LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 260: 246 signboard......Grandpa
"Why is our mascot an old man…" Kuang Xin remarked on more than one occasion.
Out of the blue, an old man showed up in the base warehouse, claiming to be one of their Dawn members, following the orders of the adults, and from then on would be stationed there to oversee the warehouse management duties.
Of course, this was a good thing. Previously, whenever they wanted to exchange or submit something, they always had to wait for the adult to return. And the adult himself often had important tasks and was frequently absent.
They even often went on "business trips," disappearing for days at a time.
This was very inconvenient.
Having someone from the organization in the base not only to perform daily duties but also to help expand their world view and learn more about the organization was a great thing... but it would have been even better if the mascot could have been a commanding big sister!
"We're lucky to have someone, so stop complaining," Dai Lian rolled his eyes. In the game, whether the NPC was good-looking or not didn't matter to him; it was just a tool.
What mattered to him was how the tool could make things more convenient for him.
And clearly, the arrival of this new tool... The new Dawn character brought several pieces of good news with it.
First, the adult had returned!
The specifics couldn't be disclosed, but the adult was back and had been back for two days. Even though they didn't know why he hadn't met with them yet, they had gotten into the habit of waiting in the base warehouse every noon.
They wondered if the adult would come today.
Second, there were new items available for exchange—
The first-floor exchange store added "Close Combat Specialization," "Throwing Specialization," and "Light Weapons Specialization":
[Throwing Specialization Instruction, price—Basic Training: 20 Faction Contribution Points.]
[Light Weapons Specialization Instruction, price—Basic Training: 20 Faction Contribution Points.]
[Close Combat Specialization Instruction, price—Basic Training: 20 Faction Contribution Points; Advanced Training: 30 Faction Contribution Points; Master Training: 50 Faction Contribution Points.]
The second-floor exchange store added "Master Training" for "Ranged Weapon Specialization" and "Close Combat Specialization":
[Ranged Weapon Specialization Instruction, price—Master Training: 100 Faction Contribution Points.]
[Close Combat Specialization Instruction, price—Master Training: 100 Faction Contribution Points.]
The refreshing feeling of occasional new updates was something that couldn't help but earn rave reviews.
Even the Faction Warehouse itself had updated with something they had never thought of before—cars!
[Empty-Tanked Car*1, rental price: (Faction Contribution Points*10, Faction Funds*50) per natural day (limit of one rental at a time per person); sale price: Faction Contribution Points*500, Faction Funds*1000 (the contribution points spent on rental can be deducted from those needed for the purchase).]
Super user-friendly!
They had inquired about the prices for these on the market, but they were way out of reach for them at the moment, given their meager means.
But now, the Faction Warehouse offered rental and sales services. Buying a car outright only cost 1000 Faction Funds, equivalent to 5000 Blackwater Coins, which was much more affordable than the inflated prices from Black Street's unscrupulous merchants.
Let alone the fact that after their last contribution of "Exorcism Essential Oil," each of them had no less than 1000 Faction Funds. All they needed was to pool together 500 Faction Contribution Points, and they could buy it outright!
Having a car versus not having one in the game was like night and day.
Not to mention all the cement still piled up in the sewer—how long would they need to carry it on their shoulders?
Now with the car, they could rent it for one day and get it all "plonked" in one go!
Bearing in mind the expansion of their area... Restricted to walking, they couldn't venture far from Black Street, or they'd stray outside of the adult's operating range, and all the ground they gained with Dawn would evaporate.
With a car, they could travel much farther afield.
Whether it was for completing missions or exploring the world of the game, it was far more convenient than using their legs.
This time the Faction update was... awesome!
And the arrival of the old man mascot brought more than that.
After he arrived, he directly settled the contribution points they had earned for constructing the warehouse up until today.
Each person received 250 contribution points! That was even more than twice the cumulative amount dispensed before!
The reason, of course, was that they had worked twice as hard during the two days the adult was absent.
They put aside other missions and focused entirely on the construction of the base warehouse!
The 20*20*3 space requirement from the mission had long been met. The space they excavated was even larger to account for internal "decorating," and the actual usable volume was definitely less than the space they dug out.
Using their limited knowledge to figure things out on their own, they used up nearly half the cement during the past few idle days, which resulted in such a large influx of contribution points.
As to why they worked so hard...
Building the base accrued contribution points, and with those points, they could exchange for instructional courses in the faction that seemed incredible to other players.
Goods are meant to be thrown out by comparison, and people are meant to despair through comparison.
Only in interaction with other players could they genuinely realize just how much of an advantage the three of them had in joining the "Dawn" organization compared to others!
The players assigned to this city were not limited to just the few of them. Many players were mixed into various factions, with most of them freewheeling solo players.
