Chapter 28 The Outside World
Inside the rough log cabin, the air was filled with the smell of freshly sawn wood shavings and the aroma of food wafting from afar.
Several "slime magic lamps" were hung from the rafters, their eerie green light casting a somewhat sinister glow over the simple, long wooden table.
The portly president of the Golden Harvest Chamber of Commerce—who should now be called "Exile" Rolf—sat trembling on a wooden stump. Opposite him sat several "core members" of the temple: "What Canned Food I Said," "I'm Not a Husky," "Dangdangdangxinzhigang," and "Hakimi North and South Green Beans."
Although some of these "high-ranking" men were wearing ill-fitting leather armor and others were picking their toes, Rolf dared not be negligent in the slightest. He had personally witnessed how this group of men tirelessly and fearlessly slaughtered those kobolds.
"Um… Brother Rolf," Canned Food broke the silence, pushing up his nose, "since we're family now, let's speak frankly. Could you elaborate on that 'White Rock City' you mentioned earlier, and the situation outside?"
"Of course, of course."
Rolf wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pulled a long tube wrapped in layers of oilcloth from his inner pocket.
He carefully untied the oilcloth and unfolded a yellowed parchment scroll with slightly worn edges.
"This is... a map?" The husky's eyes lit up, and it nudged its head closer. "And it's fully open?"
"I bought this from explorers in the North at a high price." Rolf pointed to the map, his voice trembling slightly. "My lords, we are now in this place—the 'Old Forest,' which is known to the world as the forbidden land."
As his finger moved, a broken, desperate, yet grand worldview was clearly presented to the players for the first time.
"This world has long been shattered."
Rolf smiled wryly, tracing the black ocean in the center of the map with his finger.
"Legend has it that in the far west, beyond the raging Black Sea, there is a place called the 'Origin Continent.' It is the homeland of elves, dwarves, and even humans, and it is said that the sun shines there and there is no black fog. But that is just a myth. For hundreds of years, no one has been able to cross the Black Sea storm alive."
"The land beneath our feet is a fragment of the 'Continent of Gods' that was shattered during the war of the gods."
His finger moved to the right side of the map, which is to the east.
"This is the fragmented continent where we live. It's like an isolated island, floating on the Black Sea."
"The western part where we are is the Old Forest, where that great man's temple is located. There are also some small villages scattered in the forest. Priests from White Stone City used to be stationed there, but now they are mostly abandoned. To the northwest is the'Silverleaf Forest' where those pointy-eared forest elves are barely surviving."
At this point, Rolf paused, glanced furtively at Eileen outside the door who was teaching the villagers how to farm, and lowered his voice: "I heard they're not having an easy time either; the Tree of Life is almost dead."
He then pointed to the center of the map, where a huge white castle emblem was drawn.
"This is where I escaped from—the White Stone Alliance."
"Its main body consists of White Rock City, Gray Rock Fortress, and Anvil Town, as well as the surrounding villages and towns. White Rock City regularly sends knights and priests to help clear monsters and fortify the villages. It is the transportation hub of this continent, and also... now a meat grinder."
"Meat grinder?" The canned food keenly caught the word.
"Yes." Rolf's face showed fear, and his finger trembled as he pointed to the area in the south that was painted scarlet. "Because the 'Radiant City' in the south… has fallen."
"That was once a sacred place dedicated to the Lord of the Sun, with the strongest city walls and the most powerful Holy Knights. But just a few days ago, the divine barrier there suddenly shattered, and an endless black tide swallowed it up."
"Now, that place has basically become the domain of monsters. Countless abyssal monsters, hundreds or thousands of times more terrifying than kobolds, are constantly crawling out of the ruins and launching a frenzied attack to the north."
"White Stone City is the last line of defense in front of them."
The players exchanged glances, a glint of excitement in their eyes.
"Got it." Hakimi stroked his chin. "The south is a high-level monster zone, currently under attack. White Stone City is the one getting beaten up."
"What about the east side?" Gangzi pointed to the far right of the map, where a long line resembling a city wall was drawn. "It looks quite peaceful here, with plains."
Upon hearing "east," Rolf's face revealed a hint of resentment.
