Storyline Quest created: The Mystery of the Golden Scale: A Young Koi's Journey.

New Challenges Part 2

Peter's dear friend's wife has been bitten by a snake and is in need of urgent care. However, Peter lacks a vital component and is unable to treat her. With your help, he would be able to save her but time is running out.

Objective: Collect ten Mucuna Prurien tree leaves and bring them back to Peter.

Reward: 60 EXP & 60 Bronze Coins

Item: ??

*This quest is timed. You have two hours to complete it.

After reading the quest, Lixin was a bit perplexed; collecting ten leaves from a tree didn't sound like it would be too strenuous, so why did he require his specialized skills?

As if reading his mind, Peter went on to explain: "Surely, gathering leaves doesn't seem difficult, however, the Mucuna Prurien tree is under constant guard by the Mienless, the plant being their primary food source. Even though these creatures aren't physically strong, they often attack in large groups. So don't take them lightly."

Comprehension dawned on Lixin's face and he realized why the reward for the previous quest was potions. This is because this quest was likely to be his introduction to battle.

"Be cautious, my boy," Peter said when he noticed Lixin had taken in what he said.

"Don't worry, with the power I've gained from Herba I should be fine.”

Peter gave him a worried smile before nodding. "I know you will be. You will need to hurry, I can only keep Mrs. Earhart stabilized for two hours." 

Giving a glance at the timer that appeared in the corner of his vision, Lixin nodded before hastily exiting the secret chamber.

~

As soon as Lixin exited the building the first thing he did, after closing all of his notification windows was open his inventory. He could tell from his walk to the tea shop that the town was huge and he wasn't planning on getting lost. So he wanted to take out the map Peter gave him so he wouldn’t be wandering around directionless trying to find the town gate.

However, as he surveyed the slots his attention was captured by a distinct red gift box that was his Newbie Potion Pack. Since he was already here, he might as well open it, so he did exactly that, causing multiple notification screens to appear at once.

[Cora:] [You have gained 50 HP Potions!]

[Cora:] [You have gained 50 MP Potions!]

[Cora:] [You have gained 50 STA Potions!]

"Wow, I didn't think this many potions would come out of the Newbie Potion Pack," Lixin muttered as he closed the notifications.

Relieved he wouldn't have to worry about potions for a while, he grabbed the map Peter had given him out of his inventory. As he stared down at the rolled-up parchment in his palm, he wondered if his Persona understood how to read a map naturally, and if not, would it be a skill?

Realizing he wouldn't know until he opened it, Lixin carefully unrolled the map. The moment he did, the map started to shine in a bluish-gold color. It shone brightly for a couple of seconds before disintegrating in his hands, leaving them empty.

As soon as the map disappeared completely, Lixin heard a ding, followed by two notifications.

[Cora:] [Map Function has been activated! To use it, simply say open map!]

[Cora:] [Quest locator is now available!]

Lixin remembered reading about that on the forums when researching the game. A quest locator is exactly what its name says. It helps players find where they need to be to complete their tasks. However, it only works if the player has a map of the designated area where the quest is located. If a player doesn't have it, then they will be flying blind.

Wanting to check it out for himself he said, "Open Map!"

Suddenly a transparent map appeared in the air in front of him. It looked like the one pioneers used back in the 18th century. It wasn't as detailed as the maps he could find on his phone. Still, he liked the novelty of this more. It made him feel like an explorer. 

However, unlike those 18th-century maps, the transparent map in front of him had a slight upgrade via a toolbar. The toolbar was located just below the ancient map, and it contained the Quest locator, and three icons that were grayed out.

Clicking on the quest locator, Lixin saw two green circles appear on the map. One was located in town, while the other was situated outside of the town in a wooded area. The circles were large enough to tell Lixin that they didn't give a precise location of the quest, only a general area.

'I knew this game wouldn't throw in something easy,' Lixin thought with a smile.

~

Following the map, Lixin made his way to the town's gate. As he was walking a notification popped up.

[Cora:] Carefree Bee sent you a friend invite! Do you accept? Yes or No?]

'It seems that Zeyu must have finished his starter quest as well,' Lixin thought as he clicked Yes. He couldn't wait to find out what storyline his cousin got. He had a feeling that it probably had something to do with finding lost love.

A couple of moments after accepting his cousin's Friend Request, another notification screen appeared.

[Cora:] [Carefree Bee is video calling you! Do you accept? Yes or No?]

As soon as he pressed Yes, he was taken aback when the screen changed to show a muscular man with long blond hair. He had a charming smile and his blue eyes sparkled. The person in the video looked nothing like his cousin. It was like looking at a Nordic warrior.

“Fishy is that you?" The blonde-haired man asked hesitantly. Even though they told each other their game names, there was a chance they wouldn't be able to get them. So as a precaution, they came up with a phrase to say to recognize each other.

“Yeah, Ze it's me." 

"Whew!" Zeyu sighed in relief. "I'm so glad it's you. If this was a stranger, I wouldn't know what to do."

"Well, I hope you delete the person off your friend list," Lixin said, side-eyeing him. "With the way I look and the way you look, you might be labeled a pedophile."

Rolling his eyes at his cousin's words, Zeyu said, "Did you forget that no one younger than 16 can play?"

"As a 16-year-old I have to tell you that's still young."

"So I completed my introductory storyline already and am heading to the woods to level up by killing monsters. Can you come? " Zeyu asked, ignoring his previous statement.

Lixin laughed softly before answering, "Already? I'm still doing mine. I have a timed quest to battle some monsters. Maybe you can help."

"Sure! Where are you? I can’t wait to talk about our storylines." Zeyu asked excitedly.

"Me too. I really want to know why you became a Viking," Lixin replied, looking around to find a landmark. " Come meet me. I'm near the town gate. By the purple building that says general store?"

"Fishy, I'm right next to the town gate and there are no purple shops."

Furrowing his brows, Lixin glanced at the building and then back at the screen. "Yes, there is. I'm looking right at it."

"But Ayla Cove only has brick buildings."

Lixin froze for a moment after hearing the name. Did he really screw up and pick the wrong town?

Seeing his cousin's expression, Zeyu knew something was wrong. "Don't tell me..."

"I'm so sorry. I made a mistake and picked Azalea Cove instead of Ayla."

"I literally told you 10 times," Zeyu sighed, placing his hand across his face in exasperation.

Feeling guilty, he apologized again. "It's all my fault. I know how much you want us to explore the world together."

"It’s fine. Shit happens," Zeyu said casually, but Lixin could see that he was feeling down. "We can meet up once we leave the beginner town. Then I’m not letting you out of my sight."

"I won't even complain."

"You better not," Zeyu laughed.

~

Author Says:

MomoCatt: Tsk. This is why you need to eat more fish. Your memory is the worst.

Lixin: I know. But I will make it up to Zeyu.

MomoCatt: You better, the poor thing looked so sad.

Lixin: I will make him a meal as an apology. Maybe a Flavorful Fish Stew.

MomoCatt: Sounds good. You both will benefit from it.

 

[I would like to thank my favorite villain (Patreon) Shadow Master for coming up with the monster and creating Zeyu’s game name =^-^=]