Chapter 372: Leaving the Emerald Grand Duchy Palace
William did not immediately embark on the mission or boast about possessing a map. Instead, he opted to allow his men to acclimate to the local conditions and customs in the area.
Lately, their schedules had been packed with various tasks, leaving little room for idleness. But there was a more pressing issue at hand: the brothels in Dawn City were off-limits to them.
William had grown tired of his men's behavior. They spent their days displaying his emblem, searching for his little sister to engage in indecent acts for free, tarnishing his reputation in the process.
Yet, he understood that these single men would not survive ten and a half days without female companionship. Even Violent Dragon, who had recently formed a family and seemed honest in Dawn City, had been lured onto a treacherous path after William introduced him to the enticing nightlife.
This situation had William pondering a saying: "Home flowers are not as fragrant as wild flowers."
Being in a foreign land, it was not in their nature to avoid special places. Therefore, William generously granted them a day off to enjoy themselves.
After all, the cabinet officials of the Emerald Grand Duchy were footing the bill for this venture, and there was no reason not to take advantage of free offerings.
Even if the prince chose not to partake, he could allow his men to do so. William even had a whimsical idea of bringing some legions with them next time. However, this might be overdoing it; there might not be enough "little sisters" in Emerald Grand Duchy's Capital City to accommodate such a crowd.
Nevertheless, it wasn't entirely impossible, as there were eligible women from respectable families available.
In any case, Dawn City now had the support of a powerful figure: the Emerald King. Being a foreign ruler with superior backing, William strolled the streets with an aura of holiness, scoring an impressive 342 Points on the "py" scale.
He hoped to encounter some famous NPCs from his previous life and attract their attention. Though Dawn City was not considered a major power in the Legendary Continent, it held considerable influence in the southern region. This, coupled with William's intelligence department's strategic promotion, led many young Professionals from smaller areas to take pride in joining the Dawn Mercenary Regiment and serving as His Royal Highness's loyal followers.
In this age of information overload, bards were the primary source of news for civilians to learn about events beyond their immediate surroundings. And Dawn City had no shortage of these wandering bards – a staggering 38000 in total. They were eloquent, articulate Professionals hailing from all corners of the southern region.
Indeed, bards were a unique profession that few players opted for. While players could switch careers, becoming a bard was primarily suitable for multi-level marketing (MLM) purposes, rather than the average player's gameplay style. This limited the number of players who chose to become bards.
However, Dawn City had to allocate a substantial budget of at least 50000 Gold Coins each month to cover the expenses of these bards. The question remained: was it worth it?
Many high-quality talents had journeyed to Dawn City, hoping to join this sacred and illustrious place. William's popularity was skyrocketing at an astonishing rate. Even people thousands of miles away were showing interest in Prince William, whom they had never met, increasing their favorability towards him by over 800 Points.
It was undeniable: bards were the Twenty-First-century equivalent of a network. William had become a star, with fans scattered far and wide. His handsome appearance was universally acknowledged, and his saintly posture had earned him a charm rating exceeding 300 Points.
As he walked by, the popularity displayed on his information panel continued to refresh. Even after he had passed by, his popularity continued to surge, with tens of thousands of messages pouring in.
People marveled, "What a remarkable and handsome man!"
"Interestingly, the majority of those who gained 100–200 Points of favorability were men."
"As for those who saw a surge of 500 Plus and even a staggering 900 Plus in popularity…"
"There's no doubt, those were mostly women."
"Sigh, in this era of social media and vanity, it's a shame I'll always be a man you can't get!"
William secretly rejoiced. In reality, if he wanted to take control of the Emerald Grand Duchy, he could easily do so. By increasing his favorability among civilians who weren't hostile to him, he could effortlessly incite them to rebel against their rulers. While they may lack combat skills, the ensuing chaos would be enough to keep the Emerald Grand Duchy occupied for some time.
However, Dawn City had no reason to initiate a war openly at this Point. So, for now, they had to continue plotting in secret.
William scanned his information panel but failed to find any famous NPCs from his previous life. Instead, he turned his attention to the players around him.
Among the crowd were both Dawn and Emerald players, with hundreds of them following him closely. Recently, rumors had been circulating on the forum that following Prince William might lead to exciting adventure tasks. Consequently, many players wanted to test the waters and see if there was any truth to these claims.
Little did they know that William himself had been monitoring the forum discussions. He had noticed their curiosity and discussions about triggering adventure tasks and began contemplating the idea.
Adventure tasks? Why not?
He decided he would undertake such tasks every so often, not for any specific reason but to stir up envy among players from other camps. This, he hoped, would gradually bring them into the fold of Dawn City.
And so, William singled out a Dawn player and issued an unexpected request: to perform the best dance right there in the street!
Ecstatic players broke into the centuries-old seaweed dance, sending ripples through the crowd.
After a vigorous performance, the onlookers were left in stunned disbelief. They believed the dancer was possessed by the spirit of Grandpa Nicholas Zhao Sizu. In fear of being infected by this inexplicable curse, they immediately retreated over ten meters.
