The Enthusiasm of Secondary-Profession Players

Lilina was surprised to learn that this Scourge warrior was such a distant predecessor.

Moreover, he had even consulted Lord Lister about swordsmanship in the beginning, and his expression softened, becoming more respectful.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel curious, so he asked the "Big Hammer Bro" a question, somewhat embarrassed.

"What did Lord Lister look like back then?"

Hearing Lilina take the initiative to ask questions, the three of them felt a surge of relief.

In front of other players, they are more focused on making money, and at most, they might hear a few compliments about their skills.

This was the only time I had the chance to show off in front of NPCs, especially by flaunting my seniority with them—it was a novel experience.

Compared to the other two, "Big Hammer Bro" also became interested.

However, they did rephrase their statements, unlike the uninhibited communication they had with players.

"Ms. Lilina, Count Merrick's appearance has hardly changed since then."

"However, he didn't have the same aura as he does now, but he was very patient in teaching us his skills."

"The training was initially conducted at the castle training grounds, but as more people were cleared out, the instruction was moved outside the castle."

"I remember there was a butler named Tim at the castle back then, who would bring the Earl some tea and snacks every now and then..."

Lister's appearance has remained unchanged over the years; he is an extraordinary Class Holder with a rapid advancement rate.

As things stand, nothing will change even after ten thousand years.

The rest of the content, of course, was somewhat "edited" by Big Hammer Bro.

After all, Lister's skill transmission involved no instruction whatsoever; it was simply a one-click, batch transmission from the system.

However, Lilina was even more excited at this moment, and explained with great pride.

"Sir, Butler Tim is my grandfather!"

The three of them didn't expect that their conversation would actually lead them to something related to Lilina.

The Caliper Sis in the red dress standing next to her quickly seized the opportunity to probe.

"Ms. Lilina, may I ask why Commander Merrick is looking for us?"

"I would like to ask everyone to use their strengths; as for more, I am not aware of them and dare not disclose them."

Despite the growing closer relationship, Lilina remained steadfast in her professional ethics and unmoved.

Finally, led by Lilina, the three of them passed through a heavy wooden door and entered one of the side rooms.

This side room seemed frozen in time, with fire flickering in the rough stone fireplace.

The walls are covered with huge tapestries depicting ancient knights' battles, every thread of which seems to be imbued with history.

The heavy solid wood table, weathered by time, gleams with a warm luster, surrounded by heavy solid wood high-backed chairs, their intricate and exquisite carvings a typical style of the Kingdom of Lucian.

The high-hanging crystal chandelier emits a soft glow, seemingly cut from countless natural crystals, shimmering with iridescent light.

"Count Merrick has such good taste!"

"The entire castle has been completely preserved in the style of the old aristocratic era."

"These items should fetch a high price from NPCs in the game, right?"

Caliper Sis couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice that the game was now in the space age, with all kinds of new-era aesthetic architecture.

Castle-like structures like these are only truly preserved from the earliest nobles of the Merrick Civilization.

"Do you even need to tell me? Anything from Count Merrick is guaranteed to fetch a high price among NPCs!"

"Iron Anvil," who had been quiet the most among the three, spoke up with considerable surprise.

"Moreover, these things are not as simple as they seem."

Hearing Iron Anvil's words, Big Hammer Bro and Caliper Sis couldn't help but observe more closely.

Above the fireplace, cold, metallic patterns flickered in and out of view in the firelight, resembling some kind of energy circuit.

Between the enormous tapestry fabrics, extremely fine metallic particles flowed slowly as if alive, like some kind of sensor network, with an alarm hidden beneath the calm surface.

As expected, this was not a genuine replica of an ancient building.

Of the three, Caliper Sis took a quick look and then started taking screenshots and showing off in the game's public chat.

Although no players were actively interested in the interior of Merrick Castle, the photos she posted still attracted a lot of attention.

"Wow! Really, interior photos of Merrick Castle?"

"So Count Merrick has a fondness for old-fashioned, antique styles!"

"Isn't Merrick Castle a restricted area? How did this person get there?"

"Could they have forced their way into the castle? Are there really such ruthless people? Why is even my teleportation blocked?"

