Chapter 192 (Extra)
Looking at the gradually blurred shadow of the town at the stern, Xia Mo's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.
There is still 10% left to complete the task. I guess I need to communicate with Dila before I can move forward with the progress.
"How did you get caught in Yayaro Town?"
The ocean-going ship entered a stable driving state. Xia Mo took some time to look back at the other party.
Dila tightened her collar with a lingering fear, and her voice, unlike before, was no longer sweet. It was now trembling and hoarse because of the shock.
"...They... pretended to be traveling merchants, wanting to buy a large quantity of my potions. I figured it was so hard for Buluo Town to finally get such a large business, so I had to make some arrangements..."
"...I took them to my pharmacy warehouse, intending to show them my inventory and ask how much they wanted. But as soon as they entered the warehouse, they drugged me... and then... I was locked in an iron cage..."
Recalling the cage that held the first woman in Guandila, Xia Mo asked gently, "How many cages like yours are there?"
"How many?!" Dila stared in shock, her eyes filled with uncontrollable fear. She gestured with her hands, "There are so many cages like this, I can't even count them! On the way here, I saw cages packed densely all around. Almost every cage contained a woman, and some even had little girls... Everyone was terrified, not knowing where they were being taken..."
It is true.
Xia Mo's eyes flashed slightly, and he had made up his mind.
The sea transportation mission entrusted to her by Boiling Water was just a cover. On the surface, it was to transport clothes, pants and other daily necessities to the town of Yayaro, but in fact it was to smuggle women for sacrifice by using the cargo ship.
This explains why there is such a big discrepancy between the actual load at sea and the load recorded on paper.
How much does clothing weigh? How much do people and cages weigh?
The gap between what is on the surface and what is actually happening is the lack of people like Dila who have been smuggled away.
At the same time, Xia Mo also understood why the NPC did not agree to her using its own ocean-going vessel to deliver the goods.
At the time, she thought it was just a mission requirement, but now thinking about it, they were clearly worried that changing cargo ships would expose the human smuggling, so they insisted on using their own cargo ships.
The truth is completely revealed.
No wonder the reward given to Boiling Water for a small transportation mission is so high.
It all started with human smuggling.
Ding~
As she understood the situation, the system prompted that the progress of the hidden task had reached 100%.
[Hidden quest [Town Citizens on the Island] completed! Gained xxxx experience points and xxx gold coins]
Congratulations! Thanks to your courageous exploration, you've finally uncovered the secret hidden in the town of Yayaro for years! Overjoyed, you're ready to reveal this dirty secret to the world. However, something terrible has happened... The fallen angel Millers has noticed your plan and, to thwart your progress, has slowly awakened from the darkness...
[The mission [Search for the Fallen Angel Who is about to Awaken] has been triggered. Do you want to accept it?]
It was really one thing after another. Xia Mo gritted his teeth and said nothing, but still took on the task without hesitation.
Could she not accept it? If she didn't, she would repeat the tragedy of her previous life.
The finger covered the option, but the next second, a box popped up.
[Mission [Search for the Fallen Angel About to Awaken] has been accepted. Mission countdown starts: 24 hours]
Xia Mo:?
What the hell, why is there a countdown?
Damn! They don't even let her breathe!
She couldn't help but feel angry, but finally turned her grief and anger into strength. Under her helm, the ocean-going ship rushed towards the shore of the Pergas continent at a rapid speed.
At the same time, the system issued a mainland announcement: [The fallen angel of the Protoss, who disappeared for thousands of years, is about to awaken on the Pergas continent. Warriors are urged to quickly assemble and go explore (Countdown: 24 hours) (Note: If the exploration is not completed before the countdown ends, the fallen angel of the Protoss, Millers, will officially awaken. At that time, a war between humans and gods is inevitable. Everyone is urged to prepare for the disaster.)]
Player: Huh?!
What gods, what fallen angels? And what about a formal awakening, a war between humans and gods?!
Are you crazy? Who triggered this quest?!
The sudden notification left players across the mainland in a state of confusion.
[Screw it! I just woke up and now I'm told a war is coming? Can someone explain the whole thing?]
[Don't even mention you. I haven't slept, but I'm still confused by this news. What the hell is this? Who is the Fallen Angel? I've never even heard of him.]
Here it comes! This is the official data card for the fallen angels of the Protoss, freshly released! [Link]
The official website of "Protoss" has a special feature. As long as players open up new races, new characters, new maps, etc., the official will make corresponding updates.
