Adventure World Online (AWO)

Thud!

The large mansion vanished in an instant, leaving Chang Long and her friends sprawled across the cold snow. Everyone slowly got up, brushing the icy powder off their clothes, glancing around at one another in confusion about what to do next. They had been too mesmerized by Chang Long's new weapon to pay attention when the system announced the quest rewards.

"Where do we collect the rewards?"

Wet Trash Can was the first to ask.

"Check your watch. The quest log might tell us,"

suggested Draco. Everyone raised their wrists to check their quest logs simultaneously.

"Sanada Clan!"

Oliang smiled. They were quite familiar with the clan, having completed a major mission for them before (the one where they took down the Crow Group).

"Let's head back to the city. I can barely keep my eyes open,"

Destiny suggested, and the others agreed. It was 5 AM, and they were all exhausted after a night filled with terror. Too drained to walk back to the city, they used teleportation scrolls instead. Chang Long was lucky; despite never buying teleportation scrolls, she had received some as a bonus for bulk buying from the system shop. Otherwise, she would have been the only one walking back, uncertain if she would even find her way back to the city.

Chang Long appeared in the middle of the quiet city of Kirisakura, devoid of players due to the early hour. A soft thud caught her attention. As her friends were walking toward the nearby inn to get some rooms to rest, she looked down and she saw Brownie, the little field mouse, lying sprawled out on the ground. It seemed he had fallen from her cloak. She picked him up as he grumbled, rubbing his sore back with his tiny paws. Then, she followed her friends to a nearby inn to rest.

Once inside her room, Chang Long collapsed onto the soft bed, exhausted. Her pets and spirits quietly found their own corners to rest, careful not to disturb their master. Brownie, still upset that Chang Long had got up abruptly earlier without warning him and walked away without waiting for him, had barely managed to keep up. Because of this, he had lost the rest of the grains from the glass cup that he had only half-finished.

"Take that, and that!"

Brownie angrily kicked Chang Long's hand. But Chang Long did not stir at all.

"Crispy sunflower seeds… plump corn kernels sob… gone, all because of you. You didn't even bother to tell me when you got up!"

Brownie made a fuss, tears streaming down his cheeks as he furiously pummeled his feet on Chang Long's hand. After exhausting himself, he stood there panting, out of breath.

"What are you doing making all that noise? Don't tell me you're disturbing my master?"

Kitsune, now in his fluffy orange-gold fox form, hopped onto the bed, looking down at Brownie with a calm expression. Brownie, however, froze in terror, feeling the fear deep in his bones.

"A-a-a foxxxx! Don't come near me!"

Brownie screeched, quickly darting back into Chang Long's cloak for cover. Kitsune blinked, utterly confused by Brownie's over-the-top reaction.

"What's with him, big bro? Screaming like crazy?"

Hulu, in his rainbow-colored kirin form, walked over curiously, but Kitsune just shook his head, equally confused about what had happened.

"I don't get why he's so scared of me. He looks at me like I'm some kind of monster,"

Kitsune grumbled, settling down next to Chang Long, who was lying face down, resting his head on her leg.

"I think I know why," Hulu said with a chuckle, hopping onto the bed beside Kitsune.

"You know why that little mouse is scared of me?"

Kitsune asked, yawning widely.

"Yeah, I bet he's scared that you're going to eat him. Hahaha, it's hilarious,"

Hulu replied, laughing as he glanced at the small, trembling lump beneath Chang Long's cloak.

"Hah, something that small wouldn't even be filling. Besides, he doesn't look tasty at all!"

Kitsune muttered, eyeing the still-trembling lump. He leaned in and sniffed it curiously, causing the lump to flinch violently, trembling even more. The sound of teeth chattering could be heard, and both Kitsune and Hulu laughed quietly, enjoying their little prank. After a while, the two of them drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Chang Long awoke to find Brownie standing on her shoulder, hands on his hips, ready to demand the promise she had made. She had told him that if he ever wanted to leave, she would give him enough of his favorite seeds to carry. And now, with a ferocious fox by her side, Brownie had no intention of staying any longer.

"Alright, I've made up my mind. I'm leaving, so keep your promise and hand over the goods!"

Brownie said sternly, though he remained perched on Chang Long's shoulder, too scared to come down with Kitsune standing nearby.

"Uh-huh, sure,"

Chang Long nodded, still a bit groggy but compliant. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out an empty coin pouch. She opened it and filled with sunflower seeds, corn kernels, and other grains until it was packed full. After tying the bag tightly and checking for any holes, she handed the pouch, now three times the size of Brownie, to the little mouse.

Thud!

Brownie slung the heavy pouch over his shoulder, but despite using all his strength, he could not move it an inch. Eventually, he was left panting, completely exhausted.

"Looks like that might be too much,"

Chang Long remarked, glancing at the overstuffed pouch. Hulu, Fluffy Head-chan, and Kitsune all chuckled at the sight of the small, greedy mouse struggling in vain.

"Why couldn't I have been born bigger?"

Brownie grumbled as he wiped the sweat, eyeing the bag of seeds with regret. If he truly wanted to leave Chang Long, he would have to part with some of his precious seeds, or he would not get anywhere today.

While Brownie stood contemplating his loss, Chang Long began having breakfast with her pets and spirits. Anya, the fairy, appeared as soon as she was summoned. Even though the fairy could stay inside Chang Long without needing food or drink for extended periods, Chang Long preferred for everyone to eat together.

"Um... I think I should take some seeds out...U!"

Brownie reluctantly climbed onto the table and told Chang Long, accepting his fate. But as he raised his head, his eyes were immediately captivated by the slender girl with beautiful black wings, glimmering with silver dust, who was sipping from a small cup. Inside his mind, a song of love began playing as he walked dreamily toward Anya, completely forgetting what he had planned to say to Chang Long.

