V50C5P3 Hidden weapons

The people a.s.sembled in the Garnav Plain were keeping themselves busy. If they wanted to have fun they could go to enjoy the ongoing festival, and those who wanted to do some work joined the sculptures construction project.

“I can already hear the sound!”

“Look over there; they’re all sculptures, not mountains!”

The users from the Central Continent rushed towards the Garnav Plain on horseback. Mages flew in the air, and the novices marched on without a break.

The feeling of watching the sculptures standing on the vast land of the Garnav Plain from the distance!

“The festival!”

“Let’s have a beer first and play all day. I’m not going to sleep tonight!”

The plain was packed full of the crowd of people enjoying the festival. The ground itself seemed to shake whenever they stomped their feet and shouted out in excitement.

In addition to the lavish a.s.sortment of food which every single merchant of the Northern Continent had been mobilized to prepare, this festival also offered entertainment through music and dance in a gigantic scale. Not only did most of the bards from the Northern Continent come to join, famous singers and bands in the real world also arrived to play.

“Go crazy, people! Let’s make the whole Versailles Continent shake!”

To many well-known bands from various countries, this festival was the greatest event in the history of music. The place where so many people from across the globe had gathered together — it was a great opportunity to promote their music and meet new fans. Every day, from early morning until past midnight the Garnav Plain was filled with a constant stream of music.

“I’m really surprised at the Arpen Kingdom’s financial capability.”

“I know, right? How did they make preparations for all this? I never knew they had such competence.”

In fact, even Weed and Mapan had not expected such an extent of success. It had been their plan to postpone the date of the battle and make a ma.s.sive amount of profit by selling food and drinks to the gathering crowd, but it was thanks to the people who a.s.sembled to lend aid and serve their individual roles that their scheme was bearing fruit.

“Someone’s selling the Crimson Blood Sword!”

“Wow, I thought that sword costs almost 10 million gold?”

“Well, we couldn’t use it anyway, since its level requirement is 520 or more.”

The users from the Central Continent also kept bringing food, beverages and trade goods, so markets were quickly being set up.

“Weapon repairs! 3 gold only!”

“Clothing repair specialist over here. We can fix missing b.u.t.tons and repair sleeves perfectly! Excellent attention to detail! Also, laundries are ready to be collected after a day.”

“Wow. Everything’s so cheap in the North.”

“The taxes there are lower than the Haven Empire.”

“The Empire has also lowered the taxes quite a bit, but it still can’t compare to the Northern Continent.”

The energy radiating from the northern users!

Although they were latecomers to Royal Road, their vigorous spirit and affection towards the Versailles Continent were greater than anyone. And that energy was spreading among the users from the Central Continent as well.

“This place… is really amazing.”

“Feeling the atmosphere here, I’m beginning to think I was an idiot for not siding with the Arpen Kingdom earlier.”

“Well, now is not too late. I’m going to get everything packed up and move to live in the Arpen Kingdom.”

“But if they win this battle, the whole Central Continent may become part of the Arpen Kingdom anyway.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad either.”

“I really need to visit Puhol Water Park. I mean, there might be other places like it built in the Central Continent later, but Puhol will still be the first of its kind.”

In the market, people were selling various goods such as items they didn’t need but had not been able to dispose of, or some high quality weapons and gears. The equipment on sale covered a wide range of users from novices under level 100 to elite users in their 500s, and there were innumerably many different kinds of magical materials and ingredients as well.

The items that had been sold the most were those that were for levels between 200 and 350.

“The levels of those Northern users are higher than I expected.”

“Yes, quite a lot of users are over level 200. I think they’re growing even faster than when we first started the game.”

“Probably because there’s no restriction for them on using the hunting grounds, and they say there are a lot of monsters in the North, too.”

The users who made a satisfactory amount of money in the market came back to join the festival to eat and enjoy themselves fully, and the money they spent attracted even more goods and merchants.

Although Weed had initially proposed to delay the date of the battle for 15 days, a lot of users wished it would be longer than that; a whole month of preparation period before the battle would have brought an even bigger crowd to the Garnav Plain.

