LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 125: Welcome Ceremony
Back when Exile Town had only three hundred players, the few NPCs led by Hal were already overwhelmed.
Yang Qiu, foreseeing the potential chaos of a lack of "advanced NPCs" given the influx of three thousand new players, had taken proactive measures and arranged for the more capable members of the Sea Lions mercenary group to be stationed in Exile Town.
The Wanderer and Warrior Guilds were both given an injection of over a dozen new "instructor" NPCs. Some were assigned to issue quests, while others were tasked with overseeing the construction sites.
Various workshops in the Life Alley, the daily quest points managed by zombies, and the Undead Merchant Association canteen also welcomed new "advanced NPCs" that possessed combat abilities. Their primary role was to curb the mischief of new players, such as attempts to attack civilian NPCs, steal items or quest tools from workshops, or try to rob the canteen.
Yang Qiu understood all too well the dichotomy of order and chaos inherent in Chinese players. Despite numerous cautionary posts on the forums by the initial three hundred players, the new influx of three thousand was bound to create trouble.
This preparation was not in vain. From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Earth time, the nine hundred or so new players in the imprint matrix behaved reasonably well, avoiding the chaotic situation that nearly drove the usually amiable Rex insane during the public beta.
However, after noon, when the in-game time turned to late night and NPCs other than zombies "clocked out" for sleep and ceased issuing quests, Exile Town began to buzz with activity.
Frustrated, a group of newly logged-in players headed straight for the Wanderer Guild, only to find its doors firmly shut. With no active NPCs on the construction sites or in the plaza, they were unable to receive any quests, leading to an immediate outburst of complaints.
Nearby, a veteran player working on the construction site couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of these bewildered newcomers.
"Didn't you guys read Ou Huang's guide? If you don't get your tasks before the NPCs go to sleep, you won't be able to get any quests for the next few hours of darkness in the game."
Stamping their feet in frustration, the newcomers grumbled and whined.
"Damn! I forgot that these NPCs clock out punctually. Didn't they even think about extending their shifts with so many people logging in today?"
"Human NPCs are like that. Once it gets dark in the game, you won't see them around," explained the veteran player. "You might as well go to the zombie NPCs for tasks. They have professional ethics and don't sleep."
The new players exchanged glances, and one of them slyly suggested, "Brothers, shall we go?"
"Let's go, let's go!" The others joined in with mischievous grins.
And so, they merrily dashed toward the Wanderer Guild hall
The veteran was dumbfounded. "Hey, wait! Don't mess around, you'll cause trouble!"
"What's there to fear? At most we get killed and kicked offline!" a new player shouted back brashly.
The veteran fell silent, watching with folded arms as the audacious group, despite having read plenty of tips from experienced players, daringly scaled the wall and jumped into the NPCs' dwelling, ransacking the tools meant for quests.
"A steel knife is nothing. We need pickaxes for fighting monsters!" exclaimed a player, holding up a sturdy pickaxe still dotted with soil. "Come on, everyone grab one. Let's go take down that rat by the south exit!"
"Isn't that a bit too bold? That rat might be too much for us. Even Vanilla Pudding's elite team couldn't beat it. Maybe we should head to the Spider Cave instead."
"Can we even make it there without proper gear?"
"What do we need gear for? We have so many people; we can just overwhelm the monsters!"
Excitedly, they emptied the storage of quest tools and confidently opened the door to leave
Behind them, the oil lamps flickered to life.
A trio of advanced NPCs, with titles "Assassin Instructor," "Ranger Instructor," and "Treasure Master Instructor," watched with livid faces as these brazen thieves treated burglary as casually as visiting a relative's house.
In a chorus of shocked exclamations, two newbie players lagging behind were sliced into white light by the NPCs.
Startled, the others fled with their freshly stolen pickaxes.
If the undead thieves abandoned the pickaxes, the former mercenaries, new to this, would hesitate to pursue them. After all, Yang had instructed them not to kill the undead unless absolutely necessary. But when the culprits fled with the pickaxes, the former mercenaries showed no mercy and chased after them, roaring in fury.
The veteran player, with arms crossed, watched the chaotic spectacle of the hapless new players being hunted down and slain by the advanced NPCs.
Turning calmly to the new players doing manual labor quests alongside him, he rambled, "See what happens when you don't heed wisdom? That's what you get for ignoring advice. It's nighttime in the game, and they think it's wise to provoke the advanced NPCs? Even the gentlest among them, like Rex, would turn murderous if his sleep is disturbed, let alone the others."
"Are the NPCs in the beginner town always this advanced? They even get grumpy when woken up from their sleep!" the earnest new players working on their quests asked in surprise.
Theft and looting incidents occurred to varying degrees at the Wanderer Guild on Second Street and the Warrior Guild on Fourth Street.
Things at Life Alley, situated at First Street, were even more chaotic.
In the tailor shop overseen by Anthony, which had more staff, nightfall meant sending the twelve female workers off to sleep.
