---Viktor's POV---
I found myself alone in the warehouse once again.
Stretching lazily, I nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. As long as I adjust the NPC working hours, there won't be any issues with Alyanne either!"
With player slots available and Alyanne running smoothly, even Edgar's side could spare two newbies to act as NPCs. If I didn't bring in new players now, then when?
A streak of silver light flashed across the sky.
I glanced at the 21 divine power points newly added to my account and set the system panel aside, focusing instead on tweaking the registration conditions for the latest batch of beta testers.
Eliminating the hidden threats of monsters in the iron mines, dealing with nearby goblin nests, and exploring the Sea of Mist—all these required a sheer number of players to tackle.
So, this ti, I set very lenient screening criteria. Life players, combat players, exploration players—I wanted them all!
But I wasn't a devil.
Considering Alyanne's workload, I decided to only recruit 41 players for now, enough to round out the current numbers.
"And they'll have to co in batches, so I can fully materialize the ga interface midway," I muttered to myself. Keeping track of 50 players' statuses at once was beyond my capacity.
I updated the new round of application conditions on the official ga website alongside a patch announcent.
---
[Chronicles of Aeltia Test Server Patch Notes]
[Key Updates:
- Beta player count increased to 50.
- New beta slots will be awarded periodically. Returning players are encouraged to register!
"First Battle: Red-scaled Worm" Expansion Pack Launch.
- A video has been added to the in-ga data library.
NPC Intelligence Optimization.
- The special NPC Alyanne now has enhanced behavior, including actions after work hours.
Other Updates:
- Added new types of monsters and ordinary creatures
- Improved invisible barriers
- ga physics engine adjustnts
- Minor bug fixes]
---
[Current Applicants: 42]
Despite the ti that had passed, the number of applicants remained pitifully small.
I sat at the wooden warehouse door, my mood as desolate as the night wind.
"Forget about screening players. Even if I called up every reserved player, it still wouldn't hit 50."
Chronicles of Aeltia was still far too obscure.
Staring at the registration numbers, I mulled over my dilemma. "The website isn't bad. Why aren't players joining?"
After all my efforts, the official website now looked far more polished. If even sketchy imitation websites from the old days could attract three players, there was no reason this polished one shouldn't be doing ten tis better!
After scrutinizing the situation for a while, I suddenly discovered that the creator of the promotional video for Chronicles of Aeltia, NeverShowOff, had been banned!
The reason, as posted on another platform by him, was "spreading false information." The account was banned for seven days, with the original Chronicles of Aeltia promotional video also permanently prohibited from re-uploading.
"The reason is related to Chronicles of Aeltia?"
Alard, I sat up straight and dove deeper into the comnts to investigate.
It turned out that Chronicles of Aeltia had been labeled as a scam browser ga and featured as an example in a news report on a certain platform.
NeverShowOff's promotional video had been the first to take the hit.
After soone reported it, the platform checked the official website and found out that my supposed ga company didn't actually exist.
The video was promptly removed!
Now, no one believed Chronicles of Aeltia was legitimate. Of course, no one would sign up either!
I clicked my tongue in frustration. "This is going to be tricky..."
The news report was published by a dia outlet under Skyrain, likely as a warning after Chronicles of Aeltia rode on the hype of Netherworld Revolution.
And they had successfully choked Chronicles of Aeltia at its lifeline.
The longer I thought about it, the more my head hurt. I slamd my palm against the warehouse door.
"Am I really going to have to register a ga company?"
But I wasn't on Earth. How could I handle the necessary processes?
Yet if I didn't clear the scam label hanging over Chronicles of Aeltia, how could I attract new players?
It wasn't as though soone would be foolish enough to knowingly join a "scam ga" and even pay for a custom gaming helt!
The helts that connected to Aeltia required intricate magic arrays, aning they had to be custom-made—an expense I simply couldn't cut.
I paced back and forth in front of the warehouse door before letting out a long sigh.
Separated by the distance of a world, so many things were beyond my reach...
Just then, four players clambered along the warehouse wall, crouching awkwardly as they sneaked around to the front door.
"Last batch, hang in there!"
"Alyanne, we've... co to... submit the quest... huh? Leader?"
