"Ding~ New task issued, task name: Sample Collector, task details..."
"Dude, can you be quiet for once?"
"Oh, sorry, I have a habit of reading things aloud."
"And that 'ding' sound, you added it yourself, didn't you?"
"Hmm, I've been getting really engrossed in novels lately, and I keep thinking about when I'll have a system in real life that will 'ding' at me."
"Go to the microwave and warm up your brain, at least you'll hear a 'ding'."
"Why don't you heat it up? Your ID even includes pizza."
Because there's nothing wrong with my brain.
The players walked away, verbally attacking each other. Willow stood atop the castle, watching from afar, and asked the shopkeeper beside her in confusion:
"That's it? They can bring in new plant samples?"
"Right."
"What spell did you use? I didn't sense any Psionic Energy fluctuations at all."
"I didn't use any Psionic Energy Formula."
Ed shrugged smugly:
"If I had to say, I used the 'Money Spell'."
What is that?
"It's basically paying money to get things done."
"But how do they know which plants are samples that have never been collected before?"
"Of course, I'll look at the encyclopedia."
"And what is that?"
"Emmm..."
Ed fell into thought, organized his thoughts, and explained to Willow:
"You can think of it as the Soul Returner collectively owning a virtual library that can be shared and updated at any time, and whose information is guaranteed to be accurate. If one of them finds a new variety of plant, the other Soul Returner will quickly learn of it."
"Truly astonishing. I've never heard of Soul Returner before, and I never imagined they possessed such unique abilities. As their summoner, your essence and status are unfathomable... No wonder they call you the Son of God."
"Huh? You knew that too?"
"I understand. I've inquired about you with some of the Soul Returner who learned Psionic Energy Formula from me..."
Willow hesitated for a moment and then added:
"Just to get to know you, the boss."
"Oh..."
But Ed's attention was clearly not on gathering information.
"So you taught them Psionic Energy Formula?"
"Instead of asking whether I taught them or not, you should ask them whether they can actually learn it..."
Willow felt a headache coming on when this topic was brought up. Sometimes she felt that the Soul Returner seemed to know everything, but other times she thought they were complete Psionic Energy idiots...
The duality of genius and idiocy coexisting in these extraordinary individuals makes it truly difficult for Willow to evaluate them.
Ed couldn't help but laugh.
"It seems quite difficult to learn... Did they say anything strange?"
"Yes, several Soul Returner have said it's even harder than advanced mathematics, but I don't know what they mean."
Upon hearing that keyword that sends chills down the spines of many college students, Ed couldn't help but sigh:
"You'll understand when you have the chance..."
While the two chatted idly in the castle, Ed had already sent several new quests to the players:
Special Mission - Sample Collector
Task: To enrich the Second Holy See's plant database, Guide Ed needs more types of new plants for research and development. Please collect samples of unfamiliar plants and submit them.
Acceptance conditions: No strict conditions.
Handover locations: Castle Hall, White Wax Town Adventurers' Guild, Weeping Willow Town Church, " Greenhouse ".
Task Rewards: 1 Gold Coin for each new plant variety submitted, and 50 Silver Coins for each new plant subspecies submitted.
Special Mission - Terrain Survey
Task Description: To ensure the smooth progress of the Second Holy See's subsequent plans, a topographical survey of a specific area in the southeast of the Second Holy See is required. Please collect and upload the topographical data for this area.
Acceptance conditions: None. Recommended special attributes: Plant, Mechanical, Psionic Energy; Secondary recommended special attribute: Animal. Basic attribute requirement: Willpower > 5.
Handover location: None; some hidden information can be found at Gray's location.
Task Rewards: The total reward pool is 20 gold coins, which will be distributed according to individual completion rates.
Note: If you experience any discomfort or other special circumstances, please evacuate as soon as possible.
[Special Mission - Left and Right Arms...]
White Wax Town, Adventurers' Guild.
"Looking for a team? Anyone want to team up? My stats meet the [ Terrain Survey ] requirements. Are there any teams that need someone to carry me?"
A player is holding up half a wooden sign, on which his basic four-dimensional and special four-dimensional attributes are clearly written.
Many people were seeing this kind of matchmaking method for the first time, and couldn't help but stop and watch the player named [Clear Soup Master] for a while.
After all, this method of teaming up is indeed uncommon. Most players would do this in a dedicated section of the forum, and very few people would choose to find teammates in this way.
Several players walked by, took a closer look, and suddenly burst out laughing.
"They seem like people from the Great Depression."
"Even the wooden signs back then weren't this worn out..."
Two of them exchanged a glance, making no attempt to shy away from using historical references. One of them said:
"It seems alright, I'll go take a look."
As he spoke, he pushed through the crowd and came to the player's side.
"Hey bro, tell me your ID. I need to check your achievements and titles. If everything's okay, we can team up."
"My name is [ Clear Soup Master ]."
Upon seeing that someone wanted to recruit him, the player exclaimed with great excitement.
The expressions on the faces of the players who came to recruit became quite interesting:
"What a great [ Clear Soup Master ]! My name is [ Pizza Heart ]. No need for further explanation, just for that ID, join our team."
With the addition of new members, a four-person team is now fully formed, consisting of: [ Clear Soup Master ], [ Pizza Heart ], [ My Buddha Ciba ], and [ Namo Goose Rice Tofu ].
Upon seeing the newcomer's ID, the other two members of the team couldn't contain themselves.
[ Clear Soup Master ] swallowed hard when he saw his several amazing teammates:
"No, what time is it? I suddenly feel a little hungry..."
There was nothing we could do about it. It was already afternoon, and everyone's IDs were so tempting; there was really no reason not to eat something to celebrate the group's formation.
So the group went to a roadside stall run by a player in White Wax Town. They planned to order four dishes based on the player's ID, but the chef said he didn't know how to cook any of them.
Are you all making fun of me?
Player [ Not Bad Tasting ] raised the iron pot in his hand and pointed it at the group:
"I'd like to make it, but can you find me the ingredients?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances, and finally, with no other choice, ordered four servings of [ Angler Melon stir-fried with Scarlet Millet ] to replenish their energy before donning their gear and heading to the location marked on the map.