Game’s Dogma

Drako Yau checked his mailbox to find several messages from his companions. He typed in a number on his phone and made a call.

‘Strider, you were looking for me?’

Windstrider, or Cheung Fung, was startled briefly before he replied, ‘Boss, you went offline yesterday?’

‘What?’

‘Going offline. It’s the first time we’ve seen you done so.’

Windstrider and the others all saw their boss as a mad gamer who chose to sleep in the game. They also realised how rich he was; unless he was extremely wealthy, it wasn’t possible to live on nutritional supplements through the game pod for so long, or so they thought. Yesterday was the first time they’ve seen the name Dragonspear turn grey.

‘Ugh… Yeah, something came up. Anyway, did something urgent come up?’

Windstrider made an excited smile as he said, ‘Good stuff, real good. Boss, do you still remember the encounter quest, The Honno-ji Incident?’

Drako Yau nodded. There was no way he’d forget that wicked hero Oda Nobunaga.

‘The Oda Clan established a base in Yoda.’

‘Huh?’

Following the coordinates Windstrider sent him, Drako Yau arrived at a corner in Yoda, a place where players rarely went to and mainly occupied by NPCs. Every major city spanned a large region, thus it was rather difficult to explore every bit of the city unless a player was dead set on doing so. While the four major guilds built Yoda into a commercial centre, they still didn’t open stores at such remote locations in the city because no one would visit those places.

‘Boss, this way.’

It was now noon. Drako Yau’s companions had all arrived and gathered before him. Zephyrwolf, Greenstone, Idyllic Poet, Windstrider, Sasaki, and Dumbgirl were present, while Danting didn’t come online due to real life issues.

For some reason, Zephyrwolf was in a pretty bad mood. Drako Yau found it strange, so he asked, ‘What’s wrong with this crazy wolf?’

Windstrider and the rest sent glances at one another. They tried their best to hold in their laughter as they answered, ‘You’ll know soon.’

They then pointed at the manor behind them. It wasn’t particularly large, but the words ‘Oda Clan Residence’, written in lively calligraphy, hung high above the doors. Two guards donned in black armour with an Oda clan emblem engravement stood emotionlessly on both sides of the entrance. 

When they walked towards the residence, the two guards smiled at Windstrider who led the way and said, ‘Welcome, you are all friends of the Oda clan. Unfortunately, that man and the little girl cannot enter.’

Zephyrwolf grunted at the guard’s words. Meanwhile, Idyllic Poet laughed smugly and said, ‘Because Zephyrwolf didn’t join us in the quest, he’s not “friendly” with the Oda clan. He’s mad since he can’t enter.’

Dumbgirl trotted over and patted Zephyrwolf’s shoulder. ‘Uncle Wolf, I’ll stay with you so don’t be mad.’

They laughed out loud at her actions and even Zephyrwolf joined in, though his laugh was somewhat bitter. Suddenly, the two guards noticed Drako Yau. Their expressions changed abruptly before they asked, ‘Is it Sir Mask?’

Drako Yau nodded, and the two guards immediately knelt on the ground.

‘Greetings, Sir.’

Drako Yau tried to help them back onto their feet and asked, ‘What’s the matter?’ But the two guards firmly refused his aid.

‘Lord Nobunaga has given the order that Sir Mask stands as an equal to my lord. Those who disobey will be expelled from the Oda clan.’

Recalling what happened during the quest, Drako Yau finally remembered his relationship with the Oda clan was ‘Close’, which was a rank higher than the others. He decided to give up as the two guards seemed persistent.

Suddenly, an idea popped up in his head. He asked, ‘I wish to bring those two persons into the residence, may I?’

The two guards lowered their heads—something they’d never do even in the face of death. ‘As Sir Mask commands.’

Overjoyed, Zephyrwolf entered the residence in swagger while hanging a smug look on his face.

Drako Yau and the rest entered the Oda Clan Residence. Windstrider said in glee, ‘Boss, I only found the Oda Clan’s base by chance when I heard the NPCs’ dialogue. Gave it a shot and here we are.

‘I met Oda Nobunaga and Lady Noh. She even gave me a skill book, so I told her we’d pay them a visit today. Hehe, I’m also getting used to the dual-wielding skill.’

The Oda Clan Residence wasn’t a large place, nor were there many residents. Still, every person of the Oda Clan knelt on one knee and greeted Drako Yau with respect. Soon, they arrived at the main residence.

Oda Nobunaga was having tea with his wife, Lady Noh, when he noticed Drako Yau.

‘It’s been a while.’

How strange. Never expected an NPC from an encounter quest to appear here.

Drako Yau was a bit surprised. According to his design, each encounter quest was a separate story and dimension, and NPCs in such quests weren’t linked to the main game world because it’d create overcomplicated relationships.

Every NPC had a ‘relationship’ system where players could gain ‘favour’ to improve their relationship. By connecting NPCs from encounter quests to the main game world, it’d be a massive burden on the system. Quests could involve several dozens or up to tens of thousands of NPCs, and when each of them interacted with every player… It’d overload the servers terribly.

Yet now, such a thing was happening right before his eyes. The more Drako Yau resided in Real World, the more he found the game strange. It felt more like an actual world than a game. Still, he mocked himself for having such a thought.

If it’s real, why can people respawn over and over again? How could something like the ‘system’ exist?

He cleared his mind and greeted Oda Nobunaga, ‘Sir Nobunaga, it has indeed been a while.’

‘Cut the honorifics, just call me Nobunaga. If not for Brother Mask who risked his life to rescue me, I would’ve burnt to death in Honno-ji already.’ A rare smile appeared on his face. He then turned to a nearby guard and said, ‘A banquet it is. I have to thank my good brother.’

Guards and servants rushed in and out of the main residence. Before long, a small banquet was ready.

‘Are uninvited guests welcomed here?’ A cold voice cut across the hall, but that only brightened Oda Nobunaga’s beam. ‘Brother Hon!’

The newcomer had thin, slit-like eyes that looked like sharp blades, snow-white hair, and a bloody red katana on his waist. It was none other than Ichor Hon.

‘Brother Hon.’ Drako Yau stood up and gave Ichor Hon a palm-fist salute.

Ichor Hon was slightly surprised when he saw Drako Yau. ‘Brother Mask, you’ve grown stronger again.’

‘Haha,’ Drako Yau chuckled without answering.

Everyone sat down and enjoyed the banquet. Drako Yau and the rest even noticed that eating food provided during the banquet gave experience, albeit not a lot. It seemed attending special banquets gave special rewards.

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