Main Quest Two

Chapter 10: Main Quest Two

Xiao Zhang was overjoyed when he heard Lin Maoxian's words. He rushed to the table, tore off one of the duck's legs, and bit into it with gusto. It had been so long since he'd eaten anything this good. Usually, he was lucky just to get enough to eat, let alone meat. The last time he'd had any was years ago; he couldn't even remember how long it had been. As these thoughts crossed his mind, he kept eating, tears streaming down his face.

Seeing Xiao Zhang cry while eating, Lin Maoxian asked in confusion, "You were fine just a moment ago, and now you've got something good to eat. What are you crying for?"

Xiao Zhang choked back a sob. "My lord, I'm not crying. I'm happy. I haven't had meat in so long. I'm so happy to eat it again today. Even if I died right after this, I'd have no regrets."

Hearing Xiao Zhang's words, Lin Maoxian said irritably, "The hell you will. With me around, as long as you stick with me, you won't die so easily even if you want to. Stop thinking about dying all the time, got it?"

"Y-yes, my lord. I-I'll definitely stick with you..."

Seeing Xiao Zhang's mouth full of food, so that he could barely speak, Lin Maoxian quickly said, "All right, all right. As long as you understand. Now hurry up and eat. Get a good night's rest, and tomorrow you'll come with me to join the army at the barracks south of the city." With that, Lin Maoxian began eating too. He'd been in this world for half a day, and after several fights, brief as they'd been, he was starting to feel hungry.

After they finished eating, Lin Maoxian and Xiao Zhang went to the room Old Man Sun had arranged for them. Once inside, Lin Maoxian waited until Xiao Zhang wasn't looking, then immediately learned the skill. He might need it at any time. Seeing the new skill in his skill panel, Lin Maoxian smiled and lay down to sleep without changing his clothes.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Lin Maoxian said goodbye to Old Man Sun. He'd wanted to visit Old Man Sun's son, but Old Man Sun apologetically told him that his son had only just gone to bed. Lin Maoxian had no choice but to let it go. He said it was all right, since he'd be staying in Pingyang County for the time being and would have another chance to meet him.

After saying goodbye to Old Man Sun, Lin Maoxian led Xiao Zhang toward the recruitment office south of the city. With the Yellow Turban Army's attack drawing nearer, there were even fewer people on the streets. Most were probably hiding at home, too afraid to go out.

They hadn't gone far when Lin Maoxian spotted the recruitment office in the distance. It wasn't because his eyesight was especially sharp, but because a large sign hung over the place. Anyone with halfway decent eyesight could read it from a fair distance.

With Xiao Zhang beside him, Lin Maoxian hurried over. Only one soldier, dressed like an officer, was sitting at the recruitment desk.

Lin Maoxian stopped in front of the officer and clasped his hands. "My lord, this young man beside me and I have come to join the army." As he spoke, he gestured toward Xiao Zhang.

The officer looked Lin Maoxian up and down before asking, "Young man, you're not from around here, are you?"

Lin Maoxian was taken aback. He didn't know why the officer was asking, but answered honestly, "As you say, my lord, I'm not from around here. I came to Pingyang County after seeing the recruitment order issued by the imperial court. But how did you know?"

"How did I know? Because you don't act like a local. A lot of people like you came yesterday, claiming they were from a place called Earth Village. As soon as I saw you, I guessed you were from there too." The officer answered while opening the roster in his hands.

Hearing this, Lin Maoxian realized those people must have been other Adventurers from the space. Still, he had to hand it to them for coming up with Earth Village. Glancing at the roster in the officer's hands, Lin Maoxian saw it was densely filled with names. He couldn't tell at a glance how many people had come.

"Name?"

Seeing the officer lower his head to ask, Lin Maoxian knew he meant both him and Xiao Zhang, so he quickly replied, "I'm Adventurer, and the one beside me is Zhang Si." He'd originally wanted to say Adventure King, but figured that someone called "King" in this era would probably be arrested, so he'd settled on Adventurer.

The officer raised his head and looked at Lin Maoxian. "Why are you people from Earth Village all so strange? Every one of you has an unusually eccentric name, nothing like ordinary people."

Lin Maoxian laughed awkwardly. "Can't help it. It's the village custom, passed down from our ancestors. We just follow it when we choose our names."

The officer shook his head, unable to understand. "What a strange custom. Truly bizarre. Your place of origin must be Earth Village. What about the fellow beside you?"

"It was decided by our ancestors. We can't do anything about it. He's from Earth Village too, but he was the fourth child in his family, so they named him Zhang Si." Lin Maoxian had no idea where the kid was actually from, so for the moment, he had to claim he was from Earth Village as well.

