The Mayor? Haven’t Seen Him! I Am Looking for Vivi!

Alex walks toward the center of the village, carefully observing his surroundings. He watches the children playing and the elderly working, noting that no one seems to be anywhere near the mayor's house, despite its central location. "I remember one of the entrances to the secret underground lab is at the mill connected to the mayor's house," he thinks.

He makes his way toward the mill, recalling the place where Vivi is later kidnapped by the villagers and dragged underground. Alex hops over the small wall, remembering a huge stack of gil and a key item hidden in a chest in the game. As expected, there is no magical chest filled with riches here, but Alex does spot a small, reinforced warehouse nearby.

He tries to enter but fails. "Should I use my grenades to blow it up?... No, that would lead to chaos, and I'd probably end up fighting half the village. The group wouldn't agree with 'taking care of them,' and honestly, I don't want to go down that road either. That's not me. I shouldn't change the story too drastically, or I risk getting cut off from the group."

Examining the warehouse closely, Alex mutters, "Looks like I need a key… and I know where to find it!"

He leaves the place surrounding the mill for now, knowing that Zidane enters without trouble later in the story. Alex decides to gamble, relying on his high CHA and his Basic Eloquence lvl 1. He glances around to make sure no one's watching and then boldly enters the mayor's house.

The mayor glares at him, looking as though someone has just stepped on his toes. "I am the mayor of this village, and this is my private residence. Who are you? I'm very busy, please leave!"

Feeling offended, Alex takes a step forward, meeting the mayor's eyes. "Mayor, I know exactly where I am, and I know who you are… are you blind? Don't you see the emblem on my armor? I am Alex, a newly appointed special member of the Knights of Pluto, personally selected by Queen Brahne and recommended by General Beatrix herself!"

His necklace pulses, empowering him as he draws his [Sword of Pluto]. "Don't you recognize this armor and weapon? Or do I need to show you up close?"

A vivid red flash fills Alex's vision, and the mayor looks as though he might wet his pants. The cowardly mayor stutters, dropping to his knees. "I-I'm sorry, Sir Alex! I didn't recognize you!"

Alex calms him down: "Mayor, get up," he says, pulling him to his feet.

"I am traveling here by myself to avoid drawing any attention to my mission. I arrived with some rather peculiar companions. One of them even looks similar to a black mage created by your village… but it must be my imagination, right? This one is only half the size of a real black mage, so it's probably just a coincidence."

He pauses briefly, eyeing the mayor. "Anyway, the queen is quite satisfied with your shipments. They'll be put to use and tested soon enough. I've also been informed that an airship is scheduled to arrive today to transport another shipment directly to the castle, correct?"

The mayor, now convinced that Alex is who he claims to be, observes the magically radiant armor and weapons Alex carries. His knowledge of the black mages, the village, and even the airship further reassures him. "That does sound strange, Sir Knight. A tiny black mage? You must be mistaken. All our products look the same. But how can I assist you?"

"The queen has sent me to inspect production," Alex replies smoothly. "She wants to accelerate the process. A lot more puppets are needed. Show me the facility, and I'll be sure to give you a glowing review, if you show me a bit of… sincerity, let's call it."

The mayor, believing Alex to be corrupt, smiles as he thinks, "Good, this knight doesn't care about us as long as he gets his cut."

"Well, Sir Knight, if you would kindly follow me," he says, leading Alex not to the production facility but to the warehouse. Once inside, the mayor opens a large chest and pulls out a hefty bag of gil.

"Sir Knight, please don't misunderstand. This is just to ensure you remain anonymous during your stay in our village. It barely covers your time here, along with your meals. I'm sure you understand."

You received 10000 gil

Alex sighs and shakes his head. "Mayor, is this a joke? Should I execute you right now for corruption and appoint someone new? I'm sure there are plenty of people eyeing your position." He unsheathes his sword, letting the cold steel glint in the dim light.

The mayor begins to panic, stammering, "What I meant… I thought you wanted a bribe. I'm sorry!"