"Wow, that's amazing! Could you take more inside photos? I want to recreate it in the game."

As an NPC who has been active since the first act of the game, Lister is often criticized by players as the game's favorite character, but his actual popularity and acclaim are truly the highest.

Over the years, players have become accustomed to the NPC leader Lister.

In addition, with Lister's several impressive swordplay moves and the grand scale of the battle, there are quite a few people in the public chat inquiring and discussing it right now.

"Thump~ thump~!"

Lister stepped steadily into the side hall.

Immediately, all three stopped paying attention to the messages on the public screen and quickly stood up to bow to Lister.

"Commander~!"

Among players, Lister is currently referred to more affectionately as the leader of the Scourge Legion.

Good afternoon, everyone. Please have a seat.

As soon as she finished speaking, Lilina brought over tea and pastries again.

These were all foods that Lister had enjoyed in his younger days. Now that he had reached a certain level of enlightenment, he no longer needed food; eating these was merely a way of reminiscing.

"I've heard that the three of you are among the most skilled blacksmiths in the Scourge Legion."

"I have some items that I need your help with."

"This is the payment I can offer you three. If you can complete it in a short time, there will be an additional bonus as a reward."

"Notification: Side quest received: Forging Invitation from Pioneer Lister. Forge a batch of special items for Lister."

"Quest Rewards: Eye of Ashes Barrier Key, 20 million experience points, 5 million credits."

"Accept or not?"

"Accept."

Without the slightest hesitation, the three of them immediately accepted the side quest.

They were puzzled before they arrived, unsure of Count Merrick's purpose in seeking them out.

Surely it couldn't really be for forging? Turns out, it really is.

"Thank you all for agreeing to forge these items for me. However, these items are difficult to forge into finished products. If any of you know any excellent blacksmiths, I hope you can bring them to the castle and recommend them to me."

Lister spoke very politely to the three players in front of him.

This batch of forging was actually for replacing parts for Jiji's advancement to Hegemon.

The Machine-Slaying Federation has only been developing for a few years, and master craftsmen are extremely rare throughout the federation.

For example, Powell had too many projects on his plate to dedicate time specifically to Jiji's material creation.

Even if he has the time, it's uncertain when he'll be able to figure it out.

As for the other newly trained blacksmiths in the Federation, the game's natives can only follow the established procedures; there aren't that many blacksmiths who meet the standards.

Moreover, the difficulty of forging this type of material Jiji the new material design blueprints given by Kavin lies not only in the skills, but also in a lot of luck.

He only thought of asking the players to come on the spur of the moment.

Now that we've reached Act 9, the top blacksmiths among the players are in no way inferior to Powell.

These life-skill-based blacksmithing Class Holder often possess unique skills that the native inhabitants lack, which might surprise them in their blacksmithing endeavors.

The entire meeting and the assignment of the side mission lasted less than ten minutes.

After giving his instructions, Lister left first, leaving the three of them to stay and tour certain areas of the castle.

Before long, the news that Lister had taken the initiative to issue a side quest had spread throughout the public chat.

Upon hearing that side quests could be accepted at the castle, countless blacksmiths expressed their interest.

It's not that they're truly confident in their skills; most players are just there to visit Merrick Castle.

As the game updates, the earliest maps are gradually being restricted and banned.

In particular, a large area near the former Merrick Castle, encompassing the entire former Kingdom of Lucian, was a restricted zone.

The opportunity to visit through a side quest, and even to be personally received by Lister, is incredibly appealing to both new and veteran players.

Unfortunately, the primary requirement for applying is being a secondary profession blacksmith.

Moreover, when the next batch of blacksmiths arrive to accept the missions, they will find that Lister no longer takes the initiative to greet them, but Lilina is in charge of distributing the side missions.

Lister's move served two purposes: firstly, to encourage players to experiment with crafting equipment for Jiji, and secondly, to establish more interactive connections with the players.

Things indeed unfolded as Lister had predicted.

Shortly after the news broke on the public screen, the First Administrative Star received countless applications.

Countless players specializing in crafting or those who had achieved certain secondary professions entered Merrick Castle in an orderly fashion to obtain side quests from Lilina.

Most players don't care about the generous rewards offered by the side quests specifically designed by Lister.

