Nie Yan originally thought that Krandston was some mysterious NPC with hidden quests, but it turned out he was just a merchant!
What annoyed Nie Yan even more was that he had been waiting beside Krandston for so long, but the old man didn’t utter a single word until he finished reciting the holy scripture, only then asking Nie Yan what he needed.
If someone acted like this in the real world, they would surely starve to death!
However, after thinking for a moment, Nie Yan realized—it was a trigger condition. One had to patiently wait beside Krandston until he finished his chanting in order to purchase items from him.
Why hadn’t he heard about this NPC in his past life?
An item interface appeared before Nie Yan, displaying only three items. After glancing at them, his eyes widened in shock. “What? How could these items be for sale!”
The first slot held a black crystal, resembling a piece of pitch-black coal with no luster. Yet, upon seeing its shape, Nie Yan’s heart pounded—it was a Resurrection Crystal!
Resurrection Crystal: This item can revive a deceased pet. One-time use only. Price: 200,000 gold coins.
The next two items were no less impressive.
Dark Gem: When embedded, increases arcane magic power by 30%. Price: 200,000 gold coins.
The final item was a massive black egg. Its species was unknown, but judging by its appearance, it was definitely a high-tier pet egg—something extraordinary. Its price was 500,000 gold coins.
These three items were definitely not affordable for the average player. Even with Nie Yan’s Scholar title discount, they still cost a fortune. For regular players, the price would be even higher.
“I once killed a dragon in my youth. These items were all obtained back then,” Krandston began rambling about his past adventures.
Nie Yan had absolutely no interest in Krandston’s youthful tales. He quickly asked Guo Huai to transfer the money. Regardless of the cost, he had to purchase these items first.
Soon, Nie Yan bought all three items for a total of 900,000 gold coins. The sudden expenditure stung, but considering their worth, it was justified. Even on the open market, they might not be available for less than 1.5 million gold coins.
After Nie Yan purchased the items, Krandston continued, “After I killed the dragon, the priest of this cathedral once gave me something, urging me to follow the path of heroes and become a legend myself. But I failed his expectations, living an ordinary, unremarkable life. Not long after, the priest passed away, and I took over his position, guarding this cathedral ever since. Now that I am old and frail, I often feel ashamed. Esteemed hero, would you be willing to fulfill an unfinished wish of mine?”
Nie Yan’s heart skipped a beat—this was a quest!
“What is it that you require of me?” Nie Yan asked.
“This is the priest’s heirloom chain. It will guide you. If you choose to accept it, you must be prepared for the challenges ahead.” Krandston handed Nie Yan an ancient silver-white chain, seemingly plain and unadorned.
System: Will you accept Krandston’s commission?
Nie Yan would accept any quest, regardless of difficulty. With his current strength, was there any task he couldn’t handle? If he couldn’t complete it, no one else could either. What would be the point of the game setting such a task?
Yes!
Without hesitation, Nie Yan clicked confirm, respectfully accepting the chain from Krandston’s hands. A system message appeared immediately.
System: You have accepted the quest “In Pursuit of the Hero’s Heart.”
Seeing this message, Nie Yan felt a jolt of excitement. Was there any connection between this “Hero’s Heart” and the previously accepted “Holy Spirit’s Heart” quest?
This thought sparked some confusion in Nie Yan’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Whether it was the current “Hero’s Heart” or the “Holy Spirit’s Heart” for rescuing Cro, both were still intangible to him. He would deal with them later.
The chain had no attributes. Nie Yan tied it around his left hand, looped over his middle finger. Melee classes often wore such chains as decoration. Some powerful chains, having absorbed immense bloodlust, became terrifying cursed artifacts.
As soon as he put the chain on, Nie Yan felt a cold chill radiating from his palm.
After assigning the quest, Krandston seemed to age by decades. In a frail voice, he said, “Carry it, follow the footsteps of heroes, and it shall grant you miraculous power. I must depart now. Leave these riches to my children, and someday, like my mentor, I shall return to dust and earth. This world holds nothing more for me.”
After bidding Nie Yan farewell, Krandston walked toward the back of the cathedral.
Nie Yan now understood why he had never heard of Krandston before. It was because after assigning the quest, Krandston vanished. Hence, in his previous life, when Nie Yan visited this cathedral, he never encountered Krandston—only an empty church.
Watching Krandston disappear around the corner, Nie Yan turned away. He had no idea what clues were required to progress this quest. He examined it briefly and decided to leave it for now. His quest log was already filled with incomplete tasks. He would tackle them one by one, and new quests might arise later.
While waiting inside the cathedral, distant sounds of battle reached him from the town gates. Nie Yan shot to his feet—Princess Aina might have arrived!
Nie Yan exited the cathedral and used the Ring of the Crawler’s ability, swiftly climbing to the cathedral’s rooftop. Looking toward the town gates, he was stunned.
Contrary to his expectations, the townspeople of Krasu weren’t holding their ground against Princess Aina as he had imagined.
Instead, Princess Aina had summoned a massive Iron Troll, towering five yards tall, entirely forged of metal, covered in spikes like a monstrous beast. It advanced step by step, shaking the ground beneath its weight.
Screams of terror echoed from the town’s women, while men brandished weapons, some operating ballistae to fire at the Iron Troll.
But their attacks were ineffective. With a mighty swing, the troll’s fist smashed into the gate, reducing a corner to rubble. Several townspeople screamed as they collapsed.
