A different world game? A different world game!

Shattered Waves City - Port District.

Night Watchman Adventurers' Home - Howling Barrel.

The salty sea breeze, carrying the scents of fish, tar, and spices from afar, barely squeezed through the cracks in the heavy oak door of the "Sea Howling Barrel," only to be completely swallowed up by the rising heat and clamor inside.

This place seems somewhat out of place in the rest of the city.

Because it's brightly lit all night long, this tavern is open 24 hours a day, whether it's day or night.

Whether they are ordinary peasants or high-ranking officials, you can sometimes see them gathering in this godforsaken place.

This is the home of adventurers under the protection of the Night Watch, a haven for weary travelers returning to port, and an anchorage for those with lofty ambitions.

It is also the starting point for adventurers from this region who come to this city.

Tonight seems no different from any other night.

The noise here is still very noticeable at night.

Fortunately, the person on guard duty had a conscience and made markings around the area to prevent the sound from spreading too far and to avoid disturbing the people.

However, the surrounding area is mostly shops and streets, so even if it disturbs the peace, it's not too much of a problem.

Some shop owners and employees in the surrounding area also gather together once a night, and they themselves are part of the disturbance.

Push open the door of the tavern.

The air was so thick it could be cut open, a mixture of the slightly sour smell of beer foam, the smoky aroma of roasted meat fat, and the strong, pungent smell of a dwarf pipe.

And the strong or faint smell of sweat and leather on the bodies of various ethnic groups.

Every race has its annoying aspects.

For example, the awful smell they have.

The light mainly came from the magic stone lanterns hanging from the thick beams, their dim yellow light swaying and casting flickering shadows onto the rough stone walls and corkboards covered with wanted posters, sea charts, and guild notices.

That's the most beloved place in the entire Adventurer's Home.

The commission version where adventurers accept quests.

You can see people circling around there now, chatting from time to time.

Noise is the dominant theme here.

"Another one! 'Dwarven Fury' on the rocks!" A burly young human slammed his hand on the bar. His dark face bore the marks of having just removed his heavy armor. His voice was loud and clear, with a rural accent, suggesting he might have been wielding a hoe in the fields just a few months ago.

The Night Watch changed everything, giving more opportunities to the sons of farmers, blacksmiths, and hunters.

"Save your breath, Hawk! Your bounty isn't even enough to get you drunk three times!" A halfling nimbly jumped onto a high stool, his shrill voice laced with mockery.

He wore well-fitting leather armor, several gleaming little tools clipped to his belt, and was deftly peeling salted nuts. "How about listening to 'Fast Foot' Finn's intelligence? I guarantee you'll make ten for every copper coin!"

Not all halflings are synonymous with friendliness and simplicity; many halflings are associated with being annoying.

Because they exaggerated the chattering and rambling characteristics of halflings.

Behind the bar, a leopard-man waiter with glossy black spotted fur was wiping large wine glasses with fluid, dance-like movements. His golden vertical pupils, carrying a hint of lazy amusement, scanned the entire hall.

With a gentle flick of his tail, he precisely avoided a drunken sailor who stumbled towards him.

He gave a casual slap, waking up the dazed guy.

In the corner, several dwarves sat around a table, their heavy armor piled haphazardly at their feet, their beards covered in foam.

They weren't drinking; they were having a heated discussion, their fists pounding the wooden table with a thud like muffled thunder in a dwarf mine.
“Grunba! I told you, Stormfjord is the only way! Your old route through Weeping Rock won’t work anymore, it’s infested with sea monsters now!”
"Damn rats, damn evil gods, they've made this world worse," a red-bearded dwarf spat.

The curse of the evil rats and the evil chaos brought about by the death of the shadows have begun to manifest themselves around the world.

The most obvious manifestation of this is that various evil creatures have become more and more numerous, and some evil creatures that were not so powerful before have suddenly found that their power has increased.

Originally, specific evil forces were scattered throughout the world. They disrupted local order to some extent, making the areas somewhat dangerous and chaotic.

Fortunately, the Night Watchers' Adventurer's Home project quelled the chaos.

