Gamers of the Underworld

Sherlock was wearing his cloak while he walked around the Dungeon with Eggface.

The Living Quarters were expanded to such a large size that it required 20 minutes to finish walking. Each residential cave had a size of 100 square meters, and half of the caves were filled with three-story buildings that were constructed by the First and Second Beta Gamers. As the Third Beta Gamers had just joined the game, they slept in the corners of the caves.

Sherlock witnessed a few weak and pitiful Goblins that carried tattered cloth and squeezed together with their friends in one corner of a cave. They used the tattered white cloth to cover themselves, even their faces, then said goodbye to each other.

Simba, who was forging weapons, shook his head and sighed at such a pitiful scene.

Sherlock visited the unsightly Living Quarters, which were like refugee camps. Then, he went to the Little Fairy’s seedbed and the central administrative area that consisted of the Dungeon Lord Main Hall, the Lich’s Burial Hall, and the Teleport Portal Main Hall. Next, he visited the Forging Area that had the Large Furnace at the core. The Forging Area was housing the Blacksmith Shop, Carpenter Workshop, Mana Engineering Project Hall, Magical Items Production Hall, and the Alchemy Room. The most popular location was the Commercial Area.

The gamers had drawn the 500 enclosed boxes that were to be used for stalls, which was more than sufficient for the 5,000 gamers.

The impromptu stalls were to operate on a first-come-first-serve basis. The duration was an hour and there was a rental fee to be paid.

The Commercial Shops didn’t have that many rules, and they could use the shops anytime after paying a monthly rental.

Some gamers were curious why there was a need for Commercial Shops since there was an Auction Hall.

The main reason was that every auctioned item was subjected to tax, while the Commercial Shop was only subjected to a single universal tax, so it was more economical to have a shop if the quantity of goods was large.

The Commercial Shops were beneficial to Guilds since they could provide benefits to Guild members and act as a publicity gimmick.

Once the price was determined in an auction, it couldn’t be changed, but the prices in the Commercial Shops could be changed at will. In addition, the pleasure of shopping in physical stores couldn’t be compared with standing and reading an auction list.

The gamers preferred to check the auction prices before going to the stalls to obtain tax-free goods.

When Sherlock came to make his rounds, the gamers weren’t surprised. After all, he would visit them when he had the time.

Eggface would place his claws behind his back and check if the gamers had broken any rules. He also paid attention to whether the excavations for the Commercial Shops were according to regulations. The gamers had to perform excavation for their own shops, and there was a reward.

After proper management, Sherlock didn’t have to worry about stepping and breaking the gamers’ legs. Without the enclosed boxes, the stalls were all over the place, so it was difficult for anyone to move around. With demarcation of the impromptu stalls, there was a wide path in the middle of the stalls area.

“Why did you extend your leg out?”

“Are you allowed to excavate here?”

“Arrange your goods properly! The reputation of the entire street is ruined by you!”

“Do you believe that I’ll confiscate all your goods?”

After strict enforcement by Eggface and having finished their rounds in the Commerce Area, Sherlock nodded with satisfaction.

Bru suddenly said to Sherlock, “Lord Sherlock, someone from Winterfell requests a visit to Eternal Kingdom via the Teleport Portal. I think it’s Baron Nicholas.”

“Baron Nicholas? I understand, let him come over. I’ll go and welcome him.”

Sherlock nodded and brought Eggface to the Teleport Portal Main Hall. Before long, Baron Nicholas walked out of the Teleport Portal.

When Nicholas appeared, the gamers shouted excitedly.

“Lassie! Lassie!”

“Gosh, is it a new Plot?”

“I remember, isn’t Lassie the Winterfell Dungeon Lord?”

“How do you know? This Plot wasn’t announced on the official website.”

“Didn’t you work in Winterfell for Magic Stones? Lassie is the temporary Dungeon Lord of Winterfell. You can obtain this information anywhere.”

The gamers were enthusiastic in both words and actions.

The excited gamers were busy touching Nicholas’ body. Once a gamer touched him and discovered there wasn’t a problem, the rest of the gamers followed suit. Some gamers went for the purse, the sword, and the thighs…

“Welcome to Eternal Kingdom, Baron Nicholas. Please come to my office for a chat.”

