novelhk Chapter 14: The answer is yes!
Chapter 14: The answer is yes!
"Ah, thank the gods for allowing me to meet His Majesty," Illyrio said, nodding to Viserys beside him before rising to face the assembled players.
"Of course, I also want to thank you... uh..." Illyrio paused, seemingly thinking about how to address the group of players in front of him who looked no different from peasants, but gave him a strange feeling.
From the moment the players calmly took their seats, the governor had this feeling: this group of people was definitely not mercenaries, nor were they illegitimate children of families from across the strait.
They were supposed to act submissive, but they dared to stare me directly in the eye, as if they considered themselves my equals.
The governor thought to himself that this made it absolutely necessary for him to re-examine this "rabble." First of all, the shrewd Illyrio wanted to test the true identities of these people.
If Viserys, whom he considers a pawn, has other forces helping him besides his so-called "ally" Dorn across the strait, then his plans will have to change.
For example, he could turn the King sitting next to him from a pawn that draws fire into a young dragon to tear the enemy across the strait, and when both sides are exhausted, he could transform into Vaghar and reap the rewards.
Thinking of this, the governor's fake smile couldn't help but turn into a hint of smugness, and his gaze unconsciously drifted to His Majesty the King beside him, who had maintained a very proper demeanor throughout.
The king tilted his head, smiled at him, and raised his wine cup:
"Their fathers, brothers, or uncles, who died alongside my brother Prince Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident, harbor an unyielding hatred and swore to kill the usurper and his henchmen!"
"Yes! Yes!" The players raised their glasses in response to their king.
"Damn usurpers!" The governor remained noncommittal.
"Yes! Yes!" the players echoed again.
Who is the usurper?
"By the way, do we have any character backstories?"
"Damn, don't any of you watch the entrance animation? Do you even know anything about the game's background?"
"When exactly do we start eating?"
This is what the players said under the table.
Soon, after the pleasantries, the players finally got to feast. Although dietary habits differ, the desire to eat meat in large quantities is universal, regardless of time or place.
Amidst the eulogies of bards praising the Targaryen kings, the players ate with greasy mouths, quite unseemly.
The hunting dog, named Blue Lion by its tamer owner, was searching for bones that had been thrown on the ground under the dining table, gnawing on them with relish.
A greasy hand touched the blue lion's head and rubbed it for a while, which made the lion unhappy. It looked up and realized that its owner had used its fur as a hand towel after eating and drinking to its heart's content.
The blue lion expressed its dissatisfaction with a low whimper, and Li Peng laughed and withdrew his hand.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
After the banquet, the players were led to their lodgings by waiters.
Even with the addition of the king and his entourage of more than a dozen people, Illyrio's spacious courtyard did not feel crowded.
This can be seen from the fact that players can all stay in single rooms.
As soon as the new players closed the door to their rooms, before they even had a chance to take in the medieval style of the rooms, the newbie quests arranged by Viserys had already been delivered to them by the operations officer, Little Fireman.
Teaching new players basic swordsmanship will earn you 20 Kingdom Coins and two Black Iron Chests.
Several veteran players, including Xian Dan, who are warriors, also received new quests.
Under the cold gaze of the Unsullied Guardians, the players emerged from the room one by one and gathered in one place.
"Where is the beauty that my great Emperor promised?"
Although the sisters-in-law and the others had only been in the game for a day longer than the new players, they were wearing leather armor and carrying a crossbow, and their appearance attracted a little follower.
Obviously, these two like-minded people would revolve around eating, drinking, having fun, and enjoying their second life.
As the saying goes, a full stomach breeds lust, and the two, having eaten and drunk their fill, began to peruse Viserys's words, their eyes freely scanning the maids hurrying to and fro in the courtyard.
"That fatso isn't just plotting to control the emperor to command the nobles; he's got ulterior motives. They're already being generous by providing you with such lavish meals, and you're still thinking about beautiful women? Do you really think that's possible?"
The Minister of Revenue, Bu Zhan, stood beside him with his arms crossed and spoke in a low voice.
"If he's such a treacherous minister, why doesn't he use sweet words and flattery to corrupt me, a close advisor to His Majesty?"
The sister-in-law's reply left the non-stick pan speechless as it turned its head away and ignored her.
"Brothers in the warrior class, turn your attention to me!" Xian Dan quickly gathered the four players who had chosen the warrior class around him:
My roommate is Zhang Quan, nicknamed "Pillar Brother"; my group member loves pineapple pizza; he's the FBI director; and my sister-in-law's little follower—he has no ten thousand.
The five warrior players, along with the scout player, Sister-in-law, quickly and methodically began wielding their one-handed swords in a corner of the courtyard.
The beast tamer, the Golden-Winged Roc, cradled the blue lion's face, staring intently at it. According to Little Fireman, the intimacy with his pet would pave the way for him to advance from beast tamer to shapeshifter.
However, the blue lion turned its head away, clearly not wanting to please its unreliable master.
"Why is this alchemist a little different from what I expected?"
The three alchemists, personally instructed by the little fire spirit, each held a torch and a bottle of mysterious liquid given to them for free, and looked at each other in bewilderment.
"What a fire-breathing man, calling himself a fire sorcerer!" Song Jiang, the slovenly roommate, whose game name was Queen of the Women's Kingdom, stared speechlessly at the torch in his hand.
"Fellow Daoist, don't be discouraged. The future prospects for us alchemists are still very bright!" Nonstick Pan, who had also chosen the fire mage route in the alchemy field, quickly reaffirmed his stance.
"This thing looks complicated, but it's actually very simple!" The third alchemist, player Mufa, had already taken on the role, holding the mysterious liquid in his mouth and spitting it onto the torch.
As a fiery dragon lunged at the air with its claws outstretched, the player, completely helpless, said in a very cool tone:
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Good!" The blacksmith, who was lying in the corner sunbathing, and the assassin master, who was calling a mouse a duck, offered their applause at the right time.
With no quest rewards hanging around his neck, the Steamed Bun Immortal leisurely sipped his honey water while watching the performance of a few players.
As for his mentor, the blacksmith Rondo, in the game? The Steamed Bun Immortal who completed the beginner quests says he's not familiar with him.
Outside Rondo's blacksmith shop, Rondo the blacksmith was somewhat absent-minded today, constantly glancing at the Steamed Bun Immortal who had only been his apprentice for a day.
Could he be dead? The blacksmith Rondo frowned, and after a long while, he sighed at this cannibalistic world.
Meanwhile, I was seriously loitering in the grass in my room, and before I could even take off the long sword from my waist, I hurriedly logged off the moment I got close to the bed.