A grand meeting was taking place whereby most of the users scattered across all parts of the Versailles Continent were gathering together. Along with the great festival continuing day and night, things were equally busy in the construction site of the giant sculptures. It seemed as though all the architects in existence had flocked in to partic.i.p.ate, and there was a fierce compet.i.tion between various construction companies that had staked their fame and honor on this project.

Clang-clang-clang!

They hammered, broke things into pieces, and stacked them up. Every step of the building process was advancing with extreme speed, and n.o.body was overly concerned about safety. To pile up the stones even higher, people climbed up the height of the statues so precariously it looked like they were scaling up a cliff.

“Aaaaaargh!!!”

One user was screaming, falling from the height of 500 meters. The mages nearby immediately chanted an incantation.

“Quick Flight!”

The spell of flying was cast, and the falling user rose into the air again.

“Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

With everyone bulldozing through to construct more statues, the focus of the project had long been a compet.i.tion of quant.i.ty rather than efficiency.

“We Toadstool Porridge squad shouldn’t just stand idle, as the vanguard of the Gra.s.s Porridge.”

“You’re right. Let’s make a big, beautiful mushroom statue.”

“People of the Crab Porridge unit! Let us also carve a majestic-looking crab sculpture together!”

Each porridge group of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult was burning in great pa.s.sion. In a corner, there was another collection of users clad in pitch black robes.

“Shouldn’t we Loach Porridge unit build a sculpture to represent our group as well?”

“Kukuku. Just one is not enough. We should make a whole den of insects…”

“How about creating a bug?”

“Tentacles, antennas, fine hair… what else?”

“Squashy Wriggler gave all of us a great shock when it first made its appearance. I know it was Weed-nim’s work, but could we attempt to make something like that by ourselves?”

“Yeah, let’s give it a try. Whatever we make, we’ll put some real effort into it. But it’s a shame to not make any use of that Squashy Wriggler.”

“Well, Earthworm Porridge squad said they are going to make a Squashy Wriggler.”

“Earthworm Porridge and Loach Porridge units are allies. We should respect their decision then.”

In one corner of the Garnav Plain, some of the most unspeakably imposing insects were being created. The Loach Porridge unit had a surprisingly wide network of social connections, and they wanted to instigate the society’s reappraisal on the values of insects. Many experts of various related fields were invited to craft the greatest insects on earth.

Construction work was taking place even under the ground of the Garnav Plain.

“Sculpting? When it comes to any skill that needs dexterity of hands, we dwarves are second to none!”

“Once we start displaying our abilities, those humans… ahem.”

“Let’s craft our works out of steel, rather than stones.”

“Sounds great.”

They had dug their way deep underground and began their work there.

The masters of craftsmans.h.i.+p, possessing blacksmithing skills of advanced level or higher!

There were quite a lot of dwarves with intermediate skill level as well, and they created sculptures by pouring the boiling molten metal into shape.

The news of Emperor Geihar’s decision to take part in the coming war had already been delivered through broadcast.

“Once bestowed with life, they will be unleashed freely upon the world. That would be a magnificent sight to behold.”

“The dwarf race had exerted very little influence in the Versailles Continent, but those humans wouldn’t be able to keep up with our crafting skills.”

The painters were especially busy, as their job was to add colors to the several-hundred-meters-tall sculptures once their construction was completed. They had to be deployed to many different sites that needed some coloring job done, and they were making some paints and color dyes by themselves.

Everything was extremely hectic in the Garnav Plain with the festival and construction work running simultaneously. And one of the largest crowd the world had ever witnessed had gathered together to do their part in this grand project.

***

Chaser the Adventurer!

In preparation for the upcoming battle in the Garnav Plain, he had been travelling around the continent.

“Are there any legends or hidden stories about the Garnav Plain?”

As there wasn’t much an adventurer could do in a battlefield, he was carrying out an investigation in the hope of finding anything that can help.

“It is an abandoned land.”

“There’s nothing but overgrown weeds, since there’s no human living there.”

“It’s the homeland of horses. Strong wild horses are often seen prancing about that plain.”

