The day arrived, and after Chris and Paul logged bato FSO, they were hit with massive news from Vd’s mother, who was utterly shocked about what had just happe night.
“You’re finally back! You won’t believe what happened! A giant dragon has bee the guardian of Elderbridge! By any ce, is this your doing?”
“Uh, yeah, kind of; I mean, Chris… Chris tamed it,” said Vd. “I mean, Alitheus. Wait, what happened?”
“Argentia did something weird?” Chris wondered, slightly afraid to learn what that giant lizard might have done.
The two were surprised by Vd’s mother ag so excited; this wasn’t something normal, so whatever that giant dragon had do was very special.
“He has siwo hundred monsters and offered half of their corpses to me as a prize for some reason,” said the Vampiress. “Also he talk freely and has bee quite an attra. He is stantly talking about his priestess, “Alitheus Chris." Is that you?”
“Yes…” nodded Chris. “Dammit, he’s making a lot of fuss!”
“Well, at least he’s helping,” Vd shrugged. “What else happened? Is that it, mother?”
“Not everything, apparently he saved a caravan of merts! They were like a dozen merts, so they are now here, I helped them find a good spot in the middle of the city, and they have begun selling all kinds of rare items and wares from around the world, and even other realms,” she said. “It hasn’t happened in many years! Merts mostly avoid this city due to how dangerous it is to get here…”
“But with Argentia, that might ge, no?” Vd rubbed his . “Iing, I only wanted him as a protector at most, but he has already done more than I thought! He’s a bit strange, but he’s not bad at all, huh? We got lucky, Chris.”
“I-I guess so…”
Chris was still uo believe that weird dragon had done anything hy, but if Vd’s mother herself was saying it, he had to believe it.
“Why the big fuss…”
Suddenly, little Cami woke up from her nap, sitting over Vd’s bed after yawning.
“Ah, sorry for waking you up, dear,” Teressa said, kissing Camil’s forehead. “Go back to sleep if you want. We’ll leave.”
“Yeah, just nap all you want, you’re at the age where you should just rest and py, Camil,” Vd nodded, patting her head.
“I’m hungry now…” Camil said. “Mama, did you make stew again?”
“Stew…” Teressa muttered. “Holy, I haven’t had much time for myself, I’ve been going from one pce to another, helping rebuild every pce that got destroyed, you see. But I could cook something up for everyone. Shall we celebrate that dragon guardian with a nice feast? I think we afford so much!”
“Sure…” Paul thought it was fio eat something before tinuing with their pns.
"Alright, mother-in-w—I mean, Lady Teressa…!” Alitheus panicked for a bit, saying words he didn’t io. “Ahem! I liked that purple riade… you do it again?”
“Hmph!” Teressa would have been more upset if it wasn’t because Chris had done a lot for the city already; she let him talk a bit more freely with her. “Well, fine… But only because you’ve done a lot for this city, Alitheus. You’re a servant, so don’t get too ahead of yourself!”
“A-Ah, yeah, sorry!” ughed Chris slightly nervously.
However, Paul could clearly tell that the cold ice armor that protected Vd’s mother's heart had already melted pletely after yesterday’s events, and she had beuch more affeate.
Like that, they walked downstairs and helped Teressa cook a huge feast, which they enjoyed on the rge manor’s terrace this time, below the three moon’s gaze and the beautiful, eternal starry night.
“Well, now that we’re back, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check the Raid Shop that I had been ign for some time…” Paul thought as he ehe meals that vampires from the tryside apparently ate, which were actually quite tasty. Unfortunately, he had yet to grow used to the taste of blood, as he most of the time directly absorbed it into Blood Power.
Ding!
[Initializing Raid Shop... Raid Shop has been successfully loaded.]
[Showg Exclusive Raid Shop…]
[Because you’ve Ranked First in the {Unending Crimson} Raid, you’ve gained access to the entire Raid Shop and its many avaible Uems. Shop wisely!]
“Shop wisely, huh… Let’s see.”
