"Just the two of them now. What's next?"
"Lead them sowhere secluded, then take action."
A group of n dressed in black split up after their brief eting. One of them held binoculars, focusing on Chang and Idsara, who were standing together, buying ice cream.
"Boss, the Rabbit Hole is temporarily closed for maintenance,"
a voice reported over the radio to the man with the binoculars, referred to as the boss.
"Perfect. Have the decoys lead them there, and Team B will handle the rest,"
the boss instructed calmly through the radio. His subordinates acknowledged the order and began putting the plan into action.
anwhile, Chang and Idsara were strolling through the park, enjoying their ice cream as they searched for Mi and k. Along the way, Idsara suggested they try out various attractions. They ended up on the Viking ship ride, where both of them scread their lungs out during the wild swings. When they got off, they laughed uncontrollably at the photo the staff showed them—captured mid-scream. Next, they played the Mighty Wrestler ga, where players arm-wrestle a chanical strongman. Chang was nearly in tears after her wrist was pushed against the platform with overwhelming force. Idsara tried to defend her pride by giving it a go himself, but he did not fare much better.
After massaging Chang's sore wrist, the two decided to try the Space Adventure Train. The ride began with the train entering a dark tunnel before opening up to dazzling scenes of outer space. Stars, colorful gas clouds, and teor showers surrounded them. They ducked reflexively. Astronaut robots floated amidst the stars, waving to them and pointing toward a cot streaking across the sky. Once again, they instinctively ducked and then burst into laughter. As the train neared a simulated black hole, it shook and accelerated toward the swirling vortex, as if they were about to be sucked in. The sudden speed caused Chang to grab onto Idsara tightly, clinging to him without thinking.
A hidden cara captured the mont just before the train dove down a steep drop after the vortex, plunging nearly ten ters. It finally slowed to a stop in a bright white hall, where staff assisted everyone in disembarking. Chang glanced up at Idsara, who was smiling shyly. Realizing how tightly she had been holding onto him, she blushed and quickly let go, trying to compose herself. At the exit, a staff mber handed out photos taken during the ride.
Chang took hers and gasped in disbelief. The picture showed her clinging to Idsara like a frightened girl—a far cry from her usual composed self. anwhile, Idsara was grinning, clearly delighted with how the photo turned out. No matter how anyone looked at it, they seed like a couple. Chang shot him a glare, stuffed the picture into her bag, and stord off ahead of him. Idsara could not help but chuckle. He went back to the staff mber and requested an extra copy of the photo before hurrying to catch up with Chang, who was waiting for him.
The two continued walking until they reached a structure resembling a massive cave, with what looked like grass and roots hanging down from the ceiling. Idsara pulled out the amusent park map and showed it to Chang.
"It says here it's the Rabbit Hole. Too bad it's under renovation," Idsara explained.
"Yeah, I bet it has giant mushrooms, a rabbit with a pocket watch, and a mad hatter inside. Such a sha it's closed,"
Chang replied, genuinely disappointed. She had really wanted to explore it, but since it was off-limits, she resigned herself to moving on to another attraction.
Just as they were about to leave, the Rabbit Hole's door swung open. Out stepped a large rabbit wearing clothes and holding a pocket watch, followed by a mad hatter. The pair approached Chang and Idsara, announcing that the two of them were lucky winners, granted the privilege of being the first to tour the newly renovated Rabbit Hole. They also promised a special gift from the White Queen herself. Although surprised, Chang and Idsara decided to follow the mad hatter inside. The rabbit trailed behind them, closing the door and putting the closed for renovation sign back in place.
Inside, the Rabbit Hole felt like an entirely different world. Chang and Idsara were amazed by the bizarre environnt. The trees and grass varied in size—so were massive, while others were tiny. Mushrooms of all colors and shapes dotted the area. So were big enough to stand on, others were as small as a thumb, and a few were translucent or gelatinous, bouncing slightly when touched. So mushrooms even folded up like umbrellas when prodded. Lifelike animatronic animals road the Rabbit Hole, engaging in programd activities while paying no attention to the two visitors. The rabbit and the mad hatter led Chang and Idsara to a clearing with a small cottage and a table set with snacks and cups of tea waiting for them.
