"I then said that I'd like to think about it first."
At noon, on the same dining table, Tangmo bent her head down with a sigh.
The mother also forced a smile and said, "I asked my friends for their opinions, and they said that Sagittarius is not just famous. If he were only known for his fame, it wouldn't be scary. Just let it pass, the news will fade away. But he is the lord of a metropolis in an online game played by over half the world's population. He has immense power in the game, so many people naturally want to approach him. They'll use any means necessary. Using you as a bridge is a possibility, just as Mina have indeed suggested."
"The way out, you've already told me everything, but wouldn't that make me owe Mr. Sagittarius too much?"
At first, her father with a stern face said, "I just remembered, the Bank of Chandra is... uh... one of the company's creditors."
"...What!!!" Tangmo's eyes widened.
"It's normal for a company to have debt, to have creditors, in order to expand the business," her father quickly defended.
Tangmo waved her hand, refusing to discuss her father's company debt again. She said, "I guess I have to accept his generosity. After leaving the guild, I'll work at the bank until the news dies down. Once the world of MGC forgets my name, I can look for a job again... How does that sound? In the meantime, I'll also try to find a good quest that will be of benefit to him or his city, as a way to repay him."
Both my father and mother used to play this game and they all responded, "We will help find quests or good items for our child as well."
It is considered that Phakin is discerning when, suddenly, Melon came to help him without any request, indicating that she is truly good-hearted to a certain extent. When helping a kind-hearted person, you will surely be rewarded well.
Three days later,
Wink wink,
Phakin returned with full energy. A young man, after all, remains a young man. Coupled with the good care from Mina, even if he was suffering from severe jet lag, just taking a little rest, he would recover completely.
Phakin logged back into the starting city and was looking at the teleport ticket price board when he heard the players around him discussing with interest the 10% reduction in the ticket prices to Chandra City.
This was because he had good relations with the starting city lord.
In reality, the revenue from the teleportation ticket fees between cities would be split in half, one part for the starting city and the other for the destination city, of which 10% was a system deducted from the income of the lord of the starting city. Therefore, the income from teleportation into the city of Chandar and the surrounding cities within the territory of Sagittarius remained the same.
When the price of the ticket went down, after this, the city of Chandara will probably be more popular than before.
Sagittarius smiled vaguely at his success a few days ago, if it was said that Miss Melon was compensated with an ultra-rare profession, but his reward was even more enviable. Sagittarius walked through the teleportation gate to his own metropolis. Of course, as soon as he emerged from the teleportation gate, those who were informed beforehand would surely prepare a procession of honor to welcome him.
"Kin-chan!" But then there was a little girl in red magical armor, who ran through a group of NPC soldiers to hug his right arm, startling Sagittarius. There was only one person who called him Kin-chan in the game.
Her age was older than Sagittarius, but she chose to create a character as a young girl. With her seniority exceeding her youthful face and physique, it made her outward appearance look like a precocious child.
"Call me Sagittarius!" Edo's lord, Mewku Mewku, pouted and said, "Your big sister has come a long way to welcome you, and you act so distant". After that, dragged the default-faced man to the town lord's office while Sagittarius could not resist.
Mina did not intervene but followed with the procession of honor that went along with this dragging, with an unchanged expression.
"Auntie Cheater, you've reached level 100, haven't you!! Adults bullying children!!!" the voice of protest cried out ineffectively, as the difference in levels was just too great. The heads of the onlookers who had gathered around turned away and then dispersed to resume their daily lives.
Sagittarius's cool entrance into his own city crumbled away in an instant.
Atop the high tower, which was the most suitable corner for viewing the panorama of Chandra Bay,
Mewku Mewku leaned on the balustrade, watching the constant traffic of medieval ships entering and leaving the port. Another part of the view was a beach with tourists, playing in the water and engaging in a variety of beach activities, filling the area. Added to this were the reflections of the midday sunlight on the shimmering water, creating a bustling atmosphere.
She turned her gaze back and asked, "You didn't even mention that you're now on Mars, but how did you manage to reduce the teleportation fees by 10%?" She herself was the lord of the metropolis, yet was somehow unaware of this alarming news.
Sagittarius smiled gently as he recounted the story of how he by chance completed a quest.
Mewku Mewku nodded her head repeatedly. "Kin-chan is really lucky... But news like this must have a price tag... Hmm," the older sister, in the form of a young girl, pondered what she could offer in return. Sagittarius quickly waved his hand and said, "It's fine, we're all friends here. Besides, Megumi-san can't play this quest anymore," he also addressed her by her real name.
