NOVEL NEXT Ch. 5
Chapter 5: The “Pilgrimage” of All Players
Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another day had passed.
The backyard of the Forgotten Library had completely changed its appearance.
The stone, revered by players as the “Sacred Stone,” was now enjoying an emperor’s treatment.
A delicate pavilion built with high-quality timber had sprung up, perfectly enclosing it. At the four corners of the pavilion, players had hung handmade wind chimes. Whenever the breeze blew, they jingled melodiously.
Beneath the pavilion, the stone had been wiped spotless, and some players had even arranged glowing moss around it in the shape of a heart.
The line was even longer than yesterday. Many low-level players had even traveled all the way from distant Newbie Villages just to catch a glimpse of the legendary “Sacred Stone” and complete a “pilgrimage.”
“Brother, let me touch it, just once! I ran three hours from Mornwind Town to get here!” a level 10 newbie player pleaded.
“Go, go, go! Get to the back of the line! Don’t you see the queue’s already stretched all the way to the Dire Wolf spawn zone?” A guild member from 【Mad Blade】, who was maintaining order, mercilessly shoved him aside.
“Don’t touch me! I’m a reserve member of the ‘Sacred Stone Knight Order’! I clean the dust around here every day on my own. My contribution points are very high!”
“Knight Order, my ass. Isn’t that just something 【ILoveTomatoes】 and a few other chuunibyō guys made up themselves? Get back in line, or don’t blame us for getting rough!”
The entire backyard had already formed into a bizarre yet highly efficient industrial chain.
On the outskirts stood elite players from the “Silent Defense Line” alliance, responsible for clearing monsters and maintaining order.
In the middle were all sorts of vendors.
“Selling healing potions and loot drops! Feeling bored in line? Come pass the time!”
“Freshly released 《Sacred Stone Interaction Guide 1.0 Beta》, covering the three major schools of thought: ‘Rhythm School,’ ‘Emotional School,’ and ‘Environmental School,’ plus over twenty niche trigger techniques! Only ten copper coins per copy!”
“Queue-sitting service! One silver per hour, I’ll hold your place so you can spend more time studying strategies!”
Through the window, Mophis watched everything unfold, feeling as if her worldview was being utterly rewritten by these players.
This wasn’t just silliness anymore—this was sheer business genius!
She quietly opened the forum to see what new madness the players had concocted this time.
A pinned and highlighted thread immediately caught her eye.
【Shocking Discovery! An In-Depth Analysis of the Inner Logic Behind Mophis Wife’s Health Condition and the ‘Sacred Stone’ Quest!】
The post was made by a player with the ID 【Data Emperor】. Just from the name, one could tell he was a professional.
Mophis curiously clicked inside.
The post stretched on for thousands of words, accompanied by charts and logical deductions.
“First, let’s analyze the known clues.”
“Clue one: Miss Mophis’ official setting is ‘frail.’ From Mad Blade’s video and the earlier collision incident, we can confirm she’s very delicate—even capable of tripping on flat ground.”
“Clue two: The first quest item was 【Moonlight Grass】. Its official description: ‘Contains the essence of moonlight, can rapidly restore stamina.’ A restorative herb.”
“Clue three: The quest description states, ‘Because of her health, she cannot pick it herself.’”
“Clue four: The rewards for quest initiator 【Mad Blade】 were 50,000 experience, 100 gold, and one fine-quality item【Windrunner’s Boots】.”
“Now, linking all clues together, we can reach a shocking conclusion: Miss Mophis is issuing quests to acquire essential items for maintaining her life! She is very likely in an extremely weakened state that requires constant replenishment of energy!”
At this, Mophis’ heart skipped a beat.
This guy… how did he guess so accurately?
She kept reading.
“So, the ‘Sacred Stone’ quest isn’t a random encounter—it’s Miss Mophis crying out for help! She’s trapped in the Library, unable to go out, and this is her only way to seek kind-hearted ‘Chosen Ones’ to aid her!”
“This also explains the generous rewards! Because this is a life-saving grace! For the descendant of an ancient noble, repaying with treasure is completely logical!”
“As for why only Mad Blade triggered it while the rest of us failed for two days—I don’t think it’s our method that’s wrong. Rather—Miss Mophis simply isn’t hungry right now!”
“She only needed 10 Moonlight Grass, and Mad Blade already delivered them. Until she finishes consuming them, the quest won’t trigger again! Everything we’re doing now is pointless!”
The post ended there.
The replies below were silent for a moment, then completely exploded.
“Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Data Emperor is insane! This analysis—I kneel before it!”
“Oh my god! So that’s it! Our wife was asking us for help! And we were like idiots trying to figure out how to knock on the stone?”
“Wuwuwu, my heart hurts! Mophis Wife is all alone in the Library, hungry and scared, while we’re out here making noise. I’m not even human!”
