This was actually something that surprised Bai Ye quite a bit.
A hidden quest, huh!
A chained hidden quest!
And they only give a green quality item for it?
How shameless can you get!
Thinking this, Bai Ye was filled with regret, because he had failed the third quest: to find and kill the mastermind demon, Krumeit!
The rewards for hidden quests were definitely good, so if the rewards for the first two quests were lackluster, Bai Ye felt the main event must be in the final hidden quest. But…
He failed!
"This is truly a sad story!"
Bai Ye looked helpless. Fortunately, his sadness only lasted a moment. If he failed, he failed; there was nothing he could do. And…
Looking on the bright side, the Ruby Scepter was useless to Bai Ye. Although the multi-target enhancement effect was a bit niche, the demon summoning effect, which increased spiritual power and mental resistance, had high trading value. It could definitely be traded for a premium, and it shouldn't be a problem to exchange it for a blue quality item. It was better than nothing.
As Bai Ye mused, he looked back and didn't see Li Jiayi.
"That guy sure ran away decisively!"
Bai Ye wasn't particularly surprised that Li Jiayi had fled.
That guy was also an experienced pragmatist. Since Demon Krumeit was gone and the quest had failed, Li Jiayi was bound to run. A fight with no benefit was meaningless.
Why was Bai Ye so clear about Li Jiayi's thoughts?
Because Bai Ye was also a pragmatist. Otherwise, he would have checked the information on the Ruby Scepter and the hidden quest first, instead of chasing Li Jiayi.
However…
Bai Ye wasn't inclined to engage in a battle without benefit either.
True, defeating Li Jiayi offered a chance to obtain a shard of the God Stone, but that guy wasn't easy to deal with. The cost versus reward was most likely disproportionate.
As Bai Ye thought, he nudged the nearby Gavril with his foot. "Lizardman chief?"
Gavril looked up blankly and asked, "Yes, who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am," Bai Ye said. "Let's go, I'll take you to see your father."
Bai Ye directly grabbed Gavril and dragged him away.
Although one hidden quest had failed, Bai Ye felt there was still hope. The Orc Lord hadn't appeared yet, and the Orc Lord's attack on Jura Tempest Forest hadn't ended. This meant there should be subsequent quests. Therefore, the task at hand was to first bring the lizardman back to the Monster Country.
However, Li Jiayi had appeared…
Bai Ye felt a bit troubled.
Just as Li Jiayi was wary of Bai Ye, Bai Ye felt that guy wasn't easy to deal with. The fact that he had participated in the Twelve Great Battles indicated that Li Jiayi's strength was definitely among the top tier in the current world battlefield. This time, he wasn't on the same side as Bai Ye, and who knew what schemes he might concoct later!
As Bai Ye thought, he met up with Shion and then retreated to the Monster Country with Gavril.
This time, they didn't encounter any trouble. The orcs were still lingering in the swamp, not continuing their advance into Jura Tempest Forest, so Bai Ye and Shion successfully returned to the Monster Country.
And then…
With the addition of the lizardmen, Rimuru began a war council. A battle between the Monster Country and the Orc Lord was inevitable. As for Bai Ye…
He continued to be a drifter.
Bai Ye didn't need to worry about the development of the Monster Country.
He had experience with this. The memories from his previous life weren't for nothing. Whether he participated in the so-called war council or mingled with the original inhabitants like Rimuru wouldn't affect the triggering of hidden quests, because Bai Ye had already met the conditions.
Gaining Rimuru's recognition and becoming a temporary resident of the Monster Country was the condition for triggering the hidden quest. Therefore, there was no need to rack his brain trying to do meaningless things; he just had to wait.
As for how long he would have to wait, Bai Ye had an idea.
Because the number of Chosen Ones appearing in the Monster Country had recently increased!
Therefore, according to Bai Ye's speculation, this matter was most likely related to the number of Chosen Ones. The hidden quest concerning the Orc Lord army wasn't for a single Chosen One, but would be triggered when a certain number of Chosen Ones were present.
As for the lizardman affair, Bai Ye understood that he had arrived early, so he was fortunate enough to have a taste of the appetizer. This also explained why the quest reward was only passable, lacking the grandeur of a hidden quest.
Regarding the quest concerning Demon Krumeit, Bai Ye thought that mission might directly conclude the Orc Lord's attack event, or have a significant impact. It was even possible that if Demon Krumeit was defeated, there would be no subsequent hidden quests.
Therefore, the difficulty of the mission was very high, but the reward should also be very substantial.
But…
If it failed, it failed. Bai Ye didn't want to dwell on it.
One should look forward.
…
"Hey, Bai Ye, when exactly are the Orc Lords going to attack?"
Bai Ye sat down at a dessert shop selling mochi dumplings. A burly man at the next table couldn't help but ask Bai Ye.
The burly man, named Jemmas Todd, was a Chosen One from a fantasy world, just like Bai Ye.
Holding a stack of mochi dumplings, Jemmas sat down in front of Bai Ye and said, "You're the only one who can enter and exit Rimuru's mansion. Don't you have any inside information?"
What is called prestige?
Prestige is when you can do what others cannot. That is prestige!
Bai Ye, as the first Chosen One to arrive in the Monster Country, was the only one who could enter and exit Rimuru's mansion. The other Chosen Ones were brought to the Monster Country by Rimuru's subordinates. They couldn't enter Rimuru's mansion, nor could they even speak directly with Rimuru.
Although…
Bai Ye felt this privilege was of little use, it was still prestige.
Bai Ye looked around as everyone else turned their eyes towards him, and shrugged. "If I had inside information, would I be sitting here eating mochi dumplings?"
Jemmas said, "Bai Ye, that's not right. Even if there are hidden quests, we're on the same side. We're all working for the Monster Country. There's no need for you to be so secretive."
Bai Ye replied, "The problem is, I really don't have any inside information."
Jemmas sighed, and the others also looked disappointed.
Currently, the Chosen Ones in the Monster Country had a relatively harmonious relationship with each other.
Firstly, as the Monster Country was a neutral zone, fighting each other would come at a terrible cost, especially since Rimuru's subordinates were all strong. Therefore, even though they were all "walking shards of the God Stone," they didn't harbor any ill intentions towards each other.
Secondly, as Jemmas said, they were all working on hidden quests for the Monster Country faction. The quests shouldn't conflict, so there was no reason to be antagonistic; instead, they should cooperate.
Therefore, no one suspected that Bai Ye was actually hiding information. They just lamented how much longer they would have to wait.
…