Chapter 74: Victory in War - Celebrating the Victory.
Victory came five days later than expected, which was due to the players' greed. The remaining three countries did not surrender as expected, but instead launched a rebellion, which delayed the victory.
Meimei checked the remaining area on the map and slowly exhaled, "Finally, it's over."
Yunmu rarely showed her exhaustion without any regard for her image. "This battle was so stressful," she said, her small eyes suddenly brightening and her lips curving into a smile. "Fortunately, we won, and we can give our little one a big surprise."
After the players conquered the last country, a system notification sounded, announcing the distribution of their final mission rewards.
The mission rewards are distributed based on the time and effort players spend and their contribution to the war. Those who receive high rewards can jump one or two levels. Keep in mind that at this point, some players are already close to level 23. To jump two levels at once, you can imagine what that means.
Yunmu, on her deathbed, sat up in shock, while Doudou's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "This reward isn't a joke, is it?"
No player had the energy to pay attention to her, because they were also in a state of surprise.
...
When Ister received news of the victory, he was interviewing a new batch of officials. The Felix Kingdom had enough officials to handle the affairs it needed to deal with, but as other countries were conquered, officials needed to be assigned to manage those countries, and the number of officials was insufficient. This was only the first batch of officials; the more important officials would have to be selected from their former countries. Officials selected from these countries would better understand their regions and be able to better manage their local people.
As East faced rows of officials with burning gazes and listened to the system's report, he was surprised by what the system told him. "I don't remember instructing the players to attack those three countries?"
[Host, are you unhappy?] the system asked. He knew the reason when the players started making their little tricks, but just as the players wanted to give Ister a surprise, he also wanted to make his host happy, so he kept the news a secret.
Ister didn't rush to answer the system's question. He bowed slightly to the officials in front of him and said, "Both the Kingdom of Felix and I will remember your contributions."
The officials were so excited that their eyes shone and their faces flushed. Even after leaving the hall, their excitement lingered for a long time.
After the officials had all left, Easter stood alone in the hall. He paid no attention to the system's silence, for all he could hear was a continuous cracking sound, which usually seemed unreal but this time it was unmistakably real.
"How is the situation with the monsters?" he asked slowly.
The system responded a moment later: "The degree of seal shattering continues to increase; there is no stable data yet."
Easter closed his eyes. "What level of ability have you reached now?"
The system paused for a moment before replying: "[Host, my abilities are fully unleashed.]" The system's voice clearly conveyed disbelief. "[You can't say that. I still can't contact the Dimensional Management Bureau, and I still can't open the shop, but my other abilities are completely unrestricted. Previously, I needed faith power to use my abilities; now, while I still need faith power, it only costs a fraction of what it used to.]" the system explained in more detail.
The smile on East's lips turned sarcastic. What a clever scheme! Not even bothering to act anymore? What are they planning? Why don't they do it themselves?
“Let’s go into public beta,” East said. “After some time, if the situation allows or if it really deteriorates beyond control, we’ll just launch the server.”
The liberation of system capabilities, coupled with reflection on the system and its actions, leads to the conclusion without much guesswork.
East's lips curled into a smile, his face expressionless, calm, and still as a lifeless object.
[Host...] The system wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't finish.
East shook his head. "It's alright, I don't mind. Things have come to this point, there's no need to think about anything else."
He was already too deeply involved with this world to remain an uninvolved bystander. Even if he was unwilling, the well-planned and calculated path in front of him was the best and most suitable one.
"Shall I make the arrangements now?" the system asked. "How many slots are available?"
Strange thoughts raced through his mind. He had to face the crisis posed by the monsters, and he also had to be wary of the people and gods on the continent. Too many people would be a cause for fear, and too few would be insufficient to deal with the current crisis.
“One percent of the number of monsters,” Ister said. He wasn’t the only capable person on this continent. If they were to face the problem together, they should all face it together. How could he be the only one to put in the effort? If he were the only one to put in the effort, he would only end up doing a thankless job.
The system paused for a moment before replying: "Then the quantity will be at least ten million."
Ister was both surprised and unsurprised by the number; if the number of monsters were small, the gods wouldn't have been driven to such a point.
