Chapter 200 – Mass Task Farming (Part 1)

With the Immortal Herb in hand, everything became simple. Crystals were everywhere—deploying 438, they collected enough for everyone with leftovers in under five minutes. Although obtaining Swan’s Heart required competing with other players for swan kills, the 100% drop rate meant all ten were secured within an hour.

Of course, there were inevitable clashes along the way—

[Combat] Carved in Bone has died.

[Local] Everything Breaks: Our party only needs one more Immortal Herb. We’ve been farming here for two hours. Fair competition is fair, but did you really have to go so hard on us? =_=

[Megaphone] Carved in Bone: Milk is Mom! Have you forgotten the days we ran the Terracotta Warriors dungeon together?!

[Local] Milk is Mom: I already told you, that was just me power-leveling someone else’s account, not my real character. Doesn’t count~~

[Megaphone] Carved in Bone: Who says it doesn’t count?! Doesn’t matter whose account it was—if you were the soul behind it, it was YOU!

[Local] Milk is Mom: Fine then╮(╯_╰)╭ Back then~~we were so young~~just spinning in circles around love all day~~~

[Megaphone] Carved in Bone: STOP SINGING AT MY CORPSE!!!

[Local] Milk is Mom: Birdy, done looting? Let’s go turn in the quest~

[Local] Polly: [Swan’s Heart] is complete, but another [Immortal Herb] dropped. Give it to them?

[Local] Milk is Mom: But back in the Terracotta Warriors dungeon, he wasn’t nice to me at all~~>_<

[Megaphone] Carved in Bone: Back then~~we were both afraid of growing old~~~never daring to admit the other was the best~~~

[Local] Milk is Mom: (⊙o⊙)

[Local] Milk is Mom: Birdy~

[Local] Polly: Already gave it. Not everyone can instantly sync with your rhythm. He was really trying.

[Megaphone] Carved in Bone: ……

With the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart soaked in the blood and tears of countless players, the group smoothly crossed the swamp and arrived at the royal palace. It was late at night, yet the palace was brightly lit and in chaos—soldiers were running everywhere as if searching for someone. The squad grabbed a poor soul to question and learned that the prince had gone missing on his wedding night. The king had ordered a full-scale search, but there were no hints as to the prince’s whereabouts or where the next task might be.

After wandering the maze-like palace for over an hour, the squad double-clicked every living thing in sight—including two other parties they ran into, Five Peaks Pavilion and Meteor Butterfly Bastard—but found no prince, no man in black, no clues, and no new quests. If there was any “progress” to speak of…

[System] Milk is Mom uses Physical Attack.

[Local] Big H: Stop clicking on me with your mouse! There’s no quest on me, dammit!!

Does 2 points of aggro count? =_=

After a prolonged stalemate, Five Peaks Pavilion and Meteor Butterfly Bastard left one after another—whether giving up or moving on to other tasks was unclear. The YY channel had also been quiet for a while. The Ghost Server Legion members were too disheartened to speak, while March to Liangzhou and Coffin Shop, as outsiders, felt it wasn’t their place to voice opinions. Finally, Birdy broke the silence:

“The quest might not even be in the palace. Maybe we should disband here for now and do our own thing.”

“That’s all we can do,” Fang Zheng sighed. “Those who are tired can take a break. Those who aren’t can search for clues however they see fit. Who the hell knows where these trolls hid the quest.”

The squad loved this decision—they could practically map out every NPC’s patrol route in the palace with their eyes closed at this point. The moment the commander finished speaking, everyone scattered like startled birds. Passing Master was dragged off by Your Uncle, leaving only March and Coffin Shop staring at each other on the vast map.

Given that zombie speech was notoriously hard to decipher, the following conversation has been edited for clarity—

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Why aren’t you leaving?

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I figured, as a newcomer, I shouldn’t be too obvious about my frustration.

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: [Handshake] Seems like the healer commander is already feeling down. No need to rub salt in the wound.

