The middle-aged man in military uniform whom players jokingly called "Father-in-law" was named Otis Ezekiel Fare, the Army Commander-in-Chief of the Thirteen City Alliance.
Who could remember such a long name? Li Li had wanted to simply call him Father-in-law like the players did, but he still did not know what the man's daughter looked like, so he could only politely say:
"Mr. Fare, why don't you have a seat first?"
He had Fare, whose stomach still had a hole in it, sit on the sofa in front of the desk. Then he took some tea leaves from the cabinet and filled the kettle to boil water.
Hmm... the mayor had been right. He really should find himself a secretary.
Once Aer finished up and came back, he would teach her how to make tea first...
Amid the noise of the electric kettle, Fare, dressed in military uniform, finally could not sit still any longer. He took the initiative to speak. "I want to know about the Alliance's destruction."
"Then you should ask those Otherworlders. I got the information from them too," Li Li said. "But if you do not mind secondhand information, I can answer some of your questions."
Hearing that, Fare asked directly, "When was the Alliance destroyed?"
Li Li answered, "Around the middle of July this year. There should be more than 170 days left from now."
Fare asked again, "How was the Alliance destroyed?"
Li Li answered, "The Alliance lost the God Banning Barrier and was devoured by gods gathered from all over the world."
Upon hearing that, Fare shot to his feet. After realizing he had lost his composure, he slowly sat back down.
This soldier, who had remained calm enough to analyze the situation even after seeing the mayor reduced to ashes, now seemed unable to sit still.
Because Fare knew that Li Li's words were most likely true.
What he had experienced in the Misty Forest, along with the mayor's gray stone fragments not far away, both indicated that a powerful force within the Alliance was plotting something terrible.
A force capable of making a Hero Rank powerhouse sacrifice himself, and using a demigod as a chess piece to probe the waters...
As one of the Alliance's upper echelons, Fare knew far more than Li Li. Now that he had confirmed someone truly intended to destroy the Alliance, some seemingly insignificant incidents from the past appeared to carry certain implications.
Fare did not dare estimate the strength of that force, nor did he dare think too deeply about how badly the Alliance had already been corrupted.
Half a year?
Perhaps on some timeline, someone truly had destroyed the Alliance half a year later.
But now, with the god before him acting so openly, the force plotting to destroy the Alliance would likely accelerate its plans.
"You do not need to be too pessimistic."
Seemingly noticing Fare's worries, Li Li took the initiative to say, "At least the force that will destroy the Alliance has gone from an abstract concept to a tangible target we can follow the clues to find, hasn't it?"
Fare nodded. "I will begin investigating."
"This is dangerous." Li Li poured Fare a cup of tea. "I hope we can keep each other informed. If you encounter danger that threatens your life, find a way to notify me, then flee beyond the Alliance. And Alice—you must pay special attention to her safety."
"Alice..." Fare accepted the tea, displeasure appearing on his face. "Did those Otherworlders from the future tell you that too?"
Li Li smiled. "Of course. Those Otherworlders like to call you Father-in-law because they found you through Alice's dream before her death."
Crack! Fare crushed the cup in his hand.
"My apologies. I lost my composure." He took a deep breath.
"It's fine. It was cheap anyway..." Li Li poured Fare another cup of tea in a new cup. "We have the moral high ground on this matter. You can make it public openly and see how all sides react."
"They will probably think it is a story I fabricated to seize political resources." Fare sneered. "Those politicians cannot imagine a second answer."
"Do not forget, we have those Otherworlders who can clear external pollution." Li Li reminded him. "When every faction sees the enormous profits they bring, even if you claim you want to ascend the throne and become emperor, plenty of people will support you."
Fare looked at Li Li. "You intend to make me the spokesperson for the Otherworlders?"
Li Li shook his head. "I cannot control whom those Otherworlders choose to join, but I can guide them a little and control who gets to contact them first."
He raised one finger. "One thousand people. Before long, I will summon another thousand Otherworlders."
"If you step forward and spread the word that there is a force intending to destroy the Alliance, while also taking the blame for me killing the mayor, then the Thirteen City Alliance Army will be the first force to meet these Otherworlders."
At the northwestern border of the Misty Forest.
Orange Juice Clear Beer carried Aperria on her back and complained to her companion, "Traveling, traveling, traveling with an NPC. Are we really not playing some outdoor survival simulator?"
"Come on, endure a little longer. Once we reach the Novice Village, we will definitely get a pile of rewards." Watermelon Juice Clear Beer comforted her.
Ahead was the Lava Basin. Less than thirty kilometers remained before they reached their destination, Crystal Seal Village.
Before Vermilion Bird died, they had successfully snatched the unconscious Saintess Aperria from the chaotic situation and prepared to bring her to the village.
Although they had not received the corresponding quest, the two female players believed that as long as they delivered Aperria to the village, they would definitely get tons of Experience Points, favorability, and other unknown rewards.
Maybe they could even become good friends with this valiant female knight.
To cross this stretch of wilderness spanning nearly three hundred kilometers, the two had allocated their Yellow Bars and staggered their login times. Whoever was awake used Feather Fall to drag the other two along, allowing them to make it all the way here.
While the two were traveling, Glory Expedition OL had stirred up a huge controversy.
The players who had remained in Iron Wall City had been seduced by NPC factions using beauty.
Although there was nothing below the players' waists, that did not stop them from getting handsy with the NPCs, groping and feeling them up. Some had even posted first-person footage online.
Adding a little softcore erotic content to a full-dive game was nothing new.
But the problem was that this game's visuals were almost indistinguishable from reality. Even if it was only groping over clothes, it could instantly ignite public outrage online.
Many people reported it and loudly demanded that Glory Expedition OL be banned.
But another group believed that Glory Expedition OL was a leader in the AI field. As a full-dive game that crushed the rest of the world, it represented more than just a game—it represented the possibility of a "second life."
The appearance of such erotic content was precisely proof of its commercial value, and it could not simply be condemned outright.
Even friends who did not play games were asking the two whether they had drawn the qualification for that "eroge."
Yet strangely, the official side and the Expedition Company maintained a tacit silence over the matter.
Orange Juice Clear Beer had no interest in the online discussions.
But she was certain that if she had not saved Aperria, those male players who only thought with their lower bodies would absolutely have gotten handsy with Aperria.
She was practically Aperria's savior!
Before you continue