Chapter 36 Follow-up
Hal and the others never expected that when they rushed to the town hall, there was a wave of skeletons waiting for them.
That's right, while this group of former thieves were fighting with two large groups of players on their own, the individual team led by Entropy But Zeng had already run ahead - because the skeleton body was light enough, after the players got used to the "control" method, they were able to surpass Bolt and become sprinters, and their speed was no worse than that of the professional strongmen in this plane.
The individual team that originally just wanted to have a chance to interact with the NPCs, seeing this group of NPCs running away in a panic with their armor and helmets abandoned, followed by a bunch of players shouting and killing, they knew what to do with their knees, and instantly jumped from the lawful camp to the chaotic evil camp, and excitedly picked up their weapons and went forward...
If there hadn't been someone in the two large groups of players who were angry about having their monsters robbed and started hacking at the individual players who had snatched the NPC equipment, causing another civil war among the players, Hal and the others might not have been able to escape unscathed and run into the house successfully.
Then, the two sides fought all night long around the only mud house in the town...
It stands to reason that even if three hundred players all came online in unison and worked together to "encircle and suppress" the eighteen former thieves, it would be impossible to wipe out all the thieves; the players were all "empty accounts" who had not changed their jobs, had no skills and no long-range attack methods, and if Hal and others wanted to leave the battlefield, the players actually had no way to do so... not to mention that many players had already logged off, and less than half of them were online all night.
However, the thieves had no intention of escaping from the beginning. Not only did they want to kill Yang Qiu, they also wanted to rob before leaving.
After discovering that Yang Qiu did not spend the night in the town hall, he was not willing to give up and tried several times to break up the large group of players...so it was no surprise that he was dragged into the quagmire of a war of attrition.
Are players afraid of consumption?
Do players have the ability to withstand combat damage?
There must be no...
The ones that drop equipment are all monsters, and all the comrades are scum who only want to steal the equipment; the players are eager to clear a wave of monsters on their side first and then play monsters in peace, and the thieves try to ruthlessly kill a group of players to scare away the others, which is really crazy.
Not to mention that the player who was killed and offline can come back online after an hour (game time)...
Not to mention, these players were so crazy that they were still trying to grab equipment before being hacked into white light...
Until Yang Qiu "came online", none of the 18 thieves had a complete "wealth":
Hal Maxwell, who had the highest combat power, was left with only a half-body armor and a long sword in his hand; his helmet and wrist guards were missing.
Tattle Joe, who was second in terms of fighting power, had all the other items robbed except his beloved longbow, and even his earrings that he wore for show were lost.
Pansy's belt and the dagger at her waist were gone, and her trousers had to be tied up with shoelaces.
Jerome, dressed like a can, looked relatively neat, except that he had nothing in his hands...
This group of former thieves, who seemed to have been robbed by refugees, had gray faces, aggrieved expressions, and eyes that doubted life. It was heartbreaking to hear and to listen to.
After listening to Hal's tearful confession, Yang Qiu didn't know what expression to make.
He didn't know whether to praise these former thieves for their courage and audacity, or to sympathize with them for being so blind...
He couldn't even pop up the quest box, yet he dared to cheat and use the insane Fourth Calamity that even he himself had to be cautious of? !
Now these natural disasters can honestly move bricks and build houses. They don't use cement lumps to play snowball fights, nor do they waste "public property" by moving blue bricks to the open space to make various emoticons. This is all because he has been carefully maintaining the economic system in the game and the ability to convert copper coins into cash, so that these natural disasters can kneel down to money and honestly work hard!
In order to prevent these "high-level NPCs" from being killed by bored and law-breaking players, he even came up with such an absolute bully clause as "if a certain NPC dies, the job transfer of a certain type will be permanently cancelled". You guys are actually actively handing a knife to the players. How much do you want to die? !
Things like game players kite-killing faction leaders, hacking to death sect bosses, and slaughtering all the NPCs in the city have never been news, okay!
