Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest

Red Maple City Church? Asylum?

Thomas was a little confused, but he quickly reacted.

The clergyman in front of him, named "Maiyev Seville", seemed to call them players "refugees" before - that might be some kind of background setting, for example, they "descendants" are refugees who have fled here due to war, which is a very reasonable development.

And the clergyman in front of him also said that the empire they are in seems to be at war with the "Dark Principality"! This made Thomas more convinced that his guess was correct.

——This is the sense of substitution! Thomas, who has rich experience in RPG games, has silently filled in the rest of the brain.

It seems that the fortress city at the end of the field of vision is the so-called "Red Maple City", and the Red Maple City Church is the first extraordinary force that their players will encounter! Thomas is a little looking forward to it and decides to follow Maiyev into the city to see what's going on.

Most players have the same idea as Maiyev, and a small number of players don't like this "forced plot" and are ready to move. But after thinking about the two players who were beaten by the priest Mayev, he suppressed his desire to die.

What these players are thinking now is...

——They can't beat him. Even if all the players come together, they may not be able to wear down "Mayev Sevis" even a drop of blood... Or should they go into the city with him to see the situation? If they can do some tasks, level up, and gain some extraordinary powers in the city, it won't be difficult to escape at that time...

Forbearance! The main thing is forbearance!

The players made their own plans in their hearts, but no one jumped out to attack Mayev and other priests.

After that, Thomas watched Mayev get on his horse again, and the other priests he brought came to the back of these "refugees" and formed a triangle around them.

The priests "escorted" these "refugees" and moved slowly on the battlefield of the gravel plain. About half an hour later, they arrived at Hongfeng City.

…

Red Maple City Church, Glory Church, Inner Courtyard.

In the bishop's throne, Luo Xiu was in the holy room, paying attention to the movements in the [Player Forum] and [World Channel], while watching the scene sent back by the "Shadow Raven" Wu Ye's Wuying.

Soon after the internal test was launched, Luo Xiu had roughly confirmed what changes had occurred in his panel after the [Closed Internal Test].

Luo Xiu, who had a player panel, also unlocked the [Player Forum] and [World Channel]. He could see what the players were discussing enthusiastically in it, but he could not post or comment in person.

Because he was essentially still an NPC, he only had some of the functions of the player panel, and did not have the so-called "account uid"... This was like the "log in to comment" on many platform websites in the previous life. He was now in a state where he could see the content but "could not log in".

Similarly, he could also summon the UI interface of "God's Destiny", but all options were in a (gray frame, crossed out) state, and he could not "exit the game".

However, Luo Xiu had long been accustomed to this world. He just made a small attempt, and it doesn't matter if the attempt fails.

After the internal test was launched, the most important change was the newly unlocked [NPC exclusive template].

[NPC exclusive template list——]

[Display template control, enabled]

[Task release function, enabled]

[Favorability adjustment, enabled]

[Skill/skill teaching, enabled]

[Propose transaction function, enabled]

[Organization/power function, enabled]

[……]

He unlocked many new functions, most of which are no different from the "NPC function" in Luo Xiu's conjecture.

For example, "display template control", which can modify the displayed character panel within a certain range, is mainly used when the player uses the detection function on the NPC.

In fact, the only thing that can be modified by "display template control" is the displayed name and the content of "active display".

If the level difference between the player and the NPC is too large, or the difference between the "perception" and "resistance" attributes of the NPC is too large, the player can't see anything except the name displayed by the NPC.

But if "active display" is set, players can see these contents by detection without meeting other pre-requisites.

Luo Xiu did not want to "actively display" anything for the time being, but he made some changes to the name displayed on the panel, changing the default "Luo Xiu Durant" to "Luo Xiu Carlos".

Later, if he wants to contact players as "Xura" of the Holy Abyss again, he will change his name again on the panel... Luo Xiu planned this.

In the "task release function", he can personally formulate commissioned tasks for players.

According to Luo Xiu's current NPC level of "Leader NPC", he can release tasks of "nightmare" difficulty and below to players, and the task rewards can also be adjusted within a certain range, ranging from 1 to 50,000 experience points.

But there are some limitations - the experience points reward for issuing tasks to players is not generated out of thin air, but requires 10% of the overflow experience points under the current NPC level. In other words, if the reward for the "nightmare" difficulty task issued to the player is set at 50,000 points, 5,000 points of it need to be deducted from Luo Xiu's own experience. Although this will not make Luo Xiu "downgrade", it does require careful consideration.

But of course there are ways to deal with this, and Luo Xiu has already preset a solution for this - "Spiritual Spring"! As long as there is some way to make players willingly "tribute" the experience they have gained, in order to achieve this goal, some other preparations are needed.

And other functions, "favorability adjustment", "skill/skill teaching", etc. are just as their names suggest, and there are not many complicated places.

But the brand new NPC template has independent settings for these functions. Luo Xiu has also linked them together, setting up the completion of commissioned tasks to increase "favorability", and "favorability" is bound to "skill/skill teaching", and "trading" functions, etc.

