Adventure World Online (AWO)

Chang Long woke up in the morning with a start. She found herself lying on a young woman's lap and quickly sat up, apologizing profusely. The woman smiled sweetly, her eyes filled with affection for Chang Long, and lightly pinched her cheek for being adorably cute.

"Good thing you're as sweet as you look, unlike some in your group..."

Princess Rhea teased, tugging at Chang Long's cheeks while laughing. Chang Long now looked like a bewildered child being playfully teased.

"Kiss!"

The loud shout interrupted the conversation between Chang Long and Princess Rhea, waking the other friends who were still asleep, startled and thinking they were being attacked by beasts on the island.

"It's coming from Siegfried and Draco's tent,"

Kitsune quickly informed, noticing Chang Long's puzzled expression.

"What happened to them?"

Chang Long asked, having been unconscious for a long time and unaware of what had transpired.

"I don't know. I stayed here with you the whole time,"

Kitsune replied brightly. Chang Long petted him affectionately and walked towards Siegfried's tent amidst Princess Rhea's amused gaze.

"Siegfried, Draco, are you okay?"

Chang Long asked from outside, as one could not enter someone else's tent or pavilion without an invitation.

"Isn't that Chang Long's voice!"

Draco exclaimed. Soon, both young men emerged from their tent, faces flushed red up to their ears under Chang Long's gaze.

"What's wrong? Why are you blushing?"

Chang Long asked, her curiosity piqued by their unusual behavior.

"Nothing, really. Let's talk to Princess Rhea about the quest,"

Siegfried replied hastily, leading Chang Long towards Princess Rhea, who was still smiling with amusement. Draco quickly followed, fearing further questions about the loud noise. Both avoided meeting Chang Long's eyes, deepening her suspicion.

"Princess Rhea, how do we complete this quest?"

Siegfried asked politely.

"Follow me. I want to write a letter and send a gift to my father. Please deliver it to him,"

Princess Rhea replied with a smile. She stood up and led Chang Long's group into the forest ahead without waiting for everyone to finish packing.

"Kitsune, let's follow Princess Rhea first. You guys hurry up and pack!"

Chang Long told her loyal pet and then turned to her friends, who were frantically packing up. By lifting one side, the tents and pavilions shrank to palm size, making them easy to store in their bags.

Chang Long walked ahead, maintaining some distance from Siegfried and Draco. The two young men resumed their conversation, still discussing the kiss that had caused Siegfried to shout, waking everyone up.

"Did you really see Princess Rhea kiss Chang Long, Draco?"

Siegfried whispered in disbelief.

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes, my friend. I was stunned for quite a while,"

Draco replied excitedly, blushing at the memory.

"Why would Princess Rhea kiss Chang Long when she already has a lover? And besides, they're both women,"

Siegfried questioned, puzzled by the situation, knowing that Princess Rhea stayed here because her lover was here.

"Maybe she just felt like it or got infatuated for a moment, like Peach Blossom,"

Draco replied. He could not help but think that if Chang Long were a man, she would be quite handsome. Even as a woman, few people could tell because of her rather bold demeanor.

"These two..."

Chang Long's cheeks reddened slightly as Kitsune relayed the conversation between the two young men, who were nearly five meters away.

.....

The notices posted in every city and on the system ships drove players into a frenzy, especially those determined to claim the treasures, outfit sets, and weapons of the Pirate Kings. Major guilds and associations held emergency meetings upon seeing the notices. High-ranking players from big guilds mobilized, showcasing their abilities and the grandeur of their weapons and outfits, impressing the ordinary players.

On the Sea Maiden, rented by members of the Assassin Guild to ambush Chang Long's group, and on the Adventurous Lamb, filled with members of the Dark Horse Guild, both received urgent messages from their guild leaders. The messages were similar: return to Tartarus City to take the quest and get the map to the island as quickly as possible, since the first group sent to complete the quest had yet to find any magical map readers.

Despite their frustration, they ordered the ship's captain to sail back to Tartarus City immediately, much to the relief of the Maritime Association members who had endured the tension between the two guilds for two full days. Their association also had secret orders to keep an eye on players renting their ships, as they too wanted to know who had obtained the second Pirate King's treasure after no one had found for the first person.

Ordinary players without guild affiliations felt hopeless about obtaining the Pirate King's treasure upon seeing the big guilds flaunt their power by mobilizing their high-ranking players. The chatter in the public communication channels was so lively that it crashed the communication system for the second time, forcing the game's technical staff to fix it urgently while also discussing the hot topic themselves.

Pendragon Guild

"Have you heard, Deputy Guild Leader? The second Pirate King's Secret Tomb has been discovered,"

Rafael's close subordinate reported excitedly and anxiously.

"Yes, I heard,"

Rafael replied nonchalantly, smiling and in a good mood.

"Why are you so calm? If the Dark Horse Guild or the Doom Star Guild gets it, it'll be a huge deal!"

Amethyst, Rafael's close subordinate, asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, I guarantee that the person who got the treasure is definitely not from either of those two guilds,"

Rafael replied, casually pulling out a shimmering silver armor to polish. It was his heavy knight armor, which he preferred not to wear often, keeping it in his guild room instead since his current duty was to guard the guild while the guild leader was out adventuring.

"How do you know that... sir?"

Amethyst asked, puzzled. Even the journalists from the association did not know, so how did the deputy leader of his guild know?

"Look! The Dark Horse Guild members who were watching us have mostly withdrawn,"

Rafael pointed out the window, where few Dark Horse Guild players remained.