Mewku Mewku wagged her finger back and forth, saying, "That's not right. According to what Kin-chan told me, it means that if the older sister can get the relationship with the starting city's lord at +10, it could reduce the cost of using the teleportation gate." For land lord player like Phakhin and Megumi, the importance of Melon-chan's rare profession as a war lord didn't matter, but rather it was about increasing the number of people who came to live within their town.
offering a discount on fixed travel rates was one way to attract premium customers.
Then she remembered,
"Hmm, right, I've heard that you has kept a default-looking young girl. She's affiliated with the berserker Guild in the town of Seven Lakes, right next to your territory."
Before Sagittarius could even start to deny anything, Mewgu Mewku immediately continued, "After you pushed her into the Bank of Chandra, Mr. Columbus1492, the leader of the Guild, started to secretly form a mob."
Even though it was said to be secret, the lord of Edo, who was tens of thousands of kilometers away, still found out.
Mina did as well. She responded from behind, "This news is confirmed."
Mewku Mewku had no intention of using the news Mina already knew to replace a 10% discount on teleportation fees. The young girl smiled with a sly sparkle in her eye, "I've heard this guy has gathered many who dislike your boss. When the time comes, they will probably cooperate with four or five other players, lords..."
Sagittarius started to show interest, "Ane (older sister), are you sure about this?" This time he addressed her quite familiarly.
He might find it troublesome if the they simply brought people to cause a disturbance, but if the they cooperated with the land lords, banding together to form an alliance to fight and capture cities... that would indeed be more interesting.
This isn't the first time he's encountered a conspiracy. To have reached this position, Sagittarius has gone through many trials and tribulations.
The young girl puffed out her board chest proudly, "It's certain. I assure you that there are tens of thousands of people who have already infiltrated this city of Chandra, just waiting for the signal to start the war, then they'll strike both from within and without." She playfully raised her eyebrows, "If a loss happens, sister's city will always welcome Kin-chan with open arms."
Sagittarius shook his head with a pleasant smile, while pointing around at the city hall from the view of the high tower's balcony, and said, "Within a three-kilometer radius, not a single player resides, not even companies, malls, or shops from outside, they are all NPCs who have a relationship value with me of over 80. According to the game's rules, the only way they would betray me is if Asgardian gods instill in their hearts. So rest assured, if sister says there are only ten thousand people who have infiltrated"
For other small-town players, hearing about "tens of thousands" might make them stop playing immediately. But for Sagittarius, he doesn't see it as a big deal at all.
Mewku Mewku listened and let out a deep sigh of ultimate envy, "Your town has no guilds, no clubs, it really seems quite boring sometimes, with no one creating stories within the town. However, looking at it from a safety perspective, since there are no players who can be bribed or secretly plan to attack the town, owners can relax a bit. We don't need to log into the game every day to check if the town is still peaceful and prosperous."
But she understood very well that building a town with help from players made the town develop rapidly. Both players and various guilds or clubs were able to bring items or gold coins they owned, or even real money, to exchange for resources in the game, sending aid to the town owner, allowing for faster development than town owners who didn't receive outside injections. She and the other three remaining metropolis lords chose a quicker path, but Sagittarius chose a harder one, playing solo, which she understood full well. This younger brother, who worked on another planet, hardly had the time to coordinate with other players.
When he chose this path, it turned out to be a good decision. One thing is clear, Sagittarius owes no debt of gratitude to anyone!
If we don't count how she helped him level up as a wizard, while he was playing as a land lord, he didn't ask for items from any player or gold coins from any guild to develop the city.
Everything was a matter of business negotiations.
She knew well, and so did the other metropolitan lords, harboring the same envy deep in their hearts for not being bound by anything.
While Mewk Mewku was enveloped in jealousy, Sagittarius turned towards Mina and asked, "How many inhabitants does the city of Seven Lakes have? How many are members of the berserker guild? How many soldiers are there guarding the city?"
Mina immediately replied, "According to yesterday's data, the city of Seven Lakes has 32,541 NPC residents, 65,256 players, of which 30,250 are members of the berserker guild, an increase of about 20,000 from the previous day. As for the city guards, there are precisely 3,000 NPCs."
Sagittarius nodded his head, "So according to the game's pattern, the total number of city guards NPCs varies with the NPC population at 10%, right?" Then he walked inside the tower.
Mewku Mewku woke up from jealousy when she heard Mina's flat reporting voice, which knew the numbers in detail down to the individual, indicating that the other party was well-prepared. She quickly followed into the tower as well.
Sagittarius held his chin, looking at the tower's floor, which was drawn with the pattern of the Chandra city territory map and the surrounding areas.
