Chapter 543 - 509: Arriving at New Oriental Ahead of Schedule
Amidst the victorious cheers of the dwarves, Da Fei returned to the Forest Demon Forest with a convoy full of water and provisions. Now the dwarves finally had plenty of food, and they could go all out on a big meal at last.
The Forest Demons started busily carrying buckets full of leaves filled with Forest Spring water out from the Otherworld space in the forest, piling them up into small hills. It must be said, without the Forest Demons personally transporting the goods, players could dig three feet into the ground and still wouldn’t dream of finding their inventory.
Now that everything was ready, they just needed to wait for everyone’s injuries and stamina to recover before loading up the vehicles and hitting the road. And hitting the road meant that the convoy would have to pass through the territory of the scene BOSS. If Da Fei was new here, this issue would have really given him a headache. But the situation was now completely different, with the tank having 10,000 health, extremely high defense and self-healing Earth Element, and the firepower from Elena dealing thousands of damage with a single shot, not to mention the additional numbers in troops. Da Fei had full confidence in passing through.
So you see, although brother doesn’t have those awesome and obscure Skyshattering Thunder operations, brother has high-tech might to crush all the way—why the heck do I need fancy maneuvers!
However, crushing the way still causes anxiety and stress. It’s better to avoid unnecessary battles as much as possible, so let’s try to pass through the boundary between two scene transitions where encountering the BOSS is least likely.
Now, the forest scene is far from the island’s exit scene, and the scene has been refreshed for such a long time. To avoid any awkward incident of the convoy being ambushed by a freshly spawned scene halfway, better wait for the next system refresh.
Now that there was some downtime, Da Fei decided to have a talk with the Prison Guard locked in the cage.
Da Fei and Hangeval came to the front of the prison cart. Hangeval chuckled, "Vali, our friend here wants to have a word with you."
Vali glanced up and immediately understood, saying, "Being a human, yet being able to infiltrate the Dwarf Prison and break prisoners out successfully, your background isn’t simple."
Da Fei chuckled, "Now that your mission to capture us has failed too, I’m afraid the Prince won’t give you any more chances, right?"
Hangeval laughed heartily, "So, since you’ve surrendered already and have no way out, why not just surrender completely and start working with us first?"
Vali’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, "If I’m not mistaken, you were sent by the Second Prince, right? Can the Second Prince guarantee our lives?"
Hangeval roared with laughter, "Once he becomes the King, everything will be just a word away, won’t it?"
Hey hey hey! Brother just came to rescue the Dark Elf and replenish the Divine Artifact. Don’t just talk about fighting for the throne at every turn; if you trigger an Epic Quest, it’s going to be so troublesome for me!
Da Fei motioned with his hand, "Let’s not talk about royal affairs for now. It’s more important to save our skins. Mister Vali, we don’t have time to flee with a prison cart, are you willing to join us? Just say the word, according to the dwarves’ rules!"
Vali immediately nodded, "No problem. I hope to perform well enough to impress the Second Prince."
Hangeval laughed heartily, "Actually, I’m not close with the Second Prince either. Not just not close, but I used to make trouble for him on the Prince’s orders all the time. Anyway, let’s perform and improve together!"
Vali nodded excitedly, "Great! Please let me out, I want to start anew as a warrior!"
Da Fei grinned, "Well, we were all prisoners or guards, but now we’re brothers working together. Let’s have a drink to celebrate, shall we?"
Both men were delighted, "Good! A drink together, and we become brothers!"
And so, the cage was opened wide, Hangeval distributed the small amount of beer they had, and then they began a simple yet grand celebration with singing and dancing.
All in all, the team had gained another 300 people. Da Fei felt extremely gratified. Alright, brother’s business is growing bigger and bigger. But why does everyone think brother is sent by the Second Prince? Although it’s true, it’s currently nothing to do with fighting for the throne, is it? Why are you all so eager to join in? Alright, do whatever you want, just don’t pop up any tasks.
...
Meanwhile, in the Moradin Prison in the Dwarf Royal City.
Skyshattering Thunder sat wooden-faced in the interrogation room, being questioned by the Deputy Officer sent by the Prince. At this point, Skyshattering Thunder’s splendid equipment had been returned, his level reduced back down, having experienced the feeling of going from nothing to everything, then back to nothing—it felt like life was a dream.
The Deputy Officer, with a sullen face, flipped through the Sealing Order returned by Skyshattering Thunder, "Is this the result of your mission? Is this what the Prince supported you with so many resources and troops for? Not a single escapee caught, the whereabouts of the more than three hundred Prison Guards that followed you are unknown, even the precious Hero Power Crystal has been taken—"
At this, the Deputy Officer slammed the Sealing Order down in anger, "Even the most dimwitted drunkard could do better than you! You have failed, and you have caused irreparable and vast damages to the Kingdom’s troops and reputation—all your responsibility! The only thing you can do is compensate for the Kingdom’s loss. You must pay back a whopping sum of one hundred million Gold Coins to the Prince within a year, or else, the Prince has the right to confiscate your assets for the grievous loss of personnel!"
At that, Skyshattering Thunder’s screen exploded with red light!
— System Prompt: Warning! Please respond positively to the Prince’s trial immediately, or you will face an unbearable massive penalty!
Confiscate assets? Skyshattering Thunder leaped up in shock, "My lord! It’s not that I have gained nothing. I’ve pacified 6 areas in the World Window for His Highness, areas that form a vast territory when connected. Whether for resource development or fortress construction, there’s great potential! I have made significant contributions!"
The Deputy Officer’s eyes flashed with a glint, "You claim to have pacified 6 areas?"
Skyshattering Thunder immediately presented the map, "Yes, my lord. This is my achievement. After I pacified them, no more monsters appeared in these places!"
The Deputy Officer scoffed coldly, "Fool! You think you pacified them? It seems your failure is inevitable!"
Skyshattering Thunder was taken aback—what did that mean? In an instant, he recalled the suspicions after killing the Unicorn, thought about the sudden surge of the Water Element, could it be that all of this was Da Fei’s scheming? That he had been played like a fiddle?
The Deputy Officer shook his head gravely, "Actually, even the modest achievements you have obtained were anticipated by His Highness. No, to be precise, they are a bit better than he expected. Connected territories are much more valuable than scattered ones. As long as we can successfully establish a fortress and secure our footing there, we can gradually spread to surrounding areas and achieve full regional conquest. It seems like you’re beginning to understand His Highness’s intentions after all. You’re not hopelessly stupid."
Skyshattering Thunder immediately said, "My lord, please give me another chance to make up for my mistakes!"
The Deputy Officer nodded and took out a sparkling document, "Very well, I’ll give you one more chance!"
At that instant, Skyshattering Thunder’s breath was seized! The legendary Sealing Order! Usually, only players at level 50 could receive one when they venture into the New World! As expected, the Prince plans to build a city here! And I am the undisputed City Lord! Skyshattering Thunder was instantly thrilled!
The Deputy Officer, with a shaky Japanese notebook in hand, spoke gravely, "This is the Prince’s own Sealing Order. With this order, you can construct and develop territories in the World Window. Naturally, the territories belong to the Prince, but the Prince is willing to transfer 49% of the shares to find someone to co-finance the city building. You are that 49%! Do you understand?"
I’m going to be a City Lord! Skyshattering Thunder was so excited he was beside himself, "Understood, I will definitely build a grand city for His Highness the Prince!"
The Deputy Officer nodded soberly, "Listen carefully, the only convenience the Prince has granted you is the right to freely access the 5th floor of the prison. All materials and manpower required for city construction must be borne by you personally!"
Skyshattering Thunder, thrilled, nodded vigorously, "Understood! Understood!"
The Deputy Officer said sternly, "However, the Prince is clear with rewards and punishments. Rewarding you with city-building is one thing, but the punishment for failing the pursuit is another. You cannot escape the punishment. Therefore, your penalty will be a 10% cut from your blacksmith shop’s profits every month until the city is built!"