"But that doesn't mean they didn't get the Pirate King's treasure. And even if Dark Horse didn't, the Doom Star Guild, which is just as big or even bigger, might have. They are known for their stealth,"

Amethyst argued, still not understanding Rafael's overt confidence.

"You'll find out soon enough!"

Rafael cut the discussion short, turning his attention back to polishing his beloved armor. Amethyst sighed, wondering how his boss could remain so calm.

Rafael's calm demeanor stemmed from a call he had received from Draco, who informed him about the entire situation the night before the system announced the discovery of the second Pirate King's secret tomb. This news pleased Rafael greatly, knowing they had increased funds to gather weapons, forces, and information about special areas where players could compete to establish their kingdoms.

"Now we just need to find likely locations and train our forces to be stronger. The weapons from the Kirisakura city quest, combined with the weapons Siegfried and his friends found in the Pirate King's secret tomb, mean we don't need to spend much more on this. Ah... I feel so wealthy right now!"

Rafael muttered contentedly to himself.

"What was that, sir?"

Amethyst, still standing nearby, did not catch the muttered words and asked, frowning.

"How's the recruitment going?"

Rafael asked, looking up.

"It's going well. Many players are interested, but most are new to the game. Our members who are free from quests are helping to train the newcomers to level up,"

Amethyst replied diligently.

"Good. Make sure the high-level members don't help too much. We want the new members to level up and gain combat experience at the same time,"

Rafael instructed, aiming for quality growth in his guild.

"Will do, sir. I'll make sure to tell them!"

Amethyst replied enthusiastically, leaving Rafael's room to oversee the afternoon recruitment at the Pendragon Guild headquarters.

.....

Chang Long's group followed Princess Rhea, their curiosity growing. As they left the forest, they were all astonished and wide-eyed by what they saw. This place was like the illusion in the Pirate King Heaven's cave. No! It was ten times more beautiful. A vast field of colorful flowers stretched as far as the eye could see, with swarms of insects fluttering in the gentle breeze. But most remarkable were the tiny, mysterious beings flying among the insects—creatures many had been searching for.

"Fairies!"

Peach Blossom exclaimed excitedly upon seeing a tiny, one-foot-tall figure with butterfly wings fly past her.

"Yes, the field is full of fairies!"

Valentine echoed, equally thrilled.

"Save the excitement about the fairies for later. For now, you must follow me into the city of 'Quendi',"

Princess Rhea instructed, noting the group's excitement at seeing real fairies for the first time in the game.

"Quendi City..."

Chang Long repeated. The two young men, who had been thoroughly questioned by Chang Long about their gossiping, also perked up. They had not expected to find a hidden city on this isolated island.

Princess Rhea smiled and led the group across the vast fairy field to the edge of another forest. She placed her hand on a massive tree, large enough to be encircled by ten people.

The branches and leaves of the tree moved as if alive, weaving themselves into a large archway that slowly opened, revealing a group of highly civilized people living harmoniously with nature. Their appearances, skin tones, and attire were all very familiar.

"Elves!"

Everyone exclaimed in unison, catching the attention of the elves who all turned to look at them. Kimhant, Hero, and Jane, who had never seen elves before, were the most excited. They stared at the elves with wide eyes, thrilled to see both fairies and elves—two rare beings in Adventure World Online—up close in one day.

"Follow me, I'll take you to my husband. He is the ruler of this Elven kingdom,"

Princess Rhea said, laughing at the group's astonished expressions.

"Why are there two Elven cities!"

Oliang exclaimed, amazed by the grandeur of this Elven community, so different from the simpler Elven city on the Starter Island.

"We're here. This is the home of my husband, Master Volund..."

"Rhea!"

Before Princess Rhea could finish her introduction, a voice interrupted, sounding both worried and angry. When everyone turned to look, they were shocked to see that the man resembled Albeis, the leader of the Elves in Eldar City on the Starter Island, almost like a twin.

"Master Albeis!"

Those familiar with Albeis exclaimed in unison, causing the young Elf to blink in confusion at the newcomers, momentarily forgetting his anger at his wife for disappearing all night.

"You know my brother Albeis?"

The young Elf asked after instructing a close Elven attendant to escort Princess Rhea away.

"Yes, we did a quest in Eldar City once, so we got to know Master Albeis,"

Lidded Wet Trash Can replied.

"So, you are Chang Long? You don't look much like what my brother described..."

the young Elf said, frowning at Wet Trash Can with a puzzled expression.

"No! I'm not Chang Long! There... Chang Long is being taken by the Elven women over there!"

Wet Trash Can hurriedly denied, raising his voice. He was mistakenly identified as Chang Long and now received strange looks.

"Oh, I apologize. I am Volund, the leader of the Elves of Quendi. There must be a reason Rhea brought you here,"

Volund introduced himself with a smile, looking much friendlier.

"We have a quest from the king of Tartarus City,"

Siegfried responded politely. Volund glanced at the young man who answered, and his expression turned to one of shock, his hands and lips trembling.

"The Lost... the Lost Armor of King Alberich!"

Volund's voice echoed, though it trembled slightly. The surrounding Elves turned to look at Siegfried in unison, and then the unexpected happened. All the Elves in the city, including Volund, knelt to honor Siegfried, causing great astonishment among Chang Long's group.

"What's going on? Please, get up. Why are you all bowing to me!"

Siegfried hurriedly walked over to help Volund stand, deeply shocked.

"The Ruler, the leader of the Elves, has appeared once more. This must be a good omen. We had lost hope for so long, and our ancient civilization was on the brink of collapse. Please, guide us as the previous Ruler did..."

Volund spoke to Siegfried with genuine reverence, making the young man's face turn pale. He had not expected things to take such a turn.

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