?THE PERPLEXED EVé
The City of the Chosen Ones, Neverland.
This was one of the private garden estates meticulously crafted by the guild leader of Moe Moe Committee, Little Salty Cat. It stood in close proximity to the guild’s headquarters, the Sky Garden which was a replica of the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Both Neverland and the Sky Garden stood proudly as the unparalleled architectural marvels of the Elven Kingdom, captivating the players’ collective admiration whenever they see these structures. The completion of these two architectural wonders was due to the dedicated efforts of the players for a span of nearly three in-game months.
Considering the complexity of their construction, such a timeframe was remarkably swift. Players within the game seemed fueled by an infinite wellspring of passion, finding sheer delight even in the most mundane and repetitive tasks.
Throughout the entire construction process, the laborers persevered tirelessly with their devotion unwavering.
Indeed, such expeditious construction was only made possible through the assistance of a diverse array of magical spells. Nevertheless, this ambitious undertaking would inevitably require an even more substantial allocation of time. Thus, the construction team eventually reached a compromise and opted to modify HootyBird’s initial design and scaling it back slightly in size.
These two awe-inspiring structures now stood as iconic landmarks, synonymous with the splendor of the Chosen City, beckoning players to take pictures together within its vicinity as they capture timeless memories within their frames…
Atop Neverland’s main building.
Evé skillfully concealed herself using a disguise as an ordinary player, as she reclined upon a lavishly cushioned chair.
Cradling a wooden cup brimming with scented tea, she savored upon a delectable roasted barbecue whilst indulging herself within the breathtaking scenery that unfolded in the distance.
High upon the elevated terrain of Neverland while she sat on the topmost floor of the three-story main building, Evé reveled in a breathtaking sceneries that stretched before her—a sweeping panoramic view that captured the city’s resplendent beauty in all its splendor.
And a little bit farther away, she could also see a verdant expanse of forests as it stretched widely as far as the eye could see. Entwined with the towering mountain ranges that cascaded layer upon layer, its truly an awe-inspiring sight with its breathtaking natural beauty.
This wasn’t the first time she slipped out like this.
As the players gradually found their footing and established their daily routines, Evé, too, embraced a newfound sense of tranquility.
Every so often, she would assume her guise as a player and secretly venture into the city, while indulging within the simple joys it offered.
And upon acquainting herself with Little Salty Cat, the lavish abode of this affluent player swiftly transformed into one of her most cherished sanctuaries, a haven wherein she could find solace and respite.
Evé had once shared her insights with the pink-haired lass, imparting some of her wisdom on several occasions regarding skill utilization. This left Little Salty Cat astounded by her extensive knowledge, causing the female mage to mistake her as either a reclusive high-ranking player or someone with a high status back in the real world.
Eventually after meeting her for several more times, Little Salty Cat began showing eagerness to befriend her.
Of course, Evé didn’t refuse because she was wearing a disguise.
It’s a pleasant feeling to engage in conversations as an ordinary player and not an omnipotent being once in a while. It also helps that the avatar she’s currently using could establish a connection with someone else.
In any case, these players sure do know how to enjoy themselves.
After getting used to the rhythm and freedom of Elven Kingdom, many casual life-oriented players have started creating all sorts of products, starting with barbecues or snacks and some even have plans to make wine from the fruits they forage in the Elven Forest.
Evé enjoyed one to these snacks while observing the bustling players down in the city.
From her vantage point that’s overlooking the magnificent city adorned with fantastical and diverse architectures, she also admired the natural beauty of the distant forests that surrounds the city.
Seeing this all on a much closer perspective, Evé couldn’t help but marvel at the players’ rich imagination and inherent creativity…
Although she could also observe everything from the godlike perspective of the World Tree, such omniscient sensation felt more cold and detached compared to the first-person perspective she was currently experiencing.
Not to mention…
This honey-glazed grilled meat in her hands was undeniably delicious.
No wonder the Black Dragon enjoyed eating it.
Evé took a small bite of the juicy skewer as she savored the succulent meat with its glistening oil and robust texture whilst feeling immensely satisfied.
In that moment, she began to understand why these players were so enamored with Elven Kingdom.
Just imagine.
A beautiful forest with a dreamlike city, crafted with your own two hands and within this enchanting city, you could also have a lovely little home of your own.
Your character, an elegant and beautiful elf, sits alongside your friends in the garden of your home while gazing into the distance, sipping scented tea whilst relishing grilled delicacies as you all listen to a soothing music playing in the background…
If you also wish, you can even perform stand-up comedy to amuse yourselves or perhaps watch some movies in the internet through the game’s system.
Thanks to the accelerated time flow, you don’t have to worry about the chaotic troubles of reality. Instead, you can simply empty your mind in this fantasy world and enjoy the wonders this game have to offer…
Sigh…
This kind of leisure and comforting lifestyle, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, truly holds a strong allure!
Not to mention, this is just the pleasure experienced by casual players.
“Ah, It’s truly enjoyable…”
Evé shook her head wistfully after completely drinking the fragrant tea within her cup.
She then lazily yawned and reclined her back whilst feeling immensely content.
“By the way, it’s been quite a while since I assigned those quests. I wonder how those exploring players are currently doing.”
Evé idly pondered while nibbling upon her snack.
This time, she swiftly assigned numerous sidequests through the system, but unlike before, she didn’t spy on any particular individual since most of the quests she issued simply focused on territory development and exploration without any underlying threats.
If there were any potential dangers, they would likely only arise from the two exploration quests.
