Dragon Gate Escort Agency (Asking for Recommendations, Favorites)

Dragon Gate Escort Agency (Asking for Recommendations, Favorites)

The quest ratings in Eternal Chivalry were not assigned arbitrarily. Based on Ye Weiming's previous observations, one-star quests were basically simple errands with no difficulty at all. Two-star quests required fighting minor monsters, while three-star quests generally involved simple puzzles or fighting elite monsters.

Ye Weiming had yet to encounter higher-level quests, so he could not jump to conclusions. But following this pattern, this five-star quest would at least involve someone on Chou Ba's level. Ye Weiming had killed Chou Ba before, but he knew perfectly well how he had managed that feat.

His strength had naturally improved since then, but if he faced Chou Ba head-on now, he would still only end up getting beaten into the ground.

The only difference would be whether he could last three moves or five.

In other words, there was no difference.

Of course, compared with the quest's difficulty, the bigger issue was that its rewards were too weak!

Five thousand experience points and five hundred cultivation points were probably only on par with the better rewards from a four-star quest. Only the monetary reward was relatively high—far higher than the rewards for other five-star quests.

At this stage, one hundred gold was absolutely a massive sum.

But the problem was that, in the early stages of the game, the most important thing was building a solid foundation. What use was so much money?

The players' life skill levels had barely been developed. Even with money, they could not buy anything good. Once players' levels rose, those one hundred gold might still count as a decent fortune, but its purchasing power would definitely be greatly reduced.

On top of that, protection quests were always the most troublesome, so no matter how he looked at it, this quest was not worthwhile.

You Jin fixed Ye Weiming with his deep gaze for a long while before finally speaking. "If money does not interest you much, I can replace the monetary reward with an intermediate swordsmanship manual."

Ding! Quest updated:

Dragon Gate Escort Agency

Quest Rating: Five Stars

...

Quest Reward: 5,000 experience points, 500 cultivation points, one intermediate swordsmanship manual.

Failure Penalty: Three months' pay docked. During that period, you will not receive any sect benefits other than those related to your private apartment.

Damn, did it have to be this harsh?

An intermediate swordsmanship manual was indeed a great reward, but what was with adding a failure penalty on top of it?

A military pledge?

The three months' docked pay was nothing. With Ye Weiming's current salary as a Ninth-Rank Constable, he only earned ten taels of gold a month. A few quests would make that back easily. But being barred from sect benefits was downright nasty.

Sect benefits referred to certain preferential policies offered to players by their sects. Players could obtain them by spending money and something called sect contribution in other sects, or Merit Points in the Divine Constable Bureau, at prices far lower than outside.

For example, medicines and equipment unavailable on the market, as well as access to training rooms that doubled the effectiveness of martial arts practice.

If he was barred from those benefits for three months, it would definitely have a major impact on the growth of his strength.

Was an intermediate swordsmanship manual really worth taking such a risk for?

Ye Weiming curled his lip disdainfully, then...

Ding! You have successfully accepted the quest "Dragon Gate Escort Agency." Please proceed to the Dragon Gate Escort Agency in Hangzhou to investigate the situation.

Seeing Ye Weiming accept the quest without a word, You Jin nodded approvingly. He then took a letter from his robes and handed it to Ye Weiming. "This is the Dragon Gate Escort Agency's plea for help, sent by its chief escort, Du Dajin. There may be some clues inside that could aid your investigation."

Ding! You have obtained the item "Dragon Gate Escort Agency's Plea for Help."

"Then thank you, Commander You."

Dragon Gate Escort Agency's Plea for Help: Letter contents: "On the third day of last month, the Dragon Gate Escort Agency accepted a strange escort job..."

It seemed the system was quite considerate. Worried that players might not be able to read traditional characters, especially cursive traditional characters, it directly translated content like this for them.

