After Elena left in humiliation and despair, the atmosphere in the meeting hall did not grow much lighter. Instead, the discussion turned to more practical matters.
For players, "quests" were their core motivation in this world, and they had long since developed a deeply ingrained system for judging whether a quest was "good" or "bad."
Lin Ruoyu looked around at the commanders seated there and broke the silence.
"All right, the outsiders are gone. Let's get down to business.
The system's main quest, 'Head north and regroup,' is now marked complete, and the countdown to reward settlement has begun. The question now is, what do we do next?
Do we break camp immediately and head back to Bagnia to collect our rewards, or..."
He paused, giving the location of White Rock City on the map a meaningful look.
"Do you even need to ask?"
Knife-in-the-Butt slammed a hand on the table, making the cups and plates rattle.
"We've fought our way this far. Why the hell would we back off now!?
Keep fighting!
First, take White Rock City. Then turn back and take the two or three big cities we ignored on the way here, establish a supply line, and push toward Treasure Island, the Minicia Kingdom's capital. Take the whole Minicia Kingdom in one go."
Little Knife grew excited as he spoke.
"Halfway through, we can all sign a joint petition asking Chris to grant us fiefs, just like Tavitsky and Ankandela. Solo players and small warbands can share a territory, while big warbands each control a city.
Then everyone gets permanent territory, tax revenue, and a source of NPC troops. Wouldn't that be great!?"
"You really are dreaming big!"
"Yeah, no kidding..."
Some of the players in the meeting laughed. Knife-in-the-Butt spread a hand and challenged them.
"But