"No matter how many times I watch it, it always makes me feel refreshed and relaxed!"
Seeing the new players jumping for joy after logging in for the first time, [ Zhongde ] made this remark.
As one of the first true players of this game, this is the third time he has seen a similar scene, which gives him a sense of pride that belongs only to veteran players, and he looks forward to the day when the official game time display function is enabled.
[ Howling Pothos ] doesn't seem to care much about this. As a former professional player, he can usually get access to internal channels for most games, so he doesn't care much about this kind of thing.
His attention was focused on another aspect:
"The first time there were four people, the second time two, the third time four, and the fourth time ten. Is there any pattern to this?"
He's referring to changes in the number of players.
Hearing this, the [ Great Wei Boxing Champion ] joined the discussion. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"The second time was when I cracked the Easter egg and got the activation code for [ Shit Appraisal Master ], it just so happened to be on the same day."
"If we don't count this time, the growth in the number of players is actually somewhat like an exponential function; next time, there might be twenty new players."
So what does this prove?
[ Howling Pothos ] suddenly laughed:
"Perhaps it means... the authorities are in a hurry."
Ed was still giving his slightly different opening remarks each time, while the ten experienced players who hadn't left were waiting for the referral bonus.
Sure enough, a new quest log popped up in front of the players after the opening sequence ended.
In addition to the mentoring task that started yesterday, several new tasks also appeared before them:
[Task - Sorting Wood]
Task Description: A large amount of wood is piled up in the river outside the castle. Please salvage this wood and cut and arrange it according to the pattern described in the auxiliary function.
Task Rewards: 1 copper coin for each successful salvage operation, and 2 copper coins for each piece of suitable wood cut.
[Task - Rebuild Upperstream Village
Task Description: The location of the new Upperstream Village has been confirmed. The homeless villagers need shelter from the wind and rain. Please respond to their needs.
Task Rewards: 10 silver coins for each house completed, and +10 trust from the villagers who move into the house.
*Note: Construction tasks have acceptance criteria; the monetary reward coefficient may fluctuate by ±50% depending on the quality of the finished product. Please complete the tasks diligently. No further compensation will be provided after all residents have moved in.
[Quest - Transporting the Broken Golem]
Quest Description: The guide seems to have some items he wants to take to Dragonborn Village for repair. If you can help him, you will receive his thanks and some reward.
Mission Rewards: Complete the transport to receive 5 silver coins and +10 trust in Ed Adrian.
Players who had already completed the tutorial were instantly thrown into turmoil, while those closer to Ed were completely unaware of what was happening.
"A 10-silver quest! That's 10 silver! And it's just for a house, 10 silver, and if you do well, you can even get 15 silver..."
[ Zhongde ] excitedly began to do mental calculations. As a college civil engineering student who had been steeped in modern civil engineering courses, building houses with wood as the main material was not that difficult for him.
Moreover, the rewards for this task are indeed substantial. Excluding the possibility that the developers filled in the numbers with their feet, the explanation from the perspective of the game's plot development is that Ed genuinely cares about the villagers of these Upperstream Village, and even set up a reward coefficient for them.
The other players were also very excited at this moment. Just like [ Zhongde ] had his sights set on the second mission, several people also felt that the piecework settlement method for the first mission was very good. Meanwhile, [ Shit Appraisal Master ] put his arm around [ Good Times Don't Last ]'s shoulder.
"Hey, let's take on the third mission, that way we can drive again."
[ The Good Times Don't Last ] She looked at this unreliable companion with suspicion in her eyes:
"Just because of that?"
"Of course not..."
[ The Shit Appraisal Master ] laughed:
"This is a trip to Dragonborn Village, didn't you think of anything?"
"I've got it! There are still eight pieces of clothing that haven't been sold."
[ The Good Times Don't Last didn't last long] replied irritably, while [ the Shit Appraisal Master ] seemed to be deliberately bringing up this matter:
"That's right, that's it. Don't you want to win back your losses?"
I don't gamble.
"How can this be gambling? This is investing!"
[ The Good Times Don't Last ] Looking at him:
"Yes, yes, investments. Didn't you learn your lesson from losing so much money on investments before?"
"Of course we learned a lesson!"
The " Shit Appraisal Master " patted his chest confidently and said:
"I have fully absorbed the lessons of those who came before, iterated on the existing tactics, and aligned them with the actual conditions of this world..."
Get to the point.
"The key point is, why did we buy clothes instead of metalware last time?"
"Because that broken-down cart can't move it!"
"But now we have six horses, so we can haul back not only ironware, but even iron smelting furnaces! We get a 20% discount when we buy things over there, and we can sell them back here at a 10% discount and still make a profit..."
Despite the other party's persistent persuasion, [ the Good Times Don't Last ] and began to waver slightly.
Seeing the message "Limited to 2 participants" displayed next to the task, he gritted his teeth and clicked to accept the task.
In that instant, [ the Good Times Don't Last ] I felt like I had boarded a ship that was bound to sink.
While everyone was spontaneously forming teams, some people noticed that Ed had moved from the front of the players into the crowd.
[ Zhongde ] instinctively wanted to avoid it, but then realized that the guide had come to find him.
"Me? Is there anything special about me?"
Thinking this, Ed had already come up to him:
"I heard from Kaping and the others that you seem to have unique skills in construction?"
Oh my god, it's a hidden dialogue!
The players quickly realized what was happening, and [ Do Some Farm Work ] moved slightly closer to Ed, hoping to hear some Easter egg dialogue such as "I heard you have unique skills in the U-turn field."
[ Zhongde ] was stunned for two seconds before quickly breaking into a smile:
"Yes, I do have a few humble insights to share."
Ed nodded:
"That would be wonderful. I hope you can take charge of the reconstruction work in Upperstream Village, allocate manpower reasonably for each project, and complete the reconstruction as soon as possible to prevent the villagers from continuing to sleep in the open."
"If you accept, I will give you an extra payment on behalf of Kaping others."
As soon as he finished speaking, a new task window opened in front of [ Zhongde ]:
Special Mission - "Contractor"
Task Description: Rebuilding a village is no simple task. The number of people needed to prepare materials, transport supplies, and carry out construction all require careful planning. The villagers of Upperstream Village have decided to entrust this task to you, whom they trust. Please meet their expectations.
Task Reward: You can obtain 1 tree seed from each villager, and your trust level will increase by 10.