▪️REMOVING EQUIPMENT

In a dimly-lit abode made of stone, a group of dwarves hidden within the shroud of darkness, gathered together as they convened in whispered discussions.

“.. A group of elves who worships an evil god? Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m quite certain. Anyway…you’ll know when you see them. Those elves are very abnormal, and the only way to explain their odd behavior is them being followers of an evil god.”

“These elves have arrived at the perfect time… I had intended to wait a bit longer, but I didn’t anticipate this opportunity! If we can utilize them to instigate some chaos, then our plan will go much more smoothly… When do you expect them to arrive here?”

“They are currently hunting monsters in the Dark Forest. Based on their speed… it is likely that they will exterminate all the scorpions there within a maximum of two days.”

“Hmm… two days, it appears that you believe this group of elves, suspected of worshipping an evil god, is highly formidable in combat?”

“I think so…at the very least, stronger than our own people.”

“Hehe, it would be even more advantageous if they were stronger. If we could utilize them to sow chaos and eliminate that person in the midst of the confusion, then we would ultimately emerge victorious. However, I fear… they may not comply with our intentions.”

“High Priest, Your Eminence, you worry too much. I have closely observed them. Followers of evil gods are typically ruthless and fanatical. Even a slight provocation will undoubtedly unleash their fury…

“Well, it’s up to you…act according to the situation! In any case… there is only one goal, and our operation this time must succeed at all cost…”

While the figures hidden within the shadows were engaged in hushed discussions, suddenly, another figure stumbled in:

“High Priest! Your Eminence! Over three hundred fully armed elves have suddenly appeared outside the city! They…T-They are currently heading in our direction!”

“Why so quickly? Three hundred people? Didn’t you mention earlier that there were just a little over a hundred?”

“Cough… m-maybe I didn’t see it clearly…”

“Ah, forget it. Whether it was a hundred or three hundred, it wouldn’t make much difference. As long as we can reclaim Blackrock City this time, the magnitude of sacrifices becomes inconsequential. After all, those who will perish are nothing but betrayers of our lord! Let it be so. I assume you will soon be summoned to address this situation, so why not take the initiative to go back and return first?

“Yes, Your Eminence!”

After uttering these words, the figures gradually vanished one by one.

Blackrock City, inside a solemn black temple.

A female dwarf, clad in a black ceremonial priest’s robe, knelt before a stone statue. The statue before her portrayed a majestic deity with feminine characteristics.

Surprisingly, it stood tall, completely deviating from the typical stature of a dwarf. Adorned with a black hood, the statue commanded attention, holding a magnificent gem in one hand whilst wielding a massive scythe in the other. Its presence exuded authority and lifelike realism.

While the female dwarf silently prayed, hurried footsteps suddenly approached her from behind.

“Shrinelord! Shrinelord! Something terrible has occurred!”

The priestess momentarily paused her prayers. She then gracefully stood up and turned her gaze towards the newcomer.

“What is happening, Lord Barain?” she inquired.

“A group of fully armed elven mercenaries has arrived at the city gates. They are immensely powerful, and the guards were unable to stop their entry. They have already infiltrated the city. I apologize for disturbing you, but we require your decision!” Lord Barain replied.

“….Elves?” The dwarven priestess was slightly taken aback, her eyes blinking a few times in confusion.

Inside the dwarven city,

Upon accepting the questline, more than three hundred players rushed eagerly towards the city of dwarves.

Their actions were swift and imposing, catching the dwarves currently guarding the city gates off guard.

Initially, the guards appeared bewildered and were unable to hinder the players’ entry into their city. It was only when a larger influx of players flooded in that the guardsmen finally reacted, hastily mobilizing additional soldiers to surround the players.

As a sizable group of anxious and uneasy-looking dwarven warriors closed in on them, the players exchanged bewildered glances amongst each other.

“Weren’t these dwarves neutral NPCs? Why are they behaving as if they intend to fight us?”

“Could it be that… our presence has somehow frightened them?”

“Then why did they surrounded us only after we passed through the city gates?”

“Could these individuals be gangsters then? The info we got mentioned that many local inhabitants residing in the underground are ruthless…”

The players exchanged dubious glances at the dwarves encircling them, as they instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.

Observing the players’ actions, the dwarves grew even more anxious.

In retrospect, this reaction from the locals was to be expected, considering that the players had just recently been involved in battles against monsters, and each of them still exuded a faint air of aggression. Some players even had bloodstains on the equipments they are wearing, thus making themselves look like a group of dangerous individuals not to be trifled with…

Recognizing the players’ heightened vigilance and the gradually worsening atmosphere, Tomato swiftly switched his voice system’s language conversion to elvish and addressed the players in a loud voice:

“No, something isn’t right! This must be a part of the quest. Everyone, refrain from acting impulsively! Remember, these are neutral NPCs, and displaying aggression may negatively impact our reputation scores with them. Let us avoid any reckless behavior!”

“I’ve read from many western fantasy novels that dwarves tend to have a very violent temper…seeing as our group consists of more than three hundred fully armed individuals who have suddenly entered their city without providing any sort of explanation, it’s understandable for them to be wary of us.”

“Be patient, everyone! Let us attempt to negotiate with them first. Remember, our overall reputation score is a collective effort, and this presents an opportunity to improve our faction’s reputation!”

