---Third POV---
"Absurd," Lux said.
"There might still be some flaws in the reasoning," NeverShowOff pointed out.
Garble crossed his arms. "But there just happen to be no monster corpses nearby."
Child rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I actually think this looks like a spatial teleportation array."
Several faces turned to look at him.
"Why?"
"Look here, here, and this triangle. Its structure is very similar to the magic array we built at the ruins." Child pointed back and forth across the five-meter-wide magic array, explaining enthusiastically. "And if you connect these two points, isn't it identical to Viktor's teleportation array?"
He glanced at the others, seeking confirmation.
Hedgehog's eyes swirled in confusion, his brain completely muddled.
"Not seeing it at all."
NeverShowOff had a vague inkling but didn't point it out directly. He figured he'd need to study it for three days and nights to notice such details.
But his curiosity was piqued.
"How did you spot that?"
The differences between Viktor's portable teleportation array and the floor's runes were like the contrast between "minimalist lines" and "extreme colors."
Child blinked innocently. "Isn't it obvious?"
"..."
"Impressive. Very sharp observation." A deep, unfamiliar voice laced with admiration echoed behind them, reverberating several times in the confined space.
The five were immediately on edge. There was someone else in the room!
"Back off!"
Weapons were instantly drawn, ready to counterattack.
But they were all subdued by the person with one hand.
"It's me," he said, exasperated.
Once they recognized the person, the group relaxed.
Viktor. No problem, then.
Undead communicated by vibrating air, and the sound distortion caused by different environments was significant. Viktor had tried to make some noise to alert them, but all five players were engrossed in the untranslated books and the magic array on the floor.
None of them noticed.
Lux teared up, spreading her arms to rush at him.
"Lord Viktor!" After seeing so many skeletal monsters, she finally realized just how perfect Viktor's bones were! Her eyes were finally getting a break.
He extended a hand to block her forehead.
"Please maintain a safe distance. Also, I came to find you specifically because there's something we need to discuss."
"Specifically looking for us?" NeverShowOff asked, catching on. "Is it because we activated the guidebook?"
"No," Viktor shook his head. "It's about the teleportation array on the ground."
If Child had continued exploring, they'd soon be trying to figure out how to activate the array. The group instinctively stepped aside to clear a path for Viktor to move to the front. After a bit of searching on the ground, he pried off a semi-transparent purple gem.
"As expected, the energy source is the problem. That was why the teleportation array isn't working."
Hedgehog was stunned.
"So Child's random guess was actually right?!"
"That was reasoning!" Child protested.
Garble chimed in, "Since it's a teleportation array, could it be leading to..."
Viktor twirled the gem in his hand and smiled faintly. "Exactly as you're thinking. It connects to another town area, or rather, beyond the Great Oak Forest. Apart from reversing space to let people leave the fallen Honeyvale Town, using a teleportation array to escape was part of the plan. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Perhaps they encountered monsters capable of blocking spatial channels, or some other unforeseen issue. In any case, the teleportation array didn't activate."
NeverShowOff immediately asked, "So the teleportation array can still work, or it can be repaired, right?"
Viktor nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for? With it, we don't need to grind monsters to level up; we can leave the starter village!" Child said excitedly.
Lux raised her hands in celebration. "A new map!"
No wonder the exploration efforts had been stagnant. The developers hadn't given many hints or removed the array, it had such a massive hidden function.
"My explanation isn't finished," Viktor interjected, pouring cold water on their excitement. "Although the array is mostly intact, with only the core dimensional crystal damaged, repairs will still take time."
"How long?" they asked.
"Two days."
The players breathed a sigh of relief. Hedgehog patted his chest. "You scared me! I thought it'd take forever. Two days is nothing, we can wait!"
Two days in the game was only one day in reality. Sleep, and it'd be done.
Seeing the players so cooperative, Viktor also felt relieved. In truth, all his talk about ancient teleportation arrays and spatial monsters was fabricated... If a teleportation array could directly connect to the Great Oak Forest, this place would've either become a feeding ground for monsters or a tourist hotspot for human armies.
In reality, the original teleportation array within the Inverted Space had long been destroyed. After all, no lord wanted to accept a bunch of unprofitable refugees who might be carrying parasitic monsters.
The current teleportation array was one he had rebuilt atop the ruins of the original, including its aged appearance, the books piled on it, and the surrounding bones, all carefully arranged by him and Edgar.
The goal? To give players a sense of achievement in exploration and puzzle-solving. But it wasn't supposed to be discovered yet. At least not until the captives had finished planting potatoes.
Being a game developer was hard...
"Since that's settled, I'll take the crystal with me for now. You're the first ones to discover it. Once the crystal is repaired using alchemy, I'll let you be the first to use it."
With unanimous approval from the players, he left at ease. Upon returning to the surface, Viktor chuckled softly.
"If you're going to pull tricks, at least hide them better."
Not that he'd have done anything even if they hadn't hidden it. He wasn't the type to withhold rewards from players.
Soon, his figure vanished completely.
---
"Why did you stop me just now?"
He had so many questions left unanswered! For instance, where was the new map? What were its customs like? How would the crystal be repaired?
"It's just a day's wait. Once we have the usage rights, that's all that matters."
With the panel showing a [Usage Qualification] reward, they were reassured.
"For now, we have other things to do!" Hedgehog grinned mysteriously.
From the pile of books he had dug through earlier, he pulled out a stack of rolled-up parchment.
"This is…" Garble asked curiously.