"Are there still some that haven't come out?" he asked. A billion is a lot, but not to the point where it's unbearable. Humans can't do anything about it, but there are still gods. If it's to the point where even the gods can't do anything about it, then it can't be just a billion.
"It got stuck at 73%," the system replied. "It's probably because a god or a powerful being from this continent intervened."
"Isn't this too late?" Ister didn't expect the system to answer his question. After saying that, he immediately changed the subject. "Let's leave the public beta thing for now. You can handle it yourself. You'll definitely do a better job than me. The most important thing right now is to celebrate the victorious return of the players."
His players have given so much; they can't be thrown out to fight monsters again just because there's a threat of monsters. They deserve a celebration for the victors, and they deserve the honor they are given.
[No problem.] The system is now much more powerful and can do many more things. The host's question is no problem at all. [Host, what kind of celebration do you want? Just tell me, and I can arrange it.]
His two abilities are still restricted, which is exactly what allows him to exploit bugs. Generally speaking, the system can give the host cheat codes, but it cannot interfere too much. Now that he cannot contact the Dimensional Administration Bureau, it proves that the Dimensional Administration Bureau cannot monitor him. He can do more than when his abilities were restricted. He completely disregards the laws of the Dimensional Administration Bureau and acts as a lawless madman, helping the host however he wants.
East had no idea that the system had so many twists and turns. After listening to the system's enthusiastic words, he simply said, "Nothing too special, just make it a buffet." The players only treat this as a game. If they were to have a proper banquet, they wouldn't be able to let loose and make a ruckus. There's no need to restrict them too much.
Just like in a virtual game, after the system announced that players needed to stay away from the palace, the palace changed in an instant, with various exquisite and festive decorations. The festive atmosphere was not as overly enthusiastic as an ordinary wedding banquet, but just right. It was clear that it had been carefully arranged with great care. In some hidden corners, there were also small surprises and gifts.
Standing atop the tower, Ister gazed upon the changes to the palace. He didn't show much surprise at this astonishing scene, but a question suddenly occurred to him. After the system setup was complete, he asked, "System, do you remember the defensive magic circle that Areber mentioned?"
The system emitted a "sizzle" sound.
When Easton thought the system had malfunctioned...
The system spoke up: [Host, I'm so stupid, how could I not have thought of that?] It seemed as if its data was scrambling. [I was clearly capable of doing it. It's so easy, how could I not have thought of it? How could I not have thought of it? This is the optimal solution…]
Easter interrupted the system's internal struggle, "Don't rush to admit your mistakes, it's not too late to do so now."
"Host, I can indeed construct similar defensive magic arrays, but that would require a significant amount of faith power," the system said. "I can tactfully help you with your mission, but the question you've raised is essentially asking you to change the fate of ordinary people single-handedly, which is beyond my capabilities."
“It’s alright.” Easter didn’t care. He hadn’t yet enjoyed the benefits of the power of faith, so he wouldn’t feel any reluctance.
The system knew the host's choice and wasn't surprised at all. [Okay, host, I'll get on it right away.]
The system had some understanding of the defensive magic array that Arebo and his team were going to set up. It was designed with the center as the point, and the central area was protected by layers of defense, making it the safest area. However, the outer ring was still under threat from monsters, and monsters could run in at any time.
The system's layout could not possibly be like this. Compared to the other four great empires, the Kingdom of Felix, including the newly conquered territories, was still not large, with a population barely exceeding one million.
The system is mainly designed for cities inhabited by humans, including those cities and certain surrounding areas. Other uninhabited areas are excluded, except for planned transportation routes. Lines connect the cities to ensure smooth communication.
From high above, the city appears as a point, the roads as lines, and a fleeting white light flashes by. In that instant, the image forms a strange pattern, seemingly a mysterious magic circle or a symbol containing countless secrets, but something that neither humans nor gods can fathom, and can only vanish silently in an instant.
[Host, I've set it up.] The system traversed each node to ensure smooth operation and that everything was in order before reporting to Easter.
Easter nodded. "Thank you." He knew perfectly well that on his own, even saving his own life was a huge problem, let alone doing so much.
"You're welcome, it's what I should do," the system replied shyly, a manner reminiscent of the past.
