Adventure World Online (AWO)

Chapter 35: Quest Rewards


When the light shone through, everyone saw that those eggs were not as ordinary as they had thought. They competed to emit a faint glow. The various patterns on the shell of each egg were also moving. Seeing this wonder, Peach Blossom was the first to walk forward excitedly to choose.

"May I ask you something?"

Peach Blossom raised her face to ask the old man, hesitant to pick up the egg because she was still unclear about what was inside.

"Yes,"

the old man replied with a smile.

"What's inside the eggs?"

Peach Blossom asked.

"No one knows except the owner themselves,"

the old man answered cheerfully.

"Huh!?"

Everyone exclaimed almost simultaneously.

"What does that even mean?"

Peach Blossom furrowed her brows, asking again, fearing she might pick an egg containing something bizarre inside.

"You ask too much! It means I don't know what's inside the eggs, but I guarantee that whatever egg you pick will be good, and no one will have the same as yours..."

The old man's answer made the young men's eyes widen as big as goose eggs, eager to rush in and choose their eggs quickly.

"Hurry up and choose, Peach Blossom, don't dawdle,"

Draco ordered.

"I know, alright!"

Peach Blossom gave Draco a look before resolutely continuing to choose her egg. Finally, she chose a pink egg with a beating red heart pattern moving on its shell.

Then it was Draco's turn. He rushed in after Peach Blossom had made her choice. The young man did not take long to choose a red egg with patterns resembling dragon skin and a slow flickering light inside. Rafael was next; he chose a white egg with a silver cross pattern wrapping from top to bottom around it. Following him, Wet Trash Can went in to choose an egg with a metallic shell and patterns resembling seashell spirals. Oliang chose a white egg covered in golden spots. Aden chose a completely black egg that constantly emitted a soft black glow. Then they all turned to look at Chang Long and Siegfried, who had yet to choose their eggs.

"You choose first,"

Chang Long said and gently pushed the young man forward. Pushed by her, Siegfried then went on to choose an egg for himself, selecting a completely black egg wrapped with small golden ribbon-like patterns around it.

Chang Long walked in to choose an egg as the last person because she did not know which one to pick. She therefore closed her eyes and reached her hand into the crate of eggs. She touched them gently and felt how each egg responded. Some eggs felt cold, some felt hot, and some felt nothing at all, until her hand came upon a strange sensation. It was alternating between pulling in and pushing out, giving a feeling of friendliness but also of arrogance. She liked it very much and picked it up even without opening her eyes.

"Excellent!"

The old man exclaimed upon seeing the egg in Chang Long's hand. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the egg in her hand was spiraled in gold and white. Its shell felt like there were fine scales overlapping all over it.

"Next, I will tell you what you must do to make the creature inside the egg come out. Listen carefully," the old man said, and everyone listened intently.

"Acceptance. You must make the creature inside accept you, but how you do that is up to you to find out. If the creature inside the egg accepts you as its master, it will break the shell to come out to you. Without acceptance, the egg will gradually turn to stone. If the egg turns completely into stone, you will never see the creature inside for eternity..."

The old man's explanation made everyone freeze in disbelief, wondering if they undertook this perilous quest only to receive a reward they might never own.

Chang Long sat on the balcony of Albeis' house, which was nearly thirty meters off the ground, with Peach Blossom. The girl carried the egg with her everywhere. Kitsune lay beside his master's feet. Meanwhile, the young men were inside brainstorming how to make the egg accept them.

"I can't believe that after killing so many goblins, we got nothing, no money nor item. Now we still have to wonder if this egg will accept us or not,"

Peach Blossom complained sulkily while Chang Long sat stroking the egg on her lap without saying anything.

"Tonight, the elves will be holding a celebration, and they have invited us as their saviors. Have you chosen what outfit to wear yet?"

Peach Blossom asked happily, feeling honored to be acknowledged.

"Eh? Just this outfit because I can't wear anything else anyway,"

Chang Long answered without thinking. Actually, she was considering skipping the party.

"No, that problem might have a solution. I will ask Master Albeis myself,"

Peach Blossom said seriously and then walked away to look for Albeis.

