October 31, Thursday, Earth time.
It was a seemingly ordinary workday, yet many players of "OtherWorld" were stoked because today was the settlement day of the mayoral election.
Out of the popular streamer Vanilla Pudding, wealthy RMB warrior Brother Lahong, and Ji Tang, who was revered by casual gamers, two of them would become the mayors of Exile Town and Weisshem after today.
As it approached noon on Earth and the in-game time crept toward midnight, the players online halted their activities to focus on their player panels.
When the Earth clock struck noon, a bright yellow announcement appeared on the player panels:
[System Announcement]: Congratulations to Brother Lahong and Ji Tang for winning this month's Mayoral Election!
"The hell—!" Exclamations rang out simultaneously in Desolate Outpost, Exile Town, and Weisshem.
While "civilian NPCs" of Desolate Outpost and Exile Town had grown accustomed to these sudden undead outbursts at any time in the day or night, the "civilian NPCs" of Weisshem had only recently become part of the Taranthan rule, and many of them peeked out of the windows fearfully.
"What the heck? How can it be Ji Tang?" Qin Guan, who was grinding a daily labor quest in Weisshem, was livid. "I was nearly on par with Brother Lahong! Even if I didn't win, I should come in second! It's rigged! Definitely rigged!"
Warrior Instructor Rex, Knight Instructor Jerome, and the three Wanderer Instructors had all come to Weisshem. Naturally, players of these job classes intending to grind their instructor's reputation had to follow along with this relocation.
Actually, players could accept quests in Weisshem and then teleport back to Exile Town to labor work for their guilds, just that most were too lazy to wait for the half-hour cooldown.
Moreover, the reputation quests in Weisshem were similar to their usual manual labor work: renovating the interior of various clubs, pubs, and inns in the former red-light district, removing unnecessary partitions, and turning them into functional buildings.
For example, the current daily quest issued by Warrior Instructor Rex was to transform a strip club into a supermarket. All the performance areas, audience seating, and private rooms had to be demolished. Salvageable wood and bricks were kept for constructing shelves, while material that couldn't be reused would be loaded onto hand carts and transported to a garbage dump out of town for incineration or disposal.
Each job instructor took a section of the main street's buildings, and in just a short time, the former red-light district had turned into a bustling construction site for players—the truth might be absent, but manual labor quests were ever-present.
A seething Qin Guan stomped on the spot several times before furiously pointing a finger at Ji Tang, who was also working at the Warrior Instructor's construction site. "Tell me! Did you use some sort of backdoor connection? Don't deny it; I know you're definitely some sort of nepo. Your account isn't from the same batch as us players!"
Ji Tang was crouching in the dimly lit supermarket being refurbished, a hammer in hand, striking a partition door. Right now, he had no real answer to this accusation…
Ji Tang didn't try to defend himself, though Tang Jia, who was also grinding reputation beside him, couldn't help but step in. "Calm down, Boss Vanilla. We understand that you're upset, but there's no need to say all this. Ji Tang didn't use any backdoor connections. We watched him earn his prestige bit by bit."
"So, how did Ji Tang's reputation surpass Boss Vanilla's?" a passing player pushing a cart filled with trash asked out of curiosity. "As soon as the Mayoral Election event started, Boss Vanilia and Brother Lahong started collecting materials and exchanging them for prestige. I didn't see Ji Tang doing the same."
There hadn't been many grinding warrior reputation initially, but after the weekend dungeon event where some players witnessed the potential of the warrior class' 12-second machismo (the duration it took for a full-skill rotation), there was an influx, and right now, quite a number of players that hadn't yet advanced jobs were camped at this site as well.
Others were already grinding reputation for their second advancement, while these gamers were still grinding for the first…
It could be said that they were idlers, but there were benefits to being an idler; these players didn't need to suck up to any particular faction and could say and do as they pleased.
When this player voiced out his query, it quickly sparked the interest of other nosy fellows who looked over enthusiastically.
