Cathulhu Online, MUNYA!

Chapter 293 – Cat Dad's Grandfather Army Doing Dubious Thing

It was the third day of the expedition. Players still gathered in the Seaside Town and Gnoll Island.

Changes occurred today. Something strange among the players caught the attention of the participating raiders – More than half of the respawned players looked like they had experienced hell. As for the other half, they quietly left their guilds and moved away from the expedition forces without telling anybody.

The sane ones regrouped with their friends and retold their stories in the dungeon. They convinced the others not to enter the dungeon at the moment since it was impossible for them to defeat the level 4000 boss.

As for the other group who abandoned their guilds, they recreated a new guild. Strangely, all players who departed from the raid gathered in this organization – the Pandemonium Guild.

The guild leader was not even a player but a visitor from far away.

.

.

= Siren City =

Liu Bei and his Shu Han Guild had left the northern islands and arrived in this city.

Jiang Wei, Wei Yan, NPCs, and players of Shu Han Guild never questioned their leader's decisions as they understood who the mastermind was.

When the gang got close to Siren City, they found a huge demon, standing tall in the middle of the ruin. It gazed at the destroyed city and the survivors of the Yuan Empire without harming them.

The muscular demon was 10 meters tall, and his pale white skin stood out from his subordinates. His clothes consisted of only a plate that covered his left chest and fur loincloths.

Bathin, 72th Legion Commander, Level (????)

Liu Bei remembered that guy. He was the demon he met at school. Because of him, he was forced to come here along with the ghost players, whose identities and souls had been stolen.

Bathin glanced at Liu Bei's group and grinned. He continued waiting for all the ghosts to bring their game characters here.

Hours later, the city was packed. Even Liu Bei and his subordinates barely had a place to stand. Jiang Wei, Wei Yan, and the other level-900 NPCs couldn't stand being in the crowd and hovered in the sky instead.

Jiang Wei looked around. Upon discovering the sheer number of people here, he dropped his jaws. After a rough estimation, at least 300,000 players were gathering here.

Bathin stopped waiting. He opened his arms and began his announcement.

"Welcome, brothers and sisters, to the new territory of the Netherworld Realm!"

The ghost players looked up in unison, but they didn't show any emotion. On the other hand, real players, who got dragged into this mess, were agape in confusion and astonishment.

"Another event?"

"New quests?!"

Bathin continued, "As Lord Solomon has ordered, we have assembled our troops and arrived here. The journey was difficult and dangerous, but you all made it!"

Again, the crowd was as quiet as a log.

"I want to address our guests here. I know that you're confused about what we're doing here. You can listen to the end, and I shall give you lots of rewards and quests, okay?"

"Quests?!"

The "real" players got excited. They smiled and waited for the giant demon to finish speaking.

"So, here's the deal. Lord Solomon has given us three orders. First, we can take half of the world, according to the Pangu-Solomon Treaty. As long as we don't overstep our boundaries, Pangu's men won't bother us. Secondly, we must enter the game and assist the Pangu Church if necessary. And lastly, we have to secure the mythical artifact of Mao Miaomiao, which is the reason why we're here."

Bathin pointed at the ruin of Pangu Monastery. Floating over the ruin was the Pylon Tower that Mao Miaomiao had left behind for Xiaomao.

"That is the thing we need. But there's a problem, you see," Bathin deeply sighed. "We cannot move it or bring it to the Netherworld Realm. It's stuck here because of Mao Miaomiao's karma. As long as he's alive, we cannot claim this thing."

The players' expressions turned complicated. Some of them had been watching the news and the videos from the other game worlds, and they knew the movements of the second server, aka World Two.

In that world, Mao Miaomiao is the main character. He singlehandedly repelled a large invasion from Lord Hongjun, the right-hand man of Lord Pangu. He was also famous among players as he offered unique quests to lucky people.

There was an individual whom Mao Miaomiao personally nurtured, namely Chase Sheffield. Although his disciple encountered difficulties, his level was much higher than average players over there. Unfortunately, the disciple could not be considered a "Player" anymore due to the complications in the aftermath of the Pangu-Mao Clan War. There was even a rumor that many players in server two got "stuck" in the game, and their bodies in the real world vanished!

However, the rumor was quickly suppressed by Pangu Universe Incorporate and Solomon. Not many players remembered the incident anymore as the progress of game worlds and the revelation of superpowers overshadowed the news.

As Mao Miaomiao's name was so famous, hardcore players researched his background and discovered an ancient mural in Server One, which recorded a fracture of Mao Miaomiao's legends. It turned out that Mao Miaomiao NPC in the second world was the reincarnation of the Chaos Seraphim Mao Miaomiao, who played a key role during the Pre-Great Reset Era.

In short, to players, Mao Miaomiao was a story-driven main character NPC that everybody had to pay attention to. Thus, when they heard that Bathin wanted Mao Miaomiao dead, they realized that the quest might involve both game worlds!

Cross Server Event? That was their question.

Bathin paused and looked at the players' reaction. He was satisfied with their excited look.