“For now let’s just do anything they ask us to do. Everyone needs to have thick skin. As long as we raise our overall reputation, then everything should eventually work out!”

“If anyone causes trouble and somehow it affects our faction’s overall reputation score, then mark my words, First Legion won’t ever forget it!”

Upon hearing his words, the players hesitated for a moment before releasing their grips on their weapons one by one.

Ever since the favorability system was overhauled, the importance of NPCs’ favorability has increased significantly, and the player’s personal reputation score is now closely tied to their speed of advancement.

As this was a rare opportunity to potentially increase their overall reputation score, the players naturally didn’t want to ruin it and let such chance go to waste.

Although many players felt uneasy due to the implied threat in the last sentence spoken by the First Legion’s Guildmaster, they acknowledged that the other party had made a valid point.

Because… improving one’s favorability was truly challenging after the patch.

The reason was simple.

This damned game actually had a ‘first impression’ schematics similar to reality!

In the Elven Kingdom, the initial impression made on NPCs carried significant weight. If a player managed to make a good first impression, then raising their favorability later on would be so much easier.

However, in the case of a negative first impression, the consequences would be disastrous, as it would require twice the effort to achieve only half the results.

Take Demacia, for example. That poor guy is still cleaning toilets in Florence. It is said that he has been doing it for so long, constantly crying and apologizing to NPCs while desperately clinging to their legs. To make matters worse, all his hard work only earned him a measly personal reputation score of 1.

Moreover… most NPCs still had negative favorability towards him.

And this time, the majority of players who arrived in the dwarven city were combat-oriented players.

Unlike life-oriented players who prioritize social activities and regularly interact with NPCs, combat-oriented players only interacted with NPCs on an occasional basis, usually for the purpose of completing quests. As a result, most NPCs tend to have lower favorability towards them.

So… encountering these dwarves for the first time and triggering a quest that had a direct impact on their overall reputation score was indeed rare.

While the players are currently in a standoff with the guards, a group of heavily armored dwarf soldiers could be seen in the distance, escorting two dwarves who appears to be in a much higher position.

As they drew closer, it became evident that the two leaders were a male dwarf and a female dwarf.

The male dwarf appeared quite old with a fully bald head, and he’s respectfully walking half a step behind the female dwarf.

On the other hand, the female dwarf is attired in a black ceremonial priest’s robe. In contrast to the male dwarves with robust physiques, she possesses a more slender petite stature…

Many players showed a look of surprise upon seeing her.

Seeing the dwarves surrounding them, they thought that… female dwarves were also bulky thick like the male dwarves.

Unfortunately, all the dark dwarves have dark-colored skin tone, which is quite a rare sight back in the Celestial Empire. Hence, the players are having a hard time differentiating one dwarf from another…

Meanwhile, curiosity also arose within their hearts:

Could this female dwarf, who appears like a priest, be the aforementioned goddess of death or a follower of the Lord of darkness and shadows?

Upon seeing the gathered players, the female dwarf appeared surprised as well.

Without waiting for her to speak, the elderly dwarf stepped forward with a hostile tone and said, “Elves? Where did you come from? Why did you invade our city?”

The players looked around awkwardly before Tomato finally decided to step forward.

He subconsciously wanted to draw a tree symbol on his chest but quickly realized his mistake and scratched his head instead.

With a gentle smile, he spoke in a more amiable manner, stating, “We belong to an elven Mercenary Corps from the surface. Our purpose in coming here underground is to seek adventure. We were curious when we saw your magnificent city, so we wanted to visit and perhaps engage in some trading or make friends if possible.”

After hearing his words, the expression of the female dwarf softened a bit.

She looked at the players and sighed, “I never thought elves would also have a mercenary corps, and you managed to gather so many of your kind!”

The male elderly dwarf shook his head and spoke firmly, “I understand your intentions, but… sorry, our city does not welcome outsiders. If you wish to visit and communicate, then you may designate a representative to enter the city on your group’s behalf, but others will not be permitted. However, there is an alternative… If you are willing to remove all your equipment and weapons, only then will we grant permission for you to stay within the city.”

After saying this, the atmosphere around them instantly became serious.

The female dwarf furrowed her brow slightly.

In the underworld, equipment and strength were the lifelines of mercenaries and adventurers. Asking them to remove their equipment was nothing short of a provocation.

Their equipment was basically their life; how could they just casually take it off?

The words of the old dwarf appeared to be aimed at safeguarding the city’s safety, but in reality, they sounded excessively provocative. If they were uttered in the presence of another hotheaded underground race, then it could have easily sparked conflict with the dwarves…

Fortunately… these visitors were elves!

The female dwarf helplessly glanced at the old dwarf, sighed, and said to the players, “Please forgive us. Grandpa Barain is the elder of our tribe, and he said that for the safety of our tribe. I understand the nobility of the elven race, but the underworld is less peaceful than the surface world, so a certain level of vigilance is necessary here. The request to remove your equipment was just a joke, if you—”

She couldn’t finish her words as she froze.

The old dwarf, who spoke first, also froze too.

Even the other dwarves within the vicinity stood still as well.

Because they noticed that every elves in front of them…

Without hesitation, began removing their own equipments.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep