T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 349, page 348: First playthrough complete.
Judging from the context, Zhong Zemo's words were nothing short of sarcastic and unsettling.

Caen instinctively became alert, his hand already reaching for his waist, but seeing the six men devouring meat, he reluctantly let go.

"Your Lordship..."

Before Caen could finish speaking, Zhong Zemo cut to the chase and asked, "How much money do you need?"

"I do not quite understand you."

"How many of those slaves do you want?"

"One gold coin."

The group, who were eating meat with gusto, choked.

1000 copper coins = 1 silver coin
100 silver coins = 1 gold coin
The only anthropomorphic part is the price system on the fourth floor; there are no tokens, no bartering, and no NPCs who will talk to you about smelting ratios.

Those accustomed to the bizarre currency system of the Stellaris universe will immediately feel a sense of relief upon seeing it, marveling at how thoughtful the developers are, given how intuitive it is.

A dry, chewy rye bread that could fill your stomach cost only one or two copper coins.

Considering the bread's dryness and hardness, this slave, who caused the Kaonka to fall, was worth the equivalent of a warehouse full of baguettes, much like armor-piercing discarding sabot rounds.

"you like her?"

The sudden touch of the blankets left Caen flustered. The weathered 20-year-old lowered his head to hide his expression, but his neck was already red.

"Sigh, what an innocent reaction," Jiang Heyi clicked his tongue. "He's obviously the kind of guy who's never held a girl's hand before."

French Fries glanced sideways, recalling the warmth and flushed skin of her body when she hugged him, and suppressed the corners of her mouth from turning up, deciding not to expose Jiang Heyi.

Even though they've been living together for so long, everyone's reactions are still so funny, so what right do they have to criticize others?
The jailer asked, "Does she like you?"

Caen took a deep breath and said solemnly, "That's not important. I just hope she can regain her freedom."

"That sounds rather insincere."

Zhong Zemo rummaged through the cabinet and found a gold coin, which he handed over.

Caen stared at him incredulously for a moment.

“You did the right thing to stop it, but as a lord, I need to consider more things, whether you understand or not.”

Upon hearing this, he respectfully and gratefully accepted the reward.

"At your service, Your Excellency!"

Zhong Zemo nodded.

"Since you're going to serve me, then help me build a strong enough guard."

"Unlike the rogues and bandits currently active in the territory, recruit some excellent adventurers who are a good match for you."

"Let's start with 50 people."

The sudden offer and promise left Caen feeling dizzy. As a former adventurer, he was only working for Zhong Zemo, whose reputation wasn't great, in order to make a living.

But today's brief contact... wasn't so bad after all.

"Are you thinking that everything is in preparation for a possible border war?"

"If you can't trust me, shouldn't you at least offer me a reward equivalent to one gold coin for my labor?"

Caen bowed again: "I have offended you, Your Excellency. What budget do you intend to give me?"

"100 gold coins, and I can also provide magic crystals if you need them."

"what?"

Caen was stunned by this audacious offer.

Is this still the way that extremely stingy lord does things?
Caen left the castle in a daze, his legs swaying as if he had just woken from a dream.

Zhong Zemo breathed a long sigh of relief.

"At least we've taken the first step. Hopefully, he'll give us a way out."

Before he was about to turn the clock, the bed made a suggestion.

"Should we send a letter to Black Frost to prevent the conflict from escalating?"

When everyone first learned that Blackfrost actually had an 8th-tier mage, they were all shocked.

A human, currently 81 years old, who left the imperial court to return to his homeland in pursuit of higher mysteries of magic, is the uncle of the Black Frost Lord.

At their peak, no matter how strong the opponent is, they will only have a slightly harder time breaking through the boundary between reality and illusion.

However, the fourth level forcibly locks players to level 6, and there is no temporary breakthrough setting.

Even with top-tier equipment, given the opponent's strength, it wouldn't be difficult for them to forcibly take away two or three people from the boundary between reality and illusion without being able to use items.

There is no clear information on the combat strength of those below the 8th rank of Black Frost, but it is highly likely that there are quite a few.