"That's the 'Dawn Federation.' Those selfish, cold-blooded bastards!"
The fat merchant cursed and swore, temporarily forgetting even his reverence for the chosen ones. "They occupied the most fertile land on this fragment, but after the fall of Yaoyang City, they immediately blocked the passage connecting the east and west—the 'Death Corridor'."
"They built an 'iron wall,' cut off all supplies, withdrew all priests and knights, and watched helplessly as our western and central regions fell, all to preserve their own territory!"
Finally, Rolf's finger landed on the north end of the map.
"To the north lies the 'Northern Free State.' There are no kings, no laws, only merchants, pirates, and mercenaries. It's chaotic, but also free. With enough money, you can buy anything there—even contraband drifting from other continental fragments."
...
After Rolf finished speaking, the council chamber fell into a brief silence.
Of course, the players' silence was not due to fear, but rather because they were frantically processing the information and transforming it into "game terminology".
A few minutes later, Canned Food pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with a glint of strategist wisdom.
"Brothers, the situation is very clear now."
He drew a simple diagram on the table:
"Our home (the temple) is in the far west, a newbie village that is still developing."
"White Rock City in the middle is a neutral stronghold on the verge of collapse, and it is also our largest potential source of population and resources."
"To the south is a high-difficulty dungeon with endless monster spawns (Monster Realm)."
"To the east is the opposing faction (Dawn Federation) guarding the resources, and they may also be the future raid boss."
"The north side is the black market and trading area."
Canned Food looked up at his companions, whose eyes were filled with fervor, and said, "This script is amazing."
"Since Whitestone City is about to fall, those nobles and the church are looking for a way out…" Canned Food looked at Rolf and gave him a meaningful smile. "Brother, you've brought not only food, but also a road to the 'gold mine'."
"If the people of White Stone City knew that there really is a 'god' here who has awakened and can provide protection..."
"Even if this god looks a bit… well… quirky," the husky added.
Rolf paused for a moment, then understood what the canned food meant. Looking at this group of "chosen ones"—ragged but with burning ambition in their eyes—a ridiculous thought suddenly occurred to him:
Perhaps, these lunatics really can change this hopeless world?
"alright."
Canned Food stood up, patted Rolf on the shoulder, and said, "Now that you're here, don't act like an outsider. From today onwards, you are the 'logistics manager' of our temple."
"Did you see those players outside... oh no, those chosen ones?"
Canned Food pointed to the group of people outside who were frantically hauling bricks for a few pieces of black bread, "They have a lot of junk they stole from the kobolds, and all sorts of spoils they'll bring back later. What you need to do is organize these things, and then use your connections and caravans to transport them to the North and exchange them for everything we need—iron, food, magical materials, and even slaves."
Rolf's eyes lit up instantly. As a businessman, he knew this all too well. There were no taxes, no laws here, and these Chosen Ones were practically tireless production machines!
"Yes, sir!"
Rolf was so excited that he wanted to bow.
Just then, Gangzi, who had been silent all along, suddenly pointed to a spot on the map and asked, "By the way, there's something else."
"You just said that White Stone City is now on the front line against the demons, and there's a war going on?"
"Yes, it was extremely tragic." Rolf nodded.
"Doesn't that mean..." Gangzi licked his lips, his muscles trembling slightly with excitement, "that there are lots of high-level monsters there? And there are so many that you can't kill them all?"
Hakimi realized what was going on and his eyes lit up: "And it's a mess there? There's abandoned equipment everywhere?"
The husky chuckled and said, "Besides, the people there are in despair and desperately need 'righteous forces' like us to save them (and maybe collect some protection money on the side)?"
Looking at the increasingly twisted smiles on the faces of these people, Rolf suddenly felt that, compared to the monsters in the south, these guys known as the "Fourth Calamity" might be the biggest variable in the future of this world.
On the high platform.
Li Wei withdrew his gaze from the council chamber.
"Chaos, division, despair."
"This is practically a breeding ground for evil gods and the Fourth Calamity."
"It seems like it's time to open a new map for the players."
Li Wei murmured softly, his purple-gold eyes gazing eastward, piercing through the thick fog, as if he could see that lonely white city swaying in the wind and rain.