Civilization

It took us a while to digest the information from the Patch Notes, especially since it was a major patch. During that time we were all quietly reading it off the screen. Once I finished reading it, I sat back in my seat, waiting for another couple of minutes before speaking.

"There is a lot of new information in this patch, and it looks like they aren't making it so that there are more monster spawns and increased monster activity, like how the previous patches were. Instead, they hint that the Kings are going to be more active, which means they may attack nearby villages." - Ian

"It is not may, it is most definitely that they will attack nearby villages. It will start with small-scale skirmishes, and then eventually large-scale invasions. Looking at it objectively, this period of attacks will be involving siege weapons. What kind of siege weapons will we be facing? I don't know. I don't even know if they have the means of coming close to HavenFall, but we need to prepare for potential siege warfare.

For villages out in the open, like Sam's and Sabrina's, there is a high likelihood, that rams or catapults will be used. That is if they are still on very primitive siege equipment. There is the chance they have some sort of magic cannon or something of that similar destructive capabilities. It may even just be a team of mages, who can cast large AOE attacks instead of weapons. Who knows…" - Nina

"Hmm… I understand your concerns, Nina. Pa Kaua is vulnerable to siege attacks. If we were to be surrounded, I doubt we could last for a long time." - Sam

"I can't do much either. It's just open plains where I am at, with little to no cover." - Sabrina

"What can you do? It is just how the environment is, the best you can do is fortify yourself and attack outside the village. The moment they reach the village, then you are at an extreme disadvantage." - Evan

"Well, enough of that! Aren't we excited about the fact that we can play for longer?" - Rebecca

"Yeah, a longer play time means we can achieve more in the game. Especially since all old players are starting one day ahead of new players. The extra 24 hours will help us prepare for the influx of players." - Ian

"What is the plan for that anyway, Ian? I know you have arrived at the Krepost and you placed down the Altar at a mid-way point toward HavenFall, but what are we going to do? I'm still at HavenFall, and the two girls are with you." - Evan

"I'll tell you the plan later, I still need to work out a few of the kinks of it." - Ian

"Understood. Tell me before we go into the game, so I can relay everything to Gobi, and Noah." - Evan

Gathering everyone's attention, Sam claps his hands. With a serious tone, he starts to talk to us, slowly, as if carefully planning each word.

"Another major addition is the Mana Stones." - Sam

"I didn't expect for them to mention this, especially since we have used a type of Mana Stone, previously." - Ian

"YOU DID?!" - Sam

"Our blacksmith was able to create a spear that had a golem core embedded near the tip. With the help of the elves, we were able to create a weapon that uses the golem core to create explosions." - Ian

"Interesting… But looking at how they worded it, it wasn't you that pushed Lotus over the edge to make them make Mana Stones more public. I'm assuming someone else has done more research and created more weapons or used the Mana Stones more frequently." - Sam

"Well, I'm looking at the forums and there is a blacksmithing guild that is located near Lotus, called Iron Chapel. There is also a guild, near Aqua, that is focusing on magic and the arcane, called Arcane Brotherhood. Both guilds have stated that they are working with magic, or with magical items, so…  There is a possibility, that one of these guilds is the reason for the Mana Stones." - Evan

"Hmm… Maybe. What if it was just an individual player?" - Rebecca

"Then it would be impossible to find out the reason." - Ian

"However… This does make the auction better." - Sam

"Auction?" - Sabrina

"The N2. Now that we are using the VR capsules, we need N1 to help us through the night. It is used to revitalize ourselves and keep our bodies healthy. However, Aqua also has another version of the N1, which is the N2. Aqua is going to auction them in-game, and now that there are Mana Stones, I'm sure they will use that as the currency." - Sam

"Then the first week of the game will be focusing on gathering Mana Stones." - Ian

"Wait, wait, wait. Then we are at a disadvantage. Bones, Aqua and Lotus have so many employees under them. They would be able to collect way more Mana Stones than us, through just the sheer manpower." - Evan

"Well, we will just have to figure it out later." - Ian

"Is that all? Because if it is, I'm going to get some rest, before tonight." - Kingston

"That should be it. Kingston, there is a manual on your bed for the VR capsule. It is already set up, but give it a read." - Sam

"Understood, boss! See you guys!" - Kingston

With that, Kingston leaves the lounge room, dark circles could be seen underneath his eyes. Although, all of us knew why he was so tired, especially me, after all, the both of us have been sparring more and more in the past couple of days. Kingston had told me during one of our breaks, that the reason he was trying so hard was for Celine. At first, he couldn't tell why he cared so much for her, and even now he wasn't sure, but he wanted her to be happy. For that, he needed to become stronger.

