Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Dragonborn wasn’t sure what conspiracy Tomato was talking about.

  It must be a Strange Encounter Mission. If he followed the Plot Mission, he would trigger more Plot developments and rewards.

  Tomato wasn’t interested in the Fairies’ conspiracy. Whatever the Fairies intended to do had nothing to do with him. He only wanted to leave the Fairies’ territory. Tomato was unable to return to his previous hideout and had to find a new place for his base. He was still a fugitive, so he couldn’t go back to the Empire.

  After a good rest, Tomato and Dragonborn left the wooden house and went into the forest.

  Dragonborn thought he might not be able to go offline to sleep for a few days. They were both fleeing. If he went offline to sleep, he might get Tomato into trouble and cause the Strange Encounter Mission to fail.

  Dragonborn thought that the game was really tough for his physical body……

  The gamers of Victoria City came out from the Teleport Portal at the York Territory and started building their Stronghold.

  In the Castle of the Duke of York.

  A team of Garrison Guards was patrolling the surrounding territory and discovered something unusual. In the sparse woods, there were creatures who had green symbols above their heads. They used crude tools to log the trees and dig up soil. The Garrison Guards knew that it was abnormal and went to ask the creatures what they were doing.

  The creatures saw the Garrison Guards come over, but they didn’t flee or speak. The creatures merely looked on curiously and with anticipation.

  The Garrison Guards became wary. If they were residents from the nearby villages, they would greet them and tell them what they were doing when they saw the patrol team from the Duke of York.

  Though it wasn’t illegal to log trees, this was the private land of the Duke of York. It wasn’t appropriate to cut the trees there. If the loggers were caught, they would be sent to prison.

  “What are you doing?” one of the Garrison Guards shouted at the creatures, but they didn’t respond. They were chatting among themselves before electing a representative. The Garrison Guard found them to be very excited and heard something about “Strange Encounters coming”, “Let me try to talk to them, I’m more immersive in my role”, and “I’m a good performer”.

  The representative walked to the Garrison Guard and said earnestly, “We’re cutting down the trees to build our Stronghold. Are you affiliated with the Duke of York?”


  The Garrison Guard was taken aback. Building a Stronghold? What Stronghold?

  The Garrison Guard grasped the hilt of his sword and became fierce. He looked at the gamers and asked authoritatively, “What Stronghold are you building? This is the private land of the Duke of York. If you don’t have any business here, leave immediately. If other guards find you, you’ll be killed. I’m in a good mood, so I won’t fight with you. If you don’t leave, I’ll turn nasty.”


  The gamers chatted for a while. Then, the representative said to the Garrison Guard, “You look like a good person. You shouldn’t be working for the evil Duke of York. Why don’t you defect to Victoria City? Don’t worry, no matter what problems you have, we’ll help you!”


  The Garrison guard was befuddled.

  He unsheathed his weapon and said, “Capture them! They are from Victoria City. Bring them back for interrogation.”


  The Garrison Guards were taken aback as they unsheathed their weapons and got ready for a fight. The gamers smiled. They were even a little excited as they threw their tree logging tools to the ground.

  An impatient gamer tied himself up and shouted to the guards, “Quick, I’m tied. Bring me back!”


  The Garrison Guards thought the creatures were crazy and tied them up before bringing them back to the Castle of the Duke of York.

  The Duke of York was bewildered when he heard about it. He had just gotten out of bed, and a guard reported to him that the Victorians had arrived at his territory.

  “Wait, how did they arrive? There were no warnings,” the Duke of York asked his assistant.

  The assistant responded calmly, “They must have disguised themselves as merchants. Recently, there were many Merchant Bands passing through. Don’t worry, Great Duke, the spies in Goldshire Town have replied to us. There were many Victorians in Goldshire Town yesterday. They can’t reach us that soon. The Victorians that appeared must be a handful of scouts to gather intelligence. Don’t worry, Great Duke.”


  The Duke of York nodded. Since there were many Victorians at Goldshire Town, they wouldn’t arrive at his Castle that fast. Unless they could fly, of course.

  The Duke of York was relieved.

  He went to the prison to question those captured Victorians.

  The excited Victorians were tied to a wooden beam, and their bodies were full of whiplashes and burn marks. They weren’t afraid or in pain. The prison wardens were unable to figure it out.

  The Duke was happy. Like the Slave Merchant said, the Victorians were like Hoodlum. They didn’t know fear or pain and were natural slave warriors.

  If he could defeat the Victorians and conscript them to be his slave warriors, he would be able to create a huge slave army. Then he could defeat all other Dukes and even the King.

  He could envision a loyal slave army marching and cheering in front of him. His enemies and the King would fall into his hands in the future.

  The slaves would fight for his dreams and goals. Without fear, they would defeat all of his enemies.

  He would ascend the throne and get married to the Princess of the neighboring country. They would have a pair of cute babies—a boy and a girl. The boy would become his successor, while his daughter would help him gain a diplomatic alliance with a neighboring country.

