"The activity of strangers in the Galatea area is unpleasant news. Our clan is not taking responsibility for the development of the city. The question is. How much will we lose if another player takes the quest?" asked Nick.

"Developing a new city is a matter of general government policy. There are already 10 cities in our part of the world. We don"t know how the capital will react to the revival of the ancient city. But our clan bears no responsibility for the future of Galatea. The Order has no duty to protect the kingdom," replied Jane.

"But we can have a quest to defend Galatea. We will fight monsters, and some "Samantha" will receive Glory as ruler," resented John.

"John, we even have a mandatory quest that"s kind of weird and not mandatory at all. We don"t care about the loss of 200 points of Glory at all. It"s not a punishment, or we don"t understand the meaning and significance of Glory in this game at all," said Jane.

"Ideally, we should make a deal with Samantha. And give her the city," said Bella.

All the players waited silently for the continuation. Bella made her idea clear:

"Only the Order of Hunters can give a player a game specialty. Only our Order can allow the player to develop his specialty. We all don"t like Samantha. She wants to play a game we"re not interested in. But she"s not our enemy. Our job is to see her as our enemy and keep her close and on a short leash."

"Bella, are you suggesting we have our pocket policy? To be honest, I"d rather deal with Samantha than a group of "Sunrise" clan players commanded by Michael," said Alexander.

"There are five continents in the game. 3500 players. There are 3 kingdoms and 700 players on our mainland. 42 players in the city of Dor pa.s.sed the test in this area. There are already representatives of other clans from other cities and places. We could use independent players who are loyal to our clan," said Nick.

"Your calculations are based on a desire to get an average score. But it"s not about the calculations, it"s about you being right," said Alexander. "We need to tie other local players to ourselves."

"Who doesn"t want to be someone, will be with someone," added the burglar.

"I declare to you with full responsibility and sufficient knowledge of information. If Samantha takes the position of Baroness Galatea, it"s an application for the status of the d.u.c.h.ess of Galatea. She will not be hara.s.sed every day. But all of her slaves and other Dor employees will be killed in one night," said the ranger.

"The Guild resolves such matters quickly and skillfully," added John.

"We can"t screw up our relationship with the Guild. We can"t ruin a relationship with the Duke of Dor. Therefore, I do not wish to take responsibility for Galatea"s rebirth. This matter must be resolved with the Duke and the rest of the city"s big men. We are not interested in it. Galatea is a trap for a greedy and conceited player," said Jane.

"Jane, you know Samantha. If you were in her shoes, how would you play?"

"It"s very simple. You have to buy the Order"s loyalty and not compete for it. It"s necessary to have leadership over ten players who are willing to get peaceful craftsmen"s game cla.s.ses. I would buy a piece of land in a safe place near Dor and start a craftsmen"s settlement," replied Jane.

"The land next to the city is expensive. The price is measured simply. The price of a plot is equal to the number of gold coins that cover the area of the plot. 250 gold pieces per square foot. A place to install her throne can be sold to her. But no one is going to sell her the land to build ten houses," laughed John.

"It depends on the nature of the negotiations, John," smiled at Jane.

"We will ruin our relationship with the craft guilds," said Emma. "But I will make an exclusive product. From exclusive material. Really, as a jeweler, I can"t bring in anything new. With the Tailor Guild, we"ll be able to make a deal. It"ll be harder with the jewelers, but I hope our customers won"t be poisoned."

"Trouble from these cities! We need to solve the city quests," said Kate.

"There are 17 dungeons in the city that we can reach in an hour and kick rats on the way. 34 hours and 85 points of fame," said Richard.

"You"re forgetting about rats! Our faithful s.h.a.ggy, immortal allies. How many hundreds of "Glory" have these sweet friends brought to you and me," exclaimed the burglar.

