Chapter 95: Recruiting Players

Players, a form of life that neither uncles nor aunts love.

In the initial novice period, because of their immortal nature, combined with a certain appearance of being educated, and the uncertainty regarding their own perception of life, they indeed had a relatively glorious period.

Relying on the fact that they would not die, they engaged in swindling, bluffing, and extortion; even though they lacked strength, they could use various despicable behaviors and means to make others submit. They would even employ unstable methods when doing business, causing other merchants to suffer inexplicable grievances.

However, as time gradually passed and both sides deepened their understanding of each other, the environment for players began to deteriorate.

Because they do not die, permanent imprisonment in dark rooms became the mainstream method of control. Some extreme regions even lock heads in black boxes, and after continuous suffocation, use weapons to dismember the bodies to create things like meat processing plants. Moreover, such things do not generate much complaint.

The dirty deeds of players have reached a consensus during this time. The withholding of player wages and the seizure of player industries have become acts that are not punished by law.

And because the player group has not sworn allegiance to any country or lord, they are naturally not saved or regarded as citizens.

With no rights and no protection of interests, and regardless of what problems arise in any chamber of commerce or environment, the player areas are the first to be swept and cleared. This is because players are naturally untrusted and considered a type of pest that can be thrown away.

Especially after players shared their secrets, almost no population would trust even a single player. They believe that player knowledge is collective, so once information is leaked, there are no secrets to speak of.

Educational institutions like libraries close their doors to players, and theft or industrial espionage leads directly to player imprisonment.

Although player guilds and a series of official high-level figures are working hard to promote and try to reverse these negative public opinions, they cannot stop the vast majority of players from still treating this world with a gaming mentality. Behaviors such as ransacking, turning against people, and running away immediately are countless, leading to the player population being accused by multiple countries and deported.

In this environment, it is clear that the Old World is the least impacted. Because they treated players as useful slaves from the very beginning, they never considered them human. That players could scrape together a dozen warships, yet not a single one had any enchantments, shows that no one considered them human at all.

Even though players have already demonstrated much utility, and even the last pieces of news from Bretonnia were delivered by players, the goodwill they imagined simply does not exist.

A Chivalrous Expedition is certainly a good ladder for promotion, but the prerequisite is that you must be a person.

Ever since the Knight King returned from the Badlands, he looked at the intelligence regarding the second sun at the Landing Site, and then declared that the existence of players is less of a life form and more of a natural phenomenon. Therefore, there is no need to do anything to them, and fulfilling promises is instead the nobility of the Knights.

Under these circumstances, their environment can be described as precarious. Only in the Golden Land, a place where even swamp monsters can come to trade, can players feel that they are truly living.

"Ha... at first I thought that landing in another world would allow me to accomplish a great career."

Leaning against the railing and looking at the Psychic Torch that never sets outside the Golden Land, feeling the beautiful scenery that seemed to render the entire ocean a golden yellow, the player sighed, feeling a bitterness in his heart.

Feeling as though three days had passed on the ferry, the player finally arrived at the Golden Land. It was indeed as advertised; there was no discrimination against the status of players. A player's entire savings could even buy a ten-plus square meter apartment in this city on the edge of the mountains, with a view of the beach and the harbor.

But as the initial excitement passed, all that remained for the player was melancholy.

He once had a brotherly team of over a dozen people in Bretonnia, but ever since Bretonnia began to be unfriendly toward players, his team fell apart. After all, one has to eat; a large team with no work could only rely on their own abilities.

Fortunately, he was shameless enough during the previous period, swindling and doing any odd job, and eventually obtained quite a bit of savings, so he could still be considered to be spending some time in relative leisure. But what about after? Where should he go from here in this Golden Land?

Although the Star-Bearer does not discriminate against players, their main city is in the Broken Lands of the Arctic, and that region is a war zone. It is said that the Star-Bearer has a deep hatred for demons, and they are constantly in fierce attacks and conflicts; they would never let players enter the battlefield and cause the front line to collapse.

And if he were to live normally in the Golden Land, he cannot get into the trade fleets that communicate between the player officials and the Star-Bearer. Those are full of officials and top-tier big shots, and they have guaranteed reputations.

He also feels that the players who are exploring the surrounding seas and excavating shipwrecks and treasures are not quite right for him.

Because he doesn't have enough money to buy a treasure-hunting ship, and he feels it's a bit inappropriate to be a frogman. As for those large player guilds expanding into the interior of Albion Island, he is not a player within them, nor can he develop player villages.

As a result, after hesitating day by day, it ended up like this: he could only lean against the railing, blowing in the sea breeze, looking at the golden torch, and lamenting that his days were beginning to face a crisis, whether in reality or in this other world.

But just as he finished gnawing on his third squid strip, a knock suddenly came from outside the door.

"Who is it?"

"Hello, player."

Facing the player's lazy questioning voice, the person outside replied calmly: "I am a staff member of the Star-Bearer Hall in the Golden Land, and I am now distributing recruitment tasks. Would you like one?"

"Recruitment tasks? What kind of tasks?"

The player opened the door with a puzzled look and saw a golden-clad Star-Bearer standing outside.

And this tall man, with golden patterns on his forehead and limbs, looked down at the short player and pulled a piece of paper from his bosom.

"A-Su, leader of the player team 'Odd-Jobbers', you have rich work experience and a certain amount of experience in fighting demons, am I right?"

"Ah, that's right..."

"There is a job here with quite generous rewards that is very suitable for you. If you are interested, you can go to the assembly area on the left side of the City Hall to sign up."

"Thanks?"

Watching the Star-Bearer, who was covered in golden light, nod and disappear instantly after handing him the form, the player looked at the lingering starlight in confusion, and then stared blankly at the words on the form.

"Outer Realm Expedition Team...?"

(End of chapter)