As a diplomatic conflict was about to occur, Sherlock appeared and restrained the gamers who had lost control.

Nicholas felt relieved. What could he possibly do? Could he kill these green-skinned creatures who took advantage of him? That was his intention.

Nicholas followed Sherlock to the Dungeon Lord Main Hall, where Eggface brewed some bloody chrysanthemum tea for himself and Sherlock. Eggface then sat down beside Sherlock and gazed at Baron Nicholas.

“Please take a seat, Baron Nicholas,” Sherlock said as he pointed at an empty seat. Then, he looked at Nicholas and said, “Congratulations on becoming the Winterfell Dungeon Lord.”

“How did Lord Sherlock know that I was assigned the formal post?” Nicholas was taken aback.

Sherlock quickly said, “It’s not hard to guess. After the setbacks in Winterfell, I’d be surprised if the Merchant Alliance trusted outsiders who invest large sums of Magic Stones in Winterfell. In this difficult time, Winterfell needs a capable Baron like you. If you weren’t assigned the formal post, it would be beyond reason.”

“I’m greatly flattered. The Merchant Alliance has greater trust in long-time members. Thank you, Lord Sherlock, for recommending me for this post!” Nicholas said gratefully to Sherlock.

“My recommendation? No, no, no, I just told the truth. Without your wise support in raw materials, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat Samael that easily. Your contributions were far more significant than you thought!”

Sherlock heaped praises on Nicholas since he didn’t have anything to lose.

Sherlock said to Eggface, “Quick, get a cup of underground water for Dungeon Lord Nicholas.”

Eggface finished his cup of bloody chrysanthemum tea and jumped off his chair. He walked to the storage shelves and took out a wooden cup, then poured water from a pot.

Eggface was very good at his job.

As Eggface passed the cup of water to him, Nicholas said politely, “Lord Black Dragon, thank you. I’ll help myself.”

Eggface shook his head. He looked over earnestly and said obediently, “Take your drink. Why are you talking so much?”

“Go to the side and sleep.” Sherlock caressed Eggface’s head and pointed to the nest at the corner.

Eggface walked reluctantly back to the corner and sat down cross-legged. He looked at his computer and Nicholas, his eyes communicating his desire for Nicholas to leave so that he could resume playing his computer games.

“Are there any special matters to discuss, Dungeon Lord Nicholas?” Sherlock placed his hands on the table and asked.

“It’s related to my Dungeon Lord mission.” Nicholas pushed Eggface’s unhappiness to the back of his mind before inhaling deeply and saying, “My Dungeon Lord post isn’t stable. Though the Merchant Alliance has decided to assign me the formal post, there are many nobles who covet this post. Outsiders aside, there are many members of the Merchant Alliance who are also interested in the post. Hence, I am greatly troubled.”

Nicholas said gravely, “I’ll have to clear the surrounding Ogre tribes! The Ogres appeared recently around Winterfell, remnants of Andrew’s evil deeds. I thought it would be easy to destroy them, so I sent my elite troops, but regrettably, they were annihilated.”

“Annihilated?”

“That’s right, they were annihilated. With the support of Andrew, the Ogres have become powerful. According to reports from the survivors, the powerful Ogre Clan is formed of more than a hundred tribes. They also nominated a young and strong new leader. With these conditions, it’s impossible for me to destroy them. They even recently occupied a Stronghold on the outer boundary of Winterfell!”

Sherlock nodded and asked, “What about the Winterfell Garrison Guards? If you deploy them, shouldn’t they be able to defeat the Ogres?”

“Yes, but if I deploy the Garrison Guards, it will cause massive casualties. Winterfell is in an unstable state, and if there are huge losses, my competitors will create doubts about my management capability. Most importantly, I’m unable to fend off the residents’ protests. Time isn’t on my side. If I don’t do anything and can’t produce results, the nobles eyeing my position will create trouble.”

“I understand your predicament. Do you want me to help you destroy the Ogres?”

Nicholas said pleadingly, “That’s right! I know it’s difficult for you, but besides you, I can’t think of other capable leaders. Please help me, Lord Sherlock! I will pay all military expenses and death compensation!”