CEO Butter said, "The event was created to unite humans against invading races. As for whether all human cities will fall to the dwarves, there's no need to worry... But that doesn't mean all players in the server can't lose this event. What I mean is even if the final result of this event is a complete defeat for players and the loss of all cities, our company has already considered this scenario. Don't forget, this game takes place under Yggdrasil, with its Nine Realms. When the human world is threatened, won't the gods from Asgard come to aid humanity?"
"Of course, when the gods come to help humans, they will drive the dwarves back underground, and the entire city lord system will restart, effectively resetting everything."
"So, you want players to band together and fight, and you've planned for the worst-case scenario," the male reporter responded and then asked, "Has the company estimated what percentage chance players have to win?"
CEO Butter laughed and said, "You must have seen the second teaser where the dwarfs attack the lords of the five great cities. This was actually beyond our expectations. To give some context, we had developed the Dwarf King and several dwarf generals as AI lords to specifically handle the prowess of the players. However, in the incident at sirius city, which everyone saw in the first teaser, a player boasted to the AI Dwarf King after losing and having their city captured, saying something like they had five other powerful lords whom the Dwarf King couldn't defeat. When the AI processed this, it sent a small army to assess the capabilities, which resulted in the second teaser."
Journalists quickly searched through their notes for further interview points. Upon seeing Megumi, one of the metropolitan lords, in a flamboyant red dress stepping out of a car, they hurriedly thanked CEO Butter and asked him to give a closing remark in front of the camera.
"Even though we've launched the event in the real world, in the virtual game world, when everyone participates in the event and fights the dwarfs, please immerse yourselves in the roles of humans in Midgard. Enjoy this event; I guarantee there will be spectacular scenes. And for players who want to participate, no registration is needed. This event can happen anytime, anywhere—it's just a matter of joining in or not."
"Thank you...," and the reporters flocked toward Ms. Megumi called out, "Mr. Ninomiya!"
She took only three or four steps before being surrounded by reporters.
Phakin did not attend the launch event.
MGC Online must have his contact number and initially invited him, but he declined, saying he had just returned to Thailand, had just recovered from jet lag, and did not want to go to America with a 12-hour time difference, suffering jet lag again. Moreover, he had some business to attend to.
Although it wasn't significant enough to decline such a global event, he chose to attend to this business.
Now, Phakin has come out to the mall.
Don't think that, in today's world, where you can order fresh food and various household items to be delivered to your door with the same quality as those found in malls or superstores, these services will no longer need physical storefronts. There is still a group of customers who want to use all five of their senses to select products for their homes. Additionally, another group comes to stroll around and relax. Not to mention that these venues are also centers for various types of restaurants.
That's why malls and superstores still exist to this day.
Phakin came out to explore the real world and handle some business, yet he hasn't escaped the online games. Now, he's in a famous Thai restaurant in a mall around Sukhumvit (Down town in Bangkok). Phakin is lifting his head, looking at the TV screen broadcasting the live event of MGC's launch."
The time in Los Angeles was 14 hours behind Thai time. Therefore, Phakin sat down to order food at 11 a.m., which was equivalent to 9 p.m. the previous day on the other side, coinciding with the evening of the event launch.
"Ms. MewKu Mewku, today Sagittarius cannot join. Will this hinder the cooperation between the five metropolis lords in the war against the dwarf NPCs?"
Megumi waved her hand dismissively and said, "From what you briefly told me from the interview with the CEO of MGC, I concluded that if all players are defeated, the Asgard gods will drive the dwarves out of the area themselves. The land lord system will be reset. Therefore, the ones who will suffer the most are the five metropolis lords like us... starting over from level one... haha, it would be quite exhausting" she thought of starting over and winced.
The male reporter acknowledged and asked further, "I watched the teaser and found that Sagittarius is the only metropolis lord who managed to force the dwarves to surrender, while the other four metropolis lords could only drive them out of their territories. What do you think, Ms. MewKu Mewku?"
Hmm, we were just talking about unity, and now you're switching to instigation?" Megumi smiled and then said, "I just remembered. Sagi-kung asked me to help with some publicity. Since you're a big e-sport news channel, could you help spread the word?"
The male reporter, eyes gleaming, quickly agreed.
