Chapter 28 Unexpected Randall Green.
As soon as East opened his eyes, he saw a bunch of colorful little firemen crowding around him. He blinked a couple of times before realizing that he hadn't transmigrated again, but that these were his little players. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Thank you for your help."
"It's good that you're alright, Your Majesty," said Suibianla.
Easter sat up abruptly. The ground was too hard, and the person who had been sleeping there was sore all over. He frowned imperceptibly.
"The other players will be able to log back in in another hour or so. I'm logging off now, I'm tired~" said the expert, not the expert. He was embarrassed to say it earlier because the king was unconscious and his life was uncertain. The other six players all looked worried. Under these circumstances, how could he say something that sounded like he didn't want to take responsibility?
"Yeah, we'll probably log off soon after the other players come online," said Matsushita Yuki. They had truly stayed up all night, so it was natural for them to be tired.
"You guys log off first, I'll wait a bit longer," said Suibianla. The king had only woken up, not fully recovered, and she really couldn't bear to let him log off like this.
"I need to rest and recuperate; the next battle is likely to be tough." Yun Mu frowned, her face full of worry. Their journey still had at least ten days to go, and she couldn't even imagine how many hardships and dangers they would face during that time.
In the end, only Suibianla and Bu Ru Kao Di Gua remained. Suibianla helped East change his bandages, while Bu Ru Kao Di Gua lent a hand from the side.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Easter didn't even flinch. His injuries ached, but the pain wasn't intense. It was as if his soul had left his body, and he coldly observed the unfolding events from the sidelines. He couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He was weary and exhausted; even the physical pain couldn't dispel that weariness.
"The king is in good physical condition, and his wounds are healing very well," said the man casually.
Esther snapped out of her daze, her smile warm and gentle. "Thank you. You should all go and get some rest too. You've worked hard."
"Your Majesty, you're being too polite with us. What is our relationship?" When facing the king, Suibianla felt as if she were looking at her junior apprentice, or even more so. The king was so well-behaved, so obedient and sensible that it was heartbreaking.
Easter smiled and said, "Alright, go and get some rest."
I was planning to wait for other players to log on before logging off, but I was tricked into logging off in a daze.
The smile on East's face was like a thin mist in the sunlight, dissipating quickly and without leaving a trace. His light pink eyes were clear and indifferent, so indifferent that they revealed a hint of ruthlessness. He leaned against the cave entrance watching the rain fall. The rain had subsided considerably, now just a light drizzle.
"Host...?" the system said hesitantly.
Easter whispered, "Hmm?"
[Host, don't you need magic crystals?]
East reached out to catch the raindrops, which landed on his palm and dampened his hand. "No, that would be too obvious, not good."
【But…】The system didn’t know what to say. They were disguising this as a game, so wasn’t it normal for it to have some strange and unusual elements? In its view, the host seemed to be torturing himself.
Easter rubbed the dampness between his fingertips. "I'm a little greedy for this care and concern." In the past, when he was sick or injured, he always got through it alone. He had never even heard any insincere words of concern, let alone this kind of care that never stops.
“It’s such a rare opportunity,” Easter said with a slight sigh, “I can’t bear to part with it.”
The sudden glitch in the code that runs the system smoothly is like the feeling of a person's mind being shaken.
"Host, many people will love you." The system said with absolute certainty.
Ister wiped the rain from his hands with his robe. If he didn't accept the system's advice, being favored by even one person would be a stroke of good fortune. Many people? It was broad daylight; it wasn't time to dream yet. He turned around and sat down in the cave, waiting for the players to arrive.
That's right, players use East as one of the coordinates for logging in.
Here's what happened: the players discovered that this coordinate point wasn't something that could be changed once selected. They only needed to use the location or player they traveled the furthest to each day as the coordinate point. However, Easter couldn't teleport like the players, so using Easter as the upper coordinate point was convenient and easy.
If things weren't like this, and assuming that Ister could teleport like the players, the players wouldn't need Ister to take an extra step. They would definitely have Ister teleport to them after they reached the city gate or captured the city. The players would be willing to risk their lives for a victory. But Ister only has one life. The key to this is obvious without even needing to weigh the pros and cons. Unfortunately, the prerequisites are not met, which is a very regrettable thing.
