V58C8P4 – Weed & Bard Ray

[NOTE from Mimosab] Thanks to Armada, Mr Anderson007, Ray & Michael for the proofreading!

“Alright. Maximum capacity. Put lots of races and cities.”

– I will proceed.

The AI concentrated computing resources from all over the world.

Unicorn Corp had its giant network to begin with and the underground facilities unknown to the public were also put to the task.

– It is complete.

The new continent reflecting Royal Road’s data and the players’ response was finished in just one month. Lee Hyun spoke after reviewing the map.

“This is insufficient.”

– Pardon?

“Didn’t I tell you to make it as big as you can? Royal Road was huge too but it wasn’t perfect.”

– In what aspect?

“The form of the continent was rather too simple. For adventures you enter a dungeon or visit a forbidden location. It would have been great to have various other places to travel. The sky too.”

Lee Hyun was just like other people who loved the sky.

The joy of flying around on wyverns and griffins.

It was a bit disappointing that you could only fly with the help of flying creatures or magic.

The Avian were popular, but even they were criticized after some time that their life in the sky was too monotonous.

In terms of the sea, most people left it as a field of mystery.

Not many would be interested or able to roam the deep seas.

In virtual reality, their dreams were easily fulfilled.

“We need more places like the Underwater City and the Sky Island. It would be good to have new races as well. We need ocean kingdoms ruling several large islands.”

– I will reflect on the changes.

The AI reconstructed the continent based on Lee Hyun’s additional requests.

This time, it wasn’t just a map but a model where he could observe different parts of the continent. Lee Hyun was observing a location of boiling lava and shook his head.

“… This is not enough.”

– In what way?

“This has to be truly amazing. The scenery has to be beautiful. Their hearts have to pound whenever they get away from the city.”

– I will reflect on the change.

“The kingdoms too. We have Haven, Kallamore and the Britten Alliance. We know their background but it feels like the history doesn’t flow in them.”

– History?

“It feels like these kingdoms died a long time ago and only the sh.e.l.ls remain. It was always just a target of conquest. The kingdoms need to go to war against another, produce and open up lands. The players will ride along too.”

The AI had to put up with his nagging.

It recreated the continent and set up the kingdoms, job cla.s.ses and races again.

“Design more adventures.”

– The majority of the responses was that Royal Road had a sufficient number of adventures.”

“There have to be dreams and fantasies. The realms of demons, G.o.ds and spirits have to be explored more… There must not be a limit in achievements and growth.”

– Acknowledged.

“It will be different from Royal Road. A huge population of players will begin altogether. Creating just another typical world is meaningless. We need to help them dream.”

***

Bard Ray never ceased to hunt even after his duel against Weed in Morata.

He led the Hermes Guild to clear dungeons and new challenges.

He accomplished many combat achievements in Jigolaths, the land of giants and one of the ten forbidden locations and thus confirmed the t.i.tle G.o.d Warrior as his own.

‘This is getting lonesome…’

Bard Ray often began to think about back when he had Weed as his compet.i.tor.

He thought it would relieve his thirst if he was feared and respected by all other players.

– The Hermes Guild conquered the continent.

– The birth of the United Empire!

He accomplished a great achievement, but it had already been completed by Weed.

Only after becoming the emperor did he understand what Weed felt when he left his empire to be torn apart.

‘There is nothing more to achieve here. He is a true adventurer.’

Bard Ray was always wary of Weed’s combat abilities. He realized later that his true ability was in his challenger’s mentality.

Bard Ray may have surpa.s.sed him in player level, but he could not do the same in achievements and mindset.

‘I won at the Melbourne Mines… I lost every other battle.’

Bard Ray also decided to lay down the sword after conquering the continent.

“I want to become a farmer. I heard that growing crops is the most satisfying experience.”

Recently, farming became a major trend in Royal Road!

It did not matter if one’s job cla.s.s was not a farmer.

All that was needed was a hefty piece of land to be seeded and farmed. Building a home on your own turf was the trendsetting lifestyle.

“Where is a good place I wonder?”

Bard Ray contemplated where he wanted to settle down and then he thought of Morata.

He did visit a few times and the liveliness of Morata was amazing. What’s more is that the land in proximity was permanently blessed by the G.o.ddess Freya.