Richard smiled and agreed that rat quests could be collected. Alexander made an addition:

"The dungeons with the bosses are recovering after a while. It"s possible that in a month. I suggest we go to Dor humbly, gather up quests to kill all the bosses and work four days. Figure out how to set up a store for Emma. Resolve the issue of hiring players to serve the clan. But then we have to go back to the castle and finish the mandatory quest. And we need to do some exploration to the west."

"I"m concerned about one important moment. Monsters are growing in levels. I suppose the ruins of Nazgor were a special location. But our burglar met a level 40 skeleton in Galatea," said the ranger.

"I did it. But I remind you that we were warned about this. The monsters are getting smarter. I did it with the skill of my unique stick. I have to be honest, I had to run and I hid from the skeleton. Then I took another risk and hoped for Stun... I did it and got a good experience," told the burglar without adding his jokes.

"In the dungeons of Dor, we"ll have to work hard," said Alexander.

"And buy new scrolls of monster ma.s.s destruction," added Jane.

"These scrolls were not necessary," said Anna. "We"re just in a hurry, so we"re going the easy way. There were three times more monsters in the square than in the whole town. We just saved a week of work."

"n.o.body"s arguing with that," said Jane. "But just in case, we need to have a stock of weapons. A village in the west was destroyed by a large group of the dead. You weren"t punished for that, though the village was in Hunters" territory. If those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds come again, Anna just buries them in one second."

"You"re right, I will do that," agreed Anna.

"I remind you that the locals can see our achievements. I remind you of modesty and serenity. We"ve all developed our abilities quite well. Let"s get this job done in the city neat and fast," said the ranger.

"Careful and fast! Precision and coolness! I"m going to leave you today because I can"t wait to meet old friends," said the burglar.

He answered the players" questioning eyes:

"I"m talking about rats."

*

The city of Dor was lit by the gentle rays of morning sunlight. The G.o.ds did not leave the ancient city. Many hundreds of years have pa.s.sed since the immortal defenders of the city and kingdom began dying. But the power of ancient magic kept the lands of the kingdom from invading armies of monsters and dead. The temples of the G.o.ds were not deserted. The rays of the sun were clear proof of the favor of higher powers. Above the city the clouds never completely closed the sky, they flew over the city quickly or unexplained way around the city.

In the shadow of a tall tree, at the western gate to Dor, a redheaded burglar sat and admired the view. Then he closed his eyes and a smile disappeared from his face. The player"s face began to change. His lips increased, his nose grew bigger, and his eyebrows became dark. The hair on his head straightened and darkened to black. Nick opened his eyes and went to the side of a small group of peasants who were rushing into town early in the morning to sell food from their farms. The player paid 12 copper coins at the entrance and walked down the street. He walked and realized how much he had changed. His eyes noticed such trifles and important places that he had never paid attention to before. Here"s a hiding place under an old barrel at the entrance to the store. Here"s another hiding place at the base of the roof. Here"s a small square he knew. Nick was happy to look at this place. Players who were in town or stayed single or in small groups. But all the players were trying to stay away from each other. Nick looked at the nice places. Meowurrin, a funny creature shop that sold good weapons. Mistress Rion"s bookstore. The armor shop of the big, fat Woolgren. Mistress Medar"s clothing store. The shop of the old Borz. Nick used to buy necessities in this little square and sell his trophies here. He lived in the attic of Mistress Medar"s house.

Nick was smiling, it was time to check one idea.

Meowurrin, the merchant, stood behind the counter and carried a small brush comb around his ears. It was a pleasure for him. The trader enjoyed himself, even more, when he looked through the open door at the entrance to his enemy and compet.i.tor"s shop. Already four hunters came to him and restocked the arrows. However, the nasty stinking Borz had no customers in the morning! Meowurrin purred and brushed the hairbrush on his right ear. A new client entered the store. The merchant was a magical creature of the cat shape shapeshifter kind. These creatures never caused any harm. They combined human and cat shapes and were famous for their agility and ability to trade. Catshapes were not even registered in the magistrates of the city, although everyone knew that they are not only good hunters, but also thieves and crooks. Of course, one of the main advantages of the shapes was their smell, which served them no worse than their eyes.