After completing all these settings, Luo Xiu put his attention back on the "descenders".

Under his instructions, almost half of the clergy of the church have left the city to bring back those "suspicious refugees".

The places where those "descenders" landed were relatively remote. In Luo Xiu's memory, no natives had discovered them when they first landed.

In other words, the church is 100% sure that it can have "first contact" with these players who "landed" outside Hongfeng City, which is the advantage of foresight.

Looking at the scene sent back by Wuying, the clergy sent out so far have almost all come into contact with the "descenders" and brought them back to Hongfeng City.

Then, it's time to proceed to the second step...

While consolidating the plan in his mind, Luo Xiu has stood up from the table, left the holy room, and walked outside the bishop's seat.

...

Thomas and other players, led by the clergyman Mayyev, have arrived at the gate of Hongfeng City.

On the way to Red Maple City, Thomas and several other players who were immersed in the experience tried to ask Mayev some questions.

Later, they found that the "priest" in front of them was not as solemn and majestic as he looked. On the contrary, Mayev was actually quite talkative and answered all the questions raised by the players.

Thomas learned some relevant background from Mayev.

The Nolan Empire where they were located was engaged in a "judgment war" with the neighboring "dark principality". And Red Maple City, located on the border of the Nolan Empire-Songyuan Territory, is one of the frontline fortresses of the Judgment War.

The situation in Red Maple City is quite serious now. The dark army is eyeing and waiting for an opportunity to move outside, and various enemy secret organizations are dormant inside, which may cause damage to the city at any time.

But in such a severe situation, the "three major settlements" of Red Maple City - the Red Maple City Church of the [Glorious] destiny, the Border Court of the [Supreme] destiny, and the Square Monument Court of the [Intellectual] destiny joined forces to stabilize the situation, smashed the enemy's conspiracy time and time again, and preserved Red Maple City to this day.

And Mayev belongs to the Red Maple City Church of the [Glorious] destiny - the church priest he follows is called "Roshu Carlos", who is the strongest among the extraordinary people in the three destiny settlements.

While listening to Mayev saying this, Thomas was also thinking about other things.

... In other words, [Glorious], [Supreme] and [Intellectual] destiny are the three major families that can be selected by the beginner? Well... I wonder if there are other destiny...

When Thomas thought about this, the panel naturally emerged in his mind and he opened the [Player Forum].

As expected, someone has posted a sharing post about the fates they have discovered - some people have learned about the fates of [Lost], [Bitter Tea] and [Red Lotus], but these three fates seem to be illegal in the Empire.

At this time, Mayyev was showing some documents to the guards on duty at the city gate. While waiting, Thomas switched to the [World Channel] in his mind and chatted happily with the players around him -

"So this is Red Maple City, I wonder if it can trigger any main quests?"

"It should be possible, I have never seen an open game without main quests..."

"Indeed"

"The above, soul wandering is not enough, brother"

"Indeed"

"I am more curious, is there any way to become extraordinary after entering the city?"

"Indeed"

"I think the fate of [Glorious] may be very strong? Everyone has seen it, right? , the priest just threw the big brother with the ID ‘Chasing Wind 666’ to the ground? ”

“Indeed”

“I’m going to say it soon, I’m going to say it soon…”

“The essence of human beings is——”

“Indeed”

“…”

Thomas watched the players chatting with interest. Soon, the priest Mayev had finished negotiating with the guards, walked back, and said to the players:

“You can enter the city.”

“Don’t look around after entering the city, and don’t leave the team. I will take you to the church first to get new clothes and food.”

After saying that, Mayev walked towards the city. The players followed behind him, looking around without taking his words to heart.

…

The medieval-style houses on both sides slowly appeared in front of the players.

Because of the war, many owners of the houses have fled to other places, which has caused thick dust to accumulate on the windows of many houses, and most of the potted plants on the windowsills have withered.

However, even though the city is in a depressed atmosphere, the guards are still patrolling in pairs and meticulously.

Occasionally, pedestrians in civilian clothes can be seen walking on the street. They are tired on their faces, but there is still hope in their eyes, and they have not lost their motivation for life.

Thomas recalled that the priest Mayyev did say that "the situation in Red Maple City is serious", but he also said that the city has won victory after victory in the enemy's terrorist attacks under the leadership of the three major garrisons.

What entered Thomas's field of vision was the real appearance of the city at this time, which made Thomas think vaguely.

Of course, he soon saw the wanderer who was slumped against the wall of a house on one side, with a depressed face and a bottle of wine spinning violently.

"...My home is gone...My house is destroyed!" The homeless man's eyes were dull, he half murmured, half roared.

"War...hiccup...damn war...How could those guards let the enemy in like this! We have clearly won again and again...How come there are still waves of enemies coming in!"

"Have all the taxes we paid been fed to the dogs!...hiccup."

