In the dark of the night, two men were having a meeting in a well-lit room. An incredibly relaxed young man was facing the boss of the Farming & Fishing Association (FF).
Jack found himself at ease as the place gave a very peaceful aura. It was filled with fishing trophies, plants, and various ancient-looking books.
To complete the picture, he was calmly drinking the tea the man had offered him, not intimidated one bit by his interlocutor's status. So what if he controlled the Farming and Fishing in Sprigfield?
Jack had made an ally (kinda) of the legendary elemental guarding the lake! Plus, he had to show dignity as the leader of D.L.!
Typically the Farmers would have never involved themselves with Brave matters. After all, their slogan was literally: as vibrant as a sprout and as calm as still water.
But, he had managed to pique the man's interest enough to warrant this meeting:
"Are you sure you can really procure it? No one has ever come back from that place!" The man somberly declared.
"No one has ever come back because I wasn't the one that went. No need to worry. I'll keep up my end of the bargain as long as you do the same." Jack gave a confident smile.
One stark difference between an NPC and a Brave was that the latter was more apt at clearing a Dungeon. Being immortal + Knowledge of how games worked helped a lot!
This time he had proposed to clear the Fairy Garden for them in exchange for protection. That place was right in the forest and contained a powerful Life Magic treasure that could benefit farmers.
"Alright, but I won't be able to allocate that many people to watch over your Pumpkin Patch. After all, it's unrelated to fishing and—"
"Ever heard of a crazy elemental that throws people in the lake upon meeting them?"
"Who do you think you're talking to?! Of course, I know all about him and—"
"I'll trade immunity to his attacks for more resources. Think the fishermen will be interested?" Jack gave a teasing smile.
"WHAT?! Are you serious?!" He bellowed in surprise.
"Always."
"Yes, of course, they'll be! H-how did you?!" The man's eyes were bulging as he had lost all composure. Right now, Jack looked like the experienced CEO while he was a naive youngster.
His shock was understandable. The NPCs and players in his association had probably complained nonstop about the elemental problem.
After all, fishing right now was highly troublesome:
1. Bypass the monsters and reach the lake.
2. Pick the right bait knowing the lake is diverse.
3. Wait for a fish to bite and hope it's not too strong.
4. Abandon everything upon seeing the elemental's shadow
How sad must it be to lose a catch thanks to a mad wandering NPC? Hella! Now Jack casually offered a solution to an incredibly annoying issue.
"We have a deal then. How can they avoid it? Is there a secret fishing spot? Maybe a charm one has to equip? Is it a spell?"
"Oh, just tell him you know Jack from D.L., and he won't mess with you." He shrugged.
"…..T-that's it?!" O_O
¯_(ツ)_/¯
For a moment, the man seemed to be considering if it was a prank or not, but then he suddenly chose to believe.
This much was expected from a man that could cause so much chaos in so little time! It was silly of him to expect any common sense…
"When will you depart for the Forest Garden? If possible, it would be better to go before the end of the month and—"
"Now."
"W-what?! What about all the preparation?! You'll at least need a cook, an interpreter, and—"
"Interpreter? What for? Fairies are shy anyway and mostly use the runic language to communicate. That's all one needs to know." Jack explained.
"You're saying that as if you knew— wait, you can read runes?!" He almost choked upon realizing his meaning.
"Alright, how about we go for a night stroll? The weather sure is nice today." Jack gently offered, right during their meeting.
"A-alright…" The man felt like he was in a dream.
This young man had come out of nowhere, asked to cooperate, and suddenly solved two of his biggest problems. Did the Heavens send him to reward his hard work or something?!
This young man was so damn impressive! Heck, even he didn't know the runic language after studying it for years and years! He even wondered if he had wasted his life.
As for Jack's meaning with the stroll: it was simple. He was happily showing off his new NPC! They had just met and weren't that close, but all that mattered were appearances.
He quickly guided the man toward the Pumpkin Farm. On the way there, they met many members of the factions coalition that were still hunting for him.
He didn't hide: he simply smiled and waved! Oh, and he made sure that the NPC was always perfectly visible. He'd gently light their way, emphasizing the man's face and robe.
Even those who didn't know him realized that he was one of the bigshots of the town and didn't dare to attack. Well, Jack's confident attitude did help a lot.
Every time they saw him enthusiastically greet them, they'd doubt their eyes, then be suspicious, then notice the wonderful big boss at his side and finally gawk like dead fishes!
As they reached the farm, the Scammer was still arguing with the enemy on how to handle war reparations. After all, Jack's side had suffered a lot:
– Trampled soil
– Noise pollution
– High emotional trauma
– High mana loss to create vines
"Hello, all! It's a nice night for a walk, isn't it?" He happily greeted them all.
A few laps with the NPC in tow later, they were finally convinced that hunting him was perhaps a bit too dangerous. Many were grinding their teeth in extreme annoyance.
That's how Jack managed to simply waltz back in. He didn't mind the audience, shared a very warm goodbye with his lover, and left with the NPC and Moon Moon in tow.
"Woo!" (Celebrating!)
The little wolf was already rejoicing. They had survived the bad guys! For a little while, it had been worried. How silly, of course, its master would take care of everything!
Still, it burned the scene of the axes bad men advancing without it being able to stop them. In its shiny eyes, there was the resolve to become stronger and the will to protect!
Jack brought them to the edge of the Greenwood forest, ready to head toward the new dungeon.
"On that note, we will take our leave. Take care!" Jack waved goodbye, with Moon Moon doing the same with its little paw.
"Alright, you better not disappoint me, or else I'll get mad that you paraded me like some kind of trophy!" The man had obviously realized Jack's intent.
"Hehe, you say that, but before long you'll be the one begging to be seen with me." Jack confidently winked as he disappeared into the forest.
Was this a wish or a prophecy? The stunned leader of FF was left behind deep in thoughts…..
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[A/N] Hype! Feb Mass Release Time! 🔥
It's important to walk your NPC daily! (I think)