Seraphina successfully passed the "baton" to Ed, who naturally became the mastermind behind this charade.
The purpose of this charade was twofold. First, Ed had signed long-term contracts with both the Dragonborn Village and Dragonborn Village master Seraphina, and there was absolutely no need for either party to conceal anything from the other.
The other purpose was to intentionally let the players see this scene.
For these bright, otherworldly souls, this cutscene involving Ed, Seraphina, and the village chief was enough for them to understand why the game had changed so drastically all of a sudden.
After all, as a game that emphasizes realism, it would be a bit jarring if many things appeared out of nowhere.
Ed only needs to point out a little bit, and the players' rich imaginations will help him solve the rest.
As for those unreasonable parts, they will naturally become reasonable in their own minds.
So Ed shrugged and gave the village chief the answer he had already prepared:
"I did indeed visit Seraphina based on the information you provided, and I never expected that we would hit it off so well and now we are allies in saving the world."
The village chief looked up in confusion, his large eyes filled with doubt, as if to say: Are you kidding me?
But he dared not act too impulsively. After all, the other party was casually spouting their master's real name as if it were free. What right did he, a Dragonborn, have to question them?
Ed met his gaze, his eyes conveying nothing but confidence. Inevitably, the village chief looked in Seraphina's direction, his gaze shifting to her chin where he received a slight nod. He immediately lowered his head.
"I... I understand."
He lowered his head and said with a mixture of excitement and earnestness:
"I will convey this message to every villager in Dragonborn Village, telling them that we have true allies in this world, and we are no longer alone."
As he spoke, he turned to Ed and carefully took out the contract they had signed from his pocket:
"I was too presumptuous yesterday. I am now returning this contract to you. Whether the previous transactions continue is entirely up to you."
Ed smiled as he took the contract, unfolded it, glanced at it, and said with satisfaction:
"Business will continue, but the exchange ratio will change... from one fruit for one piece of ironware to four fruits for five pieces of ironware. The same applies to other items. I call this a 20% discount."
"Of course, with this discount, we'll also offer door-to-door delivery from now on, so you won't have to worry about the transportation. We'll confirm the fixed delivery time later, how does that sound?"
A triumphant smile flashed across Ed's face; his plan to make the most of every fish was about to succeed.
Hearing that the previous business could continue, even though the exchange rate was slightly lower, but that the other party was still providing delivery, and most importantly, that the owner had not abandoned Dragonborn Village, the village chief was incredibly excited. He almost cried as he said:
"I can't have it, I can't have it."
Ed handed the contract to Seraphina with satisfaction, and said to the village chief with a smile:
"Alright, since Seraphina is here as a witness, I don't think you have the guts to break the agreement. This contract will be kept by her. You have no objections, right?"
The village chief, naturally, had no other thoughts about such a trivial matter and quickly nodded.
Seraphina's patience seemed to have reached its limit; she casually waved her seemingly delicate arm.
"If there's nothing else, you can go back now. From now on, send the offerings here."
The village chief stood up respectfully and gave a proper bow.
Ed had gotten this great gift while standing next to Seraphina, twitched at the corner of his mouth, feeling like he was about to die young.
The village chief turned to the players, made a similar but less dramatic gesture, then unleashed his aura once more and turned to run towards Dragonborn Village.
Perfectly resolved!
Ed cheered inwardly, snapped his fingers, and a new pop-up window appeared in front of the six players:
[Server-wide Announcement:]
1. The settlement " Dragonborn Village " has been changed from a "neutral zone" to a "safe zone".
2. The relationship between the " Dragonborn Village " and " Soul Returner " factions has changed from "Neutral" to "Friendly," and a fixed trade route has been established between the two sides.
3. " Soul Returner " enjoy a permanent 20% discount when trading in " Dragonborn Village ".
4. NPC Seraphina unlocks a new mercenary role: Dragonborn Mercenary.
After reading the announcement, the players were speechless for a while. After some time, [ Do Some Farm Work ] finally remarked:
"Wow, that's amazing, there's even this kind of change."
[ Zhongde ]: "Do you think there's a possibility of becoming a reseller by taking advantage of this 20% discount? Even if it's just a little profit each time, as long as the volume is high..."
Upon hearing this, the [ Shit Appraisal Master ] patted him on the shoulder:
"Don't even think about it, brother. Dragonborn Village doesn't even have a hundred people. It's not like Dragonborn City; where would you find a market big enough to absorb all your goods? If you stockpile so much, you might end up with nothing..."
At this point, the [ Shit Appraisal Master ] suddenly felt that something was amiss.
What exactly is wrong?
He frowned and pondered for a moment, but couldn't figure it out at all, until the indignant newbie [ Good Times Don't Last ] came up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him:
"We lost money on our goods! We haven't sold a single item yet!"
"I'll test it!"
At this moment before nightfall, the naive newbie to the game and the naive young rich guy experienced the dangers of the world for the first time.
World of Disorder, 20:00.
Why have your men suddenly stopped moving?
Seraphina seemed a little unaccustomed to the sudden silence; after all, it was her first day at work, and there was still much to learn.
Ed sighed and explained:
"Their souls are not well-suited to their physical needs, which means their bodies are only able to function for half the day."
Seraphina casually fiddled with two silver coins, pondering as she said:
"Even giving them money won't work?"
Ed shook his head, thinking to himself that he would be willing to give him money.
The Red Dragon girl in human form seemed lost in memories, and after a moment she spoke:
"I've never heard of such a legend, anything about multiple souls or possession."
Ed seemed completely unfazed by the questioning, simply shrugged and began lecturing the other person instead:
"What's the big deal? You're only 150 years old. There's still so much for you to learn. You might not even have fully mastered the knowledge of the dragon race yet."
Seraphina looked at Ed with surprise:
"Much knowledge of the dragon race is passed down through bloodlines and does not require learning."
"Then let me ask you..."
Ed's eyes darted around, and he suddenly felt he could use this opportunity to gather some information, so he began to smuggle in his own private information:
Do Black Dragon exist in this world?
Seraphina thought for a moment and said:
"At least it existed before the Demonic Tide."
"Then let me ask you about someone, no, I mean, about a dragon."
"Who?"
Do you know Nidhogg?
"I don't know him."
"Where is Nigghod?"
"I don't know him."
" Nige Ganhuo?"
"I don't know him."