HC: Pacifist | Ch. 168 - BridgeFinder3 (Patreon)

With H’s help, Roth finished creating a message to send to the guilds. Hopefully, they would bite the bait. They would have to wait and run one final experiment before he could send the message, but they had done all they could for now. SergeantSarg was already waiting for Roth in Hilsford so that they could experiment with his new [Flagbearer] upgrade.

After running for a few hours, Roth returned to where it had all begun.

You have left Verdant Forest. You’ve entered the Green Woods.

As he crossed the fields, he found ragged newbies hunting their first mice. As he passed them, he got a few adoring looks. Unlike the first time that Roth started playing the game, he resisted the urge to break up the fights. Right now, he was more worried about survival. Maybe H was right. Maybe he was growing. Not going on a rampage after seeing a mouse getting hurt was a big step for him.

Roth finally arrived at the village of Berrywood. He couldn't see much difference from other beginning villages where he'd been other than a few blackberry and raspberry bushes at the village entrance. He ran straight to the teleport pad, and a floating window appeared.

Before he paid the 5000 gold to go back to Hilsford, he removed his mask and put it back on again so he could assume a new persona. As the mask activated, his facial features were slightly distorted. A new tag appeared over his avatar. This time, the system had called him Bridgefinder3. He was unsure if that was supposed to sound cool. What was so cool about finding a bridge? He guessed that, in a way, he was a builder of bridges between races.

As he stretched his hand toward the window, he looked at the silver ring with a blue gem he was wearing. He hoped the effect of the items he had looted from the blue caterpillar would be powerful enough to fool any pursuers. The boost it gave to camouflage, at least, was incredible. If it also boosted his [Witness Protection Mask] like that, he could rest assured.

He hesitated. His hand hovered over the teleportation controls, trembling. Drake assured him that there were hardly any Pegasus players left in Hilsford. They had moved to nearby cities to aid the alien side in converting as many NPCs as possible.

Hilsford had become the stronghold of the human alliance. The alliance comprised the Krakens, the Ogres, the Basilisks, and the Gorgons. They all had made a pact to fight for the human side and to hunt down the Hive King that had set Green Country and Rock Canyon ablaze. With so many of the top 10 stationed at Hilsford, Roth should be OK. “You’ll be OK, Roth. You’ll be OK,” he mumbled.

Roth confirmed his destination, and in the blink of an eye, he was in Hilsford. All around Roth, people were disappearing and appearing as they used the massive teleport pad. He found his bearings and, locating the auction house, ran at full speed toward it.

After he had climbed the steps of the auction house and ran past the guards that stood at the doors, he sighed in relief. No one would dare start trouble there. Thankfully, nothing bad had happened. Feeling safer, he looked back at the city.

Met with the sight of the citadel and the busy cobblestone streets, Roth felt a slight sense of nostalgia. It was strange since he hadn’t left a week ago. It was a good feeling. It felt like he had come back home. At the same time, Roth reminded himself that he was still in a capsule designed to entrap him. He walked into the auction house, looking for Sarg.

The auction house was full today. Roth noticed how many players were clad in cool, intricate armor. Some of it was duller and more basic, but there were plenty of silvery sets that all matched perfectly. These had to be the Human Defender sets. Things were busier in the city than ever. The influx of higher-level players had made business in Hilsford thrive.

Roth turned left and went to a less occupied part of the auction house. He finally found a familiar face. The man stood straight as a tree, still as a statue. When he saw his friend, Roth felt even safer.

“Sarg!”

Sarg turned around, surprised, and once he realized it was Roth, he gave him a hug. Roth felt a few ribs crack. “Roth. It’s good to see you, boy. Look at you! You keep changing faces!”

“Good to see you too, Sarg. So, what’s the plan?”

“Everything is ready. All that’s left is to test your skill.”

“Very well.”

Sarg pulled out a scroll from his inventory. “Here. This is a general agreement. If it works with this, very well. If not, we have an alternative we can try.”

“I haven’t seen these before,” said Roth.

“This is to mediate agreements between players,” Sarg explained.

No wonder Roth hadn’t seen these before. He mostly interacted with NPCs. “What kind of agreement?”

“For example, if a noob wants to hire a high-level player to carry him, they often sign one of these. Or if players form a party to hunt a wild boss, they can sign a contract about how they will share the loot, and the system will impose a penalty if anyone tries to go back on their word. It can be a gold or, in extreme scenarios, account suspension or deletion. H and Drake already drafted the gist of the agreement. Take a look.”

Roth took the scroll. It was surprisingly heavy. It was made from a parchment that looked old but was resistant and durable at the same time. He unrolled the scroll and read it.

Union Collective Agreement

This General Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into on this day [Insert Date] by and between the following parties:

1st Party:

Pax, SeargentSarg, H, ArmlessShark, 14thPete, Emily, Margaret14, HandsomeBenny, DocCharlie, BessieMamma, and others collectively referred to as "Union Management."

2nd Party:

Signatories, from now on referred to as "Unionized Craftsmen."