"A mouse? So cute, Chang Long. Is he yours?"

Anya asked, her gentle hands reaching out to scratch Brownie under the chin, which the little creature clearly enjoyed.

"No, he's just tagging along. In fact, he was about to leave, right, Brownie?"

Chang Long responded, turning to ask the tiny rodent. Brownie froze and immediately panicked.

"N-no! I mean, I don't want to go anymore!"

Brownie stammered, even more flustered by Anya's disappointed look.

"Huh. You were pretty adamant about leaving earlier?" Chang Long frowned, confused by Brownie's sudden change of heart. Her companions, however, already knew why Brownie had changed his mind and wanted to stay.

"Are you really leaving? That's such a shame. I thought I'd have a cute little friend like you. Good luck then, little mouse,"

Anya said, sounding disappointed but not particularly emotional since she had only known Brownie for less than five minutes. But in Brownie's eyes, he had just shattered the heart of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. In a flash, he clung to Chang Long's arm, begging her to take him in as a pet.

"Master, please don't abandon me!!"

Brownie's shrill voice startled Chang Long and her companions, who all turned to stare at him in disbelief at how quickly he had changed his tune.

"Me? Abandon you?"

Chang Long rolled her eyes, while Anya covered her mouth, giggling. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Chang Long nudged Brownie's little head aside and went to open it.

"Chang Long,"

Siegfried greeted her, standing in the doorway. Behind him was his sister, Peach Blossom, who had become much more well-mannered these days.

"Oh, what's up?"

Chang Long asked, opening the door wider to let the siblings in.

"We came to invite you to breakfast, but it looks like you've already eaten..."

Peach Blossom started brightly, her mood dropping as she saw the table already laden with food.

"If you don't mind, why don't you join us?"

Chang Long gestured toward the already packed dining table.

"Are you sure it's ok..."

"Yes!"

Before Siegfried could even finish his sentence, Peach Blossom quickly responded. She made her way to the table, greeting Chang Long's pets and spirits cheerfully.

"Please, join us!"

Chang Long smiled, motioning for Siegfried, who stood awkwardly by the door, to come in. He scratched his head, slightly embarrassed, before happily taking a seat at the table.

Their peaceful meal did not last long for the siblings. Another knock on the door followed shortly. This time, the rest of their friends, who had been waiting for Siegfried and Peach Blossom to bring Chang Long along, all arrived together. The decided that they would all share breakfast in her room.

Everyone ordered more food and rearranged all tables in the room to be their dining table and enjoyed a lively meal. Devi-chan and Hisa-chan, in particular, were thrilled to have new drinking companions. Even Heaven, who usually preferred to remain invisible, joined the gathering. Meanwhile, the pets gathered on the floor, with Kitsune naturally assuming the role of the group's elder.

Brownie, on the other hand, sat gloomily clutching the bag of seeds Chang Long had given him, lamenting that he would soon have to part ways with his beloved lady because Chang Long had not accepted him. He regretted not showing more respect to her and wondered why he had not been more polite, just as that strange horse-like creature had suggested. How could he enjoy his grand adventure in the world when his heart felt so heavy?

.....

At the Sanada clan's castle, Chang Long's group was warmly welcomed, treated with great respect as if they were VIPs. The players waiting to receive quests looked on in astonishment, whispering to one another, eager to find out who this group was and why they were given such deference by the Sanada clan.

They were escorted to the quest reward room, where an elderly NPC woman, who bore a striking resemblance to the ghostly old lady from the haunted mansion, awaited them. Upon seeing Chang Long, the old woman seemed to flinch slightly before clearing her throat and asking,

"Here for your quest reward, yes? Come along. This item is rare. High-level players might also find it in the inner cemetery where Onibi Beasts dwell, but the drop rate is only 0.25%, meaning it's exceedingly difficult to obtain."

The elderly NPC prattled on as she led them to the room where the quest reward was kept.

Inside the dark chamber, the only source of light came from a large glass jar with a tightly sealed lid. Inside the jar, a bluish-white flame floated, illuminating the room just like the Demon Bride's fire spirits from the haunted mansion.

"Wait, don't tell me that's the quest reward!"

Wet Trash Can blurted out, sounding nervous.

"Smart guess, young man. That's exactly your quest reward,"

the old woman answered and opened the lid of the glass jar, nodding for Chang Long to come forward first.

"I can't touch it. This flame is called the 'Guiding Flame.' It won't burn as long as it's in the hands of its rightful owner, but if anyone tries to steal it, the flame will mercilessly scorch them,"

she explained. This immediately piqued the interest of Chang Long's friends, who had not seemed all that eager at first.

"The Guiding Flame lives up to its name. It floats on its own, so you don't have to carry it. Storing it is simple—just call it into the flame bag, and the flame will go out temporarily until you summon it again,"

the old woman continued in detail, clearly wanting to avoid answering numerous questions from players later on.

"Now, reach in and take it out so your friends can claim theirs. My throat is parched from all this talking!"

She ordered irritably. Chang Long was the first to step forward and reach into the glass jar, holding her breath as she grasped the bluish-white flame, fearing it might burn her. But to her surprise, all she felt was a gentle flicker with no heat at all.

"Player Chang Long has received the quest reward: 1 piece of Guiding Flame,"

the system notified in her head as soon as she held the flame. She pulled it out of the jar and opened her hand, allowing the Guiding Flame to float in front of her, immediately starting its task.

"Amazing!"

Jane, Hero, Destiny, Kimhant, Draco, and the duo Oliang and Wet Trash Can exclaimed in unison, while Peach Blossom and Cat-Faced Angel quickly rushed to the front of the line to get their own Guiding Flame, passing the excited guys who were still marveling at Chang Long's flame.

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