You Wouldn't Want to Make an Enemy of Merrick, Would You?
System Announcement: System maintenance is complete, the server is back online, and players are now allowed to log in.
Announcement: The third Expansion has been released: In the year 1540 of the Solar Calendar, the newly rising Lucian Empire and the long-established Great Chu Imperial Dynasty are already experiencing friction, both seeking to start the final war...
Announcement: Players must choose a faction before entering: Lucian Empire or Great Chu Imperial Dynasty. (Note: Once chosen, the faction cannot be changed!)
"Faction selected: Lucian Empire"
"Congratulations! You have triggered the Main Quest - Fight for the Lucian Empire: Congratulations on receiving the Lucian Empire's summons to contribute to the upcoming war of the century!"
Task time limit: None.
"Task Rewards: 3 million experience points, 5 free attribute points, 50,000 gold coins."
"Accept?"
"Yes!"
We had barely arrived outside the city of the Duchy of Will when the third act Expansion was already available.
Under his influence, the first three acts of the game progress extremely quickly.
Of course, for players, the time difference is actually not significant.
Lister only played the game for 17 years in his previous life, but the world within the game had already existed for thousands of years.
Once the Expansion for the Galactic Federation is released, even he will find it difficult to advance the timeline.
The later the game progresses, the more the player feels like a fleeting moment in the Divine Revelation of life.
Starting from Act III, players finally have the option to choose a faction and exert influence over the Divine Revelation World.
The Lost Lands will soon become the main battlefield, where players from both factions and Class Holder from both countries will clash.
Of course, the third act is essentially still welfare-oriented, a point Lister remembers very clearly.
The war in Act III ended without a clear winner. The deadline was set when a player discovered how to unlock the Alchemy Ruined City in Act IV, after which the game proceeded directly to Act IV.
Therefore, the main storyline reward for Act 3 is that both factions can receive the reward upon completion.
Of course, this is also the last time for the main welfare storyline.
Starting from Act IV, the main storyline involving factional conflict will not cover all players; the real gap between players begins to widen from Act IV onwards.
"Who's there? Get out of the way!"
A stern roar came from not far behind.
Behind the man who spoke was a group of well-equipped Class Holder, with two exceptionally luxurious carriages in the middle, followed by a long line of wagons.
Judging from the appearance of this team, it's clear at a glance that they are escorting extraordinary goods.
Seeing that Lister made no move, and even stopped completely at this moment, he was so ungrateful.
The third-tier Class Holder leading the group had no choice but to stop the entire convoy and then immediately spurred his horse forward.
His face was fierce, and he even spat nearby, looking impatient.
But as soon as they got close, they sensed the powerful aura emanating from Lister and their expressions changed drastically.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally mustered the courage to speak.
"Sir, are you just passing by, or are you deliberately trying to cause trouble for our merchant guild?"
Before Lister could answer, the leading Class Holder continued speaking.
"If you are just passing by, please make way. Poly Merchant Association will compensate you for the time you have wasted."
When the man mentioned the Poly Merchant Association, his voice suddenly rose.
Her face was full of arrogance, and she was trying to see something in his expression.
Unfortunately, Lister remained calm and completely unconcerned.
This made the Class Holder in front of him even more serious.
"Sir, your strength is indeed formidable, but it's impossible for you to fight against the entire Poly Merchant Association alone!"
"Now that you're in the Duchy of Will, even if you haven't heard of our Poly Merchant Association, you should at least know about the Count Merrick Family, right?"
"Our Poly Merchant Association serves the Count Merrick Family. You wouldn't want to make enemies of the Merick Family within the duchy, would you?"
"You must understand, this is tantamount to making an enemy of the entire Duchy of Will!"
Fearing that the powerful figure before them might genuinely be unfamiliar with the Poly Merchant Association of Commerce, the team leader couldn't help but invoke the name of the Merick Family.
Within the Duchy of Will, the title of Count Merrick is practically the most useful passport.
Any family or power that hears about matters related to the Count Merrick Family will do its utmost to satisfy them and dare not delay in the slightest.
There are even rumors now that within the Duchy of Will, even the Lucian royal family is not as influential as the Merick Family's reputation.
Logically, the powerful figure in front of him should have made way with a displeased expression, just as he expected, and accepted some monetary subsidies from their Poly Merchant Association.