Although there were few people who knew much about the Garnav Plain, he managed to obtain a clue in the Britten Region, quite far away from the place, from a sage named Sir Donard whom Chaser had regularly offered food and drinks to maintain a friendly relation.

“A long time ago, the Garnav Plain was the place upon which the kingdom of Paldan was founded.”

“The kingdom of Paldan?”

“During the Warring Age, the Paldan Kingdom insisted on maintaining peace, but ended up being thoroughly destroyed by the joint attack from other kingdoms.”

“I see.”

“For some time, the plain was haunted by the ghosts left by that ruined kingdom, which was why it was abandoned by people. It is said that if you bring an object that belonged to the lost kingdom of Paldan, you can meet those ghosts even today, although I’m not sure if there is any point at all in such an encounter.”

Even a whole month of time was not enough for an adventure; a large-scaled adventure, especially, could require as long as several months to complete, so Chaser decided to seek for help from the adventurers guild.

– Subject: Need information about the Kingdom of Paldan

h.e.l.lo, I am Chaser, an adventurer.

I’m currently carrying out some research on the Paldan Kingdom in order to find a way to contribute as an adventurer to the battle in the Garnav Plain.

If you have any information regarding this matter, please share it with me.

In just an hour, comments made by countless users flooded in.

– The population during its prime days is estimated to be 1.48 millions. Targul was the name of the king.

– I also set off on an adventure related to the Paldan Kingdom before, but it still remains uncompleted. The city has completely disappeared without any trace. So far as I know, it sank into the ground by an earthquake.

– There’s a small side road that branches out from the Balten Gorge. At the end of that path there’s a cave leading underground, and once through that cave you’ll be able to find the last vestiges of the Paldan Kingdom.

– Oh, I didn’t realize there’s such a clever solution…

– This discovery hasn’t even been reported by anyone yet. I hope it helps, even just a little.

– Where are you at the moment, Chaser-nim? I’m at the Stage No. 35 right now because I’m waiting for a friend to have dinner together, and I have an insignia of the Paldan Royal Knights with me.

– Do you need any guide for your trip? I’m well acquainted with the area around here. I can lead you to anywhere you want very quickly.

– Hi, I’m an audience watching the Stage No. 35 right now. Is it alright if I take the insignia of the royal knights and bring it to you? I’m a ranger over level 400, so I’d be able to move pretty quickly if I ride on a horse.

With the cooperation of the adventurers guild as well as the help from some users of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult, Chaser was able to shorten the time taken for his adventure dramatically. Some pieces of information or clues obtained in other regions were quickly resolved as well.

Chaser found the ruin of the ancient city.

– We crave for blood, to quell our thirst for revenge!

“I think we’ll be able to provide that as much as you want. There’s going to be a war taking place in the Garnav Plain!”

– A war upon our old homeland. Has the time finally come to free ourselves from this fate of blood?

“Yes. Whatever you want.”

Although it was not some decisive force that could change the outcome of the battle, Chaser still managed to recruit 50 thousands ghost soldiers of the Paldan Royal Army.

***

Miretas the farmer.

Looking at the sight of the Garnav Plain bustling with the ongoing festival and construction, he was feeling quite lost.

“There are too many people here… it would be difficult to sow the seeds on the ground.”

It would not be wise to dismiss him because of his profession as a farmer; he was able to plant terrible man-eating trees which can be used in the battle. Those plants even had the capacity to grow, bear fruits and spread their seeds further. The problem was that in order to germinate and grow, the seeds required sunlight, fertilizers, water and time, and if he sowed the seeds of those killer trees here, they would blindly devour any pa.s.sersby as they grew.

“But I need those well-grown plants to fight against the Haven Empire…”

With a troubled heart, Miretas dined on the lamb skewers in a pub set up in the festival site.

“And why are these skewers so d.a.m.n good?”

He diligently put more lamb meat into his mouth. Working as a farmer often raised one’s appet.i.te.

“Kuahh. This is excellent!”

