Ashen Dragon

Chapter 228: Chapter 153 Grand Clothing Celebration

The square of Northwind Castle was already bustling with activity.

“The best red wine from Northwind Castle!”

“Frost Wolf Fur Coat, a luxurious decoration for the northern nobility.”

“Rackman Fine Steel Greatsword, the former most beloved weapon of the ruler of Northwind Castle! Now selling with tears in my eyes, only 180 gold coins!”

“Looking for teammates to play after the server opens, no Wild Sorcerers! No Wild Sorcerers!”

“Guild recruiting! Magic Coin, the fantasy world for all mage master enthusiasts.”

Players gathered as if celebrating a festival, shouting incessantly. They wore garish outfits, or even no clothes at all, and celebrated loudly on the square, striking some indecent poses.

Even those residents who were accustomed to the chaos of Starfallen quickly shut their doors and windows, fearing their children would be corrupted by this group of crazies.

However, many city folks who smelled business opportunities set up stalls in the square, ready to rip off this group of inexplicably excited players.

Mantou sat on the back of a bipedal wyvern, overlooking the singing and dancing players, feeling a mix of emotions.

“Sigh, the beta test is finally ending. I feel a bit reluctant.”

“What are you getting so emotional about? We’ll be back in a month.”

Singo took a sip of wine and couldn’t help but mutter.

Mantou retorted, “What do you know? I’m reluctant to part with Noodle. I’ll be back in a month, but according to the official announcement, four years will pass in Airez by then.”

He stroked the long neck of the wyvern and muttered:

“Noodle, Noodle, in these four years, you must behave and wait for me. Don’t go looking for other knights. Such disgraceful behavior is called a Minotaur in my hometown, and it’s a very serious crime…”

“Awoooo—”

The bipedal wyvern let out a cheerful howl, obviously not understanding what he was saying.

Singo heard Mantou’s words and couldn’t help but laugh, nearly spitting out his drink upon seeing Mantou’s serious expression.

Only then did Mantou notice the finely packaged cocktail in his hand, his eyes widened with disbelief.@@novelbin@@

“What the… are you crazy? Have you been possessed too?”

“Why are you making a fuss?”

Singo glanced disdainfully and continued savoring his drink.

Mantou, enumerating like a treasure, said:

“This is the famous ‘Fire Witch’s Kiss’ from the Sleeping Mermaid Tavern, reputed to be the most expensive drink. Just one bottle costs twenty gold coins and is said to provide the stimulating sensation of being tangled with a succubus, yet it offers no enhancement at all.

“Someone like you, who only cares about increasing strength, buying something purely for enjoyment!”

He drew his sword and pointed it at Singo, righteously questioning:

“Speak! Who are you? Where is the real Xin Dog?”

Singo sneered and said, “Stop acting crazy. This is a rare item personally given to me by Alger to reward my contribution to the Red Scale Conqueror.”

“How about it, want a sip?”

Mantou’s eyes immediately lit up, his face turning extremely obsequious.

“Xin Dog… no, Father Xin, I’ll just have a taste.”

“Alright, look at you, so unpromising. Let me call War Maniac and Autumn Rain, and we’ll find a tavern to drink until the server closes.”

“Okay, okay, if you don’t let me drink, be careful, I’ll report you for drunk driving.”

The two of them landed on the ground, skillfully dismounting the wyvern.

“Hey, you guys are here.”

Summer Night Autumn Rain and Natural War Maniac had been waiting here for a long time, even Swashbuckler, who had been beaten black and blue, was there.

Mantou was a bit puzzled, “Brother Lang, you have insider info. Where did the Mechanical God Cult people go? I haven’t seen any of them.”

He didn’t ask about Swashbuckler’s injuries; after all, wasn’t it normal for this guy to get beaten?

Swashbuckler’s face was recovering at a visible speed, making one marvel at the powerful regenerative ability of vampire constitution. A gloating smile appeared on that pallid face.

“You mean the Steel Torrent—”

“Heh, they’re busy with handovers. The Mechanical God Cult’s food processing plants, military manufacturing plants, and other projects are all getting top-level attention from the kingdom. Since last month, they’ve been busy training the natives in their factories and handing over various tasks. They aren’t allowed to leave until they complete their tasks.”

“They’re probably still working overtime, explaining the operation steps of the equipment to the natives.”

“Truly a ruthless bunch.”

Sweat broke out on Mantou’s forehead.

He could hardly imagine enduring a month of high-intensity work. It seemed the people of the Mechanical God Cult were true maniacs deserving of such a grueling job.

“Moreover, Steel Torrent was found by the prosecutors to have embezzled public funds to create personal armor. Now he’s in a huge debt. If he doesn’t work harder, he might even lose his guild leader position.”

Summer Night Autumn Rain mercilessly added.

Mantou sighed and thought to himself:

“This might be the price of showing off.”

But thinking about Steel Torrent laughing wildly in his armor, it all felt natural and well-deserved.

“Hey, look at that event, why are there so many people?”

Natural War Maniac, looking at the crowd gathered in the distance, patted his bald head, feeling curious.

“Not sure, maybe it’s some server closure benefits?”

“Let’s go have a look.”

Mantou and the others got interested and immediately went to check it out.

Relying on his tall and strong body, Natural War Maniac pushed through the crowd and finally saw that there were several beautiful serpentfolk women. Behind them were hundreds of exquisitely decorated metal boxes.

“Lord Cassius, in gratitude for your significant contributions to the kingdom, has taken out precious treasures from his treasury to generously reward the brave warriors.”

“You should know, Lord Cassius’s grace is rare. First come, first served.”

“We only charge… a small, insignificant fee in gold coins.”

The serpentfolk’s seductive voices made people’s minds go numb, but what excited them more were the metal boxes behind them.

A panel appeared on the boxes.

Special Item: [Cassius’s Treasure]

Chance to obtain [Common] to [Rare] level magic equipment.

(Note: Each box costs 5 gold coins)

“What the… isn’t this just a gacha?”

“Is there a guaranteed drop?”

“Today, I’ll show you what a Europe King is!”

“Can’t hold it, I’m ready for a ten-draw!”

The players were initially attracted by the beautiful serpentfolk. Upon seeing the information on those boxes, they caused an even bigger uproar.

Some players, well-versed in gacha games, had hands trembling slightly, their brains struggling to control those sinful hands itching to draw the loot.

This gacha mechanism was the root of all evil. Various game companies used this to rake in massive profits, leaving countless players gutted, yet it remained ever-popular, with a continuous influx of eager participants.

Whether the players lost money or not, the house never did.

This was a carefully prepared setup by Cassius for the players. These beta players simply had too much money. If this continued, how would they work hard after the server opened?

This was a final harvest, a farewell swipe of the sickle on the players before the server closed.

It should be known that [Rare] level magic equipment required at least a hundred gold coins. At this stage, only large guilds or professional gamers could afford it.

But a “treasure” costing only 5 gold coins was different. Players with some savings could afford it, and selling assets might even buy them several.

And just like that, there was a chance to obtain those [Rare] pieces of equipment that major guilds coveted. For some gambling-prone players, it was simply irresistible!

What if…

What if one of them was the lucky one?

This was the thought in the minds of countless watching players.