"Heh! There's a reason behind it!" Tang Jia instantly became spirited and jumped up. "Ji Tang, I can say it already, right? Now that everything has been settled, there's no need to hide it anymore."
Ji Tang: "…"
Now he finally understood why Unceasing Entropy had repeatedly cautioned Tang Jia yesterday to keep her mouth shut and her hands off (not post anything). This girl really couldn't keep a secret.
Yang Ying had logged out to prepare lunch, and Unceasing Entropy refused to skip any more classes. Right now, there was nobody online that could keep Tang Jia in check.
Taking Ji Tang's pained expression as tacit approval, she pointed her thumb upward and declared, "Indeed, Ji Tang's prestige was originally lower than Boss Vanilla and Brother Lahong. However, yesterday, we completed three super-rewarding hidden quests in succession! And maxed out territory prestige!"
While she was talking about Ji Tang, her thumbs up was actually meant for… herself!
But that wasn't important and wasn't what the players present were concerned about. Upon hearing the mention of three hidden quests, even the fuming Qin Guan was taken aback. "What the heck?! For real?!"
"Ahahahaha! Of course it's true!" Tang Jia couldn't be more thrilled as she kept jabbing her thumb higher. "Haven't you noticed the new Environmental Bureau in town and the garbage dump outside? Do you know who came up with the red-light district redevelopment plan and the construction quests we're doing now? It was all Ji Tang!
"Rex took a knee on the spot and Old Yang spammed 666! While others sought out quests on the streets, our Ji Tang knew to find Rex and create his own quests! Didn't expect that, eh?
"Last night, when Old Yang showed up, he awarded Ji Tang three Construction Medals, each exchangeable for 3,000 territory prestige! Ahahaha!"
The entire player crowd: "…
Many of the nearby players expressed their astonishment. "Can the game be played this way?!"
"Holy, is the degree of freedom that high? NPCs can even arrange quests according to the player's suggestions?!"
"This move…. I'm convinced!"
"F*ck! Do I really know how to play 'OtherWorld'??"
Before these players were even done sharing their thoughts, a cascade of yellow text appeared on their player panels:
———
[System Announcement]: Through a random draw, Brother Lahong has obtained the position of Exile Town Mayor, and Ji Tang has obtained the position of Weisshem Mayor.
[System Announcement]: The two players may log out promptly to access the Mayor Management Panel add-on.
[System Announcement]: The Mayor Management Panel includes the following content:
Mayors can plan and allocate empty land, both within and outside the town, to players or NPCs for the construction of blood alliance strongholds, housing, worksites, shops, estates, farms, factories, and more.
Applicants, whether NPCs or players, must meet the necessary qualifications (friendly or higher territory prestige, honored or higher Undead Merchant Association reputation), pay a land usage fee, and monthly rent.
Mayors have the right to reclaim land if there is no development activity on the rented land for more than two weeks.
Mayors can appoint NPCs or players as sheriffs and civil officials.
Sheriffs can recruit up to 100 security officers, while civil officials can recruit up to 20 administrative officers and clerks.
Salaries are determined by the Mayor regardless of whether NPCs or players hold these positions.
Taxes generated from commercial activities within the town and fees for land use are included in the local finances, which the Mayor will manage. The Mayor must ensure the orderly operation of local finances during their tenure. If a fiscal deficit occurs, the Mayor may be removed from office prematurely.
… and more.
———
As soon as this system announcement was made, all players online, regardless of their previous levels of interest or disinterest in the Mayoral Election, were stoked.
When it had been revealed earlier on that the mayor could appoint officials and grant them the authority to assign daily quests, players hadn't really been fazed. After all, there was no shortage of mini bosses and wild monsters running rampant outside Desolate Outpost. If players wanted to farm monsters, all they had to do was form a party and go hunting.
However, now that all of the mayor's rights were laid bare, casual players discovered that the monopoly on newly added daily quests was far from insignificant…
In an instant, the three locations were abuzz with the players' discussions.
