The other beta testers also opened accounts with Seraphina and deposited some of their assets.
This game is sometimes overly realistic. Given the current situation, it's impossible not to lose items upon death, so no one will carry all the money they just earned with them.
That way, even if you die, reporting the loss and opening a new account will only cost you one coin of the same level as the account.
Banks are a building with limited use for new players, and while Seraphina is beautiful, she only says a few lines over and over again, showing no sign of assigning any tasks to players.
All eyes turned to Ed once again, and the group of six surrounded Ed.
" Soul Returner, what brings you here?"
As Ed finished speaking, a semi-transparent information box appeared in everyone's view.
The entire information box is divided into three interfaces: [Tasks], [Shop], and [Hire].
In the [Tasks] section Ed thoughtfully divided the tasks into daily tasks, invitation tasks, and special tasks for players. The daily tasks are no different from those in other games, such as chopping down trees to hand in lumber or killing monsters to hand in materials.
The invitation quest is clearly the official version of the previous quest to obtain a beta test activation code. It specifies how many monsters must be killed to obtain a beta test qualification, and explicitly states that the materials required for the quest will increase as other players complete the quest.
Ed's current level is 5, Soul Webway can only support 32 players. Now that all the systems have appeared, he plans to slowly increase the number of players.
The game's webpage still holds undiscovered mysteries, and beta testers can be invited through quests. Every so often, there's a lottery to select a few lucky winners and award beta access—it's practically perfect.
There are currently three special quests available to players: [Opening Trade Routes], [Exploring Territories], and [Defeating Powerful Enemies].
[Opening up trade routes] naturally refers to the deal Ed made with Dragonborn Village. He has already prepared the first batch of fruit, and all that is needed is for diligent players to run the trade routes. Although the road is not absolutely safe, at least most of the monsters have died at the hands of him and Seraphina, who returned yesterday. Completing this task will not only reward you with 5 silver coins, but also earn you the trust of the Dragonborn Village and Ed.
[Exploring Territory] involves defining the current boundaries of the Baron's territory on the map. With most of the territory still shrouded in mystery, exploring these areas can greatly reduce the risks players may encounter. Players will receive copper coins and Ed's trust points for each area they explore. There are additional rewards for correctly marking dangerous and high-value targets.
[Slaying a Powerful Enemy] requires players to completely wipe out the Strangler Fig in the Black Forest on the other side of the river. Each Strangler Fig killed will earn an extra reward of 1 silver, and all dropped items will belong to the killer.
Looking at these three tempting quests, players are already drooling. While weak guidance certainly has its advantages, quests are still an indispensable part of the game!
At that moment, players who had previously thought that free exploration was a good thing suddenly realized how great it was.
After reviewing the contents of the [Tasks] page, the players then began to check the [Shop] section.
The [Shop] section is divided into two sub-interfaces: [Buy] and [Sell].
The so-called "sale" naturally refers to Ed using real money to buy back the materials dropped by players after killing monsters. In addition to setting a purchase price, it is also specially noted that the first person to sell a certain material will receive a special discount price of 200%.
Players readily accepted this setup, only to be speechless with shock at the contents of the [Purchase] section.
All items in this section have clearly marked prices. In addition to the weapons and tools that everyone expected, there are three disposable items: "Cocoon," " Vine Bandage Pack," and " Paralysis Bomb."
The former costs 3 silver, and everyone present already has one; the latter two are cheaper.
The " Vine Bandage Pack " costs 1 silver. Its function is to unfold it and wrap or connect it to quickly heal the wounds on the body of the Soul Returner.
The " Paralysis Bomb " costs 50 copper coins. When struck and thrown, it releases Paralysis Flower toxins within a two-meter radius, which are also effective against friendly forces.
[ The Good Times Don't Last ]: "Why are 'cocoons' so expensive? Is it because they can actually be used as shields?"
[ Howling Pothos ]: "It's probably because our level is too low right now, and the system doesn't recommend sleeping outside the safe zone... The high price might be a hint, just like how many games don't explicitly state what they don't recommend players do, but instead reduce the rewards or even design it as a negative reward."
While players were discussing it, some noticed an item at the very bottom of the [Purchase] screen. Even with all items sorted by price from lowest to highest, there was something actually more expensive than the "Cocoon"...
[ Zhongde ] was the first to discover the goods and casually read out the description of the items:
" Hoofed Beast (Limited to 1), priced at 5 gold, a resurrected creature driven by a strange power, with a relatively docile nature. Usage requirements: Plant Compatibility ≥ 2, Animal Compatibility ≥ 1. Note: Hoofed Beast need to eat daily to unleash their full power."
[ Do Some Farm Work ]: "I checked, there are vehicles too!"
[ Shit Appraisal Master ]: "Don't fight me for it, everyone! I've wanted to be a cavalryman since my past life. I'm definitely going to collect a set of armor and make a toy cavalry charge!"
[ Howling Pothos ]: "This isn't about whether to snatch it or not. This thing sells for 5 gold, and it might even need to eat grass every day to keep it alive, just like maintaining a car in real life. I suggest you think it over carefully before buying it, lest you be able to afford to buy it but not be able to afford to maintain it, and then..."
[ Shit Appraisal Master ]: "In that case, couldn't you still get a small loan from Seraphina?"
[ Zhongde ]: "666 bro, do you also need to check if there are any subsidies to get a car with zero down payment? No, wait, get a beast? And then if you can't pay the loan one month Hoofed Beast will be confiscated... How did you manage to turn this game into reality?"
[ Shit Appraisal Master ]: "You know what, it sounds really promising."
[ Do Some Farm Work ]: "Don't even think about it. I just asked, and the only thing our bronze-level accounts can do is deposits and withdrawals, maybe transfers too. We don't even have a silver-level account yet, and you want a loan?"
[ Shit Appraisal Master ]: "..."
[ Howling Pothos ]: "Alright, you guys should take a look at the [Hire] section first. The things in there... I can't say for sure."