---Third POV---
Lux already had her hand on the doorknob. Hearing the voice, she turned her head in confusion.
"What is it?"
Viktor pressed his right hand to his temple. Even though he no longer had flesh and blood, he still habitually thought this way.
"You seem very confident that the business will succeed?"
Lux looked a bit puzzled. Usually, Viktor wouldn't be curious about where players were headed or what they were thinking. But she still answered honestly.
"Of course! After all, there's already a successful precedent!"
"And besides that?" Viktor pressed further. "Aren't you afraid they'll use special means against you all?"
The natives didn't care about modern moral values or etiquette. Although compared to the native Aeltian people, players might seem overly simple and naive…
When it came to their own interests, they were sharper than anyone.
He didn't believe it.
The players had been staying in Nary Town for a whole week, how could they still not understand the default position of the "NPCs"?
Lux thought about it.
"That's definitely a concern, but in terms of combat power, we're not afraid of them."
If not for the restrictions of SAN value, they'd be far more chaotic and evil than the NPCs.
She shrugged nonchalantly.
"Anyway, they're just NPCs who take forever to do double-digit arithmetic. If we don't play a little dirty, where's the challenge for the rest of us?"
Games were made to be played, of course there would be some difficulties along the way. They were already well prepared to deal with the NPCs' tricks.
She quickly opened the door and left.
"If there's nothing else, I'm heading out."
This time, Viktor didn't stop her.
He muttered a few of Lux's words under his breath.
"Bad at double-digit arithmetic…"
He knew that there were huge disparities in educational standards between human countries.
Many magicians were terrible at math, which made recruiting talent at mission points incredibly difficult.
But how could the merchants of Nary Town possibly be bad at arithmetic?
There was even a magician in Nary Town who was great at math.
He slowly lifted his head.
"Looks like I'll have to run a background check on our own people."
---
In the front hall, two mission staff members had been sent off to handle Lux's massive order.
Cobb and the remaining staff member focused on helping the new players.
"…23, 24… a full 24 wooden crates!"
After tallying the player's haul, he immediately calculated the rewards and settled them via the NPC panel.
He nodded with a smile.
"Thank you for your contribution, Watcher."
"Nice!" Seeing the rewards come in, the player cheered and darted off before he could finish.
The smile on Cobb's lips turned into a look of helplessness. "So busy these days…"
The lines Viktor had taught them during onboarding, he could count on one hand how many times he'd actually been able to say them all the way through.
Knock knock!
A crisp tapping came from the counter.
He looked toward the sound, and locked eyes with Viktor in his pitch-black robes.
The heavy aura that radiated off him made Cobb's heart skip a beat.
Viktor rested one hand on the counter and spoke calmly, "Perhaps we should talk somewhere more private?"
---
Once again, they were in the familiar reception room. Only this time, the one speaking with Viktor wasn't Lux, but a visibly uneasy Cobb.
Viktor sat down first.
Although full of confusion, Cobb had no choice but to take a seat across from him.
"Go on. What's going on?"
Cobb looked up in a daze. "What?"
Viktor flipped through the internal system's records of town residents and found Cobb's entry.
"Cobb. Intermediate magician. Specializes in resurrection-type magic. Native of Nary Town."
After reading it out, he finally looked at him.
"As far as I know, you've never told anyone about your background, have you?"
Having lost their magical talents, these former magicians couldn't rely on differences in spellcasting to distinguish each other's identities.
So apart from Viktor, most other townsfolk assumed Cobb came from a more prosperous city, not the nearby Nary Town.
Cold sweat beaded on Cobb's forehead as he swallowed hard. "I… I really don't like talking about my past."
At this point, he had already guessed the reason Viktor had summoned him.
In fact, when members of The Watchers began to leave the Great Oak Forest in waves, he knew this day would eventually come. He had just been clinging to wishful thinking.
He anxiously clenched the hem of his robe.
"You… already know?"
"I've guessed part of it," Viktor replied calmly.
Although he was now seriously injured and his power had plummeted, it still wasn't difficult for him to see through an intermediate mage.