Just as when he reached out his hand towards the last lamb skewer on the plate, he caught the eyes of an elf who seemed to be just as deeply occupied with gulping down his skewered lamb meat.

“Eh?”

“Miratas-nim?”

An elf named Spuniker. He was another high ranker and a famous user of Royal Road. Something of a celebrity of the message board, his posts containing information of the game helped a countless number of novice users.

“Here, another serving of lamb skewers coming right in!”

The cook brought a large plate of skewers and placed it on the table. Miretas realized that, although he hadn’t recognized the cook earlier because of the blazing fires in the kitchen obscuring his face, that this was in fact Elkgoon, who is said to be striving to become a master chef.

“Oh, I didn’t expect to see such famous faces in one place.”

“Yes, it’s great to meet you both.”

“I hope you are enjoying the food?”

The three of them had known one another for some time.

Miretas himself was a highly reputed user as one of the most prominent figures leading the agricultural industry of Royal Road, and ever since he moved to the Northern Continent, the gross farm output of the region had increased sharply. Elkgoon, who met a lot of customers in his restaurant, was an equally famous person. The cuisines prepared by him often induced much admiration and awe from those who ate them, so whenever a special menu made from some rare ingredients was offered in his restaurant, people commonly waited as long as a few days to have a taste of it. Spuniker had once procured several precious seeds, fruits and gra.s.ses for both of them.

Miretas grinned.

“It looks like we have all come here to fight the Haven Empire.”

Elkgoon walked out from the kitchen with his ap.r.o.n on.

“I suppose so, although there’s not much I can do except for cooking.”

“I a.s.sume you are preparing some special food for the occasion?”

“A few blacksmiths are making a supersized cauldron so that I can cook a hundred thousand portions of gra.s.s porridge at once.”

With the help of some blacksmiths and mages, Elkgoon was making arrangements to ensure that those who partic.i.p.ate in the battle would be provided with a hot meal.

“I’m preparing a menu that will increase the user’s maximum stamina and life force.”

Spuniker, however, tipped his head to one side as if he couldn’t quite understand.

“But… it wouldn’t make much difference with most of the users on our side being novices, would it? I’m sorry to say this, but against the Imperial Army… the effect of the food wouldn’t give much advantage to them.”

“They would probably not be able to endure the enemy attacks much longer just by consuming this food, that’s true. But don’t you think people will feel much better if they could at least have a hot, delicious meal before going to battle? Some say cooking is an art that is all about putting your true heart and devotion into the food; like that saying, a meal is not just for sating one’s hunger, but for making one feel happier by eating it.”

Elkgoon’s story made a deep impression on the minds of Miretas and Spuniker. In the Central Continent, people had been regarded as nothing but subjects for exploitation or expendables. One of the reasons behind the rapid growth of the Arpen Kingdom would be the fact that it always showed respect and affection for its people.

Miretas thought that now was a good time for disclosing his worries to the other two.

“I myself am also hoping to help in any way I can during the war, so I’m preparing to grow some plants. But it turned out to be a more difficult task than I expected as there are so many people coming and going in the Garnav Plain, on top of the large construction site for the sculptures.”

“That’s too bad…”

Spuniker and Elkgoon put their heads together to think of a solution.

“How strong are those killer plants?”

“I don’t know exactly. I have never used those plants for the purpose of fighting before.”

“I guess they need a large area of land to grow?”

“Yes. As I understand it, those plants need to be kept at least several meters apart from one another while they are being raised. Otherwise they’ll attempt to hurt each other.”

“Hmm.”

After a while, Spuniker came up with an idea.

“I’ll inform the Pointy Ears a.s.sociation about this. They might be able to help.”

The largest novice community of the elven races.

Spuniker sent them an inquiry as to whether they would be able to provide some aid, and quickly received their response.

– GreenTree: This is the president of Pointed Ears a.s.sociation. Some Wood Elf volunteers have expressed their willingness to help cultivate the special killer plants.

Elves had a natural talent in growing flowers and trees even if they were not farmers. With the cooperation from the Wood elves, the plan for raising terrifying killer plants was now ready to be executed.

(Continued on next Part…)