Chapter 48: The Existence and Return of Players

"Truly a decent fellow..."

After the wine had been served three times and the food five, Edward, having finished the welcome banquet, was on his way to the archives, his mind occupied by that rather interesting Norscan wretch.

After such a brief period of interaction, Edward actually felt quite sorry for the guy named Li Ang. He was only seventeen years old, in the prime of his youth. Back at school, he had been a top student with exceptionally brilliant theoretical grades.

If nothing had gone wrong, this young man should have received strong funding from the local player guild, becoming a role model for players and a successful benchmark for the god-making campaigns on the forums.

But fate played a joke on this youth, forcing him to fall into Norsca.

If it weren't for his excellent command of various languages and his hobby of self-studying some Norscan Language, Li Ang would likely have been killed by those Raiders the moment he landed.

But even now, Li Ang's situation could hardly be called safe. According to talk at the banquet, Norsca was crawling with local warlords, each with their own unique skills. Powerhouses who could tear monsters apart with their bare hands and hunt demons were everywhere, and none of them had any moral compass.

To tell the truth, as a representative of the lucky players, Edward felt quite sorry for this guy.

Moreover, he spoke well and appeared submissive, giving off a rather pleasant impression. But for the sake of the greater good, Edward still had no intention of letting him go.

The Chivalrous Expedition and the Norsca campaign were being carried out in parallel, side-by-side, for the current players. Only after the reputation from the Chivalrous Expedition was secured could the plans for the Norsca conquest and player city-building unfold. This was a move the authorities had been plotting for a long time.

Even if a city could not be established, a large-scale gathering place had to be cleared out for the players.

Because many current players had already slipped out of control, and everyone understood the delicate situation of the authorities right now.

After all, it was an alien world; although they were still living in this world, who didn't want to enjoy the pleasure and excitement brought by an alien world? And who liked the life of being controlled by everyone, being restricted by so-called guilds?

What's more, the temptations in that world were so numerous, and one might even have a fortuitous encounter while adventuring in the wilderness alone.

Events capable of changing, or even completely overturning, one's life were emerging one after another.

If this Chivalrous Expedition failed, I fear the public opinion of the entire player system and its related policies would be forced to loosen. Otherwise, this kind of semi-compulsory conscription and so-called grand cause would have long since made people weary.

Even Edward himself felt extreme dissatisfaction and disgust toward such things. As the owner of a Cruiser, wandering the seas, wouldn't it be better to be a man like the wind? Why must he be idle and go to the Arctic to risk his life against a Great Mage who he knew nothing about, but who looked terrifying? If not for the fact that the authorities gave so much in reality, he would never have participated in this kind of operation.

"Right, let's go to the archives to check the map first and see what small Dengludian are around that place, so we can coordinate with the main force for some flanking maneuver or something..."

Walking on the road, Edward patted his head and headed toward the underground data repository.

As a top-tier player and someone recruited by the authorities, Edward's various configurations were naturally top-notch.

With his clearance, he could be said to be unimpeded within the base. But upon arriving at the deepest part of the underground to investigate data regarding the Chaos Sea and the Chaos Wasteland, Edward keenly felt that something was wrong.

As a captain of a Cruiser, he still had a sense for his environment.

Or rather, as a believer in the local sea god, and even an individual observed and blessed by the gaze of certain existences, Edward's perception was very high.

Having left the noisy banquet environment and returned to a confined space similar to a captain's quarters and cabin, this player, who had won everyone's awe on the ship with his superb swordsmanship, squinted his eyes in the underground archives and scanned his surroundings.

Then he saw it.

Or rather, those senses that were instinctively ignored were inexplicably focused. He saw a figure.

"...?" Since when?

Or have I already had too much to drink and started hallucinating?

Looking at Li Ang, who was sitting in front of a computer browsing data, Edward's mind was a muddled mess.

"Li Ang? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be back in the dormitory dealing with those Norscans in the Nutrient Pod? How do you have clearance?"

Li Ang answered.

Within Edward's line of sight, that figure of Li Ang seemed to split into several parts.

One part was respectfully answering that because of his special nature, he had asked for someone's help to come and check the data on Norsca. While another part paid him no mind at all, just browsing the data on its own.

Edward shook his head, trying to sober himself up. But the more he did so, the more he felt the world before him was blurry and muddled. The Li Ang who spoke respectfully seemed fake instead, while the Li Ang who had finished checking the data, stood up coldly, and looked at him as if he were a mutated white mouse, felt real.

"You've had too much to drink."

Li Ang suddenly said.

An irresistible will shattered the protection on Edward's body.

The player, struggling to say something, suddenly felt his eyes grow dazed, and then he swayed and leaned to one side, ignoring the Li Ang beside him.

"A keen protection that specifically takes effect in secret rooms and narrow environments... What kind of messy stuff is this. The gods and so-called powerhouses over there all feel a bit stingy."

Glancing at the dazed Edward, Li Ang committed the last bit of data before him to his heart.

The plans regarding the Chivalrous Expedition, the players' planning and site selection for Hope City, and the choices regarding Li Ang, as well as the data on cities and populations across the Old World, all greatly enriched Li Ang's current database. He chose to leave, feeling satisfied.

And after casually charming a staff member, Li Ang logically found his dormitory. That specially customized ecological healing pod could protect Li Ang's physical body to the greatest extent from any accidents.

Lying in that coffin-like structure, feeling the injection of the nutrient solution around him, Li Ang slowly closed his eyes.

Darkness enveloped him once more, and his consciousness began to drift away.

But before departing, some questions flashed through Li Ang's mind.

Come to think of it, by what means were players actually able to reach another world?

Was it purely some kind of cosmic phenomenon, or did this method possess some kind of inevitability similar to a Wonder? But this confusion did not last long, and soon it turned into fragmented starlight, dissipating into the consciousness of the teleportation. Opening his eyes again, he saw the familiar galaxy.

"Your Magic Research, Mana Liquefaction has been completed!"

He had returned to the place he was familiar with.

(End of this chapter)