NOVEL NEXT Chapter 103: Expansion
As soon as the system message ended, the companions quickly gathered at his home. Justin looked around at them and let out a small, incredulous laugh.
"Even I didn't see this coming."
"If anyone did, that would've been surprising," Ethan replied, still looking somewhat stunned. "We'd all half-forgotten about Earth, hadn't we?"
It seemed no one had expected to hear anything about Earth at this point, and the others remained quiet, merely scanning the details of the floating quest window in silence.
Quest: Looking for Traces of Ancient Civilization
Classification: Main
QuestDetails: You have established a new society and brought order. However, it seems there is still a long way to go before reaching the level of a nation. To shorten this time, locate the abandoned cities of the ancient native races and use them as the foundation for a new civilization.
The scroll in your inventory will guide you.Reward: The fully constructed city and the special effects of its locationMiscellaneous: All previously developed features will automatically apply to the new residence
The concept of finding the traces of an ancient civilization had been present even in World Breaker. The idea was to discover a city belonging to a long-dead native race, hidden away and hard to locate. However, once found, the rewards were enormous, granting not only the city but all the treasures inside.
In the mid-game, players would search relentlessly for these ancient cities.
"But it looks like they're offering us an entire city here, and we're not even halfway through," Justin remarked.
"It makes sense," Zachary replied. "Unlike the game, where cities can develop after just a few turns, here it could take years to fully grow one. At this rate, it'd take even longer to bring a city to proper development." Experience exclusive tales on empire
"And in those years, people's patience would wear thin. Even in the game, if people had to grind endlessly like this in real life, they'd give up and turn into barbarians."
Perhaps this was part of the tutorial, Justin mused. They'd been forced to build from the ground up to establish order, and only now, after becoming accustomed to governing, would they be granted a city.
"Thinking about it that way, the idea of mass migration from Earth makes sense. After becoming familiar with ruling a small society, the next step is to fill the city with people."
A heavy silence fell over the group when Zachary mentioned the migration. It was understandable; many of them had left behind family and friends on Earth with no way to contact them. Up until now, they had lived with the half-resigned belief that it was all due to some unavoidable disaster.
But now they were being told there were survivors on Earth—and that they were going to migrate here.
"For now, let's put the migration issue aside. What matters most is the Ancient Civilization quest," Justin said firmly, bringing the companions' focus back. "Depending on which city the pioneers take, the balance of power could shift. Don't get distracted and miss the immediate task at hand."
"Depending on the city? You mean not all the cities are the same?" someone asked.
"Of course they're different. Did you think they were all identical?"
"Well, I mean... all the territories are pretty similar..." Nathan scratched his head awkwardly, clearly having been caught off guard by Justin's pointed response.
Justin leaned back in his chair with a small chuckle. "You were probably thinking we'd be competing for a limited number of cities. But that's not the case. There will be plenty of cities—though many will be trash."
"Trash cities?" one of them asked, confused.
"Remember the part about the cities belonging to ancient native races? Well, there wasn't just one race."
The term "native races" referred to the intelligent beings who had previously inhabited this land. However, just because they were intelligent didn't mean they all had the same level of technological advancement. Even among humans, civilizations could differ vastly in their development of various technologies.
The differences between other races would likely be even greater.
"Some races built cities that are little more than huts, while others constructed grand, magnificent castles. The concept of a 'city' may be the same, but the contents are completely different."
At this, the group's eyes began to sparkle with realization. Justin locked eyes with his companions and drove the point home.
"And obviously, the city we'll be taking will be the latter."
"We will challenge the new quest. Everyone, gather!"
After the meeting concluded, the group immediately issued a summons. Given the importance of the quest, they were determined to bring together all available forces.
Once all the pioneers had gathered, Justin pulled out the quest item they had received from the system.
Magic Scroll: Teleport
Classification: Quest Item
Details: A scroll that activates a stored spell when torn. The user will be transferred to the designated location. Begin from the crumbling paths of the ancient world and follow the traces of the once-great civilization.Miscellaneous: The transfer location will be the same for all pioneers affiliated with the same territory.
Before tearing the scroll, Justin glanced around at the gathered pioneers.
"You've all heard the system message from this morning. It mentioned that there would be a mass migration from Earth after this quest."
As expected, the pioneers wore unsettled expressions. Some were likely hoping they might learn news of someone left behind on Earth. Others, having finally found stability, might be afraid that this migration would bring chaos.
Whatever their thoughts, it was a matter that would undoubtedly weigh on their minds. Justin knew he had to redirect that unease into motivation before the quest began.
"I think everyone here is just as excited as I am," he said, a grin forming. "We can finally stop playing this absurd game of pretend nobility."
"...!?"
The sudden, provocative statement startled the pioneers, and they looked up in shock. It sounded like he was attacking the very noble society they had worked so hard to establish.
Justin stamped his staff on the ground, the sharp sound grabbing their attention.
"Two hundred people! We have, at best, a society of 200 people! And yet, we've been calling ourselves nobles! I dreamed of something grander—a higher class, lords of castles, truly noble figures! But how can we pretend to be nobles with just 200 people!?"
When people think of nobles, they imagine luxury and grandeur. But here, the so-called "nobles" were nothing more than a glorified standing army.
There was no nobility, no splendor, just a role they had been playing.