Meowurrin concentrated, the visitor was a man, he was a player, he was an unknown player, and the merchant was unfamiliar with the smell of this player. But the greeting is never superfluous in good trading.

"Greetings stranger, good to see you in my shop. How can Meowurrin help you?"

"I am selling, dear Meowurrin. My name is Holmes. Sherlock Holmes."

The merchant liked the player. The player was smiling modestly. He didn"t use the strange magic of the players and took the thing out of the usual bag. The trader had enough of a look at the dagger to realize that it was a rare thing. Meowurrin clasped his eyes and meowed with pleasure:

"Meowurrin will give you 50 gold coins for this dagger."

And the next moment all the charm of the beautiful beginning of the day was gone! The life of the merchant had lost its meaning! And all the fault was this Holmes! The gambler smiled and answered:

"I agree. I expected to get a bit more money for this weapon. But I"m also satisfied with your price. Alas, I don"t know how to trade, I can"t do this important and honorable business."

The ta.s.sels on Meowurrin"s ears went up and his eyes sparkled. The trade goes on! Great day, just a great start to the day.

"I have a great product for you. Mr. Holmes. I can sell you a magic book! With its help you will immediately learn the skills of the trade and will be able to conduct your business with great success. 50 gold and the book is yours!"

Meowurrin has changed how he could be so insolent! The local players have ruined him. He used to be such a nice cat, thought a burglar.

He looked calmly at the changeling merchant. Meowurrin looked away at the bookshelf and his eyes expanded with shock. The wool all over his body stirred and lifted. Vibra.s.ses like antennas rushed aside in search of an intruder of calm. Meowurrin saw that he had been robbed! The book with the skill of Trade was not on the shelf! Wonderful book, with a beautiful green cover. For which the merchant paid 10 gold coins to Mistress Rion! The book was missing!

Meowurrin was no longer paying attention to the player, he wanted to jump out of the store and call the guards for help.

"What"s wrong? Master Meowurrin. What"s wrong with you?"

"I"ve been robbed! Robbery! What"s the guild looking at? I"m an honest merchant, I pay for the order in my shop."

"Robbery? That"s interesting. I don"t know how to trade at all, but I"m a big expert in finding stolen items and in dealing with delicate situations. I can help you. Where was the last place you saw your book?"

Meowurrin froze. He sniffed the air again. This time he wasn"t hiding his suspicions and he sniffed at a stranger. Then the merchant pointed his paw at the shelf:

"The book was standing on the shelf. It was on the shelf yesterday and this morning."

"Calmness, only calmness. Sherlock Holmes will help you. Stealing, that"s ridiculous. My art will easily trace the subtle emanations of a stolen object. Do you say it was a book of skills? A stupid thief, what a cheeky and stupid thief. Finding Magic Things is the easiest thing to do. The subtle emanations and fluids of magic cannot be hidden from my powerful art!"

The player kept saying strange words, but he did the job. Meowurrin watched with surprise as the player approached the shelf and began making strange gestures with his hands. The player"s fingers moved and pointed in different directions. Then the player slowly walked towards the exit of the store. Meowurrin followed the player. They moved a few steps away from the entrance and the player said softly:

"It"s clear to me! The case of the missing book is solved! Do you want me to give you your book back? Yes or no?"

"Give me back my book! I"ll pay you 1 gold coin," said the merchant.

*

[Attention! The "Missing Book Meowurrin" quest is available. Return the missing book to the merchant Meowurrin. Award: 1000 experience points, 3 "Glory" points, 1 crown. Do you accept the a.s.signment? Yes/No]

*

"Yes, I will help you find the book. But perhaps you should close the door to the store? A stupid thief hid the book next door, but why leaves the shop unattended? Oh, the valiant guard of Dor! Please give us your support. My respects. Your armor shines in the sun like new gold coins. You are honest and not lazy warriors. You can support us."

