Chapter 165:

“What the heck! That many people have passed the Black Iron Trial over there?” One of the “famous warriors” under the Blood Vulture Clan, Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties, let out a wail of despair after opening the forum in the game and browsing today’s hot posts. At present, the number of those who passed the trial has reached 16! And the most terrifying part was, he was not among them! Things were not supposed to develop this way. As a player who has consistently maintained a top-tier strength, he should have been among the first batch of players to pass the Black Iron Trial. However, not only was he unable to pass the trial now, but he also couldn’t even see the revered Lord Murphy and Lady Tris! Because Niuniu had already left Transia. That’s right! This athletic guy was probably the first player to leave the “Newbie Village,” and it wasn’t because he got lost or had some strong desire for exploration, it was purely due to a “Sister’s Quest.” “I shouldn’t have listened to your temptation back then and gone to grind for that NPC warrior title. Look what happened now, I’ve got the warrior title alright, but I can’t even pick up the main quest line anymore!” Furious and annoyed, Niuniu logged off temporarily, took off his headset, and pulled out his phone to call his older sister. As soon as the call connected, he began complaining. “Huh?” The voice that came from the other end was that of Sister Pomegranate, who had clearly just woken up and was still groggy, but soon she regained her composure and pragmatism. While getting up and washing up, she gently persuaded her younger brother over the phone: “Trust me, your current situation is the best. When can’t you pass the Black Iron Trial? Levels don’t mean much in this game, so don’t rush. Be patient and gather intel over there. Since you were able to follow the Witch Hunter and leave the Transia border to enter the eastern Prussia region, it means the game development team has already completed the maps out there. At the very least, they’ve finished the maps surrounding Transia. The reason is that our player strength is currently insufficient, and we haven’t received the quest series to leave the Newbie Village. Right now, you’re the only player over there, and although the Computation Bead can’t be used due to being out of communication range, its basic functions are still working. Move around the Pioneer Army’s camp a bit more and trigger more quests. Didn’t you already unlock the reputation with the Pioneer Army? Now tell me about the situation over there.” “There’s nothing special going on.” Niuniu replied helplessly: “After following the Witch Hunter back to the camp, I’ve been staying here. The Pioneer Army has strict military discipline, and I can’t participate in their camp activities. After Lady Natalie returned, she’s been busy these past few days integrating the remnants of the White Oak Battalion. Thanks to the Great Oak Sacred Blade in her hands, the veterans accept her decently well. But there are still some stubborn ones who refuse to acknowledge her leadership. The main issue is that Natalie’s strength is a bit lacking. Norman, Porter, and Amber under her command have been assisting her in receiving the battalion, and as Amber’s warrior, I’ve been running around with her too. However, this NPC seems to be afraid that I’ll return to Transia and become a vampire, so she’s been persuading me to accept the Witch Hunter’s power system. She says she can help me get introduced to formidable Silver Veteran soldiers for training.” “Then accept it.” Sister Pomegranate said indistinctly while brushing her teeth: “You’re not particularly fond of vampires either, so you don’t have to go back and change professions. Plus, your preferred attributes aren’t really suitable for vampires, a race that focuses on agility. The Avalon Church’s power system is quite comprehensive, and you might even be able to become a Paladin or something in the future. Look at how powerful that old knight is!” “No way! I want to become a vampire! That was my initial promise with Lord Murphy in Morland Village!” Niuniu shouted loudly over the phone: “Anyway, I don’t care. If I stay here for another day, I’m setting off to return to Transia. I’ve also obtained the maps around eastern Prussia for you and gathered information about the Pioneer Army, so my mission is complete.” “Alright, alright, suit yourself,” Sister Pomegranate could only pacify her somewhat irritable cousin. After hanging up the phone, she had finished grooming herself and made a simple breakfast in the kitchen. After eating, she stretched and picked up her game headset. “Tempting Niuniu to follow the Witch Hunter and leave the Newbie Village proves that this game allows free exploration! Although the developers didn’t explicitly state it, judging from the information about the Pioneer Army and the Goldflower Kingdom, they’ve clearly completed a significant portion of the game content. At the very least, the lands of human civilization should be largely finished.” In the midst of the radiant light as she logged into the game, Sister Pomegranate thought: “Since this information has been confirmed, it means Lumina’s effort to collect legends from various places has gained significance. If we consider it from the perspective of strength alone, those legendary weapons and equipment mentioned in the tales might be worth our little team spending some time searching for. Of course, under the current circumstances, we can’t venture too far, at most to eastern Prussia or the Ice Bay region.” “You