Chapter 12: Investigating The Snitch
Editor: Atlas Studios
Even though Liu Ming had long hidden the blue glow, the Doomsday Knight Apprentice gear had better appearances than the equipment that players of the current stage had.
Players at this stage wore shabby-looking, old-fashioned White outfits. Hence, many players began talking about Liu Ming.
"Who is this big shot? He actually has knight armor gear!"
"He must be an NPC. How can players at this stage have the ability to get such equipment?"
"Are you blind!?! The information bar above that big shot's head states, damn it… A Level 8 big shot!"
"Damn! I've seen the big shot, Floating Cloud, in person!"
...
After discovering Liu Ming's identity and level, a group of players looked at Liu Ming with gazes of admiration as if they were looking up to a big shot.
This small episode allowed Liu Ming to experience the feeling of being in the limelight. However, Liu Ming had had too many surprises today, so many that he did not feel too excited.
Liu Ming's composure was also one reason the crowd began finding him increasingly mysterious.
All of a sudden, no one dared to speak to him. Even when Liu Ming walked through the crowd, many people unconsciously made way for him.
Not long after, Liu Ming's figure disappeared out of the crowd's sight.
At this moment, many of the players began to look frustrated.
"Damn it! I forgot to take a picture with the big shot!"
"Now that you've mentioned it, I've also forgotten about it. However, was that the aura of a big shot!?! How terrifying!
"What big shot? He's just like a god! From now on, I'm a hardcore fan of Floating Cloud God."
...
On the other hand, Liu Ming had entered the village chief's home at this moment.
When the village chief saw Liu Ming, he said smilingly, "Brave adventurer, did you come to find me because you have found the mastermind?"
Seeing this, Liu Ming immediately took out the Sanguine Crystal from the system backpack and handed it to the village chief.
Upon receiving the Sanguine Crystal, the village chief's grin grew wider. "Indeed, it is this item. Adventurer Floating Cloud, it seems like you have successfully completed the mission this time. I'll give you the reward you deserve."
After he finished speaking, the village chief whipped out a ring that glowed with a purple light and a money bag filled with Gold Coins, both of which he stuffed into Liu Ming's hand.
Immediately after that, system messages appeared before Liu Ming's eyes.
[Congratulations, Adventurer, you have completed the first round of the quest: Investigating The East Region's Mining Cave (100% Completed)!]
[Congratulations, Adventurer, you have obtained 250,000 EXP.]
[Congratulations, Adventurer, you have obtained 80 Gold Coins.]
[Congratulations, Adventurer, you have obtained Resolution Ring (Purple)]
...
The acquisition of 250,000 EXP allowed Liu Ming—who was already about to level up—to advance to Level 9 immediately.
The sudden generous quest rewards made Liu Ming feel rather surprised. The Purple ring was a piece of rare equipment, and 80 Gold Coins was cold hard cash. Under normal circumstances, such rewards wouldn't appear in a chain quest's first round.
However, Liu Ming soon thought of the root of the problem. The Doomsday Devotee group would instantly annihilate ordinary players once they made a mistake during the battle, even if they were Level 10 players.
In terms of mission difficulty, the one Liu Ming completed was indeed very difficult. Besides, other players were not like Liu Ming, who had his Blessing Of Lady Luck talent, which allowed him to earn a lot of money while completing the mission.
It was normal for God Domain's official developers to increase the rewards for such missions.
Soon, Liu Ming focused his attention on the Resolution Ring's information panel.
Resolution Ring (Purple)
Level: 10
Power: +30
Physique +31
Agility +29
Additional Stats: +20% Damage
The Resolution Ring had one additional attribute, but it was quite simple and crude. The 20% increase in Attack Damage was a top-tier Stat for players that didn't specialize in pure-healing professions.
Even if there were no longer any better rings, the Resolution Ring probably would not be outdated until the player reached Level 40 or Level 50.
The moment he saw the Resolution Ring's additional Stat, Liu Ming couldn't help but be agitated despite having already seen plenty of top-grade equipment.
...
After calming himself down, Liu Ming quietly waited for the village chief to speak again.
At this time, the village chief had already put on a solemn expression as he said, "Adventurer Floating Cloud, although the mastermind has been dealt with, the village snitch has not been caught yet. I hope you can find the real snitch."
"After my open and secret investigations the past few days, it has been confirmed that the snitch is one of four suspects. The suspects are Father Bert of the church in the village's west, Lieutenant Shaun of the police squad, Lord Klurt in the village's north, and Old Hunter Robbo in the village's south."
"These four people have high statuses in the village. They are the first to know whenever the village organizes a search in the East Region's mining cave. Besides, they also have the power to relay the news."
When the village chief said that, a system prompt sounded.
[Congratulations, Adventurer, you have activated the hidden quest—The Terror Hidden In The Darkness (Round Two): Find the snitch.]
[Mission Introduction: You—who has perfectly dealt with the crisis in the village—have gained the trust of Village Chief Carlos.]
[Village Chief Carlos now has a new mission for you. He hopes you can find the snitch in the village and completely get rid of the hidden danger in the village.]
[After a preliminary investigation by Village Chief Carlos, the four prime suspects are Father Bert, Lieutenant Shaun, Lord Klurt, and Old Hunter Robbo. Hopefully, you can find the real snitch amongst them and clear the other three innocent parties' names.]
[Mission Reward: Reward is unknown. After completing the mission, please go to the main city's City Hall to activate the hidden quest's third round.]
Looking at the mission information, Liu Ming knew that there shouldn't be much fighting in this upcoming round. To be exact, there would probably be fewer traps in the following battles as opposed to before
...
After learning some more information about the four suspects from the village chief, Liu Ming bade him farewell smilingly and walked towards the south of the village.
Old Hunter Robbo had the lowest status among the four suspects. He was more likely to avoid the crowd's attention than the others, who were almost in the limelight. He was the most suspicious.
If it weren't for the fact that the other three had also been acting very suspiciously lately, the village chief would probably have arrested him. Hence, the village chief advised Liu Ming to investigate the hunter first so as to catch the snitch as soon as possible or eliminate him as a suspect.
Liu Ming had his own opinion about that. According to Liu Ming's years of gaming experience, the more suspicious the character, the less likely they would be the actual culprit. However, Liu Ming could not accurately guess who among the other three was the real snitch. Hence, he had to follow the flow of the mission first.
-- Gift
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