Adventure World Online (AWO)

"Lift it up!"

The commotion outside made Chang Long and Siegfried pause. The roof of the tent was being lifted, revealing the legs of many people hoisting it up. The two crawled toward the exit with difficulty, aided by the soldiers.

"Lady Chang Long, you've regained consciousness safely. His Majesty has instructed me to invite you and Sir Siegfried to join him for dinner. Please, follow me."

The same chamberlain approached them as soon as they emerged from the collapsed tent. He smiled slightly as his eyes glanced at Chang Long's forehead before leading them toward the dining area set amidst the natural beauty of the royal conservatory.

"Is it really that funny?"

Chang Long asked Siegfried, who was walking beside her, as she noticed the amused looks from the attendants they passed. The more she thought about the orange-sized bump on her forehead, the more self-conscious she became.

"Not at all. Don't overthink it, Chang Long,"

Siegfried replied with a faint good-natured smile.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one with a bump the size of an orange."

She grumbled irritably, her annoyance spilling over onto Siegfried, who kept smiling as he walked alongside her.

"I'm sorry. How about this—hit my head until I get a bump, too, so you don't have to be alone in this,"

he offered playfully, trying to appease her. Chang Long could not help but burst out laughing at his suggestion.

"Are you crazy? Why would you want a bump for no reason!"

Light giggles arose from the attendants who overheard their conversation. They looked at the pair with endearment, finding the playful banter between the sulking woman and the conciliatory man utterly charming. Some whispered that the two seemed well-matched, while others cheered Siegfried on, urging him to make up with Chang Long quickly. The two exchanged embarrassed glances, their cheeks flushed. Without another word, they hurriedly walked ahead, leaving the chamberlain to catch up.

"Hahaha. Is that your head, Chang Long? It's a disaster. What happened for it to swell up like that?"

King Duck roared with laughter the moment he saw the bump on Chang Long's forehead. Stunned by the blunt comment, Chang Long gaped at him, her confidence instantly deflated. Even as he invited them to sit at the dining table, the king could not stop chuckling.

"See? They're really close with King Duck,"

Angie whispered, watching the scene unfold from a distance.

"What's going on here? For players to be so close to an AI at that level, they must've completed some extremely difficult quests for the king. But I've heard that royal quests are mostly reserved for major guilds with established reputations. Regular players almost never get those opportunities."

Amata added his thoughts.

"I can understand it with Siegfried; he's famous after all. But Chang Long seems to have an even closer relationship with King Duck than Siegfried does. That guy doesn't even belong to a guild, and his name isn't well-known either. How infuriating!"

Angie's jealousy flared as she watched Siegfried dote on Chang Long so openly.

"Why are you mad at him? Chang Long saved us. You learn to remorse, Angie,"

Dus scolded the woman, who still showed no sign of guilt.

"Remorse? For what? Chang Long should be the one reflecting on his actions. Who destroys an entire city and then shamelessly sits down to have dinner with the king?"

Angie grumbled in frustration.

"By the way, is Chang Long a woman or a man? From their demeanor, they seem pretty bold, but King Duck calls her she, and Siegfried says her. It's confusing."

Amata shook his head in exasperation at Angie's attitude before shifting the topic to Dus.

"True, their face could pass for a beautiful woman, but if they were a man, they'd be quite dashing too. With that bold and brash personality, though, it's hard to tell," Dus said thoughtfully.

"I think the same. But judging from the pronouns King Duck and Siegfried use, Chang Long's probably a tomboyish girl,"

Amata added with a knowing smile. Surprised he did not see through this at first.

"Do you think they're dating since they're doing a quest together?"

Dus asked, his curiosity piqued. Siegfried's action was making him lean in that way.

"Huh?!"

Angie and Amata exclaimed simultaneously, though Angie's voice sounded more alarmed.

"Didn't you notice? From the moment we met them, Siegfried carried Chang Long in his arms instead of slinging her over his shoulder or back. And the way he looks at her—it's not the same as how he looks at others."

"No way. Those two,"

Angie muttered softly, her expression turning despondent.

"Honestly, they do look good together. Anyway, I'm starving. The soldiers mentioned there's food being served. Let's go grab some,"

Amata suggested after spending far too long spying on Chang Long and Siegfried.

"Good idea. I'm starving too,"

Dus agreed. The two men, now on the same page, got up and walked away from their hiding spot. Angie, though slightly disgruntled, followed them as hunger gnawed at her stomach too.

The next morning, after a night of much-needed rest, Chang Long and Siegfried were summoned to the temporary throne room to meet Queen Anna. The pair were called to accept a quest that both the queen and King Duck had high hopes for. Upon their arrival, Queen Anna wasted no time in getting to the point.

"I desperately need your help. My white and black swans have been missing for days. Do you know how vast the Dunne Royal Conservatory is? It's enormous, and it's home to countless animals that both King Duck and I have raised. I've sent so many people to search, but not one has been able to find them. Please, find them for me,"

she said with a worried expression.

"Why does this quest require a pair? Couldn't you just send a whole squad of soldiers? They'd find the swans in no time,"

Chang Long asked, puzzled.

"Because it's a special location where all living beings must enter in pairs. The swans hold great meaning and importance to me. No matter what, I want them found and returned to the pond near the scenic viewpoint."

Queen Anna's words made Chang Long curious, but she refrained from asking further questions. Instead, she glanced at Siegfried, waiting for him to decide whether to accept the quest. Chang Long had already promised to help him, but if he chose not to take it, she would not be breaking her word. From her deliberations, however, she felt confident Siegfried would accept the task.

"All right. Chang Long and I will help find the two swans,"

Siegfried said, just as Chang Long had expected. A system notification immediately informed them that they had received the Tear of Swans quest, a title that piqued their curiosity.