Not content with just venting their dissatisfaction with fellow players, quite a number logged out and ran to join the fervent discussions with the non-player crowd on the forum.
The number of replies to the system announcement post on the forum was staggering…
"Whoa, are the damn developers up to their old tricks again? The mayor's authority is enormous, and the approval of bloodline alliance strongholds has to go through the mayor. What if an opposing bloodline alliance wishes to establish a stronghold?"
"Selling land for development… Why does this sound so familiar? Can an average player handle the responsibility of being the mayor? Are we here to play the game or run a virtual government?"
"Is the game plan to let players manage cities?"
"Are you kidding me? Players have to take responsibility for a fiscal deficit!"
"Don't be naive. It's impossible to run a deficit just by selling land. It's easier to pocket additional money for yourself than to be in a deficit."
"I have a question. Can the mayor embezzle? And will they get axed if they do so?"
"And turn into the boss of an instance dungeon? Wouldn't that be exciting?"
"Now that's a fantastic idea!"
"If it's Ji Tang who turns into a boss, it would no longer be a challenge but a slaughter."
"Yeah, Ji Tang's awesome. He would literally be invincible with a boss interface."
"Don't go off-topic. Don't you all think the mayor's authority is excessive? It's fine if an NPC is the mayor. But when a player becomes the mayor, what's left for everyone else?"
"Isn't the post above similar to a mad dog barking? Go and grind territory prestige if you don't agree. Beat those two next month on the settlement day."
"Stop stirring up conflicts. Can't we have a civil discussion? I know Brother Lahong spent a lot of money to buy materials for prestige. How did Ji Tang climb so high up? Was there something shady going on?"
"Are you sure you aren't the one trying to stir up something?"
"Who's stirring? Everyone knows that Boss Vanilla also spent a lot of money to garner prestige. Any of you guys active in this discussion sold them materials? Has anyone sold to Ji Tang?"
"Shady dealings! Ji Ting is surely a nepo!"
"Any little birdies know anything? Don't be secretive."
"I'm a little birdy. Let me tell you all the truth…"
The now Exile Town mayor, Brother Lahong, who hadn't realized that the posting outcome via random draw was out and hadn't gotten the large town of Weisshem, didn't know whether to laugh out loud or to fume. Currently, he couldn't help feeling a little vexed.
When he logged out and waited for his mayor interface to load, Brother Lahong went to browse the forum while feeling a complicated mix of emotions. When he logged back in, he still felt that something was off.
After the completion of the siege quest, everyone had updated their equipment. Both Qin Guan and his own side were waiting for the peak hour to organize their manpower to do blood alliance quests.
In the afternoon, Brother Lahong had already brought his elite team to Desolate Outpost in preparation to farm Poisonous Marshlands for some backup materials before starting the blood alliance quest.
Guileless Gale, Study Obsessed, and Phantom were already waiting near the spawn point and came over when Brother Lahong logged in.
"How is it, Lahong? What's the mayor management panel like?"
"Don't rush." Brother Lahong accessed his character panel and examined it. "There's just a Mayor button added next to the character panel. When clicking on it, it opens a management panel with options for appointing officials and the map of Exile Town… Let me see, the lands that can be allocated to players are marked with white dotted lines—the heck?!"
"What?" Study Obsessed wished he could snatch Brother Lahong's panel for a look.
"F*ckity f*ck!" Brother Lahong was so worked up that his voice went off-pitch. "Th-this map… Exile Town's map is f*cking huge! The land for several dozen miles beyond that valley is all under my control!!"
His few companions got excited as well. "Whoa, so cool?!"
"Awesome!!"
"Wait a moment! Does the Weisshem mayor also control such a large area as well?" asked Phantom.
Guileless Gale answered decisively, "Definitely not. The outside of Weisshem isn't as spacious as Exile Town. There are villages and farmlands everywhere. The announcement made it clear that player mayors can only manage vacant land."
