Inside the grand, white throne room, an elderly king sat on a white throne adorned with pearls. Despite his somber expression, he remained regal. The king glanced at the group brought before him by the soldiers, his eyes reflecting no confidence that these people could bring back Princess Rhea, his only daughter.

"Your Majesty, I have brought the group wishing to undertake the quest to find Princess Rhea!"

The soldier bowed and reported.

"Oh… Thank you,"

the king replied, waving the soldier away, leaving only the king and Chang Long's group.

"No one has ever succeeded in this quest,"

was the first words the king said to Chang Long's group.

"Not even the best warriors, Your Majesty?"

Lidded Wet Trash Can asked.

"Yes, not even the best warriors... because this quest requires more than just skill,"

the king responded.

"May we know the details of the quest, Your Majesty?"

Draco inquired.

"You must accept the quest first, only then can I disclose its details,"

the king answered firmly. Everyone exchanged glances, and Siegfried accepted the quest without forgetting to form a party first.

"Very well. The details of this quest have two parts. The first part is this!"

The king raised a piece of leather for all to see.

"A map,"

everyone exclaimed, wondering how it related to finding the missing princess.

"This is a map of an island, but as you can see, it is blank!"

The king said sorrowfully.

"Is the island connected to the princess?"

Kimhant asked after listening silently.

"This map was given to me by Rhea. She said I could visit her anytime if I missed her. But as you see, I am old and must govern the kingdom. So, I planned to send someone on my behalf, but when I unfolded the map, it was blank."

"What do you want us to do, Your Majesty?"

Oliang asked, still trying to grasp the king's intentions.

"You must take this map to the magical map reader in Ark City. He is elusive and hard to find, but I can give you one clue: seek a blind man who lives in solitude. Once you find him, he will give you a task. Complete it, and you will be able to read this map,"

the king instructed, his face showing no hope despite having recited these details to countless heroes (players) before, so many times that he could remember it by heart. None could fulfill the king's wish.

"And then, Your Majesty?"

Chang Long nodded in understanding and asked about the second part of the quest.

"Once you can read the map, it will become your reward. However, it will not be truly yours until you bring Rhea or news of her back to me!"

The king replied with a smile that seemed more hopeless than hopeful.

"Alright, Your Majesty. We won't let you down!" Chang Long promised and smiled confidently, making the king chuckle lightly.

"Your determination is admirable, but I won't reassess my expectations until you succeed. Here! Take these brooches. They will allow you to enter the castle anytime during your quest," the king handed out silver brooches in the shape of the letter "Q," each adorned with a large white pearl. Chang Long's group received the blank leather map and left the castle.

At a roadside restaurant run by a player with the chef profession, Chang Long's group took turns examining the map given by the king, searching for any hidden clues. However, they found nothing. The map was blank on both sides. They decided to set it aside for the moment and enjoy their dinner.

"Good thing we didn't book any rooms, since we have to go to Ark City anyway,"

Siegfried sighed.

"Why do you need to go to Ark City?"

Hero asked curiously, as he and Jane had not gone to the castle.

"Do you have unfinished quest there?"

Jane added.

"No, we need to claim a quest reward!"

Draco replied, making everyone else widen their eyes in surprise.

"What quest reward? Why didn't we know about this!?"

Valentine asked, with Aden nodding in agreement.

"It's a quest we completed in Suvarn City, but we have to claim the reward in Ark City on Europa Island. So we had to put off claiming it until now,"

Oliang explained with a smile before taking a spoonful of thick mushroom soup.

"Who else gets the reward?"

Hero asked.

"Well, it's me, Master Chang, Siegfried, Draco, Oliang, Can, and Kim,"

Peach Blossom replied.

"What's the reward? Is it something interesting?"

Jane asked.

"No idea, we didn't ask,"

Chang Long answered, feeding a piece of chicken to Kitsune, who was comfortably sitting on her lap.

"Should we split into two groups? That way, we can also look for clues about Fairy Island,"

Wet Trash Can suggested.

"But we need to get the quest from the magical map reader. If we don't go together, will we all be able to read the map and enter the island?"

Valentine asked curiously.

"Are you looking for a magical map reader?"

The chef player, who owned the restaurant, asked Chang Long's group who were eating with interest.

"Hm. Yes, why? Do you know where to find him?"

Oliang nodded, eyeing the chef with curiosity.

"Can you take me along? If you would, I'll cover the cost of everyone's meals during the journey,"

the merchant player offered.

"Do you have a map that can't be read, too? Is that why you need to find him?"

Peach Blossom asked, skeptical.

"It's not for me, but for my friend. He's trying to find clues about a map he got on another island, and I want to help him out,"

the chef player explained.

"What should we do?"

Jane asked, looking at her friends for advice, seeking their opinions.

"Let's go for it. More people helping means we'll finish our quest faster,"

Chang Long replied, noticing that none of her friends were against letting the chef join their journey temporarily.

"Thank you so much!"

The chef exclaimed with joy. Most players guarded their knowledge and information seriously, keeping any discoveries to themselves or their close group of friends. It was rare for someone to invite a stranger along on a quest without significant mutual benefit.

"Uh-huh, we'll meet tomorrow at 6 AM at... Mi...?"

Chang Long turned to Valentine, unsure about the locations of the city's gates or which gate they needed to use to get to Ark City.

"Hehe, Chang, you're still bad with directions. We'll meet at the south gate at six,"

Valentine said, spreading out a map of Tartarus City before answering with a chuckle. The others suppressed their smiles.