He looked at the pass through which travel between his territory and the city of Seven Lakes occurred, and said, "The reason I didn't seize the city of Seven Lakes initially was that there was only this single route for moving troops from the outside on this side. It serves as an excellent natural defense. If there were an actual war between cities, and the other side sent their forces, all I would have to do is ambush from the mountains and obliterate them completely." Then, pointing beyond the city of Seven Lakes, it was an open grassland area with four or five dungeons emerging, which is not suitable for a border city at all. It exposes the city front, wide open for the enemy to advance a massive army and attack directly.
Sagittarius could only shake his head, "Not suitable at all."
Mewku Mewku looked at the map on the ground and agreed, "It makes sense that you didn't conquer this city from the start. For a megacity like ours, being targeted is normal. We should take over any neighboring cities that can be easily subdued."
Sagittarius smiled slightly, "The need to hold back is not because of the military budget. Both sister and I have more than enough strength to keep expanding comfortably. But it's the aftermath of the expansion that consumes our time; setting up systems, allocating land, and managing the administration of the conquered cities."
"Exactly. We conquer cities, not vast deserts. We have to consider NPCs and negotiate with players. Especially now, when many companies and shops have entered the game and opened branches. They rent places first, and when the ruler changes, they start demanding lower rent and taxes. It's truly a headache." Mewku Mewku recalled the time when she had taken over a city and the problems she encountered, and she could only shake her head profusely.
Sagittarius lifted his head with a playful tone, "But right now, I am quite free and wouldn't mind wasting some time." He then turned to Mina, "How much force have we put in place?"
Mina other side responded, "In accordance with the measures laid out by master, when there is a suspected gathering preparing to cause trouble, we must mobilize at least five times the ready force. The Berserker Guild has increased its strength by 20,000 members. Right now, they have concealed 100,000 azure warriors ready for action."
Mewku Mewku was startled and repeated in astonishment, "Ready for action, you say!" She had just mentioned it herself ten minutes ago. The journey from Chandra city to the border isn't exactly a short one... Or is it!
What surprised Mewku Mewku wasn't the number of soldiers.
Another lord of a small town might be shocked by the number of soldiers, but not Mewku Mewku.
Even though it was difficult to find second profession like the azure warriors, for the lord of metropolis, they were not hard to come by. What surprised her was how quickly the troops were being prepared to move and get close to the city. The lord's territory of metropolis was not small like a lord who had just begun to establish themselves. To travel from one end of the territory to the other required days.
Sagittarius responded, "It's a measure to issue military force automatically upon encountering an incident. It's a function within the lord profession. Setting it up to work efficiently might be a bit difficult, but if the AI assistant detects an incident that meets the conditions we've written, it will manage it immediately."
Mewku Mewku saw this younger foreign brother for the last time five years ago. After that, she heard about him again when he became famous as a lord, but they didn't talk. This was the first time in five years that they met. Her eyes sparkled as she quickly grabbed Sagittarius's arm and said intimately,
"Sis knew all along that Kin-chan was capable, could become the Lord of the Metropolitan on your own. Does it even have these functions? Teach your sister too!" She said as she swung her arms adamantly, putting on the most pleading face possible.
the Looking at the current situation, it's hard to tell who older and younger sibling is.
With a generous heart, Sagittarius remarked, "The first few quests that every land lord player has to go through, they teach how to command NPCs to perform routine tasks, don't they? I adapted from that."
"Oh! So, it's about designing rules and protocols for the AI assistants to manage all the NPC employees within our jurisdiction... indeed, it's not limited to just internal affairs of the city." While patting his shoulder repeatedly with a cheerful smile, "You are awesome, little brother!"
The person who has been mentioned in many episodes like Columbus 1492 was not an old player who first set up the server who could simply write their name like Sagittarius or Mewku Mewku. However, he played after the game became popular, so he had to find numbers to add to the end of his own user name. The number 1492, which is the year Columbus discovered the American continent.
"I received news from S insurance company in Chandra city that Sagittarius had returned to the city," Columbus 1492 said.
The male player, who was a former lord of the island of Rigel, said bitterly, "That guy is a dog in the manger. It wasn't long before he went back and sat his head in his own city again. It's a shame that we've been gathering strength for three days now, coordinating attacks inside and out!" All the former lords sitting at this meeting table nodded their heads and expressed agreement with the resentful expression.
reaching a position among the top five metropolitans required upsetting others to some extent.
"You promised us that you would return the cities captured by Sagittarius to us!"
"Yes, otherwise, we wouldn't have brought our forces to help. You must keep your promise!"
Columbus, in 1492, could barely muster a smile and said, "Please be patient a bit longer, sirs. We have an insider. As soon as Sagittarius leaves the city, my employer will capture Sagittarius immediately. That will be our opportunity."