536 Public Beta Version 1.0 Part One (1/2)

Those nobles rode their horses and pursued to the edge of the forest. They didn't find the gamers of Eternal Kingdom or the Victorians, but they found some clues.

There was a group of naked bandits lying in the wilderness.

They were recognized as bandits because they were on the fugitive list. They were lying on the ground and looked like they were killed not long ago. They had various wounds, burn marks, and weapon injuries.

There were signs of fighting everywhere. The experienced nobles could see that there was more than one Magician. Even a Grand Priest was present.

Which organization or country had such power to have so many Magicians and even a Grand Priest? They were definitely not citizens of the Empire. If the Magicians of the Empire were deployed, the nobles would definitely know.

The only explanation was the Victorians.

It was a small group with tens of people, but they had strong combat power. It wasn't an easy task for the nobles.

…

The number of gamers had dwindled after fighting the bandits due to casualties. The bandits had numerical superiority, and their weapons weren't inferior. Moreover, the bandits observed the gamers before attacking. There were less than 20 gamers now. Fortunately, the Little Fairy Princess wasn't harmed, being very well protected during the battle.

After entering the forest, they were safe, just like the Little Fairy Princess had said. Many Fairies waited for them at the edge of the forest. When the Princess appeared, the Fairies cheered to welcome her back.

The eyes of the Princess were full of tears, while the gamers were touched and requested more rewards.

The Fairies were grateful to the gamers for rescuing the Princess. Though the Fairies were wary of the green-skinned Orcs, the Fairies gave them good food and ornaments that were tokens of friendship.

The gamers were brought to Yggdrasill, where they held a celebration. They danced, sang, and chatted happily. Though, one pair of eyes was extremely bright in the darkness.

It was a Human with green symbols above his head, who soon sat up in silence. Beside him were other gamers who were offline. The gamers that weren't offline wandered around the treehouses, exploring the surroundings and taking pictures. They were going to upload the pictures to the discussion forum. After all, they might only get to see Yggdrasill once in a lifetime.

The Human stood up and hid his body in a gray Mana mist that obscured detection. He walked like the breeze, avoiding detection of an awake Fairy in front of him.

”Lord Sherlock, I didn't expect you to stay hidden within these gamers for so many days. I'm full of admiration for you.”

Bru's voice was heard in the Human's mind. This Human was Sherlock in disguise.

Like always, Bru was fawning over Sherlock, so Sherlock wasn't paying attention.

It was a rare chance to see Yggdrasill, so Sherlock wouldn't gamble with the chance of connecting to it by assigning the task to the gamers. Sherlock wouldn't feel at ease if he wasn't present to perform the connection. It was about his future safety, after all. If tens of thousands of gamers were to use his Mana pool, Sherlock wouldn't be able to take it.

Nobody discovered Sherlock. As a Devil, he could deceive the Fairies using the Masquerade Pearl. With the usage of Mana, he was able to hide his Devil's scent so he could walk on Yggdrasill without any hindrance.

Sherlock's goal was to connect Yggdrasill to the Dungeon Core, and now, Yggdrasill was right before him.

Sherlock moved his finger and said, ”I haven't done this for a long time. I'm feeling a bit rusty…”

”Lord Sherlock, I have another question for you.”

Bru said to Sherlock, ”Do you intend to let the Little Fairy Princess stay here? You paid money for her.”

”Why not? She helped me connect Yggdrasill to the Dungeon Core. She's my benefactor. Isn't it good to let her return home?”

”Do you really think so? With your character, I don't think it's that simple. I'm sure you have some tricks up your sleeve. Why can't you tell me?”

Sherlock shook his head and said, ”Am I such a cruel Devil? Though I'm a Devil, I only manipulate creatures. I have never forced any creatures to do things against their will. With good endings, I will even feel happy. You have to believe me, Bru.”

”Though my feelings let me trust Lord Sherlock, my instincts are telling me that Lord Sherlock is deceiving me. Since you're not telling me, I won't ask anymore. You must have your plans. I shall wait for the Little Fairy Princess to return to our Dungeon. I'm already missing her.”

Bru laughed like a Devil before keeping quiet. Sherlock wasn't bothered. He was at Yggdrasill's tree branches, making Mana engravings, which vanished immediately after completion. Sherlock's Mana infused slowly into the branches…

…

The Little Fairy had never been happier. As a Princess, she didn't have a lot of privileges, not even staying in a Castle. Instead, she stayed in a treehouse like the other Fairies. Compared to the Castle and luxurious buildings, a treehouse was more suitable for a Fairy.

It was more comfortable than the treehouse in Eternal Kingdom. There were no dim caves, foul-smelling creatures, incessant problems, or the detestable Sherlock. This was Yggdrasill, which was filled with Mana and the invigorating life force. The Fairies who were wandering around the branches reminded her of her childhood. Most importantly, her good friend Raintea was beside her. Though Raintea hesitated to go through the Teleport Portal, the explosion pushed Raintea and the Little Fairy Princess into the portal.

The Little Fairy Princess was grateful to the Godly Kingdom attackers. Without their attack, things wouldn't have been so smooth.

She thought life would continue perfectly, but she had to face a cruel fact.

The Victorians and the gamers of Eternal Kingdom didn't belong in the Yggdrasill forest.

This was the territory of the Fairies. Though there were many scenic views, the mystical Yggdrasill, and the friendships of other Fairies, the gamers relied on the group and other community services. At the Fairies' territory, the gamers couldn't interact with other gamers. They had completed their mission, and they had to return home to claim the rewards. It was interesting to stay there, but they hadn't completed Daily Missions for many days. They didn't challenge the Instance Dungeons or browse the auctions and marketplaces either. While they were touring Yggdrasill, the other gamers were upgrading their equipment, challenging the Instance Dungeons, purchasing Mana Skills Books, learning new Mana Skills, and improving their capabilities.

They couldn't leave their home cities forever, especially in the online game.

Finally, it was time for them to bid farewell. The game system provided them a chance to return at a suitable time.

The gamers of Victoria City and Eternal Kingdom received a special mission:

[Mission Title: End of the Strange Encounter Mission, Return to Home City

Mission Objective: Return to Eternal Kingdom or Victoria City to claim your rewards.

Mission Description: You have completed the Strange Encounter Mission. You can return to your home city to claim your rewards. To facilitate your return, we have backed up and preserved your equipment and belongings. When you kill yourself and return to the home city, you may claim your equipment and belongings from the Logistics Officer. There won't be any penalty for death.

Mission Notes: You'll only have a chance to kill yourself until tomorrow. You can choose to return back on foot, but it'll be very dangerous. If you die in combat, your equipment and belongings will be lost. Please take note not to let any NPC witness your death.]

The Mission Description was very detailed. The gamers didn't expect to receive such a good mission. They were prepared to return on a journey that would be fraught with danger, especially the gamers of Eternal Kingdom, as they didn't belong to the Surface World. Their green skin would be enough reason for Humans to attack them. Previously, the soldiers of the Godly Kingdom were friends with the Victorians, and they had formed an alliance. However, with the appearance of the Underworld creatures, the soldiers of the Godly Kingdom attacked the Victorians.

The soldiers didn't hesitate. It was as if the alliance with the Victorians was fake.

Arthur and his companions were prepared to kill themselves since the equipment and belongings were all backed up. They could simply reclaim their items from the Logistics Officer once they returned back.

That included Raintea.