Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 334 The Builder’s Guild 

 

The Lesser Demon Sanctum was still the hellish landscape that it was. The rising smoke from the red soil was a telltale sign of how hot the surface of the ground was. 

 

Ye Ci looked up into the sky that was covered by dust from Ol’ Four’s back. There had never been a moment with a clear blue sky in the map. Yolan was with her as well, but the timid NPC had always been afraid of large monsters, she was very anxious when she had to take a ride on Ol’ Four. 

 

One of the NPC’s hands clung on tightly to Ye Ci’s cloak while her other hand snaked around Ye Ci’s waist. Yolan was trembling with fear. She was afraid that her slight movement would anger the giant beast. 

 

But her fear subsided as time passed, and Yolan began to grow bolder. She was even able to talk to Ye Ci normally. 

 

“What is this place, mistress?” asked Yolan when she noticed that Ye Ci did not show any intention of moving away from the place. 

 

“The Lesser Demon Sanctum.” Ye Ci replied as she gazed at the horizon. The map was a lvl60 map, which made it a good spot for leveling up. Players were starting to flock into the map, but their numbers were still not great due to the geographical environment that would place a debuff on players. It was simply too draining for players to be leveling in the map on the long run. Many of them were still reluctant to invest their money into the game even as the currency conversion system had long been introduced into the game. 

 

That was why most of the players in the Lesser Demon Sanctum were either in parties or were players who spent money on the game. 

 

“Lesser Demon?” Yolan had apparently not heard of such a life form before. She studied her surroundings and was quick to spot a few Lesser Demons scurrying around on the ground, “Those are the Lesser Demons you’re talking about?” Yolan’s eyes widened. 

 

“Why? You’ve seen them before?” asked Ye Ci who noticed Yolan’s expression. 

 

“Aren’t those Ore Eaters? Why are you calling them Lesser Demons?” Yolan furrowed her eyebrows, “Do people from this continent know them by a different name?” 

 

Ore Eaters? Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. What’s with the name? “Why are they called Ore Eaters?” 

 

“Legend has it that they’re souls of miners that have been corrupted by demons. They love ores, and their presence would often mean that an area is rich with ores. You can tell the grade of these ores from the color of the Ore Eaters’ skin. The darker their skin, the higher the level of the ores, because these things love eating ores. There are a lot of them back in the volcano on our island.” explained Yolan. 

 

A place with Lesser Demons will have a mineral deposit? And the darker their color, the higher the grade of the minerals? Thought Ye Ci after listening to Yolan’s words. 

 

The NPC was correct. Ye Ci knew that there were mithril ore veins on all four continents, but she was only sure about the locations of the veins in the Eastern and Southern Continent. And from her memories of her past life, there were indeed Lesser Demons around the area of the mithril ore veins. While the Lesser Demons were fewer in numbers of the Southern Continent, they were still present. She did not have a chance to explore the veins on the Western and Northern Continent, but her memory told her that the demons were present in those locations as well. 

 

These demons rarely appeared anywhere else on all the continents, except for some high danger maps on the Middle Continent. Ye Ci’s train of thoughts continued. Does it mean that there are Mithril or minerals with quality higher than Mithril on the Middle COntinent? Ye Ci was thrilled. Mithril was the most precious resource in her last life. The presence of a more precious ore was merely teased by the officials, but were never discovered by players. 

 

Ye Ci was excited at that prospect. 

 

“Mistress, mistress…” Yolan was worried that she had offended Ye Ci when she fell on a long silence, “Are you alright?” 

 

Ye Ci’s thoughts snapped back into reality and she gave Yolan a smile, “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about something. Let’s go, I’ll show you where I want the fortifications built.” 

 

“Very well.” Yolan’s attention was immediately diverted to construction, which was her passion. She did not know the impact her words brought to Ye Ci. 

 

Ye Ci was still thinking of the possibility of Mithril or rarer minerals on the Middle Continent as she made her way to the Mithril ore vein. I mustn't tell anyone about this. Guess I’ll have to go find out myself when my level is high enough. 

 

And before long, the two arrived at the Mithril ore vein, where Jasmine and the Black Iron Dwarves were continuing their mining. But it was all a show put on by the system. Their mining will not progress unless the quest is continued. The players who had been scouring the area around the Black Iron Dwarves were long gone, and at this point in time. 

 

There were no monsters in their vicinity, and with only a few Black Iron Dwarves who offered no clue, not many players were willing to venture to this place. 

 

Yolan dismounted from Ol’ Four and looked at the small hill before her, “Mistress, do you want me to build fortifications around this hill?” 

“Is it possible?” 