Damn! Skyshattering Thunder cursed this NPC in his heart countless times, but now he could do nothing but bow his head and smile obsequiously, "Yes, I will compensate for this by working to atone for my errors, and am willing to accept the punishment!"
——System Prompt: You have obtained the Epic Quest [Building the World Window Fortress], and have been appointed as the City Lord of World Window City.
——Task Hint: Prince Talberon, brimming with ambition, wishes to build a fortress in the World Window space that can reach any corner of the world. However, the mighty and divine immortal creatures within the World Window space are the greatest obstacle to the mission.
Immortal creatures? Skyshattering Thunder finally had a vague understanding.
The Deputy Officer waved a hand, "Very good, get to work quickly."
Skyshattering Thunder, surprised, asked, "Sir, why don’t you give me the Sealing Order?"
The Deputy Officer replied irritably, "How can the Prince’s belongings be given to you? You are merely a steward appointed by the Prince. If you don’t do your job well, the Prince can remove you and appoint a new City Lord!"
Skyshattering Thunder jerked his eyebrows in shock and nodded obediently, "Understood."
Skyshattering Thunder let out a long sigh of relief. Despite the heavy price for failing the pursuit, he had still successfully become a City Lord. I may not be great at fighting, but when it comes to business and construction, I won’t lose to anyone. This time, come what may, I have to do it right.
But just relying on my own blacksmith shop and the large fleet that trades commercially, there’s no way to build a city. I need to do as I discussed with Star earlier and look for them to co-invest!
....
At 5:30 in the afternoon, waiting for the scene to refresh, Da Fei, who had eaten his takeout dinner early out of sheer boredom, gave Little Li a call saying he had to work a "night shift" that evening, and then logged back into the game.
The scene refreshed once more. This time, fortune was once again on Da Fei’s side; the Forest Demon’s forest scene refreshed on the edge of the map, which was also conveniently close to the exit of the island scene—only three scenes away.
Hahaha, when luck is on your side, everything goes smoothly! Let’s get moving! Da Fei gestured grandly, "Brothers, let’s set off!"
The dwarves, already geared up and ready, cheered, "Here we go!"
Now, the overloaded caravan moved slowly along the edge of the scene under the tight protection of the dwarves. Earth Element opened the way at the front, while Flying Eagle circled above in the sky.
Getting closer, the journey was peaceful and without incident. Seeing the mirror-like, picturesque island scene on the edge of the map, a huge, pulsating Space Gate opened up for Da Fei!
Finally, finally, it was time to leave! Da Fei felt a deep sense of sentimentality. The only regret here was that the Magma Dragon had still not been dealt with. Well, let it be.
Entering the Space Gate, everything turned dark!
——System Prompt: Loading scene, please wait for the players...
After a brief wait, familiar sounds of waves reached his ears, and then the view in front of him suddenly cleared. We’ve arrived!
An island lush with trees, green grass like a carpet, mist-laden sunlight, and a haze enshrouded the island. All the people and the caravan appeared on the beach grassland of the island.
No one cheered; everyone looked around and whispered to each other, "Where is this?"
Indeed, the key is to know where this is. Otherwise, how will I sail here to pick them up in the future?
Da Fei looked around. The mist veiled the sea, and even with his Demon’s Eye reducing the impact of the mist, he couldn’t see the specific scenery on the distant sea, only faintly making out what seemed to be another island across the sea. Was this an archipelago?
It was then that the dwarves at the front of the procession seemed to discover something on the beach: "Hey! Look, what is this creature’s skeleton?"
Da Fei, Hangeval, and Vali went forward to take a look, and indeed saw the remains of a creature with a dragon’s head, a snake’s tail, and human arms left on the beach!
"It’s a Naga!!!" The three of them exclaimed in unison!
Vali immediately pulled out something resembling a pocket watch from his person, held it up to the cloud-shrouded, obscure sun in the sky, and was instantly shocked on the spot, "The longitude here is from the Eastern World! We’re in the Eastern World!"
Da Fei’s jaw dropped. Holy moly! Arriving early at New Oriental!
(Requesting monthly tickets, recommendation tickets) (To be continued. If you like this book, feel free to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)