The Useless Ones

Steamed Bun and Singo chatted as they walked toward the Imperial Affairs Office, with Steamed Bun carrying the head of the Frost Giant, ready to claim his reward.

However, the road ahead was crowded with people, and the players were jostling each other, almost blocking the road, which prompted many sheriffs to come and maintain order.

"Don't push, I was here first!"

"Get out of the way!"

"Ahhh! I've saved up for three months for this day!"

The Yuan-ti- woman's clear yet slightly helpless voice came from the loudspeaker. "Dear citizens, please line up in an orderly manner and purchase in turn!"

Our store is officially operated by the Empire and has ample stock, so please don't worry.

"Oh oh oh oh!"

"Yuan-ti- woman, I love you! Let me ship this item!"

However, her shouts had no effect; instead, the players became excited and let out bursts of howls.

The scene became even more chaotic, resembling a large fan meeting, blocking many pedestrians.

"Citizens, please abide by the rules and regulations of the Empire!"

"Ah! Help! The sheriff is beating people!"

"We're beating up lawbreakers like you!"

It wasn't until the sheriffs picked up their batons and personally "educated" the players that they calmed down and obediently lined up.

But at this moment, the scene was in complete chaos, with players wailing and screaming, and onlookers discussing among themselves with disgust on their faces.

"Damn it, it's those useless people again."

"Make them move aside quickly, I'm in a hurry to check the order."

"What use are they to the development of the empire? They're insatiable!"

"Yes, they are not worthy of you appearing in this Holy City bathed in the glory of the Great Red Dragon. They are a disgrace to Istaria!"

The murmurs of the imperial populace were merciless and particularly jarring.

This group of "useless people" had a bad reputation in Istaria. They were all Starfallers who didn't need a place to live; they would just lie down wherever they were, which greatly affected the city's appearance.

Whenever there is news of recruitment or missions, this Starfallers will flock to the job, always managing to snatch the jobs from the natives of Istaria with extremely low wages.

Moreover, these Starfallers are almost tireless, never have time to rest, and are extremely numerous, greatly impacting the lives of the citizens of Istaria.

As a result, angry citizens pulled out banners that read "Drive out the useless people" and "Clean up Istaria," and held several large-scale demonstrations.

They even sent representatives to submit a proposal entitled "Expel the New Starfallers" at the Citizens' Assembly, but after heated discussions, the matter was eventually dropped.

The "Starfallers Problem" has not been properly resolved and has become increasingly serious.

Hearing the increasingly heated words of the crowd, Steamed Bun, who was pretending to be a native, felt a little uncomfortable. He quietly asked, "What's going on here? Why are so many newbie players gathered here?"

Singo pointed to a sign in the distance engraved with the Embers of the Burned Emblem: "Look, this is the second Imperial-operated shop in the city, and it still sells [Keosius's Secret Treasure]."

Upon hearing the words "Keosius's Secret Treasure," Steamed Bun was immediately reminded of some painful memories, and his expression became somewhat somber.

"Holy crap, people actually buy this rip-off?"

Singo chuckled smugly, "Not only are people buying them, but the stores are sold out! These boxes can now be opened to get rare equipment; getting just one piece will make you soar to the top."

It's said that many new players work day and night to earn money, and once they've saved enough, they come here to gamble on loot boxes, but most of them lose everything.

Looking at the enthusiastic crowd, Steamed Bun couldn't help but shake his head. "Tsk tsk, poor newbies, haven't they received a beating from the dog-like planners yet?"

"It's about to open! It's about to open!"

"This must be Otter Bro's seventh box, he's really rich!"

The players' noisy chatter came from ahead, even making Steamed Bun a little curious.

He climbed onto the back of the Noodles and, sure enough, saw the famous blogger "Da Shuaizi" surrounded by a crowd.

At this moment, however, he was panting heavily, his face was flushed, and his eyes were fixed on the box in front of him, with an expression on his face that was somewhat familiar to Steamed Bun.

Otter placed his hand on the last box and slowly closed his eyes like a condemned prisoner about to be executed.

"The moment to witness a miracle has arrived!"

"Haha, the otter is definitely Unlucky person!"

The onlookers became agitated again, cheering and shouting incessantly.

The otter mustered all its strength and suddenly lifted the lid of the metal box, letting out a roar, "Damn you, you dog planner, send me the goods!"

