Ed kept switching between the players' perspectives and saw that the three towns closest to Fir City were already filled with excited players.
It seems this game mode is quite appealing to them, and just as I suspected, some ambitious players have already taken their goods to the three towns, intending to make a fortune during the event.
Even after two days, nineteen of the nearly sixty players from the first round were still active. Ed thought about it and realized that some of his previous ideas might not have been quite right.
In real-world games, a "search, attack, retreat" strategy involves placing all teams on a separate map, which continues to operate until the last person is eliminated or dies.
As for the new in-game mode he just developed, " Fir City Operation," there is only one map for the entire game.
If the design prevents new players from entering the map until all previous players have left, then a large number of players will inevitably be stuck at a certain point in the game.
Therefore, the method I had previously set up of having sixty or twenty teams enter together no longer seemed so reasonable.
After all, judging from [ Zhong Lele's ] current situation, it's clear that he plans to be a permanent resident of Fir City for a while.
Compared to bandits who loot and run, Ed found [ Zhong Lele ], a time bomb implanted inside the enemy, to be far more terrifying.
Ed quickly began editing and soon posted the new announcement to the players' game system:
[ World of Disorder Update Announcement:]
Dear Soul Returner, we have received a lot of feedback regarding " Fir City Operation " over the past period. The development team has optimized the following aspects:
1. The first phase of the large-scale long-running mission, " Fir City Operation," has removed the entry limit; anyone who meets the requirements can enter immediately.
2. The " Fir City Operation " removes the time limit for staying in Fir City, allowing players to remain there indefinitely.
Enjoy the game! Odin Game Company, the developers of " World of Disorder ", December 20, 2037, current version: v0.5
At the same time as the game update announcement was released, Ed also used the Root Network to synchronize the rule changes with Nuolun and others. Even the Hive Will received Ed's message and began to change the operating logic of the Swarm that deployed players.
Meanwhile, the players waiting in the three towns were naturally overjoyed. The teams that met the requirements quickly boarded the backs of the Soldier Bee and began their journey towards Fir City in the biting cold wind.
With nothing else to do, Ed mentally opened the official website of the World of Disorder he had built, and skillfully clicked on the forum to see what the players had done that day.
The naming poll for the [ Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop ] is almost over, with three days left until the results are announced.
Another post that is rapidly gaining popularity has a very eye-catching title: [Help, I've been arrested in Fir City ].
The poster, [Clear Soup Master], described how he was sleeping outdoors in Fir City last night. Just as he was about to log off, a huge living tree blocked him in an alley corner. After being stabbed several times, the living tree took him to a dungeon, where he now appears to be awaiting interrogation.
Logically, being arrested while carrying out this kind of mission shouldn't be surprising, but the players in the comments section clearly don't think so.
[ Brain Bling ]: "Dude, I had a similar experience to you, how did I die?"
[ Clear Soup Master ]: "What's your constitution like? How much Plant Compatibility you have?"
Constitution 9, Plant Compatibility 5.
"My constitution is 13 and my Plant Compatibility 7. Our only weakness is our attributes."
"I see. So, if you don't get killed by the tree directly, a hidden storyline will be triggered? It feels a bit like some visual novel games, where a new CG scene is triggered after a certain stat reaches a certain value."
"You'd better be talking about a text-based adventure game."
[ Autumn Light and Osmanthus Shadows ]: "On our way to Fir City, do you need a prison break service?"
[ Clear Soup Master ]: "If possible, it's definitely necessary, but I'm not even sure where I am right now..."
There's nothing I can do to help.
"... His face changed so quickly."
"I just wanted to experience the feeling of breaking the law with force."
"Can you beat the warden?"
"... It's hard to say."
Seeing that even the Soul Returner [ Autumn Light and Osmanthus Shadows ], known for his physical prowess, wasn't entirely confident, [ Clear Soup Master ] continued to reply below:
"I suggest everyone piece together the map of Fir City as soon as possible. This city is too big. If we don't even have a basic area map, it will be difficult to lower the game's difficulty. Besides, without a map, how can anyone navigate the game?"
[ Pizza Heart ]: "You just want everyone to find your location so they can rush to rescue you, right?"
[ Clear Soup Master ]: "That's part of the reason, but if I really can't hold on any longer, I'll just give up on this body. After all, I've gathered enough information, and I feel like I can still break even."
[ Pizza Heart ]: "Brother, you have to hold on! I will definitely come to rescue you. Although I haven't set off yet, I really will!"
[ Clear Soup Master ]: "That's all for now, I'm going online to begin my life of jail and interrogation."
Ed saw that the last message was posted two minutes ago, so he figured [ Clear Soup Master ] was back in his cell by now.
Unfortunately, Fir City was not within the coverage area of his Root Network. Just like the group heading to the Graycast Corridor entering the domain of the Grand Foundry Master, the players' senses that he could synchronize with also experienced a noticeable decrease in clarity and sound quality.
Even so, Ed still chose to synchronize [ Clear Soup Master ]'s five senses, intending to gather some information about Fir City.
Meanwhile, in Fir City, beneath the cathedral.
[ Clear Soup Master ] opened his eyes in his solitary cell.
The winter dungeon exuded a bone-chilling cold. Even with only 20% of his perception synchronization activated, he couldn't help but shiver, pulling his body away from the cold walls and floor.
A series of sounds, some crying and some laughing, reached his ears. Having played this game for so long, [ Clear Soup Master ] had no doubt about the production quality of the official World of Disorder.
Following the consistent approach of the production team behind that World of Disorder, these wails could not possibly be just ambient noises; they might actually be a grand chorus of pitiful individuals with tragic pasts.