Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
“Miss Saintess, I want to do a quest, how can I level up faster?”
“Miss Saintess, can you give me an autograph?”
“This tail looks so tempting to touch…”
“Do you still accept followers?”
“Wow, the expressions are so vivid, you can’t tell they’re NPCs at all!”
“Sister Saintess, I xxxx, xx? Holy crap, why is what I said being censored?”
“Hey, you guys should restrain yourselves a bit. Even though they’re NPCs, they’re very intelligent, almost like real people.”
“Yeah, yeah, Sister Saintess’s face is turning red, she looks so flustered, so cute and want to…”
…
Ruo Yi was surrounded by a group of players, her expression a mix of confusion and helplessness. She had originally expected the summoned Heroic Spirits to be valiant, solemn, and disciplined warriors.
However, the reality was that the plaza outside Dawn Town, which had been specially cleared to welcome the Heroic Spirits, had turned into a noisy marketplace.
Ruo Yi cast a pleading glance towards Ye Hao, only to find him in an even worse state, almost submerged by layers of Heroic Spirits… all of them questioning Ye Hao about professions.
These Heroic Spirits were frivolous in their behavior, coarse in their language, and some even tried to lay hands on her, though they seemed to have been electrocuted into charcoal by some mysterious power…
In the distance, a Heroic Spirit climbed onto a high rooftop and then “roared” as it jumped down, with a crowd of Heroic Spirits cheering around.
Indeed, Ruo Yi thought they might have some issues with their minds.
Even though she knew these Heroic Spirits could be resurrected infinitely at some cost, Ruo Yi still couldn’t accept such bizarre behavior of treating suicide as a game.
Their personalities weren’t like Heroic Spirits; they were more like a low-level creature on Cain Continent—Goblins.
Equally chaotic, equally noisy, equally incomprehensible.
“Goddess above, can these people truly lead us to the glory of the Demi-humans?”
Ruo Yi couldn’t help but worry in her heart.
But the Goddess had instructed her like this and given her something called an NPC panel, through which she could issue quests to all Heroic Spirits.
Every moment these Heroic Spirits spent on Cain Continent, especially killing enemies and handing over resources found on Cain Continent, would replenish the Goddess’s Godhead with energy. Once these Heroic Spirits completed their so-called quests, the Godhead would then replenish some energy back to these Heroic Spirits, enhancing their strength and thus creating a positive cycle.
In the mouths of these Heroic Spirits, this was called leveling up.
They seemed particularly enthusiastic about leveling up, and among the vast crowd, the majority were Heroic Spirits asking her how to level up.
Ruo Yi forcefully suppressed her unease and panic, offering a friendly and gentle smile to the dense crowd of players.
“The Demi-human race is in its nascent stage, and we need to rebuild our homeland in a hidden and safe place. Many of our kin are still wandering outside the borders or are enslaved. I hope all Heroic Spirits can assist me in finding our scattered kin and rescuing the Demi-humans living in hardship.”
Will this suffice? Will they listen to me? Ruo Yi anxiously looked at the Heroic Spirits before her.
As soon as she finished speaking, the players erupted in further commotion.
“We have a quest! We have a quest!”
“Hmm, collect lumber in the jungle near Dawn Town, capture wild game, and gather giant stones to prepare for the construction of a temporary Demi-human settlement?”
“Be wary of Dawn Town’s militia guards and gather intelligence on Dawn Town for the Saintess.”
“Head to the border to search for wandering Demi-humans.”
“Rescue distressed and enslaved Demi-humans.”
“Except for the first one, the rest are team quests!”
“Does gathering intelligence count as a team quest? Is the point of a group going together to make it so the guards can’t miss them?”
“As long as we take down all the guards, we can still get the information!”
…
At this moment, Ye Hao, who had been silent for a while, walked over. He knelt on one knee, looked up with his star-like eyes at the Saintess, and said gently.
“Miss Ruo Yi, I will lead some Heroic Spirits to Dawn Town to search for and rescue the enslaved Demi-humans.”
The players were surprised to find their attention involuntarily drawn to Ye Hao and Ruo Yi. Despite the distance, they could still clearly hear their conversation and see their expressions and actions.
