"The Floating Market will be closed for a few weeks unless you get more oil," Glesga explained. "We'll offer rewards if you retrieve the oil barrels stolen by the Reef Raiders a few weeks ago. I don't want to risk sending patrollers since the town will be left undefended, so we could only rely on adventurers to retrieve the oils. Do you want to accept the quest?"
Xin nodded, accepting the quest. There was no time limit, so he might as well take it. He planned to gather better equipment from NPCs and upgrade his gear before heading out to face the Reef Raiders.
"Splendid! That's the spirit!" Glesga was pleased, and Xin's [Relationship Level] with him shot up to [Intimate].
Glesga then proceeded to give Xin directions to find the stolen oil. "There's a beach, one day travel from here where we believe the Reef Raiders are keeping the stolen barrels. Getting there is easy, but you may run into ambushing parties."
Glesga explained the three approaches they could take to reach the outpost once they crossed the hills surrounding the bay where Seagull's Nest was located. "The first option is to go along the beach and then dive underwater when you get closer. The downside is that the waters are crystal clear, so you might be easily spotted."
"The second approach is through the palm tree forests surrounding the beach outpost," he continued. "And finally, the third option is a head-on approach via the rocky formations on the beach or by boat."
Glesga also mentioned that Drasta might sell them potions for the dangerous quest. "The Reef Raiders are vigilant and will fight to defend their position, so be careful."
[The Quest, STEALING IT BACK, has been updated!]
"By the way, you can have this as a sign of our friendship," Glesga said, offering Xin a gift.
[RECEIVED!
WATER CANNON (Very Rare, Requires Attunement), given by the NPC Glesga
A gun that shoots water magic and requires two hands to wield. They could shoot two rounds per five seconds.
A brass and wood cylinder full of twisting glass tubes and intricate glowing wires with a simple grip. The barrel glows a deep blue when active, emitting hot steam.
Once fired, the glow brightens to pink and finally intense white; the water it shoots glows and fizzles with this pinkish-white energy.
INT + 100
May cause FREEZE for five seconds.]
Finally! A weapon upgrade. Xin thought to himself, satisfied with the rare item given by the town mayor. It was just what he had hoped for.
He decided to attune to the Water Cannon later at the Blacksmith. As for his armor, he had the [Crustacean Carapace], but it only a +10 CONS, so he knew he needed to find better equipment in the future.
Xin thanked Glesga for the gift and the information about the quest, feeling grateful for the new equipment he received.
After speaking with Glesga, Xin made his way to Drasta to purchase her [Water Breathing Potion]. He had a feeling he might need it if he had to swim to that beach Glesga mentioned.
Xin briefly considered asking Ariel for help, but the thought of dealing with that crazy mermaid again was enough to make him reject the idea. Xin would rather face dangerous quests alone than deal with Ariel's unpredictable behavior.
After his talk with Glesga, Xin decided to ask Triton for help with the quest to retrieve the oils. It would be much easier with Triton's strengths and skills.
But first, he went to the Blacksmith to have the [Water Cannon] attuned to him, so he could equip it for the upcoming quest.
With the weapon now attuned, Xin made his way to Drasta to buy the [Water Breathing Potion] he needed for the underwater part of the quest.
As he approached Drasta, she noticed him and asked, "Oh, you're going to retrieve the oils?"
Xin nodded in confirmation, and Drasta seemed slightly disappointed as she continued, "The town is responsible for killing nearly every whale that approached the bay in the last decades. That's why we have this oil problem."
She then suggested, "It's pointless to go whaling now, but if you're brave and strong, you could try to kill what I believe is a monstrous whale that's made its lair near the reefs a day's travel away."
[ACQUIRED the Quest, LET'S GO FISHING!]
Xin was surprised to learn about another quest related to oil, but he accepted it without hesitation.
After purchasing the [Water Breathing Potion], Xin continued his journey, completing various quests and interacting with NPCs.
Determined to acquire all the items on the Newbie Island, Xin was fine spending weeks completing quests and interacting with the town folks to maximize his relationship levels with them.
Money became a significant motivation for him, and he made sure to go to the Adventurer's Guild to auction his items and free up his inventory from time to time.
Unlike last time, now he wisely set his auctions for a week to get the most out of his rare loots.
=======================
The DEVELOPER's DISTRESS
=======================
"He sure is taking his time on the island," one developer commented.
"I would too if I knew that all NPCs held rare items once you maxed out your relationship level with them," the other replied.
"I have an idea!" the first developer exclaimed.
"What? It better be good," the other retorted.
"You know that he'll have to play with his friends once he's out of the Newbie Island, right? He's bound to form groups and even join guilds with people he knows!"
"So?"
"So . . . we will make the connections from all the people he interacts with in the game. Most of the players have already announced their real identities. It will only be a matter of time before we make the connections with him!"
"That's . . . that's a good idea."
"Right?!"
"And then what?"
"What do you mean, 'What'?"
"What would you do after you find his identity? Make him delete his account? He would never do that, not with that cheat CHA. So what are you going to do?"
". . . I . . . I haven't thought about it that far."