"There are many magical professions. Magicians from poor or rural backgrounds often choose warrior or swordsman paths. Only those from wealthy families can afford to raise a magician who doesn't contribute much before reaching the high ranks. You have no calluses on your hands, no old injuries. You match the former perfectly."
He shifted his posture, lacing his fingers together on the table. His voice was steady and deliberate.
"What I'm curious about is, what kind of merchant family in Nary Town could afford such an expense?"
After all, Nary Town was just a small border city.
An Intermediate magician mage disappearing without causing a stir in town was suspicious enough.
Cobb's face suddenly turned deathly pale.
"I… I just wanted to live a quiet life."
"Of course, as long as you've been completely honest," Viktor quickly added.
Cobb looked down and fell silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke in a small voice, "My father… is the owner of Redstone Auction House, one of the three major auction houses in Nary Town…"
Viktor's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. Gradually, a clearer picture of Nary Town formed in his mind. As a border town of a small nation, the mayor of Nary Town was bolder than he had expected.
His core industry… was actually slave smuggling. And not just any slaves, he mainly trafficked in slaves of non-human races, with clients being nobles and royals.
Every time a magic tide occurred, Nary Town received aid from the capital, not only because the mayor had noble status, but also because of the profits he funneled back to the capital.
He smiled at the revelation.
"Not very strong, but quite bold, huh."
The slave trade industry was, sadly, not uncommon. But that didn't include trafficking in slaves of other intelligent races. Among the major intelligent races, many had difficulty reproducing, and they absolutely hated slave traders like these.
In today's climate, with relations among races growing increasingly tense, selling members of other races into slavery could, at its worst, be seen as the spark of racial war. At that point, it wouldn't just be tiny Nary Town, even the entire Kingdom of Yoan wouldn't be able to withstand the flames of war.
Cobb's expression was bitter.
"Yes… gold coins have already blinded them."
He had seen more caged slaves since childhood than he had seen free humans. Most of the slaves in the auction house were beastkin.
They reproduced quickly, so the loss of a few tribe members rarely drew concern. But they could satisfy the twisted desires of the capital's aristocrats, and earn their captors a fortune.
He had no say in the family he was born into. After coming of age, he had obediently taken a position as a regular auctioneer at Redstone Auction House.
And in emergencies, he could even double as a guard.
Originally, he thought that he would spend his whole life in this muddled, self-deceptive state...
"Until three months ago."
His throat moved several times before he finally found his voice. It was a kind of physical resistance.
"The mayor, somehow, got in touch with an elven slave trader and bought three elves from him."
Tap!
Viktor's tapping fingers suddenly stopped, his voice full of disbelief.
"You people actually targeted elves?!"
A small town without even a single magus had the guts to mess with elves?
Even an average elf who had just come of age at 100 years old could slaughter the entire Nary Town!
He straightened up again.
"I take back what I said earlier. At the very least, you all have an incredible talent for overestimating yourselves."
No wonder they worked with the sirens of the White Dove Ensemble, turned out kidnapping was already their specialty.
"Continue."
Cobb forced a smile.
"Redstone Auction House has been operating for many years, and only once, about 140 years ago, did it ever handle elves. I was well aware of the risks and tried to persuade my father… But it was completely useless."
His words carried little weight and didn't sway the auction house's decision at all. That elf slave trader was set to arrive in Nary Town during the first rainy season of autumn. By then, everything would be settled.
That incident became the final straw that broke Cobb.
He couldn't stand the cruelty and cold-bloodedness of the auction house any longer and resolved to leave Redstone Auction House once and for all.
To that end, he spent two whole months meticulously planning his defection! At this point, Cobb gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't even succeed at something so small. The plan fell apart at the final step. I had to abandon my original route to the Principality of Elise and flee in panic into the Great Oak Forest... And everything after that… you already know."
Viktor silently nodded. The crisscrossing new wounds on Cobb's body indeed matched the story of someone who had recklessly charged into the Great Oak Forest unprepared.
The fact that he happened to save him was mostly just luck.
He studied the now-calm and relieved-looking Cobb.
