Chapter 130: Fire of the Night

Chapter 130: Fire of the Night

November 13, third day after the second beta started.

Drama Thirteen got up early, eager to maximize her time in the game.

The day before, she had accepted a quest from the zombie NPC, Hugh Potter, but could only complete a couple of minor steps before having to log out for work. And in the evening, she was forced to work overtime and unable to attend to matters in the game.

Determined to complete this enviable hidden quest, she bartered a week's worth of milk tea to a colleague in exchange for covering her shift, taking the day off to focus solely on the game.

Upon logging in at the spawn point in Exile Town, Drama Thirteen found that the friends who had agreed to join her on this quest were already waiting nearby.

"Thirteen, over here!" A player with the ID July Snow waved excitedly upon spotting Drama Thirteen.

"Sorry, my alarm was set late. Have you guys been waiting long?" Drama Thirteen hurried down the platform to join her companions.

"Not too long. We just logged in too," another female player with the ID August Melon responded cheerfully. "My husband couldn't make it, but we've got a pro to help us. Look who's here!"

Qin Guan, standing behind the two "Month" players, flashed a big, toothy grin.

"Vanilla waifu I mean, Boss!" Drama Thirteen, recognizing Qin Guan, approached excitedly for a handshake. "You're joining us for the quest? That's great!"Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

"Hello, hello," Qin Guan replied with a hint of pride. "But don't call me waifu, I'm still pure as snow."

Drama Thirteen, also a player of the World of Warcraft Classic, knew July Snow and August Melon from the game, though she had never met Qin Guan, as he had already moved on to "OtherWorld" when she started playing with them.

After forming a team, Drama Thirteen apologized to the Month sisters and Qin Guan, "Unfortunately, I can't share it, but the brief says it's a worldview breakthrough quest. If completed, it benefits all players."

"No problem, just tell us about the quest's storyline," Qin Guan advised. "Start from when you triggered it, and don't miss any details. Quests in this game are often crucially detailed."

"Mm, right." Drama Thirteen opened her quest log and began, "The quest is called [Fire of the Night]. When I triggered it, I was just walking along, and the zombie NPC, Hugh Potter, suddenly stopped me, saying, 'Seeing you reminds me of someone, a person named Meri Bowen.'

"Hugh Potter mentioned that he's been confused for many years, forgetting many people and things. His memories of Meri are more obscure than those of the border guards. He says he vaguely remembers something crucial related to Meri and must find her.

"The first step was to find another zombie NPC, Bierda. After completing an errand quest for Bierda, she said that she remembered Meri Bowen and felt the name was connected to something significant but couldn't recall more.

"Then, Bierda directed me to her former residence north of the town for the next part of the quest."

"Bierda, the NPC by the river, right?" Qin Guan asked.

"Yes, yes." Drama Thirteen nodded. "The same NPC from the [Letters to Home] quest triggered by your friend, Give Me Medicine, who spread the infection to that quest's main character, Morris."

Qin Guan, who had been deeply involved in that quest then, stroked his chin and analyzed, "From the two plotline quests [Letters to Home] triggered by Give Me Medicine and [Brave Jean] triggered by Ji Tang, this zombie NPC Hugh Potter wasn't a member of the Pioneer Corps but part of the border guards that came later on.

"The forest outside the valley is too dangerous. In gathering fuel for the winter, we lost several excellent comrades, including my friend Hawke. I am deeply saddened."

Third page:

"I'm tired of working unpaid at Charlotte's sheep ranch, but I dare not show it. Who wouldn't want to be the owner of a new farm? I can't afford to offend him."

"Poor Meri, her private complaints about General Charlotte's tyranny must have been reported to him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been sent out"

Fourth page:

"Charlotte's management of his sheep ranch is notoriously strict. Despite it being a communal effort, we aren't allowed near it as if he deems us all thieves."

"How can such a man be our leader? It's really unbearable for us."

"It's been close to a month, yet there's still no sign of Meri and the others returning. Could some accident have befallen them?"

Once Drama Thirteen finished reading out loud, Qin Guan couldn't help but mockingly remark, "Why does everything revolve around this General Charlotte? Is he some kind of instance boss in the making?"

Seeing the expectant looks of the three female players, Qin Guan cleared his throat and resumed his analysis, "The diary spans a significant period. Though it lacks specific dates like Morris's letters, it's evident that it covers more than half a year."

"From the text, compared to Morris who trusts General Charlotte, Bierda probably belongs to a faction that's dissatisfied with Charlotte," said Qin Guan, pointing at zombie NPC Bierda to the side. "This NPC Meri Bowen offended Charlotte and was sent out on some more dangerous mission. This should be the main plot of this breakthrough quest."

"Uh" Drama Thirteen glanced at the unresponsive Bierda and asked Qin Guan, "So, Vanilla Boss, what's our next step?"

Qin Guan was still a veteran player and had personally witnessed Blossoming Strokes and Unceasing Entropy do breakthrough quests. Thus, he felt confident and proclaimed, "The last two pages of the diary repeatedly mention the sheep ranch without referring to Charlotte as 'General.' We should investigate the site of the ranch for more clues."

"Eh, we are going out of town?" Drama Thirteen exclaimed. "What about that old rat? How are we going to get out?"

Qin Guan smirked smugly. "Follow me!"

He led the bunch of ladies to the Wanderer Guild work site and hollered, "Seeking four rat lures! Three copper each!"

Several players who were about to log out immediately raised their hands and volunteered, swiftly settling their current quests with the NPCs and running over to earn some extra money.

Drama Thirteen: ""

So that's how to leave town

The giant rat at the south exit was a major obstacle for players venturing out of town. But as the saying goes, when there's a will, there's a way. Wanderers, taking up the largest proportion of gamers, were required to leave town for their job advancement quests and often hired players to lure the rat away.

Over time, this became a lucrative side hustle for some.