BXBX NOVEL 174 Chapter 174
During the day, I rested up, sleeping, eating, and lazying about. Rebecca talked to Evan about the monsters that were in his area and found that the common monsters he fought were giant rats and snakes. His original area had kobolds and wolves and as he moved Eastwardly, he had to fight against giant bats, alligators, goblins, and orcs. Evan told Rebecca that he was also in a plains-like biome, but didn\'t see an army of monsters yet. The both of them agreed to try to meet if the situation allows them.
Other than that, Sabrina had been scouting further and further out, meeting new players and sometimes getting into fights with them. However, the speed of her mounts allowed her to run away if it got too dangerous. Being situated on the East, her resources were limited and attacking other players was just one of the ways to gain resources.
Sam has been struggling in the North, with both Bones and The Horde\'s army constantly harassing his scouts. Bones had greatly expanded their territory in game, using multiple Leaders to create villages that were with in half a day\'s journey away. Travelers would constantly transport resources from one village to another, with Devel\'s village being the center.
Eventually, the day draws to a close and midnight approaches. I put on the VR helmet and open my eyes to a new day in Settlement.
[ Congratulations on reaching 1000 Happiness. Golden Age will now begin.]
[ Your village has now been recognized. What will the name of this village be? ]
"So the game recognizes this place as an official village? The name of this village will be HavenFall." - Ian
[ The name of this village is now recognized as HavenFall.]
[ As the first player to have their village named, you will receive a Random Gift Box ]
[ The Golden Age has begun in HavenFall. HavenFall\'s residents will receive bonuses until the Golden Age is over.
All NPC +10% to stats.
All special buildings\' production +10% (Golden Wolf Core)
Faith +10% per day (Ariel Statue, Fortuna Statue, Praying)
Culture +10% per day (Monument)
All Travelers associated with HavenFall +25% to stats ]
[The Golden Age will last for 1 month. ]
Once all the notifications finish, I see a ray of golden light envelop HavenFall, with a branch heading towards the far end of the forest, seemingly going towards the Krepost. The NPCs\'s body flash a golden hue before the light fades away.
In front of me, a puff of white smoke appears and a white box with a golden ribbon floats in the air. It was the Random Gift Box, but I wasn\'t going to open it just yet. I walk towards Fortuna\'s statue and bowed towards it. I thought about this since she was the goddess of luck and even with my high luck stat, it wouldn\'t hurt to try something that might increase my luck, right?
After bowing 3 times, I clap my hands together and wish for good luck in the unboxing. I slowly untie the golden ribbon and open the box. A white light appears from the box, but sudden a system message pops up.
[ The Goddess of Luck, Fortuna, blesses you. ]
The white light, shines golden and a big grin appears on my face. I was right, or maybe I was just lucky. The light fades away, and I peer inside, seeing a gray piece of stone the length of my finger. I blink a couple of times, dumbfounded by what I am seeing, but I know it was a good item. I pick it up and the description of the item is displayed.
[ Code of Hammurabi (Artifact)
Skill: Eye for an Eye
The Code of Hammurabi is an artifact dating back to the Babylonians. It is a stone slab with text from an ancient civilization. ]
Eye for an Eye (Active) - If the user is attacked then, redirect the attack. Cooldown 30 minutes
"A counter ability? THAT\'S INSANE!" - Ian
Since the description is ambiguous, I can only assume that it meant any attack that is directed at me, I can counter it and redirect it back to where it came from. It was like an ultimate shield and the ultimate weapon. If I had this when Casper used his dragon breath, I could have potentially killed him.
"Ian?" - Stellar
I was so immersed in the new artifact that I jumped when Stellar patted my back.
"AH! Oh, Stellar. What seems to be the problem?" - Ian
"I was wondering who is going into the Ikanda and if no one else is volunteering, I would like to go in." - Stellar
"I haven\'t assigned anyone to go in, so you can go. Will Gewari be taking over your role as the leader of the Assassins group?" - Ian
"Most likely. They won\'t be going too far out. Mostly scouting out the surrounding area. Should I leave the mask with you or Gewari?" - Stellar
"Give it to Gewari. Make the mask the symbol of the Assassin Group and whoever wears it the leader." - Ian
"Understood. Nina is looking for you, by the way. She told me to ask you to go to her." - Stellar
"Sure, where is she?" - Ian
"Down the path, towards the cave. I believe she is in the front of the cave with Lynn and Sylvia." - Stellar
"Okay. I\'ll head over there now." - Ian
Stellar nods to me before walking towards Gewari and the other Assassins. The whole group were training in at the training grounds, working on their movement together. I turn away and start to head towards the cave, wondering what Nina had to say to me. I greet the NPCs along the way, making small talk with them and learning about their opinions of HavenFall.
