Civilization

Chapter 329 329 - Which Village To Start?

Entertaining Bleu's antics throughout the small time we had left together, I got to understand both Crystal's and Bleu's personalities. Of course, Bleu was the cheerful young man he portrayed during the meeting, but I also got an insight into his childish nature, fitting his age. He felt like a friend, a brother, a cousin, and a colleague, all at the same time. In contrast, Crystal felt like a mother, as she kept Bleu under control. Her stern attitude to everyone, made her actions seem cold, but underneath it, was a warm individual.

There wasn't much left to discuss since Sam was going to handle all the alliances, I instead started to indulge myself with the food, following Bleu's example. There were numerous kinds of cuisines that I have never tried before, as well as a variety of drinks, which I ended up trying as well. Who would have thought cocktails taste pretty good? I know I never got the chance to try a lot of cocktails in the past but now… I quite like them, maybe I will develop a type of cocktail in the game to share around.

In all due time, we eventually left Turquoise, heading back to Sam's abode. During this time, we simply relaxed, I even took a nap on the flight back. Once we were home, Sam told me he had to take care of a few matters, mainly the contracts for the alliances. Waving goodbye, he heads inside talking in a serious manner with Eve, while I head towards the lounge room. Rebecca had already messaged me that everyone was in the lounge room, with only me and Sam missing.

"Yo! Look who's back!" - Evan

Walking inside the room, I see Evan spinning around on one of those table counter chairs. Next to him, Sabrina was drinking a glass of juice, giving me a small wave as I enter. On the other side, Kingston was lying on a chair, his legs over the armrest while his head was resting on the other. I wasn't sure if he was sleeping or not but chose to ignore it anyway.

Nina and Rebecca were sitting next to each other on the couch, with Rebecca patting the seat next to her, signaling for me to come. To my surprise, Alice and Adam were sitting opposite Rebecca and Nina, wearing casual clothing instead of their work attire. Walking over to Rebecca, I glance at both of them, confused by their presence.

"Yes, Evan I'm back. Is it alright for the both of you to be here?" - Ian

"Don't worry about it~ Sam told me to keep you guys company." - Adam

"Adam! It's Mr. Sam. Eve would smack you if she heard you say that, however, what he has is true, there is no need to worry about our presence. Instead, you should welcome it. I'll be one of the new players in Settlement." - Alice

"Oh, is that why you are here? Are we going to discuss the game now?" - Evan

"Most likely. I was only told to inform you of my joining the game once it comes back online. Any other information is unknown to me." - Alice

"That's alright, Alice. You don't need to worry too much about it. EVAN! Bring up what you found on the forums." - Nina

"YES MADAM!" - Evan

Spinning out of his chair, Evan steps into the middle, pulling out a small remote from his pocket. Pressing a button, a screen appears out of the ceiling, slowly making its way down as it covers a wall, and with another press, we see the game forums.

"Ahem! Everyone here is aware, that a patch is going to drop, explaining some new things we should be looking out for in the next phase of the game. However, that doesn't stop us was analyzing some of the information that is already present to us, and with the helpful player community, minus the trolls, we were able to gather quite a lot of new and helpful information.

Firstly, we need to talk about the capsules. Some of us are already aware of it, namely Ian and Sam, but for the rest of us that don't know, it is a new generation game capsule, designed to make the game feel more immersive. I'm assuming~ It is a gateway for the merge, to prepare our bodies, but correct me if I'm wrong. After all, we have no way of knowing what is inside the N1.

With the increased immersion, we will be moving our bodies at a much faster and smoother rate, making certain moves feel completely different to us. Simple actions such as running, stabbing, and even feeling the environmental effects around will be heightened. All 5 of our senses will be enhanced to a higher degree, and apparently wielding magic/mana will be easier. I'm not sure how that works, but there was an in-depth theory online, which I will not explain.

Secondly, the storyline. Where is it going, and what do we know about it? Let's turn back time, shall we? Prophecies. This was huge a while back, but it kind of died after a while when there was no new input of information. BUT! That was before the game ended for the patch. For some reason, there was a bunch of people that just decided to info dump more prophecies, and they are from different races from the ones we have heard about before.

From the leopard demi-humans, we were able to obtain a single sentence that was passed down to that certain tribe.

Run to Heaven as Mother Nature weeps.

From the Eagle demi-humans, we were able to obtain 2 sentences.

With the vanishing of the sun and the stillness of the wind,

Our feathers tremble as the earth shakes.

From the porcupine demi-humans.

As the world quakes, and mountains crumble,

Our homes will collapse, as the Earth falls, and the seas rise.

These extra prophecies, in addition to the ones we already know, are telling us that the continent that we are on is going to go through an extreme transformation. This patch is an optimal time for the next event to hint at the destruction of the world as we know it. The increase of players, plus the Kings attacking everyone, plus potential natural disasters seem like the most likely scenario.

Thirdly, the additional players and what they are going to do. I heard from Rebecca and Nina, that Ian you received an item called the Altar of Life. Is that correct" - Evan

"Uh, yea. I got it. It's going to a spawning location for players. That was what the description on the item said." - Ian

"RIGHT! Spawning for players. THAT… It is going to be a huge impact on the game. Like Alice, there are going to be swarms of players going to the game, and most likely it was only the top 5 guilds that received this item as well. When players log into the game for the first time, they will be prompted with a choice, HavenFall, Bone City, Aqua Corp, Pa Kaua, and Lotus Flower.

