Alone and Infinite

There was a lot of food: a golden-brown roasted fish, a brick-sized loaf of black bread, a mushy stew, a whole sausage, half a piece of smoked meat, and a glass of cider.

The taste was alright, or maybe I was just hungry.

After a full meal, a strong sense of drowsiness would set in. In those days, taverns usually also served as inns.

After getting a brass key from the fat waiter, I went upstairs and found my room.

To Li Xia's surprise, the room was very warm and comfortable—few pieces of oak furniture, and the fire in the fireplace crackling loudly.

The floor was shiny and clearly well-maintained, and the bedding was very clean.

Upon seeing the bed, Li Xia could no longer suppress her drowsiness. The exhaustion from staying up all day and night overwhelmed her, and she could fall asleep almost instantly.

The room was filled with the long, drawn-out breaths characteristic of breathing.

This is the power of skill-based abilities; they can be improved even while sleeping.

The next morning, Li Xia ate breakfast feeling refreshed while checking the mission records.

This task was updated while Li Xia was asleep.

Main Quest: Choice

[Mission Objective: Join one of the factions as soon as possible]

[Task period: 1 days]

[Available factions: Dwarves, Humans, Elves, Orks (and Wolves)]

Joining a faction unlocks faction quests and earns contribution points.

Li Xia frowned and thought carefully for a while, but suddenly realized the advantages of arriving in Changhu Town earlier.

The sooner you arrive at your destination, the sooner you can join a faction, and you can use the extra time to do faction quests.

As for which faction to choose.

That is indeed a problem. In the movie, the dwarves and elves are the most powerful and are the main force in the war. The Orks and the War Wolves are considered two separate armies, and they have the largest numbers.

Theoretically speaking, the stronger the faction, the greater the benefits it will reap on the battlefield.

Just as they were hesitating, the tavern doorbell rang. The three men pushed open the door and entered, muttering complaints under their breath.

"Those dwarves are completely unreasonable. Who the hell said dwarves are simple and don't care about money?"

"The elves aren't good people either. Let's eat something first, we're starving."

Li Xia's eyes lit up. Weren't these the three bandits he encountered in the dense forest?

He ran away while he was fighting Oak, even though he had originally planned to sign a 'friendly' agreement with them.

Just as the three of them finished ordering their food and started looking for seats, the moment their eyes met Li Xia's, they shuddered and turned to leave.

By the time he remembered that this was an absolutely safe zone, he had already turned halfway around, and then awkwardly turned back.

"Arthur, he... he's waving at us, what should we do? Should we go?"

Arthur gritted his teeth: "Go! We haven't done anything, and besides, this is a safe zone, what's there to be afraid of!"

The three of them made up their minds and sat down in front of Li Xia. Arthur, trying to appear calm, greeted him.

"Good morning, Master."

Li Xia nodded and asked directly, "I need to ask you about something."

"Why are we—" Arthur instinctively blurted out, but was stopped by another companion before he could finish.

“Brother, I am Robin Hood, and my friend here—” Robin Hood pointed to his head and nodded: “This place isn’t very nice, so please don’t mind.”

"Don't hesitate to ask, expert. I'll answer to the best of my knowledge."

Hmm? This is surprisingly cooperative. Li Xia tapped her index finger on the table and slowly asked:

"Could you please provide me with a copy of your materials?"

Robin Hood shook his head with a wry smile: "I'm sorry, this information has special settings that prevent it from being transferred or copied. Moreover, the content is extremely vast, covering almost every aspect of the geography, culture, and customs of 20 worlds, so I can't narrate much of it."

It's probably to prevent middlemen, which makes sense. Li Xia just asked casually and didn't have much hope.

Now comes the real question: "Is there any information about this faction mission in the data?"

Robin Hood hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, but because the missions triggered each time the trial world opens are random, the missions related to the Battle of the Five Armies are rarely mentioned."

He retrieved the magnetic drawing board and pen from his personal space and began to explain them in detail:

"The information says that if the main quest is the Battle of the Five Armies, there is a high probability that a quest to choose a faction will be triggered."

Each faction also has unique rewards and features.

For example, the unique feature of the Orc Legion is that you can exchange faction reputation points for dire wolf cubs, which can be ridden and have some combat power, making them quite useful pets in the early game.

The dwarf faction can exchange for unique weapons and armor, which are all high-quality and highly sought after.

The special exchange items for the Elf faction are bow and arrow related items, such as bows and arrows or archery skills.

At this point, Robin Hood shut his mouth and gestured for the fat waiter to bring him a glass of cider.

As for the final human camp

Robin Hood took a sip of his drink: "Well, how should I put it? Quite weak!"

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

This cold is quite strange; it just has a slight sore throat and dizziness, nothing else, but the dizziness is really bad.

Chapter 37 Transcending the Hall of Fame is awesome!

Robin Hood was writing and drawing on the board with a magnetic pen while explaining:

"If I had to put it in perspective, the human faction is probably more balanced. You can exchange for weapons and armor, as well as bows and arrows and related skills. You can even exchange for pet dogs, the kind that the residents of Longlake Town keep."

The moment the word "But!" was uttered, everything that followed took a turn for the better.

Robin Hood shrugged: "Whether it's equipment, skills, or pets, the items that humans can exchange for are far inferior to those of other factions."

For example, you can exchange equipment with the dwarves for refined armor and hundred-forged swords, both of which are green-grade equipment with very good stats.

The highest-tier rewards are even equipment with the mithril prefix—and that's blue gear!

For a first-tier apostle who has just passed the trial, green-grade ultimate equipment is already top-notch, let alone blue-grade equipment.

"The highest reward from the elves is the Jungle Bow, which is known as one of the three best bows for beginners."