Before long, the light gathered, and when Ist saw this, his expression changed. He ran out of the cave before the players could enter.
The light raindrops fell, causing little disturbance. Looking at the cave, crowded with players, Easter's inappropriate sentimentality vanished completely, leaving only silence. He remembered that his players usually communicated before logging in; how could this situation still occur?
The cave was packed full, making even the slightest movement difficult.
Despite his still-healing injuries, Easter had no choice but to go forward and help. He first pulled out one of the little firemen like a radish, and after it loosened up a bit, he was able to pick up the other little firemen who were huddled together more easily. Finally, the little firemen were able to move on their own.
After a period of chaos, the players' embarrassment was self-evident. To be honest, they couldn't be blamed. Yesterday, the king was seriously injured and almost died while being escorted by twenty little firemen. They thought that if they had more people today, the bigger the commotion, the better. They thought they could use their numbers to overwhelm the enemy if they encountered danger. Who would have thought that such an embarrassing thing would happen as soon as they logged in, making them want to log off immediately?
East coughed a few times, covering his mouth. "Are you hurt?" He remembered that the fire in the cave hadn't gone out yet.
“We’re fine, little king, you’re the one who…” Cai Cai was heartbroken.
East touched Cai Cai's little tuft of hair. "I'm fine."
The sun pierced through the dark clouds, revealing a ray of light that illuminated East's gentle, smiling eyes, making him seem otherworldly, like a celestial being.
At that very moment, most of the players present, who had come with the mindset of playing a game, stopped treating it as just an ordinary game. When it comes to beautiful things and beautiful people, as long as one's mind is relatively normal, the subconscious thought is to protect them, rather than destroy or damage them.
East always couldn't understand what his players were thinking. One moment they were embarrassed and dejected, and the next they were full of vigor, wishing the enemy would appear in front of them immediately so they could have a big battle. But compared to being dejected, their current performance was pretty good.
Treading on the muddy roads after the rain, accompanied by a rainbow that appeared with the sunlight, they embarked on their journey once again.
This time, perhaps because all the bad luck had been enough, the rest of the journey seemed exceptionally smooth.
After a grueling fifteen-day journey—the hardship being simply the arduous and rugged path—Ester and his group of little firemen arrived not far from the main city of Esther. Along the way, they encountered other towns and villages, but since the Kingdom of Ramon had not yet fully controlled the entire territory of the Kingdom of Felix (this information was kindly provided by Ion Green), as long as they could capture the royal city, they would have won most of the war. The remaining part consisted of trivial and intricate issues that would require time to resolve.
Ister and the players gazed at the city, which was neither magnificent nor grand, but rather dilapidated and old, and fell into a long silence.
"Let me tell you, with more players, this shabby city could probably be built much better." Everyone was curious about the person who dared to speak so boldly. She was a little fire spirit with a very bold color scheme, using all seven colors, yet strangely harmonious and beautiful, ID [Painter] (female).
“Am I not telling the truth?” the painter continued. “Besides, there are plenty of people who enjoy building cities with bricks. Imagine the sense of accomplishment of building a city yourself.”
The players' burning gazes were practically scalding Ister. "Um... this is on the premise that we need to have land first. We can't just grab any piece of land and claim it as our own. It's easy to cause conflicts with other countries and lords."
"Isn't it right there?" The master, not the shrew, pointed casually. "The foundation is there. It's good to go from nothing to something, but isn't it good to go from bad to completely new?"
Okay, that's great!
East never expected things to unfold in such a bizarre way. In his mind, wasn't farming the instinct?
"The future we envision is wonderful, but the most important thing is to do the things at hand in a down-to-earth manner first," said Yuki Matsushita.
Yun Mu, who had been in contact with Mei Mei, said, "Mei Mei and the others have already started taking action. We just don't know if things will really develop as we expect."
"Don't worry." A slight smile appeared on Esther's lips. Young Master Ion has some status and influence. Spreading false information and playing some misleading tricks is no problem at all. The thing to worry about is whether this young master takes his threat seriously.