THIS CHOICE IS VITAL FOR THEIR OWN SURVIVAL! Where they choose will determine, how they will grow as a player and their connections. Looking online, and with the information from everyone here, I have a general list of advantages for players, depending on their choice.

This list was also already spread on the forum, by a user called TheBananaMan. Amazing work he did, compiling it all into an easy-to-read document. The only problem, with his work, is that he doesn't cover HavenFall, due to the lack of exposure. The fault can only be put on Ian since his location is just in one of the most obscure locations in the game, the middle of the continent.

[ For starters, Bone City.

Amazing defensive structures, and walls. Provides security to any new players. Additionally, there is a team of Bones players, constantly patrolling the area to keep it safe.

Wide range of monsters is already sectioned out in a general map for players to read, as well as a generic 'level/route' mentioned

Weapons and Armor, are plentiful mainly specializing in close-range weapons.

There are also three 'schools' that are mentioned in reports, Swords, Axes, and Spears

Armor is mainly of the leather kind, there is not a lot of metal used in this location

Large agriculture businesses are already being constructed

Multiple locations for 'housing', however, houses are very basic and are prone to fire as everything is constructed with very flammable material

Dangerous monsters sometimes lurk in 'low-level' fields, including The Hordes's elite team

The openness of the map provides little shelter to players but also helps as there are fewer chances of being ambushed until the players venture deeper

For Aqua Corp,

Amazing view of the ocean, one of the best starting location if players are looking for a holiday

Multiple kinds of edible fish, with players and NPCs who are skilled at cooking/preparing them

Wide range of aquatic monsters, and swamp dwellers, however, the danger of water bodies is extremely high, with monsters capable of pulling players into the depths of the ocean, rivers, or swamps

A rough map of dangerous places has been created, however, there is not a lot of detail, due to the randomness of the appearance of monsters capable of killing players instantly in large bodies of water

Potential sea transportation has been created, but not perfect

Weapons and armor, are created by underwater materials, boosting water magic and resistance to water spells and ice spells, with a preference for spears, bows, and magic

Small villages are always under constant strain from attacks from monsters, however, provides great combat experience, if players are able to survive

Lots of potential ambush locations, be wary

Has a thief-like guild as well established by Helioc

For Lotus Flower,

Beauties, lots of beauties

Adjacent to Eden, showcasing multiple gorgeous female players, also has a lot of attractive demi-humans

The home to one of the most religious villages, with multiple shrines to welcome lots of different gods and goddesses, including Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Protection, Salus, and the God of Healing, Apollo. There are rumors to be more.

Extremely adept with magic, including healing, support, light, and fire. There may be more left undiscovered

Multiple small villages have been constructed

The location is bare, however, with not a lot of materials. Players will need to travel awhile in order to transport material back to the main village

Lots of monsters that are in groups rather than alone, as well as, lots of fast-moving monsters.

For Pa Kaua

Excellent location for a great homely feel

Demi-humans treat everyone like family, there is no such thing as racism, and they will do their best to protect everyone at the expense of themselves

Strong weapons and armor, mainly dealing with leather and bones, and close-range weapons

Axes seem to be the strongest and most used weapon in this location, most likely due to the influence of the NPC demi-humans. It looks like they are masters of one trade and aren't well-versed in others

Has multiple land transportation in terms of horses and horse-like monsters, making it easier to travel

Monsters are at a more 'medium-level' difficulty, inexperienced players may struggle at the start but with the help of the NPCs it should be smooth sailing

Housing is quite advanced, with homes that look more like small huts and tents. There doesn't seem to be a risk of damage to the homes

Previous instances of PvP have been noted, however, it lessened after the NPCs showed their strengths

Players that are looking for PvP might want to still join this village as there is a higher chance of finding other players from different guilds

]

And while TheBananaMan doesn't have information on HavenFall, he has added a small comment on it.

[ For HavenFall

Location is in the middle of the continent

Most likely surrounded by strong monsters, explaining how Ian is constantly in the top 10

Strong base, most likely in a great or hidden location. Must be easily defendable in order to last against strong monsters

Highly likely that NPCs are strong as well, most likely able to learn combat from NPCs

Not a lot of interaction with other players, feels more like a solo grind or a small group grind

Recommend to those who want a challenge, but not a casual game ]

To be honest, he isn't wrong. HavenFall is in a great location with a lot of stronger monsters nearby, and the NPCs are strong. However, the only downside is he isn't confident in the information. It feels like he is guessing which means new players will also feel like he is guessing, which in turn might make them reluctant to join HavenFall.

In addition, HavenFall has almost no online presence, compared to everyone else. Even Pa Kaua, has a name, with Sam's face on it, which allows players to look into the Leader's personality and potential character. I think HavenFall will have the least amount of players coming in, but that doesn't mean it will be a small amount. It has been rumored that a minimum of 1 million players will be joining our server. With the current amount of players only barely reaching 100 thousand, there is going to be a LOTTTTT of players" - Evan