[Party] Milk is Mom: March, No. 4, what are you two still doing there? Why haven’t you left yet? If you have something to talk about, do it in party chat. Our guild doesn’t forbid office romances~~~[Flying Kiss]

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: May I ask how you deduced his discouragement?

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: I think you’re free to be as frustrated as you want now.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: ……

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: ……

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I don’t think we’ve properly introduced ourselves. Hi, I’m No. 4 Coffin Shop from Silent Fortress. Merchant alt. Ran into this squad’s Demon Refiner in Vanilla Forest. Don’t know the other members.

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Hi, I’m March to Liangzhou from Fairy Dreamland. Ran into this guild’s commander and deputy commander at Flagship. Don’t know any members except Passing Master.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: So we’re both being fostered?

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Seems like it.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: They don’t seem to have considered class balance.

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Zombies are rare, but our squad has an unusual number.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: You’re wearing the Purple Set, right?

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Your sudden topic change is creeping me out.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Relax, just looking. Not coveting.

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: [Baggins Set]

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Nice!

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Thanks.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: If you ever want to enhance your gear, hit me up for materials. Fair prices, no scams.

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Sounds good.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Alright, so now?

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Split up and search for clues.

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Any suggestions?

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: Aside from systematically interrogating every NPC outside, nothing comes to mind.

[Megaphone] Mad Lad: PAYING TOP COIN FOR COORDS TO AMBER KINGDOM PRINCE’S LOCATION! IF YOU KNOW, NAME YOUR PRICE AND MESSAGE ME!! AS LONG AS IT’S LEGIT, I’LL PAY WHATEVER YOU ASK!!!

Fang Zheng: “Comrades, take a lesson from Mad Lad—never takes the conventional path, always wins with unexpected moves!”

438: “Commander, I’ve also been spamming Capture on mobs—who knows, maybe one of them is the prince in disguise! Last kingdom’s prince’s attendant was turned into a fire dragon by a curse, remember?”

Drink Your Sister: “Commander, I’ve already threatened Drink Till You Drop—the second his guild finds the prince, they HAVE to report the coords.”

Your Uncle: “Commander, I’ve chanted ‘We WILL find the prince’ a hundred times in my head!!!”

Polly: “I’m tailing Clueless Girl.”

[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: ……

[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I think we’ve joined a very pow—ahem—peculiar squad.

The Ghost Server Legion members employed their unique approaches, scattering like stars across the sky—only to have Birdy’s efforts blossom into a breakthrough.

Originally, he’d just been testing his luck. Since Don’t Stop the Meds’ squad had already progressed to the next stage of the quest, they naturally knew how to complete it. But asking directly would yield nothing. The only hope was Clueless Girl’s squad—whether Dutch Souvenir came to assist her directly or dropped hints, he’d surely find a way to help his wife finish the quest.

However, while lurking by Swan Lake, Birdy didn’t find Clueless Girl—instead, he stumbled upon another Dutch Chamber of Commerce squad. Following them led to the discovery of the prince’s hiding place: a hidden dungeon beneath a massive boulder on the swamp’s western edge.

By then, it was noon. The squad dispersed for lunch, agreeing to regroup at the dungeon entrance at 1 PM.

At 12:30 PM, Birdy received a whisper from Boss Yao—

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: Do the quest yourselves. Stop stalking our guild’s little ones~~

Meng Chudong raised an eyebrow, amused—

[Whisper] Polly: You knew and still let me follow? Rare.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: The kids acted first, reported later. What could I do? [Sigh]

[Whisper] Polly: They let me follow on purpose?

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: Said they knew I had my eye on you, so they were helping me win you over.

[Whisper] Polly: You’re quite beloved.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: So, not considering it?

[Whisper] Polly: I thought after the purple materials incident, you’d never want to see me again.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: A little, but now I’ve realized your commander is also a rare talent.