Alex smiles coldly. "You're right. I did want a bribe. But not this pathetic offering of 10,000 gil. And you know what? Since we're in this warehouse, far from prying eyes, I think I'll take the money… and your life!"

Without warning, Alex charges at the mayor, clamping a hand over his mouth while driving his sword deep into him, finishing the job quickly and efficiently.

You have dealt 42 x 3 = 126 damage to Dali Mayor

You have killed Dali Mayor

"No chest drop from him? Just as worthless as I suspected," Alex mutters. He then turns toward the chest and grins at the notification that pops up before him.

You received 20000 gil

"Looks like he was holding out on me after all," Alex muses. He tries to pick up other items from the warehouse but finds nothing of value. With precision, he hides the mayor's body in the previously locked chest, carefully erasing any trace of his presence. He locks the chest again with the key the mayor used and carries it outside, then securely locks the warehouse behind him as well.

Alex decides to wear the [Steepled Hat], increasing his STR by 1, making him almost twice as strong as a normal man. With the added strength, Alex is able to carry the chest weighing nearly 160 pounds, with the thankfully small-bodied mayor inside. He proceeds to walk out of the peaceful village towards the cliffs.

The walk takes a lot out of him, but 20 minutes later he reaches the cliffs and throws the chest downwards.

"Problem solved. No clues left behind and one less evil in this world. Maybe now Dali will appoint someone who isn't as corrupt as this guy and end this madness."

He switches back to his trusty [Visor of Pluto], transforming him into the stoic, high-class knight he usually appears to be.

Alex returns to the village and enters the mill, seeing that the guard has left his position. He searches the mill carefully, and after 10 minutes, just as he's about to give up, he actually finds what he's looking for.

"[Aries]!" Alex nearly shouts in excitement.

[Aries]

World: Final Fantasy 9

Type: Coin

Quality: Deep Blue

Effect: Permanently increases LUK by 1 point. Can only be used if LUK is higher than 1 and lower than 10. Can alternatively be traded for a generous reward with Queen Stella in Treno.

Cannot be traded or taken out of this world. Using this item will cause it to disappear.

Note: The Story of 12 Zodiacs. The 11 Zodiacs pondered. How best to catch Virgo's heart? Aries headed east.

Note2: Only twelve exist … or is there one more? 

"This is insane! A LUK-increasing item? People would kill for this! Thankfully, my stats allow me to use it, but unfortunately, I won't get an actual LUK point, just a free stat point. Still, this is such a welcome find. Some key treasures are still here in these game worlds, though most standard chests are gone. I would've kicked myself if I hadn't bothered to look for this."

You have gained 1 LUK

ERROR: Current stats not aligned with Statistical OCD lvl MAX

You have lost 1 LUK

You have received 1 Stat Point.

Satisfied, Alex decides to return to the weapon store and use his newly found riches to buy the items he had wanted earlier. As he enters the store, he spots Garnet.

"Hello, Miss Dagger. Are you shopping too?" he asks, trying to sound cheerful, though inwardly cursing his bad timing. Spending 30,000 gil in front of her would look suspicious.

"Hello, Alex. Not really… just looking around. Have you seen Vivi?" Garnet asks, her face showing slight concern.

"No, I haven't. Is he missing? Maybe he's just exploring the village?" Alex suggests.

"I'm not sure. I'll look for him," she replies, looking worried.

"I'll join you soon. I just want to take a quick look at this store," Alex says, trying to buy himself some time.

As Garnet leaves, Alex finally makes his purchase: [Dagger], [Rod], [Mage Staff], and [Silk Shirt], spending a total of 32,000 gil. With his Basic Eloquence lvl 1, he gets a 6% discount, paying only 30,080 gil and leaving him with 3,920 gil.

Alex gleefully examines his newly bought items. "Should I buy medicine? Probably not worth it since the selection will likely be the same," he reasons. Instead, Alex decides to buy two [Wrist] items, noticing they are not limited in stock. "Is this a reference to the game where players used to buy 99 of these? Haha!" Alex can't help but smile. He spends a total of 3,760 gil, leaving him with just 160 gil, barely enough for a single night at the inn.