"Because of such complications, we have to postpone the artifact-claiming task to a later date. For now, I want us to establish a guild… no, a COUNTRY! A country that rivals the Netherworld Realm itself! I want this city rebuilt and restored! We will use Siren City as our foothold to expand our territory to the north, northeast, and east! Our next goal is to occupy the northeast peninsula, the central plain, and the rich Yeet Province!"

Liu Bei squinted his brows. He secretly pulled out a scroll from his inventory and opened it.

It was the Aves Continent Map.

Siren City was located on the west coast. A hundred kilometers to the south was the Beast Forest, and further south was Mount Tian Yuan.

As for the east, it was the Yuan Empire's agriculture central, aka the central plain. This area consisted of farmlands and small villages, but the main road connected to the major towns and bigger cities. However, this territory belonged to the Pangu Church as the Holy City of Pangu was located there.

The northeast of Siren City and the north of the Holy City were where Yeet City was. It was the second capital city of the Yuan Empire due to its massive size. The province-level city was so big and wealthy that all types of guilds, organizations, and traders used it as their headquarters. Unfortunately, without Yuan Shaoqing's presence, the Pangu Church invaded it and claimed it as their new territory.

And lastly, the north. Siren City's border was connected to a small town, called Xuan Town. North of Xuan City was a secret hideout of Bit Tupeer.

Looking at the geography and the cities, Liu Bei furrowed his brows. Something didn't make sense here.

At a glance, Bathin and the Pangu Church should be allies. However, Bathin declared that they would claim the territory of the Pangu Church, aka the central plain, which contradicted their relationship.

'Aren't they friends? So, are they trying to backstab each other or what?'

Liu Bei looked up, staring at Jiang Wei. The latter also looked at his lord and saw through his thoughts.

Jiang Wei closed his eyes and sent transmitted his voice directly to Liu Bei's mind.

'We've hit the jackpot, master. It seems that Solomon and the Pangu Church is not on the friendly term. They might start fighting each other any time soon. I'm sure that they will immediately strike after Odin and Pangu's troops conquer the Slave Dungeon.'

'Jackpot? So, we're riding Solomon's coattail now? Aren't we supposed to serve Pangu?'

'We serve both of them.'

'Really?'

'Yes, master. We associate with Pangu to gain power, but we can also work for Solomon to gain some rewards and blessings. In short, we work for the best benefits of our guild.'

'Hohoh? Then, what should we do?'

'Let's slowly contribute and climb up our nobility ranks. We need to secure land for our guild's base. We can use this opportunity to build our forces with both Solomon and Pangu's help.'

Liu Bei nodded and turned his attention to Bathin.

Meanwhile, the demon finally handed over a quest.

"Let's start with the restoration of Siren City! We shall distribute our work now!"

DING

Liu Bei and the people of Shu Han Guild received a series of new quests according to their classes and specialties. Crafters got lifeskill quests while fighters received material-gathering quests.

As for Liu Bei, he received a different order.

.

Restoration of Siren City

Defending a city requires soldiers. However, a strong military isn't enough as foreign countries can still sabotage our growth and development with their underhanded tricks.

To prevent such scenarios, we need an expert who excels in negotiation and foreign affairs. Coincidentally, you fit the criteria!

You, who works for the Pangu Church and Solomon, can be our representative and our spokesman. Visit the nearest Pangu Church and report that Solomon's forces are mobilizing an army to attack the Beast Forest. Don't question the authenticity of the info.

Quest Objective: Convince the nearest Pangu Church's administrator that Solomon Army in Siren City is their friend.

Rewards: Contribution EXP, a noble rank

.

Liu Bei scoffed. Even a fourth-grade schooler could tell what Bathin had planned.

'Want to use me as a double agent? Fine. I'll play along.'

Liu Bei left the crowd and assembled his men. They exchanged information about their quests and planned their next steps.

Unfortunately, only 30 men followed Liu Bei as most of them had turned into ghost players.

Liu Bei sighed and looked at the remaining crowd. Aside from Wei Yan, Jiang Wei, and the NPCs, no strong guys and his friends in real life remained, except one.

The newest member of the guild was once a member of the Claymore Guild. He looked like a weak adventurer or a survivalist at a glance. However, his avatar glittered, and his gold name was noticeable.

Explorer, the Heaven's Chosen, Level 320

Liu Bei looked at the new guy. He greeted him.

"Why did Butter Tank kick someone as strong as you out of the guild? Is he blind?"

Explorer dryly laughed, "I left the guild on my own."

"Oh, I see. Then, do you know a hidden grinding spot? How come your level is so high?"

"I know a cultivation method."

Explorer widely grinned and clenched his fist. Blue flame suddenly enveloped him for a moment before it turned into a blue aura.

DING

Explorer's level suddenly increased to 321

The crowd looked at Explorer in astonishment while Jiang Wei nodded in acknowledgment, "A good seed. Master, he's a talented one."

Liu Bei smirked, "I know."

Explorer extended his hand, "Let's work together. I'll do my best in your guild."

"It's my pleasure to have you here!"

The two men shook hands.