Handsome Young Master

His mind reminded him with two metallic sounds, and the merchant finally spoke, saying, "Young man, I see that you have extraordinary potential. I have a task for you. Would you be willing to accept it?"

"If you can complete this task, you can pick any item from my stock for free!"

After listening to the offer, Long Chen inquired, "Can you tell me more about this task?"

The merchant replied, "I'm originally from Yizhou, and I've been traveling from there to Yangzhou's Jiujiang County with my goods. Unfortunately, on the way, we were ambushed by a group of river bandits, and they looted all of my goods. The cargo was everything I had."

Long Chen questioned the merchant, "Why don't you report it to the government and have them send soldiers to help you?"

The merchant sighed and responded, "I've already reported it, but I'm short on funds. The county magistrate has agreed to send fifty soldiers, but it will still take some time before they arrive. The problem is, there are at least sixty or seventy bandits, and there's one man among them who's especially fierce. I'm afraid that the few soldiers won't be enough to handle the bandits, so I'm looking for a few skilled individuals to help out."

He looked rather worried as he mentioned the bandits, indicating that they had made a strong impression on him.

However, when Long Chen learned that there would be more than fifty government soldiers on the way, his thoughts became active. Government soldiers in this era should be quite powerful, and a group of over fifty should easily handle a group of sixty to seventy bandits. So, the chances of completing this mission with the government troops appeared quite high to him.

He asked the merchant, "Are there other players, like me, who have also received this mission? How many of them are there?"

The merchant replied with admiration, "There are three others who received the mission, all extraordinary individuals. But compared to you, they're far behind!"

Long Chen took a few steps back, a little uncomfortable with the merchant's gaze. It was as if there was something uniquely captivating about him.

Long Chen knew that his perfect 100 Charisma attribute played a significant role in making him extraordinarily attractive in this virtual world. Even though he looked like he was wearing simple clothes, his unique charisma made him an alluring figure, comparable to Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and others, if not even more so. So, he could imagine the kind of impact he had on NPCs in this world.

Back when Liu Bei was just a commoner making straw sandals, his unparalleled charisma allowed him to recruit two five-star divine generals, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. While the abilities of these future monarchs played a role, the impact of charisma on these events was truly remarkable.

Now, with Long Chen's charisma value off the charts, he was brimming with confidence. He decided to take on the merchant's task.

The game system immediately provided a metallic sound in his mind:

"Ding! Congratulations on receiving a hidden quest (Completion status: Incomplete)."

The merchant was thrilled with Long Chen's willingness to accept the task and promised to reward him with ten taels of silver once it was completed.

Long Chen inquired about the departure time, and the merchant informed him that they would meet at the village gate of Huangshui tomorrow morning at six o'clock.

Long Chen realized he was currently in Yangzhou, Jiujiang County, under the jurisdiction of Xiacai County. This place sounded familiar, and his memory was soon jogged.

This was the land of the Eastern Wu's great general, Zhou Tai, renowned as the "Tiger Commander of Jiangnan." In various historical accounts, he was praised as an extraordinary guardian, a top-tier protector with a first-class martial prowess.

Long Chen decided to recruit Zhou Tai if the opportunity arose, appreciating his unique skillset. As daybreak came, Long Chen opened his eyes and found himself in the village of Huangshui.

The sun's rays cast a golden glow upon him as he stepped out of his abode, creating a proud and noble silhouette. Hardworking villagers had already begun setting up their stalls, calling out to attract customers.

"Hot steamed buns for sale! Hot and delicious steamed buns!"

Long Chen wondered about the presence of steamed buns at this time in history and the presence of a morning market. Still, he remembered that the game's official setting involved elements from different historical periods, so he didn't question it too much.

He decided to purchase five steamed buns from a nearby vendor, a young man in simple white and gray attire. The vendor eagerly prepared the steamed buns, and Long Chen enjoyed his meal.

As he waited, the local NPCs around him couldn't help but whisper to each other:

"Such a handsome young man! He has sharp features, and he exudes an air of nobility."

"I believe he comes from a noble family. Even though he's dressed modestly, his aristocratic aura is unmistakable."

"I find myself quite taken with him..."

"Hey, big brother, you know he's a man, right?"

The NPC conversations surrounded Long Chen, who continued to enjoy his hot steamed buns.

From his coin pouch, he took out five copper coins to pay the vendor and then made his way to the designated meeting point.

"After a hearty breakfast, I'm ready for action!"

"Let's go and fight!"

With these words, Long Chen headed to the location where he was supposed to meet the merchant. Along the way, he couldn't help but hear the increased goodwill of the NPCs:

"Zhang San's favorability towards you has increased to 60%."

"Li Si's favorability towards you has increased to 60%."

"Wang Wu's favorability towards you has increased to 65%."

And so on...

This sudden surge in goodwill made Long Chen feel a sense of accomplishment. In real life, both in his past and present, he had often been overlooked, a shy and introverted individual who rarely showcased himself in public. Experiencing such admiration from others was a novel and rewarding experience for him.

"Man, this feels quite nice!" Long Chen's lips curled slightly.

In the game world of "Grand Lord," a favorability rating of 60 meant the person was willing to obey you, 70 meant they were loyal to you, and 80 meant they were practically unwavering in their loyalty. As the favorability rating increased, so did the level of loyalty.

Long Chen had only taken a quick stroll and already gathered a group of enthusiastic admirers, leaving others envious.

A couple of fellow players who were born in the same newbie village as Long Chen watched him with admiration and envy.

"Who's that guy? So arrogant!"

"Hmph! Let's not bother with him. We'll continue to do the D-rank newbie quests. In a few days, we'll have better equipment, while this guy is just loafing around. By the time we reach the later stages, we'll have surpassed him!"

"Agreed!"

After their discussion, they went off to find lower-level quests.

Huangshui Village, at the entrance.

Long Chen looked into the distance and saw a densely packed group of soldiers, wearing red Han Dynasty armor, standing in an orderly formation. They were a hundred yards away, but Long Chen could feel the strong aura of seasoned soldiers.

His heart skipped a beat. These were battle-hardened soldiers!

It seemed the merchant was wealthy, having likely paid a high price to secure over fifty soldiers.

"Hmm, what's this?" Long Chen suddenly noticed a red dot in front of him.

It seemed to be a feature of the game system. Long Chen opened it.

Sure enough, the metallic voice of the system sounded.

"Ding! Viewing the attributes of Han Dynasty soldiers..."

[Identity]: Ordinary Han Dynasty soldier.

[Rank]: Sergeant (The lowest officer rank commanding five soldiers).

[Strength]: 32 (Maximum 70).

[Skills]: Han Dynasty Swordsmanship (D-grade).

[Equipment]: Ordinary Han Dynasty Soldier Set (White).

"All right, it's a sergeant," Long Chen concluded.