"Father-in-law" Fare

The middle-aged man, affectionately nicknamed "Father-in-law" by players and always seen in military uniform, was Otis Ezekiel Fare, the Commander-in-Chief of the Thirteen City Alliance's army.

What a mouthful. Li Li considered just calling him Father-in-law like the players, but he didn't even know what his daughter looked like yet. So, he offered politely,

"Mr. Fare, would you like to sit down first?"

He gestured for Fare, whose stomach still had a gaping hole, to sit on the sofa in front of the desk. Li Li then took out some tea from a cabinet and started boiling water.

Yeah, that mayor was right. I should get a secretary.

When Aer is done with her tasks, I'll teach her how to make tea...

Amidst the noise of the electric kettle coming to a boil, Fare, still in his uniform, finally couldn't sit still and spoke up, "I want to know about the Alliance's destruction."

"Then you should go find those otherworlders. I got my information from them too," Li Li replied. "But if you don't mind second-hand information, I can answer some of your questions."

Hearing this, Fare asked directly, "When did the Alliance fall?"

Li Li answered, "Around mid-July this year. It should be more than 170 days from now."

Fare then asked, "How did the Alliance fall?"

Li Li replied, "The Alliance lost the God Banning Barrier and was devoured by gods gathered from all over the world."

Upon hearing this, Fare shot up from his seat. Realizing his loss of composure, he slowly sat back down.

This soldier, who had remained calm and analytical even after seeing the mayor turned to ash, was now visibly unsettled.

This was because Fare knew, deep down, that Li Li's words were most likely true. His own encounter in the Misty Forest, along with the grey stone fragments of the mayor nearby, both pointed to a powerful force within the Alliance plotting something sinister.

To have a Hero Rank expert sacrifice themselves, and to use a demigod as a pawn for testing...

As a high-ranking official of the Alliance, Fare possessed far more intelligence than Li Li. After confirming that someone was indeed planning to destroy the Alliance, seemingly insignificant past events now appeared to have a hidden meaning.

Fare dared not estimate the strength of that force, nor did he dare to deeply consider how corrupted the Alliance had become.

Six months?

Perhaps in some timeline, someone had indeed destroyed the Alliance after six months.

But now, with the actions of the deity before him laid bare, the force plotting to destroy the Alliance would likely accelerate their plans.

"You don't need to be too pessimistic."

As if sensing Fare's worry, Li Li spoke up, "At least the force that destroyed the Alliance has gone from an abstract concept to a tangible entity that we can track down, hasn't it?"

Fare nodded. "I will begin an investigation."

"This is very dangerous," Li Li said, pouring Fare a cup of tea. "I hope we can keep sharing information. If you encounter any life-threatening danger, find a way to notify me, then flee outside the Alliance. Also, pay special attention to Alice's safety."

"Alice..." Fare took the tea, his expression turning displeased. "Did those otherworlders from the future tell you this as well?"

Li Li smiled. "Of course. Those otherworlders like to call you Father-in-law because they found you through Alice's dying dreams."

Crack! Fare crushed the cup in his hand.

"My apologies, I lost my composure," he said, taking a deep breath.

"It's fine, it was cheap anyway..." Li Li poured Fare another cup of tea in a new mug. "We have the moral high ground in this matter. You can publicly reveal this and see how the various parties react."

"Most likely, they'll think I fabricated this story to seize political resources," Fare said with a cold laugh. "Those politicians can't conceive of any other answer."

"Don't forget, we also have those otherworlders who can cleanse external pollution," Li Li reminded him. "When all parties see the immense profits they bring, even if you declared yourself emperor, a large number of people would support you."

Fare looked at Li Li. "Are you planning for me to be the spokesperson for the otherworlders?"

Li Li shook his head. "I can't control which otherworlders choose to defect to, but I can guide them slightly and control who gets to contact them first."

He held up a finger. "1000 people. Soon, I will summon another 1000 otherworlders."

"If you can step forward and publicize the existence of forces intending to destroy the Alliance, and also take the blame for killing the mayor, then the Thirteen City Alliance's army will be the first to encounter these otherworlders."

Northwest border of the Misty Forest.

"Orange Juice Clear Beer," carrying Aer, complained to his companion, "Marching, marching, marching with an NPC. Are we really playing an outdoor simulator or what?"

"Alright, just bear with it a little longer. Once we reach the newbie village, we'll definitely get a bunch of rewards," "Watermelon Juice Clear Beer" comforted him.

Going further would lead them to the Lava Basin, with only less than 30 kilometers left to their destination, "Crystal Seal Village."

Before the Vermilion Bird died, they had successfully rescued the unconscious Saintess Aer from the chaotic situation and were preparing to take her to the village.

Although they hadn't received any corresponding quests, both female players were confident that delivering Aer to the village would undoubtedly yield experience points, favorability, and other unknown rewards.

Perhaps they could even become good friends with this valiant female Knight.

To traverse this wild area of nearly 300 kilometers, the two had coordinated their online times, with the awake player using "Feather Fall" to drag the other two along, allowing them to reach this point.

During the time these two were traveling, "Glory Expedition OL" had experienced a major upheaval.

Players who remained in Iron Wall City were lured by the NPCs' power using beauty.

Although the players had nothing beneath their bodies, it didn't stop them from touching and groping the NPCs, with some even posting their first-person perspectives online.

It wasn't uncommon for game developers to add some mild eroticism to full-immersion virtual reality games.

The problem was, with the game and real-life visuals being nearly identical, even a minor spatial glitch could instantly ignite public outcry online.

Many people were filing complaints, vowing to get "Glory Expedition OL" banned.

However, another group believed that "Glory Expedition OL" was a leader in the AI field. As a holographic game that dominated the world, it represented not just a game, but the possibility of a "second life."

The emergence of such explicit content actually demonstrated its commercial value, and they shouldn't shut it down with a single blow.

Even their friends who didn't play the game were asking if they had managed to get a chance to play that "eroge."

But strangely, the officials and the Expedition Company remained conspicuously silent on the matter.

"Orange Juice Clear Beer" wasn't interested in the various online discussions.

However, she was certain that if she hadn't saved Aperria, those male players who only thought with their lower halves would have definitely made a move on Aperria.

She was practically Aperria's savior!