"Let's wait." No action is appropriate at this moment; the only thing we can do is wait.
But it didn't take long, only two days. The location they found, or rather the location marked by the system, was quite suitable, and no one discovered that someone was hiding there.
The four or five little fire people who were so bored that they started playing cards noticed the change at the city gate. They threw down the cards they had made of leaves, clapped their hands, and stood up to observe. An army of about five hundred people ran out of the city gate and headed straight in a certain direction, leaving behind a cloud of dust.
"Everyone's gone, everyone's gone. Let's all get our spirits up and get ready. We should be able to move out soon." Yun Mu clapped her hands twice, her voice cheerful and excited, while trying her best to appear serious.
East patted Yunmu's head. "Don't rush." His gaze was calm and gentle.
As night deepened, a cluster of fireworks exploded in the sky, their red sparks reflecting against the black backdrop, dazzling and fleeting.
East looked back at the fifty-odd little firemen who were all ready to go. The night was usually dim, but the moonlight was exceptionally bright tonight. The moonlight illuminated the way forward and also the place where he felt at peace.
"Your Majesty, we'll go." said Roasted Sweet Potato.
East shook his head, and before the other players could offer any advice, he said, "You can't communicate with each other, and more importantly, I can't hide behind them this time." In the years to come, he could rely on the players however he wanted, but not tonight. This was his first real battle fighting alongside the players, and they were going to reclaim the city he had lost once. No matter what, if he hid behind the players tonight, he would be at a disadvantage.
But Easter was never one to act rashly without a plan. He took out the ruby the devil had given him and quietly hid it on his wrist, next to the silk ribbon tied to his forearm. "Don't worry, trust me, I won't risk my life." He hadn't taken out the ruby before because it wasn't the right time to use it, but now was the perfect time. Swords have no eyes; what if someone were hiding in the shadows and shooting him?
"Your Majesty, are you sure?" Matsushita Yuki asked.
“I’m very careful with my life,” Easter said with a laugh.
"I didn't realize that," one of the little firemen muttered.
Easter pretended not to hear, "Let's go, it's almost time."
“King’s son, why don’t we…” Yun Mu grabbed Ister’s arm. They could bring victory to the King’s son, so why should the King’s son be put in danger? But those present were all shrewd and perceptive, so how could they not see the meaning behind Ister’s actions?
Easter sighed, "Just this once."
Yun Mu released Ister, gripped the weapon in her hand tightly, and felt powerless, an overwhelming sense of powerlessness enveloped her. She gave a bitter laugh; it was too real, which didn't seem like a good thing. The immersion and sense of identification were too profound.
With no further objections raised, the operation officially began.
————
How could such a crucial moment be complete without a live broadcast?
[They've set out for battle! They've set out for battle! May they achieve a resounding victory!]
【Ahhh! Why won't you let me in? Even just providing support for the little one would be good; I feel so sorry for him.】
So, I just missed out on that little climax in the beginning?
[This game company is so incompetent! They finished the story during the closed beta, what are we supposed to play when we log in?]
[Don't get sidetracked yet, wow, I have to say, the baby's so handsome.]
[I'm frantically taking screenshots.]
...
East led the way, with over fifty little firemen following neatly behind him.
All was quiet; the wind flowed silently by, without causing a ripple.
The distance was neither long nor short; in less than ten minutes, the group arrived at a point fifty meters outside the city gate.
There was a fleeting, almost imperceptible pause in Esther's steps as a strange sense of familiarity rose from the depths of his heart. It was going too smoothly, not right. They say things shouldn't happen more than three times. Should he back down? It's not shameful to live off players, not at all.
A dim light was lit, and as the distance closed, the face of the person holding the lamp became clear—it was Ion.
This heightened Esther's vigilance to the highest level, and he gripped the ruby tightly.
Someone appeared behind Ion, and instantly the hairs on Esther's body stood on end. A strong sense of danger and presence coexisted, and Esther suppressed his instinct to run away.
"Not bad." The tone was calm and gentle, carrying an innate air of nobility and elegance.