For example, when Xia Mo completed a physical strengthening task, he unlocked new races such as the Elf Queen and the Yasi Wizard. The official website then quickly launched character cards and supplemented relevant information.
Some players particularly like to visit this section, so whenever they discover a new character or a new race, they will post it on the forum to organize and popularize the information.
You know what, after organizing it more, you will find that there are connections between some characters.
And every time a player finds one, he or she will gain a full sense of accomplishment.
In short, some players have developed the habit of flipping through official information cards. When they see a race they have never heard of, they immediately post the link to the world.
Players clicked on it in droves.
Race Card:
[Fallen Angel: The prototype is a Protoss Archangel, who fell due to unknown reasons and eventually evolved into a Fallen Angel.]
[Archangel: One of the oldest race of gods, possessing a handsome and beautiful appearance and holy, pure white wings. They roam the heavens and govern the affairs of the divine realm.]
Character Card:
Millers: The second-ranked Archangel of the Protoss, he fell ten thousand years ago in a struggle for the throne of the Protoss, leading to a conflict with several other Archangels, a conflict that ultimately ended with his slaying of the Protoss leader. Having successfully seized power, Millers wasn't content with ruling the Protoss alone; he set his sights on the continent where humanity thrived. He enslaved the masses, viewing human life as mere ants. The remaining Archangels, unable to bear the suffering of humanity, took up their swords to smite them. The campaign lasted a century. To preserve his power, Millers tricked the Archangel into an ice cave during a major battle, freezing him there. He then left five clones in the human world, while his true form vanished.
Sawyer: Originally the foremost archangel of the Protoss, and the designated heir to the throne, he was forced to relinquish his position due to the interference of Miller. Later, to protect humanity, he launched a crusade. The century-long war consumed much of his energy, and during the final stand, he trusted the slander of a fallen angel and fell into an ice cave, entering a frozen state.
After reading the character cards, the players fell silent.
Archangels, fallen angels... my goodness, when gods fight, the people suffer! You said you two were fighting for your throne, so why drag the human race into the melee?
Moreover, it was obvious that this fallen angel was not someone to be trifled with. He alone, or rather, a single messenger, killed their leader, and then single-handedly withstood the crusade called by the archangel. In the end, he did not die, but instead left a backup plan on the human continent, ready to wake up once the time was right.
So, this mission means we have to find that damned fallen angel Mi…Miss within 24 hours? Otherwise, our continent will be in trouble. Do I understand correctly, folks? (Shivers)
[…That’s what I mean (silence)]
[Oh my god, the Pergas continent is so big, who knows where that Mis is hiding?]
[…My name is Millers]
【Oh my goodness! 】
【……】
[It's over, it's over. Only 24 hours left, everyone. Stop chatting and go look for her!]
"Protoss" is just a game. Even if Millers really launches a war to exterminate the human race and kills all the players on the mainland, for the players, it is nothing more than closing their eyes and opening them again, and then logging into the game again after death.
From this point of view, they don't need to panic. As long as the planner is alive (bushi), the game can continue to operate.
but!
I’m always afraid of a but!
Even if the game existed forever, what if a player logged in one day and found that the Western fantasy world had been transformed into a wasteland overnight? This change in style... most people would probably not be able to accept it, right?
Especially for those life-oriented players who are used to collecting information everywhere, if one day they go online and suddenly receive news like this - Congratulations, because the human race is outnumbered, the fallen angels have completely destroyed the human continent, and from now on "Protoss" is renamed "Wasteland" - I ask you, are you surprised? Are you shocked?
It's more than just a shock, okay?
"Protoss" has been on the market for nearly a year, and most players have regarded it as their second home besides reality. Who can remain calm when their home is about to be destroyed?
So they grabbed their weapons and called their friends, rushing out of the royal city and heading straight to all directions of the continent.
When the continent of Pergas was in chaos, in reality, in a certain studio.
"Damn it! Who triggered the Protoss data card so early?!"
A disheveled boy wearing glasses stared at the background data and shouted loudly.
However, his cry failed to arouse the sympathy of his colleagues, but instead earned him a few gloating faces.
"Honestly, Lao Feng, there's no need for you to howl about this issue~"
"You already have the answer in your heart, why are you still asking~"
Lao Feng howled even more miserably: "You have such cruel hearts! Not only did you not comfort me, but you also said such sarcastic words."
Several colleagues looked at him, shaking their heads helplessly. "I told you long ago that the number one player has incredible gaming sense. You had to manually control her progress in accepting quests, but you refused to listen. Aren't you just stepping into a trap? The Human-God War information is only unlocked at level 80 and above, and now she's unlocked it."