-----
[Avaible Raid Score Points]: [360.000]
[Random Unending Crimson Raid-Themed Skill Grimoire (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [25.000]
[Random Unending Crimson Raid-Themed Equipment Treasure Chest (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [25.000]
[Random High Quality Material Treasure Chest For Crafting and Alchemy (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [20.000]
[Elixir of Growth (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [20.000]
[Elixir of Skill Evolution (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [20.000]
[Guild Creatioificate (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [40.000]
[Territory Ownership Fg (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [40.000]
[Random Territuardian Egg (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [30.000]
[Random Territory Hero Summoning Stone (S+ Grade)] [Cost]: [30.000]
[Random Territory Facility Creation Marble (S Grade)] [Cost]: [20.000]
[Random Territory Bounty Resource Bag (A Grade)] [Cost]: [10.000]
-----
“What the hell…?”
Paul couldn’t help but mutter those words out loud as he saw the Raid Shop with his eyes.
Although the first set of items that were sold were quite generic, everything ged once he read the Useful Items category.
There were straems he had not seen before, such as Guild Creatioificate, which, upon closer iion and analysis, seemed to help him create his own Guild as long as enough members were gathered!
Guilds weren’t just that and nothing else; they were a union of pyers, and any pyer inside of guilds enjoyed a rge quantity of great bes, from special guild member-boosting skills to loot drop rate, stat enha, boss damage, stat enha when together, ueiques, and more!
Also, if this aired with the item, Territory Ownership Fg, a guild could take over an uncimed or quered territory and make it their own! This allowed for a pletely new hidden system to be unlocked, the Territory Ma System.
It has only been a week sihe game officially came out, but Vd had already read about the first few guilds being made but had yet to cim territory.
After all, the world of Genesis was already densely poputed by strong NPiory seemed unrealistic this early on.
Except that Vd already teically possessed a territory, his randomly geed avatar was granted such a background; as the son of a duchess, the ey of Elderbridge practically belongs to him as much as his mother.
“Well, teically, its still Vd’s mother’s territory, but I i a part of it... Or even all of it if she were to die, right?” wondered Paul. “Hmm, what are these other items?”
Aside from the fg and the certificate, there were a couple of other straems that seemed to only be usable once you had a Territory of your own.
The Random Territuardian Egg apparently was the egg of a magic creature, which had to be pced on a special facility known as “Guardia” where it would take some time before hatg.
Then the Guardian apparently would give the whole territory unique effects on their growth, potential, learning speed, produ, and so on based on the beast it is.
Additionally, as a beast, it fight and protect the city if it is ever attacked, raided, and so on, something they desperately needed.
Although Argentia was now here to protect the city, he was only one being, and he couldn’t be in every single pce.
“It’s pretty iing... It also grants the ability to create Unique Units? Wait, units? Is this a strategy game now?”
His theory of the Territory Ma System being about strategy and defense quickly became ted when he checked the other items avaible.
The Random Territory Hero Summoning Stohe Random Territory Facility Creation Marble, and the Random Territory Bounty Resource Bag were all about the Territory too!
The Summoning Stone allowed him to summon one random Territory Hero, which apparently would be like a powerful type of soldier, eneral of sorts, with unique powers.
It quite literally allowed him to summon a person who would be loyal to him.
Then there was the Facility Creation Marble, a magic marble of gss that, once pced on ay area, would create a facility at random.
These “facilities” were like special buildings or areas that would gee a certain resource or could be used to research certain things to improve a Territory.
Then, stly, there was that Bag of Resources, which allowed him to stock up on various resources Territories need, apparently.
Including food, somehow!
“I had no idea there was such a system in this game…” Paul was amazed. “But it seems these items are only avaible to me? Because I ranked first on the first ever raid, right?”
It ractically all for him—a ce for him to get ahead of every other pyer, or even the rising guilds of obsessed gamers that py even more hours a day than him.
“Heh…”
And he smiled viciously, so viciously that his mother and Chris noticed his evil, vilinous smile, growing slightly nervous.
“Um, son, what’s wrong? Why are you smiling like that?” his mother asked.
“Huh? Ah, I was... Well, I guess it’s fio share this, but what happened a couple of days ago in the Raid. Remember that?” Vd asked. “Well, there’s this Raid Shop and…”
He decided to expin it all to Vd’s mother and Alitheus; it was necessary for them to know the existence of sucredible items.
The rea of Chris was one of surprise, but nothing much more than that, while that of Teressa, however.
“You mean you purchase artifacts that simply create things?!” she gasped. “T-That could certainly help us out so much! A-And this territory thing… and guilds… on-pyers like me join them?”
“I… don’t know; I’ll have to check,” said Vd. “But what do you think? Wouldn’t it be good to protect our territory even further? Though, for that, you would have to allow me to take over this city... I would bee the owner, but outside of this system and artifacts ws, you would still be the owner in the eyes of the rest of the people anyway.”