They guessed this must be a main story cutscene, as a red, pinned quest had appeared in their task logs, marking it as a main quest.
[Please follow Ye Hao, the Son of Destiny, to search for and rescue the enslaved Demi-humans in Dawn Town. Note: Please try not to alert Dawn Town’s guards, as it may bring trouble to your actions.]
……
“So, this shabby place is Dawn Town?”
Xi Wei frowned, disdainfully wiping the dirt from the sole of his shoe on a step.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Xi Wei would never have believed that such a dirty, chaotic, and dilapidated town existed within his territory.
Dusty yellow earth scattered everywhere, with visible animal and human feces; mottled, dilapidated city walls in disrepair; outdated, rickety buildings…
The greenery, however, was well done. Xi Wei noticed that half a tree crown had sprouted from the roof of a townsfolk’s house.
“What was the former lord thinking? Even if the territory’s resources were scarce and it was far from the Royal Capital, he shouldn’t have governed the territory so poorly!”
“Young Master Xi Wei.”
Kremond, seeing Xi Wei’s displeasure, explained to him.
“The former lord was Count Karallant of the Iron Wall family. He was a complete warmonger and a fervent believer of Balda the Flame Dragon. During his tenure, Lord Karallant was constantly at war and neglected the management of his territory. In fact, the Eagle Territory used to not be large enough to require griffins for travel. All of the land it has today was conquered from the Beastmen by that Sir Karallant.”
“Karallant?”
Xi Wei’s mind conjured an image of a greasy, middle-aged man with a large belly and a full beard. The man always smiled amiably, but unexpectedly, he was a warmonger at heart.
“So, I should thank him for leaving me a magnified Eagle Territory?”
Xi Wei felt extremely speechless looking at Dawn Town, which was infinitely close to nature. A larger territory wasn’t necessarily better; the larger the territory, the harder it was to manage, especially a borderland like the Eagle Territory with its mixed population.
Xi Wei decided to start his territory development plan as soon as he got back.
Even Demon Lords had magnificent Demon Lord Castles. He, Xi Wei, the Earl of Eagle Territory, the future most powerful BOSS of evil, the nightmare and nemesis of the Fourth Calamity, had his territory built like a peri-urban area. If outsiders saw this, wouldn’t they laugh their heads off?
On the crooked city walls of the small town, a few militia guards had spotted Xi Wei and Kremond. Although they didn’t know Xi Wei’s specific identity, they recognized the Gold Lion Clan Crest on his armor.
One guard immediately jogged down the city wall and approached Xi Wei and Kremond, bowing respectfully.
“Esteemed Lord, I am Gudbad, Captain of the Dawn Town Guard. May I ask what your orders are?”
Xi Wei looked closely and then grinned. Well, well, an old acquaintance.
On game forums in his previous life, some players had created beta test videos, one of which included the process of rescuing Demi-human slaves in Dawn Town.
Gudbad was an elite-level warrior encountered by players in that mission. This guard captain, skilled in sweeping attacks followed by charges and more sweeping attacks, had caused considerable trouble for the players at the time.
Xi Wei couldn’t help but glance at Gudbad’s information with curiosity:
[Name: Gudbad]
[Identity: Captain of the Dawn Town Guard]
[Strength: Intermediate Swordsman Level 13 (11-20)]
[Skills: Cyclone Sweep, Valiant Charge]
[Equipment: Guard Plate Armor (Normal), Guard Longsword (Normal)]
[Kolon Empire Reputation: 31 (In Dawn Town, he is a capable individual, respected by others)]
[Demi-human Faction Reputation: 6 (Little known)]
“Not bad, that’s the spirit. The man who does sweep followed by charge followed by sweep.”
Xi Wei nodded secretly. This was a talent. With just two skills, he managed to turn them into combo moves, and they were incredibly annoying ones.
However, according to the plot from his previous life, this guard captain would eventually die at the hands of the players, thus introducing the small BOSS of Dawn Town, Mayor Megil.
The positions of mayors in the Earl’s various towns were not just for anyone. They were usually minor nobles under the Earl or their stewards.
So, Megil was considered his retainer, assigned by the family to help him manage the territory. Unfortunately, this person was a complete waste.
