Golden Experience

Chapter 131: “Let Me Explain”

“Long time no see. Sorry for not reaching out for several days. Are you doing well?”

“Welcome back! Is everything okay now?”

“Yeah. I should be able to stay online for a while again.”

I moved to the Lord’s mansion in Erntal through [Summon]. The target was Deas.

Since then, Deas has been stationed in Erntal. The criteria for this arrangement are unclear, but Deas’ miasma seems to have some effect on the undead under Blanc’s command.

Additionally, Deas can temporarily create disposable undead. This comes in handy when Blanc’s zombies’ respawn can’t keep up.

“Welcome back, Your Majesty. The coup seems to have gone well.”

“I’m back, Deas.”

For Deas, having completely subdued one of the rebels who defeated the Spirit Lord is undoubtedly a significant achievement.

Although there was a desire to take him along, standing out at this point might not be a good idea.

“Oh, right. Rare-chan, did you see the message from the admins?”

She’s talking about that personal message. That means Blanc received one as well.

“I saw it. It probably had about the same content as yours, but I went ahead and approved it for now. The drawbacks don’t seem too significant.”

“Okay, then… I’ll approve it too.”

In Blanc’s case, Erntal, Altriva, and Verdesud are probably the affected places.

“But, you know, what if hardcore players or something like that use the service to transfer here? Even if it’s adjusted for beginners, wouldn’t it be a problem if they come in and wreak havoc?”

This game generally doesn’t restrict players.

That’s evident from the fact that Rare and Lyra can do as they please.

Therefore, even if it’s intended for beginners, there may be no restrictions on advanced players participating in that content.

The message only mentioned, “Support by the administration in case of attacks by other players”, so there’s a good chance that higher-level players might attack.

“Well, if that happens, tough luck. It’s just normal PvP. We can’t always be the ones dishing out the beating, and if the opponent is stronger, it’s only natural to lose.”

However, considering the penalty changes at that time, it’s dubious whether it would be fair.

Nevertheless, as the ones being attacked, and with the risk of being continuously hunted by players forming a party, even with a reduction in penalties, it may not be worthwhile. After all, the administration is actively sending players to attack.

“Oh, I see. So, if the administration sends players to our place, it’s like being attacked by the administration.”

“Exactly. Moreover, considering the content, even if we set our home in the area, we might be attacked without mercy. Not only that, but it’s safe to assume that our ‘homes’ in this field will disappear since there won’t be any safety zones within this area.”

“Whoa! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I already approved it!”

“Well, I think it’s better to double-check before implementation. Instead, if you’re in this area, there won’t be experience loss due to death penalties, it’s just that you can’t rest. When logging out, you can come to my castle or even sleep in the Count’s castle. Or, you can go to Lyra’s place. Considering that, it might be a good idea to place minions in various safe spots before the implementation is done.”

While the reduction in death penalties is a tremendous benefit, being constantly targeted by players without resting is a significant drawback.

Once killed, there’s a risk of being camped at the respawn point. In that sense, the risk of death has increased even further.

“By the way, it seems like there was a message to Lyra about whether she agrees to support the nation’s operation, but I didn’t ask if she accepted or not.”

I haven’t heard the details over there, but it’s likely not just benefits.

Regardless, it’s a discussion for after implementation.

Rather than that, they didn’t discuss it earlier with Lyra, but they are also curious about the sale of reincarnation items.

For Rare, Lyra, and Blanc, those items have no meaning.

Since they can only be used by themselves, they can’t be used by their minions. Also, no matter which race they reincarnate into, it would only be a downgrade.

However, for players who haven’t reincarnated yet, the situation is different.

For example, suppose there was a person who was a dwarf until yesterday. If that person appears the next day as an elf, would the people around recognize them as the same person?

In other words, it could be a high-quality disguise item exchanged for real money.

However, there are issues. First, against players who know of the item’s existence, it can’t be used too many times. It will be immediately suspected and exposed.

Even against NPC opponents, those items are obtainable in the game. That means there are NPCs who know of their existence, and against such individuals, there is a possibility of being exposed as well.

Another thing to consider is a more legitimate use.

For example, a player who reincarnated into a noble human like Lyra uses a paid item to become an elf. Afterward, they reincarnate into a high elf, then into a dwarf. Next, they become an elder dwarf, and once again, they reincarnate into a beastman. The upper-tier species of beastmen are unknown, but by hopping between these higher-tier races, they might accumulate various [Subordinate] abilities and unique skills.

Although Rare herself is likely a rare existence, being a Demon Lord with Sacred Magic, the intentional creation of such a build is possible.

For instance, if Rare were to reincarnate as a dwarf now and aim for the production-focused Spirit Lord, it would be feasible.

However, looking at the planned items for sale, such as skill deletion items, it seems that the administration’s intention is primarily a rebuild measure, and whether such acrobatic usage is possible remains uncertain.

It wouldn’t be surprising if all the race-specific skills obtained upon reincarnation were reset to experience points.

Ordinarily, if Rare were to reincarnate as a dwarf, skills like Wing Strike wouldn’t be usable.

I want to verify it, but the risk is too high.

“Rare-chan, what are you planning to do from now on? Did you make plans for after the event?”

“I wonder… If players come to attack, we’ll have to be ready to face them. But that’s probably a story for later. If the transfer service is implemented, it might be after the results of the survey are compiled and the implementation is done.”

“Survey, huh? What will you answer, Rare-chan?”

