Chapter 506-Gathering Information, Slowly Contemplating
Duke Arsena ultimately did not insist on having John act according to his own plan. He was very aware that the risks involved in his plan were indeed too great.
Duke Arsena simply wanted John to gather some information about the Dark Realm. Once enough data was collected, John could make the final decision on his own.
"The risk of this plan is naturally very high. Moreover, the only person who can carry out this plan is you, as you are the strongest among us. If you decide not to take action, the rest of us certainly cannot force you to venture into the Dark Realm.
For now, you can take some time to gather information about the Dark Realm. After collecting sufficient information, make your own judgment. We will not disturb you in the short term.
Come to me after you have made your final decision. If you decide to go to the Dark Realm, I will definitely provide you with a lot of help. At the very least, all the weapons in Storm City will be at your disposal."
Before John left Duke Arsena's palace, this was the final conversation they had. John could tell that Duke Arsena indeed very much hoped that he would accept this quest.
However, John was always a cautious person. Without being able to ascertain the level of danger, he would definitely not rashly accept this quest.
After leaving Duke Arsena's palace, John returned to his own residence. He didn't share this news with anyone else, as he felt that telling others was pointless.
He had to make the final decision himself, as in the current situation, it was unlikely that anyone else could offer any meaningful advice.
After some thought, John felt that the information he currently had was insufficient to make a final decision. He planned to do as Duke Arsena had suggested, to collect enough information about the Dark Realm before taking any action.
Fortunately, there was a substantial amount of information available about the Dark Realm. After all, some players like Kingserp and Arthas had chosen to set their spawn points in the Dark Realm in the game.
Although players like these were not in the majority, the overall number of players in the Deicide game was very large, so the number of players in the Dark Realm was also significant.
These players indeed provided a lot of information about the Dark Realm. John could easily find this information on game forums.
John had already familiarized himself with several major areas of the Dark Realm. In the Dark Realm, aside from the very center where the source of dark power was located, all other areas were accessible to players.
However, players would certainly encounter great dangers in these regions. Only by aligning with the Dark Faction could players barely ensure their safety.
In the Dark Realm, the most populated area was undoubtedly the town of the Styx. Moreover, the Styx was the only main city for players in the Dark Realm.
Both Kingserp's Dawn Guild and Karthus's Netherworld Guild had their headquarters there. Besides these player-formed guilds, there were also some incredibly powerful Devils present.
If John was not mistaken, the black-clothed individual he encountered earlier might very well have come from the Styx. Although the name 'the Styx' might sound quite simple, in reality, it was a massive fortress. The entire fortress was situated on the largest river in the Dark Realm, which, fittingly, was also named the Styx.
In the Styx, many creatures of the Dark Faction existed. These Dark Faction beings constantly attacked their surroundings, and even players who had allied with the Dark Realm were not spared from their assaults.
Outside the town of the Styx, the danger further escalated. The twisted monsters in the Dark Realm were not weak. Moreover, since they could continuously draw power from the Dark Realm, their leveling speed was even faster than that of players.
Thus, for players in the Dark Realm, venturing into the wilderness to level up by slaying monsters was not a viable option.
The safest way for players in the Dark Realm to level up was either to directly join the Dark Faction or to ally with guilds that had strong ties to the Dark Faction.
As for which player guilds had significant connections with the Dark Faction, John was quite clear about it. Without Kingserp's Dawn Guild and the heavily damaged Netherworld Guild, owned by Arthas, these were naturally the main guilds aligned with the Dark Faction.
After reading all the information about the Dark Realm on the player forums, John did not feel that his questions had been answered. In fact, in his view, he had even more questions now.
"Why is there only one main city for players on such a large map of the Dark Realm? Why is there so little information about areas other than the player main city, the Styx town?
Could it be that the entire map isn't intended to be fully accessible to players? If that's the case, why were players allowed to choose the Dark Realm as one of their spawn points at the beginning?"
A series of questions swirled in John's mind. Unable to make an immediate judgment, he decided to think it over carefully.
Amidst John's contemplation, Emma logged off the game and came to his side. She felt that John was under immense pressure.
"I really don't understand why you're so stressed right now. Haven't you already finished your battle with Mystery Saint? I saw on the player forums that you even managed to defeat Mystery Saint successfully.
Doesn't this prove that your strength is on par with the gods? All the players now believe you are the most powerful adventurer ever.
Everyone wants to collaborate with you, but they just don't know your specific details. I think if you were to form a guild now, there would definitely be many who would sign up."
Emma's words were not without merit. John had been continuously appearing on the player leaderboards anonymously.
All players were extremely curious about this anonymous player, John, but they were unable to find any information about him.
John's allies would naturally never reveal his information. John's enemies also had to be cautious, as revealing John's information would be akin to exposing their own.
For John's enemies, he posed a tremendous threat. They had to be careful unless they were absolutely certain of victory.
Darklord initially intended to reveal John's information, but eventually, he decided against it, fearing that such a move would bring even greater threats to himself.
In response to Emma's words, John smiled, but Emma could see the exhaustion in his smile.
"What exactly happened? I feel like you're under much more pressure than before. Have you encountered a problem that you can't solve?" Emma persisted in her inquiry, genuinely concerned for John. Given Emma's direct approach, John decided to share his predicaments with her.
After all, in John's view, Emma was someone who would never betray him. If even Emma were to betray him, then he would have no one left to trust.
After hearing everything, Emma's expression turned to one of great surprise, and she spoke to John in an angry tone.
"Duke Arsena actually proposed such a plan? Isn't this deliberately putting you in great danger? You must refuse his plan!
I even think you should no longer continue cooperating with him. He must be hoping to weaken both you and the Dark Faction through this, which might be the most beneficial outcome for Storm City."
Although Emma's conjecture seemed a bit far-fetched, it aligned with John's greatest concern. Despite previously trusting Duke Arsena's character, the series of events with Mystery Protector had made him uncertain whether Duke Arsena had been persuaded by the Mystery Protector. If Duke Arsena had been swayed, then it was indeed possible that he might want John and the Dark Faction to both suffer losses.
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