Chapter 8 : Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Heading to Roland Manor
Lin Qi and Elaine walked along the road toward home, the scenery at the roadside unable to mask the gloom in his heart.
From the looks of it, Lin Qi had finally broken free from the constraints of being a mere "Easter Egg" character.
By helping Elaine resolve the issues she encountered in Kissmark Town, he would now certainly appear in her background story.
Furthermore, the battle at the Black Syndicate would likely be edited into the promotional trailer, achieving his goal of attracting the attention of players early on.
According to the natural progression of the plot, Elaine should leave Kissmark Town and continue her travels through the kingdom. After growing stronger, she would return to Serafino, avenge the massacre of her family, and eventually arrive at the Royal Capital.
It was exactly at that point that the game would undergo its Version 1.0 open beta.
By that time, Elaine would have reached the Level 7 Sequence, which was the level cap for the 1.0 version.
There were currently far too many questions surrounding Lin Qi: the crisis of the Roland family, the cause of the old cowboy's death, who exactly wanted to assassinate Isaris, why Alden refused to tell him the family history, and why Kaff from the Black Syndicate was listed as friendly toward him...
But the most important thing right now was to increase his strength. Through the system, he knew the 1.0 open beta was half a year away. If the timeline matched his previous life, the closed beta would start three months before the open beta, meaning Lin Qi had less than three months left.
He had to reach the level cap of Version 1.0 within those three months.
Lin Qi had already etched his name into Elaine’s background story, and if he was lucky, he might even snag a few close-up shots in the promotional trailer. His next goal was to make contact with the closed beta players when they arrived!
He wanted the closed beta players to become his "organic promoters" and expand his fame in the real world.
What kind of characters did players like?
Although every player had their own aesthetic and preferences, according to Lin Qi's theory, the most popular characters shared three elements.
Beauty—his 9 points in Charisma required no further explanation.
Strength—he needed to reach Sequence 7 before the closed beta to give players an impression of power.
Tragedy—a miserable background, an unwanted noble bastard, and dead parents; it was the perfect tragic setup.
While Lin Qi still couldn't wrap his head around many problems, the root cause was always the same: he wasn't strong enough.
Right now, there was only one primary objective: complete the class advancement quest for Sequence 8!
Lin Qi snapped out of his thoughts; they had already reached the front door.
Once they entered the house, Elaine spoke up. "Do you really not need my help?"
"I really don't. Kaff already said the assassination order was rescinded," Lin Qi said, shaking his head.
"Can his words really be trusted? I feel it is better to find the mastermind," Elaine countered, clearly disagreeing with his perspective.
Lin Qi's next plan was to go to Roland Manor to ask Alden for information and see if he could level up his Roland Secret Sword. After all, the guarded Roland Manor was safer than his current location.
But if he took Elaine to the manor, would it cause a butterfly effect?
If Elaine was delayed, would it postpone the launch of Version 1.0?
However, if he went alone without her, would she feel like he was driving her away because she was a jinx?
Wait, why am I overthinking this? I should just ask her.
"Elaine, I plan to stay at Roland Manor for a few days to ask my uncle about Kaff from the Black Syndicate. Do you want to come with me?" Lin Qi asked, looking at her.
"??? It might be a bit too soon to meet the family, wouldn't it?" A shy blush spread across Elaine's small face, and even her silver hair couldn't hide her reddening ears.
??? Is this girl delusional?
Lin Qi rolled his eyes, too lazy to deal with her nonsense. "Whatever. I’ll pack my bags, and then we leave."
Entering his room, Lin Qi didn't rush to pack. Instead, he opened the system first.
[Main Quest Completed!]
[Rewards Issued: 2,000 Experience Points, 30 Gold Coins, C-grade Forbidden Object: Fireworks.]
A red gemstone appeared out of thin air in Lin Qi's hand.
"Panel," Lin Qi muttered in his heart as he looked at the gem.
Name: [Fireworks]
Type: [Gemstone]
Grade: [C-grade Forbidden Object]
Abilities: [Embedding the gemstone into a body part allows the user to release flames.]
Cost: Each use burns the wielder's blood.
Description: Those who carry divine fire within flesh and blood must know that to burn is to pray.
This Forbidden Object was powerful, but the cost was high. Especially for a local, burning one's own blood could easily cause irreversible damage to the body.
Lin Qi felt a bit awkward. Although he had a character panel, he didn't have a player shop!
If he had the life potions from the player shop, he could use this Forbidden Object as much as he wanted.
He could burn it all day and just chug potions to recover.
