As Ed stepped out of the secret room, he also checked the current time:
World of Disorder, 19:50.
It seems my meditation lasted for about two hours. I gained two levels by focusing and digesting the information for two hours. I can only say that it's a good thing I'm not a player, otherwise I would definitely be reported as a cheater.
Ed walked down the corridor toward the hall, when he suddenly caught sight of the abandoned golem remains he had piled up to one side...
Um...
Considering that the Baron Tuer family has never seemed weak, is there perhaps... a way to reuse this thing?
Back in the castle hall, Ed was quickly surrounded by players who were preparing to log off.
Some of these people were carrying monsters, some dead and some alive, while others were pointing to the tall pile of timber next to the bank below the castle, all waiting for Ed to inspect it.
Ed, who had switched back to his role as the guide, was quite satisfied, but felt that if the number of players increased further, he might need to prepare some assistant NPCs to help him out...
After much deliberation, Ed decided to put Kaping through the wringer. After all, although the old man's physical strength was waning, his mind was among the sharpest in the Upperstream Village.
Yes, that's decided. Once his new house is built, it will be time for him to pledge his loyalty to Bishop Adrian.
After seeing the players off, Ed went to the castle for his routine inspection, only to find that the villagers of the Upperstream Village had already set up four or five simple tents that could accommodate about twenty people.
Um?
Ed frowned slightly and beckoned Kaping over:
"Did you set up all these tents?"
"Most of the time, your soldiers also helped a bit, but we didn't ask because... everyone has to be careful with their tree seedlings."
Ed nodded and pointed to the fabric used for wind protection above the tent:
Where did such a large, intact piece of fabric come from?
Upon hearing this, Kaping trembled. He reached out and grabbed Ed's arm, his face filled with excitement as he said:
"It was an Elite Warrior, the one you called the Soul Returner, who helped us get it. She brought us so many pieces of fabric this big all by herself, and we are all very grateful to her."
Ed's lips twitched slightly—this actually works? He hadn't issued any such task, yet some player had still managed to pinpoint the villagers' vulnerabilities.
From a game perspective, this is clearly a hidden quest!
Who on earth is so capable?
"What is the name of that Soul Returner, that Elite Warrior?"
Ed asked.
Kaping paused for two seconds, then said in a somewhat stiff voice:
"She said her name was [ Dark Archmage ]."
So it was her?
Ed quickly recalled the player who wasn't very good at communicating; the player had even completed the beginner quests all by themselves.
How could someone like this choose to take the initiative to communicate with the villagers and offer them help?
Perhaps they really did treat these people as NPCs who didn't actually exist...
However, the actions of the [ Dark Archmage ] also reminded Ed that as the number of players increases, similar incidents will only become more frequent. He absolutely cannot treat these people as mere tools. As the most important NPC, he must find a way to increase the level of understanding and trust between himself and the players.
Inside a secret room in the White Wax Town Church.
The old priest Yiden took the letter from the provincial archbishop out of the envelope again, and fell into deep thought as he looked at the word "do as instructed."
Five Pure Ones were dispatched here, which is more detrimental than helpful to the experiment; at best, they can only be used to arrest the experimental subjects.
Yiden began to ponder why the archbishop had agreed to the central Holy See's order. Didn't the archbishop know that the Pure Ones were just a bunch of simple-minded, fanatical fools?
No, he must have known.
So why did they agree so readily, without even subtly or overtly sabotaging themselves in the letter?
He held the paper close to the candlelight in front of him, and under the heat of the flame, dark letters began to appear one by one.
It really is ciphertext!
Yiden's eyes lit up, and by the candlelight shining through the letter, he began to slowly spell it out:
"For a period of... one year... to develop... members..."
I see. He now fully understands what the archbishop means.
There are many Pure Ones in the Holy See, but very few Pure Ones who come from the guards.
The reason is simple: those selected for the Holy See Guard are not merely those who live in symbiosis with trees, but those who can manipulate the Symbiotic Tree to a certain extent without training.
After being selected through multiple rounds of screening, these individuals undergo rigorous training. While this training may not significantly improve their skills, it teaches them methods for continuously honing their abilities.
Once their training and guard duties in the Holy City are completed, these young guards will be transferred to various dioceses, where they will become the new backbone of the Holy See for the next few decades.
The provincial archbishop's intention was quite simple: he hoped that Yiden would gradually ensnare these Pure Ones, making one or more of them aware of the experiment and participate in it.
This way, whether the group is split into smaller groups of five or the members who were dragged into the scheme are kept as undercover agents, it will be beneficial for the experiment to continue.
"This is much harder than simply tripping someone up..."
Yiden murmured to himself in his secluded room, wondering why, even though it was late at night, the five guards who had set off with their mounts had not yet returned.
As agreed upon that morning, today's patrol mission consisted only of the abandoned castle and the three surrounding villages. Logically, they should have returned to the church before sunset.
Perhaps he just went to inspect other villages on a whim... After being cooped up in the Holy City for so long, it's normal for him to indulge himself a little here as an unsupervised local tyrant.
But considering Duolin's young yet upright character, Yiden realized he was overthinking things.
Could it be that we've encountered that escaped experimental subject?
That shouldn't be the case. Five guards would be more than enough to kill an experimental subject who wasn't even at the Low Tier. Even if that subject could control the mutated plant that was stolen to some extent, how long could his body hold out? He might have already been drained into a dried-up corpse...
Could there be something wrong with that mutated plant?
Impossible. Although people verbally refer to these things as "sacred objects," the awe people have for them has gradually disappeared as experiments have been conducted over the past few decades.
It's just a mutated plant larva that can be easily Cultivation...
Yiden shook his head to dispel the unrealistic thoughts in his mind. He had never taken the experimental subject seriously, just as humans before the Demonic Tide wouldn't care about the life or death of a rat.
Rats can hide, escape, and cause damage while humans are asleep.
Yiden absolutely did not believe that a rat could kill a human.
"Never mind, we'll know when they get back."
Yiden didn't believe the five guards would die under mysterious circumstances, so he chose to wait patiently.
This old priest is seventy years old and has already seen three bishops of White Wax Town pass away.
One of the reasons he lived so long was that he valued his life and had enough patience.
If you think about it carefully, he hasn't stepped out of this church for ten years, and if you expand the scope to White Wax Town, it's been twenty years since he left the town.
Yiden didn't know how dangerous it was outside, but he knew that as long as he was inside the church, he would be safe.