"Hey! Peach Blossom,"

Chang Long called out to Peach Blossom, but she had already disappeared.

"Chang Long, can we talk to you for a moment?"

Siegfried approached Chang Long. He seemed uncomfortable, with the other young men secretly watching from a distance.

"What is it?"

Chang Long looked at him, puzzled.

"Um... I would like to... um... ask,"

Siegfried spoke softly and hesitantly, his face pale and avoiding Chang Long's gaze.

"If you keep stuttering. I'm leaving,"

Chang Long said and stood up, leaving.

"Hey, wait, Chang Long! It's about your Reaper,"

Draco, more curious than anyone, rushed out from his hiding spot because he could not stand Siegfried's hesitations anymore.

"Huh!?"

Chang Long turned to look at Draco, who ran out from nowhere, with surprise.

"Chang Long, could you please tell us? We really can't keep our curiosity anymore,"

Oliang and the others joined Draco, deciding it was better to ask directly rather than sneak around.

"Ask away. If I can answer, I will,"

Chang Long sat chin in hand, facing towards the house to confront everyone. The young men, hearing this, quickly sat down, ready to fire their questions at Chang Long, leaving poor Siegfried, who wanted to invite Chang Long to the party that night, to abandon his plan implicitly.

"First, I want to ask, how did Chang Long get the title of Reaper?"

Draco, who had been eager to ask this question, started with a profoundly serious face.

"That's a secret..."

Chang Long answered.

"Huh!!"

The young men, who awaited the answer with anticipation, exclaimed loudly upon hearing such a response.

"Next question?"

Chang Long, indifferent to the disappointment of the young men in front of her who seemed greatly let down by her answer. She was still not ready to reveal her secret.

"My turn. Where did you get the outfit, you're wearing?"

Rafael raised his hand to ask the next question.

"Also a secret... Next question?"

Chang Long repeated her previous answer, and the young men seemed to understand.

"Where did Chang Long get that sword from, and what is its name?"

Oliang asked, earning nods for the cleverness of posing two questions in one. Yet, they could not help but wonder if they would receive another vague answer.

"This one, you mean?"

Chang Long unhooked her sword from her waist and handed it to Oliang for inspection, amid everyone's surprised glances, thinking Chang Long would respond with 'It's a secret' again, which gave them hope that Chang Long might actually answer this question properly.

"Yes, this one. Wow, this is really beautiful!"

Oliang took the sword, marveling at its beauty, the patterns on the blade and the Eye of Fire that resembled a bright red gem embedded on the sword, before passing it around for his friends to admire.

"It is called Sovereign Sword. I found by chance when I fell into the abyss in the Southern Sea,"

Chang Long answered.

"Sovereign Sword!"

Everyone exclaimed in unison, including Siegfried. They were shocked that one of the legendary swords was in Chang Long's possession, stumbled upon by accident.

"If this is Sovereign Sword, then it must belong to one of the Seven Pirate Kings!"

Rafael exclaimed excitedly, staring intently at the sword in hand.

"I don't know. Next question?"

Chang Long quickly cut off the conversation, thinking that she should not have answered at all. She almost sabotaged herself. If they pieced the story together, they would know that she was the one who discovered the Pirate King's Tomb.

"Uh, then let me ask about that three-tailed fox lying at Chang Long's feet. How did you get it? Has it evolved? Is that why it has three tails and breathes fire? From what I know, people who have pets say unanimously that pets can't use special skills if they haven't evolved, so they can only engage in physical combat,"

Wet Trash Can asked a whole set of questions in one go, leaving Chang Long speechless, not knowing how to respond.

"I got this one as a reward when I first registered to play this game. I don't know about other people's pets because my pet could breathe fire from the moment it was born. Next question?"

Chang Long vaguely answered in her usual style, leaving the young men stunned once more.

"Then, may I ask if Chang Long has acquired a profession yet?The spirit you're keeping, uh... Davy-chan, right? What can he do?"

Aden asked because he was most curious about this and thought Chang Long would answer, as profession was not usually a secret unless it involves the whereabout of undiscovered 'profession change NPC.'