This is why special adventurer homes are located in various cities and towns, because the local nobles turn a blind eye to it.

how?

You want the master to pay for this kind of thing?

"Come on, although these evil bastards are indeed disgusting, we would have a hard time eating without them."

"A human next to me complained."

Rough words are not rough.

The dwarf ignored him completely and looked at his companion instead.

“Bullshit! Moradin’s beard is proof! The old map marked the safe waterway under the reef!” another dwarf wearing a thick nasal helmet roared back without backing down.

"We, the Stonefist clan, know the northern sea better than you, the Deepforge clan! On this expedition, we must return to the Forge Hall of our ancestors!"
"The protective blessings provided by the Night's Watch, combined with our runic anvils, will surely be able to smash open the gates of those rubble-filled ruins that are taking over our home!"

His eyes burned with a burning desire, a desire to reclaim the lost empire.

This is one of the gathering points for exploring ships.

As the time draws ever closer.

More and more adventurers are gathering here, and the dwarves, who are in charge, are also busy preparing to return to their former home.

At a long table nearby, several young human adventurers, with varying levels of equipment—some even carrying weapons modified from farm tools—were listening intently to a halfling in a faded scholar's robe speaking animatedly.

“…It’s absolutely true! My cousin works as an assistant at the ‘Beacon of the Distant Lighthouse,’ and he said that the moon over the Night Watch’s Ring City was like a mini sun! That light, wow, it wasn’t just ordinary magical light; it felt… it felt like looking directly at the ‘thread’ of the world!”

The halfling lowered his voice, but couldn't hide his excitement, "And then? I saw a lot of noble fellows, and they all seemed to have left from the City of the Ring Tower."

"Who cares? The Night's Watch won't do anything bad anyway." A young man with freckles on his face and carrying a huge lumberjack axe took a swig of ale and coughed, choking on it.

"But...but don't you think it's been too quiet lately? I mean, there's been war! Back in my hometown, just last month, our lord and the knight lord from the neighboring territory were still facing off on the border."

"I heard they were all ready to fight. But... but overnight, both sides withdrew their troops! The messenger said they 'received instructions from higher command.' Damn it, who could give them those instructions?"

The young man had a strange look on his face.

These lords were notoriously disobedient, not to mention that the two sides were sworn enemies.

He had heard about it since he was a child; it was true that the uncle next door had once become lame because he helped fight in the war.

It's unbelievable that the order from above was used to mediate. If the order from above had been effective, would the fighting have escalated to this point?
It's hilarious.

Even a peasant like him understands.

“Not just you humans!” an archer with pointed ears and distinct wood elf features at the next table couldn’t help but interject, as she carefully wiped her longbow.

"Even we... cough, even the conflicts between those Highborne elves have subsided. Over in Moonglade, Radiant and Moonlit... fought for so long, so many people died, and suddenly... they stopped fighting?"

"There was no mediation announcement, no declaration of victory. It was like a red-hot iron block being suddenly thrown into an icy sea. With a hiss, all that was left was a cold, hard lump."

“An old soldier I know just came back yesterday. He said the hatred magic in the air above the battlefield has dissipated, and it’s eerily quiet.” She shook her head, her emerald eyes filled with confusion and a hint of barely perceptible relief.

Upon hearing the elf suddenly interrupt, the young man blushed slightly and began to stammer.

He'd never seen elves before. If he hadn't come here with his own group, he might not have even seen so many races, let alone elves.

I must say, these elves are indeed beautiful.

Just like the one in front of you.

The elf seemed to be used to it all along, giving him a slight smile without saying anything more.

"Hey! Leopard! Another round of ale! No matter how the world changes, the needs of our stomachs and throats will never change!" a gruff voice shouted.

The leopard-man waiter glided silently over and placed several large glasses of bubbling ale on the floor.

The deep voice carried a peculiar guttural quality: "Plenty of wine, plenty of news. The Night's Watch gives us courage, not doubt."

"The storm has subsided in the distance, but the mists of the Old World and the treasures beneath the deep sea won't just appear on their own. Think less about 'why the ceasefire' and more about what lies beneath 'Stormfjord' or 'Weeping Reef'."