"So, doesn't this mean that Exile Town is a better deal?!" Study Obsessed exclaimed elatedly. "Even though Exile Town has fewer NPCs than Weisshem, it is larger with more vacant land and room for development. It's also quite difficult to set up a blood alliance stronghold in Weisshem since there isn't much vacant land. Only Exile Town provides this sort of flexibility!"
"Exactly!" Guileless Gale nodded. "Estates and farms are also difficult to establish in Weisshem unless the player mayor confiscates the local land. With the high degree of freedom in this game, that might be possible, but it would undoubtedly come at a cost. It can't compare to the convenience in Exile Town. In the future, players trying to boost their Undead Merchant Association reputation will have to head to Exile Town. Exile Town is the true core of this game!"
Brother Lahong felt the unease in his heart disappear, and an ambition to establish his grand town on the vast white canvas sprouted. Waving his bony claw in the air, he declared enthusiastically, "No more grinding monsters. Let's return to Exile Town and properly plan on how to develop our home!"
His few companions immediately called for assistance, and the scattered players of their faction located across all the different points teleported back to Exile Town…
Yang Qiu, who had been observing this group via the imprint matrix, calmly shifted his focus away.
Brother Lahong's own perception and what players had been spouting on the forums weren't far off. There had certainly been some manipulation behind the scenes when it came to the allocation of the two player mayors.
Brother Lahong was fundamentally a player equipped with a gamer mindset. Yang Qiu couldn't entrust Weisshem, which had thousands of residents, to him.
These, after all, weren't real official appointments like in the real world, and being assigned to serve a role in any town wouldn't impact players seriously enough that it would have impacted them for the rest of their lives. Thus, Yang Qiu had tossed the barren lands outside Exile Town as a consolation prize to Brother Lahong, who seemed content.
However, it was different for Ji Tang. Ji Tang wasn't a pure player but a patient using the game as a form of therapy. He had ample online time, unlike Unceasing Entropy, the student who had to log out for classes.
Furthermore, Ji Tang had a history of serving the nation as well as experts to advise him. A town with several thousand residents was nothing, and Yang Qiu was confident that even Indahl, with a population of over a million, could be handled by them without much issue.
Putting it plainly, were these matters not limited to the framework of the "game" and required discretion, Yang Qiu might really have handed all the authority over to Ji Tang without any reservation.
The town halls in both towns had been prepared for the player mayors to "inherit," so Yang Qiu, along with his shadow, Lowell, had moved into the former residence of the Weisshem mayor. After observing Brother Lahong, Yang Qiu turned his attention to Ji Tang… and realized the latter wasn't online.
Has he logged out to call for reinforcements? Yang Qiu rubbed his chin and immediately tried to locate the two, no, three tool players in Exile Town's Undead Merchant Association.
That's right. During the players' siege of Weisshem, "Director Lu" had arranged for another tool player to log in.
It was currently night in OtherWorld, and all three tool players… weren't online.
Hmm… "Director Lu" has probably sent me another email, mused Yang Qiu. He then got up, glanced at the shut guest room door, then opened a spatial rift, and returned to Earth.
Not long after the magical fluctuations caused by the spatial rift disappeared, the shut guest room door opened, and Inspector Lowell, clad in a sleeping robe, stepped out.
After staring at the vacant high-backed chair for a moment, Inspector Lowell rolled up his sleeves and started rummaging through the house.
The former mayor's residence had an unassuming exterior but an opulent interior, a single-story standalone villa with six rooms, and a spacious courtyard. The bedroom was larger than most regular households, and the hall could double as a classroom.
Yang had no need for a bedroom and hardly used the bathroom; he typically operated within the confines of the living room and study. Lowell searched both rooms thoroughly, but besides various snacks and tea, he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.
Wouldn't he casually keep those books he usually reads where he lives… Lowell furrowed his brows in thought. No, wait… Does he really consider this place a residence…?