“For the last transfer service, I had to approve it when I accepted the administration’s proposal. As for the paid items, well, I probably won’t buy them, but I might as well agree. It doesn’t really matter if one or two people agree.”

“Abandoning democracy!”

“…You’re saying complicated things. Well, if that’s the case, I’ll give a proper answer.”

For better or worse, the situation has changed significantly between before and after the event.

Originally, it was just a test of the siege battle, and if possible, I wanted to create a ruin-type undead area as a monster territory. Crushing two nearby cities would be enough to save face against the administration, and attacking further was just to try it out. There wasn’t much meaning to it.

However, looking back now, maybe it was for the best.

I made friends, and, well, this might not matter that much, but I also reconciled with my sister.

“So, what’s next…? For now, there’s a volcanic area south of the Liebe Forest. Should we conquer that?”

“Aren’t you going to conquer other cities in the Hiers Kingdom? There are still plenty left.”

“I could, but… When I think about it, the goal was the destruction of the six major nations. Originally. So considering that the conditions for the downfall of nations are more lenient than I thought, if all we need to do is eliminate the royal families, it might be quicker, and probably won’t accumulate as much player hate, I think.”

“I thought you didn’t care about that kind of reputation.”

“It’s not that I care, but if cities disappear on a continental scale, the human side players probably won’t stay quiet. And if it turns into a situation where it’s all human players versus all monster players, it’ll be troublesome. So, it’s probably easier to just crush their heads.

Even if the continent changes from having six major nations to having numerous city-states, I don’t think there will be much change for players or NPCs. Protecting the citizens from the threat of monsters is a duty of the nation, but knights or players can do that.”

“Doesn’t that mean that the meaning of the nation’s existence diminishes as soon as players appear?”

“That’s part of it, but I think now might be a turning point in the era.”

“Turning point?”

How should I explain it?

“Yeah… Let’s start by thinking about the noble system on the continent and the governance of each city.

Considering how Lyra became a noble, I think the ancestors of the nobles governing each city were originally appointed or created by the royal families of each country.

The loyalty to the nation is probably derived from that, but what the royalty, or rather the central government did, was probably just appointing local lords as nobles. You can tell because each city has strong autonomy.

If that’s the case, it can be said that the danger increases the further you go into the countryside on this continent.

Those who develop or have developed that region are given effective control of that land, appointed as nobles, and receive taxes in return. If it was such a governance system, it would be a feudal state. It’s the same as medieval Europe or Japan.

But in this world, nobles are different races. With the reincarnation system, it’s not just about effective control, but they can also provide military strength rooted in skills like [Subordinate]. By doing this, they could be given further favors or instilled with loyalty, but I think that would fade over time.

Originally, these local lords were the ones who developed the land with their own power, and there’s no continuous support from the central government. They pay taxes because they’ve been granted control of the land, but is that really necessary? The power given as their race is already theirs, and moreover, this is something that will be passed down as long as they protect their bloodline.

Even if it’s not local lords but people sent from the central authority to rule, it’s the same thing.

Considering the transportation between the central and regional areas, it’s impossible to send people regularly, and to govern locally, they have to stay there all the time. In that case, the central authority has no choice but to entrust full control to this individual.

Eventually, the consciousness of acting on orders from the central authority fades, and since they are effectively in control themselves, they start to think it’s fine to continue ruling like this.

As local influential figures start to think like this and act recklessly, and as the central authority’s centripetal force weakens, the feudal system begins to collapse.

In the case of Hiers, for example, it seems like the country could muster quite a large army, and it seems more centralized, with the influence of the central government still intact. But conversely, this time it seems like it worked against them.

Because they sent that army to deal with me, they no longer have the resources to send reinforcements to the provinces.

From the perspective of the provinces, without assistance from the center, they start to think they can manage somehow, and in the midst of all this chaos across the continent, if the center doesn’t provide assistance, they don’t particularly need it.

Some cities have been attacked and destroyed, but this was mostly the work of me and Blanc, and I also wiped out the prepared large army. In other words, even if the country put its full effort into resisting disasters, it would be meaningless. The trust in the nation is at a standstill.

Actually, it’s been about two weeks since the fall of the royal capital, right? In terms of in-game time, but there hasn’t been any turmoil within Hiers, has there? Like cities collapsing due to civil unrest.

If the central authority is gone and most cities haven’t been significantly affected, it might mean that we’re entering a transitional period from a feudal society.”

Occasionally, I check on the forum, and there are rumors about some lord declaring independence, but since practically all the cities in Hiers are independent, it’s meaningless.

Even cities that rely on trade are still trading with neighboring cities, and the cities that rely on business with other countries are doing the same. As Lyra said, since there’s no concept of tariffs, it doesn’t make a difference whether there’s a framework representing the country or not.

In this continent, it seems like the role of nations is merely to effectively use artifacts in times of crisis.

Thinking about it, the war between Pearl and Shape also seems a bit different.

Because most players have an image of how states operate in modern society, they think of it as a war between two countries. But in reality, what’s happening now is just minor skirmishes between several cities in the vicinity. There are even cities within the same country that are not affected at all. It’s clear from the fact that players in Shape like Amatein only know about the war through hearsay.

The fact that beastmen talk about avenging Neuschloss or dwarf nobles express indignation seems more like it’s coming from a sense of camaraderie within their respective races rather than patriotism.

“Well, this is just my personal opinion.”

“…Yeah, you’re sisters after all.”

“Eh? What’s that about?”

“I’m just saying it’s good that you reconciled.”