Chapter 93.1: Self Issuing New Quests

Chapter 93.1: Self Issuing New Quests

On Earth, thick blackout curtain fabric started at six yuan per meter on Taobao and five yuan on Pinshaoshao.

Yang Qiu couldn't afford these relatively expensive newer ones. After comparing prices and haggling, he managed to purchase this batch of stock originally intended for rural markets from a textile factory on the brink of closure at the price of 2.4 yuan per meter.

The rise of platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo dealt a significant blow to physical stores in cities, though many still managed to survive. On the contrary, those in the countryside suffered because even remote villages had access to roads and express delivery. As such, this batch of curtain fabric designed for the rural market was collecting dust in the warehouse.

Even considering re-purposing and processing them into clothing or bedsheets wasn't a feasible option. The colors were too bright, the prints too large and old-fashioned, and the material too thick. If these curtain fabrics were processed into clothing, there was no way they would sell, and it would mean incurring additional processing costs.

However, these flaws... were actually advantages in this other world.

Thicker fabric? It just so happened that everyone here toiled and struggled for their livelihood, and more durable materials were appreciated.

Bright colors and bold prints? Not at all! It was clear that the factory had put effort into dyeing and printing. Such beautiful fabrics would make for stylish clothing.

When Jerome repeated the new fabric's price three times, everyone within a 30-meter range of their stand went wild.

Vegetable sellers, buyers, and people minding their small stalls; as long as one had more than ten copper coins in hand, they would rush over in a crazed frenzy...

"Give me five meters! Any color is fine! Five meters!"NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

"Sir, can you cut me two meters? I want a thicker fabric!"

"Can I have one and a half meters? I only have 15 copper coins!"

Clang!

Hal drew his sword and roared at the people attempting to snatch the fabrics, "Line up! Do you all want to die?!"

The murderous aura of the former bandit gang leader... came in handy at a time like this. Everyone, whether they genuinely wanted to buy fabric or had intended to snatch some due to the overwhelming interest, all settled down. With some pushing and shoving, a snaking queue was formed.

Jerome wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up a measuring tape and scissors, and beckoned to the first lady in line. "Madam, which design are you interested in and how many meters would you like?"

The lady's eyes darted to the fearsome Hal standing behind Jerome, and she gulped. Her fancy for these beautiful fabrics temporarily overshadowed her fear. While taking all her money, she scrutinized the rolls of fabric carefully.

The lady had a discerning eye, and even if she dared not be too picky at the stand of this rough-looking man, she immediately chose a slightly thicker fabric with a pink base and a large red rose print on the side. Pointing to it, she said, "Please cut this one for me, I want four meters."

This curtain fabric was meant for a bedroom and excellent at blocking out light. Its thickness and quality were impressive.

Jerome had never been taught to sew, but he had learned basic sewing skills as a squire and had even altered his knight's old clothes to fit himself during his youth. Cutting fabric with a measuring tape posed no problem for him. He took the money and efficiently cut a four-meter length of fabric for the lady, then rolled it up and handed it over.

The lady felt the smooth fabric surface and the thickness of the material and was evidently pleased. She thanked Jerome profusely and forgot all about the vegetables she was supposed to buy and ran home, hugging the rolled-up fabric.

The second lady in line was also a housewife, and her eyes were just as sharp. She didn't want a thick single-sided print fabric; instead, she opted for a thinner but intricately designed double-sided print with a slightly 3D flower pattern.

And that was not mentioning towels. Many people only indulged in buying two new towels when they got married and refused to throw them away, even when those towels were riddled with holes.

The few townsfolk at the front of the queue hurriedly took home their newly acquired fabric rolls, then scoured their houses to gather all the available cash they could find before rushing back to the marketplace.

And while gathering more money, these people didn't forget to inform their relatives and friends. Thus, even more people were scouring every nook and cranny of their houses for money...

By three in the afternoon, half the town's population were aware that three gentlemen at the marketplace were selling fabric rolls, towels, and plastic bowls and cups provided by the new lord at astonishingly low prices.

Less than ten hours after Weisshem had been "conquered," the townsfolk were already cheerfully calling the new lord "Sir," even though they still hadn't figured out who this new lord was.

And this series of transformative changes to the town was simply part of a "new map storyline" to the players.

As soon as the respawn (teleportation/login) point at Weisshem Town Hall was completed, players without quests on hand eagerly activated it and returned to Exile Town.

There were two reasons for their haste. First, this siege quest had been exceedingly profitable, and all players who had participated earned a significant amount of in-game currency. Players were eager to head to the Undead Merchant Association to splurge on new gear.

Secondly, this expedition quest, which included a siege, had put considerable wear and tear on the players' clothing. Many players' outfits had seen better days and were in dire need of repair, so they needed to rush back to Exile Town and bribe the female NPC tailors with sugar cubes to mend their clothes.

Of course, it wasn't that all players were anxious to change their gear and repair their clothes. Some players weren't too keen on the 30-minute teleportation cooldown and continued to linger in Weisshem.

For instance, Qin Guan, who went about collecting video material. Besides covering the red light district extensively, he also browsed the residential areas in the northern and western parts of town, even taking some clips of the former militia headquarters and the captured NPC prisoners. He had plans to enter the resettlement camps and record the beautifully modeled NPCs but was stopped by Rex.

There was also the lifestyle class player, Liu Meng, who, after completing her quest in assisting Mia and Ben's procurement team, returned to Martin Street and curiously explored the small shops operated by NPCs.

Leather works, knife sharpeners, tailors, pawnshops, grocery stores—Liu Meng had seen them all. She, who had a knack for casually exploring the map during her gaming sessions, was ecstatic.

"This new map is incredible! The details are so spot on it's like strolling through a foreign town!

"A pity that there's a language barrier... Why doesn't this game have a universal language feature? It's so odd that even though we're in the same friendly faction, we can't interact with the NPCs properly!"

Oblivious that her lamentations on the inability to interact with NPCs had left a bunch of local business owners quaking in fear, Liu Meng still went about trying to interact with NPCs individually to see if they could trigger any more quests. As she passed through the middle section of Martin Street, she noticed a crowd gathering around the discount stalls.

And without a second thought, she squeezed her way over...

At this point, it wasn't just Jerome who was busy at the stall; Hal and Tuttle had their hands full as well. The former glared intensely at the townspeople comparing the thickness of plastic bowls, length of towels, and other aspects of the goods, while the latter squatted nearby collecting money with a wooden expression.

The townsfolk, in the midst of a shopping frenzy, couldn't care much about a single nearby undead player that had joined them. Those in the back urged those ahead to hurry, while those at the front either agonized over a lack of funds to buy everything they wanted or were irresistibly distracted by items they couldn't afford.

Liu Meng unceremoniously squeezed her way to the front, all while observing everything. She couldn't understand the language of civilian NPCs in this new map, but linguistic communication wasn't essential for a scene like this... Even if people didn't understand English, they could still make out all that was happening in Black Friday footage from across the Pacific.

After observing for a while and not seeing any fellow players in the crowd, Liu Meng couldn't help but exclaim, "NPCs advance the storyline on their own when players aren't doing quests? This AI is way too advanced!"

With this brief reflection, Liu Meng stepped out of the crowd and continued exploring the map. Players who were eager to explore new maps like Liu Meng were relatively few, but they weren't scarce.