Chapter 84 Bad News from the Royal City Banquet: They all mistook each other for...
Shen Su was completely baffled by the two messages, while his live stream was filled with laughter and joy.
[Hahaha, Chen Su, do you have a lot of questions on your mind right now?]
[Chen Su: Why would someone I've never met, and who has never met me, be curious about me?]
【Ahhh, Chen Su, your wife's noticing you!!!】
[The wrong way to attract someone: excessive flattery from the sidelines; the right way to attract someone: having their image tarnished, haha.]
[I'm sure His Highness Lucius has a lot of questions in his mind right now, hahaha!]
...
Shen Su had already arrived at the entrance of Liuguang Palace.
This is a magnificent and imposing palace, its exterior appearing to be made of gold, shimmering in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Stepping into the palace, the interior becomes even more luxurious and beautiful. Sixteen pillars, adorned with exquisite reliefs, support the entire banquet hall. Thick, soft sheepskin carpets are laid underfoot, and a crystal chandelier composed of tens of thousands of crystals ripples overhead. The walls and furniture are inlaid with beautiful gemstones, and the light emitted by the gemstones and the lamplight illuminates the guests as they pass by.
The guests included men and women, young and old, all dressed in elegant formal attire, sipping red wine and chatting casually, with faint smiles on their faces.
On a long table carved with patterns, there were exquisite plates filled with even more delicate food. In the corner, a band was playing, and the soft music, along with the sweet aroma of the food, wafted through the crowd.
Ignoring the game's theme, this is no different from an ordinary cocktail party in real life.
Shen Su brought his deputy, Ron, to the banquet. Theoretically, princes are not allowed to bring their subordinates, but although Ron was his deputy, he was also the son of a minister in the court and one of the princes being considered for the princess's marriage.
Along the way, Shen Su discovered that the God of War didn't have good interpersonal relationships.
The God of War is described as a man of few words, indicating that he is aloof and does not take the initiative to talk to others. In addition, his character is set to only speak three sentences a day, so Shen Su did not take the initiative to greet anyone along the way.
However, he didn't greet anyone, and no one greeted him...
This person's character is simply amazing.
However, Shen Su later discovered that these people didn't have a bad relationship with the God of War, but rather were afraid of him.
They dared not speak to the God of War.
They didn't even dare to look the God of War in the eye.
No one dared to look at him, which made it easier for him to search for his companions in the crowd without restraint.
Later, perhaps because he was observing too recklessly, he received a system warning in the background—
[Player OOC (Out of Character) Warning!]
[If a player goes out of character (OOC) more than three times, the game ends.]
Shen Su: "..."
It seems that just because NPCs can't be seen doesn't mean everything is fine.
Shen Su withdrew his wandering gaze, regained his expressionless face, and was about to find a seat when he heard someone calling him.
"Your Highness Suye!"
A man in a champagne-colored tuxedo with medium-length flaxen curly hair strode toward him with a bright smile. Before Shen Su could even search through the God of War's memories to find out who this man was, the other man had already warmly shaken his right hand.
"Your Highness Suye, greetings! I have long admired the God of War's name, and I never expected to meet you today. It is truly an honor!"
Shen Su kept in mind the God of War's sparing use of words and the rule that he, as the God of War, could only speak three sentences a day, each sentence containing no more than five words. He nodded to the other party without saying a word.
However, this person was the first to have the courage to take the initiative to greet him.
Although no one could be found in the God of War's memories, Shen Su guessed that he should be a key NPC.
Shen Su observed the other party calmly. The key NPC had taken the initiative to greet him, so it must be to convey some information to him. He waited for the NPC to continue.
To his surprise, the person simply greeted him and shook his hand, without even revealing his name, before turning around and greeting someone else.
"Handsome Prince West Asia, it's been so long!"
"Mrs. Smith, it's been so long! You look more and more beautiful!"
"Young Master Kahn has grown taller again, he's so handsome!"
Shen Su: "..."
This person doesn't seem to be a key NPC.
Qin Ke, as the deputy general of the God of War and one of the invited princes, followed behind his NPC superior. Taking advantage of the fact that no one dared to look the God of War in the eye, he subtly observed the people around him, trying to find his companions.
However, a short while later, I received a warning from the system that my character was out of character (OOC), so I had to look away.
Even when they arrived at the banquet hall and the handsome man greeted his boss, he was secretly observing him.
Judging from his attire, this person should also be a prince, and judging from his behavior, he should be a key NPC. He took the initiative to come forward, probably to convey some information.
To everyone's surprise, the other person left after saying hello...
Gone...
Okay.
He's probably just an NPC who's bored out of his mind.
After greeting the God of War, Mo Rugui wiped the sweat from his forehead and then from his palms, his smile tinged with weariness.
He had heard about the God of War's deeds and the fear people had of him along the way, and he couldn't help but feel awe for this NPC he had never met before.
To be honest, he didn't want to greet this NPC, but the system had issued a mandatory task for him.
[Side quest unlocked.]
Side Quest 1: Greet thirty guests.
Side Quest 2: Please shake hands and speak with the God of War, Sue.
