This was actually quite unexpected for Bai Ye.
A hidden quest!
A chain hidden quest!
And all you give is a green-quality item?
How could you possibly be proud of that!
Thinking this, Bai Ye thumped his chest and stamped his feet, because he had failed the third quest: to find and defeat the mastermind demon, KruMitt!
The rewards for hidden quests were always good, so if the rewards for the first two quests were lackluster, Bai Ye felt the main event would surely be the final hidden quest. But…
He failed!
"This is truly a sad story!"
Bai Ye wore a look of helplessness. Fortunately, his sadness only lasted for a moment. Failure was failure, and there was nothing he could do. Besides…
Looking at it from a positive angle, the Ruby Scepter was useless to Bai Ye. Although the multi-target buff effect was a bit niche, the magic gathering effect that increased spiritual power and mental resistance had high trading value. It would definitely fetch a premium price, and it would be no problem to exchange it for a blue-quality item. At least it was better than nothing.
As Bai Ye mused, he turned his head to look back, but Li Jia Yi was nowhere to be seen.
"That guy really did make a swift exit!"
Bai Ye wasn't particularly surprised by Li Jia Yi's departure.
That fellow was also an experienced and pragmatic individual. Since Demon KruMitt had left and the quest had failed, Li Jia Yi was sure to flee. A battle without any benefit was meaningless.
Why was Bai Ye so clear about Li Jia Yi's thoughts?
Because Bai Ye was also a pragmatist. Otherwise, he would have checked the information on the Ruby Scepter and the hidden quest, instead of immediately pursuing Li Jia Yi.
However…
Bai Ye was also unwilling to engage in battles without benefits.
Admittedly, defeating Li Jia Yi offered a chance to obtain a fragment of the God's Stone. But that guy was not easy to deal with, and the cost versus the reward was likely not proportional.
As Bai Ye pondered, he kicked Gavler, who was nearby, and said, "Lizardman chief?"
Gavler 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 scooped up Gavler and dragged him away.
Although one hidden quest had failed, Bai Ye felt there was still hope. The Orc Lord had not yet appeared, and the Orc Lord's invasion event in the Great Jura Forest was not over. This meant there should be more quests to come. Therefore, what needed to be done now was to first bring the lizardman back to the Monster Country.
However, Li Jia Yi had appeared…
Bai Ye felt a bit of a headache.
Just as Li Jia Yi was wary of Bai Ye, Bai Ye felt that guy was not easy to deal with. The fact that he had participated in the Twelve Great Battles indicated that Li Jia Yi's strength was definitely among the top tier in the current world battlefield. This time, he was not on the same side as Bai Ye, and who knew what tricks he might play later!
As Bai Ye thought, he met up with Shion, bringing Gavler along, and then retreated to the Monster Country.
This time, they encountered no trouble. The Orcs were still lingering in the swamp and had not advanced further into the Great Jura Forest, so Bai Ye and Shion successfully returned to the Monster Country.
Then…
With the addition of the lizardmen, Rimuru began to hold a war council. A battle between the Monster Country and the Orc Lord was inevitable, while Bai Ye…
Continued to be a drifter.
The development of the Monster Country was not something Bai Ye needed to worry about.
He had experience with this. The memories from his past life were not for nothing. Whether he participated in the so-called war council or mingled with Rimuru and the native residents would not affect the triggering of hidden quests, because Bai Ye had already met the conditions to trigger them.
Gaining Rimuru's recognition and becoming a temporary resident of the Monster Country was the condition for triggering the hidden quests. Therefore, there was no need to rack his brains doing meaningless things; he just needed to wait.
As for how long he would have to wait, Bai Ye had already made a deduction.
Because, recently, more and more Chosen Ones had appeared in the Monster Country!
Therefore, according to Bai Ye's estimation, this matter was most likely related to the number of Chosen Ones. The hidden quest concerning the Orc Lord army was not for a single Chosen One but required a certain number of Chosen Ones to trigger it.
As for the lizardman matter, Bai Ye understood it as him arriving early, thus being fortunate enough to have a taste of the appetizer. This also explained why the quest reward was only so-so, completely lacking the grandeur of a hidden quest.
Regarding the quest for Demon KruMitt, Bai Ye believed that the quest might have directly ended the Orc Lord's invasion event, or had a significant impact. It was even possible that there would be no subsequent hidden quests if Demon KruMitt was defeated.
Therefore, the difficulty of the quest was very high, but conversely, the rewards should have been very substantial.
But…
If it failed, it failed. Bai Ye didn't want to dwell on it.
People 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 balls. A burly man at the next table couldn't help but ask Bai Ye.
The burly man, named Gemmas Todd, was a Chosen One from a fantasy world, just like Bai Ye.
Holding a stack of mochi balls, Gemmas 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 does it mean to have status?
Status means being able to do what others cannot. That's status!
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. Other Chosen Ones were brought to the Monster Country by Rimuru's subordinates, and they couldn't enter Rimuru's mansion, nor could they even speak directly with Rimuru.
Although…
Bai Ye felt that this privilege was of no use, it was still status.
Bai Ye saw everyone around looking in his direction, so he shrugged and said, "If I had inside information, would I still be here eating mochi balls?"
Gemmas said, "Bai Ye, that's not right. Even if there are hidden quests, we are on the same side. We're all working for the Monster Country. There's no need for you to be so secretive."
Bai Ye said, "The problem is, I really don't have any inside information."
Gemmas sighed, and the others also showed disappointment.
The relationship among the Chosen Ones in the Monster Country was currently quite harmonious.
First, the Monster Country was a neutral territory, and fighting among themselves would come at a terrible cost, especially since Rimuru's subordinates were not weak. Therefore, even though they were all "walking fragments of the God's Stone," they harbored no ill intentions towards each other.
Second, as Gemmas had said, they were all on the Monster Country's side for hidden quests. The quests should not conflict, so there was no reason to be antagonistic; instead, they should cooperate.
Therefore, no one suspected that Bai Ye was truly hiding something, they just lamented how much longer they would have to wait.
...