And there's that continent, untouched for a thousand years, with treasures that could feed you for a lifetime. Young men, finish this drink, and perhaps a ship will be waiting for you." His golden eyes swept over the crowd, his tail tip lightly touched the ground, and he turned and disappeared into the noisy crowd and billowing smoke.

The staff at this tavern are either night watchmen or prospective night watchmen; in any case, they have a very close relationship with the night watchmen.

These adventurers all know this.

In the tavern, the dwarves' quarrels turned into rousing war songs, the human novices discussed the legends of the Old World, the halflings moved between tables selling "exclusive information," and the elves quietly sipped their fruit wine, their eyes thoughtful.

Ale splashes, jokes are vulgar, scars are flaunted, and fear is briefly numbed by alcohol.

This is "Sea Howling Barrel," a noisy, chaotic, and vibrant little world in the eye of the storm, where every corner is filled with sea breeze, sweat, and the restless hope of adventurers.

……

Returning to the mountains and harbors.

This is the closest port to that continent, which was once the home of the dwarves.

It is also the largest port.

Most of the expeditionary ships waited here.

Inside a fortress in the city.

Lurek sat at the low table, flipping through the documents in his hands.

How many adventurers have arrived?

Upon hearing this, the human next to him said, "There are many more than we imagined. Although we can't count them in detail, there should have been between 50,000 and 70,000 arriving one after another."

He added, "But there are quite a few adventurers among them, and their levels... are not very high."

They are all probably around level three.

If it were a group of level 3 adventurers like in the past, it would be incredibly exciting.

It's important to know that before the Night's Watch rose to prominence, most soldiers on the continent were only around level two.

Level 3 soldiers can already be considered elite soldiers.

But with the rise of the Night's Watch, the world's fighting power began to expand wildly, especially after the Night's Watch spread the blessings from the world a year ago.

The world's overall strength has increased significantly.

Level 3 and below.

Those are children.

Level three is the most basic level for an adventurer; back in the day, that was a level that elite soldiers had to wear armor for.

At present, an elite soldier needs to be at least level four to be competent, and commanders and similar positions require even higher levels, such as level six or seven.

The world's military strength has increased rapidly in just one year.

Especially their night watchmen.

The culprit behind the surge in combat power is that within the Night's Watch, level five is the standard level for a Night's Watch member, and they can all rapidly rise to around level seven or eight within just a few months.

They are the ones who have expanded the most exaggeratedly.

Therefore, their ranks are mostly composed of level three adventurers, which is really not worth looking at.

“That’s enough. We don’t need to make these adventurers do anything dangerous. Let them play support roles and do the hard work.” Lurek said.

After all, they were returning to the continent they once knew, returning to their former homeland.

According to information from the Night's Watch, who had already established an outpost there several years ago.

Although that continent was extremely dangerous, it wasn't entirely inhabited by high-level creatures.

Building the landing port step by step, and then proceeding slowly, will make things much easier.

"But that's still too few, only fifty or sixty thousand. What can we do with that? We need more adventurers, and we need to raise the level of our adventurers."

The number of adventurers must exceed three hundred thousand.

"Three hundred thousand?!" exclaimed a human nearby.

Lurek nodded.

"The internal data is out. Guess how many people have sworn to become adventurers?"

He really didn't know that, and looked at Lurek with some curiosity.

"6700."

"?"

An exaggerated number.

"This is only the result of this year. There are many more people who are unaware of this information, and they don't even know the full text of the oath."

The initial landing was just the first wave. After establishing a foothold, we need to send back more information.

This includes...the division of land.

Lurek revealed the ultimate weapon.

This was a suggestion or order given after discussions within the Night's Watch council.

Land was given to the pioneers.

That is, to give land to all adventurers.

For the adventurers of this world, this is the ultimate lure.

It can attract everyone to flock to it.

It could drive even the most foolish farmers to swear oaths to become adventurers.

And when they became adventurers, when they possessed military power, those nobles who hadn't yet realized what was happening...

Ha ha.

(End of this chapter)