Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Today is the day Scheming Frog is to be awarded the title of Earl, and also the day he officially becomes the Lord of Most City. The King of Winter arrived at Most City at the crack of dawn.
He was accompanied by members of the Maid Corps and Connie, the former equipment enhancer who was clinging to him.
Connie had become much more well-behaved since that day. Xi Wei no longer punished her in that way, as the feeling of rain indoors was rather strange.
“Your Majesty, to welcome your arrival, after the conferral ceremony, we have prepared a program for you. We humbly request your presence.”
“A program? Then I shall observe it with great interest.”
Xi Wei smiled slightly, feigning ignorance. In reality, Clemon had promptly reported Scheming Frog’s idea to him in a letter.
Truthfully, Xi Wei was astounded when he first heard the idea.
Perhaps it was due to living in Cain for too long, but he had grown accustomed to Cain’s forms of entertainment, which mostly consisted of making babies with the little maid every night. This had led him to completely overlook the possibility of subtly influencing the thoughts of his townsfolk through entertainment.
He had to admit, players were indeed more creative.
Although he didn’t know the specifics, he was still filled with anticipation for Scheming Frog’s unconventional actions.
“System, it should be time now. Can you bring Scheming Frog and Gou Fugui over to your side?”
[Giao! Yes, please pay ten thousand Villain Points.]
Ten thousand Villain Points was nothing.
Xi Wei glanced at his six-figure Villain Points and felt it was a trivial matter. He paid immediately.
After the deduction of ten thousand Villain Points, two faint lights, visible only to Xi Wei, enveloped Scheming Frog and Gou Fugui. These lights were extremely mysterious, and just looking at them created a peculiar distortion in their surroundings.
At this moment, Scheming Frog and Gou Fugui also received a system notification.
[Your efforts and sacrifices have been recognized by the King of Winter. You have now entered the Winter Kingdom’s forces and become Foreign Warriors under the King of Winter.]
The dark red system panel, which originally represented the Abyss, had now turned translucent and pale gold. All Abyss-related friend lists, party systems, and mission systems had been replaced.
Scheming Frog and Gou Fugui breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, they couldn’t help but feel happy.
Becoming a player within the Winter Kingdom’s forces was an even greater cause for joy than becoming the Lord of Most City, as it meant they wouldn’t have to leave this game.
The game’s elite policy in the Abyss was like a Damocles sword hanging over their heads.
Although their levels were always among the top, they had not completed any Abyss missions, so their contribution scores were likely not high.
By the end of the month, it was highly probable that they would have their game qualifications revoked by the game developers. After all, as part of the Abyss faction, their continuous non-participation in the Abyss could be considered passive gameplay.
Now that they had joined the Winter Kingdom, all their problems were perfectly resolved. Scheming Frog and Gou Fugui couldn’t help but wear genuine smiles of delight.
As for Corrupted Players, while powerful and ferocious, they weren’t their cup of tea. They still preferred to be elegant and composed mages.
***
At nine in the morning, the morning bells chimed nine times. All the townsfolk gathered in the outer city plaza. Today was the day the King of Winter would award the Lord his title, and they had all come to witness the ceremony.
They were not only there to recognize Most City’s new ruler but also because they had heard of a play performance, and that there would be prizes distributed afterward.
No matter the world, joining in the excitement and gossip was always the common people’s favorite pastime.
Therefore, before nine o’clock.
The plaza of Most City, even larger than Winter City’s plaza, was already crowded with people, showcasing the townsfolk’s enthusiasm for gossip.
On a simply erected platform, Scheming Frog stood below the ceremony stage, clad in a plain white mage robe.
The King of Winter, in full knight’s armor and wearing a crown, stood on the ceremony stage, his expression dignified and solemn.
Neither of them wore ornate noble attire, yet the scene was nonetheless solemn.
Numerous dragons circled the sky; these were players from Winter City who had come to join the festivities.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is the live stream from Gou Fugui the Slacker. As you can see, the sky is blue, the sun is round, and the dragon beneath my feet is as handsome as ever… [Ten thousand words omitted here]”
After chattering for four to five minutes, praising himself and the Taishang Buyi he was riding, Gou Fugui the Slacker finally got to the point:
“Alright, without further ado, we will now turn the camera to the conferral stage.”
“As you can see, Scheming Frog is the first player to be awarded by our popular NPC, the King of Winter. This holds epoch-making significance for us players…”
Gou Fugui the Slacker truly talked too much.
Many players who couldn’t make it from Winter City turned down the stream volume, focusing intently on the live footage, witnessing this historic moment.
Of course, they also made sure to have some Winter City specialty nuts within reach.
The plaza gradually fell silent.
The solemn atmosphere silenced the people, who held their breath.
Slowly ascending the conferral stage, Scheming Frog’s expression was calm.
He took out his staff, planted it on the ground with one hand, and placed the other on his chest, kneeling on one knee.
“Scheming Frog, I, as the King of Winter, now bestow upon you the power of the Lord of Most Territory and the title of Earl.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Repeat after me.”
Xi Wei nodded slightly and said aloud:
“I shall forever be loyal to this great kingdom.”
“I shall govern my words and actions with the strictest creed.”
“I shall protect my territory with my life.”
“I shall defend the sanctity of the law with iron and blood.”
Scheming Frog’s expression was solemn as he repeated the four vows after the King of Winter.
Their voices, one louder than the other, were clearly heard by everyone in the plaza.
Xi Wei turned, took the ceremonial longsword from the little maid behind him, and touched Scheming Frog’s shoulders with the sword.
“Rise in the name of the Lord.”
Scheming Frog stood up as instructed. Xi Wei took out the medal he had prepared and personally pinned it onto Scheming Frog’s mage robe over his chest.
From this moment on, Scheming Frog was the Lord of Most City, a true noble with the status of an Earl. The area of his territory was even slightly larger than that of Eagle Territory.
“Do not disappoint my expectations. I hope you can build Most Territory into a different kind of territory.”
Xi Wei’s words held a deeper meaning, but Scheming Frog did not grasp the hidden implication. He took it as the King of Winter’s encouragement and expectation.
“Your Majesty, I will dedicate my entire life to the development of Most Territory.”
Under the influence of the Psyche Seed, Scheming Frog couldn’t suppress the excitement in his heart and expressed himself with adolescent enthusiasm.
“And now, please enjoy the program we have prepared for you, and for the townsfolk of Most City.”
“The play: ‘Beauty and the Bloodhoof Warrior’.”
***
P.S.: Please support me with your votes. I am writing a new side story.
Recommending a friend’s book on Tomato, titled “The Healer Hero, My Maid is Both Talented and Beautiful.” A new book, Western Fantasy genre, and spicy.
Due to popular demand from readers, the VIP member ad-free feature is now available.
Click to view.
