Chapter 28: Urgent Need for New Players

After a morning of learning, the villager representatives had mostly mastered the farming methods used by the players.

These techniques were not complicated. The only slightly troublesome part was the construction of the seed drill.

But Ethan Carter disassembled and reassembled the seed drill on the spot, explaining its structure in detail.

This deeply moved the villagers. These refugees were good people!

Not only did they risk danger to chop wood and help rebuild their homes, but they also taught them these farming methods without holding anything back.

Though their behavior was sometimes strange, their virtues far outweighed these minor flaws. The villagers had already accepted these refugees.

The players didn't know what the villagers were thinking, but they could tell their attitudes had improved significantly.

It seemed their favorability had risen quite a bit. The players were very pleased and became even more enthusiastic in their teaching.

Watching the lively and harmonious interaction between the players and the villagers, Leon nodded in satisfaction.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

Not only were better farming methods being promoted, but the relationship between the players and the villagers was also growing closer.

And it encouraged the villagers to interact with Pokémon.

Since Diglett played a huge role in plowing fields, the villagers, despite their fear of Pokémon, were willing to try contacting them to increase crop yields.

Right now, a few villagers were cautiously approaching Diglett, attempting to communicate with them.

The Diglett were very cooperative, behaving in a friendly manner.

This further solidified the villagers' decision to rent Diglett.

The representatives were skilled farmers and respected figures among the villagers. If they decided to rent Diglett, the others would follow suit.

This would greatly improve the relationship between the villagers and Pokémon.

"From now on, the villagers won't be as afraid of Pokémon. We've taken another step toward peaceful coexistence."

Leon was very satisfied with this outcome. The territory was developing in a positive direction.

But now a new problem had emerged: a shortage of players.

Initially, there weren't many people who signed up for the game, so he only summoned five players.

Later, thanks to Ethan Carter's promotion, the number of sign-ups increased, but Leon still didn't summon new players to save Creation Points.

Now, however, five players were no longer enough to meet the territory's needs.

Large areas of farmland remained unused because the villagers were too afraid to go there. The mission hall's daily tasks needed to be completed.

Players were also needed to investigate the black-robed figures and protect the territory.

In short, even if these five players were split in half, it still wouldn't be enough.

"Tonight, I'll summon new players! And this time, I'll summon more!"

Leon checked the remaining Creation Points in the system and decided to use most of them to summon players, keeping only a small reserve for emergencies.

"But with so many people signed up, how do I choose the right players?"

Leon was worried. He didn't want to pick players who were irresponsible or disobedient.

Though he could ban them later, it would still waste Creation Points.

"It'd be great if they were all like these five players. Actually, I've been pretty lucky. The first batch of players was very high-quality, including a pro like SilentTongue."

"Wait a minute! I might not know who's suitable for this game, but SilentTongue and the others do! I can just ask them to recommend some players!"

Birds of a feather flock together. Leon believed the players they recommended would be more reliable than random selections.

But how should he bring this up?

In the players' eyes, Leon was just a highly intelligent NPC. He couldn't discuss player-related matters with them from that perspective.

"If I can't talk about it in-game, I can do it outside the game."

Looking at the system's internet connection function, Leon came up with a suitable plan.

At 6:00 AM on BlueStar, the five players logged off, and the group chat became lively again.

Wind: "Can you believe it? I'm someone who usually finds it exhausting to go downstairs for a package, but I spent the whole day farming! Even crazier, I'm not even tired of it. I want to do it again tomorrow!"

Leaf: "Same here. By the way, SilentTongue is seriously amazing. He even knows how to make a seed drill. That thing was a huge help."

SilentTongue: "Not really. I just followed an online tutorial. It's actually pretty simple. You all picked it up quickly too."

Bell: "Speaking of which, thanks to Leaf for lending us Heracross. Otherwise, us two weak girls wouldn't have been able to pull that seed drill."

Luna: "Thanks."

Leaf: "No problem. We're all helping each other out."

Wind: "Holy crap! Someone claiming to be the game designer of Pokémon World is requesting to join the group!"

After Dylan's message, the group went silent for a few seconds before exploding with reactions.

Leaf: "Wait, seriously?!"

Bell: "A virtual reality game has a designer? How did they even get our group info?"

SilentTongue: "Every game has a designer. The question is why they're joining."

Wind: "Why don't we just add them and ask?"

[Wind has approved Ash's request to join the group.]

Ash: "Hey, everyone! I'm the game designer for Pokémon World. You can call me Ash."

Bell: "Hi, Ash! Are you really the game designer?"

Ash: "Absolutely. If you don't believe me, I can mention some in-game stuff. For example, during today's session, Wind tried to mess with Heracross and got knocked flat on his face."

Wind: "Cough! Okay, okay! I believe you!"

The other players were convinced. After all, Ash knew everything that happened in the game.

Bell: "So you've been watching us play this whole time? Must've been fun spying on us, huh? (laughing emoji)"

Leon's eye twitched at this message. What kind of phrasing was that? He was observing them openly!

Of course, "Ash" was actually Leon. Using the system's internet connection, he created a chat account and posed as the game designer.

By joining the players' group, he could gather their feedback and naturally ask them to recommend new players.

Ash: "Uh, I was just monitoring the game's performance. Not spying."

Bell: "Just kidding! You were just doing your job. So, Ash, why did you join the group?"

Finally, the main question! Just as Leon was about to answer, Dylan interrupted.

Wind: "Why call him Ash? Call him Boss! Boss joined for his own reasons. He doesn't owe us an explanation!"

Leaf: "Smooth. When it comes to sucking up, you're the best."

Leon stared at the chat in exasperation. How did the topic derail again?

SilentTongue: "Ash, how did your company develop such advanced virtual reality technology? Why haven't we heard of your company before? With this kind of tech, why make a game? How long will the beta last? What's the monetization plan after launch? Will the game release overseas?"

Ethan Carter fired off all the questions he'd been saving up.

Wind: "Damn, no wonder you were quiet. You were loading up the big guns."

Leon's head throbbed reading these. How was he supposed to answer?

He quickly changed the subject.

Ash: "We'll talk about that later. I joined for two reasons. First, to gather feedback. Second, I want you to recommend friends for the beta test."

After Leon sent this, the group went quiet again before erupting.