For now, this Forbidden Object was unusable. He would have to wait and see if life potions became available once the system shop opened.
Tucking the gem into his pocket, Lin Qi changed out of the crimson trench coat and black suit he wore for the "camera" and put on more comfortable casual clothes before heading out with his packed luggage.
Wait, who is this girl?
Elaine stood by the living room window, looking like a patch of unmelting first snow.
Her long silver hair was like the frost-mist that clings to pine branches after cold air flows through a winter night, as dazzling as the first light of dawn mingling with white frost on a castle window.
Her deep blue, floor-length gown was like lake water under the night sky; only when she turned did it reveal a fleeting, magnificent luster.
The golden earrings adorning her earlobes were designed with minimalist classical scrolls. They trembled slightly with her movements, looking like two fallen stars carefully kissing that frozen territory.
"What are you doing? How are we supposed to walk with you wearing such a long gown?" Lin Qi was bewildered.
What a poser! She even went to stand by the window just to strike a pose.
"Why aren't you wearing that outfit from before?!" Elaine asked urgently when she saw Lin Qi walk out.
"Why should I? This is more comfortable," Lin Qi said naturally.
"Go back and change into the previous set, quickly, quickly!"
"Fine, fine. I give up on you."
Lin Qi and Elaine sat in a carriage heading toward Roland Manor.
There was no choice; she couldn't walk in that dress.
Lin Qi looked at Elaine, who was taking deep breaths, and felt somewhat speechless.
"Is this really necessary? We are just staying there for a few days. Do you have to dress up like this?"
"What do you know? As the eldest daughter of the Morning Star family, I must be formal for my first visit to the Roland family. Don't get the wrong idea; I didn't dress up because of you. I am simply following noble etiquette, understand?"
Elaine tried to sound composed.
"Fine, fine. Whatever you say."
The carriage drove into Roland Manor and arrived at the entrance of the main building.
Lin Qi got out and saw his uncle and the butler waiting for him. He didn't rush to greet them.
After steadying himself, Lin Qi reached his hand toward the carriage.
A hand so white it seemed to glow rested on Lin Qi's, followed by a silver-white high heel stepping out.
"Greetings, Mr. Alden. I am the eldest daughter of the Morning Star family, Elaine Morning Star. I apologize for the intrusion and hope you do not mind my visit."
After stepping out of the carriage, Elaine lifted her skirt and performed a perfect curtsy for Alden.
"Greetings, Miss Elaine. It is no trouble at all. Please, come in, come in," Alden replied with a gentlemanly bow before addressing her.
"You brat, you've done it! What a wonderful surprise for your uncle!"
"The Roland family has a successor! When do you plan to marry?"
"How far have you two progressed?"
"Have you decided where to hold the wedding?"
"Hahaha, as expected of a fine man of our Roland family." After the greetings, Alden pulled Lin Qi aside and whispered eagerly.
"It's not like that, Uncle. We are just friends," Lin Qi said, exasperated. On the surface, his uncle was a refined middle-aged man, so why did he suddenly become such a gossip?
"You brat, do you think your uncle can't see? Look at how that girl is dressed; could they be just 'ordinary friends'?"
"You're quite something, bringing home a wife without saying a word. You have about thirty percent of your uncle's skill from when I was young." An overjoyed Alden patted Lin Qi on the shoulder.
The Roland family should probably just hurry up and go extinct.
Inside the dining room of the main building, Lin Qi was launching a fierce assault on the table full of food.
Elaine sat to his left and Alden to his right, both conversing with smiles on their faces.
To be honest, Lin Qi didn't understand a word of their conversation.
Weren't we here to ask about the Black Syndicate? How did the conversation shift to how old she was and how many children they planned to have after marriage?
"Ahem, Uncle, do you know Kaff from the Black Syndicate?" Lin Qi tried to pull the conversation back on track.
To Lin Qi's surprise, the moment he mentioned the name, the smiling Alden's face suddenly turned dark.
"Where did you hear that name? Stay away from that man. He is very dangerous."
This was the first time Lin Qi had seen Alden so serious; in Isaris's memories, the man was almost always smiling.
"Why?" Lin Qi pushed for more information.
"That man is the most dangerous person in Kissmark Town. He is the First-in-Command of the Black Syndicate and one of the most powerful people in town. He is a Sequence 7 Deceiver of the Fate Pathway."
???
Kaff is the First-in-Command?
Upon hearing this, Lin Qi and Elaine locked eyes, their gazes filled with shock.
Sequence 7? According to what Elaine saw with her Echo skill, Kaff was clearly only a Sequence 9!