Chương 35: CHAPTER 35
"Me?" The knight smiled. "I have not been asked to make that choice, as I am usually the one giving it. I can only say that there are three things the order values above all else: personal honor, a purposeful philosophy, and soldierly abilities. Those are our founding principles."
I found myself looking at what was obviously a trick question for the second time in the space of ten minutes. Just as with the instructor, I was sure there was more behind it than just gold, some item, or an ability.
"I choose the ability."
"And why?" Hugo was intrigued.
"Gold is just metal, and I can get it whenever I want. Items I can purchase with the gold I get. But abilities… You can't mine them, and you can't simply buy them. Plus, they're combat abilities so they could save my life."
"Bravo!" Hugo was effusive with his praise. "I was right about you!"
You learned a new active ability: Strength of Fire, Level 1
Inflicts fire damage on your opponents: 5 health per second for 30 seconds
Activation cost: 55 mana
Recharge time: 30 seconds
The Tearful Goddess Order offered you their friendship:
The benefits you will get if you accept are:
Title: Friend of the Tearful Goddess Order
You can always count on the physical, magical, or financial assistance of the order, whose missions are in all the cities in Elysium, if you need it to defend your honor, protect the defenseless, or destroy evil.
All knights of the order, when they see that you are in need of assistance, will consider it their duty to help you.
If you commit a dishonorable deed and the order learns of it, you will be stripped of their friendship and declared their enemy.
Accept?
That made things interesting. On the one hand, it was help from lots of NPCs and a wallet I could dip into if needed. On the other, if you happen to just kill someone, and an NPC sees it, you're toast-the enemy. I didn't need any help figuring out what knights do with their enemies. It would be straight to the respawn point for me.
Still, I leaned toward accepting their friendship and ended up clicking "Yes."
You unlocked Friends by the Bushel, Level 1.
To get it, become the friend of nine more orders, factions, or societies founded by NPCs.
Reward:
Charmer, a passive attribute, Level 1: 5% discount for all traders and all products in Ratter-mark
Title: Everyone's Favorite
To see similar messages, go to the Action section of the attribute window.
"I'm very happy our order has a new friend. In days gone by, many of your kind were our friends, though these days, they prefer to get what we have rather than enjoy a relationship with us." Hugo seemed entirely sincere in his regret.
"Things aren't the way they used to be?" I sighed.
"No romance in the world anymore..."
"These are bad days. Everyone's chasing gold, and meanwhile evil is awakening."
"It's awful. You can't even walk down the roads." I thought back to the unpleasant woman with the bushel of sticks.
"There's actually a reason I'm still here." Master Hugo leaned in and confided in me. "There's a very powerful Witcher in our city, or maybe somewhere in the outskirts. Be careful out there, Leyton, and especially at night."
"Can I help?"
You have a new quest offer: Witcher in the Shadows.
Task: Find out something about the witcher living in Fladridge or its outskirts and get the information to Hugo von Shlippenshtain.
Reward:
1200 experience
Other rewards: variable
Important note: If you do not get the information you learn to Hugo von Shlippenshtain, and instead use it to find and kill the witcher, you will fail the quest.
Accept?
"I'd be happy to help the order."
I left the mission very satisfied with the ability, experience, gold, action, and quest I'd gotten. Not bad!
Ten steps later, I found myself staring at a sign: "Hotel."
"What an idiot!" I smacked my forehead. "I almost forgot. I'd have been stuck lugging everything around yet again."
The hotel was small and cozy. The bell hanging on the entrance rang softly, and the face of the cute blonde girl behind the counter lit up with a smile.
"Welcome to the Starling and Lira! I hope your stay will be pleasant."
"I'm sure it will be. Could I have a room?"
"Of course." She smiled again. "Room 15, second floor, up the stairs and to the right. Five silver coins a day. You pay when you return your key and leave the hotel."
She handed me a key.
You're now renting a hotel room. It is your personal space, meaning that you always have a place to leave your things no matter which city in Rat-termark you're in. You are the only one who can enter unless you bring someone with you, and they are only allowed in when you are there. Don't forget to pay on time. If you do not, you will not be allowed into your room. Don't worry, however, your possessions will remain there waiting for you.
"Got it!" I looked at the girl again, and she smiled one more time. "What's your name, cutie?"
"Lubelia." She blushed.
"Beautiful. Lubelia, here's 30 gold. That's enough to cover rent for... Well, for a long time. And here's one gold for you. Buy yourself some candy or something—something as gorgeous as you are!"
"Thank you, sir." Lubelia blushed again and looked at me coquettishly. "Maybe I can come by this evening to fluff your pillow?"
"No, no, no," I said. "I won't be there tonight, I have things to do. But thanks."
I walked upstairs thinking about what I'd turned down. She was great, and I enjoy sex as much as the next guy, but sex with a piece of code seemed a bit much. Some perverts somewhere probably can't get enough of it, though…
The room was simple: a table, a bed, chairs, a window, and a large chest. The latter was all I cared about. I unloaded all but 30 gold, taking the time to pat myself on the back for what was a decent haul for Level 22. Although, it really wasn't that hard—a thousand here, five hundred there. I also decided to leave the lucky earring there until I got to Level 25, and the sword followed it. Sure, I couldn't lose it, but what was the point of carrying it around? I did keep the ring the Gray Witch gave me, remembering that I couldn't lose it either.
Once I had everything in the chest, I stepped back and looked at my collection proudly. Then, having slammed it shut, I left the room.
"You're leaving already, sir?" Lubelia scrunched up her nose adorably. "That quickly?"
"You bet, babe." I handed her the key. "Exploits await! You don't happen to know where I could find some villains to protect the city from, do you?"
"Of course I do." She sighed. "We can't even go into the forest anymore. There's a witch living there, and the magistrate even put a price on her head. Go talk to the mayor, he'll tell you everything. Will you be coming back here?"
"Well, certainly. I'll be back!" I said in my best Austrian accent.
"What?"
"Ah, forget it, it's from a movie?"
The magistrate building was the tallest in Fladridge, and it had the most NPCs and players running around it. I was already sick and tired of the inquisitive high-level players running around asking questions, and I almost got into a fight with one of them after he grabbed me and tried to shake some information out of me. Obviously, he outweighed me by a large margin, so I had to think of something quickly.
"A-a-ah! Game admins! He's stopping my game progress! Help me!"
"Are you crazy?" Volosat from the Children of Sin clan dropped me. "What are you talking about? If you don't know anything, just say it!"
"I did!" I looked at him in annoyance. "You came here to kill me! Kille-e-er!"
"Who needs you, you squirt?" He wheeled and walked off.
"Why did I have to start all this?" I berated myself as I clambered up the steps of the magistrate building. The mayor's office was on the third floor, and nobody had bothered to invent the elevator yet. "I saw what I wanted to see, but this is getting out of hand."
The mayor looked, well...like a mayor. Remember Evgeni Leonov from An Ordinary Miracle? One and the same, although this one was in a black frock coat. He had an enormous nose, red cheeks, and crafty little eyes—the kind of person who never gives and always takes.
"What do you need, sir?" he asked.
"Someone told me you have a witch problem. I can help take care of it."
"Yes, exactly. She's awful, sneaking all over the place!"
The mayor smiled as he realised why I was there.
"Witches are all the same."
"It's true." The mayor cocked his head and looked at me. "If it weren't for knights like you, altruistically helping us simple people..."
"Altruistically?" I was indignant. "Evil always has its price!"
"What's that?" The mayor cupped his hand around his ear.
~ ~ ~
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