Yang Qiu calmed down and a smile appeared on his face.
His kind smile... made Hal's heart tremble.
"I don't care about your betrayal," Yang Qiu said kindly. "From the beginning, I never expected anyone's loyalty. This is true for our undead friends, and it is also true for you."
Hal suppressed his fear and said, "Mr. Yang, I, we really...can't accept coexisting with these evil creatures. If, if you don't mind--"
"I don't mind, of course I don't mind. You want to leave, right? This is not an excessive request. Our original agreement did not include forcing you to stay in Tarantan." Yang Qiu said with a smile.
The lifeless former thieves suddenly perked up, and sat up hurriedly, looking at Yang Qiu with surprise and expectation.
"Just settle the bill and you can leave." Yang Qiu nodded with a smile and pulled out a scroll.
"Bill?!" Hal was dumbfounded.
"Yes." Yang Qiu nodded again and said confidently, "When you worked for me and Tarantan, the supplies you received were naturally free, but since you don't want to do it anymore, of course you need to pay. There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Do I need to teach you this principle?"
A group of former thieves: "... (° △°(° △° (° △° )"
Yang Qiu opened the scroll and calmly calculated the bill: "Let's start with the cheapest consumables. First, the toilet paper. This kind of pure white, flawless, soft, and foam-free toilet paper can only be afforded by the rich even in the capital of the Rhine Kingdom. Of course, I won't charge you the full price. I'll just charge you one silver coin per roll."
"Next is textiles. Towels are not counted. Although the towels I gave you are of the grade reserved for nobles in the Rhine Kingdom, there is no need for us to be so fussy. Just count the blankets and fine underwear..."
"Shampoo, soap, shower gel, razors and blades..."
"We don't need to count the noodles, we just need to count the spices..."
"Bread is also given as a welfare gift, and various palace snacks need to be paid for..."
After calculating the bill in a fluent manner, Yang Qiu handed the scroll to Hal with a smile: "Please check if there are any mistakes or omissions, Hal. If there are no problems, settle the bill and you can leave."
Hal fell to the ground.
The expressions on Tuttle, Pansy and others' faces were completely frozen.
The eighteen people couldn't even breathe heavily, and the shouts and curses from the players outside the door seemed particularly harsh...
This world is not a barren and desolate world with nothing. The Kenyan Empire's steam ships travel to and from the outer continent all year round, and various types of airships can often be seen in the sky above more densely populated areas.
Firearms, wired telephones, textile machines, sewing machines, magic steam trains, magic steam cars and other industrial or magical industrial products are not too rare in the big cities in the heart of the Rhine Kingdom.
There is still such a thing as productivity in this world, and there are very few people who can enjoy modern conveniences in their lives that are no less than those on Earth in the early twentieth century.
But just like before the global factory on Earth stood in the East and broke into the international market monopolized by old capitalists and pushed all goods that could be produced on an assembly line into bargain prices, 99% of the people on Earth could only see new clothes during festivals - even though the steam revolution had been born, the goods produced by industrial assembly lines were still luxury goods for most people in other worlds.
A servant serving the nobility in the capital of the Rhine Kingdom could only afford the cheapest fountain pen with two months' salary.
A popular novel printed and published in the Kenyan Empire would cost an ordinary worker a month's savings.
If a country noble wants to go to the city to attend an important cocktail party, he must prepare six months in advance: order a decent dress, hire a decent servant temporarily, prepare a carriage or pay a high commission to rent a car...
An old woman living in the capital of the Kingdom of the Rhine wants to visit her daughter who married in another place. She has to save up the round-trip fare and gifts for her daughter a year in advance...
As for productivity, if there were no terrifying internal promotion efforts like the Global Factory, it would not benefit many people.
In the 21st century, in the White Elephant Country, which is a neighbor of global factories, more than 70% of the citizens can only afford to buy shampoo in small bulk packages... and the more fragrant the small package of shampoo, the more popular it is, because these White Elephant citizens who squeeze out money to buy shampoo regard having fragrant hair after washing as a kind of face and class.