After being taught a lesson, Lao Feng stopped wailing and turned his mouth downwards to make a curved hook.
"Isn't it just to live up to our game motto of 'absolute freedom'..." he said, rather unconvinced. "Every NPC can trigger conversations and quests. Every race has its own story and journey. To ensure absolute freedom for players to explore, I haven't placed any restrictions on accepting these quests."
In other words, as long as the player has the ability to trigger it, he can receive all kinds of strange tasks.
It is precisely because of this extremely high degree of freedom of exploration mode that "Protoss" has been loved by exploration players since its launch.
Originally, they liked this joyful scene planning, which was in line with their initial design expectations. However, a variable arose later - ink color.
Yes, Mo Se, the top boss on the list who has never kept a low profile since arriving in the town of Buluo, is always one step ahead of others whether in accepting tasks, pushing dungeons, or triggering world bosses.
At first, this matter did not attract the attention of the team. After all, in the game, there are novices and there are naturally senior masters. Who doesn’t have a few game records?
So the matter was naturally put to rest.
Until one day, the data detection team told them that she had received a commission from the undead assassin Toynbee in the royal city. According to the commission, she would go to the Yakat Cave to look for Toynbee's memory.
This progress was more than a month ahead of their expectations.
A group of planners were very nervous, but Lao Feng waved his hand and said: It’s okay~ She is only level 18, she can’t complete the task even if she enters the cave, let her take it!
As a result, four hours later, not only did they enter the cave, they even killed the level 50 giant python monster stationed at the entrance of the cave!
The team was nervous about this for several days, but later found that she didn't trigger anything else, so they let it go.
However, after a while, the data detection team sent another email, saying that she had found the key mission item [Tear Stone] from the bottom of the giant skeleton monster's eyes.
"Lao Feng, the Tear Stone quest is located in the neutral city of Yegansai County on the outskirts of the city. You've designed a Skeleton King there, and the King has an epic quest. Do you think about setting up a level or something to hold her back? Otherwise, we're worried she'll unlock the quest early like she did last time."
The testing team spoke very sincerely, but unfortunately, Lao Feng, who was confident, didn't care.
"Don't worry, this epic quest isn't easy to trigger. She'll have to deal with the players wandering around Yeganse County while guarding against the small skeleton monsters in the ruins. With her current combat power, it's difficult to do so. Let her go."
The original planner said so, what else can the inspection team say? They can only shut up.
After closing the email, Lao Feng was at ease and didn't take it seriously. However, two hours later, the testing team sent him feedback quickly.
"Oh no, Lao Feng, she has accepted the epic mission!"
Lao Feng crossed his legs and sat up straight in an instant: "What?!"
Things got out of control from this moment on.
This player named "Mo Se" not only triggered various tasks very quickly, but also increased her level very quickly. While others were still struggling at level 30, she had already reached above level 45.
If Lao Feng hadn't found out that her character had three talents, and if she hadn't spent 5 levels of experience to upgrade the talents, causing her level to drop back to level 40, she might have already broken through the 50 mark and become the undisputed king of scrolls!
In order to prevent her from progressing the game too quickly, Lao Feng finally took action this time.
He moved the treasure map that was originally placed on a map of the Pergas continent to the sea.
Not only do you have to move over, there is also a tsunami scene. Unless that person can fly, there is no way he can get the treasure map from the tsunami pursuit.
Two days later, everything was fine.
Just as Lao Feng was feeling proud of his move, a colleague from the planning team suddenly turned around and asked quietly, "Um, she seems to have a hang glider in her hand?"
Lao Feng glared at him:?
"Isn't that a product of engineering? You need blueprints to make it!"
My colleague nodded slowly. "Yes, she's an engineer, a senior one. As for the blueprints, they were already found when I opened the silver treasure chest earlier."
Lao Feng: ???
Damn, why doesn’t she play by the rules!!!
In theory, the three map fragments should be picked up by three different players, who then get to know each other and gather together through a series of tasks, and finally combine into a complete map.
Only then did the story of the Archangels and the Fallen Angels come into the players' view.
However, Lao Feng never expected that someone in this world could be so lucky as to collect all three fragments! You know, the location where these fragments were placed is already very strange, okay?
The first piece is inside the Dark Dragon on Kangman Volcanic Island, the second is in the hands of a psychic sorceress in the Crimson Wastes, and the third piece can only be found by climbing to the top of a giant banyan tree via a treasure map. How could she have collected all of this? She's not some afro-African, she's European!
Lao Feng looked at the game screen, and at this moment, he wanted to beat himself to death!
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