Some new female NPCs were frightened at first when they saw a person with spider legs on their back, but after talking to them, they start to open up. They told me about the encampments they were stuck in and the torture they had to face, and told me how lucky they were to be rescued. Their time in HavenFall has been short, but they have been actively participating in any activities, with some taking up a weapon in the training grounds.
Since, I didn\'t discriminate between any race or gender or age, they thought that they too can learn a weapon. Archery and spears were currently the favorite choice with the new NPCs, since they were able to pull the bowstring. Spears were also used because it required the least amount of skill to stab and thrust and while none of them were masters of the weapon, they enjoyed the time learning. Having the goblins teach them also allowed for them to become closer to the different races, breaking the previous misconception of the goblins being rude, dirty, uncivilized monsters.
As I walk further down the path, I see Nina and Lynn fighting with Sylvia. The 2 mages were casting spells at Sylvia as she dodges them in her Awaken form. Her fiery hair dances around as she dodges, fire bolt and rushes towards Nina and Lynn. Her palms become coated in a red aura, but before she could attack either of them, Lynn casts a spell creating a bubble around them. Sylvia\'s fists hit the bubble, shattering it, and pushes Sylvia away.
"Sparring?" - Ian
I approach Nina from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder as I talk to her. Sylvia\'s awakening fades and she comes closer.
"Just a bit. I was testing the increased in stats." - Nina
"What do you mean? Are you talking about the Golden Age?" - Ian
"Yep, I registered myself as a Traveler for HavenFall and gained the bonus stats. Although, Sylvia is still too strong." - Nina
"I think you two are strong as well, just in a different regard. The spells you use are both offensive and defensive, making the both of you a perfect team." - Sylvia
"Right, Nina has offensive spells and Lynn has defensive skills." - Ian
"There is still the fact that we need to wait in between our spells. Nina, we need to practice using them more." - Lynn
"Of course! My aim is to become the greatest mage. One that can use elven magic as well!" - Nina
"So, why did you want to see me?" - Ian
"Oh right, I want to ask what do you want to do until the event?" - Nina
"The one that is happening for the 6th month anniversary?" - Ian
"Yep, going off the information Sylvia has told me. Then, that door in the mine is 100% something to do with the event." - Nina
"Yea, I thought that too but there isn\'t much we can do right? We need to wait until a week before for any information." - Ian
"That\'s where you are wrong. The forums have been very active ever since they announced the event. People are finding lots of things potentially related to it and the many doors in just an example." - Nina
"What do you suggest then?" - Ian
"Prepare weapons at the door. Fight whatever it is on the other side the moment the event starts, would be my plan." - Nina
"The cave is only so big, though. I guess we can dig around it, however we need a better light source. The torches we have isn\'t enough to produce enough light in the cave, plus there is a hole in the ceiling of the cavern. I don\'t want to be ambushed inside the cavern if something were to happen." - Ian
"Hmm, we can figure that out during the month. I wanted to just talk to you about that briefly, and I have a favor to ask." - Nina
"What is it?" - Ian
"Protect Lynn. I\'m going with Sylvia on a small journey. The God of War, Ares, asked for me." - Nina
"What!? Sylvia, is this true?" - Ian
"Yep! He wants Nina to go on a journey to become stronger. He says she is too weak at the moment to be made into an Apostle." - Sylvia
"I wish I could travel with Lynn as well but Ares said she wasn\'t allowed. SO! I want you to take care of her while I\'m gone." - Nina
"Of course, I will. Lynn will be fine, right?" - Ian
"I will be fine. HavenFall is such a nice and protected place, I don\'t think I will experience any danger here." - Lynn
"Okay, then I\'ll be going." - Nina
"Take care." - Ian
"Ian, I\'ll see if there is any clues on Luke as I\'m away." - Sylvia
"Sure, but don\'t go out of your way and always be careful." - Ian
"Bye, Nina! I\'ll miss you~" - Lynn
Lynn hugs Nina goodbye, while I wave them off. The two continue down the river while Lynn and I walk back to HavenFall. Lynn had an interest in medicine and told me she would be helping Lucina during her stay while practicing Magic with Solar whenever she can.