Knowing full well the chaotic nature of the undead, Anthony briskly went to a large cabinet in the shop, pulling out several hefty hammers and distributing them to the three former mercenaries assigned to security duty in his shop.
Stripped of their possessions when captured by the undead, the ex-mercenaries were left with nothing but a change of clothes when delivered to Anthony. Receiving the weighty hammers, they looked puzzled.
"You've seen them during the day, the many new undead wandering about without clothes," Anthony said sternly to the mercenaries. "Based on my experience, these newcomers won't adhere to rules, especially on their first daythey're capable of anything!
"Listen well. Any undead attempting to enter our territory is to be killed. Do you understand? Kill them all! Aim for their heads and chests; hitting elsewhere is pointless!
"If we don't teach these intruders a harsh lesson, they'll keep harassing us to no end! If you want to sleep peacefully in the future, you need to be alert and ready to defend!"
The three ex-mercenaries: "( ( ( )"
"Do you understand me?" Anthony barked authoritatively.
"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison, snapping to attention.
Suddenly, excited shouts erupted from outside
"There are people in the tailor's shop! Quick, come here! The NPCs inside haven't gone to sleep yet!"
The door creaked open, and several undead brazenly strode into the shop as if entering their own home, nonchalantly waving at the four advanced NPCs. "Hey, boss, get us some waist pouches"
But their casual demeanor was met with Anthony's furious roar. "Die, you intruders!" With that, he lunged forward, wielding his hefty hammer with lethal intent.
The newbies recoiled in shock. "What the hell! Has this NPC gone mad?" one exclaimed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are NPCs this hardcore? Do we have to fight them just to buy a backpack?"
Another queried incredulously, "Hey, isn't this a lifestyle class instructor? Why is he even more aggressive than the combat class instructors?"
With Anthony in hot pursuit, the commotion drew the attention of players idly wandering the streets outside.
"Wow, awesome! We can already fight NPCs so early into the game?" exclaimed a player witnessing the spectacle.
"Fight? More like a one-sided beatdown, thank you very much!" retorted a player who was desperately trying to escape.
Qin Guan happened to be nearby with some newly logged-in friends, doing the quest for beginner gear. Hearing the commotion, he came to take a look and face-palmed.
"Can't you guys take the advice posts seriously? How many times have people warned about invading NPC homes at night?"
Before Qin Guan could finish, he noticed several more newbies sneakily trying to enter the shop while the owner, Anthony, was preoccupied
Exasperated, he pointed at the three NPCs inside the shop and shouted, "Can you please respect the NPCs? They're right there watching you!"
The three ex-mercenaries, suddenly realizing their oversight, quickly gripped their hammers and charged out.
The thwarted newcomers, now being chased and cursed at, still managed to shout indignantly at Qin Guan, "Whose side are you on? Sucking up to NPCs in a game?"
Qin Guan was speechless. He now understood why these NPCs with highly advanced AI were always so irritable.
Meanwhile, Yang Qiu, having happily indulged in the 11.11 shopping festivities, returned to OtherWorld after lunch. He wasn't surprised to find that in just half a day, out of the nearly nine hundred players that had logged in, over a hundred had already been killed and kicked offline for attempting foolish acts.
Observing via the imprint matrix, Yang Qiu saw several players being chased around by the ex-mercenaries. Shaking his head, he muttered, "Can't even enjoy a peaceful shopping spree without these fools causing trouble."
He knew that it wouldn't be wise to let these three thousand newbies roam free too soon; who knew what chaos they might cause
The vast Taranthan wilderness was the perfect place for them to go crazy.
Yang Qiu activated a spatial boundary to conceal himself, strolled casually past a bunch of NPCs chasing after new players, and exited Exile Town.
Mounting his undead horse, he rode out into the wilderness, soon arriving at an open-pit coal mine located about ten kilometers from the town.
Using his mental insight, Yang Qiu could detect coal seams a hundred meters beneath the surface. This mine could have developed into a small town of several tens of thousands of people if it were back on Earth.
In this world, if this mine wasn't in the monster-infested Taranthan wilderness or a small nation like the neighboring Rhine Kingdom or the Duchy of Shiga but a large nation like the Kenyan or Sokri Empires, it would definitely be developed.
Unfortunately, none of these conditions existed. This coal mine, with its vast reserves easily detectable by any caster, was briefly utilized only by the initial builders of Exile Town.
Yang Qiu understood all too well that involving players in coal mining was impractical. No gamer would willingly reduce themselves to menial labor in a virtual world. Even for simpler tasks like bricklaying and construction, players only engaged in such activities when it was linked to their job advancement and grinding reputation. Once the job advancement was secured, they bid farewell to manual labor with great relief.
Unable to use players for mining, Yang Qiu saw an opportunity to involve them in clearing the area instead. Around the coal mine, within a ten-mile radius, roamed various monsters and beasts. Hiring mercenaries to clear these threats would be a costly affair.
"Let's set up a mining zone monster spawn point here," Yang Qiu decided.