Any kind of crop grew extremely well, making even novice farmers proud of their work.

Bard Ray liked the abandoned farmland to the east of Morata.

Through the Mapan Council, he connected with the player who owned it.

“Sell it to me. Is 200k gold enough?”

“Gasp. 200k gold?”

“I can give you 500k.”

“Are you serious?”

“I can give you a million. Are you selling or not?”

“I’ll sell right now!”

Bard Ray took over the farm and planted various crops.

Wheat, grapes, strawberries, peaches, watermelons, honeydew melons and kiwis.

He could see that each morning the crops grew a little more and soon after, the fruits grew into huge sizes.

‘I raised these fruits with my own hands and I feel proud of them.’

Bard Ray felt a deep, pleasant sensation with farming that he could not experience by hunting. Crops grew on his farm and flowers bloomed at the corners.

‘This is what I established. I made this.’

Glancing at the crops every morning was ever-so satisfying.

‘The farm feels a bit empty with just crops.’

Bard Ray went to Morata and bought some chicks.

Chirp-Chirp!

The cute yellow chicks scrambled around the farm.

‘Let’s get a dog too.’

He brought a white puppy and built a barn for a cow.

Woof-woof!

Mooo!

The farm tasks multiplied and so did his level of fulfillment.

‘Life is too short to waste it. One needs to find enjoyment in life.’

Bard Ray reminded himself how painful it was to compete.

His life could have been happy with some relaxation, but he was in a constant state of stress.

‘Competing fiercely had just been a stage in his life.’

Bard Ray told himself that as he collected the ripe peaches and headed for Morata.

Coincidentally, a farmer’s market was open at the eastern gate.

“Selling ripe watermelons!”

“Have a gla.s.s of tomato juice. It is made of real fruit. My cooking is Intermediate level 4.”

“Master of farming! A farmer with advanced level 2 farming harvested these grapes. They are huge and sweet. You will never get bored of this taste!”

Bard Ray sat at the corner and laid out his peaches.

It was a shame that he had to sell these crops that he put so much care into.

‘This would also be what farmers must endure.’

As he waited patiently, he kept hearing the voices of other farmers.

“Buy some honey. Honey! This is from the garden of the fairies. It is really sweet and good to put in any dish.”

“A special product only found in elven forests. This here is the leaf of the World Tree. It is the best ingredient for any savory magical dis.h.!.+”

“Selling Devil Fruit. Only for those who know of its true value. It’s only on sale for 10 minutes!”

There were a variety of products being sold at the farmers market; more than what Bard Ray expected. Of course, typical fruits were being sold in huge quant.i.ties.

“Selling juicy peaches. I will refund them if they don’t satisfy your tongue! Buy it and taste it right away. I am confident!”

Peaches!

Bard Ray took a peek and their peaches were at least half a size bigger and more vivid in color than his own.

“…”

He was the only one sitting idly without shouting to draw the attention of customers.

He did not know until now because he had no interest before. But even the farmers had severe compet.i.tion.

‘Farming was also a difficult job.’

Still, Bard Ray remained quiet.

He could easily earn as much from swinging his sword once at a hunting ground, but these fruits were the product of his sweat and toil.

‘If even one customer shows up, should I sell it at a low price?’

As he waited idly, someone else opened up a shop just beside him.

Starting in the morning, there were already many players who laid out their products and sold out. Bard Ray tried not to be too mindful of them. However…

“Huh?”

Someone’s voice seemed surprised as if he recognized Bard Ray.

Bard Ray quickly turned his head.

“Please keep my ident.i.ty a secret. Quietly… Huh?”

“Bard Ray?”

“You can’t be Weed?”

***

Weed met eyes with Bard Ray.

‘What on earth is this guy doing here?’

He was thrown off momentarily but quickly scanned the situation once he noticed the peaches.

‘This guy is farming.’

He observed the quality of the peaches and made an instant a.n.a.lysis.

‘He’s a novice. A novice of novices!’

He heard about Weed sweeping through the hunting grounds until recently, so there was no doubt about it. It was needless to ask why he switched to farming.

The present was more important than reason!

Weed’s mouth waved.

“Farming is fun, right? It’s quite rewarding too.”

“Ah, yeah. I guess…”

(To be continued…)