"Before eting the White Queen, please take a mont to rest and enjoy so tea. The journey ahead is quite long,"
the rabbit in a clothing said, pulling out a chair for Chang and gently urging her to sit.
"Can we look around here a little more first? These trees are incredible. I can't believe Dreamland managed to create sothing like this,"
Chang said to the rabbit, raising a cup of warm tea with a faint fruity aroma to her lips.
"There's much more to see deeper in the Rabbit Hole. But if we linger here too long, we may have to rush later, leaving no ti to enjoy the sights,"
the mad hatter replied, refilling Chang's tea. Idsara sipped his tea slowly, sharing Chang's admiration for the surroundings. However, he could not shake the feeling that sothing was off. The rabbit and the mad hatter's sudden appearance, along with the closed for renovation sign hanging in place.
"Why isn't there any celebration or fanfare, considering you said we're the lucky winners? It's so quiet here, like it's just the four of us,"
Idsara voiced his suspicion. The rabbit and the mad hatter froze montarily but quickly recovered. The rabbit turned to him with a grin that seed more like a smirk and replied,
"All celebrations are awaiting you at the White Queen's castle. But if you're impatient, we can proceed right away."
"Sure, let's go,"
Chang agreed, standing up. As she did, she noticed the mad hatter slipping into the nearby bushes for a mont before erging again. His face looked troubled as he whispered sothing to the rabbit.
"There's a problem. Soone's snooping around nearby. Baldie's team is taking care of it."
Chang froze, her sharp hearing catching the hushed conversation. She had not expected to overhear it.
"Is there a problem? Should we not have co here in the first place?"
Chang asked, narrowing her eyes at the rabbit and the mad hatter suspiciously. The two looked montarily startled but did not show much sign of unease. Instead, they grinned nacingly and began to approach her. Chang stepped back, but her body suddenly felt weak, her vision spinning as the world around her dissolved into chaotic swirls of color.
"Of course, you had to co. Otherwise, the plan we've worked so hard on wouldn't succeed."
As soon as the rabbit finished speaking, Chang collapsed unconscious. Idsara, though also affected by the tea, had only taken a small sip, which allowed him to maintain his consciousness, albeit barely. His body was weak, his vision blurry, but he mustered what strength he had left and lunged at the mad hatter, who was in the middle of dressing Chang as a princess. Idsara tried desperately to pull her away, but his arms lacked the strength to do so. The mad hatter turned toward him with an irritated expression and pulled out a pistol.
"What should we do with this kid? He's not part of our plan. Should we just kill him here and be done with it?"
"Don't be stupid. If soone dies, this will blow up into a huge ss. Just knock him out and leave him here,"
the rabbit replied.
"Fine."
Hearing their exchange, Idsara clung to Chang with every ounce of energy he had left. So tightly that even if he lost consciousness, no one would be able to separate him from her.
"Damn it! Let's go already.
How are we supposed to take them separately when he's holding on like this?" the mad hatter cursed angrily. Frustrated, he struck the back of Idsara's head with the handle of his gun, knocking him out cold. However, when he tried to lift Chang to carry her out of the Rabbit Hole, he realized that Idsara's unconscious hands were still gripping her wrist tightly. No amount of prying could loosen his hold.
"Hurry up. What's taking so long? The boss is getting impatient, the cart's ready, and those two clueless tourists with caras keep trying to get in here with so stubborn woman. If we don't move now, we're all going to get caught!"
the rabbit, now dressed as a royal guard to match Chang's princess outfit, shouted urgently.
"What else can I do? This guy's got a death grip on her. Should I just cut his arm off so we can leave faster, damn it!"
"Are you crazy? Just dress him up as a prince and take him along. Hurry up."
The transformation proceeded quickly. Within monts, Idsara and Chang were dressed as the sleeping prince and princess. The two were carried out through the back of the Rabbit Hole and placed on a flower-adorned bed on a wagon, surrounded by plush animal decorations. Two horses stood ready to pull the wagon, with four n dressed as royal guards positioned as escorts.