 

“Technically, I’m able to.” Yolan nodded, but the NPC had a troubled expression on her face. 

 

“Is there a problem?” 

 

“I’ve reported to the Builder’s Guild of Red Lake City earlier. We’re not allowed to build fortifications in the wild.” as a Master Builder, it was necessary for Yolan to interact with the NPCs of the Builder’s Guild. 

 

They might be mere NPCs to the eyes of many players, but the NPCs were still highly advanced artificial intelligence with their own way of life. It was something that the majority of the players could never understand. 

 

A frown appeared on Ye Ci’s face. So we’re not allowed to build fortifications in the wild? What sort of setting is this? Why have I not heard of this? 

 

Of course, it was natural for Ye Ci to lack knowledge in this matter, as she had always been solo during her last life and had never involved herself with guilds. She would never think of something like building walls in the wild. 

 

In her current life however, Ye Ci was aiming to benefit from the ore vein while expanding the minimum manpower. That was why she acquired a Master Builder. It was part of her plan to secure the interest of her guild. 

 

“Are you sure? We can’t build anything in the wild without premission from the Builder’s Guild?” 

 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Yolan nodded.

  

“What if we ignore their regulations and just have it built?” 

 

“Then they’ll remove it by force.” replied Yolan. 

 

They’re going to forcefully remove it? Ye Ci rolled her eyes. This game sure is catching up with times. 

 

For the security of her Mithril ore vein, Ye Ci made the decision to take a trip to the Builder’s Guild. She instructed Yolan to have a good look at the geographical area of around the ore vein so that she could design fortifications for its defence, and headed to the Builder’s Guild headquarters in Champion City. 

 

The city was bustling with activity as usual, just like how the game was before Golden Era’s entrance into the game. The players around Ye Ci did not seem to be affected by Golden Era’s arrival. 

 

The center of the city was of course the busiest as it was the home to the auction house, Mercenary Guild, Grandmaster Blacksmith, and many other facilities that were essential for players. Ye Ci’s destination was the headquarters of the Builder’s Guild which was also situated in the same place. 

 

But unlike the other buildings that were frequented by players, the Builder’s Guild Headquarters was empty and quit. 

 

As expected of builders. Thought Ye Ci as she stood in front of the headquarters. They sure spared no effort in building their HQ. The building itself was not grandiose, but it definitely was built from quality materials and the craftsmanship that made the building was definitely at a higher level than even the Royal Palace and the Grand Monastery in Champion City. 

 

Ye Ci covered her face with her cloak, and walked into the building. 

 

The first floor of the Builder’s Guild HQ was populated by skill trainers that would teach players skills related to Engineering and Building. Ye Ci took a look around the floor, and was quick to spot a beautiful set of stairways leading to the second floor, where the administrators of the guild were situated. 

 

But she was stopped by a Human male just as she approached the stairs. He greeted Ye Ci warmly and spoke with a smile, “Greetings, brave adventurer. This is the administration wing of the Builder’s Guild HQ. How may I help you?” 

 

I guess I can’t just walk in there. Ye Ci bowed at the man and said, “Greetings. I’d like to build some fortifications in the wild, but I’ve heard that it requires approval from the Builder’s Guild. What sort of procedures do I need to go through?” 

 

“You wish to build fortifications in the wild?” the man was shocked, “This is the first time someone from the Eastern Continent made such a request.” 

 

“Why? Are we not allowed to do that?” Ye Ci was worried. 

 

“No, come with me.” the man led Ye Ci to the second floor, and spoke to her as they walked. His name was Wyatt, and he was a Grandmaster Builder despite his young age, and he was in charge of the restoration of lost cities. 

 

Lost cities were abandoned forts or cities that were populated by monsters. When one of these places were cleared by players, they could then acquire a permit from the Builder’s Guild to restore and expand the city. 

 

Construction of structures on the entire continent were monitored closely by the Builder’s Guild, and players who wished to construct any form of structures on a location of their choice would need to fulfill very strict guidelines from the guild. 

 

But information was scarce as not a single player nor guild had tried their hand in constructing structures in the wild. 

 

And the permit to construct buildings in the wild could only be obtained from the Guildmaster of the Builder’s Guild. And Ye Ci could tell from Wyatt’s tone that he was a revered old man. 

 

Ye Ci could feel trouble looming ahead. An old person that was held in such esteem in Fate was always a highly intelligent NPC. It would be very hard to attempt to trick an NPC like this. 

 

Just then, Wyatt stopped before a large, beautifully crafted wooden door, “The Guildmaster has been informed of your business, adventurer. He’s waiting for you in this room.”