The beacon of civilization on earth, which can provide all citizens with a superior minimum living standard, is also built on the basis of fleecing countries around the world - their neighbor Mexico has been tossed into a state of chaos.
Moreover, as we all know, the biggest reason why old capitalist countries are willing to provide basic living security benefits to their citizens is what Che Guevara said: "Because we have been here before"...
In short, although Yang Qiu was like a stingy person and only provided these former thieves with daily necessities taken off the shelves in supermarkets, and fed them with expired bread, instant noodles, biscuits, snacks, starch, sausages, etc., if you really calculate the bill according to the prices in this plane, it would definitely be an unbearable burden for these bandits who have been highwaymen for many years.
Not to mention anything else, just the seasoning packets in instant noodles are calculated at the price of spices. Those guys who are keen on using the seasoning packets to cook soup will go crazy.
Hal didn't even dare to take the scroll. He did a quick mental calculation of the living expenses he needed to pay, then he knelt down with tears in his eyes and said, "I'm sorry, please let us continue to work for you."
"Not leaving?" Yang Qiu asked with a smile.
"Not leaving." Hal shook his head firmly.
"What about you guys? You're not leaving either?" Yang Qiu asked others kindly.
Tuttle, Pansy and the others looked pale, shook their heads and said in unison: "No, no."
"Okay." Yang Qiu slowly put away the scroll, his smile still very friendly and kind, "I'm not an unreasonable person. Next time you want to leave, don't make so much trouble. Just tell me directly."
"No, no, no, we will never want to leave. We like Tarantan!" said the former thieves firmly.
"Don't make a decision in a hurry. Think about it more before you express your opinion. I will always keep the bill. Don't worry, a forced melon is not sweet. Let's just part ways in peace." Yang Qiu said with a smile.
"No, no, no, we really don't want to leave!" The former thieves almost wanted to rip their hearts out.
Yang Qiu just smiled and nodded, and believed these guys without saying anything - he felt that he was really easy to talk to, and he agreed not to monitor them except during working hours; anyway , no matter how these guys tossed around, he was ready for conditions that these former thieves could not refuse...
A man with such principles and bottom line as him has no worries about not being able to find people to work for him!
"Now that everyone has talked it out, let's just consider this matter as over. Let's not pursue responsibility. We are all friends, it's not worth it. I will comfort our undead friends now. As for you, go back and wash your faces with cold water, and get yourself together and continue to work."
This time, the former thieves all looked as if they were given a big thumbs up... They had just been killing each other all night, and now they were just doing their own thing as if nothing had happened. Isn't this too much of a challenge to their tolerance? !
Yang Qiu didn't show any consideration for their fragile hearts. He immediately immersed himself in the branding matrix and sent a notice to the online players:
"System Announcement:"
"The dynamic mission "Suppressing the Rebellion" has ended."
"Due to the appearance of the underground spider nest, people in Exile Town are becoming increasingly uneasy, and high-level NPCs are considering defecting."
"Players have successfully suppressed the defection. All players who log into the game during the dynamic mission will receive 100 points of Exile Town reputation, and all players who participate in the battle during the dynamic mission will receive 500 points of Exile Town reputation."
"Items dropped during the mission are handled by the players themselves."
"Players who damage public property in Exile Town during the mission will have 100 points of Exile Town reputation deducted."
“Thanks to the players for their active participation, you can check the reputation gained or deducted in your personal panel.”
"Appendix: If you maliciously attack a high-level NPC during non-mission periods, all Exile Town reputation will be deducted and your account will be banned."
Outside the town hall, as soon as the announcement was made, the players who had been yelling and urging the NPCs to accept the challenge suddenly fell silent.
"So this is a dynamic mission? Damn, the planner is too lazy. They didn't even give me a hint before the mission started?"