really are a clever little one,” Murphy maintained a gentle smile, but inwardly, he was harshly criticizing her. Previously, seeing little Ashina’s impressive feat of passing the Black Iron Trial, he had given her the “Commendation for Insane Craftsmanship” quest. Yet, after going round and round, this quest had somehow ended up on his own shoulders again. His original intention was for little Ashina to grind Miriam’s affection. But he had indeed overlooked just how busy Miriam was as the Crimson Regent. With little players unable to even see Miriam’s face, completing quests to earn her affection was naturally out of the question. However, little Ashina was still the first “warrior” he had chosen, so giving her some appropriate preferential treatment was only right. Coincidentally, Murphy also wanted to discuss with Miriam the contract he had just signed with the Kingdom of Nordtov. Such professional matters were better handled by a professional like Miriam. Upon seeing Murphy’s arrival, Miriam’s two Blood Servant guards immediately saluted and paid respects to their lord, clearing a path for him. Little Ashina cheerfully followed Lord Murphy into Crimson Regent’s office in the outer city district. This was one of the few buildings in the outer city that hadn’t been affected by the Astral Realm disaster and the great fire. It had once belonged to a local wealthy merchant. Ah yes, the dark humor of this situation was that the owner of this house was the very wealthy merchant whose family had almost become Miriam’s in-laws. Clearly, the Crimson Regent had an exceptionally strong destiny, as a mere Blood Servant merchant could not suppress her. In the end, the entire family died on the day the Astral Realm rift opened. Truly a tragedy. But why did Murphy feel like bursting into laughter every time he saw this courtyard? That was just too cruel, wasn’t it? “Lord Murphy?” Miriam was currently in her office, scribbling away and modifying certain camp regulations. With the increasing population, the previous simple and crude management approach needed to be adjusted accordingly. Professor Malcolm, a very elegant man, was also busy working in the office. Upon seeing Murphy enter, both of them rose to greet him. Murphy waved his hand, first explaining little Ashina’s matter, and then brought up the Nordtov contract, which was the main business. The three administrators immediately began discussing it, while little Ashina successfully obtained Miriam’s “Iron Warden” trench gun for appreciation. This masterwork weapon gifted by Lieutenant Frayzer was full of the dwarves’ heavy and violent style. Its barrel, when stood upright, was almost as tall as the petite Ashina. With the two gaping muzzles arranged one above the other, and the downward-hanging axe blade and dagger below, the whole thing looked like a heavy dwarven iron hammer that could smash through any obstacle. Little Ashina immediately fell in love with it. She adored this violent aesthetic of firearms that would never appear in reality. At the same time, as a marksmanship specialist, she did need such a shotgun-like weapon that could clear everything at close range. The attributes of this item were also extremely powerful: Name: Iron Warden – Classic Dwarven Close Guard Trench Gun Quality: Masterwork – Commander Traits: Exceptional Area Attack – Exceptional Ranged Impact – Extreme Ignition – Unbreakable – Close Combat Axe Blade Effect: As a classic dwarven trench gun, this weapon possesses superior killing power at medium to close range. Depending on the ammunition loaded, the weapon’s effects also differ drastically. When using Combustion Gold Deer rounds, it can inflict 【Double Impact】 and 【Iron Hammer Knockback】 effects on all enemies within a 270° arc and 15 meters in front of the muzzle. When using Combustion Gold Dragon Breath rounds, it can inflict 【Scorching Strike】 and 【Dragon’s Breath】 effects on all enemies in a 5-meter straight line directly ahead. When using Combustion Gold Slug rounds, it can inflict 【Explosive Penetration】 and 【Lethal Strike】 effects on all enemies in a 30-meter straight line directly ahead. Crafter: Butler Ironhand, Brass Citadel Armaments Director Current Owner: 【Baroness of Morland】Miriam Item Description: 【This weapon was gifted to the Carpe family by the Brass Citadel dwarven commander as one of the tokens of gratitude for the Carpe family’s selfless aid to the Brass Citadel during the Fourth Black Disaster. It represents the dwarves’ utmost mastery of the art of firearm crafting and is also an invaluable work of lethal artistry! When grasping it, even deities would attentively heed the thunderous truth in your hands.】 “Wow, Dad, Mom, I’ve found the gun of my dreams in my life! I must get this thing!” Little Ashina was dying to hug and lick this gun passionately. And since it was Murphy who personally brought her, the astute Miriam did her a favor and planned to contact her “senior” far away in eastern Prussia to see if she could obtain the blueprints for the Iron Warden. An ordinary Computation Bead would be unable to communicate over such distances, but Lieutenant Frayzer was the intelligence chief of the Pioneer Army. He had the authority to use the army’s Computation Bead communication amplifier accessory, allowing Miriam to communicate with him directly. However, upon establishing the communication, Miriam’s expression became strange. Half a minute later, Crimson Regent put down her Computation Bead and said to Murphy with a serious expression, “My lord! It seems there has been an incident with the White Oak Battalion!”