William, however, maintained an awkward yet polite smile and rewarded the dancer with a Intermediate Level Dark-Gold Rank equipment.
"Unbelievable, that dance earned a Dark-Gold Rank reward? My dog's eyes must be blind. Your Highness, your taste knows no bounds."
"These adventure missions are incredible."
"But I have to ask, if a lady chooses a strip dance in the street, what reward will Your Highness offer?"
"Don't ask that! In such a case, Your Highness would take them away to a secluded place and grant them their reward…"
"Yes, I'm all for it! I want Your Highness to reward me!"
"Oh, come on, you're a man. Don't say such things. It's disgusting!"
The Dawn players chatted animatedly, and one of them speculated, "After the version update, did the programmers add a new task-triggering mechanism for Your Highness?"
"Hey, don't rule it out. It's possible. Otherwise, these adventure missions would be rather lackluster. Your Highness disappeared for a while, and we had no chance to trigger any of them."
With that, William turned and swiftly disappeared from sight.
Originally, he had intended to award the dancer with a Intermediate Level Epic Rank Equipment.
"But that guy didn't really dance."
"Even the northeastern grannies dance with more rhythm than him!"
"I sent him Dark-Gold Rank equipment just to show that I'm not stingy…"
Before long, he returned to the spacious palace arranged by the Emerald Royal Family and took a brief rest.
Within minutes, the Dawn forum erupted in excitement, while the Emerald Grand Duchy forum was filled with bitter comments.
However, despite the sour remarks, some players were still opting to leave the Emerald Grand Duchy and join Dawn City, all in consideration of Dawn City's generous offerings.
In practice, as long as players were not blacklisted in Dawn City's records and had reached the initial level of Professionalism, they were welcome to join the Dawn Mercenary Regiment. They were essentially little lambs, and even if they couldn't obtain wool after coming here, they could still partake in the activity of slicing meat. There was no reason to pass up a business opportunity that yielded profits without losses.
Besides, just look at William William's little black book. Even players who spoke ill of him were not expelled. These types were still useful, and they had to pay their dues in the future.
…
On the third morning, William rose early and admired his flawless figure in the mirror. Combined with his 1080–degree handsome face, he almost fell in love with himself!
However, he put aside such childish thoughts, donned his equipment, and prepared for the day ahead. Though it seemed as though he had been idling in Emerald Grand Duchy, Capital City in recent days, he had been doing some important work.
The task of publicizing the fact that he possessed a map was entrusted to Alec, the Minister of Intelligence. William's role was simply to speak when necessary.
Over the past three days, he had carefully reviewed his memories, identifying significant tasks, plots, and NPC names and recording them in his notebook to ensure he didn't miss any opportunities for contact.
In just three days, news had spread like wildfire, and virtually all well-connected vampires were aware of the "secret" that was not a secret: the Lord of Dawn, William Blackleaf possessed a map.
On this particular day, William left the side hall door with a cold and expressionless demeanor, accompanied by seven skilled companions. Their destination? The Magic Nightmare Forest, with the aim of investigating Brian Chi Yan's disappearance.
…
As the Emerald Grand Duchy's De Gulas departed once more, Vampires summoned several prominent nobles, their faces etched with concern. He addressed them directly, "This information comes from him personally. His primary objective is to exchange the map for news about Brian Chi Yan, alive or dead."
One of the vampire marquises asked, "What should we do? Should we resort to robbery or another approach? He has seven powerful companions with him, and we have only a few people. Should we mobilize the Vampire Legion?"
Vampires shook his head solemnly, "That won't be necessary. Dawn City is not what it used to be. You may not be aware, but I am. His patron, the Elf Prince, extends beyond the Red Fire Kingdom. Furthermore, his mother was a Legendary archmage."
He continued, "We should try to avoid conflict if possible. Conceal your identities, make contact, and inquire whether we can verify the authenticity of the map. If it proves genuine, then we can pursue the Blood Dragon Essence."
Vampires emphasized, "This is an opportunity, an opportune time to assemble all four maps. To break through the shackles binding us and reach the realm of the strong, we cannot afford to miss this chance."
The other vampire marquises nodded in agreement. They were all Legendary masters who had occupied their positions for many years. They believed that if they hadn't become vampires, they might have already transcended their current limitations.
Now, however, an opportunity had presented itself. Even though they were reluctant to start a vampire war, they couldn't pass up this chance.
But they weren't the only ones with such ambitions in the Emerald Grand Duchy. The Lan Yu Grand Duchy and Chongqing harbored similar intentions, and the Dark City bore a grudge against William.
However, as William ventured into the Magic Nightmare Forest, he observed three other groups of vampires entering the forest, totaling hundreds of individuals. All of them were supremely powerful.
William couldn't help but wonder, would these groups be able to sit down and negotiate when they eventually met? Or would it devolve into a contest of strength and wits?
One thing was certain: a confrontation was looming, and a crucial choice would have to be made – whether to trade or to fight.