Not only the male reporter, but other reporters also eagerly called their cameramen to focus microphones on Megumi in a row.
Sagittarius had some news to share. What could it be?
Megumi cheerfully said, "I have informed the remaining three lords about this, just in case anyone is interested and would like to travel there… As everyone knows, he only recently captured Seven Lakes City and intends to boost the economy there. Plus, he's the only one who defeated the dwarf forces and acquired quite a few items from them. He's now coordinating with players who participated in the Crystal Island war and have dwarf items in their possession. Most of these items will be auctioned for interested individuals in Seven Lakes City. He confirmed that, upon inspection, many of these items have never been seen before in the MGC game system and are likely from a new area within the underground dwarf empire. This initiative serves three purposes: releasing items for players to help fight in this event, generating money to compensate for the destroyed fleet, and attracting players to Seven Lakes City to stimulate the economy."
"As expected of a Sagittarius," the male reporter couldn't help but praise. He had heard that players on Crystal Island, along with Sagittarius, had hoarded many new items and was planning to write an exposé. However, Sagittarius took this opportunity to open an auction house, making it an excellent timing.
As for Phakin, he was no longer interested in the live broadcast and was looking at the freshly served stir-fried basil pork with a fried egg, mouth watering.
"Basic dishes like this are the most delicious!" (Stir fried Thai basil with minced pork and a fried egg is a typical meal when one can't decide for Thai people.) On Mars, they could only eat food from the food machine.
"It has to have the smoky smell from the pan like this!" To truly be chef-made!"
Another corner of the same restaurant.
Tangmo was resting her chin in boredom. Across from her was her old school friend.
"There's a heavy rumor, especially among us, that you know that Sagittarius lord" her friend said when seeing some news about Sagittarius on TV.
"I've only met him twice..." Tangmo pouted in dissatisfaction. The second time she met him was after the Crystal Island battle. He came to thank her in person and asked about her well-being. At that time, she conversed with him pleasantly. Helping him protect the island was a way to repay him for helping her get a job and keeping her from being pressured by bosses within and outside the guild. However, the news of her leading players to defend the island had turned into gossip about a budding romance.
"Let's not talk about this. Didn't you call me here to give me a card?" Tangmo said.
The young woman slowly turned her gaze away from the TV and gossiped about her groom, "Even though he's not handsome and doesn't have big muscles, he has a very good job. His profile is excellent; he has work experience at the Mars colony. Now he runs his own construction company and builds huge buildings."
Tangmo narrowed her eyes and said in a flat tone, "Are you marrying him or his status?"
"Come on, marry him! I'm just telling you how attractive his additional options are," she said, sending a matchmaking look and continuing, "My soon-to-be husband will bring many male colleagues to the wedding. If you're interested in any of them, just let me know."
Tangmo shook her head, "We just graduated a year ago. How old are we? I'm not in a rush." She thought it was better to get used to working life before thinking about it. Unlike her friend, who got married a year after dating the guy, right after graduation. (It is normal in Asian's middle-class who do not have financial support from family to adjust to job life before finding other happiness)
But the young woman interpreted it differently, "You don't want me to match you up, or... is it you and Mr. Sagittarius... Hehe."
"What are you thinking?!" Tangmo quickly shook her friend's shoulders to stop her mind from wandering further.
Then a young man came up to greet them, sitting next to the girl and wrapping his arm around her closely, and he said in Cantonese, "Sorry, I'm late."
Tangmo noticed her friend lovely with foreigner and couldn't help but smile and asked, "How did you two meet?"
While the girls were answering each other, the young man looked around the shop, and when he saw a tanned man enjoying his minced pork with basil and fried egg, he raised his hand and called out in Cantonese, 'Hey, Ai Kin!'
Of course, the man with a typical Thai skin tone—not as white as a banana trunk, but not as dark as charcoal either—Phakin turned towards the call and waved back.
"Oh, Ai Zhang!" He then picked up his plate of basil pork and his glass of water and walked towards the engaged couple's table.
"I heard you're back, and you've shaved too," Zhang greeted happily.
"I heard that you quit your job as the civil engineering manager at the colony to take a contractor job building small buildings… it's not challenging at all," Phakin greeted back. Then, he looked at the empty seat next to a good-looking girl and asked her, "May I sit here?"