"I just got my profession not long before meeting all of you. As for Davy-chan, he is a spirit related to my profession. I can use Davy-chan's powers, and he can alert me to dangers within a 50-meter radius,"

Chang Long answered, making sure to keep her answer as vague as always.

"Next question?"

Chang Long, still sitting comfortably as she answered, turned to Siegfried, along with everyone else who was expectantly looking at him, hoping he could ask a question that would delve deeper than their curiosity.

"...Chang Long...would you do me the honor...of going to the party tonight...with me, please!"

Siegfried gathered all his courage to finally voice his request, amidst the tense anticipation of his friends who had momentarily forgotten their intention to unravel at least one of Chang Long's secrets.

Chang Long was stunned and silent for a moment, unexpectedly invited to a party by a good-looking man in such a manner. The silence lingered as no one dared to make a sound or even breathe too loudly, for fear of shattering the moment.

"Huh?!"

That was the first word that came out of Chang Long's mouth, who was still in shock. She looked confusedly at Siegfried, whose cheeks and ears had turned red, without blinking.

"Come on! How long will you keep gawking? Say yes already. Siegfried is very shy."

Wet Trash Can could not stand the silence any longer and blurted out.

"Yes?"

Chang Long echoed, still somewhat dazed, but everyone took it as an acceptance and erupted into cheers. She tried to object, but seeing the delighted expression on Siegfried's face, she found herself unable to say no. So, she turned to pet Kitsune instead.

'Sigh... Well, it's not too much of a hassle anyway.'

Not long after, Efae walked up to them with several elf women, each carrying luxurious silk dresses, mostly in soft elven colors, with a variety of patterns for both men and women for them to wear to the party tonight. The young men eagerly chose what they believed would look the coolest on them. Except for Siegfried, who chose a simple, comfortable yet dignified outfit, while Chang Long remained seated.

"Master Chang, look at these beautiful dresses. I can't decide which one to wear,"

Peach Blossom, following Efae, came to pull Chang Long's arm to help her choose a dress for the night.

"Whatever you wear, you'll look beautiful anyway. Just pick one,"

Chang Long said reluctantly, not really understanding the fuss about beauty.

"You should pick one too. Like this one here, Albeis picked it especially for you,"

Efae said with a cheerful expression, showing Chang Long the dress Albeis had chosen for her.

The dress was a cream-white off-shoulder gown embroidered with golden vines intertwined with small blooming leaves and flowers, adorned with silver and gold butterflies fluttering all over the embroidered flowers.

Peach Blossom looked at the dress with fascination, while the young men imagined how Chang Long would look in it, expecting she would appear more feminine than in her current attire.

"I can't wear other outfit.I don't think I can wear this one,"

Chang Long said with a faint smile, understanding what the young men were thinking.

'Master, wouldn't Siegfried be sad? If his date, which is you, wears something like that to the party,'

Kitsune mentally spoke to Chang Long, noting the slightly disappointed expression on Siegfried's face.

'You know too much. Why don't you dress up as a woman and accompany him instead?'

Chang Long sarcastically replied, amazed at how much Kitsune seemed to know just a few days after being born.

'Can I, Master?'

Kitsune perked up, acting excited, trying to tease his master.

'Sure, go ahead, I allow it,'

Chang Long said, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

'Oh! Master, don't you feel sorry for Siegfried at all? Look, he's feeling down over there,'

Kitsune implored his master, knowing how Siegfried felt about Chang Long and that those feelings were pure enough for him to want to help.

Chang Long, following Kitsune's indication, saw Siegfried sitting despondently on the balcony not far from where she stood, making her feel a bit guilty, even though it was not her fault. She could not wear another outfit except the God of Death outfit inherited from Davy-chan.

'Alright, but you have to help me, Kitsune,'

Chang Long sighed, acknowledging Siegfried was a good person. She did not want to hurt his feelings.

'Of course, Master, but how can I help?'

Kitsune tilted its head, curious.

'I'll tell you when it's time,'

Chang Long said with a smile, then went to help Peach Blossom choose her dress.

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