"Now that's a normal name!" the officer said, lowering his head to continue his work. A moment later, he handed them two wooden tags.

Lin Maoxian took a look. One side was engraved with Adventurer, and the other with Pingyang County, Earth Village. It seemed they were meant to prove his identity.

Once the two men had taken the tags, the officer said, "All right. From now on, you're soldiers of Pingyang County. Those wooden tags are your proof of identity. Don't lose them under any circumstances. If you do lose one, report it to your superior immediately and have a replacement made. Otherwise, if you're arrested as Yellow Turban spies, you'll be responsible for the consequences."

As soon as the officer finished speaking, Lin Maoxian received a notification from the space: "Adventurer has completed Main Quest One: [Choice of Faction]. Reward: 500 Source Points. The reward will be settled along with your other rewards upon your return to the space."

"Adventurer has completed Main Quest One, triggering Main Quest Two: [Defend Pingyang County]. Reward for completion: 3,000 Source Points. Penalty for failure: 5,000 Source Points deducted!"

"Objective: Starting from the time Adventurer accepts this quest, Adventurer must hold out for seven days during the Yellow Turban Army's siege."

"Quest Hint: As time passes, the Yellow Turban Army will intensify its siege."

"Quest Hint: The more Yellow Turban Soldiers you kill during the siege, the less pressure you will face in the days afterward."

"Adventurer has received temporary soldier bonuses—Strength +1, Agility +1, Stamina +1 (these effects are only valid during the period specified for Main Quest Two)."

Looking at the quest notifications, Lin Maoxian realized that this main quest was a defensive battle. But holding out for seven days was a long time. He should kill as many Yellow Turban Soldiers as he could in the early stages of the siege to ease the pressure later. Otherwise, if the siege intensified and the enemy numbers swelled, he might be in trouble too. This quest was clearly much harder than the second main quest in the previous world. It seemed the space's quests only got harder as they went on. The temporary stat bonuses weren't much, but they were still decent; at least they could stack with his title.

Lin Maoxian clasped his hands to thank the officer for the warning. "Thank you for the reminder, my lord. I'll keep it in mind."

"Good. Now go report to the officer in charge at the barracks to be assigned. I have to stay here and keep registering recruits, so I can't leave my post. You'll have to find your way there yourselves." The officer pointed them toward the barracks.

Following the officer's directions, Lin Maoxian led Xiao Zhang away. Before long, they reached the barracks gate. After showing their wooden identity tags to the guard, Lin Maoxian asked how to find the officer in charge. Once he had the directions he needed, he thanked the soldier and led Xiao Zhang toward the office.

The office was in a military tent. Lin Maoxian led Xiao Zhang inside and saw a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar. He was presumably the officer in charge.

Lin Maoxian clasped his hands toward him. "My lord, we've come to report for duty."

The middle-aged man looked at the two newcomers. "You've come to report for duty? Let me see your wooden tags, then I'll assign you."

Lin Maoxian and Xiao Zhang handed over their tags.

The middle-aged man took their tags and examined them. Looking up in surprise, he said, "So you're from Earth Village too? Several people from your village came yesterday. I didn't expect more to show up today. Your village really has a fierce spirit—so many of you have come to join the army and fight. Since you're from Earth Village too, I'll assign you both to Centurion Lin's unit."

"Yes, my lord!" "Yes, my lord!"

Lin Maoxian and Xiao Zhang answered in turn.

"Good. Since you know, go report to Centurion Lin." After speaking, the middle-aged man shouted toward the tent entrance, "Someone!"

"My lord, what are your orders?" A middle-aged soldier entered.

The middle-aged man said to the soldier, "These two are new recruits who just reported for duty. Take them to Centurion Lin." Then he turned to Lin Maoxian and Xiao Zhang. "From now on, Centurion Lin will be in charge of you. Follow this soldier and report to him."

"Yes, my lord!" "Yes, my lord!"

Lin Maoxian and Xiao Zhang answered in turn, then followed the soldier out of the tent.

Outside, the soldier led them deeper into the barracks. Along the way, Lin Maoxian saw soldiers training everywhere. Some practiced archery; others trained together with sabers and spears. They were all preparing for the coming war, and the soldiers' shouts rang out along the road.

But when Lin Maoxian followed the soldier to a certain spot and stopped, he heard no sounds of training. He saw only a few figures practicing in the middle of the grounds, a scene that seemed completely out of place amid the bustling barracks.

"We're here. This is Centurion Lin's place. I'll leave you here." After speaking, the soldier turned and headed back.