Not far from the Rabbit Hole's entrance, a worried Moddang and the two supposed tourists, each with a cara slung around their necks, were adamantly requesting to enter. They suspected that their young miss might have slipped inside to explore. The two park staff mbers standing guard were visibly nervous, but as the horse-drawn wagon left the area, they pretended to relent, allowing Moddang and the bodyguards to go inside and investigate.
.....
At the Player Service Building in Longshan City, Aswa entered the building and headed straight for the quest section, which was divided into general quests, profession quests, and a special quest area. The latter was for players to either collect rewards for unique missions or obtain more information about their assigned quests. However, not all special quests had detailed information here. If that was the case, players had to track down the clues on their own.
Aswa made his way toward the Redemption Quest section, where a large crowd of players had gathered. He could not help but stare in disbelief. He had not expected that, in a ga that gave players so much freedom, there would still be so many people breaking the few existing rules. Still, he was confident that no one there had received a mission as challenging as his Class A quest.
"Excuse ,"
Aswa said, his voice drawing the attention of both the players and the staff in the area. When everyone turned to look at him, they froze in shock, their mouths agape.
"Y... yes? Is there sothing I can help you with?"
The female staff mber responded nervously, while the surrounding players stepped aside to let Aswa approach the counter, their faces filled with shock. Who would have thought that a top-tier player like him would also be subject to a redemption quest? This only proved the ga's fairness, sparing no one—even a leading player of his caliber.
"That's Aswa, the guild master of Dark Horse!"
"Really. What's he doing here?"
"Don't tell even he has a redemption quest."
"Seriously! But what kind of quest would soone like Aswa get?"
The hushed whispers of the crowd made Aswa feel slightly self-conscious, but he maintained a composed deanor as he approached the female staff mber to request details about his quest.
"I'd like to know the details of the Heavenly Avian Temple quest, please,"
Aswa said. A soft murmur rippled through the crowd. Everyone knew the Heavenly Avian Temple quest was an A-rank mission, renowned for its difficulty. Completing it required traversing great distances and overcoming nurous high-level beasts along the way.
"Certainly. For the Heavenly Avian Temple quest, players are provided with a map to the starting point... And that's it,"
the staff mber said, pulling out a rolled-up leather map and handing it to Aswa. She paused for a mont before adding with a polite smile, telling him that this was all the resources provided for the quest. Aswa's eyes widened. He could not believe that such a challenging quest ca with only a single item—a map.
"That's it?"
he asked, struggling to hide his disbelief.
"Yes, that's all. I'm sorry,"
she replied.
"In that case, could I get the na of the other player assigned to this quest?"
he asked. The GM who had given him the quest had ntioned a second player, but no details were provided.
"Oh, of course. I can only give you the player's na, though. Other details are beyond what the ga is authorized to disclose,"
the staff mber explained.
"That's fine. Just the na will do,"
Aswa said, flashing an easygoing smile. The staff mber searched for a mont before looking up with a smile.
"There are only two players assigned to the Heavenly Avian Temple quest. One of them is you, Mr. Aswa, and the other is a player nad Chang Long."
"What, Chang Long?"
Aswa's eyes went wide with shock. He had almost given up hope of ever seeing her again. Ever since they had parted ways in the Purple Forest, there had been no sign of Chang Long anywhere. His responsibilities as guild master had also kept him too busy to search for her. He never imagined that fate would offer him another chance like this.
"Is sothing wrong, Mr. Aswa?"
the staff mber asked, almost laughing at the sight of his stunned expression. For no apparent reason, the normally stoic guild master now looked as if he had lost his mind. Noticing the amused looks from the staff and nearby players, Aswa quickly regained his composure. He thanked the staff mber and walked out of the service building.
"Sigh... So this is what they an by destiny. It has to be soone with a connection to you, or else you wouldn't et again like this. Chang Long, I'm coming to find you right now!"
The normally serious guild master was now in an uncharacteristically cheerful mood. How could he not be! He had claid the treasure of the Pirate King, secured a special territory, and now he was about to see the fierce, headstrong woman he had fallen for once more. Aswa was so delighted he wanted to skip and hum a tune all the way to his destination. However, his status as the guild leader of the number one guild on Aseana island lood over him, and he could not afford to let his guard down in public. Even so, a broad smile stretched across his cheeks.
-----
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