such a place.
"Rex, were these two children and Ossirian sold to Weisshem?" Ji Tang stared at Rex while deliberately enunciating each word clearly.
Rex, with his good senses and awareness, imdiately detected the underlying anger in Ji Tang's still calm voice. Slightly discomforted, he answered, "Yes."
Ji Tang's rage burned stronger even though his voice remained calm. "What sort of place is Weisshem exactly?"
This ti, Rex was silent for quite a while.
With Rex's personality, he could be discreet to help others conceal things they didn't want known, but deliberately lying was beyond him.
Under Ji Tang's probing gaze, Rex had to awkwardly admit, "As far as I know, guests who travel there… are willing to pay for humans and orcs with impressive aesthetics."
"I knew it! It's definitely a red-light district. Just like Amsterdam!" exclaid Give dicine.
Blossoming Strokes clicked her tongue, sneering in disdain. "This degree of pursuing realism is way overboard. It's really disgusting…"
Give dicine nodded in agreent. "It is disgusting, but since it's part of a quest, such a setting isn't that out of place."
Blossoming Strokes was way too bothered by the distaste of a red-light district; after all, ladies often found it more difficult to be accepting of such places. It was only Give dicine, who rarely didn't usually think deeply, reminded her that she suddenly ca to that realization and exclaid, "Oh, right! Who would be willing to beat down antagonists if they were portrayed as orderly and virtuous! So, does this an that the location for this boss fight is Weisshem?"
Rex: "??"
Ji Tang: "…"
Here, he had been racking his brains trying to find a cunning way to get players on board in taking down this human trafficking market. And now, the players themselves had spontaneously provided a legitimate reason to act.
Realizing that he still wasn't quite attuned to the players' line of thought, Ji Tang perked up at once and declared confidently, "Exactly. Weisshem is definitely the target location for this major quest!"
"But we didn't receive a quest. How can we proceed?" Give dicine said, his eyes constantly shifting to Rex.
Since a quest hadn't been triggered from the three NPCs that were rescued, this fellow was looking toward the "good-nature" warrior instructor Rex for compensation. After all, a quest issued by whichever NPC would still be legitimate, with rewards given upon completion!
Rex: "…"
He was all too familiar with the undead's characteristic of always seeking quests all the ti, no matter what…
Rex gulped and probed cautiously, "Uh… You guys want to attack Weisshem?"
Give dicine triumphantly raised a fist. "See, Blossom? Wasn't I right, Rex just said that Weisshem can really be attacked!"
Rex was stunned. Wait a minute, I didn't say that!
Blossoming Strokes was also pleasantly surprised and rambled away animatedly, "Whoa, that's exciting? We had to build our own base in the wilderness on our previous expedition, and this ti we will be having a siege? If we capture Weisshem, would it beco part of our territory? Will it have features like spawn and teleportation points?"
"Definitely! Otherwise, we wouldn't have traveled so far on this expedition!" Give dicine said gleefully.
Rex's mouth hung open, and he stared blankly at the undead duo who were getting increasingly carried away by the second.
Did I make a mistake sowhere…?
Ji Tang, the only one who truly knew, resisted the urge to look at the clearly skeptical Charlie Rex and instead added fuel to the fire without batting an eyelid. "I think so, too. This expedition quest is different. We have many tis more supplies than before, and it's also a combat class quest with the class instructors having joined us. It looks to be sothing big."
Rex's lips twitched, but he opted to remain silent.
You can say whatever you want, but I certainly won't issue such a ridiculous quest!
Those not in the imprint matrix couldn't assign quests to the undead, while Hal and his forr bandit bunch were even less likely to do so. That bunch only wanted to let the undead cause trouble and hand it over to Yang, but had no intention of doing it themselves! The undead couldn't truly die if they were to attack Weisshem, but people like them with flesh and blood couldn't resurrect once dead!
With his mind set, Rex turned and quickly walked away, leaving no chance for Ji Tang to call him back.
"The heck! Where is he running off to? What about the quest?!" Give dicine voiced out.
