Chapter 52 A Deal - Serenelle Blanchet. ...
The group hurried forward following the directions on the mini-map and soon saw the manor.
The husky wiped its face. "Finally here. This mission was really frustrating. If the reward isn't good enough, I'm going to throw a tantrum."
"When has the system ever given me a smaller reward?" the painter said.
Although the system does not explicitly state the rewards for completing tasks most of the time, the rewards are always logical and sometimes even slightly higher.
"That's true, but this time it's really upsetting," the husky said indignantly.
"Maybe you're the only one who thinks that way." The painter's words were pointed. Out of ten players, only one, the husky, got caught. It would be strange if he could save face.
The husky pointed ahead, "Look, isn't the king waiting for us?" He couldn't quite understand what the painter was saying. To be honest, the mission wasn't difficult, but who told him to be tricked at the end? Besides being annoyed, he couldn't find a better word to describe the experience.
East walked down the stairs from the second floor. As soon as he reached the door, he saw the husky raise its little paw, clearly pointing at him. He smiled and, when the players came closer, he half-squatted down and said, "Thank you for your hard work, little fireman warriors. Hot soup and towels have been prepared inside. Your mission is complete, and you can rest now."
After East spoke, other little fire people came out of the door, took over the captured black-robed man, handed towels to the ten players, and led them into the kitchen.
"I must say, the treatment the king provides is absolutely impeccable. He doesn't even try to win people over on purpose; you can clearly sense that he treats you with the utmost gentleness and patience." The husky shook its body to shake off the water, wiping itself haphazardly with a towel while chattering away.
"Your choice of words is so shocking, it's really hard to accept what you're saying about your sexual orientation." The painter moved a few steps to the side, avoiding the scattered water droplets. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the husky really was a "husky."
The husky said, "I'm just stating the facts, can you please not misinterpret me?"
"Alright, alright, you're right." The painter was too lazy to argue with anyone. He went into the kitchen and came across the hot soup that Cai Cai had served. The players were not afraid of the cold or the heat, but having a bowl of hot soup made a difference.
The painter sat down in a chair, sipping her hot soup. "Rise of Kings" was a game so unique in every way. Looking out through the wide-open door, she could see Ist. "Indeed gentle," she said with a smile.
Easton keenly looked up toward the kitchen and saw only a bunch of little fire people huddled together holding soup bowls. He frowned, looked away, and turned to the people who had been brought here by the players, who were all tied up.
His face certainly had its merits, but that was none of his business. "Go to the empty room next door and don't disturb the little fireman warriors' meal."
“Your Majesty King Felix, it’s just a summoned creature. There’s no need to make such a fuss,” the man in black robes said.
East, "You wouldn't understand. They're not just simple summons. Just stay put and wait for your ransom."
“You…” the man in black struggled.
“Behave yourself, and I won’t torture you or threaten your life,” Ister said calmly. “After all, the affairs of the merfolk are for you to resolve yourselves, and have nothing to do with me, an outsider.”
Easter personally watched as the players added a few more ropes to the man in black to ensure he couldn't easily break free before closing the door.
"Is this alright?" Ruo Bao Digua couldn't help but ask.
East casually patted the little chick, who was not as big as a roasted sweet potato. After the chick awkwardly avoided the touch, East laughed and replied, "What does the internal affairs of the merfolk have to do with us? We've actually helped them solve a problem. They can't possibly become our enemies over this, can they? They're not that unreasonable."
"It's alright as long as nothing happens." Roasted sweet potatoes would have been a better option.
"Things will get better in the future. We'll be the ones threatening others." Yunmu encouraged them.
"Yes, let's work together." Easter smiled and said. He found that being with the players always made him feel happy and relaxed.
Ister and his group didn't have to wait long before the merfolk arrived.
Pearl was still leading the group. When Pearl saw East, a clear look of resentment appeared in her eyes. How long had he been resting? How come something else had happened, and this troublesome king had been involved?
“King, you…” Matsushita Yuki looked at Pearl, then at Ister. Something was off about her gaze.
The curve of East's lips stiffened. "Don't overthink it, he's just annoyed."
"You're annoyed? That's not the look you're giving me, is it?" Guagua stretched out several little hands in front of its mouth, trying to cover it, but it was too late.
“It’s alright, he’s mentally ill, it has nothing to do with you,” Easter said gently.
"Your Majesty King Felix, the person you're talking about isn't me, is it?" Pearl asked ominously. "Don't forget who went to retrieve you from the sea yesterday?"
“Why are you arguing with them?” Easter looked at Pearl with the eyes of someone who didn’t understand.
Pearl scoffed, "Just you wait, I've got this in mind, I'll add it to his score."
"How childish! What are you here for? Have you forgotten? Don't wait to settle scores with him. You need to give me an explanation for your mermaid clan kidnapping my summoned creature."
Pearl gritted his teeth. "Lead the way." He wanted to see which foolish mermaid was causing trouble at this time, making it impossible for him to continue arguing with anyone.
“Okay, you can go do your own thing first.” When Ister was with the players, he was like a completely different person.
"Nothing much lately. I finished 'Little Abyss,' and with the new players coming online, there aren't enough monsters to go around in the mountains." Yun Mu looked at Ister with longing eyes. If she could level up, she wouldn't be so leisurely.
"It'll be soon, don't rush," Easter reassured him.
"Okay, go ahead, don't worry about us." Ru Bu Kao Di Gua said, inexplicably sensing that the king's concern for them had increased even further. Could it be that the players being kidnapped had frightened the king? Surely not. Ru Bu Kao Di Gua couldn't voice his questions to the person involved, so he could only keep them to himself and see if there was an opportunity later.
