45: The NPC's Deep Schemes

By the time Tristan adjusted to the new surroundings, he found himself in a completely different area.

The Davi City central teleportation array.

Beneath his feet were smooth and polished marble tiles, each measuring three meters in length and width, extending out neatly and grandly. In every direction, there were four wide main roads, each wide enough for ten carriages to travel side by side.

These four main roads divided the entire Davi City into four zones.

To the north was the administrative district, home to the lord's mansion and various official buildings. To the south lay the commercial district, with shops lining the streets, selling all sorts of bizarre and peculiar items. Tristan had once heard of players finding a broken semi-artifact on a street vendor's stall there. Although it was only a fraction of its original power, it was still astonishingly powerful. However, such finds relied heavily on luck, so Tristan didn't expect much.

To the east was the noble district, a place where only those with high social status could enter. Lastly, to the west was the commoner district.

Beyond the city, there were even more areas for players to explore, like the slums and black markets.

As Tristan stood in the teleportation array, he noticed many NPCs glancing at him with curiosity, while some of the more elegantly dressed ones looked at him with disdain, as if they were looking at a country bumpkin.

Tristan didn't find it surprising.

NPCs in starter villages weren't as intelligent, but things were different in the main cities. They were more human-like, or rather, they seemed to have more self-awareness.

"Alright, let's get organized."

Tristan's mind raced as he started to plan. First, he needed to find Horreo to complete the task for Cole Hunter and get the skill book. After that, he would look for a career mentor to complete his first class advancement.

Depending on the difficulty of the advancement task, the rewards could vary. Naturally, Tristan planned to take on the hardest challenge for the best rewards.

Once those two tasks were done, he would buy a shop. Of course, this was referring to a shop in ExoGenesis. This was part of his long-term plan.

After the game's full integration with reality, the main cities would eventually be brought to Terra, and they would be protected by the rules of ExoGenesis. Even gods wouldn't easily attack the main cities, unless the god the city followed perished.

However, in Tristan's memory, all twelve of the main cities that descended into Valoria were still intact when he and Damien Arrow met their end.

Setting up a safehouse in the main city beforehand would be a wise move, and owning property there would guarantee security. Buying a shop was the best option.

Tristan could solo bosses, and with his pile of high-level items, just hanging them in a shop would draw customers in droves. Not only would this bring him profit, but it would also lay the groundwork for future plans.

However, not everyone could buy a shop, as there were certain requirements. Fortunately, Tristan had prepared for this.

"Time to get to work."

He thought to himself as he stepped out of the teleportation array and headed north toward the administrative district.

Horreo, Cole Hunter's friend, was a tutor, and there was only one place in Davi City where such tutors could be found: the city lord's guard.

As Tristan neared the edge of the administrative district, a guard immediately approached him and asked, "What's your business?"

Since Tristan's reputation had exceeded 100, he wasn't met with the usual "Halt! You look like a spy!" that lower-ranked players might face. He quickly took out two silver coins and handed them over, lowering his voice, "I'm here at the request of Cole Hunter to find Tutor Horreo."

The guard discreetly pocketed the silver coins and softened his tone, "Horreo is indeed here, but he's quite busy. I can't guarantee he'll meet with you."

Tristan had already anticipated this. "Please, just tell him that Cole Hunter sent me."

The guard nodded and said, "Wait here a moment."

He turned and entered the administrative district.

…

Tristan didn't wait long before a burly figure emerged from the gates. The man quickly approached and extended a large hand. "Where is it?"

The man was none other than Horreo, the tutor Tristan had been looking for.

Tristan handed him the letter, and Horreo immediately began to inspect it. His expression softened.

After a moment of silence, Horreo said, "I didn't expect my old friend to be hiding in a remote village. No wonder I couldn't find him. He's a proud man. I guess he didn't want me to see him in his current state."

Tristan could only feel helpless.

NPCs in ExoGenesis were notorious for their habit of reminiscing about the past for no reason at all.

Tristan patiently waited.

Horreo didn't linger in nostalgia for too long. After adjusting his mood, he said, "Since this is a favor from an old friend, I won't refuse. However, I specialize in archery, so I'm afraid that's not the best fit for you."

Horreo began pacing back and forth, deep in thought, before his eyes lit up. "I may not be able to teach you much, but I know someone who can."

He summoned one of his guards, who quickly brought paper and pen. With swift movements, Horreo wrote a letter and handed it to Tristan. "Take this letter to Edith. She'll know what to do."

At the same time, Tristan received a system notification.

Ding! Quest updated.

Quest Description: Deliver Horreo's letter to Edith.

Quest Reward: Random universal ranged skill book.

At first, Tristan was about to complain about how deep the NPCs' schemes went, outsourcing the task. But when he saw the reward, he immediately agreed.

Horreo had taken time out of his busy schedule to help him, and Tristan couldn't help but feel appreciative.

Although it was still a random skill book, the fact that it was labeled "universal" made all the difference. It was almost guaranteed to be something Tristan could use.

The only unknown was the skill's form.

Tristan wasn't worried about that. He knew exactly who Edith was.

She was the assassin mentor.

Tristan had planned to seek Edith out for his class advancement anyway, and now that Horreo had written him a letter, it seemed like everything was falling into place. According to ExoGenesis's rules, the skill book from this quest would most likely be tailored to his profession and talents, maximizing its usefulness.

"I didn't expect such a high-quality follow-up from the Cole Hunter quest chain. This is a big win!" Tristan thought to himself, feeling quite pleased.

In his past life, he had only known that Cole Hunter offered a hidden quest that rewarded the Beast Skull. But he hadn't heard anything about the follow-up quests.

Now, it seemed that the player who had completed the quest in his previous life likely hadn't taken the next steps. Otherwise, with how players love to show off in ExoGenesis, the world would have heard about it by now.

But most of the hidden quests in ExoGenesis were unique. Even if you told someone the full details, they couldn't complete it.

With that in mind, Tristan took his leave of Horreo with a respectful bow.

Now, it was time to find Edith and start his class advancement. If his guess was correct, even with Horreo's letter, the skill book reward would likely be combined with the class advancement task.

As he thought this, Tristan couldn't help but sigh.

The NPCs in this game were really deep in their schemes!