Chapter 339 - 219: The 3rd and 4th Pieces of Equipment
The park’s construction was a success. After Li Wei obtained the formula from Elias, the third stage of his quest began: to concoct an ancient Magic Potion.
In a corridor late at night, dim floor lamps cast a faint glow.
Don Quixote, dressed in dark blue pajamas, was leaning on a golf club as if it were a hand-and-a-half sword.
His eyes were shut tight, his brow furrowed into a knot. A cold sweat of anxiety even beaded on his forehead.
"The Court Mage has sent me a secret message," he said with his eyes closed, his expression grave. "Intelligence reveals that the old King’s flame of life is flickering in the wind, and his throne has begun to crack. All Knights, vassals, and even the Mercenaries who wallow in the mud must now make a choice."
"The time has come to choose a side, my friend," he said, slamming the golf club into the carpet with a muffled thud. "If we choose the wrong side, we will face the guillotine and an endless abyss."
Immediately after, a blinding scarlet light erupted from the eye sockets of the [Chattering Court Jester’s Skull] floating beside him.
[HEH HEH HEH! Did you hear that, Knight! The old geezer is about to kick the bucket, and the hyenas are starting to fight over the bloody bones!]
Li Wei, however, frowned.
’Kicking the bucket? He must be talking about Alexander Mellon.’
By all conventional logic, everyone—from the eldest son, Timothy, and the third son, Alister, to the youngest daughter, Beatrice—seemed to believe Alexander was in poor health. Even the decision to have Elizabeth rejoin the Christmas banquet at the end of next month appeared to be a clear signal: the old man’s health was failing, and he was going to abdicate.
However, Li Wei didn’t see it that way.
This was because Director Harrison, formerly the Mellon Family’s physician, had once given him a very clear hint:
He felt that Alexander Mellon was still in fairly good health.
’That made things interesting. So which side had bad information?’
As he mulled this over, Li Wei watched a bolded text box refresh before his eyes like a cascading waterfall. A massive, multi-branch main quest was officially unfolding:
[You have triggered the Faction Main Quest: Throne in the Eye of the Storm (Irreversible)]
[Quest Description: A change in kingship is often accompanied by rivers of blood. As a rising Silver Knight, your warhammer and renown have caught the avaricious attention of various factions. You must offer your sword to a liege; your choice will directly determine your ultimate fate on this continent.]
[Path One (Simple): Remain Loyal to the Old King]
[Description: Although the old King is at death’s door, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Royal Court’s elite guard still obeys his command. As long as you are willing to be his last loyal hound and put down any usurper who dares approach the throne, you will earn his reward.]
[Quest Reward: The King’s Noble Seal of Pardon (Uses: 1/1)]
[The King’s Noble Seal of Pardon]: A passive item. Carrying it slightly increases standing with official organizations. Comes with the one-time skill "King’s Forgiveness," which can be used to negate one non-fatal reputation crisis or legal dispute.
[Path Two (Simple): Support the Eldest Prince]
[Description: The Eldest Prince has a powerful army and countless fierce generals under his command. Join him, and you will only need to cheer from the sidelines in a winning game to get a share of the scraps.]
[Quest Reward: Golden Scepter of Command]
[Golden Scepter of Command]: An aura-type item. When used, it forcibly increases the work efficiency of servants, but it also increases their chances of desertion and rebellion.
[Path Three (Medium): Join the Third Prince]
[Description: The Third Prince is an absolute madman, and his faction is teeming with desperadoes and heretics. Follow him, and you will dance in the ensuing chaos, perhaps even snagging a windfall for yourself in the process.]
[Quest Reward: Mad Monk’s Absinthe Flask (Daily: 1/1)]
[Mad Monk’s Absinthe Flask]: After drinking, gain +2 to Strength and Agility checks for a short time, but you will enter an uncontrollable berserk state, accompanied by hallucinations.
[Path Four (Medium): Collude with the Cloth Merchants]
[Description: Those cloth merchants reeking of money (Beatrice) are trying to measure the weight of kingship with Gold Coins. Become their blade and cleave open the iron gates of the royal court for them.]
[Quest Reward: Greedy Goblin’s Parchment of Truth]
[Greedy Goblin’s Parchment of Truth]: When signing any business contract or reaching a verbal agreement, it will automatically identify all hidden traps and the other party’s true bottom line.
After reading the first four options, Li Wei’s expression remained unchanged.
’After all, this wasn’t a game, and these people weren’t emotionless NPCs that would let him switch factions at will.’
’In their eyes, he was all but bound to Elizabeth. Besides, even if he turned traitor, all of these factions already had their own established interest groups and solid bases of support.’
’If he joined any of them now, he’d be nothing more than a high-level hired gun. The moment he outlived his usefulness, he’d be kicked to the curb. As for the rewards, while useful in specific situations, each seemed to have a downside and was nowhere near powerful enough to be a game-changer.’
Li Wei scrolled down the dialogue box, continuing to the last option, which was also highlighted in red:
[Path Five (Hell/Extremely Difficult): Support the Little Princess]