Harry quickly caught up and saw the weapon shop owner approach the furnace. He then squatted down and forcefully pulled up a wooden board, revealing a boy curled up inside.
Seeing the boy, Harry was speechless. He had observed every corner of the weapon shop before, but he never expected there to be a hidden basement.
In fact, Harry later learned that he had to purchase a weapon from the shop and gain the trust of the weapon shop owner in order to see the boy again. Even if he had encountered the boy earlier, he would have needed to buy weapons from the shop first to greet him.
And he was really lucky. On his first visit to the weapon shop, he saw the boy because the boy appeared twice a day in the shop, at random times, and the appearances were extremely brief.
It was said that in other beginner villages, they hadn't known this quest to find the village chief even after half a month. It was only after the quest was exposed on the forum that everyone found out.
"Hello, can I help you with something?" Looking at the boy in front of him, with tears shimmering in his eyes as if something had happened, Harry smiled gently and spoke kindly. After all, this could be the village chief's grandson, and it might be related to finding the village chief.
"I broke my grandpa's tobacco pipe, and now I'm afraid to go back. Can you help me?" The boy walked out from the underground wooden board, his eyes glistening with teardrops, and weakly asked Harry.
This game had such a perfectly designed setting that it made Harry, as he looked at the expression of this NPC child in front of him feel a touch of melancholy.
Ding!
[System Prompt: Hidden quest triggered, do you accept?]
[Quest Name: [Unique] Help the Boy
[Completion Condition: Tobacco pipe]
[Quest Reward: 100 EXP]
[Quest Description: Please go to the village to find Mrs. Shaw and purchase tobacco pipe from her.]
...
"Accept!"
Harry had walked around the village before and knew all the NPCs in the village. Mrs. Shaw's house was not far away.
After accepting the quest and reassuring the boy, Harry quickly turned around and walked out of the weapon shop, rushing to Mrs. Shaw's house.
Along the way, Harry couldn't help but feel a sense of wonderment at the players still searching for the village chief. Perhaps completing the task for the young boy was the key to making the village chief appear. The quest seemed quite convoluted, with each step dependent on the previous one. Any slight mistake could potentially result in missing the opportunity.
Soon, Harry arrived at Mrs. Shaw's house. He stopped and saw a woman sitting at the doorstep, wearing a troubled expression and scanning the area outside the village as if waiting for something.
Harry quickly used an insight skill to confirm that the woman was Mrs. Shaw and approached her, greeting her cautiously.
"Madam, I want to buy a tobacco pipe," Harry said carefully. He was only here to check the price of the tobacco pipe. If it was too high, he would have to go monster hunting to earn some money first.
"Warrior, do you want to buy a pipe?" Mrs. Shaw shifted her gaze and turned to look at Harry.
"Yes." As soon as Harry finished speaking, a list immediately appeared in his mind. However, his expression turned sour when he saw the prices of the tobacco pipe on the list.
Harry didn't expect that a tobacco pipe would cost 5 gold coins. He took a deep breath and felt inclined to give up on this quest. He simply couldn't afford it, and it would take him ages to gather 5 gold coins.
This quest was not meant for ordinary players. Only those from large clans with teams and dedicated farming studios could accumulate enough gold coins to complete it.
Harry closed the list, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down. However, he couldn't help but feel the urge to curse out loud. This game was incredibly frustrating. How were ordinary players supposed to enjoy it?
As Harry walked away without looking back, Mrs. Shaw couldn't help but call out anxiously.
"This is the last tobacco pipe, Warrior. Are you sure you won't buy it?"
"It's too expensive. I can't afford it." Harry replied without turning back. Even if he sold all his equipment, he wouldn't have a single gold coin. Five gold coins were a significant amount. In fact, even if to add up the money of all the players in the beginner village, it was unlikely that they would have five gold coins collectively. After all, some players hadn't even seen a single copper coin yet.
Harry walked for a long distance before he suddenly thought of something. He froze in his tracks as if he had forgotten something important.
When he purchased weapons from the weapon shop earlier, he received a gift because it was his first purchase. Perhaps the same applied to the potion shop, jewelry shop, and equipment shop.
Thinking of this, Harry became excited.
"Warrior, can you do me a favor? I'm willing to give you my last pipe."
Mrs. Shaw's voice came from afar, interrupting Harry who was still deep in thought.
"What?" Harry was stunned. There was actually a tobacco pipe as a gift.
"Madam, what can I do for you?" Harry quickly went back to Mrs. Shaw and asked.
"I have a son. The villagers call him Arthur. A few days ago, he and Mr. Lee's son went hunting outside the village."
"Warrior, are you willing to help me find him outside the village?" Mrs. Shaw wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said.
Ding!
[System Prompt: Hidden quest triggered. Do you accept?]"
[Quest Name: [Unique] Help Mrs. Shaw]
[Completion Condition: Find Arthur]
[Quest Reward: Tobacco pipe]
[Quest Reward: 200 EXP]
[Quest Description: Please take a look outside the village. Arthur is outside the village.]
...
Harry's expression became strange. This Arthur was probably known by all the players in the beginner village. Arthur could be found under a tree to the east of the village, dressed in tattered clothes and covered in dirt. He looked like a beggar. Many players, including Harry, had approached him and inquired, but Arthur remained guarded and refused to say anything.
Harry hadn't expected that triggering Mrs. Shaw's quest was a prerequisite for being able to talk to Arthur.
"Madam, don't worry. I'll definitely help you find your son." Harry reassured Mrs. Shaw after accepting the mission.
"Thank you, brave warrior." Mrs. Shaw hastily expressed her gratitude.
...
Harry didn't waste any time. He knew Arthur's location, so he quickly arrived at the eastern side outside the village and spotted Arthur under the large tree.
However, there were many players surrounding Arthur, constantly trying to engage him in conversation, suspecting it to be a hidden quest.
Harry rubbed his nose and approached the tree. He looked at Arthur, whose clothes were tattered, hair unkempt, and overall appearance pitiful.
"Hello, I'm..." Harry had just crouched down, but before he could finish speaking, Arthur's expression suddenly became panicked. He quickly curled up and tried to avoid Harry.
"Who are you? I don't know you." Arthur waved his hand to signal him to leave, displaying a fearful demeanor.
"Move aside, move aside! Clear the way!"
Just as Harry was about to speak again, another player suddenly squeezed in front of him, positioning themselves between him and Arthur, effectively blocking his path.
Harry furrowed his brows slightly and looked at the player. He noticed their name was LCG-Heaven, and a few other players stood behind them, wearing unfriendly expressions while staring at him.