"Splash—"

A blinding white light flashed, and a pair of leather pants exuding a fishy stench lay quietly in the box.

The Da Shuaizi, on the other hand, knelt on the ground, its eyes vacant, seemingly muttering something to itself.

"I've been saving up Gold Coin for three months!"

[The Kobold's Stinky Leather Pants]

"What? It's the legendary 'Unlucky Set '?"

"As expected of my Otter Bro, he actually managed to win such a highly collectible artifact!"

"Yes, being able to pull out a white-tier item these days is practically superhuman!"

Another new player has lost their dream.

Seeing this familiar scene, Steamed Bun, who was watching from the back of the Wyvern, couldn't help but laugh out loud. Then, he sighed with a touch of pity and said in a deliberately profound tone:

"Those who come after lament but do not learn from it will only cause future generations to lament again! Alas, yet another heartbreaking story—"

However, he thought to himself: Another piece of new material! Singo said impatiently, "Alright, stop watching the show and hurry up and collect your bounty. We have an important mission to complete."

Seeing the otter's dejected expression, Steamed Bun dismounted from the dragon's back with some regret and continued walking towards the office.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Affairs Office, the area was still packed with people, mostly idle players dressed in beginner outfits.

"There are so many people."

The Steamed Bun couldn't help but sigh.

He went to the counter where he submitted his quest and handed the sack containing the Frost Giant's head to the Tiefling woman in charge of receiving him.

"Here, take the head of that Frost Giant slave who started the riot."

The Tiefling woman opened the package and immediately frowned slightly. "Excuse me, Your Excellency."

According to the Imperial regulations, Frost Giant who have awakened the Everfrost Power should be left with their bodies intact and handed over to the Imperial Magic Department for disposal.

Your actions have damaged the integrity of the body; therefore, as is customary, I can only give you half of the reward money.

At this point, the Tiefling woman smiled apologetically, "Actually, you can submit the quest to me as long as you take a picture of the Magic Image of that Frost Giant."

"What the hell?"

Steamed Bun accepted the five Gold Coin with tears welling up in his eyes, and couldn't help but slap himself.

Why did I have to be so impulsive and cut off that Frost Giant's head! Watching helplessly as Tiefling took back half of the bounty, and clutching his somewhat depleted money bag, Steamed Bun gritted his teeth, turned around, and made up his mind.

"Damn it, I need to take on more missions this time and earn back all the Gold Coin I lost!"

Just then, Singo's slightly mocking voice came from beside Steamed Bun.

"Hehe, do you still have any missions to take on?"

How could that be?

Steamed Bun raised his head and looked at the task board in the hall, only to be surprised to find that there were only a few tasks on it.

Occasionally, a new quest will appear, and it will be snatched up instantly by the players crowding in front of the counter, with even more players waiting in line behind it.

Fortunately, some tasks have level restrictions, giving Steamed Bun a chance to snatch the task while being watched by hundreds or thousands of eager new players.

Singo patted Steamed Bun on the shoulder and said, "Steamed Bun, haven't you noticed—there are just too many players within the Empire?"

"Really."

Steamed Bun around at the huddled group of new players, Mantou nodded in deep understanding.

Singo added, "According to official data, as of yesterday, Erezege had 11 million active players."

Of these, three million players chose the Anzeta Great Wasteland —also known as the Embers of the Burned Empire —as their starting point. Keep in mind that the entire empire has a population of just over eight million.

Moreover, a large portion of these new players chose Istaria, the imperial capital city brimming with wealth and opportunity.

Steamed Bun at the players swarming around the quests like locusts, Mantou couldn't help but ask, "At this rate, Istaria's resources won't be enough, right? Three million players, that's almost more than the number of NPCs in the area."

Singo pushed up his glasses. "Currently, the conflict between the original inhabitants of the Empire and the new players is about to reach a critical point."

According to reliable internal sources, the Imperial government will soon introduce a series of measures to restrict the entry of these 'useless individuals'.

Steamed Bun beamed with delight, clapping his hands in approval. "Excellent! Excellent! We must severely restrict these newcomers. Istaria still needs high-quality talent like me."

Singo shook his finger and said with a sneer, "Don't be too happy yet."

As more and more players enter "Erezege," the spoils within the Embers of the Burned Empire will only dwindle.

