Chapter 260 - 177: Preparation
Initially, they thought the game update was because the two most recent dungeons had been more or less cleared, so the developers were about to open up a new map for them.
But, they never expected this.
An update about a large-scale group battle!
This immediately sent the players still in the game into a frenzy of excited chatter on the world channel.
"Yes! Battle! Battle!"
"Warriors, on my command! Three, two, one, engage!"
"This large-scale group battle must be against the Firewood Thieves... These Pot Heads are no pushovers. They’re a real pain in the ass."
"Tch, who cares? As long as we have Resurrection, I’ll just zerg rush them with my own life!"
"Hahahahahaha! I’ll just go Explosive Bull and blow them all to kingdom come! They can all go eat shit!"
"What the hell is this restrictive quest? Has anyone asked the Candlekeeper?"
"The update isn’t finished yet. The Candlekeeper isn’t responding right now."
"..."
Without a doubt, the update announcement had two main points: one, the large-scale group battle, and two, the so-called [Restrictive Long-Term Quest].
However, even though it was a live update, it hadn’t finished yet, so the players’ calls to the Candlekeeper naturally went unanswered.
The Storyteller, who was in the middle of editing a video, also got the news at this time. He then posted it in the group chat, sparking a heated discussion.
MyTrueSelf_QuellsAllFoes: "Excellent! If foreign enemies dare to invade, I will make sure they never return!"
Never Air Force Fisherman: "Wait, why is a team battle starting now? How am I supposed to fish?"
Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "...Brother Yu, look at the time! You’re still thinking about fishing."
Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "If you put in more effort during this team battle, maybe the Candlekeeper will give you some new fishing gear? A craftsman must sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well!"
Never Air Force Fisherman: "...Makes sense."
My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "During the team fight, Miaozi, you listen to my command. You get up front and tank, and I’ll be the DPS!"
Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "Piss off. I don’t even want to talk about your ADC plays from before."
"..."
Seeing the topic about to go off track again, the Storyteller quickly spoke up to pull it back.
Storyteller: "After looking into the situation, I discovered that the Firewood Thieves’ attack isn’t without precedent."
Storyteller: "Sea Zone One is where these Firewood Thieves appear most frequently, and their appearances have been getting more and more common recently..."
Crafty Frog: "(Nose pick) You’re talking nonsense again. What’s the use of knowing all this? We still have to fight them either way, don’t we?"
Storyteller: "Your brain doesn’t work so well, so I won’t lower myself to your level."
Storyteller: "After all this time, you still haven’t discovered that Spirit Candle’s dynamic plot has its own operational logic and trajectory? In other words, everything follows a pattern."
Storyteller: "If we understand it well enough, we can even predict the next stage of our dynamic plot based on the available information!"
Seeing this, Wa Zai thought for a moment and felt that the kid had a point.
’But... he actually dared to insult me! I have to give this kid a taste of my iron fist!’
Venerable Lique: "By the way, what happens if we lose this team battle? Those Pot Heads are pretty strong."
Storyteller: "...I don’t know."
Storyteller: "But in my personal opinion, if we lose this group battle, we probably won’t be annihilated, but some islands might not be safe. Perhaps various Spirit Candle Buildings could be destroyed."
Storyteller: "Spirit Candle has always been pretty hardcore. I don’t think it would arrange an easy, guaranteed-win group battle for us..."
As soon as he said this, the Prison Players, who had been relatively relaxed, started to think. The more they thought, the more they realized it was a real possibility!
Judging from past experience, the game Spirit Candle was extremely high in both its hardcore difficulty and its realism.
The plot and interactions with NPCs also led to different outcomes depending on the players’ choices.
Therefore, this large-scale group battle involving all players naturally had a chance of ending in defeat.
And the consequences of failure would most likely be borne by all players together...
Thinking of this, everyone couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.
Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "Holy shit, then we have to prepare in advance!"
I do Bull’s Push-ups: "@Time_To_Eat_Mushrooms, Mushroom, stop fucking going out! Hurry up and brew some Magic Potions, I need them!"
Time to Eat Mushrooms: "...Fine, fine, fine. I’ll go another day."
Sitting and Not Forgetting the Dao: "I’m off to grind Levels."
Gray Sky: "It seems I must continue to raise my Temperature..."
Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "Damn, maybe we should just skip class right now? It’s only an elective today anyway. @My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore."
My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "Well... no rush. I need to spend some time with my girlfriend first. I went to bed early yesterday and didn’t reply to her message. If I run off again, she’ll get pissed at me later."
Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "Women will only slow the speed of your sword!"
"..."
After the Storyteller’s logical and well-reasoned analysis, the players suddenly felt a sense of urgency. Some who originally had plans even canceled them, returning home to start preparing for war.
This was a war that would determine the future circumstances of all players!
...
"Hooo..."