  When he had two strong allies, they would attack other countries and occupy more lands. If he was strong enough, he would collude with one of his allies to attack the other ally.

  When the world was left with only his country and the other ally, he could take his time to conquer the ally. At this moment, he had imagined his grand world conquest.

  “Great Duke, Great Duke.”


  The assistant reminded him softly, and the Duke regained awareness. He nodded as he looked at the prisoners.

  The prisoners had green symbols above their heads. The Duke couldn’t recognize the symbols, but he knew they were from Victoria City like Hoodlum.

  “Are you from Victoria City?” the Duke asked even though he knew the answer.

  The prisoner nodded and said, “That’s correct, we’re from Victoria City, and you’re an evil Duke.”


  Though he was covered in injuries, the Duke ordered the prison wardens to whip him as a punishment for speaking against him.

  But the Duke didn’t see any hatred, anger, or pain on his face. All of his previous prisoners would react strongly to his torture, which was the Duke’s favorite past time.

  This was just the beginning. The Duke believed he could make the slaves yield even though he didn’t manage to make Hoodlum yield.

  “I think you’re mistaken, I’m not a cruel Duke. In fact, I’m generous. I took good care of your comrade, Hoodlum, before. He had good food and drinks and gained fame. I could have provided him with tens of women and made him happy if he had requested.”


  “Gosh, are you mad? You wanted to provide him with tens of women just to make him happy. I wouldn’t do that!” another prisoner shouted and looked at the Duke as though he was a fool.

  The Duke was furious. He obtained a metal club and bashed it on the prisoner’s leg, which was immediately fractured. The prisoner looked at his fractured leg and the metal club in the Duke’s hand. Nobody knew what the prisoner was thinking.

  “Gosh, you’re quite violent. Is it alright for the game to have such a violent NPC? Won’t the game be shut down by the Censorship Department?”


  Another nearby gamer shook his body and reminded his companion, “Remember to be immersed in your role. Otherwise, our Strange Encounter Mission will fail. Do you want to be the second Hoodlum?”


  The gamer with the fractured leg nodded and wailed in pain. Halfway through, he felt that his voice wasn’t professional and reduced his volume.

  Was he a nutcase? Even if he was, it was alright. The Duke of York had encountered many crazy people.

  He said to the prisoners, “Good, I won’t say much, I’ll just tell you to be obedient. I can provide what you require if I can gain your trust. Let’s build a friendly collaboration. Don’t you agree?”


  The Duke of York showed his pleasant smile, and the gamers thought that his smile was sinister. However, they didn’t tell him. As long as he provided them with Strange Encounter Missions, the gamers were good. This was a game, unlike in reality, where people were righteous. Some gamers preferred to join the evil faction.

  If given the choice, the gamers didn’t mind joining the Duke’s faction.

  The Duke and his men had red names, so the gamers were unable to join them.

  The Duke noticed that the gamers didn’t respond to his question and felt he wasn’t direct enough.

  He said, “If you cooperate with me, I’ll find the best physician to treat your wounds. I’ll also confer VIP status to you. You’ll obtain the most luxurious house, unlimited delicacies, a piece of land, and become a noble. How’s that? Is anyone willing to provide intelligence on Victoria City?”


  The gamers immediately started shouting.

  “Yes, yes, yes. Let me tell you!”


  “Give me this Strange Encounter Mission, please!”


  “Please, Daddy, give me the chance!”


  The Duke of York could only make out a few words in the din. He didn’t obtain any useful information. He felt that the chattering prisoners were insulting him instead of begging him.

  “Enough!” The Duke slammed down on the table and looked at the gamers as he said, “If you don’t cooperate and continue to fool around, I’ll kill all of you.”


  A gamer quickly said, “Great Duke, don’t be angry. My companions are slow-witted. I’m willing to cooperate with you. I’ll tell you information about Victoria City. They’re building a Stronghold outside our Castle.”


  Another gamer smiled and said, “Oh my god, aren’t you impatient? Is the Castle ours? If I upload your conversation to the discussion forum, everyone will laugh at you.”


  Another gamer said, “I’m already laughing to death. You’re such a weasel. I have to make a complaint against you. You won’t be able to survive in Victoria City.”


  The face of the Duke became dark with anger.

  Why were the Victorians building a Stronghold outside his Castle? How could that be? The prisoner had to be fooling him! He was furious.

  He controlled his temper and said to the gamers, “Tell me more details. How many Victorians are there? How many Victorians have arrived?”


  The gamer replied, “Great Duke, we have 5,000 gamers or Victorians. They come here daily to build the Stronghold outside your Castle. I can provide you the location.”


  The Duke of York could no longer take it. He took a Longsword from his guard and stabbed the gamer to death.

  The other gamers looked bewildered at the Duke, who was wiping the bloodstains off his face. Then the Duke said viciously, “This is the result of deceiving me. Don’t treat me like a fool. If you deceive me again, I’ll kill all of you.”


  He threw the weapon to the ground and asked angrily, “How many of you have come to my Castle?”