East smiled and said, "There's no right or wrong. Your existence is my greatest fortune. In any case, I should thank you."
The system felt even more embarrassed, but it had truly grown. "Meeting you was my greatest fortune," it replied generously. It didn't utter the unpleasant phrase of polite politeness, knowing that the host had arrived on this continent because of its accident, and was entangled in some unknown conspiracy because of it. The atmosphere was so pleasant; why bring up the past?
East responded softly, "The celebration for the players should begin."
The players have been teleported back to the royal palace and have begun their tour.
Yunmu searched and searched for her beloved child. Standing at the bottom of the tower, she looked up at the princess on the top of the tower. She turned to Cai Cai beside her and said, "Look, doesn't the child really look like the princess on the top of the tower?"
“But he is our King,” Cai Cai replied.
Yunmu laughed out loud, "Yes, he is our King, not a princess."
Ister didn't let the players come up; instead, he walked down the tower and headed towards his heroes.
His face wore a gentle and soothing smile, and his crimson eyes were filled with warmth; one glance was enough to be infected by his smile.
Players passing by Ist had a strange feeling, as if all their fatigue from the past few days had vanished, leaving only relaxation, both mentally and physically, just like having a top-notch spa treatment.
"Is it just my imagination?" The players in the small fire group murmured to each other, sharing their strange feelings, with more eyes focused on Ister.
Now that there are more players, the word spreads from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and the open space has become crowded. Although other places have also set up celebratory scenes, all the players follow Ister, as if the most loyal subjects follow their king; like creatures chasing the light, pursuing the brightest and grandest light.
Easter struggled to walk, and asked with a helpless smile, "What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with this scene?"
"King, are there any special missions?" a player shouted.
“Yes, we want special missions,” more players chimed in with smiles.
They weren't really looking for any special mission; they just thought it would be quite amusing to tease their king, who seemed to have a good temper.
"King, look closely, can we be friends?" It was unclear which player shouted this, hiding in a sea of little firemen, acting with complete audacity.
"Yeah, yeah." Even more players chimed in on this topic.
...
East was quickly overwhelmed by a sea of little firemen. The questions the players were asking were increasingly daunting, and he couldn't answer them at all, so he could only respond with a smile.
He suddenly regretted coming down from the tower. The players' enthusiasm was truly overwhelming. He racked his brains trying to figure out how to get out of his current predicament.
A fireball exploded in the sky. The players were attracted by the sound, looked up, and followed the direction from which the fireball came out to see a small fireman as bright as fire.
Yunmu waved her hand again, sending out a fireball. She smiled and said, "I can use magic now."
More and more dazzling magic bloomed in the sky: water spheres, drifting green leaves, falling starlight... beautiful and strange, not like real things.
While the players were captivated by the magic, Esther quietly slipped back to the tower. He leaned against the window, watching the players' laughter and merriment; today was their day of celebration.
Clusters of fireworks burst open in the sky, their colors brilliant and dazzling, splashing a rich and vibrant oil painting onto the darkened sky. The paint fell, and the broken painting only became more moving.
Easter quietly admired the moment, then whispered, "Thank you."
【You're welcome.】The system replied that this fireworks display was only for the host. The host was too lonely, and it needed more vibrant colors to brighten him up. The system had to admit that the bright red of Areplat had indeed left a mark on the host. Rather than letting the host live alone, having Areplat was not unacceptable.
East reached out the window, and a butterfly made of starlight landed on his fingertip. "System, Arip is my connection to this world, which makes me willing to stay in this world, but you are my anchor, which makes me not forget where I came from. You and he are both very important to me, just like my indispensable half."
The system felt like its data was about to be electrocuted. Host... host, he... he's so good at this!
When East closed his palm, the butterfly scattered into starlight, leaving no trace.
East looked up at the bright moon and thought of Arip. His previous busy life made it seem as if Arip had completely disappeared from his life, but when he mentioned him, a surge of longing overwhelmed him. He could no longer think of the various things that required his attention, but only of that one person, his laughter and scolding, his figure and posture, and the time he spent with him.
Easter smiled bitterly. What could he do? He didn't even have the energy to write a letter. He suddenly felt that he owed them for their relationship.
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