Based on the information Xi Wei had learned from forums in his previous life, the mayor of Dawn Town was infamous for his evil deeds during his tenure, and his strength was poor. Calling him a small BOSS was flattering him; he was only slightly stronger than ordinary guards.
“Call your mayor, Megil, out here!”
Thinking of the evil deeds Megil had committed, Xi Wei’s expression turned stern.
He did indeed feel a sense of admiration for Gudbad and wanted to bring him back to Winter Fort for training. As for the rest of these useless individuals, to follow the plot, if they died, they died. If they didn’t die, the protagonist group couldn’t occupy Dawn Town, and the Novice Village couldn’t be established.
…
Megil was found at home by the guards while he was sleeping soundly with two maids. Annoyed at being disturbed from his sweet dream, he immediately reached for the whip on the wall to punish the lowly guard.
But when Megil heard that the person looking for him was a young man with the Gold Lion Clan Crest on his chest, he immediately deflated like a leaky balloon.
A young man with the Gold Lion Clan Crest? In the Eagle Territory, who else could it be but Earl Xiwei Jinshi himself?
Although Megil didn’t know why Xi Wei had traveled so far to Dawn Town, which was closest to the border, he still forced his weak legs to move. Without even properly fastening his clothes, he scrambled his way to Xi Wei.
Megil put on a fawning smile and bowed deeply, his head almost touching his knees, just short of kneeling on the ground to lick Xi Wei’s shoes.
“Esteemed Young Master Xi Wei, this old servant has prayed to the God of Fortune day and night, and finally, you have arrived! You have no idea how much this old servant has missed you during the days I couldn’t see you, this old servant…”
Xi Wei sneered as he looked at the plump, middle-aged man bowing and scraping. He glanced at his information:
[Name: Megil]
[Identity: Dawn Town Mayor]
[Strength: Knight Level 11 (11-20)]
[Skills: Mounted Charge (Requires a horse), Lance Thrust (Requires a horse)]
[Equipment: Exquisite Artisan Armor (Fine), Ancestral Longsword (Fine)]
[Kolon Empire Reputation: 352 (He is notorious in Dawn Town)]
[Demi-human Faction Reputation: 37 (Demi-humans despise him)]
Two ordinary Knight skills that could be learned for free by attending the Knight Academy. He needed a horse; without a horse, he was a useless Knight with only Qi but no skills.
Xi Wei shook his head, thinking this guy was rotten to the core.
“Megil, I ask you, have there been any unusual disturbances in Dawn Town recently?”
Megil’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
*Could it be that Count knows about all the messes I’ve made? That shouldn’t be possible, so far away…*
Megil’s mind raced, but he couldn’t grasp what was going on. He could only force a smile and say:
“Young Master Xi Wei, please rest assured, what could possibly happen in Dawn Town? Everything is normal, the townsfolk live in peace and contentment, and they often feel grateful for your selflessness and greatness…”
“Nonsense!”
Xi Wei sneered and interrupted Megil’s flattery with a roar, causing Megil’s face to turn as pale as a sheet.
“The Demi-humans have already infiltrated your house, and you still don’t know anything? In that case, you’re temporarily dismissed as mayor. I’ll be the mayor, and you’ll be the guard captain here. When you figure things out, you can come back to me for reinstatement!”
Gudbad stood dumbfounded to the side, growing somewhat anxious.
*How did my guard captain position get removed just like that? Unforeseen disaster! My whole family relies on my meager allowance for food.*
“Um, esteemed Count…”
“You will be my personal guard! Your allowance will be doubled.”
“Yes!”
Gudbad was no longer anxious. He nimbly stood behind Xi Wei, his heart unmoved, even feeling a slight urge to laugh.
“Young Master Xi Wei, I…”
“What ‘I’? You stay here and guard. Do whatever a guard captain should do when something happens in the city. Oh, and don’t ride your horse anymore; give it to me.”
After speaking, Xi Wei, along with Kremond and Gudbad, headed towards the Town Mayor’s Residence, not even bothering to look at Megil, who remained frozen in place with a ashen face.
……
A great drama was about to unfold in Dawn Town. Xi Wei stood eagerly on the highest point of the Town Mayor’s Residence, having found the best viewing spot.