"Luckily I logged in early today and caught a wave of battles, otherwise I would have fallen behind in reputation."
"It's really unfair that those who played all night get the same reward as those who played only one or two games!"
"Don't take advantage of me. How much equipment have you gotten?"
"Gather together, it's time for the equipment auction!"
"Don't be too busy taking pictures, there are still people who died and are offline and haven't come back yet."
"I'm so sleepy, who can help me collect the auction wages?"
The players dispersed noisily. Yang Qiu looked out through the chopped-off wooden door and signaled the former thieves to put his furniture back in place.
Hal and the others didn't dare to go out too quickly. They took their time to put the furniture back to its original state. They also took the initiative to find an excuse to help Yang Qiu clean up. Then they maintained their battle formation and carefully poked their heads out.
The undead had indeed left, and there was not a single skeleton left outside.
This group of former thieves still did not dare to leave the shelter rashly. They looked back at Yang Qiu in confusion, hesitant to speak.
"Go back and wash up. Don't worry, our undead friends won't attack you again." Yang Qiu waved his hand.
The thieves had no choice but to gather in groups of three or four and return to their tents.
Hal, Tattle and Pansy, the three brothers in distress from the Walker Department, returned to the construction site of the Walker Guild together. After seeing the familiar posts, they did not feel excited or gratified. Instead , they were collectively petrified after understanding the situation at their posts.
Because there were many players doing the mission at the Walker Construction Site, a small square of considerable size had been laid out. With Enbuteng's flexible command and the leadership of Yang Ying, Tang Jia, and Ji Tang, they broke through and robbed many scattered individual teams, and chose this place as the auction site...
When the three professional instructors returned to their positions, they saw... Tang Jia, whose ID was "Sandwich Gummy" and whose voice was extremely loud, was holding up the short dagger that he had snatched from Pansy and shouting, "White letter dagger, although it is white letter equipment with no special effects, it has high attack, and the handle is easy to hold, and can be used as a secondary weapon, starting at ten copper coins!"
"Twelve!"
"fifteen!"
"twenty!"
"Twenty first time, is there anyone who wants it? This is a good thing dropped by treasure expert Pansy! If you miss this opportunity, you will miss this shop!"
Yang Ying poked Ji Tang who was sitting next to her and said, "Didn't you say this dagger feels good? Make an offer."
“I don’t have any money…”
"It's okay, I'll lend it to you."
Ji Tang quickly raised his hand: "Twenty-one!"
"Twenty-one, first time! If you want it, please increase the price quickly. This is the dagger used by Pansy!" Tang Jia shouted with all her might.
Among the three people standing there in a state of shock, Pansy's expression suddenly became lively...
"Calm down, Pansy!" Hal and Tuttle quickly hugged their good brother, one on each side, "Don't be impulsive!"
In traditional PC online games, daggers are very popular weapons, but in this holographic game, the length of the weapon does have a significant impact on the player's combat effectiveness; so even though it was a dagger that Pansy, the treasure expert, had carefully polished and maintained and had used for many years, it still could not be sold at a high price, and was eventually bought by Ji Tang for twenty-six copper coins.
After auctioning the dagger, Tang Jia raised another one... a wristband covered with strange animal skin, and shouted louder and more emotionally: "Attention everyone, the highlight is coming! This is an excellent wristband dropped by the assassin mentor Hal Maxwell. It has a toughness effect and cannot be broken by knives or penetrated by arrows! Although we only got one and the other was taken away by someone who took medicine, the fact that they are not a pair does not prevent us from using them. I have tried it and it works very well!"
Hal: "... (゜ロ゜)"
Hal's equipment was considered the best in the gang of thieves. From head to toe, he had alchemists enchant him. This pair of wrist guards was enchanted with the rune of toughness. Not only were they light and flexible, but they could also withstand the bites of large monsters.
Seeing his wrist guard being desecrated by the filthy undead, Hal felt a surge of rage rising from the bottom of his heart, and he drew out his long sword...