Normally, it was rare for everyone to meet; some were so integrated into the game world that even when players passed each other face to face, they might not recognize who the other person was.
Without the text display above their heads, nobody could easily distinguish who was a player and who was an NPC.
Only occasionally during quests could one tell by the way the quests were conducted...
Like recognizes like, and there are many quests that the native inhabitants wouldn't even glance at... only players would be interested.
Such as the recently encountered quest "Retrieve the lost mecha parts from the orcs."
Gong Yan and the others didn't accept the quest right away, and the other party didn't have the patience to wait indefinitely. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire
Therefore, a quest intended for all "bounty hunters" somehow appeared in the bustling underground market at some point.
It even became eagerly sought after.
The head of the guild issuing the quest couldn't fathom why a task, which in his experience might not attract many bounty hunters due to the laughable reward when compared to the danger of tangling with orcs, was now so popular.
Of course, his initial intention was just to dupe some unsuspecting bounty hunters unaware of the market price, to use them as cannon fodder to scout for potentially useful information.
But unexpectedly, the response overwhelmed him, with applicants breaking down his door.
Just thinking about those unruly bastards made Kuang Xin feel a surge of anger.
"Those bastards really have no respect for the rules!"
Dai Lian nodded in agreement, "Indeed... it was just a mission bracelet, and they fought over it like mad."
The guild boss Wallis, who likened himself to a crow feeding on carrion, had initially intended to lure naive bounty hunter novices with a low price to do his bidding. When he realized the overwhelming number of "bounty hunters" willing to undertake the mission, he quickly changed his strategy.
Want to do the quest?
Sure! Buy the "mission bracelet" at a high price.
Only those wearing the "mission bracelet" had the right to turn in the quest. Otherwise, even if others obtained the items he desired, their contributions would be rejected.
Of course, if someone did manage to bring him what he wanted without a "mission bracelet," he would naturally take the item and send the person packing.
A reward for the quest? Not a single cent.
After all, the rule was set, wasn't it? Without rules, there's no circle to be squared!
A single quest, not only to freeload the desired items but to also extort a hefty sum from those dim-witted bounty hunters.
Wallis didn't know why his quest attracted so many "fools," but the instinctive pursuit of profit drove him to act in his own best interest subconsciously.
And he certainly wasn't acting honorably.
On the surface, he allowed everyone to take on the quest, but only those with "mission bracelets" could ultimately submit it. He recognized only the bracelet, not the person.
In secret, however, through his underlings disguised as bounty hunters who also accepted the quest, he would "resell" the right to undertake the quest—or rather, the "mission bracelets"—at high prices.
Many clever players easily realized that this was a scheme by the organizer and detested such dishonorable local NPCs, swearing to destroy their entire families after completing the quest. But first, the quest had to be done...
After all, the reward for the quest was truly tempting—
[Jackpot Quest—Retrieve the Creation.]
[Retrieve the Creation: The technological creations of humanity have fallen into the hands of other species. It would be a significant loss for humanity if the fruits of human intellect were analyzed and their technological methods deciphered. To recapture the glory of human creation, we shall not shirk our duty!
Quest requirements: Allowed to use any means (including but not limited to trade, robbery, theft, etc.) to retrieve the target creation 0/1. Quest completion reward: Jackpot experience (currently 7200 points). Participation fee: 100 points of combat/general experience.]
This was the system quest that popped up when "bounty hunters" accepted the task issued by the guild boss Wallis.
Who cared about the pittance Wallis gave?
What everyone valued was the massive amount of experience accumulated in the jackpot!
Invest 100 points, reap millions in return.
Go for broke with a small stake for great gains, take off in one swell foop!
Lose, and you do so with grace, free of regret.
The opportunity for a massive free-for-all for just 100 experience points was also a gain.
Moreover, which gamer thought less of themselves?
They would take the chance even if it were one in ten million, especially for a jackpot quest that relied solely on personal intelligence and ability.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, so be it.
The guilds forming teams to develop core experts, so be it.
Every player who took on the quest believed they had a chance to come out on top in the end.
"So we must be more cautious," Gong Yan said with a smile, tucking a curl that hung by her temple, her fair wrist adorned with an iron-gray metal bracelet that reflected a subdued, matte luster in the light of the warehouse.
"Can the big guy make it today?" Kuang Xin looked on eagerly, knowing that there wasn't much time left before they set off on the mission. Some quick ones had already departed, and had it not been for the hope of turning their resources into hard cash to increase their chances of completing the mission, they too would have already left.
"I hope he can come today and teach me a few things to slay my way to victory!"
Faction contribution points could be directly credited to one's account, but to convert them into the strength taught in those courses still required the big guy himself to come.
"He should be able to make it," Gong Yan said with a gentle smile, her soft voice comforting.