The seeds of distrust had already been sown by Nie Yan. If further incidents occurred, Hao Sei Hei Niu might no longer be able to remain in Angel Dominion.
“That guy, Hao Sei Hei Niu, what kind of person is he?” Nie Yan whispered to Ji Feng privately.
“I can’t really comment. He’s a hot-headed person who has offended many people, but he’s also quite loyal and has many good friends within the guild. It might be difficult to frame others, but if someone were to frame him, the chances of success would be quite high,” Ji Feng replied.
After listening to Ji Feng’s account of Hao Sei Hei Niu, Nie Yan gained a general understanding of him. Hao Sei Hei Niu was a straightforward guy without much scheming, but he often got into trouble due to his careless words.
“Pity he’s from Angel Dominion instead of Bull Player Tribe,” Nie Yan chuckled, thinking that with Hao Sei Hei Niu’s personality, he would probably find many like-minded people in Bull Player Tribe.
“If we can force him out of Angel Dominion, Leader Nie Yan might be able to recruit him.”
“That’s actually a pretty good idea,” Nie Yan said. Considering Hao Sei Hei Niu had managed to enter the elite team of Angel Dominion, his skills must be decent.
After ambushing the elite team of Angel Dominion, Nie Yan prepared to head to Keren Town in the Orcish Kingdom.
Upon arriving there, Nie Yan received a quest prompt, the “Song of the Thornbird” quest prompt.
(System message): If you wish to obtain information about Paternoster, please head to Keren Town, where the old orc blacksmith, Kurou, might know something.
Receiving this system prompt, Nie Yan decided to go to Keren Town and explore the “Song of the Thornbird” quest. Completing it would grant him the Heart of the Assassin, which, although its purpose was unknown, Nie Yan realized that both the Heart of the Sage and the Heart of the Assassin would have significant future implications.
Although Nie Yan had firmly secured his position as the top player, with no one able to defeat him currently, predicting the future was difficult. Players would inevitably acquire stronger equipment, and new talents would emerge. To maintain his unbeaten legend, Nie Yan needed to keep improving.
Nie Yan’s immediate goals were to complete the Abak Set, gather the eighth character status to unlock the seal of the Zennarde Sword, and complete the Heart of the Assassin quest. Once these were accomplished, he would be unmatched in the short term.
As Nie Yan headed to Keren Town, Angel Dominion had already heightened their vigilance, constantly on guard against another ambush by Nie Yan. Such a large-scale operation not only failed to showcase Angel Dominion’s strength but instead made players more directly aware of their weakness, as they couldn’t even deal with a single rogue. However, upon reflection, they understood that Nie Yan couldn’t be treated as an ordinary player; he was a terrifying, god-defying rogue!
Keren Town was a somewhat rundown town located in the southern mountains of the Orcish Kingdom. Its exact location was difficult to pinpoint, and it was said that even maps lacked clear markings for it.
The town was perpetually shrouded in mountain mist, and without a teleportation array connecting it, ordinary players would find it hard to locate.
Rows of houses in the town were mostly vacant, as most of the residents had already moved to the Orcish Kingdom’s capital, leaving behind only some elderly NPCs who could no longer travel.
Nie Yan searched around the town and followed the system’s coordinates to a blacksmith’s shop.
An elderly NPC, hunched over, was hammering away at a forge. Nie Yan used his侦查 ability on the NPC and confirmed it was Kurou.
The old blacksmith noticed Nie Yan and seemed somewhat nervous, cautiously approaching.
“Greetings, Great Prophet Nie Yan,” Kurou bowed respectfully.
“Hello, Mr. Kurou, I came here to inquire about something concerning the Paternoster Hammer.”
“This… I know nothing about it,” Kurou hesitated, his expression somewhat evasive.
Seeing Kurou’s suspicious expression, Nie Yan sensed something was amiss. As a Great Prophet, he was far too kind to NPCs. With his current status, he could easily decide the fate of a low-level NPC like Kurou.
“Mr. Kurou, according to the laws of the Sathen Empire, if you withhold any information from my questions, what do you think the consequences would be?” Nie Yan coldly said.
Seeing Nie Yan’s displeasure, Kurou became visibly anxious.
“If I find town residents who can confirm your lies, you will be taken back to the prison in the Orcish Kingdom’s capital. From then on, you and your family will become prisoners, never to be released,” Nie Yan said sternly, his expression serious.