Easter and Pearl walked side by side. "Don't you mermaids dislike having too much contact with humans?"
“Not necessarily,” Pearl said. “Elves often disguise themselves as adventurers to travel, and we mermaids are no exception. But that one inside was probably too stupid to be fooled.”
Pearl pushed open the door before East, and upon seeing the bound "person," she exclaimed in surprise, "Serren?"
“It seems there’s more to the story,” Easter said.
Pearl didn't let the other merfolk who followed him into the room, only Esther and he. His brows were furrowed tightly, his gaze fixed on the merfolk called Serenel. "How could it be you?"
Serenel glanced at Pearl once, then lowered his gaze and remained silent.
Easter closed the door behind him, his gaze lingering between the two mermaids. At times like these, it was truly a time when one was missing nothing but melon seeds and peanuts.
“Speak up. You don’t seem like the kind of mermaid who would do something so stupid,” Pearl said impatiently.
“I have nothing to say,” Serenel said coldly, his head bowed. “Now that I’ve been captured, you can do whatever you want with me.”
"Why...?" Pearl's questioning trailed off. "Is it because of Lorelle? I thought you wouldn't be so stupid as to believe everything you hear."
“I don’t believe what I can do?” Serenel glared at Pearl, his eyes bloodshot. “They made me communicate with Lorail using the communication crystal. It was definitely Lorail’s voice. I can’t let any possibility slip by.”
Pearl turned her head to look at East.
“Don’t look at me, this is an internal matter for your mermaid race.” Ister sat down on the sofa to the side, propping his chin up with his hand, clearly looking like he was watching a show.
"Who are they?" Pearl asked. "Don't tell me you don't know. If you didn't know, you wouldn't be doing business with them."
Serenel: "I can't say."
"I'm starting to doubt if you're still the Serenel I know. Why insist on going it alone when you could have just told the strongmen in your clan?" Pearl was furious at his lack of resolve. "And what's your purpose here?"
East let out a soft "Eh."
“Otherwise, do you think he’s so easy to catch?” Pearl glanced at East. “If you send your strongest summons, it might be possible, but with the ordinary ones, the fact that he’s here is almost certainly because he did it on purpose.”
The ropes binding Serenel came off completely. He straightened his clothes and wiped the dirt off his face with a clean handkerchief. "Your Majesty King Felix, Serenel Blanchard greets you."
East didn't seem too surprised. "He never intended to seriously capture my summoned creature. Give him a way out, and everyone can back down easily."
"Then what you just said...?" Pearl understood immediately. Everyone had their own calculations, except for his genuine concern.
"Is there a discrepancy in the facts?" East asked. He hadn't agreed to stage this scene with Serren; he was just going along with it to see what Serren was really up to.
If Serenel didn't want to come back then, he could have left on his own; if he wanted to come, he would have been "captured" like this, with everyone agreeing to it. He didn't want to get involved in this inexplicable "kidnapping" incident.
“Tell me properly, what exactly do you want to do?” Pearl looked at Serenel.
“I just want to save my sister,” Serenel said.
Pearl waited for a long time without hearing the next sentence, then said, "And then? You're not thinking of cooperating with King Felix, are you?"
Serenel nodded frankly, "Your summons are amazing? We can make a deal."
Easter lifted his eyelids, not particularly interested. "What benefit could I possibly get?"
“It will be something you can’t refuse,” Serenel said confidently.
Pearl thought and thought, but still couldn't understand. "You can talk to each other, why did you bring me here?"
“He’s a mermaid,” Esther said. “Whether the deal goes through or not, I need to find someone who can pay the ransom.”
"Is he short of food or clothing for you?" Pearl asked, puzzled. "Why do you look so stingy?"
East caught the system rabbit that jumped up from the side of the sofa and rubbed its ears. "Pearl, what do you take me for?" he asked seriously with a smile. "It's true that the only connection between you and me is him, but you don't have to keep talking about him. People who don't know better might think that you like him, which is why you can't stand my existence."
Pearl opened her mouth, "I'm sorry."
East turned to Serenel, "Tell me more."
Serenel didn't care about the tense atmosphere between East and Pearl. "Your summons should be able to teleport away and return to their original location at any time."
"You want them to help you find out what's going on?" East said. "You've seen their situation; they're still very weak, and they might not be able to help you."
“I don’t need them to do anything,” Serren said. “I just need them to give me a clear direction, and I’ll handle the rest myself.”
“Tell me what you can offer me first,” Easter said. “I don’t like to talk about losing money.”
Easter rubbed the System Rabbit's head, feeling that the sentence sounded strangely familiar. The bard had said it so many times yesterday that it had slipped out unconsciously.
“I have two guesses about their identities,” Serenel said. “One is from the Karen Empire, and the other is from the Ramon Kingdom. I’m more inclined to believe the latter.”
Easter's eyes flickered slightly. The timing was too perfect, making it hard not to be suspicious. "I need to discuss it with them before I can give you an answer."
“I need an answer today,” Serren said. “They can’t wait, and neither can I.”
“That’s no problem,” East stood up. “Little firemen will bring you food later.”
“Thank you,” Serenel said.
————
Easter, carrying the System Rabbit, walked towards the door. "System, what do you think?"
"It should be feasible," the system said. "Whether it succeeds or not, we won't lose out. In his plan, we are the victims, and they have no legitimate reason to seek retribution."
East scratched the system rabbit's neck. "I just feel it's too coincidental." Although his next step was the Ramon Kingdom, the knife was handed to him at just the right moment.
Don't worry, new players will be online in a few hours. If you're not good enough, make up for it with numbers.
“Well, hopefully it will go smoothly,” Easter said.
"Definitely." The system said with certainty.
Easter pinched the system's claws but didn't reply.
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