It is easy to handle, has considerable power, and most importantly, it does not have high attribute requirements; 6 points of strength are enough to draw the bow.

Furthermore, their archery skills are quite impressive, encompassing both close-quarters combat and ranged archery techniques.

Robin Hood became more and more excited as he spoke, tapping his fingers on the blackboard and beginning to complain:

"But what about humans?"

The equipment you can exchange for is mostly white-grade, with green-grade being the absolute best.

Archery skills are also mediocre, called basic archery. Someone tested it and found that an elven archer of the same proficiency level could easily beat basic archery.

Some people speculate that this thing might be like the baseball fist, where it undergoes a qualitative change as the level increases.

It is said that some high-level players have invested a lot of resources to try it out, and have directly reached LV7 with superb skills. As a result, their basic skills are extremely solid, but they have nothing else.

I heard that this big shot perished during an adventure due to unreasonable resource allocation.

The most crucial aspect is the reward settlement.

After the war ends, contributions are calculated based on faction, and then each individual's percentage within their faction is calculated.

Robin Hood spread his hands: "So, you can imagine, Master. The human faction is already incredibly weak, a bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled people. They're practically just playing around on the battlefield, so how can they make any contribution to the faction?"

The main forces in the war were elves and dwarves, so almost no one chose humans; they were mostly complete novices who knew nothing.

Fortunately, even if you choose the wrong faction, you can switch factions after spending some contribution points.

Li Xia nodded thoughtfully and fell silent.

“Brother Master—” Robin Hood paused, then said sincerely, “The human faction is a huge pit. The data also says that many people don’t believe the human faction can be so weak and think there’s something fishy going on.”

Some individuals who performed exceptionally well in the trials confidently chose the human camp, only to make a fatal mistake at the last step, leading to a series of errors. The most important thing in the first stage is to accumulate experience.

Otherwise, we wouldn't have thought of extorting green-clad characters.

So—never think about going to the human world. Even if your encounters are amazing, you're not necessarily the protagonist. You'll always have some unexpected adventures.

In other words, who among those who can enter this magical hall isn't a protagonist?

This statement was made with genuine sincerity and without any pretense, making it a perfect example of speaking frankly with someone you don't know well.

Li Xia almost believed that there was genuine affection in the hall, but he quickly realized what was happening and raised his glass in acknowledgment.

"Let bygones be bygones, thanks."

The three of them ate something quick and then rushed out again to continue their faction mission. Those who traveled in groups along the Old Forest River were safe, but they were a bit late and wouldn't arrive until evening.

They need to take advantage of this time to do more faction quests to increase their advantage.

On the way to Lonely Mountain, Arthur said unhappily, "I say, why did we just back down and tell that kid the information we bought with points?"

The tavern is a safe zone, and he can't attack me, so what are we afraid of!

Robin Hood paused, gritted his teeth, and cursed, "Arthur, is your brain filled with water?"

Are we supposed to stay in the safe zone until the trial ends? This ruthless guy can kill the three of us like it's nothing!

"We just wanted to rob and extort equipment and points, and we didn't even manage to steal any!"

"You son of a bitch! Do you even know what an attempted crime is? We already did it, we just didn't succeed!"

Robin Hood wanted nothing more than to punch Arthur; heaven knows how such a fool ever joined his adventure party.

"Then you didn't have to give him such sincere advice at the end," Arthur muttered, choked by her words.

Zorro, the other companion, didn't say anything, but he also showed a similar expression.

A bunch of idiots!

Robin Hood felt a headache coming on. As prospective members of the high-ranking adventurer guild, the Knights of the High, this trial was actually a test for the three of them to become full members.

Robin Hood had great ambitions; he wanted to travel further in this infinite world and see more of the sights.

Therefore, in order to achieve this goal, he needs to become a key member of the adventure team, and he needs to have a fool who can take the fall for him—Arthur and Zorro would be perfect.

“But you don’t need to worry,” Robin Hood said after a moment of silence, before revealing a little of the trap he had just set: “My last words seemed like advice.”

But in reality, it's a form of manipulation. Some people always think they are special, one in a million geniuses, and the protagonist of the story.

This is especially true of those who perform exceptionally well in the trials, which leads to a strange sense of arrogance. When they hear my opinions, they instinctively refute them, feeling that they must be different from everyone else.

To prove this point

Robin Hood turned around and looked at Lake-town floating on the water, as if he could see Li Xia looking down on him and choosing the human side.

"He will definitely choose the human camp; arrogance has always been like that!"

"Oh? You want to join the Long Lake Town Guard?"

A man with eyebrows that were joined together, looking both comical and cunning, subtly rubbed his fingers together.

"This is a very important position; only those with real ability can join the Long Lake Town Guard."

[Alfred, the sycophant, is soliciting bribes from you. You can choose to pay 100 points to convert into gold to bribe him.]

Li Xia ignored the prompt from the Hall of Light in front of him and shook his head: "The ancient law stipulates that as long as one is willing to fight for Longlake Town and proves his bravery, he can join the Longlake Town Guard."

Alfred paused, seemingly trying to recall if such a provision existed in the law.

“The traveler from afar is right, such is the ancient law,” a cold voice interrupted. Alfred turned to look at the newcomer, a hint of disgust on his face: “Bard, this is none of your business!”

Li Xia looked curiously at the tall man walking from the side. His half-length black hair was loose, and his face was full of sternness. This was Bard, the legendary archer who later shot Smaug, the new king of the Valley Kingdom, and the dragon slayer.

“Young man, are you ready to show your bravery?” Bard ignored Alfred and walked straight up to Li Xia.

"Yes, and I am willing to fight for Longlake Town!"

You have triggered the hidden human faction quest: The True Laketown Guard.

Transcending the halls of power is awesome!