Becoming an Influential Figure

"You don't have to tell me, I was planning on accepting the Mayor's invitation anyway." Quinton sighed. As for Anna, her expression said it all.

The trio turned over to look at Ye Qing, quickly noticing his sour expression.

Ye Qing shrugged. "I can't give up on this, I sort of 'have' to see this through to the end?"

Luke gave this new friend of his a weird, sympathetic look. It was Anna who slapped the green field with her palm and exclaimed. "What are you talking about? If the mentioning of a name is that bad already, why are you still trying to figure things out? What's so bad about altered history? We have a lot of that where we come from."

Quinton nodded to the side, having experienced the twisted nature of mankind in the real world. If there was enough of an incentive, men can go to any lengths possible.

Ye Qing raised his hands in resignation. "All I can say is that I'm done running away from my problems. If this happened to me two weeks ago, I'd be the first to run away from it, but things are different now… At first, I thought I might have to visit the First Light Prefecture and ask the Wise Men under Hyperion, God of Wisdom, about this altered history. Now I realize it doesn't really matter where I go, there must be people out there who are willing to talk for the right price."

"Wait!" Luke interjected. "What do you mean by 'your problem', are you in some kind of a pinch?"

"Well," Ye Qing rubbed the back of his head. "I have a personal main quest to investigate these secrets, so it can't be helped. If I want to get anywhere in this game, I have to go through this."

"Oh," Anna's expression softened, though she was evidently worried. "I wish I could help, but this is too…"

She didn't say it but everyone else understood; too gruesome for a girl. In this game, characters don't fade away into motes of light upon death, or a beautiful shower of XP points, but they mirror the truthfulness of how ugly death can truly be.

Ye Qing thought that sooner or later, the realism of this world would slowly yet surely refine the mindset of the players. In a civilized world, rarely do people experience the shedding of blood, unlike in the medieval eras from the days of old.

After a brief stun, Luke shook his head. He furrowed his brows. "If that's the case, I have some generally useful advice for you."

"I'm listening," Ye Qing spoke earnestly, his full attention on Luke. There was something characteristic about Luke in the way he carried himself, one couldn't help but be drawn into the friendly air surrounding him.

Luke spoke seriously, "The most effective way is to establish a guild stationed across the realm, collectively gathering information. However, since you're a new player, obviously lacking the support of a powerful guild, then that leaves you with two options."

Luke paused for a moment, allowing his words to settle in Ye Qing's mind, and continued, "Another method is to grow into someone powerful, very powerful… Or someone influential, very influential. The circles of great figures in power are very tight, and at that height, everything is transparent to them. As for influential figures, they might lack personal power, but their power is nonetheless prominent in an intangible manner.

"Take Goddesses Themis for example, she can be considered as the weakest of the Seven Titans yet ironically, she could be considered the most difficult to deal with."

Ye Qing nodded. "You're telling me to establish my own network just like Goddess Themis did? That might take some time. Furthermore, I'm not so sure I can pull it off…"

"What's the time limit on your quest anyway?" Luke asked.

"Hm… It's indefinite, no time limit per se." Ye Qing answered.

Quinton couldn't help but click his tongue. "Why are you so flustered then? Take it easy, these ancient secrets won't go anywhere. Let's go, the people are already gathering inside the restaurant."

As Quinton reminded everyone, they also noticed the usual commotion picking up; a lot of players were entering the town square and filing into the restaurant.

Some players had the appearance of exotic creatures such as werewolves, vampires, elves, cat-girls, and humanoid beasts. This scene dumbfounded Ye Qing.

"Don't be so surprised, I'm also a hybrid, though it could be hidden from public eyes," Anna chuckled, shaking her head as a pair of fluffy ears emerged from her head and three soft fox tails jutted from her rear. Then, her body shook as these features disappeared.

"I'm a Kitsune!" Anna held up a cute victory sign with her fingers, giving Ye Qing a wink. Luke chuckled dryly to the side, choosing to not comment.

Quinton was already walking ahead, but he then heard Ye Qing calling out. "Should we add each other as friends?"

Quinton paused for a moment, checked his notification interface to accept the friend request from 'Mortal', and continued walking ahead. Anna and Luke were surprised at the weird username, but they readily accepted the friend request nonetheless.

"You've hidden your vocation? So secretive… Awe, I just showed you my greatest secret too." Anna jested playfully, laughing as she got up from the grassy ground.

Ye Qing rolled his eyes, equipped the incognito cloak, and got up as well.

After a bit of hesitation, he said, "Well, I'm actually a Talisman Master…"

Luke: "…"

Anna: "…"

Luke gawked stupidly for a while and said, "Well! Well! Well! If that's the case, you can definitely become an influential figure in the future if you're nurtured by the Church of Law and Order; I have a feeling this talent scouting event will be plenty of help to you."

At first, Luke didn't know how Ye Qing should go about his personal quest, but now that he learned of the latter's vocation, things are much simpler.

"Guy! In the future, I can be your intel go-to guy, but don't forget about me when you strike it rich!" Luke laughed, hooking his arm around Ye Qing's shoulder naturally.

Anna teased from the side with a smile. "Don't forget about this big sister, okay? I might let you rub my ears and tails as a good reward."

Ye Qing's face went a little red as he thought; that might not be a bad idea. However, even as Anna teased verbally, the girl kept a fair distance from the pair as they messed around. Obviously, despite her bold words, she was very conservative.

Luke and Anna didn't mind that Ye Qing put an incognito set. As friends, they could see through the cloak's ability unless Ye Qing toggled off the visibility to friends.

After thinking for a bit, the two decided to act less ostentatiously and follow Ye Qing's example, concealing anything that hinted at their details while putting on their respective incognito cloaks.

Shoulder to shoulder, the party of three left the field and entered the town square, their destination the now-crowded three storey restaurant.

…

Towns, small towns like Rosewood Town in particular, attract a lot of newcomers the moment they enter the game. These locations provide a fitting environment for players to get accustomed to the game structure as they progress in levels, preferably grinding to level 10.

The universal flight skill unlocks at level 10, and every player can summon a pair of wings to fly across the map.

However, the flight consumes stamina, and thus, taking off across far distances is very challenging. At most, each player can fly for 40 seconds, and the flight cooldown differs depending on how much stamina the player has consumed during their flight.

In a sense, flight would make travel more convenient but it isn't a practical option to roam the world. It is, however, very practical in combat, especially for players who are adept in long-ranged combat.

For example, Quinton, a Gunslinger.

Another example is Anna, a Summoner, as her energy reserves function as the lifeline of her summons. As long as she had enough energy, the summons are as good as undying.

Players at level 10 start to group up in parties of long-range and close-range fighters, while also adding up one or two supporting classes like the Bard.

A Bard's talent lay in healing, buffs, and debuffs.

They practically control the field and rhythm of the battle from a safe distance. A Talisman Master, Gunslinger, Summoner, and a Bard.

Ye Qing's party is missing one close-range damage dealer and their team would make for the perfect exploration team. Sadly, each of them has other commitments to keep them occupied, especially Ye Qing.

"What a shame," Luke sighed. "We would have made a great team if we stuck together, but I'm pretty sure we'll have the chance in the future."

"Yeah," Anna nodded, even as they found an empty table occupied by no other than Quinton. They immediately joined him, and so he stood out as the only guy without the incognito cloak.

Delicious out of sorts and thinking this might draw a lot of attention, Quinton grunted and followed the trend.

Anna chuckled.

"Here comes the Mayor," Ye Qing's eyes glowed in the shade of his hood, fixing his gaze on the wide open door directly across from their table.