WHEREAS, the Union Syndicate proposes the establishment of an alliance between all Unionized Craftsmen and the Union Collective and

WHEREAS, players may gain the status of Unionized Workers in exchange for providing a unique insight into their respective professions, including but not limited to unique techniques, insider information on quests, recipes, and knowledge about races and professions. Entrance to the Union Collective is only granted to players who can contribute information not already present in the Union's database and

WHEREAS, the Union Collective commits to granting full access to whatever information concerns the member’s professions in the Union Library to all Unionized Craftsmen and

WHEREAS, players who join the Union Collective commit not to divulge the aforementioned Union Library risking to incur heavy penalties and

WHEREAS, the Union Collective undertakes to maintain complete neutrality in guild affairs and will not come under the influence of any guild. However, players associated with guilds are welcome to join, provided they refrain from promoting their guild's agenda. The Union Collective retains the right to refuse entry to guilds, organizations, or players and

WHEREAS, any orders submitted to the Union Collective shall be subject to approval by senior members of the Union Collective before implementation. Such orders must be compensated with crafting materials, equally distributed among the participants involved in the quests.

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Alliance Formation

The Union Collective, being represented by the Union Management and the Unionized Craftsmen, hereby form an alliance under the terms and conditions stipulated in this Agreement.

2. Unionized Worker Status

Unionized Craftsmen shall gain the status of Unionized Workers by providing unique insights into their respective professions as described herein.

3. Access to Union Library

The Union Collective shall ensure that all Unionized Craftsmen enjoy unrestricted access to the information regarding their professions in the extensive Union Library. Members who join the Union promise not to divulge information to other parties.

4. Neutrality

The Union Collective shall remain impartial in all guild matters and shall not be influenced by any guild. Players with guild affiliations shall adhere to the rules of this Agreement.

5. Guild Membership

Players who are already in the guild can become unionized. The Union Collective retains the right to deny entry to guilds, organizations, or players.

6. Union Collective Dummy Guild

While the Union Collective is not a guild, the bonuses granted by a guild’s museum are a valuable asset to craftsmen. Therefore, whoever wants to join the Union Collective Dummy Guild, created for the sole purpose of providing stats and bonuses, can do so. Players joining from other guilds are not required to join this dummy guild, neither are the guildless players who seek only to become unionized.

7. Order Approval and Compensation

Orders submitted to the Union Collective shall be subject to approval by senior members. Compensation for orders shall be in the form of crafting materials to be equally distributed among the participating parties.

8. Consequences for Violations

Unionized Craftsmen hereby acknowledge that the Union Collective takes the privacy and integrity of the organization seriously. Any player found to be in violation of this agreement by leaking information, acting in a manner detrimental to the Union Collective, or attempting to sabotage the organization will be subject to the following consequences:

a. Monetary Penalties: The violator shall be required to pay a fine, not less than 10,000 gold, as compensation for the damage caused to the Union Collective and its members.

b. Account Suspension: Depending on the severity of the violation, the Union Collective reserves the right to recommend the suspension of the violator's account for a specified period to prevent further harm.

c. Account Deletion: In the most severe cases where the violation poses a significant threat to the Union Collective's operations or its members, the Union Collective may choose to recommend the deletion of the violator's account.

d. Guild Banishment: In the event that information that should only be available in the Union Library is stolen by other organizations, they and all their members will be forever banned from joining the Union Collective. Moreover, in the event that a guild tries to steal information from the Union, they will be blacklisted and prevented from placing any orders with the Union Collective.

Determining the consequences for a violation shall be at the sole discretion of the Union Collective. Unionized Craftsmen agree to abide by these consequences as a condition of their membership.

Roth had to give it to the guys; they had drafted an awesome agreement. Asking for a previously unknown piece of information related to crafting in exchange for entering the union guaranteed that the more numerous the organization grew, the more extensive the library would become.

Additionally, taking orders from players or guilds to craft items and being paid in precious crafting materials would ensure that, even if players focused on crafting and didn’t go out to hunt, they could still get their hands on precious loot and drops they could use in crafting.

However, the most attractive thing about this type of organization was that it could foster a spirit of cooperation and interchange between all the craftsmen who made it into them—many players who focused on crafting loved learning new recipes and new techniques. Having a hub where they could share information freely and advance in their professions was something that would convince many to have the desire to join.

“What do you think, Roth?”

“It looks good. I didn’t know we were creating a guild.”

“We are only going to create it because of the museum section. The extra bonuses are too precious to pass on. But no one is forced to join it. It’s just a benefit the union offers.”

“I like it. Good idea. I can get at least two items that can go into the museum. There’s [Badger’s Great Claw] and [Boar’s Great Tusk].”

“Hmmm. Forget the [Badger’s Great Claw]. We only want items that grant stats or help with crafting.”

“OK. I’ll get a Tusk for you as soon as possible.”

“Now, let’s test that new skill of yours,” said Sarg.

Roth nodded. Although the rules of the organization seemed fine and dandy, there was only one vital piece missing. A hook. Something that would make players want to flock toward this organization. They had to be able to provide something that players couldn’t find anywhere else.

Information was valuable, but even if the system put an agreement into place, players could easily circumvent it by going offline and making a phone call. Receiving resources was enticing, but guilds invested huge amounts of resources into leveling players up. It had to be something unique, something only they could provide.

Thankfully, Roth had just gotten his hands on something precisely like that. Roth opened the details of the upgrade he had just gotten to his [Flagbearer] skill.

Ch. 167 - Refugee Column

INDEX

Ch. 169 - Galatheel’s Frustration