Quest Complete

I once again logged into the game. My main goal, of course, is getting this quest done. I saw Eri was up and ready to go. Leena was…somewhat up. I could tell she was half asleep because she was trying to stuff herself into her backpack, thinking they were her pants.

After some time and helping Leena wake up, we were finally ready to go. I noticed the number of players had dropped quite a bit. They most likely abandoned the quest and are okay with whatever rewards it will give them. I saw that Lloyd and his group were still around. Same with Stockwulf Syndrome and naked head pot man, who was still rolling around.

Once I started walking with my two companions in tow, the other players soon followed. The rest of the trip was uneventful. We finally reached Riadence as it appeared off in the distance. We could see the massive walls just as we arrived at the outlying farmlands. It was nice seeing traditional farms. The farms in real life don't exist, at least not in this sense. They are all corporate-owned and are a far cry from what they used to be.

We got closer to the gate and saw some caravans stopped outside in a line waiting to get inside. I was about to join the queue when Leena pulled me aside. "You don't need to get in that line. That is for the carriages to be inspected before entering the city. There is a smaller entrance over there for foot traffic." Leena said as she pointed to the smaller entrance next to the caravan line.

Entering the city, however, turned into a big deal. The guards became wary of our group as we had over two hundred players all marching into the city. To make this more hectic, Eri revealed herself to vouch for our group, and one of the guards had to fetch a priest to verify her claims. Seeing the priest profusely apologize to Eri once she was confirmed was very comical.

Eventually, we made it into the city. The scenery took my breath away. The town was vivacious but not in the way our current cities are in the real world. Children were running around and playing. There were several street shops near the gate, with several people all haggling for different items. The buildings were nowhere near as tall as what I am used to, but everything had an idyllic feel.

Bringing me out of my thoughts was the notification for the quest completion.

[Quests completed!]

- Apprentice of the Eccentric Scholar

- The Lich Threat

Rewards Granted:

XP - 195,000 (multiplier bonus)

Leena's Spell Book

Title – Pranked by Eri

Riadence's Reputation has increased by 100

After getting the quest reward, I saw my level increase by sixteen, bringing me to level 43. What caught my attention, however, was the title. I examined it, trying to see what it was about.

[Pranked by Eri: Significantly increases user's chances of random encounters, good or bad.]

I heard several other players shout in shock over the same title. "Seems like we got trolled by Eri." Stockwulf Syndromesaid as he laughed. "It seems like it. However, this title can prove valuable despite its negative," Lloyd responded.

While I was still a little miffed at Eri, I had to agree with them, however. The chance of running into something good was a great thing. Even if it turns out to be bad, it could still be good.

"Thanks for the escort, Gwyn! I want you to have this." Leena said as she handed me a book. "It's a copy of my spell book. It contains all the spells I've learned over the years. Remember what I told you about being able to learn spells. I will stay in Riadence for the foreseeable future, so if you need anything, I'll be at the Mage School here." Leena then skipped away despite carrying a large rucksack.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Eri spoke to me. "You should check out the bazaar in the northeast part of the district. It's got a spot where players can sell their items. You can sell things there once you visit the Trade Hall and get a permit. Be a good way to put some of those skills to use."

"Sounds good. Though for now, I want to find an Inn to log out and get back to Yuki. We are going to do stuff in my world. Wander around town or something." I said as I was scanning some of the nearby buildings.

"There is an Inn near the south gate we just came through. I think it is called The Slime and Angel Tavern." Eri said as she started to walk to its location. I quickly decided to follow her. "What is up with that name?" I asked.

"It was one of the designers of this city. He thought it would be funny, I think. I don't know." Eri responded. Shortly after, we stopped at the tavern. It was a three-story building. The tavern signpost had the image of an angel hugging some kind of round blobby thing. I didn't understand what it what supposed to convey, so I ignored it.

I walked in and booked a room for myself. Eri told me she would pop in the next time I did as she faded away to wherever she lived. I got to my room and logged out. I got out of my pod and stretched for a bit. Even though I wasn't in there for very long, I still felt stiff. I grabbed some clothes and dressed, ready for the day with Yuki.

I walked into the living room and heard talking. I recognized one of the voices as Alex, so I am assuming Yuki probably called her for me.

"Morning, sis," Alex called out to me. "Morning," I responded. "It's not quite lunch yet, but are you going to be joining Yuki and me? The same goes for you, Naomi." I said as I stepped into the small kitchen area.

"How about for lunch we go to the mall food court. I haven't been to the mall in a while," Yuki said.

"That sounds good. Maybe we can go to that amusement park nearby too." Alex responded. I nodded my head in agreement. With today's itinerary set, we just had to get ready.