Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 781 - 722: Unusual Movements
Having passed through the portal and stepped onto the lakeside grass, the Blue Dragon Kristo looked around, the familiar scenery awakening his senses, as he walked towards the figure sitting by the lake.
The other party was dressed in a form-fitting gown, like a doll swaddled in cloth strips, squatting beside the lake and snatching shiny pebbles out of a black lump to toss into the water.
"You knew I’d come looking for you..."
The humanoid Blue Dragon displayed slight displeasure, still remembering how he had left with a flourish, telling the Dream Game Administrators to contact him in case of trouble. As one of the server’s main designers, his proud self had declared he would never make a mistake and had brusquely dismissed them.
Lyle smacked his lips as he watched the metallic shards sink beneath the water and then float up, supported by the Naslan family’s alchemical creation, the Mercury Snake, which dissolved the shards on its surface.
"You truly are one of the best programmers I’ve ever seen, uh, and not just because you’re the only one I’ve seen. Your magic programming is really strong... But there’s no perfect dragon, and even the best programs can err, and players have many more opportunities to discover bugs than you do on your own," said Kristo.
Feeling like he’d get scorched by dragon’s breath if he continued to play the role of a life coach, Lyle turned back to his pastime of feeding the snake, and casually asked in return,
"So, which part is the problem?"
"Your design of the fantasy profession, to be more specific, the Magic Swordsman’s Wind Swordsman branch."
Lyle nodded, "So they’ve discovered the joy of flying swords, huh? Unconventional ways of entertainment are indeed bound to cause dissatisfaction among other players..."
Kristo didn’t continue along Lyle’s line of conversation and began his report.
"Due to the conflict between the Elders’ Council and the Queen Faction, the Magic Swordsman class has drawn widespread attention, and many players waiting on the sidelines started to switch to Magic Swordsman, thus beginning their wicked lives."
"I was designing a new map at the time and I had delegated the oversight of the dreamworld to two Druids..."
Lyle understood what he meant and continued, "Irason is accustomed to slacking off, and Susanna wouldn’t make a move over something so trivial; I’ve always suspected she’s a hidden fun-seeker as well."
Kristo sighed, "The Druids’ disregard allowed the Wind Swordsmen to act with impunity. Disgusted players’ complaints surged, leading to such an overwhelming number of unread messages that the server crashed."
"In an instant, the impact of that revelation almost made me faint."
Puff, puff.
Lyle covered Nia’s mouth and tucked her away into the shadows.
"You have my deepest sympathy."
Kristo’s gaze softened a bit.
"On the first day, the Wind Swordsmen used their extraordinary speed to lure monsters and pin the blame on other players, making those players unknowingly work for them or die explosively."
Lyle acknowledged this with a hum. Assessment: Typical player behavior.
"On the second day, the Wind Swordsmen herded monsters to form packs and stormed the Starting City, triggering a siege. This turned city guards and newbie players into their unwitting labor force."
Lyle hummed with slight annoyance. Players exploiting AI, standard practice.
"On the third day, the Wind Swordsmen led the mob of wild beasts to charge at that one standing at the entrance to the dungeon..."
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
Lyle’s hand trembled, and metal fragments scattered into the lake like raindrops, reminding him of the result of overfeeding that the Specter Maid Mona had emphasized. Varim would expel excess metal components to achieve a balance in its body structure, which meant that, in a short time, Naslan’s lakes would face heavy metal pollution, becoming a desolate wasteland devoid of life. To make matters worse, Alianna had curiously released a batch of coral fish fry into the lake just a few days ago.
Lyle couldn’t tell which would be more miserable, the group of players who charged at Mr. Raymond’s dream replicas or himself.
"And then?"
"That person chopped down all the players in the area to the initial Level 1."
Lyle breathed a sigh of relief, which was much better than dying in a dream.
"So where did the complaints come from? Shouldn’t the other players be happy about the fate of the Wind Swordsman?"