However, she had already taken precautions having learned from her previous encounter with that vampire godwarden. If any players were to face similar mental attacks again, they would then be instantly disconnected from the game the moment their mind has been compromised.
Currently, spells that target the mind pose the greatest threat to these players, and she still hasn’t discovered a way to grant complete immunity to mind magic.
Luckily, her enemies remained unaware of this vulnerability.
“Well, it’s not a major issue. For the next group of players, I’ll just simply modify the connection method and add more protections… In any case, the creatures in Rivendell appear quite instinct-driven and lack sentient thought… it seems unlikely that anyone there would possesses the ability to use mental spells, so it should be reasonably safe.” Evé muttered to herself.
Over the past few days, she would occasionally receive surges of lifeforce, and even receive metallic spider legs as offerings from some players.
She knew these were the results of clashes between the players exploring Rivendell and the creatures dwelling in the depths of the ruins.
Evé somewhat paid close attention to this occurrence and noticed a particular type of monster known as the Crypt Spider. Unfortunately, there were no detailed records of these creatures in the World Tree’s inheritance, leaving Evé with limited knowledge about these metallic arachnids.
After a preliminary observation, she discovered that these crypt spiders weren’t exceptionally strong, and most players could handle them with relative ease.
However, there was one concerning matter—
The colossal creature guarding the entrance to the underworld.
Once, Evé observed a player’s encounter with it and saw through their perspective that this gigantic spider was an intermediate silver-ranked creature.
With its power, the players would be unable to defeat it at their current levels. However, Evé planned to design a special quest to subjugate it later on when the players had gained more levels.
“An intermediate silver-ranked creature, huh… With that strength, Meryer alone would have been more than capable of dealing with it. But that punk seems to be unwilling to do it…”
It seemed that the Black Dragon wasn’t actually afraid of spiders per se, but rather hesitated due to some other reason instead.
Evé pondered upon Meryer’s odd behavior and what she came up with was that perhaps, there was a hidden problem lying within these Crypt Spiders!
Well, forget it…
If necessary, she didn’t mind intervening directly and assuming her Godwarden guise once again.
The players could just invite Aél, and the elven boy could summon her as an envoy, allowing her to intervene legitimately without losing any prestige.
In any case, those spiders were nothing more than mindless creatures, devoid of any coherent thoughts unless they reached the gold rank.
Without intelligence, these creatures relied solely upon their predatory instincts to survive.
In this situation wherein her opponents are merely just mindless creatures, Evé had no qualms about revealing her true nature. Even if it came to the point where she had to personally intervene, she would first unveil her disguise as a new god.
‘I, Evé, am merely a newly born god who recently gained the divinity of nature and life~ I’m also just a subordinate of the god of death… Huh? What do you mean? I have nothing to do with the fallen World Tree, you know~?’
Evé thought with a wry smirk.
Even if these Crypt Spiders truly harbor hidden problems, their secrets would simply be exposed when confronted with the might of a deity.
Evé actually relished upon these types of quests, for not only can they bolstered her own fame but also strengthened the faith of her devoted believers.
Additionally, these quests also fueled the players’ enthusiasm since they could get some contribution points while she drains the lifeforce of the boss monsters they’re subjugating…
It was like killing two birds with one stone!
As Evé immersed herself upon these matters, a sudden offering prompt had caught her attention.
Faintly, she could discern the prayer from a player named Calabash as he offered something to her…
As usual, once she discovered the prayer was from a player, Evé readily agreed what they offered without double checking it.
Nowadays she didn’t need to personally check these offered items since she had already established a system within the game that’s capable of automatically identifying the offerings being sent to her. However one requirement is that only those deemed useful to her would pass through the offering circle.
Anyhow, she already had a rough idea of what was being sent to her.
It was either a discarded equipment, artifacts unearthed from ruins, or simply the players’ broken and unusable junk.
Alternatively, it could also be basic materials like minerals and ores, suitable for forging equipment.
Without hesitation Evé would accept these offerings, repairing them and occasionally putting some up for sale at the exchange store.
Furthermore, Evé also implemented a system that would automatically evaluates the quality of the players’ offerings and grants them corresponding contribution points based on the evaluation the system had given.
Of course, the amount of contributions was not substantial.
However, what happened next had completely blindsided Evé.
To her shock, an influx of unfamiliar lifeforms suddenly flooded into her Celestial Domain one after another!
“W-What’s happening?! An invasion?”
Startled, Evé hastily dissipated her avatar and returned to her mindscape. When she focused her attention towards her Celestial Domain, she discovered a large horde of Crypt Spiders…
Among these horde were both adult and juvenile spiders, numbering at least two hundred or more. Even the colossal spider that served as the gatekeeper of the underworld stood amongst them!
They scurried about, gnashing their fangs and exhibiting mindless panic within her Celestial Domain. Akin to a swarm of ants that had been captured and then set free by humans, they seemed to have abruptly lost all sense of direction and judgment…
“…What in the world is happening?”
Evé was utterly bewildered.
However, an even more astonishing occurrence awaited her next.
After aimlessly running for a while, these Crypt Spiders would then began to convulsed, one after another with their lifeforce slowly being extinguished as they plummeted to the ground in death…
“…Hmm?”
Eve’s curiosity was piqued.
She then focused her attention onto the spider corpses, intently checking them and with each examination, her interest deepened further.
“Hmm? These Crypt Spiders…doesn’t have intact souls?”
Puzzled, Evé crossed her arms together with her head tilting in a perplexed manner.
“Could there be a hive-mind that’s controlling these creatures?” She pondered aloud with her voice filled with intrigue and wonder.
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