Chapter 76.2: Coincide
Upon returning to the Wanderer Guild, Tuttle shut the door before turning to his two companions and exclaiming enthusiastically, "Here's our opportunity!"
"That's right. This time, Yang has given us some authority. We must make the most of this chance," Finley, who had been suppressing his excitement earlier, said excitedly. "Doesn't Yang hope for his undead to become more combative and more eager to challenge the strong? Doesn't he want more subjects? Let's fulfill his wishes!"
Hal: "Uh…"
"War makes the undead stronger, and those that are stolen over can supplement Taranthan's citizenry. Regardless of how you look at it, it all aligns with Yang's expectations, so he can't say anything." Tuttle gesticulated excitedly with his hands. "As for the consequences of initiating territorial warfare and how to sustain the population that's plundered over, that's Yang's problem. In any case, we were just doing what was asked."
Hal: "…"
He thought his two buddies had been swayed by Liu and had suddenly become loyal to Yang… Fortunately, they didn't disappoint him.
The former bandit trio couldn't care less about "starting working" for the day and handling players. Instead, they rushed out immediately to contact knight instructor Jerome and warrior instructor Charlie Rex.
Of course, it was Charlie Rex that was the focus.
Before being tricked by Yang into coming to Taranthan, the former bandit gang had spent several years camped out in the Sorensen Mountains committing highway robbery and exacting tolls. They didn't care about the local issues of the surrounding areas and only concerned themselves with which caravans were passing through Sorensen.
When it came to understanding the areas suitable for their "activities" in the relatively nearby southeastern border of the Rhine Kingdom, the former bandits relied on Charlie Rex, the warrior who had only recently taken refuge in the Sorenson Mountains.
The reason for choosing the Rhine Kingdom for "activities'' over the Duchy of Shiga was rather understandable. Yang had only just recently swaggered through the border town of Camore in the Duchy of Shiga, so leading the undead that way could easily backfire…
Rex certainly didn't feel at ease when he saw the enthusiastic smiles of the former bandits for the first time since coming to Taranthan…
"So, you want to know where along the southeastern border of the Rhine Kingdom is especially barren, rural, and where people struggle to survive?" Rex asked with a weird look on his face.
"That's right!" Hal chuckled and, while rubbing his hands gleefully, eagerly awaited Rex's answer.
Rex stared at Hal for a while, then sneaked a glance at the two strategists beside Hal.
Tuttle and Finley were also looking toward him with especially bright smiles on their faces.
"I'm sorry…? I'm not quite sure what you guys mean." Rex wasn't warmed by their smiles and instead became more cautious.
"It's like this, Rex," Tuttle stepped forward and said matter-of-factly. "Yang is the Lord of Taranthan, and Taranthan is lacking citizens. This time, Yang hopes we can come up with class quests to allow the undead to receive sufficient training. So, is there really anything more appropriate than rescuing more impoverished people?"
Rex: "…"
He might still have believed this if these words were said by anyone else. But he could only take it with a pinch of salt when it came from these thuggish mountain bandits.
Seeing Rex's reaction, Tuttle knew this guy was being cautious around them. Thus, he immediately opened up and spoke with utmost sincerity, "Rex, I know you look down on us, but I must also tell you that none of us willingly became thieves.
"I once dreamed of being a member of the Rhine Kingdom's Royal Guards. Before… before adversity struck my family, I never imagined that even walking openly about in daylight was a luxury. Who would willingly choose a life on the edge of a blade, shrouded in constant uncertainty?
"People like us, when pushed to the brink, can at least rely on force to survive. But others, like those female workers Yang asked us to care for, have no other choice but to wait for death when on the verge of desperation.
"If there's a chance to lend a hand to these unfortunate souls who have no options, isn't it normal for even bandits and thieves like us to lend a helping hand?
"We are human too, Rex."
Rex: "…"
"…Very well." Rex reluctantly nodded and awkwardly took two steps backward. "I understand… But before we proceed, I must make it clear to Yang where we are taking the undead to."
"Of course, brother," Tuttle said in delight.
Rex left hurriedly, and both Hal and Finley looked toward Tuttle with raised eyebrows.
"Um… Can we trust this guy?" Finley tilted his chin slightly in the direction Rex was heading.
Tuttle smiled confidently. "Don't worry, Finley. Young Charlie is around the same age as Manan. When we first saw him, he was already so broken that he hardly had any sense of self-awareness left. People with such heightened sensitivity are most easily swayed by emotional words. Getting him to persuade Yang is more logical than us doing so."
Finley and Hal nodded in unison.
Indeed, these bunch of former bandits that had once camped in the Sorensen didn't really understand the livelihoods of people in the Rhine Kingdom's southeastern border. But there actually wasn't any need for them to do so. Destitute people were everywhere, and there was simply no need to specially go looking for them.
In other words, they were merely finding a reasonable pretext to interact with Rex and goad the latter into probing Yang…
October 28, Monday, 10 a.m., Earth time.
Logging in during normal working hours on a weekday, the first thing Ji Tang did was… check the notifications on the player panel.
Ji Tang, who had never paid attention to the notification announcements, had received quite a significant lesson from the weekend event that had recently concluded.
It seemed like the damned developers were finally being human and declaring that the events were only on the weekends. Now that it was a workday, everything was finally back to normal.
Ji Tang breathed a sigh of relief, then headed straight to the Warrior Guild.
Unceasing Entropy and Tang Jia had morning classes, so they weren't logged in. Yang Ying, who had already resigned from her job, had come online even earlier than Ji Tang and took advantage of in-game daytime to work on grinding reputation. When she saw Ji Tang, she waved him over.
Even though players hadn't been able to defeat the inner demon instance during the weekend event, the notion that warriors were sought after for this instance dungeon spread like wildfire among players. The usually rather deserted Warrior Guild was now occupied by a few casual players who hadn't yet changed classes, doing reputation quests.
"Xiao Tang doesn't have classes in the afternoon, so she'll be online in a few hours. Qingyue seems to have joined some project group, so she might be online less these couple of days," Yang Ying chatted with Ji Tang as they did their quests. "But I think she's probably feeling frustrated due to the failure to complete the event and is just hiding to adjust rather than admitting it to us."
"Is that so… Studies should be a priority for students, so being busy is a good thing." Ji Tang seemed slightly distracted and kept glancing in the direction of the Warrior Guild's hall every once in a while.
The two elder comrades at the Merchant Association canteen have already reported to the expert task force about the idea suggested to the "advanced NPCs" yesterday. How is it that nothing is happening even though it's been more than a day already?!
As the sun gradually set in the game world, Yang Ying, who didn't plan to grind reputation overnight, dragged Ji Tang along to turn in their quests. As they entered the Warrior Guild's hall, Ji Tang immediately noticed… a large backpack beside the warrior instructor's desk!
And there was even a rolled-up blanket on top of the backpack!
It's here! Ji Tang was instantly invigorated.
During the previous tricycle expedition quest, players had only been active within Taranthan and hadn't truly witnessed any human settlements or towns.
The former bandit's ulterior motives of bringing the undead out to cause trouble coincided perfectly with what the expert task force hoped for: they were just too eager to gather intelligence about the world beyond Taranthan!
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