"How about we find a place to enjoy some afternoon tea?" Kael gestured invitingly.
The group exchanged glances as Qing Ya hesitantly scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Actually, we've almost spent all our money rushing to get to the town."
What he meant was that if they went somewhere a bit more upscale, they might not have enough money with them.
Kael was surprised and asked with some confusion, "I'm the one who wants to entrust you with some tasks. Why should you be the ones to bear the expenses incurred during this period?"
The Guarantor nodded frantically, tears welling up in his heart.
Such a simple NPC!
It reminded him of the times when he was a substitute on The Clown King team and occasionally had to double as the delivery manager, collecting takeouts for teammates who were training.
That was tolerable; spending a bit of effort to gain his teammates' favor seemed like a worthwhile investment for when he'd have to coordinate with them on the field.
But sometimes when he ordered the food, aside from one respected senior who would secretly give him money and even treat him to a seafood buffet, the other four never paid for their meals.
Friggin heck, I'm here to be your teammate, not your ATM. Be human, will you? You're worse than NPCs.
Kael's face remained impassive with a slight smile as his gaze swept over the Guarantor's soul.
"It truly lives up to the internal testing phase. These past couple of days, I've met quite a few famous high-level players from my previous life!
Of course, that makes sense. The first round of internal test invites mainly went to long-time online players, professional club gamers, and game review journalists.
And since the first round of testing happened in towns and villages in the Lancaster Territory, it would be surprising not to bump into familiar faces...
God of Wealth and Xiao Ya, needless to say, were teammates in my past life.
That 'A Walk in the Empty Mountains' sounds vaguely familiar. Wait, don't tell me he's... damn!
Then there's the Laughing Clown Guarantor; I've heard about him, a promising professional gamer who later had a fallout with his club and officially quit. What a waste."
Thinking this, Kael's smile grew even warmer.
They were all fine sprouts of leeks just waiting to be harvested!
After receiving affirmative from Kael, the group seated themselves in a modestly decorated establishment.
Once they were seated, God of Wealth, who seemed to be the leader of the group, cleared his throat and said, "Lord, may we know the details of the task you wish to entrust to us and any specific requirements?"
Kael nodded and spoke, "In recent days, the Pope of the Earth Mother Goddess Church has received a calling from Mother Earth, the Harvest Goddess. We've learned that Her Holiness will soon send a group of her children, endowed with the Undying Blessing, to the Divine Continent.
I was shocked when I first heard about this from the Church's regional bishop. It's been many years since the last visitors from the divine realms came, especially after the War of the Chosen instigated by the God of Suffering."
The group nodded, lost in thought.
The official website didn't directly explain the identity of the players; it simply introduced the main powers within the game, alongside gameplay mechanics and things to take note of.
Now, after hearing what the good-looking Lord had to say, it seemed that the players in this world were the citizens of the Harvest Goddess's divine realm.
Unspoken but clear, the clout of a Lord's station is formidable indeed! He had revealed so much confidential information just through casual conversation.
And take a look at the casual Versailles dropped in passing: mentioning Goddesses, Popes, and at the very least a regional bishop.
Without a doubt, this was a big fish!
You have to understand, during their three days on the donkey cart with nothing to do, they had gone through the game forums extensively.
According to the multitude of intel dropped by internal testers, the information players had collected from NPCs in various villages and remote wildernesses these days was mostly not as valuable as what they got from the Lord's own mouth.
After giving the players some time to think, Kael continued, "Compared with the children of Shang Qiya who are graced with the Undying Blessing, it's inconvenient for regular citizens to carry out certain tasks. While the defensive force within the territory is still strong, we really don't have enough spare hands to deal with the Huge Hoofed Deer that have migrated out of the Dungeon.
This is a pivotal livestock industry focus for Lancaster this year, but the current wolf infestation in the Dungeon is severe. A wide-ranging migration of the Huge Hoofed Deer would undoubtedly provoke attacks from the Shadow Wolves, so I require additional assistance."
As he finished speaking, Kael suddenly noticed that a popup window had appeared before him.
[Would you like to issue a quest to the players?]
[Note 1: The daily refreshed task experience points depend on a comprehensive bonus from the territory's prosperity and the individual's level and social status]
[Note 2: You can decide the additional rewards for players completing tasks, including but not limited to unused level experience points, unused general experience points, vocational skill teaching, territories, items, money, etc.]
[Your current territory prosperity: ★★☆ (Depends on the size of the territory and how bustling it is)]
[Your current personal level: ☆ (Every 2 levels count as +1☆)]
[Your current personal status: ★☆ (Determined by the world's will collectively)]
[Total: ★★★★☆]
[Level Experience Pool unlocked, current experience points = 1000×4★+500×☆=4500. Experience Pool capacity: 4500/4500]
Sadly, favorability can't be put into it. Kael had tried it yesterday when he issued tasks to another group of players, but this game doesn't have such a setting as favorability.
He silently recited the requirements for issuing the task.
At this moment, those with anxious faces finally heard the exciting system notification sound.
[You have received a task from "Kael.D.Helois" called "The Lord's Ranch"]
[Task acceptance: Single/Multiplayer task, up to 15 people]
[Task completion condition: Complete the migration of 100 Huge Hoofed Deer and ensure they are not harmed by wolves]
[Task reward: 1000 Level Experience Points; 1 piece of special intelligence; 2000 Demon Crystals]
Here it comes, the task has really arrived.
Everyone looked at each other and smiled, accepting the task without hesitation.
But after the task was accepted, the Guarantor's soul unexpectedly added one more thing:
"Lord, you just mentioned that the Huge Hoofed Deer we need to escort are migrating out of the Dungeon. May I ask if we could get more rewards for bringing out more deer from the Dungeon in addition to the 100 Huge Hoofed Deer?"
Kael looked at the Guarantor's soul, and seeing the young man biting his lip and cautiously probing, a smile suddenly bloomed on his face:
"Of all the Undead who have come to me for task commissions in the last two days, you are the first to make this request to me."
Kael purposely showed an extremely surprised look, then smiled beautifully at him and said:
"I had planned to pay you 2000 Demon Crystals and tell you a secret piece of intelligence if you could complete this task perfectly. However, for clever people, I think the task conditions can be slightly altered."
Following that, the Guarantor heard a new system notification.
[Your task "The Lord's Ranch" has changed. The completion condition has been changed to: Complete the migration of at least 40 Huge Hoofed Deer and ensure they are not harmed by wolves]
[The task reward has changed to:
For each migrated Huge Hoofed Deer, +10 Level Experience Points;
For each migrated Huge Hoofed Deer, +20 Demon Crystals;
One piece of location intelligence about the "Twisted Jungle" Dungeon;
1 piece of special intelligence]
The Guarantor immediately turned to the trio known as God of Wealth and said, "Gentlemen, before we start the task, would anyone like to join me in going to the Dungeon to capture Huge Hoofed Deer.
For every deer we capture alive, I'll pay 20 Demon Crystals, not making any profit. But if you can find enough helpers for me, I'll buy each deer they catch for 14 Demon Crystals."
He paused for a moment, his gaze seriously turning to God of Wealth: "The difference in the Demon Crystals, half for me and half for you."
Upon hearing this, Kael showed a faint smile.
How could one not say the Guarantor has the makings of a high player?
He's learned early on how to share responsibilities, truly a prime sprout of chives!