Not much else happened afterward, with everyone just relaxing and enjoying their time since the game will be starting at 1800. With only 3 more hours to go, we were excited and ready. Wandering around the perimeter of the estate with Rebecca, Evan slowly approaches from in front, waving his hand high in the air. Behind him, Nina was holding onto a novel with a pair of sunglasses on her head.

"YO! IAN! There you are. I just found Nina as well over there, but I'm here because I was wondering what was the plan for the next 48 hours in the game. We have a lot to prepare for the new players." - Evan

"That's right. We did need to plan for it, didn't we? Evan here just took me from my reading spot without explaining anything." - Nina

"True. Well, let's walk around while I explain what we are going to do tonight. Firstly, we need to be fast. The moment we go back into the game, we need to get moving. Stellar and Gewari will be vital in passing information around. Their team will be responsible for reaching out to both HavenFall and the Krepost. They will need to gather people, and resources, since the place where the Altar of Life is placed, is in the middle of nowhere." - Ian

"That's right because it is in the middle of nowhere, there isn't anything there for new players. Wait, wouldn't we be building a new village?" - Evan

"That's the plan isn't Ian? A new village in between HavenFall and the Krepost. The current road that connects the two places takes approximately 3 to 4 hours to travel. I know that Stellar had been revising the path bit by bit, to improve the travel time, since the first time we created the path it took 6 hours. With the installation of the Altar of Life, only 15 minutes away from the path, we will be able to connect both villages with an in-between, only an hour to two away.

Having this in between will be essential for later if there are any invasions on HavenFall or the Krepost. We can and will be storing food, water, medicine, weapons, and armor at this new location. Plus with the new players, we can provide them with all of these, and send them in a direction to help us expand our influence and territory. I'm not sure if this is what you have planned Ian, but this was my interpretation." - Nina

"As expected, nothing gets past you, Nina. This is the basis of my plan, but I have more in mind. The new players, we need to make them want to stay in our territory. I want to create a quest system for them, reward them for their efforts, and make them want to stay. Different from employing them, and making them work for us with a contract, I want players to work with us of their own free will." - Ian

"Will people even do that? Usually, you would need a good incentive for people to want to stay at a location." - Rebecca

"It might be hard, but I have a plan. New players will receive a simple gift from us. A small portion of food and water, and a simple goblin knife. Everything else will need to be paid for, using Mana Stones. Yes, we are going to use Mana Stones as our currency. Not only will this allow us to gather more stones, but it will help solidify a currency. Food, water, weapons, and armor will cost a certain amount of Mana Stones, have Noah decide on the price.

Afterward, point them in the direction of a simple quest bulletin. Have some simple quests, like gathering a herb or type of food, and have Lucina make a list of herbs and plants that will be useful to her. Quests that include defeating monsters, and having Gobi and all monsters under our banner wear something to differentiate them from normal monsters.

Finally, a quest where they are gathering resources to help build the village, HavenFall, or the Krepost. This way we can find out if there are players who prefer, fighting, gathering, or building. Section them out, reward them properly, and keep this cycle going, even if they branch out of the new village to the Krepost or HavenFall." - Ian

"Hmm… Alright. Once I'm back I'll talk to Stellar, Gobi, and Noah as soon as possible. Get them up to date with the plan." - Evan

"I'll head back to the Krepost, and inform Howard and Yor." - Nina

"I'll stay at the new village, and help clear the area, as well as mark out places where things will be kept" - Rebecca

"Alright, we understand what we need to do. I'll see everyone soon." - Ian

With that small discussion, Evan and Nina head off, while Rebecca and I return to our room. The manual was on our bed, like how Sam told us, and flicking through the manual I understood what needed to be done. Helping Rebecca, I found the small drinks fridge near our bed, where the N1 was kept. Opening the door, I found it was filled with N1 tubes. Each tube was as long as a ruler, housing a glittery blue gel.

Each VR capsule, needs one N1 installed in the side of the capsule before it can be used. With that knowledge, I pick out two, before moving to the VR capsule. Inside our room, there were two large silver capsules, much like a lounge chair. There is a green button on the side to open up the compartment for us to sit in, and next to it, is a blue button for the N1. Pressing it, opens a side compartment, where the tube is placed.

Ready, the both of us, get inside the capsule, small goosebumps could be seen along my arms. I wave to Rebecca as we both close the VR capsule and close our eyes… A familiar screen appears and after a week-long absence, we return.