NeverShowOff wiped the sweat off his face and suddenly noticed that I was much taller than expected.
Instinctively, he glanced inside the warehouse.
"Don't bother looking. Alyanne is resting. I'll handle your quest rewards," I told them, gazing at the players before with a complicated expression.
They laughed and joked every day, yet behind the scenes, their al accounts had been frozen.
Sigh, life wasn't easy for anyone...
Patting their shoulders aningfully, I took one look at their in-ga backpacks to calculate the stone materials they'd gathered.
After transferring the equivalent rewards to their ga panels, I added a word of advice, "Get so rest. If you keep pushing yourselves, you'll probably sleep through all of tomorrow."
With that, I vanished into the night.
I needed to resolve the online crisis quickly and figure out how to boost new player registrations!
---Third POV---
Thud, thud, thud!
After dumping all their collected stones into the warehouse, ProGar_Daddy rubbed his sore shoulders and walked over.
"What's the matter? Did we ss up the quest?"
"No," NeverShowOff replied. "Viktor reminded us our bodies are nearing their limits. If we keep going, we won't be able to log in tomorrow."
"Wow! Viktor's had a change of heart? I thought he only knew how to bask in the sun!" ProGar_Daddy twisted his neck, feeling much lighter after unloading the weight. "I don't even feel tired. Right, Hedgehog?"
Hedgehog nodded confidently. "Of course! I feel perfectly fine!"
And then he promptly collapsed backward.
Bang!
The sound of the back of his head hitting the ground was painful just to hear.
ProGar_Daddy froze, unsure whether to put down or keep holding the hand he had raised. "..."
So much for "feeling fine." He must've reached his pain threshold.
Garble helped Hedgehog to his feet.
"We should log off early. If we fall asleep out here, it'll be a disaster."
Catching a cold was one thing; the bigger issue was the lack of protection outside designated logout zones. If other players pranked them, it would be downright humiliating.
NeverShowOff grabbed Hedgehog's other arm, helping to lift him.
"Yeah, a longer break this ti will be good. I can use it to deal with my account issues on YT."
ProGar_Daddy frowned. "Still no chance of reinstatent?"
"YT is adamant that Chronicles of Aeltia is a scam ga. My hands are tied," NeverShowOff said with a wry smile.
"But it's only a seven-day ban. I'll still edit and upload new videos when it's over."
He could only chalk it up to bad luck.
It seed betting on one ga to sustain himself for life wasn't in the cards after all...
---Viktor's POV---
When it ca to registering a ga company, I finally felt the hassle of going through all the formalities.
Not only did I need a completely useless business plan, but I also needed all sorts of certificates.
Unfortunately, I had none of those things.
After being suspected of online fraud for the nth ti by the staff, I sighed and destroyed the newly created account.
"If you're letting connect to Earth's internet, at least give so badass hacker skills!"
All I could do was use magic to create a pile of accounts.
Even I was beginning to suspect myself of being an online scamr!
Temporarily closing the panel connecting to Earth's network, I stared at the now-bright sky in a daze.
"I guess I'll try registering a shell company abroad first to get so proper docuntation."
"Anyway, there's no way Chronicles of Aeltia can ever go public, so there's no need for things like a publication license..."
"Damn! The more I talk about it, the more it sounds like a scam ga."
Driven mad by the endless custor service runaround, I stopped my thoughts and decided to go outside for so fresh air.
Most of Honeyvale was still in ruins, with only a few areas showing signs of new reconstruction.
Occasionally, I spotted a few players on the road, crawling in strange postures, hunched over.
No doubt, another player carrying all their belongings on them.
"Is the security in Honeyvale really that bad?" I wondered.
Sure, there were no official roles like a sheriff, but with only nine players around, was it necessary to start guarding against outsiders already?
I continued walking.
Near the riverbank, I found the Lucky Stars Team processing thread spider silk.
They had set up rows of wooden racks with wooden sticks, and silk hung across them.
Watching from the side for a while, I felt my restlessness gradually ease.
ProGar_Daddy poked his head out from among the thread spider silk, looking over in surprise.
"Leader?"
He threw so silk into a wooden bucket, wiped his hands on his clothes, and jogged over.
"Leader, is there a new task?"
"Not really. I'm just looking around. You guys carry on."