“No wonder she smiled at me! It was gratitude! The joy of surviving a disaster! I… I…” Even the OP, 【Mad Blade】, appeared, speaking with a tone of sudden realization and deep heartache.
“So what do we do now? Wait until she’s hungry again to trigger the quest?”
“No way! How could we let Wife go hungry? We must act proactively!”
“Right! We need to show her we’re not after her rewards—we truly want to help her!”
“Brothers! Move out! Moonlight Grass, right? I know the spawn point! There’s an elite monster there, but with our numbers, we can brute force it! Let’s gather every single Moonlight Grass on that cliff and deliver them to the Library door!”
“Is there anything else she might need? She’s a girl, always reading books—her eyes must get tired. Does she need soothing eye drops?”
“Her dress looks old—she definitely needs new clothes! Any tailoring experts? Let’s crowdfund materials and make Wife a hundred new dresses!”
“She must be so lonely in the Library! Let’s catch some cute little animals, like Moonlight Rabbits, and send them in to keep her company!”
Watching the thread spiral tens of thousands of miles off course in an instant, Mophis was dumbfounded.
No way… how did their brains even work like this?
She just wanted to find another sucker—no, another lucky person—and somehow it turned into a grand “Operation: Rescue Wife”?
Now they wanted to send her Moonlight Grass? Clothes? Pets?
Great.
With this many people crowding the entrance, she didn’t even dare open the back door anymore.
She rubbed her temples, feeling her social anxiety flare up again.
And yet, a warmth also rose in her heart.
These players might be silly, their imaginations wildly unrestrained, but their passion and kindness were undeniably genuine.
“…Forget it. Since you’re all this enthusiastic…”
Mophis looked at the half a bag of Moonlight Grass still in her backpack and sighed.
It seemed her original plan had to be changed.
She could no longer use “food” as the quest target, or else these players really would drag every edible thing on the continent to her doorstep.
She needed a new, reasonable “need.”
Her gaze fell upon her own dress—a complex, black gown that had grown old.
The lace trim at the hem was fraying, and its color had dulled with age.
Hmm… a girl needing a new dress, that sounded reasonable enough, right?
Besides, making clothes required materials.
A material-gathering quest wasn’t much different from gathering herbs, and it wouldn’t easily draw suspicion from the GMs.
Yes. That would do!
She dove once again into the sea of code, beginning to construct a new “pseudo-quest.”
This time, she didn’t use the “Sacred Stone” as the trigger point.
Two days had passed, and that stone had already been polished to a gleaming shine by players.
Using it again would feel too contrived.
She needed something new—something more “personal.”
Something that conveyed: “I truly need help, and I trust only you.”
Her gaze scanned the Library’s structural map and finally landed on the second-floor reading room’s eternally closed window.
That window overlooked the backyard, giving a clear view of the bustling scene around the “Sacred Stone.”
She began coding the new quest logic.
【Hidden Encounter: A Girl’s Secret】
【Trigger Conditions: At midnight (in-game time 23:00–01:00), a player must be standing alone beside the ‘Sacred Stone,’ looking up at the Library’s second-floor window, and using the ‘Observe’ skill.】
【Trigger Probability: Very low.】
【Quest Description: You seem to sense that behind the closed window, a pair of lonely eyes are watching you. She seems to have something on her mind but is too shy to speak. Perhaps a warm cup of 【Soothing Flower Tea】 could ease her guard and open her heart to you?】
【Quest Objective: Gather 10 【Soothing Flowers】 and deliver them to the Tea Master 【Grandma】 in Newbie Village to brew into 【Soothing Flower Tea】.】
【Quest Reward: ???】
This quest design was far more intricate than the previous one.
First, the combination of time, place, number, and action made the trigger conditions much stricter, giving it a stronger “serendipitous” feel.
Second, the objective was no longer a direct physical necessity but instead something like “Soothing Flower Tea,” which sounded “literary” and “heartfelt”—perfectly matching players’ image of Mophis as an “intellectual, elegant noble maiden.”
Most importantly, this quest planted a powerful psychological seed in players’ minds: Mophis is watching us. She has worries. She needs comfort.
For players who had already made “protecting Wife” their lifelong mission, this was essentially a nuclear bomb of temptation.
After finishing, Mophis felt half her mental energy drained again.
She leaned back in her chair, breathing lightly, but the corners of her lips couldn’t help but curve upward.
She could already imagine the chaos that would erupt on the forum once this quest was triggered.
So then… who would tonight’s “lucky one” be?
Mophis’ gaze seemed to pierce through the walls, falling upon the backyard. There, a small priest girl had been faithfully waiting since the very first day, trying countless methods without giving up.
The one with the ID 【HealsTheEntireServer】.
It would be her.