Chapter 1497: Chapter 934: Sunrise (Part 12): Reunion
When Tony awoke again, he found that he was no longer in the ice tower.
What greeted his eyes was an elegantly decorated ceiling, a gorgeous chandelier flickering with ethereal light, magnificent in its beauty.
This was a bedroom of roughly twenty square meters, with stone walls reminiscent of a medieval castle, yet more splendid and bright than the gloomy castles of stories.
Tony lay on a soft large bed, his gaze somewhat dazed.
Suddenly, seeming to remember something, he hurriedly looked at his own avatar, only to find the large number beneath it was still 41.
That was the first tier of Silver Lower.
Tony was slightly taken aback, clearly remembering he had cast [Blood Rage], meaning certain death.
He didn’t have enough revival coins. By rights, upon awakening, he should have lost a level.
Yet his level was still silver, even his avatar frame symbolized silver.
So does that mean... he didn’t die?
Tony was astonished.
At that moment, the bedroom door was gently pushed open, and a male elf clad in silver armor entered.
Seeing Tony sitting up in bed, the elf’s eyes widened slightly, then he broke into a bright smile and greeted him:
"Hey! You’re awake? How was your sleep?"
"Who are you..."
Tony asked in confusion.
"Hah, after being teammates for so many days, you never checked out my personal profile?"
The male elf raised his eyebrows.
Then he smiled slightly and extended his hand:
"Hello Mr. Tony, I’m Ye Ye."
"Ye Ye..."
Tony was momentarily stunned, then his eyes lit up.
At that moment, a loud dragon’s roar came from outside the window. Instinctively, he looked towards the window, seeing a massive shadow flash by in the misty night sky, revealing the starlit galaxy under the vast night.
And beneath the galaxy, a brilliantly lit city stretched continuously into the distance, rendering the entire world small from this height.
At this moment, Tony realized that the place he was in was probably very high up.
"Where is this..."
He looked out the window, his eyes confused.
"This is the eastern part of the continent, also your destination."
Ye Ye spoke.
After speaking, he smiled again and extended his hand to Tony:
"Welcome to... Dawn Fortress."
...
The resplendent stars twinkled in the sky, a sight Tony hadn’t seen in days.
Only in areas where the pollution was cleansed could one see such a breathtaking galaxy.
On Dawn Fortress’s observation deck, Tony, now clothed, gazed at the beautiful stars while listening to Ye Ye’s account, finally understanding what happened when he was unconscious...
"Hey, Mr. Tony, I didn’t expect you to have such a talent for combat. With the [Blood Rage] and [Storm Slash] after reaching silver, you managed to kill an experienced Shadow Devouring Demon!"
"Thankfully we arrived in time; otherwise, the side effects of Blood Rage would have kicked in, and you’d have lost a level right away."
"Job change opportunities are one-time only; I doubt you have enough revival coins, so if you did drop a level, you’d have to start from scratch to gain the job change chance again."
"However, thanks to you, we delivered the energy core to the altar, and bright and early tomorrow, we can start arranging to reboot the teleportation array!"
"Oh, and to thank you for your help, besides the mission reward of fifty thousand contribution points, our president Miao said he’ll give you an additional thirty thousand contribution points!"
Tianchao player Ye Ye enthusiastically patted Tony’s shoulder.
But standing on the fortress’s observation deck, Tony didn’t seem so excited.
Following Tony’s gaze, Ye Ye looked at the distant city’s nightscape.
He smiled proudly and said:
"How is it? Spectacular, right?"
"This Dawn City was established by our Mengmeng Committee, though smaller than Shantem and not as famous, in Dawn World, it’s absolutely a major city."
"Mr. Tony, interested in joining our guild? Our president has a great appreciation for your perfect mission completion and is willing to invite you in as a core member."
"Haha, don’t be fooled by our guild’s being a Tianchao guild, we have plenty of international players too."
Hearing Ye Ye’s words, Tony forced a smile.
He sighed and said:
"Perfect? No... I said I’d bring my friends out together, but in the end... it’s just me, what kind of perfection is that?"
"Friends?"
Ye Ye was momentarily confused.
Then, seeming to remember something, his expression turned peculiar:
"You mean those NPC believers who came with you, right? No, they came too..."
"Not... no one died?"
Tony was stunned.
"Yes, but they were close to dying; luckily, we arrived in time and, hey... the Goddess’s healing divine arts aren’t just talk."
"However, their faith hasn’t reached the level to start the mission system, nor have they officially registered with the church. So, after arriving at Dawn City, they still can’t enter..."
"Hey! Where are you going?!"