I followed behind ProGar_Daddy for a little tour.
The players had actually taken my instructions seriously, repeatedly cleaning the thread spider silk dozens of tis.
In less than a day, they had cleaned over a thousand strands of silk.
This was the one good piece of news amidst all the bad ones.
As we got closer, the other three players sat together in a group.
Hedgehog and Garble continued washing the silk in the bucket, while NeverShowOff hugged a bundle of dried silk, trying to untangle it.
When they noticed , the three players all paused.
ProGar_Daddy was the first to speak. "Viktor said he's just wandering around, so we shouldn't worry about him."
Hedgehog tilted her head curiously at .
"Did Viktor also add a new behavior pattern?"
I stood there in silence.
I was right there. Could they not talk about as if I weren't present?
Just as I filtered out the players' talk about , they quickly ignored my existence and continued their tasks.
Cleaning spider silk was tedious work.
Before long, it was Garble's turn to fetch water.
Because the fish in the river ate anything—including their water buckets—they had to prepare two buckets each ti they fetched water.
One broken bucket was used to distract the fish, while the other bucket was filled with water and lifted quickly with a single hand.
Honestly, it looked like tiring work.
But the players took turns enthusiastically, finding this the least boring part of the entire spider silk-cleaning process.
Among them, NeverShowOff didn't have to fetch water.
He was wrestling with a pile of silk and a wooden tool, struggling to detangle the strands.
The more he worked on the silk, the ssier it beca.
After watching for a while, I couldn't hold back anymore when NeverShowOff was about to tie a sixth Gordian knot.
"Are you... testing the durability of the thread spider silk?"
"Huh?" he looked up, confused. "No, I'm trying to coil the silk into a bundle for easier weaving later."
"I found an online friend—uh, a comrade who hasn't returned to Aeltia—who told this is how it's done."
---Third POV---
NeverShowOff's fan group was full of talent.
Last night, he had casually asked a question, and GaLord420 actually knew how to weave and bundle spider silk!
The wooden tool in his hand was made following GaLord420' instructions.
But...
There was a big gap between theory and practice.
GaLord420 had said spider silk was strong and didn't need to be spun into thread—it just had to be straightened to be woven directly.
If everything went smoothly, they could weave a whole cloth in less than a day.
But NeverShowOff had stumbled at the very first step.
After hearing this, Viktor didn't know what to say.
Unfortunately, he was also a "theory king" who didn't know how to weave cloth.
So he changed the subject.
"Can weaving really be that fast?"
He had watched tutorials on traditional weaving online, all of which took months to make a single outfit.
"That's what he said," NeverShowOff replied, recalling his conversation with GaLord420.
"He said spider silk is extrely durable and has a decent diater, so we just need to build a spinning wheel and use a 'net pattern' weaving thod to finish quickly."
ProGar_Daddy raised his hand to add:
"Two days ago, we found a stone spinning wheel in town that could be repaired and used!"
Modern textile machines and spinning wheels shared similarities.
With so modifications, he could make a simple but functional weaving machine in two days!
Then...
Garble returned with water, seamlessly continuing ProGar_Daddy's sentence.
"Then I'll use wind magic to help with weaving—it'll boost efficiency by 20%."
Hedgehog clapped her hands. "I'll handle the initial cleaning of the spider silk and cheer you all on as the hype squad!"
Viktor looked at them affectionately. "Great."
Indeed, the player plan could not be abandoned!
Look at these four lovely players. In just one evening, they had devised a clear, highly feasible division of labor!
Just as his dampened morale was reignited, Viktor's peculiar behavior still puzzled the players.
ProGar_Daddy quietly whispered to Hedgehog, "What's up with him today? He doesn't look like he's just wandering around."
Hedgehog nodded vigorously, sharing the sa feeling.
"This is the first ti I've seen an NPC checking in on players."
In most gas, wasn't it usually players checking on NPCs to trigger dialogue?
As the two whispered their guesses about Viktor's intentions, Garble ca straight out and asked, "Leader, are you dealing with so kind of trouble?"
Viktor was silent for a mont. Then, he pulled a lounge chair from his storage space and sat down next to the four players.
"It's not trouble exactly. I just wanted to know your thoughts about the future."
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