  Another gamer said, “Five thousand! I can guarantee that 5,000 warriors will appear at your Castle during the battle. You’ll be dead. If you believe me and release me, I’ll recruit warriors for you on the discussion forum. Half of them will be willing to join you if you provide enough equipment and land!”


  The Duke took another weapon and stabbed the gamer to death.

  Were they treating him like a fool? The 5,000 Victorians were at Goldshire Town yesterday, so how could they arrive so fast?

  The Duke wouldn’t tell that to the gamers. After killing the previous gamer, he looked at the third gamer and said, “Tell me how many of you are here. If you deceive me, I’ll kill you. No, you’ll be in a worse state.”


  The third gamer lowered his head and thought for a while, then lifted his head and said to the Duke of York seriously, “Great Duke, do you want to listen to the truth or lies?”


  The Duke said, “I want the truth.”


  The gamer replied, “The truth is that tens of us are in the forest. Nobody will attack your Castle. Those two guys were fooling you.”


  The Duke of York nodded. Finally, there was an honest guy. He asked, “When do you intend to attack us? Do you have any detailed battle plans? Why are you here?”


  The gamer pondered and said, “Great Duke, we came here to carry out Queen Victoria’s order to build a Stronghold and gather intelligence about the weaknesses of the Castle. We don’t wish to work for that poor Queen Victoria. We want to work for you. We are defecting!”


  The gamer spoke earnestly. The few surviving gamers immediately shouted, “Yes, yes! We are defecting!”


  The Duke pondered for a while and said to his assistant, “Keep this man for interrogation, and imprison the rest. If anyone wants to cooperate, record their statements. I’ll hand them to you. I don’t care about their life and death. The important thing is to capture all of the Victorians in the forest. Do you understand?”


  The assistant nodded and said, “I understand.”


  The two stabbed gamers who were tied to the wooden beam slowly disintegrated into Mana and vanished. The Duke of York was given a fright. He hadn’t seen anyone transforming into Mana after death.

  Nobody had seen such a situation before. They thought that anything was possible with a Victorian. Perhaps the Victorians were like the legendary race that was blessed by the Gods.

  The Duke of York decided to capture them and use them as his tools for world conquest.

  He left the prison with a heart full of ambition. The York Territory was only his stepping stone for his ambition, while Victoria City was his second step. Thus, he had to defeat Victoria City.

  That was what the Duke of York thought.

  The few prisoners slept simultaneously. The prison wardens thought that the prisoners had fallen asleep.

  The prison wardens hadn’t been insulted before. They whipped the prisoners viciously, but there were no responses. It was just like Hoodlum.

  When the gamers went offline, the first thing they did was inform everyone on the discussion forum about joining the York Territory. If the gamers defected voluntarily, they could become the Duke’s men. That was the Duke’s intention.

  Everyone knew about Hoodlum’s Strange Encounter Mission. He became a slave after being imprisoned and was then trained. Perhaps the gamers could be trained after being imprisoned and trigger a new hidden faction.

  It was exhilarating to join the York Territory! There were free rides, armor, houses, food, and female servants. It was like attaining the pinnacle of life.

  The gamers of Victoria City were excited. They arrived at the forest via the Teleport Portal in a rush and looked for the patrol teams. The entire forest was soon filled with gamers. The guards who were supposed to capture the Victorians were given a fright, and they fled back to the Duke’s Castle, reporting what they saw to the Duke of York.

  The Duke of York had returned from the prison and was in a room sipping his tea while listening to the reports.

  After listening to the astonishing report, he spat out tea on the guard’s face. Then he asked loudly, “What did you say? Repeat it.”


  The guard replied, “Great Duke, the Victorians are all in the forest outside the Castle.”


  The Duke of York didn’t believe it. He left the room and walked to the balcony, observing the black mass of people in the forest. He estimated that there were a few thousand of them.

  Did the two prisoners who died tell the truth? And the prisoner whom he thought was telling the truth was actually lying? However, his intelligence report told him a different story. Were the Victorians not in Goldshire Town? How did they arrive so fast? Did they fly?

  The Duke of York couldn’t figure it out. He looked at the report in his hands that was sent from Goldshire Town three days ago. It stated that there were three to four thousand Victorians at Goldshire Town.

  The Duke of York thought that his intelligence system was perfect and that the information was accurate. However, he was wrong. The Victorians were standing below and in front of his Castle. How could that be wrong?

  He ordered the guards loudly, “Rush those Counts who are providing reinforcements! Shut the Castle door. Don’t let them in!”


  The Duke went back to the prison and took a weapon. He then hacked the sleeping prisoner that provided false information to death.

  When the killed gamer went online and found himself at the Revival Point, he was very surprised.

  The gamers formed groups and arrived at the Castle. They shouted, “Let us come in! We’re defecting! Capture us quickly!”


  The gamers were getting impatient.

  Not all of the gamers were shouting to defect. Some gamers tried to climb the walls. The guards at the parapet looked at the Victorians’ behavior, and they all had the same thought—were these people insane?