"Got it. Oh, I'm Duncan, by the way, a level 55 chef,"

the chef introduced himself happily.

"Wow, level 55 as a chef!"

Draco exclaimed in surprise.

"Hahaha, everyone is surprised when they find out my level and profession. I've had a friend help me level up. The same friend with the map, actually. Plus, we've been playing this game for quite a while,"

Duncan explained, giving credit to his friend.

"So, you can fight then!"

Oliang asked with a smile.

"Of course. I hunt most of the meat I use for cooking myself. I rarely buy it from other players,"

Duncan replied proudly.

"Take note, Kim. Even a chef can fight. You don't need to hide behind Master Chang all the time. Look at Mister Duncan, he can do it,"

Peach Blossom teased Kimhant.

"Come on, Peach Blossom. I don't hide behind master all the time,"

Kimhant retorted.

"Enough. We need to rest and gather our strength. We have an early start tomorrow!"

Siegfried interjected, seeing the argument between Peach Blossom and Kimhant starting to drag on.

"See you at..."

Chang Long paused again.

"South gate,"

Duncan reminded with a smile.

"Uh-huh, the south gate at 6 AM,"

Chang Long nodded. The group waved goodbye to Duncan, who stayed behind to continue running his restaurant, and they headed back to Chang Long's house to rest.

At 6 the next morning, Chang Long's group gathered at the south gate of Tartarus City. Duncan, the chef, was already there, waiting for them. When he saw them, he waved enthusiastically. He seemed relieved and happy to see everyone, having worried that he might be left waiting.

"Here before us!"

Draco teased with a grin.

"I was worried I'd miss you if I was late, so I came early,"

Duncan replied with an embarrassed smile. He did not want to admit he was afraid of being left behind, so he came extra early to ensure he would not miss them.

"Since everyone's here, let's head out. Ark City is a small town in the forest. Though not far from Tartarus, the path is filled with dangerous beasts,"

Valentine warned with a serious tone. Everyone nodded in agreement and began their journey out of Tartarus.

During the trip, Duncan demonstrated his combat skills to Chang Long's group several times. His primary weapons were a pair of shining silver, nearly sword-length butcher knives, which he wielded with incredible dexterity.

"You're amazing, Mister Duncan. Can I take a picture of you!"

Kimhant could not help but praise, looking at Duncan like he was an idol.

"Thanks! But why do you want to take a picture of me?"

Duncan smiled, curious about Kimhant's intentions.

"As a keepsake. But if you don't mind, I'd also like to feature your picture and story in my newspaper,"

Kimhant replied cheerfully.

"Newspaper? Are you with the Journalists and Writers Association, Kimhant?"

Duncan asked, surprised as he did not see the association's emblem on Kimhant's clothing.

"Hmp! Don't mention that association. It's unpleasant. I run my own newspaper!"

Kimhant answered, causing Duncan's eyes to widen in shock. He had not expected Kimhant to be more affluent than he appeared.

"You must be pretty wealthy,"

Duncan said, knowing that starting a newspaper required significant capital, at least fifteen to twenty million coins. As one would need printing equipment, paper, a darkroom, and a dedicated space in a building or a house to install the darkroom.

"I'm not wealthy at all. Honestly, I rely on my master for support, hehe. She's the one who funded my newspaper,"

Kimhant confessed, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Master?"

Duncan echoed, puzzled. No one in the group had introduced themselves as master.

"Uh... I mean Chang Long. I have to call her master and serve her because I owe her a massive debt,"

Kimhant explained, glancing at Chang Long, who was talking to Valentine.

"Oh, I thought you were rich. But isn't it tough competing with the big guilds' newspapers? Could you even make any sells?"

Duncan asked.

"It sells well because my newspaper covers stories that the Journalists and Writers Association can't even get close to!"

Kimhant replied proudly.

"Hey, everyone, I can see the castle from here!"

Hero shouted from the treetop, where he had climbed with impressive agility, making even the nimble martial artist, Oliang envious. He directed the group's path from the high vantage point.

"You guys travel fast. No wonder everyone wants to join elite groups,"

Duncan admired the speed at which Chang Long's group traveled, despite the frequent beast attacks along the way, their speed did not falter.

"Haha, we're not elites yet!"

Wet Trash Can replied, though pleased with Duncan's compliment.

"Actually, from what I know, the highest-level player is Demos, the leader of the Doom Star Guild, at level 80. The second highest is the leader of the Dark Horse Guild at level 78. So, anyone above level 60 is considered elite now!"

Kimhant shared his knowledge.

"Hahaha, that means almost our whole group is elite!"

Oliang laughed, and the group chatted as they continued their journey. The path became less densely forested, with fewer beasts appearing.

Ark City was a small, rural town unlike any the group had seen before. It blended seamlessly with nature, with wooden houses and buildings retaining their natural color. A gray granite castle stood on a hill at the northern end of town, with a large courtyard where villagers freely came and went.

"It looks so peaceful,"

Valentine commented, observing Ark City from a distance. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Let's go in. It's almost two in the afternoon,"

Siegfried suggested. After admiring the view a bit longer, they entered the town.

Chang Long's group split into two main teams: one to claim the quest rewards at the castle and the other to search for the magical map reader in town. This division would save time and make the search more efficient.

"Let's split up here. We'll join you as soon as we're done with the rewards!"

Draco suggested.

"Got it,"

Aden replied on behalf of those not going to claim the quest rewards. The two groups then separated, with the group not collecting rewards further dividing into smaller teams to cover the town quickly.

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