[Wrist]

World: Final Fantasy 9

Quality: White

Durability: 10/10

Price: 2000 gil.

Note: Take 1 piece of wrist, add a chunk of steepled hat, melt it down and you shall receive a brand new cotton robe!

"This is terrible... this item only protects the wrists, how can it even be rated as White? Guess this is the actual bottom of the barrel. I wonder if I can even sell this. Well, it doesn't matter!" Alex thinks.

Suddenly, he hears it: [Warning. Player has used up 90% of his available inventory space. Please be warned that you may not pick up any more items if your inventory is completely filled.]

Alex almost freaks out upon hearing the Fantasy Realm global system again after such a long time.

"I miss good old 1337," he muses. "I wonder what it will say when I return with all these items, my new conjuration ability, my Knight of Pluto equipment, and my gold-ranked skill. I can't wait to rub it in its face."

As Alex leaves the weapon store with his inventory nearly full, he is suddenly stopped by Zidane and Garnet.

"Alex, we need your help! Vivi is gone! He's locked up somewhere underground. We just spoke to him through a pipe!" Zidane says with urgency.

"Ugh, no time to rest for me... back to fighting and risking my life, I guess," Alex grumbles. "I had my suspicions about this weird village! No adults around, just children and the elderly. How do we get underground though?" Alex adds, pretending to be confused by the situation.

"Let's check near the pipe we found... maybe the mill," Garnet suggests.

The group heads toward the mill and discovers the entrance to the underground. As the round hatch opens and reveals a ladder, Alex sighs. "Guess it's time for this part."

As they enter the underground, Alex checks his inventory. "Damn, I count 33 different items. The amount of items and the non system items don't matter since I had so many cards and random things in my inventory before. I think the base item capacity is 30, with maybe a 10% increase per level. That would only leave me with no additional slots for new items. I need to throw something away, or I should've sold something earlier. No wonder I'm losing track of my items. Once I'm back, I should let 1337 reorganize my inventory, and I need to sell everything besides my current equipment, the mask, and maybe a few healing items. I forgot that even inventory space is a valuable and limited resource."

Alex Kerber: Lvl 1

HP: 130/130, MP: 110/110

STR: 7 (+1), AGI: 7 (+1), PHY: 7, SNS: 7 (+1), CHA: 7 (+5), MNA: 7, INT: 7 SPR: 7 (+5), LUK: 7

Available Stat Points: 2

Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 1, Statistical OCD lvl MAX

Free Skill Slots: 0/2, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8

Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Footwork lvl 1, Basic Endurance lvl 1, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Eloquence lvl 1, Basic Concentration lvl 1, Basic Meditation lvl 1, Basic Mana Control lvl 1

Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 1, Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 0

Active Skills: Annihilation Grenade lvl 1, Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 0

Fantasy Coins: 3500 Soul Crystals: Small x2 Gil: 160

Current Weapons: Mr. 5's Revolver (Downgraded) (Deep Blue), Sword of Pluto (Deep Blue) Barbed Dagger (Light Green)

Current Equipment: Commander Shepard's Dog Tag (Deep Blue), Sealion's Might (Deep Blue), Shield of Pluto (Deep Blue), Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue)

Miscellaneous Items: Navalia Wolf Jerky x4 (Gray), Healing Potion x1 (White), Potion x4 (White), Ether (Light Green) Antidote x3 (White), Eye Drops x2 (White), Freshly baked Pumpkin bread x 2 (Gray), Various cards x10 (Mix) Jack's Spare Silvery Mask (Light Green) Navalia Fur Armor (White), Navalia Fur Boots (White), Navalia Fur Gauntlets (White) Solid Marine Saber (Light Green), Plant Essence x3 (Green), Frost Essence (Green), Steepled Hat (Green), Dagger (White), Rod (Light Green), Mage Staff (Light Green), Silk Shirt (Light Green), Wrist x2 (White), Iron Sword (Light Green)