"Mission complete!"
『A mysterious sculptor who is rumored to have visited the Royal Palace.』
『The rumor that reached the instructor's ear really happened. An artist who painted the moonlight hero, and was widely yet secretly known among kanto and ?!^÷€ artists, though it remained an enigma how he drew the moonlight hero.』
『Reward: Return to the instructor to claim it.』
Volkner smiled widely. After all, this was a simple mission with the lowest difficulty level E. At the same time, unless he had managed to befriend the shopkeeper, it could have been tricky.
As he was done with the quest, the next step was to return to the Training Hall and earn an instructor reward. As Volkner looked for the right moment to say goodbye and leave, the shopkeeper, deep in thought, finally spoke.
"I didn't hear how he drew the moonlight hero"
"Didn't the patrons of the Royal Court tell you about this?"
"Hmm, they always left out in their history. They refused to tell me about it. They said that King Sasha, may his soul rest in peace, was involved in the event. Can you do me a favor and look into this so that my curiosity is satisfied?
『The artist's past.』
『Rumor has it that the sacha king of *@&#& was involved in the event that the artist designed performed at the Royal Palace. The shopkeeper of the arts shop wondered what connection existed between the two.』
『Difficulty Level: E』
『Warning: If you are investigating the rumor in question, you will be exposed to the hostility of the Royal Knights.』
Volkner's clenched fists were shaking with excitement. "This is a serial quest"
Even when a mission's difficulty level is very low, the rewards level skyrockets in the case of series missions. The more stages you complete, the more difficult the quest becomes, and so most serial quests will likely make it very difficult for Volkner at his current level to solve.
The only missions Volkner can complete are the ones inside the City, asking and gathering information from people.
"I am still incompetent. I'm afraid I'm not worthy of your request," Volkner said.
"I'm sure you're up to the task. Your prudence will guide the way to safety" The shopkeeper replied
"If you say so, I will gladly accept it," Volkner said humbly.
『You accepted the quest.』
"Thank you traveler. A bard with knowledge of ancient tales and street gossip is the one you should ask about King Sasha, Beware! This matter is very sensitive, so you should not cause any problems that could lead to any defamation of the Royal Family."
* * *
Stifling a sudden urge to hum a tune, Volkner headed straight for a pub across the street.
"Good afternoon." Returning a waitress's greeting, Volkner looked around for a bard. There were some conditions to fulfill. First, he counted the bard users when he looked for the right man. It was a long shot that any user had ever heard of an event that took place at the Royal Palace half a century earlier. Volkner would be better off finding a native of Kanto, possibly an old man.
There were two continents currently in Royal Pokemon Online, Eram Kanto and Jhoto. The city of kanto was quite famous and special because it was close to the big event and the royal palace, as well as the victorious road.
Whether he could sing ballads favorably or not, an old bard was reliable when it came to mundane gossip. Volkner stopped at several pubs until he found a bard who lived up to his expectations. He was a middle-aged bard in his forties, an experience bought with charm and youth. Clapping his hands, Volkner approached the bard.
"Thanks for a good ballad, sir. Forgive me for interrupting you, but I want to ask you a few questions... Do you know what happened fifty years ago in the Kanto Royal Court?
The bard held out his palm, and Volkner couldn't help but see what that gesture implied. He frowned immediately, his mouth twitching with a grave sense of responsibility that he wouldn't waste a dime.
"You sure have a lovely voice. I appreciate your talent in writing both the lyrics and the music for this ballad. Also, his instrument skills were more than impressive…"
"…"
"I bet you broke the hearts of many serabourgeois ladies when you were a young ray of sunshine at the height of your career. Of course, I don't doubt you're still stealing women's hearts... For a bard, adventure and romance are everything. I love romance too
The palm didn't go away, and the bard replied, "I'm tired of cheap compliments from people like you, foreigner. Show me the money or get lost"
Volkner was momentarily lost.
'Sir, I'm poor too...' Volkner cried and. your mind.
"Do I just give up the mission in the middle? Anyway, the quest doesn't penalize me, even if I decide to give up. But maybe that would give me sweet rewards later, and I would hate to miss them."
Volkner's hand slipped into his pocket grudgingly and he fished out a coin before he realized his mistake. Two silvers! There were two silver coins in his pocket. That was all the instructor had given him as a retention rate for the previous mission.
The bard took the silver coin from Volkner's palm.
'My money'😭
It was a basic mistake that he forgot to exchange his money for smaller coins in advance.
"I can't believe I made such a silly mistake!" Volkner's body shook with anguish and sadness.
"Hmph, this is a secret so you should keep it to yourself" The bard said quietly "The sacha king and the unknown artist have had intimate relations since they were children"
"What do you mean by intimate terms…?" Volkner asked
"You idiot! I don't know anything else about intimate terms between a man and a woman - they loved each other"
"Point taken" Volkner now realized why sticking his nose in the rumor had to remain a Royal Court secret.
Given that the former king's sacred name was mentioned in that scandalous article. The Royal Knights would be willing to silence anyone at any cost to keep their honor intact.