If a player were to have a casual conversation with an NPC, they might easily connect the Dongpo pork they ate today to the great poets of the past, then to a turbulent dynasty, then to the ancient poems and writings of those years, and then to the music and instruments...
The vastness of the Earth and the richness of its culture are vividly displayed in every detail.
On the Blue Star Forum, there is already an encyclopedia that players have funded themselves.
The Complete Encyclopedia of Knights-Errant!
In the encyclopedia, tens of thousands of players participated in compiling entries, filling in information related to the Blue Star civilization.
Currently, the most complete content page will likely include cooking-related content, martial arts-related content, geographical knowledge of the game, detailed information on various sects, important NPCs so far, and several famous adventure quests.
So after the Lunar New Year, Ning Yufeng brought another large book to the daily meeting of the Jia League.
"This is a newly printed encyclopedia of the storyline and quests of 'The Wandering Swordsman,' compiled entirely by players. You can take a look," Ning Yufeng said.
—A huge tome!
The committee members present looked at each other in surprise. Someone picked up the book, flipped through a couple of pages, and couldn't help but marvel.
"The storyline was so rich that our testers didn't fully immerse themselves in it at the time."
"It's quite interesting. The main storyline of 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' hasn't really kicked in yet, but the side quests are already quite rich..."
"No, rather than side quests, they are more like plot elements that permeate the game environment. These plot elements are trivial but ubiquitous, giving players a very immersive experience."
"Only by playing for a long enough time can one integrate into the culture of Earth and better understand its essence."
One of the evaluators from the A-League also submitted a new report at this time.
He wanted to say: [Request to revise the plot rating for "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer"!!! I previously rated the plot 8.5, which I thought was appropriate at the time, but now, looking back, I find it much more meaningful and relatable!]
Recently, he also encountered a side quest.
The story is simple: a scholar spent several years traveling throughout the country and then offered ten suggestions to the ruler.
These ten suggestions are all criticisms, and very harsh ones at that, they're practically pointing fingers at the king and calling him a tyrant!
There had never been anyone in the imperial court so fearless. All the ministers were terrified, as they watched helplessly as the king was spitting blood and losing all face.
The reviewer was in story mode at the time and thought to himself: Oh no, he's doomed, stubborn kid.
You should know that this task took him a long time to complete.
While gathering intelligence across the country, he found the mission chain long but rather boring—he had no interest in witnessing the suffering of ordinary people; what was the point? He'd rather practice martial arts.
Now that the task is finally completed, the scholar has arrived at the court and even cursed the emperor.
To everyone's surprise, the king stood up from his seat, walked to the scholar, and bowed deeply.
He thanked the scholar for his efforts over the years and sincerely admitted his mistakes. He also promoted the scholar to official rank, hoping that he would work for him.
After accepting the emperor's reward with arrogance, this scholar said, "I have received the emperor's reward and should serve him faithfully. Today, the emperor has lost face, yet he wants to treat me as an honored guest because of my talent. If everyone did this, what kind of order would the emperor's authority be if he were to lose it in the future?"
Everyone was astonished again. This scholar was an eccentric genius who dared to speak his mind, and he cursed the emperor again.
The poor king nodded repeatedly and said, "You are right."
Then, the scholar looked at the king and laughed loudly, "Those who offend the king's authority should be executed! The king treats me as a national scholar, and I will repay him as a national scholar!"
After saying this, he struck his head against a pillar and died!
Chapter 130 Life is Like a Play
I was deeply impressed after watching the entire evaluation process!
All the efforts of the previous missions were not in vain, and the whole story exploded with unimaginable force at this last moment!
The more he recalled his time with the scholar, the more impressed he became with the man's character.
Although this NPC is aloof and proud, with a cynical feel, he is actually upright, honest, and passionate!
This isn't just an NPC; it's a living, breathing person, someone you can both love and hate.
The evaluator even tossed and turned all night, suddenly finding it hard to forget this person, and even replaying the task process that he had previously found dull and uninteresting.
The emotions that "The Knight Errant" evoked in him were only just beginning.
Another half month later, the Little New Year arrived.
During the Lunar New Year holiday, the reviewer spent almost all his time in the game world of "Xia Ke Xing"—he was no longer completing a work task, but was voluntarily and willingly playing the game.
Then he saw the notice posted all over the country.
It turned out that the emperor was reflecting on his mistakes, listing ten of his flawed policies, and was now implementing reforms nationwide.
These ten policies were submitted by scholars in the imperial court.
The reviewer who saw the list was once again deeply moved. Standing in the bustling crowd, he initially choked up, but later his eyes reddened.
Then, he suddenly burst into tears, oblivious to everyone around him.
He called out the scholar's name, repeatedly saying, "Your efforts have not been in vain, your hard work has paid off, do you see?!"
For the first time in his life, he felt he completely understood another person, his one and only soulmate, who was already dead! Already dead!
His crying was so intense that it attracted the attention of many players around him.
Those who haven't experienced it firsthand point fingers at him and think he's stupid—just like the testers themselves back then.