FAULT ; ARTIFACT

SIX

The locals, neatly dressed, squint at me with suspicion, but no one shows open hostility. It's understandable, I have zero reputation in the city. Of course, you can make a negative one, but it is better to raise it to a good one. With a good reputation, discounts in stores will be available to you and people will be more welcoming. At least that was the case in a lion.

I went to the town hall, but they wouldn't let me in. I was climbing the stairs when a guard standing still stepped to the side, blocking the entrance to the building.

- Stop! Where do you go? He said without malice, but there were clearly notes of wariness and mistrust in his voice.

"I'm going to the head of the city," I said.

- Any beggars are not allowed to disturb Mr. Walf.

I froze. In a lion, the dialogues took place automatically, or some with pop-up answers. Here, as expected, there is nothing of the sort. Well, let's try to improvise. Of course, I don't remember the dialogue in the game when visiting the town hall, but there is nothing you can do.

- I'm a magician, just arrived. And I'm an adventurer.

 - An adventurer from a junkyard? He chuckled, he asked. - Would you go from here, man.

- But I'm telling the truth. In addition, isn't it provided by law that every resident, regardless of status, can apply directly to the head of the city?

It was a lie. I don't know the local code of laws at all, but as they say, trying is not torture. Moreover, something suggests that something similar was in the dialogue at the very beginning of the game.

- Hmm, well, yes. There is such a law that every resident has the opportunity to turn to the mayor once a month, - thoughtfully rubbing his chin, the warrior said, once again measured me with his gaze and tiredly exhaled said: - Okay, go ahead, but do not smell anything, there is also security inside, you will try to rampage - in a moment they will turn into a ram's horn and go to hard labor - at best.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Is it really that simple?

The guard stepped aside and I hurried inside. As I walked the red carpet, I returned to my thoughts.

In Alion Online, all players appeared in the starting city – Launt, from that and its name. And around the Lounge live only the weakest monsters - the most important for beginners, the MMORPG of the old school. It is clear that none of the modern players thought of such a thing, because they did not catch such MMORPGs, or rather their main element - quests. Moreover, it should be confusing that this world seems alive, real, and the local people here are not NPCs with two three replicas. But even so, there is a possibility that you can also get hold of quests. Apparently no one thought that you can take a quest. Although if someone came, he would clearly be confused, since there are no auto dialogues, no choice of answers.

Obviously, all beginners go through training quests, on which they receive starting equipment and experience. They should not be thrown into the open field, as is the case now because we are coming into this world from the rift. So there's no useless class, there's just the wrong start.

If you follow the sequence conceived in the game, then before the real pumping you complete quests, get equipment and some lvl, and in this case the magician does not seem like a useless class.

I knocked on the door.

- Yes, yes? A voice rang out from behind her.

My palm pressed on the door, the hinges creaking faintly. I stepped into a spacious office, in the center of which a table froze. Behind him sits in a rich dark red robe with gold rings on his fingers a chubby man with a well-groomed mustache and a goatee.

When he saw me, he frowned.

- So-so. And who's here?

- My name is Tim. I'm an aspiring adventurer.

- You look like a ragged man.

- And yet, I'm a magician.

Valf leaned back in his chair, folded his hands on his chest and asked:

- Well, let's say I believed you. And what do you need here?

- I'd like to know if the city has a job for a magician?

Valf looked at me like a picky buyer of a bony peasant cow, then apparently decided on something and, leaning forward, said:

- Well, let's say there is. If you guys really can do something, then go to our alchemist, Alast, he's a block away. Tell me I was the one who sent you to help. I think he'll have a job for you.

A quest is recieved: to talk to the alchemist Alast.

Reward: 20 experience points.

I smirked. It looks like I finally saw the light at the end of the cave. My situation is not so hopeless.

And yet I notice the views of the townspeople. It is understandable, there is a kind of ragged man among clean houses and decently dressed people. However, this worries me the least, because thoughts now and then return to one specific number – five hundred thousand credits. It is this amount that does not give rest and constantly reminds of itself, as if to say: "friend, hurry up, do not waste time."

However, even if I wanted to, nothing will work, since speed is tied to characteristics, and my agility is only 1.

The house of the alchemist floated out from around the turn, appearing in all its glory: large, two-story, with a small garden in front of it, fenced with a fence in the form of a metal lattice. I walked over to the wicket, fingers grasped the rope attached to the bell, and there was a sharp ringing that made me wince.

For a few moments nothing happened, then there was a stomp and an irritated grunt. The door creaked opened, an old man with a long gray beard appeared on the threshold, dressed in black with stains left apparently from some caustic substance. His glasses glistened in the light of the sun, he directed his gaze at me.

- Well, who else is there? Alast asked grumpily. - Sorry, I'm not giving to the poor.

- Wait, I'm from Mr. Walf, he said you need help.

Alast was about to close the door, but froze.

- Okay and needed, but can you help me?

- I'm a magician, even if I dress so strangely.

- Alien or what? He said.

Yeah, apparently that's what they call us. Amusingly. And yet, this is true, we are aliens from another world.

- Yes.

- There's been a whole bunch of you lately. You are lucky that these lands were cut off from the rest of the barony, otherwise Mr. Baron would have taken care of you a long time ago. They set up settlements here without demand, you extract ore in the mountains, - the old man muttered, approaching the gate.

Quest: Talk to the alchemist Alast.

Solved.

Award received: 20 experience points

Wow! In total, I have 22. There are only 178 points to the second level. In fact, in the five minutes that I walked from the town hall to the alchemist's house, I gained as much experience as I would have gained in 20 hours of continuous killing of "drops". Even if you stop at all this, it's not bad. But I want more.

- Anyway, man, I won't take help from anyone. You have to prove that you can do something, so go out of town, there's a slime habitat in the northeast. You kill a couple and as proof you bring me 2 pieces of remains. Got it?

Quest is received: kill two slimes, bring Alasta 2 pieces of remains.

Reward: 40 experience points. 2 small mana potions.

- It just so happened that on the way to the city I had already stumbled upon a slime and killed a couple. Here are the remains.

Alasta's eyebrows flew up in surprise.

- Here's how? The alchemist whispered, looking into all eyes at the two formless jelly that had once been slime from the magical vault.

And this is again an atypical reaction of the game NPC. Usually they just work according to a given scenario, they have a standard set of actions and reactions. If it was in a normal game, he would start acting and talking like I was really going to the place where there is this mucus, killed them and came here after a while.