"My house...woooo...my house...hiccup...That's the house that the Boltan family has worked hard and saved for three generations! Woo..."

"..."

Thomas saw that the homeless man immediately raised the bottle and took another sip.

The alcohol content of the wine seemed to be quite high, and the homeless man began to stagger.

Not long after, the patrolling guard found him and trotted over, cursing "Damn you, what are you talking about again", while pulling his arm and carrying him away.

Thomas looked at the back of the homeless man being carried away, and then looked at the priest Mayev. He seemed to have no emotional fluctuations about this, and his face was still serious.

"What happened?" Thomas took a few quick steps and asked Mayev.

As a player, he did not invest any emotions in the scene he saw, but just wanted to know more about the background and be familiar with the possible plot.

Mayyev glanced at him and said calmly:

"Half a month ago, the 'executioner' of the Black Army sneaked into the Red Maple City, led the Black Fangs and the Fang Heads, and caused serious damage to a large area of ​​the city."

"The man just now was originally the eldest son of the wealthy businessman Mr. Boltan. After his father passed away, he left him a house covering nearly half of the street, and little Boltan made a living by collecting rent."

"However, because he had been idle for a long time and had a relatively stable and high income, little Boltan became addicted to gambling. Under the temptation of his friends, he lost almost all his properties in an underground casino."

"Before the war broke out, he only had one house left. He originally planned to sell the house, then rent a house somewhere else and live on the savings from the previous sale of the house, but the war suddenly came, and the enemy invaded the Red Maple City and demolished his only remaining house into ruins."

"Then-just like what you saw, little Boltan collapsed He first went to the city lord's mansion and made a scene, accusing the guards of neglecting their duties, which led to the enemy's invasion, and then demanded compensation from the mansion for all the real estate of his ancestors, including the ones he lost in gambling. "

"Not surprisingly, he was driven out of the mansion. After that, he came to the church and asked us to come forward to "judge" the crimes of the city lord Nelson, and we sternly refused. "

"But we didn't drive him out directly. The precepts of the "Holy Court" and the teachings of the high priest all tell us to treat people in difficult situations kindly. We wanted to introduce him to the relief center and help him find a job as a worker, but he suddenly said that he wanted to stick to the merchant honor of the Boltan family, saying that we and the mansion were in collusion, and then left the church. "

"Haha, I didn't expect to see him here again. "

"..."

Thomas was a little surprised. He didn't expect that a simple question would make the priest in front of him say so much.

However, he did understand the general background from it.

After listening to Mayev's words "immersively", Thomas felt that his understanding of the plot had deepened.

...

While Mayev and Thomas were talking about this, they were also moving towards the church.

Finally, a solemn and majestic cathedral appeared in Thomas's vision.

It was a cathedral with a Gothic style, with spires soaring into the clouds and towering facades divided by vertical lines, which looked tall and straight.

The porch of the church was broad and solemn, the stained glass windows shone with colorful light under the sunlight, and the statues on the stone carvings on the wall were lifelike, exuding a mysterious and solemn atmosphere.

Mayev led the players into the church and came to the inner courtyard.

The outer perimeter of this vast courtyard inside the church was also shrouded in a light curtain flowing through Jinhua. It seemed to be some kind of barrier? Thomas tried to detect it, but could not detect anything at all.

The players saw that the "priest" Mayev walked in front of the barrier.

He raised his hand, a golden light flashed in his eyes, golden light patterns appeared on the back of his hand, and his fingers gently touched the surface of the light curtain.

——Buzz! The light curtain flashed with ripples like water, and the golden light flowing on it gradually faded, and Mayyev walked in.

"Come in, I have lifted the 'Golden Barrier'." Mayyev then turned around and said to the players.

The players then walked into the inner courtyard, curiously looking at everything around them.

In addition to many sacred buildings that seemed similar in style but could not be named, Thomas also saw a lot of priests, who walked through the inner courtyard with solemn faces, busy with their respective duties.

Thomas detected those priests and found that most of them could indeed detect relatively complete results. All priests are [Glorious] destiny, and most of them are one or two destiny. For the time being, no one like Mayyev who cannot detect the number of destiny.

This means that Mayyev should be at least a priest with a "triple destiny"! Thomas guessed, and the "high priest" they followed should be a "fourth destiny"!

In addition to the novel buildings and priests, Thomas soon saw other players who "landed" near Maple City.

Those players were also guarded by "priests" in front and behind. A group of dozens of players had already gathered in the inner courtyard.

The priests took them to a magnificent statue shining with golden light. There was an altar there, and thousands of players had gathered around it, seemingly waiting for something.

"Come with me." Mayev's voice then rang in Thomas' ears, and the priest in front of him also led them to stand around the altar.

"What are they waiting for?" Thomas asked Mayev.

When asking this question, Thomas observed that Mayev's face showed a reverent and pious expression.

"Lord Luo Xiu Carlos." Mayev said solemnly, "That is the 'high priest' of the church, and the one we follow devoutly."

...