Chapter 83
And if everything falls into place, Dane just needs to be honest and never pretend to be someone he's not in order to gain the duchess's favor. With this honesty and authenticity, Dane finally made up his mind, so he stands up and recalls the coordinates on the warforge and mentions this plan to the Bouldergrove clan head and his family and fulfills his promise to the velvet knights.
The time was roughly around 9 am in the morning; the cool breeze and the wind were still indicative that it was still early. As the coordinates confirmed his location on his player armband, he activated his teleportation burst spell and instantly emerged at the framing area inside the war forge. Those that saw him were a bit surprised, but when they saw who it was, they smiled and greeted Dane with a bow.,
The young adoptive daughter of Elaria Syrune Siglorr Bouldergrove saw Dane as he was near her potion-making station and ran over to give him a hug, excited to see him back from his mission. Dane returned the hug, grateful for the warm welcome after a successful journey.
Many saw this and were shocked but never reacted negatively, as they all know Elaria Syrune was the most cheerful person in the war forge. She was a bit suspicious of Dane when he first came, but knowing he was a kind and just person, she admired him a lot and treated him as her older brother.
She asked what did he do in the passed eightdays when he left the war forge , Dane wasn't taken back with her question, he felt it was something natural coming from a person he knew was part of the Bouldergrove clan. He mentioned he was lucky enough to obtain what he meant to accomplich at the place he went to, Elaria Syrune smiled and wrap around her arm around Dane's arm as she was playfull and affectunate toward Dane, until Olmar Bouldergrove came running toward the farm land at the side of the main war forge building and screaming at the top of his lungs
" you came back!"
It was a missing sight to see Olmar push Elaria away and tell her to stop hogging the benefactor. Dane laughed, hearing the two fight over his attention. When the head guard came and gave the two younglings a proper beating, "Forgive these two for acting this way; they are showing a very dishonorable display in front of our benefactor," the head guard reprimanded. The two shook their heads in disappointment, realizing the consequences of their actions.
Dane smiles and is happy to see family squabbles, as he did that also with his cousin in the past. He asked wherethe head war forge chief was. Cragmir pointed the direction and told Olmar to head first and tell his father about the benefactor's return. The young dwarf gave out a salute and was happy to receive the order.
Elaria jumped back at the opportunity to hug Dane again, but Dane asked Elaria if she could help him fulfill a promise he made with a group of players. Elaria's eyes widened; she was filled with delight knowing she was being asked by Dane to accomplish a given task. Dane walked toward a wooden cart that was empty and was about three feet in length, two feet wide, and about two feet deep. He opened his dimensional storage and poured all the lotus plants into the cart until it was filled to the brim with lotus plants. He asked Elaria if she could process the lotus plants into a potion, as he promised the guild known as the Velvet Knight these potions as payment for their services. Elaria nodded eagerly, excited to showcase her potion-making skills to Dane.
She told one of her potion-making staff to quickly transport the wagon inside her potion cottage, as she can't wait to begin. Dane gave Elaria a rub on her smooth, silk-like hair; this made her blush and filled her with energy. As she promises to accomplish his request perfectly, .
Dane walked toward the main war forge building, where Wrenla Bouldergrove greeted Dane with a hug. Dane felt he was home. Wrenla Bouldergrove whispered to Dane that the Duchess received her letter and wished to reestablish a connection with them. As Dane nodded, knowing his plan was finally gaining shape, Wrenla Bouldergrove accompanied Dane toward the main hall where her husband was waiting for him. While walking, Dane discussed his plan to gain the Duchess's support. Wrenla Bouldergrove listened carefully, and after a few minutes, as they reached the main door of a hall, Wrenla Bouldergrove smiled and thanked Dane for taking a more reasonable approach, and being honest was the right choice. The Duchess's response will surely be on a positive note, and no matter what she decides to do, it's a decision based on what she wanted to do.