[Completion Deadline: Before the banquet officially begins.]
He's a veteran player; he knows some of the unspoken rules of the game. He also knows that some players like to exploit loopholes and pull off sneaky maneuvers to attract attention, which might work in low- to mid-level dungeons, but not in high-level ones.
Generally speaking, the higher the difficulty of a dungeon, the stricter the rules become, the fewer loopholes can be found, and the less room there is for players to make clever moves.
Therefore, the first rule for surviving in high-level dungeons is:
—Just listen to the system and don't do anything weird.
Mo Rugui's Live Stream Room —
[Side quests for the scene are now available! Yay!]
[Mo Rugui is so cautious, following the proper steps every time, but watching this kind of livestream is also quite boring. I'd rather see players pull off some fancy moves.]
[Can you guess why Master Mo can solo hundreds of high-level dungeons and still survive? It's all thanks to his extreme caution! If you don't want to read this, please click the top right corner; don't come here to annoy people.]
[You probably haven't seen many high-level dungeons, right? The death rate in high-level dungeons is as high as 98.8%. Unlike the optional side quests in low- and mid-level dungeons, side quests in high-level dungeons must be completed once they are issued; otherwise, the game ends.]
[Of course, the game won't tell you this last point; players have to figure it out themselves. That's why many streamers who like to pull off fancy maneuvers in low-to-mid-level dungeons often fail in high-level ones.]
[Wow, this streamer's actions are so outrageous... I'm deeply worried about my two kids.]
[Turns out I wasn't the only one watching the livestream with three accounts. Good news: my three teammates have successfully met! Bad news: they all mistook each other for NPCs.]
[Hahaha, forgive me for laughing so hard, how are we supposed to play this?]
A commotion erupted at the entrance to the banquet hall, followed by hushed screams from the girls, all calling out the same name.
"Your Highness Lucis!"
"Your Highness Lucis! Ahhhhh!"
Almost half of the girls in the banquet hall surrounded a man, presenting him with flowers and gifts.
Those who know will understand it's a princess choosing a husband, but those who don't might think it's a fan meeting for His Highness Lucis.
The players' eyes followed suit.
Such a special character is either a player or a key NPC in the dungeon.
The viewers in the live stream also saw Prince Lucius through their own streamer's camera and were all puzzled—
[This player got a great identity, the "heartthrob" setting, that feels so good! Does anyone know who he is? Please show me the livestream.]
[Not a player, this is an NPC.]
[NPC? Why is an NPC getting so much screen time? That's strange.]
...
A while later.
"Her Highness the Princess has arrived!"
All sound stopped for a moment.
Everyone in the banquet hall turned their heads to look in the direction from which the sound came.
At the end of the red carpet were two carved wooden doors. Pushed open by the maids, the doors slowly opened to the sides, and a princess in a floor-length, snow-white gown appeared in the doorway.
The crowd parted to the sides like a tide, making way for them.
The princess, supported by her maids, stepped onto the red carpet and walked gracefully toward this side.
Perhaps it was due to her ladylike upbringing, or perhaps it was because her skirt was too long, but she took very small steps, her slender, fair fingers carefully lifting the hem of her skirt.
Unlike the extravagance of the palace, the princess wore a gorgeous long dress but very few accessories, with only a jeweled crown on her head.
Her long, pale golden hair cascaded down her slender waist like moonlight. A veil covered half of her face, revealing only her beautifully shaped eyebrows and a pair of bright, dark eyes with long, curled eyelashes and snow-white skin.
A teardrop-shaped sapphire hung between her brows, its color pure and clear like a touch of blue in the sky, but its brilliance was overshadowed by the eyes below.
From the moment the princess appeared, everyone in the banquet hall fell silent, their eyes fixed on that direction.
Although her face was veiled, her beauty was enough to be seen even from a glimpse of her figure.
Shi Yu's live stream was flooded with comments like "My wife is absolutely gorgeous!"
Shen Su glanced at the princess once before looking away.
First, staring at a strange woman like that is very impolite. Even if she is indeed very beautiful, beauty is not a reason to stare at someone. Second, although the princess is his main quest, he is not really interested in her. Finally, the princess is a main NPC in the dungeon, and his main quest is to win the princess's favor. Other players are probably doing the same thing. He can take this opportunity to observe who is most interested in the princess, which may be his teammates.
He glanced around and noticed that everyone seemed interested in the princess.
Including his lieutenant, Ron.
Shen Su: "..."
Shi Yu walked slowly on the carpet.
It was the first time he had worn such a large-skirted, belted dress, and he felt very uncomfortable. He felt that his hands and feet were restricted, and he couldn't move freely. Moreover, he would accidentally step on the hem of the dress.
He could only walk forward in small steps, but this perfectly reflected the princess's reserved and ladylike persona.
The game panel popped up halfway through the carpet walk—
[Side quest unlocked.]
Side Quest 1: Please have the princess shake hands and greet all the princes who have come to the banquet.
Side Quest 2: Princess, please choose one of the princes to dance for you.
A few seconds later, another sentence popped up—
[Note: Your choices will have some impact on the plot, please choose carefully.]
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