Ji Tang, who had steeled himself to uphold justice, grabbed Give dicine, who had been about to chase after Rex, and blatantly made up stuff, "It's probably because Rex alone can't issue such a major quest. This quest might be more difficult than anything we have done before, and just seeking out Rex wouldn't trigger it. What do you think, Blossom?"
Blossoming Strokes didn't even need to think and said with certainty, "A major quest like a siege of this extent wouldn't be triggered that easily. There would surely be many prerequisites to fulfill. With Rex, I reckon getting him to interact with the NPCs we rescued fulfills his prerequisites. To continue in the right direction, we'll probably need to activate storylines related to the other instructor NPCs."
Ji Tang wanted to give Blossoming Strokes two thumbs up. Listen, she gives the most perfect reasons!
From a player's perspective, providing logical explanations was really sothing only an expert could do!
Next, Blossoming Strokes took the initiative to advise Ji Tang and Give dicine to log out and conserve their daily ga ti. She would get soone to head offline and inform them when their help was needed later.
Ji Tang was, without doubt, a main force and would handle on-site commands in a siege, while Give dicine, with his excellent equipnt, was their side's primary damage dealer. The daily ga ti of these two players had to be optimized.
Once these two were urged to log out, Blossoming Strokes got busy. She, too, went offline and contacted her gaming buddy Qin Guan, reached out to Brother Lahong via Study Obsessed, and added all players that could lead teams into a WeChat group.
In the group chat, Blossoming Strokes explained her hypothesis on the prerequisites for triggering the siege quest and expressed her hope that all players who had successfully completed the first job advancent and had "remains" stored in the expedition team would cooperate and act as one to complete this ultimate class quest…
As morning arrived on Earth, and it beca afternoon in-ga, Blossoming Strokes led a group of the ga's top intellectual players—Guileless Gale, Unceasing Entropy (who spared so ti before class to log in), Win By Grinding (who led a group of solo players)—and confidently approached the first NPC that Unceasing Entropy believed should be "raided" first: Assassin Instructor, Hal Maxwell.
The hierarchical relationships between instructor NPCs were sothing that players had long figured out. Trigger-happy ranger Tuttle and hot-headed elder brother Finley often hung around Hal and displayed particular deference when interacting with the latter. Other NPCs like Manan and Anthony were also very respectful when dealing with Hal. It would take all the players to be blind not to see Hal's slightly different standing.
Hal found today rather bewildering. When he woke up, he noticed Tuttle running around camp like a crazed madman trying to find sothing. But when Hal asked Tuttle what he was looking for, he didn't get a response.
Finley and Jero (the knight instructor) seed to be relatively normal, but they had no clue as to why Tuttle was acting up either.
These forr bandits often didn't treat outsiders well, but they showed a certain degree of camaraderie and compassion toward their own, especially the ones they were closest to. Seeing Tuttle in such a state, Hal got Finley to tell Rex that they should temporarily pause their plans for a day of rest as everyone was exhausted.
Rex knew very well why Tuttle was acting out and understood that it was best to keep the matter under wraps. If not, Tuttle might end up in a conflict with the undead, Ji Tang. And with the style of how these forr bandits dealt with matters, his anger might even inadvertently be redirected toward Ossirian… Thus, Rex chose to shut his mouth.
As players were busy coordinating themselves for "siege warfare prerequisites," nobody ca forward to protest against these NPCs slacking off. This series of remarkable coincidences ant that the expedition enjoyed an unusually peaceful morning.
Hal, who was usually the one most irritated by players' noisy behavior and often wished to eliminate these "nuisances," found himself feeling uncomfortable throughout this serene morning…
He had even begun to ponder about life when the undead ca knocking.
The undead with a lodious voice, whose na had sothing about a flower, casually barged into Hal's tent, much like the previous occasion at the Wanderer Guild. And this ti, it wasn't just one; several chattering skeletons followed behind her.
"Hal, we've rescued three people who escaped from Weisshem. Do you want to et them?" Blossoming Strokes, who had done ample preparation, approached confidently.
"Huh?"
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