[Whisper] Polly: Delusion.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: ……

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: Actually, joining Dutch Chamber of Commerce doesn’t require a server transfer. You can stay on Huaxia Summit—just consider it a branch. Resources? Even though I’m on Holy Light Sanctuary, sending people to help you would be a breeze. Within a month, I’d make your guild the top elite squad on Summit.

[Whisper] Polly: …Us?

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: Yeah. I now think your entire guild has potential.

[Whisper] Polly: Sharp eyes.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: So?

[Whisper] Polly: You’re dead set on conquering Huaxia, huh?

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: I enjoy interesting goals.

[Whisper] Polly: OK, let me discuss it with the commander.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: I thought you called the shots.

[Whisper] Polly: He handles the small stuff.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: ……

Five minutes later—

[Whisper] Polly: Hey.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: Got an answer?

[Whisper] Polly: He asked if we could pretend to agree, then immediately back out of the surrender treaty after becoming the top elite squad.

[Whisper] Don’t Stop the Meds: Too mischievous~

[Whisper] Polly: ^_^

Beijing Time, 1:00 PM

The dark, damp underground prison was dilapidated, muddy water dripping from the ceiling. Gloomy. Oppressive. The prince sat on a pile of hay, head bowed, black hair obscuring his profile, his sorrow practically seeping through the earth to permeate the surrounding villages—

[System] Jacob: Antina was my beloved. The moment I saw her in the forest, Cupid’s arrow struck my heart…

(One thousand words of Mary Sue backstory omitted. Even the sole female squad member, Your Sister, was nearly lulled to sleep—until—)

[System] Jacob: But on our wedding night, I discovered the girl I loved most… was actually a man!

The entire squad jolted awake, ears perking up with newfound respect for the scriptwriters—

[System] Jacob: No, Antina never existed—she was a fabrication of evil! The sorcerer Heim deceived my eyes with dark magic and imprisoned me here…

Five minutes later, the melancholic prince finally finished his monologue and joined the squad. The quest “Find Prince Jacob” was marked complete, updating to “Escort Prince Jacob Safely Back to the Palace.”

But when the group returned with the prince, the king lay dying in a pool of blood, his last breath escaping as the culprit, Sorcerer Heim, fled. With his final strength, the king entrusted the kingdom to his son before closing his eyes forever.

A cutscene played—players attended the king’s funeral alongside the prince, the nation in mourning. Just as the ceremony ended, the Yellow Kingdom’s king sent a letter: they had captured a witch, execution set for the next day, and invited the Amber Kingdom’s king to witness it. But the prince, consumed by grief, had no heart for such matters. He ordered a polite refusal, and the squad’s quest updated: “Search for Clues in the Yellow Kingdom.”

First Crimson, then Amber, now Yellow—the squad had no doubt the 100-Link Quest Chain would culminate in Violet. For now, though, they could only proceed step by step.

After completing seven or eight minor tasks en route, the squad arrived in the Yellow Kingdom at 3 PM. Following a passerby’s directions, they reached the execution grounds—a wooden platform where a pure, beautiful girl was tied up. A crowd surrounded the pyre, stern guards maintaining order on either side.

Mad Lad: “Standard plot says it’s boss fight time now, right?”

Drink Your Sister 3X: “But all we see is an innocent girl.”

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Capture.

March to Liangzhou: “Dare I ask… what is he doing?”

No. 4 Coffin Shop: “Capturing an NPC.”

[System] Girl: Help me… Someone save me… Sob…

438’s Capture didn’t free the girl from the pyre—instead, it drew the guards’ aggro. In an instant, dozens of soldiers surrounded the squad.

As battle loomed, Fang Zheng quickly delegated: “I’ll heal Mad Lad. Your Sister, watch 438. Passing Master, cover Your Uncle. Crossplayer, full buffs. Zombies, fend for yourselves. Go!”

Crossplayer had been about to say he could heal too—but after seeing the healing output of Your Sister, Passing Master, and the commander, he silently activated Rally instead.