Today, Tangmo had her makeup and hair done, totally different from her disheveled look at home.
Anyway, she came to get the wedding invitation card.
Tangmo, who was gossiping with her friend in Thai so that the Cantonese man wouldn't understand, turned to meet his eyes. With a woman's instinct, she felt that she had met him before but couldn't remember. Since the man was an acquaintance of the groom, the bride and groom probably planned to give out the invitations together, so she invited him to sit.
Phakin sat down and placed his plate on the table, greeting both girls. He introduced himself in Thai, "I've been friends with Zhang since we worked at the colony. He came back a year before me."
A friend with the last name Zhang cheerfully said to Phakin, "Still have the habit of being in the cafeteria, carrying the plate of food around?"
"Well, I just got back, you know."
"Ha ha, so what are your plans next?"
"Take it easy for half a year, and then we'll see."
"Ha ha, that's so like you... So, are you interested in investing in a construction company?"
Phakin laughed softly, "If it's just a partnership, it's manageable." Though he spoke, he continued eating without any difficulty, a mark of a skilled extraterrestrial technician; every second was valuable.
"Ha ha, I only want your money. You're not good at HVAC systems or plumbing for building construction. You specialize in large machinery."
The two girls had not talked since Phakin sat down. They saw the two of them speaking Cantonese rapidly, almost making it impossible for them to translate. The bride asked, "You two must be very close, right?"
Mr. Zhang replied, "When we first met, we didn't talk much. We were busy helping each other build the colony's structure to have breathable air so we wouldn't have to wear space suits all the time. After working together for years, we naturally became close.'" Then he said, "I invited him today. He just came back to Earth in time for our wedding."
The bride responded just as she was about to invite Phakin to converse. The TV screen then shifted to the atmosphere of the event's launch.
After the teaser videos were shown on the screen, a dwarf-shaped mascot came out, followed by the CEO of MGC Online, who walked to the front of the stage to introduce the event.
The bride listening, turned to Phakin and mentioned another role of Tangmo, saying, "Tangmo is also participating in this event in the Chadra city's territory."
Mr. Zhang turned away from the TV and became interested in the beautiful woman next to Phakin, asking curiously, "Are you one of the players fighting on Crystal Island?" This showed that everyone played the game, even the bride and groom.
Phakin heard this and immediately turned around, frowning.
Tangmo... Melon (แตงโม Tangmo in Thai means water melon)
"Can you survive until the end?" Phakin asked Tangmo seriously.
Tangmo had no reason to hide it. She nodded in response to both.
"It couldn't be that coincidental," receiving the answer from Tangmo, Phakin murmured.
Even though he knew for sure.
He asked Sis Megumi from public relations to open an auction for dwarf tribe items, not only auctioning the items he had collected but Phakin also asked every player on that island if anyone was interested in selling their items. So, he knew everyone's names. Especially the female players who survived the battlefield that time, there were only three of them, how could he not remember?"
Watermelon = Melon for sure (watermelon (n.) watermelon)
At first in the beginning of the city, second time at Crystal Island, now both of their friends end up getting married.
Meeting three times,
The coincidence really exists.
After the CEO finished the introduction, it came to the official launch video.
"Lady and gentlemen, welcome to MGC World Invasion The Empire of Dwarf!" The CEO stepped back from the screen, revealing an image of the aftermath when the dwarves had seized the city of sirius. Then, the dwarves began transporting resources from underground with various labor-saving machines in a continuous manner. The image sped up several tens of times, gradually zooming out to reveal the expansion of the shocking iron fortress.
Just over a week after the first attack, the city of sirius expanded its city walls, covering the surrounding forest area, making it ten times larger than the metropolis lord player, which took five years to build!
The dwarf infantry soldiers, clad in human-sized metal armor, could be called premium golems, looking far more expensive than the golems that attacked Crystal Island, akin to comparing a tin can to a sports car. They marched orderly within the fortress filled with destructive weapons and advanced technology.
the construction time, which is astonishing,
the technology, which matches the real world,
the forces, which compare to humans,
the awe-inspiring fortresses,
the bride and groom, seeing all this, spoke up worriedly without realizing,
'Will the players be able to win like this?'"