After answering [ Shit Appraisal Master Pond Fish and Old Abyss's ] question, [ Litang's Supremely Fierce Tiger ] asked again:
Does this game have a death penalty?
Upon hearing this, the [ Shit Appraisal Master ] smiled, thought for a moment, and replied:
"It wasn't there before, but it is now... The game's mechanics are quite interesting. The more corpses you collect after dying, the less time and money it takes to revive. The minimum is 10 silver per revival."
[ Litang's Supremely Fierce Tiger ]: "What if he dies without leaving even ashes..."
That's 1 gold and 10 silver.
[ The Shit Appraisal Master ] smacked his lips.
"Just in case you don't understand, if we consider one copper coin as one dollar, then your starting capital after completing the newbie quests would only be 5500, while 1 gold and 10 silver is equivalent to 11000. If it's like you said, everyone would have to pool their money to buy you parts to revive you."
[Pond Fish and Old Abyss]: "Is there any rule regarding logging off each day?"
"Okay, just be mindful of the area. We're currently in a neutral zone, so it's best to log off in a safe zone to ensure your body's integrity and your items are safe. Outside of safe zones, it's hard to say."
"So, adding to what you said about only having twelve hours of testing time per day, does that mean we have to be back in the castle before 8 PM?"
[ The Shit Appraisal Master ] nodded:
"This should be the initial setup, since there are too few players right now. If we were allowed to run around the world freely, we might fall off the map or encounter unknown bugs. However, the offline location is not unique. Since last night, Dragonborn Village has been our ally. Based on the area division, we can log off normally in that village."
"I guess the area designated for our activities during the closed beta is roughly the entire baronial territory."
With this information, the two new players discussed for a moment and finally confirmed their next activity strategy: today they would prioritize repairing the roof to save money, and then return to the castle in the evening to settle accounts and activate their accounts. This way, they would have money to buy items such as bandage packs to prevent being caught off guard when encountering a large number of monsters later.
The young former garrison captain of the Tree Worship Church, now the regional bishop Duolin, is holding a simple map in his hand.
He looked at the rammed earth wall in the distance, which was nearly two people high, and then at the somewhat similar sketch on the map, muttering to himself:
"This must be the Dragonborn Village?"
The newly appointed tax official beside him lightly spurred his horse forward and took a look:
"That must be it, Captain, no, Bishop, what should we do?"
With unparalleled confidence, the newly appointed Bishop Duolin ultimately did not heed the advice of the old priest Yiden, and after resting for a night, began to tour his diocese.
Since Yiden said that these three villages are the farthest from and most dangerous to White Wax Town, the patrol should naturally begin here.
So the five of them rode their horses northward, following the map through a sparse forest and a small river, and finally arrived near the three villages scattered along the river.
Duolin actually wanted to challenge this so-called Dragonborn Village, after all, a bishop had died here, and he didn't have a good impression of these walled-off, self-defending guys.
But remembering the old priest's advice, he ultimately abandoned his somewhat reckless idea and turned to his subordinates, saying:
"Let's take a slightly longer route and go to Midstream Village."
The Dragonborn Village stood on the rammed earth wall, watching the dust and silhouettes left behind by the departing knights, and asked the guard on duty beside him:
"Are you sure they're from the Tree Worship Church?"
The young guard nodded:
"That green robe is definitely it."
"They're smart to be sensible."
The village chief gave a disdainful snort, then seemed to remember something and stood there lost in thought.
"What's wrong?"
When asked by someone beside the village chief, he looked at the young guard as if waking from a dream:
"Go to the castle and tell the people there about this."
"Clang, clang, clang."
The sound of the pear-shaped bronze bell echoed through Midstream Village. It was not yet noon, and the idle villagers quickly gathered from the surrounding area, arriving at the open space around the village.
The infrastructure in Midstream Village is not as good as that in Upperstream Village. At least Upperstream Village has an area that resembles a small square, but in Midstream Village, all that's left is a wasteland.
The villagers, though puzzled, obediently came to the open space and saw five knights on tall horses standing in front of them. The leader was tall and imposing, and looked particularly elegant in the sunlight.
Once all the villagers had arrived, the man struck the pear-shaped bronze bell forcefully, and after the entire area fell silent, he loudly proclaimed:
"Everyone look at me! Remember my face!"
As the villagers looked on with awe, Duolin felt a surge of accomplishment.
Although the White Wax Town Parish is remote, as long as I can manage this parish well, it will be enough to prove my piety.
I don't know why these villagers are so pale and thin. Living in symbiosis with trees shouldn't have such a big impact on their health. I guess it's because the previous bishop neglected to manage them.
However, remembering that the derelict fellow was already dead, Duolin, a devout believer in the World Tree, couldn't help but silently pray for him before turning his gaze back to the villagers:
"I am Duolin, the new bishop of this region. The previous bishops and tax collectors have been killed by despicable apostates and returned to the embrace of the Lord!"
"Apostates swindle and deceive within the parish, easily fooling ignorant believers like you, therefore..."
Duolin pointed to someone behind him:
"He is your new tax officer. Anyone else who comes to collect your taxes is a fraud!"
"Once such suspicious individuals appear..."
Duolin sensed something strange about the atmosphere around him. Although the obsequious villagers still held him in great awe, he felt there was a hint of suspicion in their eyes.
That shouldn't be the case.
Was it because they found it hard to believe that he had become a bishop at such a young age?
No, how would the villagers in this remote area know about these things? It seems that what I just said was too shocking.
Yes, that's right. How could an ordinary apostate dare to impersonate a bishop? But that's precisely why we need to be careful, otherwise these foolish guys will definitely be deceived.
"... Go to the White Wax Town Church immediately and report to me!"
Duolin didn't let his voice fluctuate too much and forced himself to finish the last half of his sentence.
But the surroundings remained quiet. The villagers didn't gossip, didn't make a fuss, and didn't humbly say "I understand, I understand." Duolin felt that things were getting stranger and stranger.
He glanced at a slightly younger villager nearby and casually pointed at him:
"You, come here."
The villager, with his thin arms and legs, naturally dared not disobey, and stepped forward with his head down, avoiding Duolin's gaze.