"Forget it, Hal, forget it!" This time it was Pansy and Tuttle who tried to hug Hal.
After all, the individual group has few people and most of them are brick-moving people. Their combat effectiveness is indeed slightly weaker than that of the player team of Lahong Ge and Qin Guan. Although a powerful friend like Ji Tang joined, they did not get many good things. Except for Hal's wristband (single) which was auctioned at a high price of more than 100 copper coins, the unit prices of the following miscellaneous items were all between 20 and 30 copper coins.
This group of players arrogantly auctioned in front of the victim for more than half an hour before declaring it over and happily dividing the money and leaving...
Hal had no idea how he had managed to get through the day. The undead who had fought fiercely with them the night before and frantically snatched their equipment now looked like they had amnesia and spoke to them and handed over tasks with an indifferent look on their faces.
That would have been fine, but what made Hal's gums bleed with anger was that this group of undead, while doing the tasks they had assigned them, repeatedly mentioned everything that had happened last night in front of them!
"Is this true? You guys robbed an NPC?!"
"What do you mean by robbing? The ones dropped by monsters are good, and there's also reputation!"
The skeleton who asked the question looked in Hal's direction, and then said to his companion in surprise, "Isn't the NPC still there? Did you guys kill it and then refresh it? Was the uniqueness of the high-level NPC mentioned in the previous update announcement a lie?"
"He didn't kill them. The monsters in this game are different from those in traditional games. If you can attack them, they may drop equipment." Another skeleton said enviously, "All the equipment dropped by Hal is good. It's a pity that our group didn't get them. A pair of gauntlets were snatched by Vanilla's group and the individual groups. The helmet was also taken by Vanilla's group."
Hal, standing at his post in front of the tent, almost gritted his teeth to barely control his anger.
The skeleton who asked the question said, "I see. I was wondering why this NPC looked different today than yesterday. No wonder it's called a unique NPC. The equipment it dropped can't be refreshed. If it's killed, it definitely can't be resurrected."
"Yeah, luckily I don't have to kill him to get his equipment, otherwise I wouldn't be able to turn into an assassin, and all my reputation gains would be in vain."
Hal, who was filled with anger, was instantly poured with a basin of cold water.
The leader of this bandit gang, who was once famous for his audacity... glanced cautiously and fearfully at the two skeletons who were discussing his life and death so casually, but was afraid of being discovered by them, so he forced himself to look away.
He really shouldn't have believed the lies of that bastard black magician from the beginning, and shouldn't have come to Tarantan!
Hal regretted so much that he felt bitter inside...
While Yang Qiu was creating runes to consume magic power and meditating to recover, he was also observing the interactions between high-level NPCs and players.
Players have nothing to say. The Fourth Scourge is a group that jumps back and forth between lawful good and chaotic evil.
The words of the former thieves... after experiencing the madness and chaos of the players firsthand, they have become much more honest.
The uniqueness of high-level NPCs and the binding of job transfer reputation are the protections that Yang Qiu provides to thieves. As long as the thieves do not commit suicide, the possibility of players actively attacking them is generally very low. For example, players who have worked hard to gain the reputation of an assassin mentor will definitely protect their job transfer mentor spontaneously. The higher the reputation value gained by the players, the more protective they will be of the mentor.
After all…even though the other world was disguised as a game, Yang Qiu did not want his fellow Earthlings to become murderers unknowingly.
"It seems to be okay now, but now that this has been done, it is inevitable that some players will start to think about ways to steal equipment without killing the NPCs..." Yang Qiu stroked his chin and thought, "If we push these thieves too hard, we won't be able to suppress them just by extortion... or settling accounts."
"We must establish a positive atmosphere that unless an NPC is abnormal, we must not only not attack the NPC, but also provide protection for the NPC."
"——Well, it's time to introduce civilian NPCs!" Yang Qiu stood up from his seat and straightened his clothes.
