Chapter 82.2: Forcing Plotlines on NPCs

Chapter 82.2: Forcing Plotlines on NPCs

Regardless of whether Hal was venting his anger or reflecting on his past, his sudden outburst aligned perfectly with the players' expectations of "NPC storyline progression." Blossoming Strokes, who was rather proactive, didn't hesitate to seize the opportunity and asked in earnest, "This Weisshem is a truly wicked place. What do you think, Hal?"

Hal instinctively wanted to reply with "It's none of my business," but he remembered how the undead had threatened him the previous time he had said that. So, he gritted his teeth and grunted, "Yes, yes, so what?"

The four players simply had no idea that Hal was reluctantly playing along because he was afraid of their threats. Believing this was the "storyline being progressed" energized them, and they watched Hal eagerly.

"Hal, I think we need to eliminate this den of evil and rescue the people there. What do you think?" Blossoming Strokes was so excited her breathing became heavy.

Hal impatiently muttered, "Of course." It was only after he replied did he come to realize what this undead was actually saying. In an instant, the look of annoyance on his face turned into pleasant surprise.

"Success!" Guileless Gale, Win By Grinding, and Unceasing Entropy were equally thrilled.

"Then let us go and attack Weisshem, Hal!" Blossoming Strokes said excitedly.

"Exactly! We should do just that. This is our purpose for heading out this far!" Hal decisively agreed.

Hal had been racking his brains on how to deceive the bunch of undead into wreaking havoc and causing massive trouble for Yang under Rex's watch. But now, these undead were actually volunteering for it!

Of course, just because he wanted to let the undead go and stir up trouble didn't mean he was willing to risk his own life. Thus, Hal immediately put on his "NPC" demeanor and shamelessly said to the four players, "My undead friends, if you wish to save the people in Weisshem, there are two things you need to do."

"Say it and we'll do it!" the four players declared confidently.

Hal put up two fingers. "First, you guys have to convince Rex. If Rex disagrees, he has the authority to cancel a quest issued by me. Second, you must complete this mission on your own. We have a past with the Rhine Kingdom and will attract powerful enemies if we enter town openly, which won't be conducive toward saving the unfortunate people of Weisshem."

"No problem!" The four players thumped their chests in glee.

By "activating" Hal's interactive storyline, the four players believed that they had nearly secured the quest, and convincing Rex was the final step.

Hal's request for non-participation by instructor NPCs didn't seem like a big issue to them. In most games, NPCs simply talked, while players did all the legwork.

With a consensus reached, Hal and the four players were all pleased, and a harmonious atmosphere prevailed among them.

When Yang Qiu came "online," these eager players had already formed their raid group and teams and were surrounding Rex, requesting the quest.

As Yang Qiu "listened in" on the players trying to convince Rex for a bit and came to understand what had happened during the 16-hour absence when he was "offline," a peculiar expression came over his face.

"...Yang?"

Inspector Lowell, who was seated opposite Yang Qiu, partaking in afternoon tea, sat a little straighter in his seat upon noticing Yang Qiu's strange expression.

Yang Qiu collected himself and gave a slight smile. "Inspector Lowell, could you please look after the place temporarily?"

Lowell: "??"NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

Once Rex had been convinced by the players, Hal led his fellow brothers to take the stage. Under Rex's intense gaze, Hal shamelessly approached him, feigning concern for the undead operation and discussing how to issue quests that would make it easier for them.

With the experience of being "quest-issuers" for nearly two months, these "advanced NPCs" were familiar with the routines and formats for assigning tasks to the undead, whether they liked it or not.

Once Rex's apprehensions were cleared, this bunch soon issued well-structured quests:

- [Save Weisshem]

- [Rescue Captured Civilians]

- [Eliminate Enemies]

At Rex's strong insistence, the [Eliminate Enemies] quest was changed to [Capture Enemies]. It wasn't that Rex was afraid of his undead compatriots inadvertently shedding blood; he was more concerned that the undead might get carried away and harm civilians.

The players didn't care whether it was "eliminate" or "capture." They gladly accepted the quests and set off for Weisshem gleefully.

After watching the undead depart jubilantly, Rex turned his head and glared icily at Hal.

Hal, not one to back down, returned with an unfriendly gaze.

"...Sometimes, I really don't understand how someone as short-sighted as you managed to rise so high." Rex's suppressed anger was evident in his voice, unspoken but palpable. "Did you think that you can act without consequences after leaving Taranthan? Don't be naive, my friend. Yang sees all you guys do."

There was a subtle shift in Hal's expression, but he didn't show any signs of fear. Instead, he let out a mocking chuckle and said, "Stop lecturing others here. Who do you think you are, Little Charlie? Don't forget that this plan was the undead's idea in the first place. So what if I incited it? If Yang doesn't object, it means he approves of it. What right do you have to be spouting crap out of your butt?"

Rex couldn't refute what Hal said at all. His lips quivered for a moment before he could only hiss, "I hope you have the confidence you speak of."

As Hal and his gang watched Rex leave in a huff, Knight Instructor Jerome couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "This fellow is really arrogant."

Tuttle muttered with a deadpan expression, "He's already a weapons master at such an age. He naturally has that right."

This former Sacred Crows' strategist clearly wasn't in the right state of mind after the morning's setback. His comment struck Hal, Finley, and Jerome pretty hard.

Hal had barely made it as an assassin after the age of thirty. Finley, in actuality, hadn't managed to advance to master treasure expert, and Jerome, who was the same age as Rex, hadn't even obtained an official knight insignia—were it not for the fact that they weren't confident of taking down Rex even when combining forces, these bunch would have joined hands and eliminated this troublesome guy a long time ago.

Finley was about to make some small talk to break the awkward atmosphere when he suddenly paled.

"Finley?" Jerome, standing next to him, realized something wasn't quite right with his comrade's face.

Hal turned to look and got shocked as well. "Hey, buddy, what's wrong with you?"

"...Wait! We've overlooked something!" Finley exclaimed, sweating buckets. "Those undead have gone to attack Weisshem on their own... But they can't communicate with the locals! And they disappear if killed... How are we going to make the people of Weisshem know that they are from Taranthan?!"

Hal was dumbfounded for a moment, then suddenly pinched his thigh hard and unleashed a phrase he had learned from the players.

"The f*ck!"