This has nothing to do with what Dane made; she will just openly admit that a certain player found items while exploring the gorge, and from there they can only hope the Duchess will fill in the blanks and make a decision that benefits everyone involved. Wrenla Bouldergrove was proud and happy to hear Dane's plan. Unlike the rest of the Bouldergrove clan, Siglorr sees Dane as his clan's savior, while Olmar and Elaria Syrune see Dane as an older brother, and Cragmir Bouldergrove sees Dane as a great warrior, while Wrenla Bouldergrove sees Dane as a young man that needs guidance and support. The dynamics within the Bouldergrove clan are complex, but Dane's actions have brought them closer together in unexpected ways.
As the gathering hall opened, Siglorr saw Dane and ran like a bolt of lightning to embrace him, solidifying their bond even further. As he was so happy seeing him again, Siglorr orders the rest of the forgers inside the hall to leave, as Wrenla Bouldergrove went to a kitchen and prepared for another feast. Siglorr asked Dane to sit down and share the details of the things he obtained. Siglorr mentioned the raw items he got from the transfer sack were unreal, as many of the materials were not yet registered in the region, especially the large spiders.
Siglorr told Dane those types of spiders could only be seen at the farthest corner of the west region, a place that no adventurer nor warrior has ever entered and come out alive or sane.
Those who were able to escape the place recalled a towering monster that was bigger than a castle, and its power was enough to make a veteran warrior scream and succumb to insanity.
The spiders Dane killed were still newborn, but their skin was already as tough as orichalcum.
Dane could not openly say what happened on the gorge, knowing he had already triggered a change in the scenario, so he just changed the conversation and steered it away. Siglorr noticed this and just acknowledged that Dane was not yet ready to openly address the matter for a good reason.
Siglorr also knew that The Netherborn, who was Dane's alter ego, is a prime target of many kingdoms now, as they have no information about him; the fear that he represents is still unknown, and these kingdoms are wary of the fact that he obliterated a dragonoid as if it were a fish out of water. Siglorr knew if the dragon race finds out one of their kin was killed that easily, they will surely look into who did it.
Another meeting had taken place, and food that they all shared together was as delicious as ever. Dane strictly handed a few items to Wrenla Bouldergrove and pointed out a very simple necklace that has a pendant on it. Siglorr Bouldergrove also told Dane that the magic tower released a new version of the player armband; he suggested refraining from using the armband, as it's a well-known piece of equipment that players used..
Dane raised his hand and changed its appearance and made adjustments. Siglorr Bouldergrove still can't comprehend the formless armor abilities. He wanted to test it, but no matter what kind of test he gave it, he could not gain any information from it, as if something was blocking his intention and preventing him from understanding its capabilities. Frustrated, Siglorr decided to just give up seeing Dane can now make his summoned golem pets move freely like they were real living entities.
The three creatures were seen interacting with the young dwarvens inside the gathering hall. As if they were real pets, Cragmir Bouldergrove noticed the drastic change in his abilities; he was already strong, but this time his powers were more refined and looked more controlled, as if he had finally mastered his craft. The three creatures didn't look fearsome or intimidating but rather friendly and playful, bringing a sense of joy and wonder to the young dwarven and human employees of the war forge. As the day was nearing its end, Dane was accompanied by
Siglorr and Cragmir led toward the armory and showed him all the equipment under their possession. Dane told the two his plan to build the larger guild will require the combined efforts of everyone in the war forge. And he needs additional manpower who will swear loyalty to him.
So Siglorr laughed and asked Dane how many of those he needed. Dane asked if he needs a force large enough to fill an entire city. Siglorr stopped laughing and looked at his brother Cragmir with a serious expression, knowing that this ambitious plan would require careful consideration and strategic planning. Cragmir nodded in agreement, understanding the gravity of the task ahead and the importance of rallying their forces effectively. Dane promised him he would give him all the support they needed. Cragmir reacted to what Dane wanted; he knew why he accepted the quest from Duchess Elleena Rothchester.