“Hmm, certainly…” eressa. “It’s something that I think I need some time to think about…”
“But Lady Teressa, what if we get attacked again? There’s Argentia there, but that won’t be enough; he ’t be everywhere, and we ’t be everywhere either. More people might die again. More houses will be destroyed, and the trust of the citizens will plummet again! Do you want that?”
“E-Eh? Of course I don’t…” Teressa muttered.
“What is this guy doing?” Paul thought. “Is he trying to vince her through pressure? Seriously…”
“Even then, it’s her choiake Alitheus,” Vd said. “So please just leave her be… I've already repaired our equipment, so today we’ll be quite busy. We o go take care of some thugs.”
“Ah, fine… And yeah! Almost fot,” Chris nodded.
After they fiheir meals, they were ready to depart into the darker districts of Elderbridge, where the worst thugs, criminals, and drug dealers lived.
It was time for some up—a mueeded ohat Elderbridge had been desperately asking for sint times at this point.
“Before we even make this pce our territory, we have to make sure it’s and well presentable,” said Vd. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go; I was bored anyway.” Chris smiled mischievously.
“Take care, please!”
Teressa saw them both walking away, slightly worried.
She wao go with them, but right now she was still helping everyoh the rebuilding of the destroyed areas of the city.
“Mama! I help you rebuild stuff?”
“Oh, Camil! I had no idea you wao help. Well, your Telekinesis could e in handy, so sure! But don’t overexert yourself.”
“Okay!”
Camil wao help however she could, apanying her mother to rebuild the city they lived in.
At the same time, Vd and Alitheus had already made their way deep into the city’s darkest alleys, where the poorest folks lived.
There were beggars oreets everywhere, malnourished children begging for money or food, and more.
He wao help them, but he didn’t really have the resources for that yet. They moved quickly, although Paul noticed how sad Chris looked.
“Don’t worry, we’ll ge this, oep at a time.”
“Okay…”
Using the reports and rants he found online, he quickly found one alley that had bee quite unpopur among newbies.
It was called Riot Street by the pyers, a series of byrinthine alleys where small shops were located.
All these small and cheap shops were fake, though, made to attract people, especially gullible pyers, and rob them of everything they had.
“Let’s go here first…”
“Are you sure?”
“Just follow me.”
The two walked towards the shop, immediately entering to notice a run-dowh a few tris here and there and old, expired potions pced on wooden tables.
There was a single old man, a goblin man, sitting over a chair while smoking from a pipe as he read some neers.
He gred at them, raising an eyebrow and smiling brightly.
“Wele! Are you here to shop for something? Are you Pyers by any ce?”
“Yes sir! I just got this big bag of money with me; I wao buy potions and stuff, hahaha!”
Vd’s ag was terrible, but the goblin bought it as his eyes turned into signs the moment he saw the bag of s.
“Sure! What do you…”
“Wait a sed; you barely have anything here, though? Okay, let’s go somewhere else.”
Then, out of nowhere, and with Chris' fusion, Vd turhe other way and walked to the door.
“Hah?!”
The goblin was shocked, quickly smming the desk.
“Bastard! Where do you think yoing?! Alright, boys, jump them!”
Suddenly, a group of four men—two ord two muscur demons with wings, gargoyles—appeared from the entrance, alongside three more orcs that walked from upstairs.
“Why don’t you leave that bag of s before leaving, sir vampire?”
They cracked their knuckles, preparing themselves to beat these two newbies to death.
“That girl is cute! ’t we have our fun with her before we kill her?”
“We’ve tried doing that before, but Pyers are somerotected or something; it ’t be done!”
"Well, that’s a pity; at least we grab her fat ass and-”
SLASH!
Before they could tialking, Vd uhed his bde and swung it vertically.
The thugs talking their nonse a swift end as their bodies were sliced apart, blood gushing out of their sliced torsos.
“H-Huh…?”
As Vd drank the blood out of his sword, he gred at the men in front of him.
“That should be enough proof that you’re irremediable bastards. Are you prepared to pay for your crimes? I, Vd Von Sange, seventh prince of the Iron Blood Empire, have e to personally sy you criminals!”
“What’s wrong with this guy? He totally got into the character…” Chris was ughing as he thought that Paul had a screw loose.
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Pach