Kristo spit out a loogie, showing a look of disdain, "The ones who complained the most were that group of Wind Swordsmen, complaining that the combat power bug unfairly took away what they had earned normally in the game. They demanded that we restore their levels."
Lyle snorted coldly as well, "Dream on, exploiting bugs for gaming is the player’s right, but punishing those who maliciously exploit loopholes is the administrator’s right."
Kristo nodded, "I’ve added to the monster aggro mechanism. If they go beyond the activity range for more than 5 seconds, their aggro will reset, and excessive output will shift aggro. This way it’s fairer for the other players."
Lyle stood up, slapped his somewhat sore legs, and avoided looking at the bubbling lake surface, gazing into the distance.
"I understand, but I will retain the characteristics of the Magic Swordsman. I won’t weaken them... at most, in the class-change gift, I will make the Magic Sword a choice. Magic Swordsmen will be able to choose other attributes of Magic Swords to start their career."
The Blue Dragon Kristo narrowed his eyes, and the tips of his eyelashes shone like they were touched with crystalline dust, making one instinctively avoid his gaze when he squinted. He was very dissatisfied with Lyle’s behavior, whether it was before or now. As an executor of the program, Kristo had seen the specific data for Magic Swordsmen. The resurrection of the Magic Swords: a total of four types—Straight Sword, Wind; Rapier, Light; Scimitar, Ice; and Greatsword, Flame. The type of Magic Sword determined the combat style of the four types of Magic Swordsmen. Compared to the exaggerated panel data of other attributes, the Wind Swordsman was pitifully weaker. He had originally thought that Wind Swordsmen were merely a transitional phase for the other branches, but now he realized that the bastard before him had long harbored sinister intentions. That’s right, the harbinger of bad omens, Lyle Butler, had designed the initial weapon of the Magic Swordsmen to be a Wind Series Flying Sword, all to achieve the current outcome. He wanted to stir the chaotic hearts of the players, causing trouble, and make the dream realm he managed even more chaotic.
Damn mischief-maker.
With different positions and different personalities, Kristo, the crystal Blue Dragon aiming to become the next embodiment of the magic network, was undoubtedly a staunch supporter of order, hating disorder and unpredictability... Kristo sighed, and the crystalline dust dispersed into a fog in the air.
"If there is a next time, I’ll really hit you, Lyle." As a maintainer of order, Kristo needed to follow the rules he set, including that Dream Game Administrators had the right to manage the content of their games autonomously. He had no right to demand that Lyle delete or alter his designs. It was Kristo who had agreed to implement it, it was his own negligence that he had not seen through Lyle’s little tricks.
Lyle was very aware of the Blue Dragon’s thoughts; after all, he was the caretaker of the five dragons and had a very accurate grasp of each one’s character. He patted Kristo on the shoulder with a smile, thinking that he should find an excuse to leave the Naslan Secret Realm quickly, heaven knows when the water pollution issue would come to light.
"Then we should hurry and set off. You open a teleportation gate, Mr. Almighty Blue Dragon. But you know, Kristo, I really understand your professional heart, Next time, don’t bother me with such trifles," Lyle said.
Had Kristo not reported it, he himself wouldn’t have been startled by the players’ audacity, wouldn’t have overfed the snake, and wouldn’t have needed to flee. So, it was all the Blue Dragon’s fault, Lyle thought to himself.
"I indeed shouldn’t have bothered you with such a trifling matter, I understand your disposition." Kristo’s hand rose and sliced down sharply, and a rift in space opened at his fingertips.
"It wasn’t me who wanted you to go back, I’m just the messenger."
The Blue Dragon disappeared into the teleportation gate, sinking into the water like a delicate sculpture.
"Susanna sent a message for me to bring to you, there’s been a change in the subconscious ocean of the Sleeper."
"The remnants of the God of Slumber, the enemy of all living beings, have shown a new sign of activity."
