Chapter 104: The Event
’I knew he was about to say something absurd when he mentioned that virgin part.’ Anna frowned, looking at the round city lord with disgust in her eyes.
Gabriel was just as speechless. Marriage? He knew the inhabitants of this world were strange, but still, he never expected to be rewarded with a wife for killing a weak slime.
"Father..." Aurelia, the city lord’s daughter, gasped with wide eyes, clearly not expecting her father to sell her off just like that.
Garfield’s eyes were firm. "Whitebridge owes you its survival. And frankly... I need a son-in-law with power. My daughter’s future should be tied to someone who can protect her and this city."
Aurelia opened her mouth, then closed it again. She looked up at Gabriel, and a blush crept onto her face.
’Handsome!!’
Right at that moment, Gabriel spoke with a faint shake of his head. "I... appreciate the gesture, but I’ll have to decline."
Aurelia was beautiful, but she was weak and would only be a burden. Besides, his eyes were only set on one person.
That person was yet to log into the game, but he would patiently wait for her.
A look of sadness crossed Aurelia’s face. She touched her chest and let out a bitter smile.
For some reason, this rejection stung—especially for someone like her, who had many suitors.
The city lord sighed as well, realizing that his plan to snag a talent into his household had failed.
"Of course! Of course." Garfield forced a laugh. "I respect your decision. You can go, Aurelia."
Aurelia bowed again and quietly exited the room, but not before sneaking one last glance at Gabriel.
"If you don’t have anything else to tell me, then I’ll be taking my leave as well," he said, getting ready to stand up.
"Wait," the city lord quickly said, retrieving a small token from his drawer and handing it to Gabriel.
"That is a token to a high-level secret area... please accept this as a form of thank you for protecting our town."
A token? Gabriel’s eyes lit up. In Realm of Ascendency, these could transport players into a trial world populated with monsters and offer massive rewards.
After a few more words with Lord Garfield, Gabriel and Anna left the mansion.
"So unfortunate that he didn’t attend the banquet," the city lord sighed quietly as he watched Gabriel leave.
"Father, why did you give him that?" Aurelia asked, a small frown on her face.
"It’s a necessary investment." He smiled mischievously. "It’s rather rare to see a 20-year-old young man with such power... He’ll grow up to become a powerful existence."
"So that’s why you wanted to marry me off without my consent?" Aurelia narrowed her eyes, and the air around her changed.
Lord Garfield smiled wryly. "Oh, about that..."
---
Gabriel and Anna returned to the outskirts of Whitebridge City. The players were still there, but Gabriel’s work here was done.
He had already achieved his objective and drove out of the city.
As they drove, he curiously opened the forum and began to read through it.
---
Guys: I think that Slime King was a prelude to an upcoming event.
ShadowRift: I thought I was the only one that saw it... The notification said "Approaching Beast Tide Event."
TankMaster32: NGL, things are happening a bit too fast in this game!
---
Gabriel stopped reading at this point and, with a thoughtful look on his face, glanced at Anna and asked,
"Anna."
"Yes, Master?"
"Does the Valerian Kingdom suffer beast tides once in a while?" he asked, getting straight to the point.
"You didn’t know?" Anna was stunned. This was something known by all citizens of the kingdom.
Gabriel stared at her with an emotionless look. In the end, she stopped overthinking and began to explain.
"Indeed. Once every four years, the Valerian Kingdom suffers monster attacks," she said. "This happens as a result of the forest becoming too cold for the monsters."
"So they come out to seek shelter within human walls," Gabriel deduced, eyes flashing sharply.
Anna nodded. "Yes. But these monsters are held back by the major guilds. In fact, the king created an official competition to not only clear out the monsters but also provide entertainment for the general public."
With a serious expression on her face, she added, "The name of this competition is called the Inter-Guild Event. It’s usually fierce because of what’s at stake."
Gabriel was really invested in the conversation and placed the truck on autopilot as he turned toward Anna. "What’s at stake?"
"Resources," Anna grinned. "It’s one of the most exciting events, and even neighboring kingdoms watch it. Each guild competes to secure the most resources during the event, and the winner takes a yearly 30% of the other participating guilds’ resources for the next four years."
Gabriel raised a brow. "Thirty percent from all guilds for four years? That’s basically a monopoly."
"Exactly." Anna nodded. "That’s why the event is practically a war disguised as an event. The top guilds pour everything they have into winning it."
Gabriel fell into deep thought. The developers definitely knew about this; he was certain.
"And when is the next one?"
"It should happen anytime soon."
"I see." He mumbled as he took control of the steering wheel again.
His next destination was Iron Gate City, but before then, Gabriel hunted monsters. Though he didn’t level up, he got a fair share of treasures and extraction points.
When he arrived at Iron Gate City, he realized the players there had already been expecting him. They all swarmed the gates and shouted at once.
"Sir Broken, do you need help with something?"
"Sir Broken! Welcome to Iron Gate!"
"Sir Broken, can I join your party?"
"Please, can I be your student?"
Gabriel stared blankly at the sea of players gathered at the gates. Some looked awe-struck, others seemed desperate for attention—like a crowd awaiting a superstar.
"Anna."
"On it!" Anna replied and shouted at the top of her voice, "Everyone stand in a straight line!"
---
Some time later, he was done with Iron Gate City.
From issuing them quests, he had leveled up once again, reaching Level 37 and accumulated a total of 30 Free Stat Points.
While absentmindedly looking at his screen, he remembered the slime fragments in his inventory and quickly withdrew them.
---
[Ding! Would you like to extract the target: Lv55 Slime Emperor? Cost: 23 EP]
"Yes."
[Please choose what to extract!]
[Slime Emperor Memory Fragment]
[Life Slime]
[Absorbed Impact (Rare)]