Hedgehog shared his game panel, revealing the translated text.
[Low-Level Teleportation Scroll: Tear it to teleport to a random location within a 100-meter radius.]
"Magic Scrolls!" Hedgehog exclaimed in surprise.
No further prompting from NeverShowOff was needed.
The others immediately opened the remaining untranslated parchments and began translating.
---
[Low-Level Fog Scroll: When torn, generates a thin mist within a certain range (about 10 meters) for 3 minutes.
Note: The mist carries a special aroma that can cause mild confusion in enemies.]
[Low-Level Echo Scroll: When torn, creates a magical echo effect around the user, reflecting any spoken words back for 5 minutes.]
---
Each of the seven scrolls had its own use.
Though their effects weren't powerful and could even be considered niche, their unique functionality made them especially appealing to players, particularly Hedgehog.
The more he looked, the more tempted he became.
"These are all great items!"
Some raw materials or unknown plants from the forest might be best sold directly to the game shop. But these magical items, with their clear functionality and usability, were perfect for trading among players!
"So," NeverShowOff placed his hand on a pile of books that barely reached his knees. "Our task for the next two days is to translate all these books and make the most of their value."
The five of them packed the limited number of books into their backpacks. Once they confirmed that the area had been thoroughly looted, they left with satisfaction. The deeply hidden texts in Honeyvale Town had indeed been worth the effort.
According to the information Viktor provided, magical tools were classified into six levels, from lowest to highest: Low-Level, Mid-Level, High-Level, Rare, Epic, and Legendary.
Among these, the method for crafting Legendary-level tools had long been lost. The few that remained were mostly held by major empires and churches.
Beyond these six levels, divine artifacts, imbued with godly power, stood independently and were not included in the classification system. Their destructive capabilities varied widely, but they always came with absolute, unbreakable rules, making them treasures revered by the church.
Over generations of oral tradition, divine artifacts became recognized as the pinnacle of all mysterious tools.
The remaining Inverted Space, a High-Level magical tool, was in a severely damaged state. That it could even be opened was thanks to Viktor's prior repairs.
Further repair efforts were deemed meaningless, so he left it as-is, for players to explore or come up with better ways to use it.
Players who found out about it later naturally didn't find much of value.
Complaints about the "exclusive finds" only spurred a small wave of exploratory digging in the area.
---Viktor's POV---
Two days passed in a blur.
During this time, I worked tirelessly, exploiting the labor of captives to the fullest. And finally, the potatoes for breeding were all planted, and some urgent town tasks were completed.
Labor was maximized.
Though I was reluctant, any further delay would likely result in the restless captives trying to escape. I had no spare energy to chase after runaways.
That evening, after the captives finished their work, I went to the containment house.
"Tomorrow?!" The neatly seated captives echoed in astonishment.
I nodded firmly. "That's right. Over the past few days, your hard work has repaid the debt from the initial rescue, with even a surplus. I'll have Alyanne provide some safety supplies for purchase. The time limit will be until 9 AM tomorrow morning. After that, I'll have someone escort you out."
The captives exchanged glances but didn't appear as pleased as expected. Among them were those planning to stay; their emotions were simple, marked only by the sadness of parting from their companions.
However, for those planning to leave... Some began to regret their decision?
Though working for The Watchers was exhausting and far from the dignified life of a mage, over time, they should come to accept the reality that their magical talents were now lost. Once outside, the hardships they'd face would undoubtedly outweigh those within The Watchers' ranks.
Just stay and be my NPCs!
For a long while, no one spoke. Finally, as I finished explaining and was halfway out the door, someone couldn't hold back.
"Wait, Lord Viktor, can we stay?"
I turned at the sound. "You want to stay?"
A second and third voice followed quickly.
"I want to stay too!"
"Please, my lord, give us a chance!"
"We swear to serve The Watchers to the death!"
I noted all those who spoke up.
More than twenty people had changed their minds, outnumbering those who originally opted to stay. Gaining more laborers was a boon, of course. Or rather, this had been one of the reasons for delaying their release in the first place.
"Of course, you may stay. This is your final chance to change your decision. However, even if you stay, your treatment will differ from that of the first group. You'll only be considered temporary residents. You'll need to pass a one-month probationary period to become permanent members."
First-choice volunteers and second-choice recruits deserved distinct treatment. The hopeful captives' faces lit up, and they eagerly nodded.
Leaving the containment house, I received a message from Hawkes via the NPC panel.
My curiosity piqued, I changed course and headed to the newly built blacksmith's shed instead of going home.
Inside, Hawkes, his face as red as his beard with excitement, immediately approached holding a bundle of white objects.
"My Lord von Vinesse, uh, I mean, Lord Viktor, I've completed the magical tool you requested."
I sighed, then focused on his creation.
"This is the magical tool for dealing with Blackrock Toads?"
Why did it look like a pile of oval-shaped white cocoons?
At the mention of his creation, he grew even more animated. "Indeed! Thanks to your insight, I was greatly inspired and managed to finish it so quickly!"
Hawkes picked one "cocoon" and pinched it.
The "cocoon" instantly expanded dozens of times, becoming highly transparent and enveloping him entirely.
From within the "cocoon balloon," he twisted his waist, kicked his legs, and made exaggerated movements.
"This thin membrane can conceal one's presence and block the magical field of beasts, not strong, but sufficient for dealing with unhatched Blackrock Toads! It's guaranteed to help novice mages preserve their mental strength!"