In fact, the Eye of Ashes Barrier can also significantly boost the level and skills of players with crafting-based secondary professions.

Unfortunately, most players who are focused on their secondary professions don't have a strong desire to improve their skills.

The main focus is on maintaining a certain level of performance and exploring the game as a whole.

However, he took the side quest issued by Lister very seriously.

As the most popular NPC, players actually want to get close to him and build a closer relationship with him.

Now, you can no longer meet him when accepting side quests; you can only hope to meet Lister after completing and submitting the quest.

The task of Jiji equipment for Jiji quickly became a major competition among secondary profession players.

This relieved Lister, who was silently watching from the public chat.

Although things didn't go as he expected, the outcome was ultimately good.

At the same time, he also gained a new understanding of his image and influence among players.

Of course, the current activity of secondary profession players does not affect the Scourge Legion's true front line in the slightest.

Top players are constantly engaged in battle.

In just a few months, the top-tier players have already reached level 18.

Hoffman was in the control room, looking at the remaining targets for attack, finding it difficult to make a decision.

With the fall of two World-Ending Level beings causing turmoil, the cleanup mission was no longer as easy as it had been at the beginning, when the Steel Remains Star Alliance, for example, completely relaxed its vigilance and completed the cleanup effortlessly.

Nowadays, most seasoned Hegemon either make a tough decision and completely escape, or they still hold onto a last glimmer of hope, cowering at the very core of their power.

It will be quite difficult to tackle this head-on!

"Crimson... Do you have any ideas about your next goal?"

As Hoffman asked his question, the Crimson Archbishop fumbled with his dark red book, appearing indifferent from the start.

He shook his head silently, but then, as if he had thought of something, he asked Hoffman.

"It seems that our Scourge Legion's undead have broken through the limits?"

"I remember the highest rank used to be around 16, right?"

"Yes, after the last hibernation ended, my current rank should be 18."

What are you trying to say?

Hoffman also paid close attention to the Scourge Legion.

The legion composed of the only undead was also the biggest contributor to their low mortality rate in this cleanup mission.

Much of this information is actually being followed by most officers in the federal army.

"I think several Quasi-Hegemon have emerged since this period of dormancy?"

"Could it be that our Federation's Scourge Legion breaks free from its talent shackles every time it goes into hibernation?"

"Will the next hibernation end, and Overlord Tier powerhouse like you or me be born?"

In fact, Crimson had not originally paid any attention to the Scourge Legion.

Even an army composed of the undead is probably unique in the universe.

However, its rank is too low, it has no growth potential, and it is not worth his attention.

Now things are different; he discovered that these undead from the Scourge Legion are actually starting to grow stronger again.

Not only did they achieve a higher rank, but they also produced nearly ten Quasi-Hegemon.

This is why they started paying close attention; the potential immortals are completely incomparable to those of the past.

Not to mention the undead who have the potential to become Hegemon; if such an undead Hegemon were to be born in the universe...

The force that wields this power... I'm afraid... Crimson dared not delve too deeply into it.

This Scourge Legion is, after all, personally led by Lister.

One thing he was quite fortunate about was that he was now a member of the Machine-Slaying Federation, and this legion was his ally. In fact, he even had the authority to mobilize this legion during the current mission.

"I don't know about that."

"The Scourge Legion was originally formed from the undead warriors of the Merrick Civilization."

"It has always been personally managed by Lister; if you're curious, you can ask Lister directly."

"I don't know much more about this legion either."

Hoffman's assessment was actually quite consistent with Crimson's.

Now they are taking the strength of this legion seriously and have realized why Lister was willing to reward the Scourge Legion with precious Soul Crystals last time.

It's likely that Lister knew all along the potential of this legion, including the potential of these undead, which had never been limited.

As long as it remains dormant, its potential will be continuously unleashed.

However, the more this was the case, the less he wanted to talk about it.

Although the Crimson Archbishop is now a Hegemon force within the Machine-Slaying Federation, he remains Hegemon.

However, since it is a force that was brought in midway, trust is still being built.

Aside from the information that was readily available, he was unwilling to reveal any further details about the Scourge Legion, thus allowing Crimson to gather more information.