Steamed Bun panicked slightly. "What should we do?"

Singo smiled mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough. Come with me."

Steamed Bun left the Noodles at the Dragon Parking Lot at the Red Scale Garrison, and then followed Single to a new place.

With its stained-glass windows, medieval-style architecture, and shimmering magic circles and spiritual light, this is the headquarters of the [Magic Coin] Guild, the Magic Office.

Once inside the agency, Steamed Bun and Singo finally shed their disguises and revealed their true selves.

The Flying Witch sitting next to them looked overjoyed when she saw them. "You've finally arrived! The guild master has been waiting for you for so long."

Singo and his companion greeted the receptionist and, led by the Flying Witch, went to the elevator in the lobby.

"Buzz—"

On the stone slab beneath their feet, a complex magic circle shimmered with a pale blue light.

Steamed Bun looked down at his feet and exclaimed, "Damn, constant Gravity Magic! You bunch of mages with Magic Coin are really rich; you can even use something like this to build an elevator."

The Flying Witch scratched her head. "It's alright. We even tried to persuade the president to change it to stairs, but he didn't listen."

This is what he told us: for a mage, the most important thing is two words—ostentation.

Even Singo chimed in, "Your guild leader truly lives up to his reputation as Erezege's biggest Da Tou."

In a short while, under the effect of the constant Gravity Reversal spell, the stone slab beneath the three of them rose seven levels, reaching the top of the Magic Office.

After passing through a corridor lined with oil paintings, they finally arrived at the door of the conference room.

The stone statue on the gate seemed to have noticed the arrival of the three people. It slowly opened its eyes and mouth like a living thing, emitting a low and calm sound.

"Guest."

Hello everyone

"Please come in."

Steamed Bun looked at the animated stone statue with curiosity. "This gate to the Magic Coin is quite interesting."

"Please come in, ugly human."

Steamed Bun suddenly became agitated and angrily asked the stone statue, "You tasteless stone, who are you calling a bad one?"

"Boom--"

Before the statue finished speaking, the gate slowly opened, and Charlotte, dressed in a magnificent robe and holding Mithril Scepter, greeted them with a smile.

"Haha, you've finally arrived! We've been waiting for the two of you."

"So many people?"

Steamed Bun looked closely and found that there were already hundreds of players in the conference room, and they were all familiar faces— Born Battle Maniac and Xia Ye Qiuyu were among them.

Singo then said confidently, "Now you know why I called you here, right? Everyone who can come here is a top-tier player."

Steamed Bun, hands on his hips with a smug look on his face, said, "I told you I'm a professional gamer."

"."

He didn't get a definite answer, but Steamed Bun still waved enthusiastically forward. "War Maniac Bro, long time no see."

Not far away, the Born Battle Maniac stroked his bald head, which was covered in patina, and greeted Steamed Bun: "You're doing pretty well, aren't you? You've become a viscount now."

Steamed Bun continued, "Why did Charlotte call so many people here?"

Xia Ye Qiuyu turned around and said with a smile, "Of course, it's their old profession."

"What old profession?"

"Traitor."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Charlotte mysteriously unfurled a scroll and addressed the people in the conference room: "Everyone—"

Behold, the Empire's latest major event: the Thrace Infiltration Mission! Officially announced! Want wealth? Want Magic Scroll? Want Faction Contribution and experience? Then join us in the south and become a glorious Imperial Infiltrator!

Good heavens!

Staring at Charlotte, who was beaming with excitement, Steamed Bun was completely dumbfounded.

Is this the kind of grandeur a mage has? Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! To be able to talk about being a traitor so openly and honestly.

Before Charlotte could finish speaking, a semi-transparent task panel slowly unfolded in front of Steamed Bun.

The Hidden Hero

Publisher: Embers of the Burned Empire Quest Requirements: Any Class Level 8 or higher Quest Description: The once Holy Fadlan Empire is no more. On the vast Feanso Continent, three kings are engaged in a brutal struggle for power. The people of Fadlan are now displaced and ravaged by war.

His Majesty the Great and Merciful Your Majesty Keosius could not bear to see the Fadlanites suffer so much, and he resolved to intervene and end this catastrophe.

And you, warriors of the Empire, will become the vanguard of the Embers of the Burned Empire, infiltrating the Thrace Kingdom and becoming Hidden Hero.