Seeing Tony’s face suddenly light up, then quickly turn and run towards the fortress’s exit, Ye Ye couldn’t help but shout.
......
Not dead!
Everyone’s not dead?!
As Tony ran, he cheered in his heart.
After spending so many days together from morning till night, it became difficult for him to treat the group as NPCs just for completing a mission.
There was the gentle and wise Ados, the honest and simple Poles, the carefree Ramsis, and the kind and attentive Mire...
In Tony’s heart, they had long since become his friends!
The rewards meant nothing to him; he could slowly work to improve his strength, but these NPC friends were different. If they sacrificed themselves, it would be a real loss...
Tony dashed out of the fortress, visibly agitated, drawing curious and puzzled looks from the passing players.
However, he didn’t care.
He ran onto the street, gazing at the bustling night market and the flow of people coming and going...
At this moment, Tony finally began to calm down.
Wait a minute...
It seemed he hadn’t had the chance to ask Ye Ye where his companions had gone.
Looking at the bustling and enchanting market street, Tony halted.
Until a familiar voice came from behind:
"Honorable Chosen One, what are you looking for?"
Hearing that old and gentle voice, Tony trembled slightly.
He slowly turned around, seeing the old mage Ados hunchbacked, wearing his tattered mage hat askew, holding his magic wand, puffing on a long pipe, and looking at him with a smile.
The two of them locked eyes and, after a moment, both burst into laughter.
...
In the noisy tavern, the minstrel’s playing meshed with the sounds of patrons savoring their drinks. As a tavern in a player-built main city, it was perpetually lively here, twenty-four hours a day.
In front of a wooden table by the tavern window, Tony and Ados sat facing each other, surrounded by the restored and healed Poles, Ramsis, and Mire.
"So, you thought we had all fallen victim in the end? No, no, no... We haven’t even opened our little tavern yet, so how could we depart so easily?"
Poles laughed heartily.
Meanwhile, Ramsis took a large gulp of ale, his expression enraptured:
"Refreshing!"
"So... Mr. Tony, as I said, everyone is alive and well."
On the other side, Ye Ye sipped elf flower tea and said while smiling:
"When the Mengmeng Committee steps in, we don’t always arrive late."
Beside him, an elf girl was enthusiastically recommending a delicious mousse cake to a rather uneasy Mage, Mire.
That was another Tianchao player, Nai Nai.
Seeing the spirited group, Tony’s smile also grew brighter.
However, when he saw Ados beside him, drinking and smiling, but with a hint of melancholy deep in his eyes, his smile gradually faded:
"Ados... you..."
"I’m fine, I just thought of Adrian..."
Ados gently shook his head.
As he spoke, he sighed slightly:
"Lord Tony, did you know? At the end of the battle in the Ice Tower, I thought the monster would devour me, but it spared me instead."
As he spoke, his gaze grew somewhat complicated:
"It was Adrian..."
"I know; it was his memory influencing the monster. The monster devoured him, and he became a part of the monster..."
"I wasn’t a qualified father; until the end, I was still being protected by my son, yet unable to do anything for him..."
As he spoke, Ados appeared increasingly saddened.
Tony was momentarily speechless, unsure how to console him.
Seeing his somewhat awkward demeanor, the old mage smiled again, downing his ale in one gulp:
"Don’t worry, I’ve come to terms with it long ago; I’m just a bit saddened."
"The departed are gone; we must eventually look forward. I think Adrian wouldn’t want to see his father depressed and dejected either."
"Lord Tony, I must thank you; it was you who gave him release..."
"No, Ados, I’m sorry... I couldn’t save your son."
Tony said, somewhat forlornly.
Ados laughed heartily:
"Haha, no, Lord Tony, you did the right thing. From the moment he was devoured by the monster, he was no longer himself."
"You helped release him and helped him get revenge..."
"Let’s drink, let’s drink! Today, celebrating the mission’s completion, we must drink to our hearts’ content!"
As he spoke, he raised his cup again.
Seeing his look of relief, Tony also picked up the ale.
With a gentle sip, it was a bit raw, yet slightly sweet.
At the same time, there was also a bit of a spicy aftertaste.
The group drank one cup after another.
Until all had a hint of intoxication.
Ye Ye, burping tipsily, checked the time, glanced around the seats, and suddenly laughed:
"Everyone, being our first time in Dawn City, would you like to see the most beautiful scenery here?"
"The most beautiful scenery?"
The group was stunned.
"Follow me..."
Ye Ye stood up and stepped outside the tavern.
The group exchanged drunken looks and got up to follow him out.
...
