Chapter 33 - Timed quest or....?

Nearly a month inside the game,

The amount of time spent interacting with NPCs is nowhere enough to increase the affinity, thus share secrets and the likes with players.

The exception being ...

No, it's not just Niyam who could interact with NPCs with ease. There were many. But the number did not reach three digits. So when you compared them to millions of players who were beginning their journey into the world of ASTORIA, the number lost the meaning. These chosen few were first to get timed quests or hidden quests or....we will clump them to call them special quests.

This quest, though, might be thought as follow up for Saachi abusing his RPN. The problem seemed to be exacerbated because he used the special warehouse after the end of compulsory quest.

That warehouse was to be used exclusively by training group from the 'Baelan Ariaas Learning League'. This institute was started by esteemed sir, Baelan Ariaas, a highly eminent persona born in big aristocrat family, some thousand years ago. The league had sprouted so many branches and twigs that the main hall of league had to create separate entity to keep track of them.

Just by looking at name, you could understand many things. They had balls (pun intended). It was place of learning. They were a seperate league, carving their own niche.

At times when academics were trying to woo prodigies and geniuses, this league was happy accepting passable heroes. The might of average would become apparent only when sufficient mass was gathered and the league became the lynchpin to hold these masses together and create miracles.

We shall forget the fact that Baelan Ariaas created this league to make places self sufficient, thus sparing him to take actions. Who cares why such eccentric ideas would come from such revered beings? End result was it helped more and more people.

This novice village did not have enough people to have a branch of the league but their help was much needed. So a compromise of sorts was made. The league members would come in time of need but they would enjoy all the facilities in village. The special warehouse was made according to their specifications and eccentric needs.

In it were some sensitive items.

One of them got disturbed while Niyam had dumped all sorts of ores and monster drops near it. It was a sensor. So a alarm was sounded that there were monsters with affinity to ores currently running amok. The sensor had to be cleansed to show the current status properly. Or else.... the branch in charge of this village would assume this place was completely disseminated and would no longer come to help. As their help was very much necessary for survival of the village.

All the prominent craftsmen had fiddled and slowed down the sensor activity. But if it didn't get cleansed within 2 days, the signal sent would be stronger and villagers had no way to stop the sensor or its work.

After lots of recollection, recommendation and calculations, it was decided that ' Nilipt stone' or 'null stone' and void seed would cleanse the sensor and reset it back to its original form. And most of people who could reach such areas were needed to hold the mana barrier around the sensor. Others were busy to prepare the apparatus that used the Nilipt stone and void seed.

And they could not send others because the news would cause others to panic and do rash things.

Should Niyam accept and try to finish the quest? Moreover it was a solitary quest, couldn't be shared with others( this is confidential information, after all). Or should he nip the problem of short term gains minded bafoons right now before any other complications arose?

He was not worried about the ethical issue or moral dilemma. They were luxury of chosen few who try not to abuse the power they had. Most of humans did not have such lofty power. Even now, if he took steps, he would not be like 'do that or die'. It would be more like 'i won't share this cookie with you because I don't want to'.

The part of long term plan he had would have to begin a lot earlier but that meant there would be a lot more copy cats, powerful copy cats, the ones he could not face right now.

To do or not to do?

Seek support or advice? Or follow own thoughts? For Saachi, 'Escape'was not a game to spend time, it was new lifeline, a way to earn power, prestige and obviously money.

He took a break from the game.

'Shocking event!'

' Game mad Niyam absent from grinding maps?'

' Alchemist Niyam missing in action? Did continuous working in alchemy room turn him mad? Will he still make potions?'

No!!!!!

Our hero was so low key among players that not many would follow his timings or stalk him etc. Most often his communicator would be off, whether he was online or offline. Foolproof way of contacting him was to leave him a tantalizing message. He would call back or reply 'at the soonest moment', as described by him in his communicator profile.

No one noticed that Saachi had taken a break in middle of game.

He was talking with game support people who had finally... finally.... finally....connected him to a fairly big authority in the department.