The authority emanating from Nie Yan caused Kurou’s legs to weaken, nearly causing him to kneel.
“Great Prophet Nie Yan, please forgive my ignorance. Regarding the Paternoster Hammer, I do know something. Deep within these Orcish Mountains, there live some races, evil dark elves. Every night, they often come to me, taking the iron tools I make and leaving me some gold coins. They are too powerful; I must comply with their demands. I’m sorry, Great Prophet, please forgive my sins. The dark elves are enemies of the empire; if the imperial guards found out, I would be executed,” Kurou lamented.
“You were forced. If you confess everything, I will forgive your sins and guarantee your safety,” Nie Yan said. With his current status, he could easily protect Kurou.
“Great Prophet Nie Yan, thank you for your mercy. I once saw the Paternoster Hammer in the dark elves’ tribe. The artifact was enshrined on the altar at the center of the tribe. That dark elf tribe has many powerful individuals. Some teams have gone to seize the Paternoster Hammer but have all returned defeated. You alone might face danger; please wait a bit. In about an hour, many brave warriors will arrive here, and they often go together to explore the dark elves’ tribe.”
Nie Yan nodded. He wasn’t overly concerned about the danger, but indeed needed to prepare thoroughly before going.
While making bandages, Nie Yan searched the official website for information about the dark elves’ tribe, hoping to discover the connection between the Paternoster Hammer and the “Song of the Thornbird.” This quest seemed quite mysterious.
There was a lot of information on the official website from players who had explored the dark elves’ tribe. Nie Yan now had a general understanding: the dark elves’ tribe were descendants of the Night Demons, a particularly bloodthirsty and murderous faction within the dark elves, with formidable combat strength. Their tribe was located deep within the Orcish Mountains, covering a vast area with several small settlements and a central large settlement housing an altar.
Most of the dark elves there were around levels 150-160 or 170-180, with some being elite types. As for the central altar, no player had reached there yet. Due to the Sathen Empire’s mission to retrieve the Paternoster Hammer and the Elven Tribe’s mission to eliminate the dark elves, many players would arrive at Keren Town every day at 9 a.m., forming groups to head to the dark elves’ tribe. Some groups had as many as 500 players, while others only had ten to twenty.
At that time, the number of dark elves would be relatively low, making infiltration easier.
There were only a few minutes left until 9 o’clock. Nie Yan thought that joining a group might not be a bad idea; at worst, he could leave the group later.
Wearing a hood was inconvenient, so Nie Yan took out a special potion—Powerful Disguise Potion—crafted by Nan Nan from his backpack.
He took it out and drank it. His appearance quickly changed into that of an ordinary player, with no distinctive features, making him easily forgettable even upon interaction.
The Powerful Disguise Potion was much more effective than the regular Disguise Potion, lasting an entire day. With this, Nie Yan could essentially roam freely in the Sathen Empire, even walking openly on the streets without his hood, likely going unrecognized.
Nie Yan put away his iconic Zennarde Sword and replaced it with an ordinary dagger.
An hour passed, and Keren Town remained empty, with no players appearing. Nie Yan wondered if the forum and Kurou’s information were false. Suddenly, from the direction of the teleportation array, white lights flashed, and players began appearing in Keren Town, increasing in number.
The Sathen Empire and the White Elves’ Tribe had issued missions at 8:50 a.m., and players who accepted the missions arrived just around 9 a.m., forming groups at 9 o’clock. Once the groups were formed, they set off.
Soon, more and more players came from the teleportation array, and the central square of the town quickly became crowded and bustling with various shouts.
“Twenty-man team, looking for a priest over level 110, with healing over 3800, forming the team now!”
“Five hundred-man super team recruiting two twenty-man teams, departing in ten minutes, please hurry!”
Nie Yan glanced at the players in the square. All were over level 100, mostly from the Orcish Empire, with many from the Human Empire as well. They were actively seeking teams, some of which were fixed groups that departed once all members were present.
This scene felt very familiar and nostalgic to Nie Yan. In his previous life, he often joined such teams, grinding monsters, leveling up, and raiding dungeons. Sometimes he worked as a mercenary, earning gold. But in this life, he rarely teamed up anymore, occasionally joining the elite team of Bull Player Tribe.
Most of the time, Nie Yan trained or completed quests alone. For a rogue, solo training was also a good option, and teaming up wasn’t necessarily the best way to level up. However, today, joining a team wasn’t a bad idea; he could let them lead him into the dark elves’ tribe.
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