"Meowurrin, what is it? Who is this man? I don"t know you," said one guard.

"I am a player. You can call me Holmes. Sherlock Holmes. I"m a sort of scout and a master of searching for things. Master Meowurrin has lost a book. I know exactly where it"s missing."

"Where"s my book?" stuttered Meowurrin, who locked the shop door and walked up to the group.

"Do you know the owner of this store? The magic trail leads to this store."

The player pointed a finger at one of the buildings in the square.

"Borz! He stole a book from me! It"s revenge! He"s taking revenge on me for losing the fight. Scoundrel and villain," sewed the merchant.

"Calm down, Meowurrin. Your fight has been going on for a long time. You suffered well in your last fight, too. Let"s go and check Holmes" words," said the guardsman quietly.

There was an unpleasant scene at the Borz shop. The player nodded at the bookshelf. Meowurrin was near the books in one jump and immediately saw his missing. Then there was a scandal. The Borz shouted that it was not his fault. He wasn"t a thief or a book thief, he didn"t know how he got the book. The vile Meowurrin deliberately hired thieves from the guild to throw the book to the honest Borz! This is revenge!

The guards asked the merchants to go to the magistrate and write official complaints about the case. There are specialists in the magistracy. They"ll deal with it.

Holmes did not draw attention to himself. He received 1 gold coin from Meowurrin"s paw and went to get acquainted with the city.

Nick went to the tavern and calculated the losses. He could sell the dagger for 70 gold. In the guild of killers he had to pay 2 gold, because he stole the book, and no matter what, he returned it to the owner. There"s a strange artifact in the Guild that takes into account all the robberies in town. 22 gold for 3 points of "Glory". Unfavorable and difficult. But the scheme works and it can be applied in a special case. It"s time to take care of Samantha. The clan players will be in town in a few hours. Nick decided to go through some merchants he knew and collect quests to kill rats! On the way, he"ll try to find out all about Samantha"s business. Nick smiled, left a food fee on the table and left the tavern.

The burglar would walk around town and collect quests to destroy the rats. The city"s players were lazy. They stopped going to the sewers and preferred to do more respectable work. Nick took 17 missions and decided to visit the hunters" mansion. He hid his name and went into the Shadows. He put the skill pictures in a corner of the field of view to constantly control the duration of the skills.

The mansion was quiet, with several players sitting by the fireplace and talking about all sorts of nonsense. Nick walked down the stairs to the second floor and pulled out a picklock.

What do we have here? The locks nice, but no trap. The room"s big, the bed"s even bigger. Here"s the stash, simple but secure. 3 traps, not weak traps, Samantha paid a lot of money to put up that security.

Nick defused the traps and opened the safe. He found a stock of gold coins in the safe. 7,500 gold coins was a good stock of money, but the burglar didn"t take the money. He wouldn"t touch the jewels. Nick took the big book and started looking through it. Interesting information, Emma could use it. In the book was a description of the important people of the city, with accurate portraits of these people, with notes of Samantha herself, which were made by more ugly handwriting. These notes were compromising and could be useful in setting up intrigues and troubles for Dor"s important people.

"Boss, I found the book in Samantha"s safe. A detailed description of Dor"s important people and compromising. Emma could use it."

"N.N. Take the book. Don"t take the money. We"ll be in the gnome quarter in one hour."

Nick put the book in his inventory. Then he locked the safe and left the room. Piece of pizza! It couldn"t be easier!

The burglar left the building and went towards the gnome quarter. It"s delicious to eat and partic.i.p.ate in the destruction of little rats and big monsters, it"ll be a great continuation of the day.

What if the rats in the sewers have already grown to level 40! Poor townspeople, thought the burglar.