NOVEL NEXT Ch. 4
Chapter 4: The Smile of My Wife, I Shall Protect
The forum, as the most important information hub for players of 《Aincrad Era》, was now completely boiling over.
If Mophis’s earlier “bumping incident” had ignited players’ curiosity and affection for this special NPC—
Then Mad Blade’s post, titled 《I Triggered Mophis’s Hidden Quest! With Pics and Proof!》, was like pouring an entire barrel of high-purity aviation fuel onto that blazing fire.
The post’s content was simple and crude, yet filled with fatal temptation.
One screenshot showed the quest: 【Hidden Encounter: The Girl Who Loves Reading】.
The reward—far too luxurious to appear at this stage of the game—especially “One Random Fine-Grade Equipment,” dazzled everyone’s eyes.
Another screenshot showed the equipment: 【Boots of the Windrunner】.
The cyan glow, the gorgeous attributes, made countless players—still struggling just to get a single Excellent-grade item—drool with jealousy.
But the deadliest part was the last short video, less than five seconds long.
The footage shook slightly, clearly filmed while the recorder was in an extremely excited state.
In the video, the ancient wooden door of the library cracked open.
The dim light outlined a slender figure of a girl.
She held a book in her hands, her long black hair falling like a waterfall, making her pale face appear even more delicate.
She peeked out, her silver eyes gazing toward the camera, carrying both innocent purity and a touch of curiosity about the outside world.
Then, her lips curved ever so slightly, revealing a faint smile.
That smile was brief—like the first flower blooming in the snowy ground of early spring.
Shy, fleeting.
And then, the door closed.
The video ended there.
For an entire minute, the entire forum went silent—no new replies.
It was as if everyone who opened the post had their breath stolen away by that smile.
One minute later, replies came crashing down like a landslide, like a tsunami.
“Floor 1024: I… I’m dead. Someone help me up, my legs went weak.”
“Floor 1025: AWSL! With that smile, don’t just ask me to collect 10 Moonlight Grass, even slay a dragon—I’ll do it!”
“Floor 1026: Mad Blade, you damn thief! What did you do to our wife! Why did she smile at you! Draw your sword!”
“Floor 1088: The point! Everyone highlight the point! How did Mad Blade trigger the quest? He said he ‘kicked a stone out of habit’! A stone! The stone in the backyard!”
“Floor 1089: The backyard stone? Coordinates! Post the coordinates! Damn it, I’m going there right now to smash that stone to pieces!”
“Floor 1150: Calm down, upstairs! You bunch of rough brutes! Mophis, our wife, is so gentle and kind.
How could she set a quest that requires violence to trigger? Mad Blade is definitely hiding something! I bet it wasn’t a ‘kick’ but a ‘caress’! Yes, it must have been a caress full of love!”
“Floor 1234: Nonsense! You fools don’t understand anything! Let me analyze.
The quest is called ‘The Girl Who Loves Reading.’ The description says she ‘cannot pick herbs herself due to physical reasons.’ What does that mean? It means she longs for the outside world! That stone is her only window to communicate with it! Mad Blade’s kick wasn’t just a kick, it was knocking! A polite greeting! You filthy LSPs, can’t your thoughts be purer?”
“Floor 1235: Holy crap! Upstairs, you’re a genius! That makes sense! Knocking! So the correct trigger must be knocking three times rhythmically? Or in some special pattern?”
Mad Blade stared at the replies running wild on the forum, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Knocking? Greeting? Damn it, he had just kicked it because he was bored!
But after thinking for a moment, he immediately shut his mouth.
No, he couldn’t tell the truth.
Right now, Mophis’s hidden quest was exclusive intel.
He had to keep this mystery and advantage.
Let these fools keep guessing—the wilder the better.
Clearing his throat, he replied in the post with a profound tone:
“Fate is wondrous beyond words. My friends, feel it with your hearts, do not stay on the surface.”
That pretentious line instantly triggered another wave of wild speculation.
Meanwhile, the true culprit behind this chaos—Mophis—was hiding behind the library curtain, secretly watching outside.
When she saw the first player sneak into the backyard, bow devoutly before the designated stone, wipe it gently with his sleeve, then knock three times—she nearly burst out laughing.
Then the second, the third…
More and more players crowded into the backyard.
Mophis’s smile began to freeze.
Soon, the unremarkable stone was surrounded by players.
They spontaneously formed a long line, stretching from the backyard all the way to the library’s front door, winding around several corners.
The scene grew bizarre and absurd.
“Bro, how many times are you knocking?” one player asked another in line.
“I’m going to try the rhythm of Mozart’s ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.’ I think our cultured wife Mophis must like classical music.”
“You’re insane! This is a fantasy world—it should be in the ancient tongue of the elves! I’ll use a ‘three-long, two-short’ rhythm, I heard it’s the signal for an elven courtship!”
“Out of the way, heretics!” a player with the ID 【Alchemy Genius】 shoved in, clutching a bubbling flask.
“How can emotions be triggered by such crude physical means? It must be chemistry! This is my ‘Potion of Admiration.’ Just sprinkle it on the stone, and our wife Mophis will definitely feel my burning heart!”
He raised the flask, ready to pour.
“Stop!” A nearby Paladin immediately blocked him.
“That green stuff looks poisonous! What if it corrodes the ‘Sacred Stone’? That’s our only bridge to wife! Can you afford that?”
“Exactly! Get lost! Don’t defile the Sacred Stone!”
A fight nearly broke out, but then Mad Blade’s guild’s vice president, 【Pierce-Heart-With-One-Sword】, hurried over with people to restore order.
“Quiet! Line up properly! One at a time! Anyone who cuts the line or damages the stone is declaring war against our entire ‘Silent Defense’ alliance!”
His stern roar finally suppressed the chaos.
Thus, the players began what could be called the strangest event in gaming history—taking turns performing bizarre rituals with a stone.
Some knelt on one knee, confessing with deep emotion.
Some danced absurdly by the stone, trying to draw attention.
Some even pulled out flutes and played 《The Lonely Brave》 to it.
Mophis lay on the windowsill, burying her face in her arms, shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
No… she couldn’t hold it anymore… these players were just too ridiculous!
She only wanted someone to help her pick herbs—how had it turned into some kind of cult ritual?
She quietly opened the forum and read the fanatical discussions, both angry and amused.
【Latest update! The ‘Sacred Stone’ triggering theory has now split into three schools! The ‘Rhythmic Knockers,’ the ‘Emotional Injectors,’ and the ‘Environmental Interactors’!】
【Breaking theory from an Environmental Interactor: The true key may be weather-related! For example, holding an umbrella over the Sacred Stone on a rainy day!】
【Breaking news! Some life-skill players are already building a pavilion beside the Sacred Stone! They said the stone must not be exposed to wind or rain!】
Mophis: “……”
Why were they treating a stone better than her?
She laughed until her nose suddenly felt sore.
In her past life, she was just an ordinary programmer tapping away at code in a cubicle.
Lonely, plain, facing nothing but cold data every day.
But now, even though she was in a false world, with a frail body—outside the window was a crowd of people.
Using ways that were silly, clumsy, yet sincere, they were all trying… to please her.
That feeling was new.
And warm.
She crushed some 【Moonlight Grass】 and mixed it with water to drink.
A refreshing energy quickly replenished her weakness, and the hunger and fatigue eased.
Looking at the nine stalks left in her bag, she knew they would only last a few days.
She had to keep “issuing quests.”
And to keep the players’ enthusiasm alive, to make them feel their efforts meant something, she had to let a second person also trigger the quest.
This time, who should it be?
Mophis’s gaze once again fell upon the endless line of players outside.