By the dim lamplight and the cold moonlight, East was handsome and refined, his brows were etched with an icy aura, and his cold gray eyes amplified that chill, making him seem like the first snowfall in the forest in winter.
“Randall Green,” East murmured unconsciously.
"Not bad." The same two words, with little change in tone.
East's expression changed several times before quickly returning to calm. "Why?" Why would such a trivial matter require the intervention of a mage? Moreover, the Green family is involved. Randall Green is indeed surnamed Green, but that's about it. It has been mentioned before that there are matters between Randall Green and the Green family. It's too strange that Randall Green is here.
“If you had chosen to live an ordinary life under an assumed name, I would not have shown myself here.” Randall’s indifferent gaze swept over East and landed on the group of strange creatures. “Felix’s bloodline is indeed unique.” With his level of strength, he could naturally tell at a glance that East was still an ordinary person who had not yet awakened his magical talent.
East, "Is there no room for maneuver?"
Randall nodded. "This is what I owe them."
The serious and tense atmosphere made everyone present except the two people hold their breath, and even the speed of leaving comments in the live broadcast room slowed down.
Is this a new character? They look amazing! The character model is incredible.
It looks nice, but threatening the young king is wrong of you.
I haven't read the previous episodes, and I only partially understood them. Could you please provide a detailed explanation?
No, I felt it was very dangerous. Aren't you worried at all?
What's there to worry about? We can't exactly kill off the protagonist at the very beginning of the story.
[The game is still in its closed beta promotional period, and they're even losing money to generate buzz. They haven't made any money yet, so who would be stupid enough to kill off the main character? Unless the game planner is inhuman and has lost their mind.]
...
The viewers in the live stream were all quite optimistic, but East was so distressed he could hardly speak.
Randall's question, "Anything else to say?" was a gesture of leniency towards the two "not bad" comments.
East opened his mouth, raised his hand to rub his temples, completely clueless about how to get out of this mess (playing dumb.jpg).
Randall tapped his fingertip, stopping East's movement. "Did he give this to you?"
East's gaze shifted, and Randall's fingertips landed on the silk ribbon on his wrist. "Who?"
“So it was you,” Randall lowered his hand and looked at East more seriously than before. “I wonder if he did it on purpose or if it was just a twist of fate.”
"Who exactly are you referring to, sir?" East frowned. He was such a hypocrite, allowing himself to speak in riddles and veiled language, but disliking others speaking in a half-hearted manner.
Randall slowly took two steps back, revealing a faint smile that melted away any hint of coldness. "For the sake of this wondrous fate, I had to feign compliance once. Just don't be so reckless next time." He reached out and grabbed Ion by the back of his collar, a delicate magic wand appearing in his other hand. With a gentle glide in the air, a spatial rift appeared. He nodded slightly to Ister. "Take these little ones and develop them properly. This world shouldn't be like this anymore." With these words, he stepped into the torn space.
Until there was no one left in sight, East remained in a daze, unable to come to his senses for a long time. Just like that? Just like that!? It felt like a dream, unreal and unreal.
"King, King..." It's better to call out with roasted sweet potatoes.
East responded absentmindedly, "Let's go."
"By the way, Your Majesty, who was that person just now?" This question echoed everyone's thoughts. The person was obviously an incredibly powerful figure, especially that skill with which he opened a spatial portal with his bare hands—it was absolutely awesome! "Coach, I want to learn!" they shouted in their hearts.
Ester slowly composed himself and said, "Randall Green, a legendary mage on the continent, with a legendary life and experiences, is arguably the youngest mage of our time."
"Then who is the 'he' he's talking about?" Yunmu asked again, seemingly full of secrets.
Easter stroked the silk ribbon on his wrist and gently shook his head. "I don't know."
"Your Majesty, where did you get this silk ribbon? It looks incredibly precious." The chivalrous, not a shrimp, asked curiously.
East stiffened. What was he supposed to say? Tell the truth? He still wanted to save face, especially since it was a private matter. Was he crazy to share something like this with someone?
"Let's not talk about that now, we have other things to do." Easter immediately changed the subject. He wasn't lying; the biggest trouble was gone, but there were still plenty of smaller troubles left.
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