"You're the auction house owner's son. Was your father really willing to kill you?"
"I may be his son, but I'm not his only son."
Cobb smiled calmly.
"In fact, I have 19 siblings. I'm the ninth. I'm not the only one who saw the danger in trading elven slaves, so they absolutely won't let any informed person walk away."
The moment his intention to defect was discovered, he was marked for death. Not just the Redstone Auction House, the mayor and the other two auction houses too, none of them would let him leave alive.
In his family, whether in magical talent, business acumen, or ruthlessness, he wasn't among the top children.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up as just an ordinary auctioneer.
He took a deep breath, speaking lightly.
"My defection will bring some trouble to my father. But once I'm dead, he can play the 'grieving parent' card and extract some benefits from the other auction houses. He would be thrilled to see me die right in front of him."
As he said this, he lowered his head and traced the pale pink crisscross scars on his hand, murmuring, "Rather than me just… disappearing like now."
Now that he'd disappeared, the others were the ones forced to give up benefits instead.
Viktor pondered for a long moment. "All right, you may leave now."
Cobb looked up in a daze. "Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'?"
Viktor stood up, walked over to him, and patted his shoulder. "You're now a resident of my territory. As long as you don't pose a threat to The Watchers, you'll be fine."
Cobb silently felt the cold, firm hand on his shoulder. His mind was still clouded with a surreal sense of disbelief. He'd heard countless people make empty promises, but this was the first time he'd seen a lord who actually kept his word.
And the most incredible part?
The man before him was the Butcher!!
He sprang to his feet and saluted excitedly. "Thank you, my lord! I'll dedicate myself to building up the territory and atone for my past mistakes!"
"Eh, hold on. While there's no punishment, there is something I need you to do." Viktor stopped Cobb just as he was about to leave. "If any Watcher members ask about your background or the auction house, you must answer truthfully. No, wait!"
He quickly corrected himself.
"When it comes to the auction house, you should first ask them for a few small favors, then gradually reveal the information."
A flash of confusion crossed Cobb's eyes.
Didn't he just tell Viktor everything? Wouldn't that already count as handing over the intel?
Why make him repeat it to others? But under someone else's roof, it's the owner's word that counts.
He nodded without hesitation. "No problem! I'll faithfully repeat what I just told you to any lord who needs it!"
Viktor hesitated. "Uh... actually, there's no need for that. Never mind, as long as you get it done."
If an employee was determined to go above and beyond, he naturally won't get in the way.
Watching Cobb's figure hurriedly flee the room after being given permission, Viktor shook his head with a hint of wistfulness.
"Ah, youth…"
The poor guy had no idea what kind of job he'd just signed up for.
After learning about the auction houses in Nary Town, he had a good idea of where Edgar and the sirens had ended up. And he decided to use Cobb to leak news of Nary Town's black-market dealings to the players.
Sure, he could just tell the players directly. But doing that would rob them of the sense of achievement.
He couldn't rely solely on "100% immersive virtual reality" as the game's main selling point.
If players joined and then just loafed around enjoying life, ignoring the "main story," what then?
Key plot points had to be discovered by the players themselves. They had to taste the reward.
That was the only way to keep them grinding with passion.
He opened up his GM permissions. He skillfully drafted a new quest framework and assigned tasks to each NPC.
"Let's call this a little bonus event update."
With one press of the enter key, the event information was instantly synced to the in-game announcements.
---
[Territory Exclusive Event Announcement]
[Event Title: A Grey Past
The goblin shadow fades, but the past of the newly arrived townsfolk remains blank. To understand the full background of all residents and improve governance of the territory, Lord Viktor has issued a realm-wide commission: Honeyvale Town's first population census.]
[Event Details
A new "Town Residents" section has been added to the data compendium. When townsfolk are idle and their scanned ID turns green, you may investigate them to uncover their background.
Completing resident background entries grants "Regional Reputation," "Event Progress Points," and other rewards.
Each resident's information varies in difficulty to obtain, and the rewards scale accordingly.
The top 10 contributors by the end of the event will earn the right to explore a new map area.]
[Event Duration: 3 Days]