The Iron Troll rampaged, demolishing the town’s defenses and slaughtering one resident after another.
Princess Aina waved her staff, resurrecting the fallen as puppets. More and more puppets gathered around her, turning the tide into a one-sided massacre.
Some players couldn’t flee in time and were slain by the advancing spectral puppets.
Nie Yan hadn’t anticipated such a situation. The strength of the Mutant Lord far exceeded his expectations.
System: Krasu Town is under attack. Requesting player assistance.
System: Krasu Town is under attack. Requesting player assistance.
Red system messages flashed across the screens of players throughout Karol City.
Nie Yan hadn’t expected this event to stir up the entire city. He wondered how the battle in Krasu Town would ultimately end.
Upon receiving the system alert, Karol City’s players began discussing their responses. Some hesitated, while others rushed to teleport to Krasu Town, fearing others might claim the rewards first. Besides major guilds like Ox Tribe and Holy Roman Empire, Karol had over fifty smaller guilds. Though insignificant individually, upon hearing the alert, they quickly organized teams. In their minds, situations like this often yielded profitable opportunities.
At Krasu Town’s teleportation point, white flashes signaled the arrival of wave after wave of players, some even from other cities who happened to be in Karol completing quests.
These players surged toward the town gates, and a chaotic battle erupted. Thousands of players united, their combined strength formidable.
Watching the endless stream of players emerging from the portal, Nie Yan opened his mouth in disbelief. He hadn’t expected things to escalate into a full-scale war between players and Princess Aina.
Guo Huai received the news and immediately messaged Nie Yan: “Krasu Town is under monster attack. Should we go for the honor points?”
Nie Yan hadn’t expected Guo Huai to think the same. He gave a bitter smile. Guo Huai didn’t know Nie Yan himself had triggered this entire event.
“Hold on for now. I’m already at Krasu Town. Let me assess the situation first,” Nie Yan replied. Judging from the current situation, defeating Princess Aina wouldn’t be easy—after all, she was a level 100 Mutant Lord.
“How come you’re there?” Guo Huai asked in surprise.
“I caused this,” Nie Yan explained, summarizing the events briefly.
“I see. I heard Krasu Town is quite the spectacle. Some of our old rivals are there too—Blood Saber, some members from Angel Dominion, even representatives from Divine Sword and Light-Dark Empire,” Guo Huai said. It was turning into a chaotic mix. With inter-city travel now easier, many guilds had players stationed in Karol for quests and leveling. It wasn’t unusual for them to join in.
“I’ll go check them out. Let Dao Guang and the others continue exploring the Griffon Woods. Ignore this situation,” Nie Yan said. Even if Ox Tribe members came here, there wouldn’t be much profit. He alone was sufficient.
Nie Yan spotted a thousand-man group assembling near the teleportation circle before heading toward the town gates.
Scanning the crowd, Nie Yan identified several familiar figures—it was Blood Saber’s group! The thieves were gathered, discussing strategies, preparing to go invisible.
As a fellow rogue, Nie Yan understood them well. They wouldn’t directly engage Princess Aina, but the moment she fell, they’d swarm in to loot the gear. Thieves had a natural advantage in such situations.
Outside the town, a large crowd had gathered. Some surrounded Princess Aina, others focused on the Iron Troll, while others fought the spectral puppets she summoned. Though chaotic, the division of labor was somewhat organized.
Everyone participating in the battle earned honor points, so players were highly motivated.
Most of these players were at least level 70, quite formidable. Lower-level players wouldn’t dare enter such a high-level map as Krasu Town.
Magic spells exploded densely, causing heavy casualties, but there were results. Some players defeated spectral puppets and looted decent gear and numerous high-quality gems, sparking a frenzy among the players.
“Awesome! I got a level 90 rare black equipment!”
“I got a Flame Gem!”
Excited shouts further fueled the players’ frenzy.
“Let’s kill the Iron Troll and Princess Aina! They’ll drop at least epic or legendary gear!”
The crowd surged. Wave after wave of warriors charged toward Princess Aina. She waved her staff, unleashing a wave of frost that swept across a fifty-yard radius, instantly freezing the warriors.
“Sh*t! Frozen! Can’t move!”
“Mages, magic attack! Priests, Paladins, use Sunfire!”
In the center of the crowd, a warrior clad in silver-white armor directed two to three thousand players in an organized assault on Princess Aina. Seeing this figure, Nie Yan’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. Unexpectedly, he encountered an old acquaintance—Xing Zhihui, long unseen.
In this life, their acquaintance began with the treasure dispute during the Order Warden’s raid on the village.
It seemed that Xing Zhihui was always drawn to such boss-killing excitement.
When they first met, Nie Yan was still an unknown player. Now, he was the leader of Karol’s largest guild, reaching a level that Xing Zhihui could only admire. Xing Zhihui himself would probably marvel at the twists of fate.
Though Xing Zhihui’s Glory Temple had grown significantly, it remained only mid-tier within Karol City, incomparable to the colossal Ox Tribe. However, due to his friendships with Nie Yan and Ban Xing De Hu Li, he maintained good relations with both Ox Tribe and Holy Roman Empire.
Nie Yan thought, “Might as well join in for some honor points and meet up with Blood Saber’s group. Time to catch up with old friends.”
With that thought, he leaped from the cathedral rooftop.
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