The plan that he mentioned when he first visited was relatively reasonable; building a guild was already started, as they are willing to make Dane Lazarus the owner of the war forge, but having 60 members isn't enough to even make a dent in his plan. Dane wasn't planning on just building a guild, but he was more interested in making an empire, and having the right over a large land needs to be approved by a noble, and being the sole remaining bloodline remaining from the land of Lúthien, she has legal rights over the land of Lúthien through the ancestral line from her dead husband.
Obtaining the land won't be that easy, even if he cleared the land of the monsters that followed the evolved drake. The reason was the distance, and they lacked manpower. Dane just smiled and told the two brothers,
"That's why I asked you both about this matter."
"Before they start the campaign to clear the empire of graves, we shall become a strong force under one flag."
"I trust you can start the preparation for building a secured stronghold that accommodates hundreds or even thousands, similar to what you did here in the war forge."
Dane knew too well that when he came to the war forge, he gave out instructions concerning his plan to establish a guild to be his support force as he plans to conquer the tower with their help, but this plan drastically changed because he personally saw that the tower was adjusting to the thing he had done. There is a chance that the tower quest system will also adjust because of the imbalance he created in obtaining the skill sapling at a very fast pace. He knew too well that the system would change the scenario from normal to hard.
The fact that Drake evolved into a dragonoid, that shouldn't have happened. It was triggered because the system needed to compensate the monster based on the power level of its enemy. Dane was already in the vicinity; thus, it was activated forcibly by the battle system.
The displacement of the calamity-grade monster into the gorge was the final confirmation Dane knew that the game difficulty was no longer normal but that the system had changed it to hard. They encountered the same situation when the Korean server was flooded with so many high-rank players. In one scenario, these players wanted to break the record in clearing the empire of the grave quest. The record was 6 hours with two hundred players with player levels ranging from 25 to 40. The Korean unified guild challenged the same quest with 100 players, but all participants were level 60. The battle system they created adjusted to the higher player levels, making the quest significantly more difficult than anticipated. Despite their best efforts, the Korean unified guild was unable to beat the record set by the previous group of players.
As the undead became more agile and relentless, the unified Korean guild struggled to keep up with the increasing difficulty of the quest. Their failure to beat the record served as a humbling reminder of the importance of strategy and teamwork in overcoming challenges in the empire.
Dane just accepted this and knew he needed to readjust his plan too; a guild with less than a hundred members won't last that long if they join the Empire of Grave Quest. He was sure the undead that are supposedly level 10 will be multiplied by two times, including the undead's individual stats, and he also knows many of the undead that were once soldiers or skilled individuals can use their skills.
Following the old battle system structure is a foolish thing to do. Dane knows this too well, as he made the system. That's why this issue became apparent in playing old RPG games: the moment a player finishes a game, he or she can easily replay the game up to its highest difficulty because it still runs on the same scenario path and just increases the monster attack power. The player can easily maneuver around it; the difficulty level is pretty much absolute, and there is no real challenge in the gameplay.
To address this issue, Dane is working on implementing a learning dynamic battle system AI that will keep players engaged and challenged throughout the game. This system will adapt to the player's skills and decisions, providing a more immersive and unpredictable experience. All the patterns the player memorized will now be useless.
And because of the vast number of undead to kill, their normal coding actions will no longer run; thus, these undead will gain 20 percent of their cognitive awareness and strategic abilities. This will require players to think on their feet and strategize in real time, adding a new level of excitement and difficulty to the game. Overall, these changes will enhance the overall gaming experience and keep players coming back for more.
Dane remained himself and just acted like it was a simple task; he already had a few new members on his mind. 25 new members will still soon come knocking on the war forge door. Siglorr Bouldergrove and his clan just need to invite them to join the Dane guild. The two were a bit curious about who those members will be. They asked Dane, and he mentioned the 11 guild members that will knock on your gate will ask for Elaria Syrune.
She already knows the whole detail; you two just need to trust Dane's judgment and let him handle the recruitment process. He has a plan in place to ensure that those that will aree is properly welcomed and integrated into the guild. Just sit back and watch as Dane works his magic.
"They might lack experience, but they are trustworthy and honorable warriors."
"Same as the 14 that will come after, but be mindful of the one with white hair and red eyes."