Ye Weiming skimmed through the contents. The general idea was that they had accepted an escort job involving a living person. The client, Young Master Yin, had thrown down two thousand gold in a single stroke. His generosity had left them unable to refuse. His only requirement was that they deliver the incapacitated man, whole and unharmed, into the hands of Zhang Sanfeng, the leader of the Wudang Sect.

The escort had gone relatively smoothly until they reached the foot of Wudang Mountain. There, fake Wudang Seven Heroes had taken the man away. That unfortunate fellow then had the bones in his wrists and ankles crushed by villains using the Shaolin Sect's Great Strength Vajra Finger. More importantly, the man they had been responsible for escorting was Yu Daiyan, Zhang Sanfeng's third-ranked personal disciple and the founder of the Wudang Sect!

Now things were troublesome. Young Master Yin had threatened them beforehand that if anything went wrong, he would wipe out the Dragon Gate Escort Agency's entire household. Furthermore, Zhang Sanfeng's seven disciples were as close as brothers, and none of them were people a tiny Dragon Gate Escort Agency could afford to provoke. Having offended two groups of ruthless people at once, Du Dajin was scared out of his wits. That was why he had hurriedly written to seek the authorities' aid.

After Ye Weiming finished reading the letter, You Jin said leisurely, "Du Dajin was originally a lay disciple of the Shaolin Sect. While seeking help from the authorities, he will certainly have sought aid from his master as well. Perhaps he came to us merely as an extra layer of insurance. Maybe you can even muddle through this quest somehow."

Heh heh...

A quest that could be muddled through was rated five stars? Was there something wrong with your intelligence, or did you think there was something wrong with mine?

However, Ye Weiming did not pursue the matter. He had already accepted the quest, so he would just deal with whatever came his way.

After putting away the letter, Ye Weiming took a carriage directly to Hangzhou.

By the time Ye Weiming arrived in Hangzhou, dusk was already approaching. He first ate some street snacks to fill his stomach, then bought two bundles of straw mats, each containing ninety-nine mats. He also bought several bottles of Realgar Wine for protection; they would come in handy when searching for treasure in the Leifeng Pagoda Dungeon.

Only after night had completely fallen did Ye Weiming set out for the Dragon Gate Escort Agency.

Using the footwork of Eight-Step Toad Leap, Ye Weiming's running speed nearly doubled. But Hangzhou was a major city, and even at his speed, the sky had completely darkened by the time he reached the Dragon Gate Escort Agency.

The moment he stepped onto the street outside the Dragon Gate Escort Agency, he heard weapons clashing and angry shouts.

Could it really have happened so soon?

His heart tightening, Ye Weiming hurriedly channeled his internal energy into his feet. His already incredible speed surged again, and in an instant, he arrived outside the escort agency's gates. Looking inside through the entrance, his heart immediately sank halfway.

In the escort agency's courtyard, one group of players dressed as monks and another group dressed as Taoists were brawling fiercely. Elsewhere, six or seven monk NPCs were besieging a young man wielding iron hooks in one hand and a Judge's Brush in the other.

Aside from them, corpses lay strewn everywhere, and blood had splattered across nearly every inch of the escort agency's grounds!

Ding! The Dragon Gate Escort Agency has been massacred. No one in the agency survived. Quest updated.

Massacre Case

Quest Rating: Five Stars

Investigate the causes and consequences of the Dragon Gate Escort Agency massacre. As this case involves both the Shaolin Sect and the Wudang Sect, proceed with caution!

Quest Reward: 5,000 experience points, 500 cultivation points, one intermediate swordsmanship manual.

Failure Penalty: Three months' pay docked. During that period, you will not receive any sect benefits other than those related to your private apartment.

Shaolin Sect, Wudang Sect...

Was this the true face of this five-star quest?

Taking the quest even more seriously, Ye Weiming did not rush to join either battle. As he walked into the courtyard, his gaze rapidly swept over the piles of corpses on the ground.

Just as Ye Weiming was gathering clues as quickly as possible, two Shaolin Sect disciples suddenly blocked his path. "Brother, we're in the middle of a quest. Please step aside."