Don't tell me the place he genuinely treats as his abode… is that plane connected by his spatial rift?
This conjecture perplexed Lowell. It wasn't rare for high-level mages to travel between different planes through controlled and stable spatial rifts. The undead mounts that could occasionally be seen in the free markets of large cities were brought back by black mages from the Dimensional Realm.
In addition to the ten layers of the Dimensional Realm, there were also countless other planes. Since a stable spatial rift would disappear due to the death of the holder, even the palace mages of the Kenyan Empire didn't dare say for certain how many dimensions had ever come into contact with this plane.
But nevertheless, one thing was certain—all unknown dimensions had unimaginable risks. Very few stable spatial rift holders trusted other planes than their own.
Yet, an extremely wily and high-level mage like Yang had so much faith in that alternate plane that he even set up a stable residence there…
Even Lowell, who had interactions with other stable spatial rift holders in the past, found it difficult to comprehend.
He has more secrets than I thought. Lowell couldn't figure it out, so he stopped racking his brain and headed to the window, silently gazing at the street outside.
The former lord of Weisshem, Baron Markus' anger could well be imagined given how Weisshem's ownership had changed hands without him actually knowing how it transpired…
Even though this baron couldn't contact the original mayor, sheriff, or militia captain (all of them were imprisoned), it didn't stop him from being able to take revenge.
Baron Markus' first act of revenge was to cut Weisshem's power supply.
The power plant situated on the outskirts of Indahl that supplied electricity to Weisshem several tens of kilometers away was an arrangement that Baron Markus' father had put great effort into establishing.
Although Baron Markus chose to reside in the more convenient major city of Indahl instead of the remote and underdeveloped Weisshem, he still maintained good relations with the power plant. With his influence, it was easy for him to request the power supply be discontinued.
However, this sort of sanction had little impact…
The red-light district that required huge amounts of electrical power had closed down entirely, with the venues converted into town utility buildings. Oil lamps were once again used to light things up, and the original hostesses and attendants expressed no dissatisfaction.
As for the town's residents… These people had never used electricity and electrical wires; that sophisticated luxury had never been installed in their homes.
Even the artisans in the town hadn't laid a single wire. Not because the workshop owners couldn't afford electricity but rather because these small business owners lacked the manpower to protect the wiring. Electric wires, encased in rubber tubing with copper cores, were attractive to thieves.
In other words, Baron Markus's retaliatory measures were like water off a duck's back. It had little to no effect…
Standing by the window, Inspector Lowell could make out faint figures moving about in the streets. The tireless undead had no need for electricity, and they continued their activities with ease, even in the darkest of nights.
Lowell observed for a while more, then returned to the bedroom, shaking his head.
He needed to rest well, stay vigilant, and keep a close eye on Yang and the enigmatic Taranthan undead. Gathering as much intelligence as possible was imperative.
Taranthan shared its borders with the Rhine Kingdom and the Duchy of Shiga. It was impossible for Inspector Lowell to not be worried about events unfolding in the Rhine Kingdom's territory that might also impact the Duchy of Shiga… He needed to be prepared for any contingencies!
———
Upon returning to Earth, Yang Qiu's first order of business was to make an order for takeout from the nearby noodle restaurant. Then, he shed his burdensome robes and sat at the computer to check his emails.
Indeed, "Director Lu" had sent him yet another email, and it was sent… ten minutes ago. It was likely that shortly after Ji Tang logged out, the bunch of experts had started considering how to exploit Ji Tang's position as player mayor to gather information about OtherWorld.
Yang Qiu opened the email, merely scanning the beginning, and instantly shuddered.
"Director Lu'' had probably written this email in a hurry and didn't even bother giving an "adequate" excuse this time. The first thing mentioned was that a state-owned mine in G Province had replaced a batch of 100kW diesel generators. These machines were automated, efficient, durable, low-consumption, and environmental…