Unfortunately, the title of Count Merrick, which used to be incredibly useful, seems to be somewhat ineffective today.
The powerful figure before them seemed utterly unafraid of the Merick Family, even displaying a strange smile on his face.
The team leader swallowed subconsciously, then raised his hand in greeting.
The dozen or so Class Holder who had been waiting behind them immediately surrounded them.
They were all quite powerful, and at this moment they all drew their weapons, showing no fear of the astonishing aura emanating from Lister.
I've heard of your Poly Merchant Association.
"Is President Porter in the carriage behind us?"
Lister was both amused and exasperated, never expecting that the Poly Merchant Association, backed by his family, had grown so strong.
They never imagined they would run into the Poly Merchant Association's convoy in the woods Will City.
The area outside the duchy is large, but there are not many roads suitable for large caravans.
There's only one main road through this forest. Lister was just riding a little too slowly and glanced at the notice, unintentionally blocking the way.
"Do you know our Chairman Porter?"
The team leader's face was full of suspicion, but faced with the powerful aura emanating from Lister, he ultimately did not want to confront such a strong opponent head-on.
He told the rest of the squad to continue surrounding Lister, then turned and went to the carriage behind to inquire.
Soon, a fat man dressed in a familiar purple silk robe struggled to alight from the first jeweled carriage.
Looking in Lister's direction, his round face showed an impatient expression.
But upon seeing Lister's appearance, his small eyes immediately widened!
The next moment, all the impatience on his face vanished.
In the blink of an eye, they were filled with boundless enthusiasm, and their hands waved excitedly at Lister.
At the same time, he finally realized that Lister was surrounded by his guild's Class Holder team, and hurriedly shouted.
"Stop it! Get out of my way!"
He shouted as he ran quickly toward Lister.
His body, weighing nearly 300 pounds, moved like a purple ball of flesh when he ran.
When he arrived in front of Lister, his face was already disheveled and his clothes were covered in mud.
That's right, in a distance of less than 100 meters, Porter was used to a life of luxury, fell twice.
He was wiping sweat from his forehead and panting heavily.
"Get out of my way! You don't even recognize Count Merrick? A bunch of useless trash!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd, who had already sheathed their weapons, all showed surprise in their eyes. They dared not look any further and quickly obeyed the order to retreat.
The Class Holder team leader standing next to President Porter stared wide-eyed, looking utterly incredulous.
He had been serving the Poly Merchant Association for almost half a year, and his favorite title for all cargo escort and missions was Count Merrick.
In the Lucian Empire, Count Merrick is a highly respected earl, and most factions are willing to give him face.
As for the routes within the Duchy of Will, that goes without saying; the Count Merrick's status was even higher than that of the Duke.
I've always regretted never having met Count Merrick in person, but who knew I'd meet him in this way today.
Furthermore, they used the Count Merrick's name to put pressure on the Count Merrick himself.
"You get out of here too!"
Seeing the leader still standing there dumbfounded, Porter launched into another tirade of curses.
Only after the leader left did he approach Lister's horse with a warm expression, bow, and inquire.
"Your Excellency, you have finally returned from your travels!"
"President Porter, your Poly Merchant Association is doing quite well!"
Lister didn't care about the farce that had just happened. They were all subordinate forces of his family, and the better they developed, the stronger his family became.
"The Poly Merchant Association's success today is entirely thanks to your efforts, Earl!"
Porter smiled apologetically; he hadn't expected such a coincidence either.
Lord Count Merrick, who had been missing for several months, was unexpectedly spotted by him today.
It was time to quickly change the subject, and at the same time, I really had something to report to Lister.
"My lord, you may not know this, but Emperor Hughes has been searching for you throughout the empire for some time now."
"They've pressed our Poly Merchant Association several times, suspecting we're concealing your whereabouts, and recently they've even started restricting our normal trade in Royal City of Bode."
Looking for me?
"Yes, I heard that war with the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty is about to break out. You were the first ambassador to make contact with Great Chu, and they intend to have you lead the expedition to invade Great Chu Imperial Dynasty."
"We just haven't been able to find you. We've already dealt with several groups of officials at the Central General Office recently."
"I heard that if Duke Will hadn't spoken up for you several times in front of Emperor Hughes, they might have demoted your title..."