"Players Siegfried and your partner have received the quest Tear of Swans. You are granted access to the restricted area of the Dunne Royal Conservatory."

At the announcement, the jeweled duck-shaped brooches buried in the bottoms of their inventories instantly appeared pinned to their chests.

"Within the Dunne Royal Conservatory, there are certain animals that might provide clues about the two swans. Truthfully, they're incredibly endearing and dear to me. The most critical clue, however, is the song the swans sing. If you hear it, you'll know you're close. Siegfried, Chang Long, please find them for me, just as you once helped the King find me,"

Queen Anna said warmly, giving them advice and pleading with a soft voice. Chang Long nodded briefly, while Siegfried gave a confident and enthusiastic reply.

The two were ushered out of the temporary throne room to prepare for their journey to the Dunne Royal Conservatory. They received a map from the chamberlain who escorted them to the entrance. Just as they were about to set off, Amata, Dus, and Angie approached.

"Hey, you two heading out on a quest?"

Amata greeted them first.

"Yep. Chang Long and I just accepted a quest, and we're about to set off,"

Siegfried replied with a smile. Meanwhile, Chang Long used her telepathic connection to call her pets, who were frolicking somewhere in the royal conservatory, to come to her.

"That's great. I'm about to head in to take a quest myself,"

Amata replied with a grin.

"Don't forget about me! You promised we'd pair up for the quest,"

Angie interjected quickly, worried he might forget his promise.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm only doing this because of Dus. Come on, let's go receive our quest. See you around, Chang Long, Siegfried,"

Amata grumbled in annoyance before heading into the tent to receive the quest from Queen Anna.

When the pets of both players joined up with them, they began their journey along the path marked on the map they had been given. Upon arriving at the ruins of Ark City, they found temporary shelters set up by the AIs around the outskirts, including provisional offices for city administration. The city itself was under reconstruction by the game's system, a process that would take considerable time. Players hunting beasts or undertaking quests in the Ark city's area had also pitched tents like the AIs, while some took advantage of the situation by bringing goods from other cities to sell. The bustling trade gave the area the lively feel of a marketplace.

"It's surprisingly lively."

Chang Long commented to Siegfried and her pets with unexpected delight as they watched the players and AIs go about their business without apparent worry. Just then, a man and a woman approached them. Both were dressed like spies from detective movies—the man carrying a massive sword resembling a chainsaw, while the woman held a gun that looked like a hairdryer and a thick black folder.

"Hello. Are you the player named Chang Long?"

The man greeted as they stopped less than a meter away. Chang Long, looking at them warily, nodded in response.

"The ID you use to log into the game is Chayarin Rattanaruangrit, correct?"

He asked further, and Chang Long nodded again, starting to suspect that these two were not ordinary players or AIs.

"Chang Long, the player using the ID Chayarin Rattanaruangrit to log into the game, I am GM009, and this is GM010. As representatives of the in-game management team for Adventure World Online, we are here to inform you of the violations you have committed against Ark City."

Both Chang Long and Siegfried stared at the GMs in shock. Throughout her time in the game, this was the first time Chang Long had encountered GMs personally addressing her violations. She recalled the various catastrophic incidents she had caused, all equally severe. There was the time she inadvertently led beasts back into the city, or the time she accidentally created a massive quicksand pit in the middle of town because she dropped the Eye of the Earth. On that occasion, the game had issued compensation to affected players without contacting her about her actions.

"Uh... violations against Ark City?"

Chang Long asked, puzzled.

"Yes. Based on your gameplay history, your ID has previously caused damage to the starting town early in the game. However, at that time, no penalties were issued because we determined it was an accident and not your intent to cause harm. This time, however, you deliberately used high-destruction skills within a city zone without valid reasons, such as beast invasions, declared wars, or formal duels. Therefore, your actions this time are punishable."

GM009 explained. Listening to the reasoning, Chang Long could not help but agree with the GMs. This time, she had indeed destroyed the city to ashes simply because a group of players had provoked her.

The two GMs smiled as they observed Chang Long's reaction. From her demeanor, they could tell she was willing to accept her guilt without argument—a stark contrast to most players, who typically responded to such accusations with denial or convoluted excuses. Some even dared to challenge the GMs outright, though all were eventually subdued and forced to acknowledge their wrongdoing.

"What's the punishment for my actions this time, GM?"

Chang Long asked again, her tone tinged with apprehension. Though nervous, she had mentally prepared herself for a severe penalty befitting her actions. The GMs exchanged wide smiles, pleasantly surprised that they would not have to coerce this player into accepting her punishment.

"For every infraction, players are assigned a redemption quest. The difficulty of the quest depends on the severity of the offense. In your case, Player Chang Long, the infraction is classified as Level A due to the sheer scale of your actions—leveling an entire city. As such, you must randomly draw a Level A redemption quest from this."

GM010 explained, pulling an A4-sized electronic paper card from the black folder she carried and handing it to Chang Long.

The card resembled the electronic maps available in the system's item shop, but instead of a map, it displayed the words Level A Redemption Quest. Chang Long glanced at the GM, who smiled warmly before explaining how to draw the quest.

"To draw your quest, you need to shake the card."

Nodding, Chang Long shook the card.

The words Level A Redemption Quest disappeared, replaced by a rapid scroll of quest names flashing across the screen. Each title she managed to glimpse made her sweat profusely. Finally, the scrolling stopped, and the chosen quest's name appeared prominently on the card. Siegfried, Chang Long, and Lycanth leaned in to read the electronic text with interest.

"Heavenly Avian Temple Quest,"

Chang Long read the name aloud. The two GMs appeared visibly startled, clearly not expecting her to draw this particular quest.

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