Luo Ge let out a long, heavy breath.
At this moment, before the Dark Boundary in the sea behind Qi Xin Chapel, a doorway enveloped in azure Power of the Spirit Candle had appeared. It seemed to lead to a completely different area.
This was the "battlefield" he had expended considerable effort and Power of the Spirit Candle to create.
The Firewood Thieves’ offensive was imminent. Placing the battlefield on Candle Island, their main base, would obviously be an unwise move.
Although Candle Island could repair itself, who knew how the war would turn out?
To be honest, Luo Ge had no confidence in this battle.
He had even prepared to pack up and flee.
The reason was simple.
The impression the Firewood Thieves and the Shadow of Deceit gave him was completely different.
The Shadow of Deceit felt like a despicable villain who would use any means necessary to maximize their own profit.
The Firewood Thieves, on the other hand, were more like calm and ruthless assassins who, once locked on a target, would stop at nothing to achieve their goal.
Therefore, when dealing with the Firewood Thieves, Luo Ge had to be fully prepared.
However, he also had a faint suspicion that the Firewood Thieves shouldn’t be so powerful as to be despair-inducing.
After all, if that were the case, the Shadow of Deceit probably wouldn’t have extended an olive branch to him, and Le Ti would have been even less likely to make a "venture investment."
After all, if there was risk, then there had to be a chance of winning.
Otherwise, with Le Ti’s profiteer-like demeanor, he would never make a losing deal.
Of course, speculation was just speculation.
Luo Ge still preferred to be thoroughly prepared, so he had made a series of arrangements, using the Spirit Fire Port and the Power of the Spirit Candle to open up this battlefield.
That way, if the situation turned sour, he could cut his losses and run.
As long as the green mountains are there, one need not worry about firewood. If he really couldn’t win, there was no need for Luo Ge to fight the Firewood Thieves to the death.
’When the time comes, I’ll send the High Level players into the battlefield as the main force... For other areas, I’ll deploy some Low Level players as cannon fodder. They can buy time if anything unexpected happens... ’
’Sea Zone One, the place where the Firewood Thieves appear in dense numbers, will also need a portion of our forces for defense... ’
Just as Luo Ge was muttering to himself, someone suddenly walked up from behind him.
"There. Leave that to me."
Burton Mage’s voice was gentle yet steady.
"Burton Mage?" Luo Ge was a little surprised. He hadn’t told him what was about to happen, so how did he know?
As if sensing Luo Ge’s doubt, Burton Mage quickly answered his question.
"My students have all been talking about the war..."
Burton smiled, then his expression turned serious.
"Mr. Luo Ge, regardless of your concerns, I hope you will agree to my request."
"Once a flame is Extinguished, all who sit around the Campfire will lose the guidance of the Firelight..."
"Whether for the sake of my friends or these students, I must offer my Power."
Burton’s face was stern.
It seemed he thought Luo Ge still had reservations about him.
Luo Ge fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"In that case, I’ll leave Sea Zone One to you, Burton Mage."
Burton bowed solemnly, accepting the responsibility Luo Ge had entrusted to him.
...
"Noxia, when the time comes, you guard the vicinity of Candle Island. Notify me immediately if anything happens."
Luo Ge said to Noxia.
After Burton, Noxia had also gotten the news. The reason, naturally, was this group of young players who ran around asking about everything.
But it wasn’t a problem; he had been planning to make arrangements anyway.
Noxia nodded gravely, then bowed.
Then, he turned his gaze to the players before him.
At this point, the live update had finished.
Although it was daytime, because of the announcement and the post the Storyteller made on the forums, many players were paying close attention to this first large-scale war and hadn’t logged off.
And Luo Ge and Noxia’s recent conversation hadn’t been hidden from these players.
"The Candlekeeper should be assigning war duties, right?"
"Duh."
"Hehe, it’s just like the Storyteller said. Everything in the dynamic plot follows a pattern. A team battle is about to start, so the Candlekeeper is assigning tasks. It’s so realistic."
"Alright, alright, stop muttering. The Candlekeeper’s here."
"..."
Seeing the Candlekeeper approach, the group of players quickly ended their conversation and stared at him with eager anticipation.
One of the players, for whatever reason, was making a bizarre cross-eyed face. He looked completely serious, yet his eyes shone with a glimmer of "Wisdom."
The key thing was, this guy was from the Explosive Bull school. Although he wasn’t in his Fire Seed form, he was wearing a Corpse Shell. The other players kept their distance, making him stand out.
Looking at these goofball players, Luo Ge was speechless and sighed internally.
’For some reason, I feel like our chances of winning just dropped a little... ’
Pushing the thought down, Luo Ge began to talk about the matter they were most concerned with.
"Warriors, there is now a difficult and important task that requires some of you to complete..."
"That is, to go to the Shadow of Deceit, establish a point of contact, and gather information..."