Zhong Zemo quickly wrote a letter in a friendly tone and handed it to the castle's messenger.

As the clock hands moved, considering that the changes might not happen too quickly, they skipped three days this time.

Everything went very smoothly. According to their understanding, if a special event occurred during the jump, it would be forcibly stopped. Arriving safely after 3 days meant that nothing had happened.

The messenger has returned, and Black Frost has not given any reply, but has simply accepted the letter, his attitude remaining unclear.

Caen, who was assigned the task, is making slow progress, having only recruited 8 people in 3 days.

Summoned, he earnestly explained, "Doesn't your desire to recruit adventurers like me, Lord, prove that you despise people like Sunny?"

"I will screen as efficiently as possible."

As he was leaving, Zhong Zemo asked him a question out of curiosity.

"What about the slave I bought for 1 gold coin?"

These words seemed to freeze Caen in place, and he lowered his head in embarrassment.

"She... ran away."

The room was filled with the orderly sighs of everyone.

"But...but...I saved her, right?"

"If you really believe what you're saying, you should be more confident," Jiang Heyi teased. "If you're captivated by someone's beauty, just say so. There's nothing shameful about it."

"I...I still hope she can make her own decision; leaving is her choice."

Fries covered his forehead: "I don't know whether to call you romantic or stupid... You don't actually think that these slaves, who are constantly resold and priced as high as 1 gold coin, are all ignorant people, do you?"

"The things she said to you, the promises she made, she may have said to everyone."

Kaen had never seen anything like this before. He was being tortured by seven people with words and eyes, and he was sweating profusely. His heart was beating faster than when he was fighting high-level monsters in the wild.

He received another gold coin, and although he shook his head in refusal, Zhong Zemo stuffed it into his hand without saying a word.

As he walked out of the lord's castle, he couldn't help but look back at the majestic building that countless people in his territory called a den of demons.

"It's really not the same as the rumors."

Public opinion remained the same as it had been three days prior, with talk of impending war spreading everywhere, and no one caring about the tax reforms that Zhong Zemo was actually implementing.

"You troublesome people! You troublesome people!"

Zhong Zemo couldn't help but reveal his potential as a "tyrant".

"Everything I did was to better manage the territory, yet you think I should use them to fill in the gaps?"

The jailer suddenly stood at attention and stomped his foot.

"Sir, these are no ordinary troublemakers. If left unchecked, they will inevitably cause chaos. We must take strong measures!"

Jiang Heyi returned from outside with French fries.

“I have inspected the area, and the people below are carrying out your orders diligently. Today, the food standard for 822 slaves in the nearby manor has been improved, from bran to bread.”

Zhong Zemo hurriedly asked, "What was the reaction?"

"The usual practice is to call out your name with gratitude. If you want to experience being worshipped, you can make a pilgrimage in person. That's all."

"What do you think is still needed for improvement?" Zhong Zemo placed his hand on the clock again.

"So far, I suggest that the first playthrough should focus on understanding the main characters and factions." The Primal Body rarely spoke up. "The situation is too complicated, and there are too many factors that may affect the final outcome."

"The key is to gather information, not lose challenge attempts, and start the next playthrough." "We can't intuitively know the criteria for Yuu-ro's completion, the hidden points are elusive, everything is like a fog."

"Also, I've been thinking about something."

“Yuru emphasized the four rules of this layer. The fourth rule is that only one lord can exist.”

"Regardless of how many people enter the 4th floor in a team, there is no clear superior-subordinate relationship between players. They will only work together to clear the level, unless they are members of a random team, in which case they may have conflicts due to their political addiction."

"What is the significance of this rule? Is it a limitation, or some kind of hint?"

After he finished speaking, the study fell silent.

Jiang Heyi led the applause, marveling, "Dude, you're quite the communicator!"

French Fries nodded: "And the logic is very clear, much better than the jailer guy."

The jailer tilted his head: "Is it me again? Fine, fine."

The tetra-propaganda blushed slightly.

In fact, he also had a strong desire to express himself, but everyone in the guild was outstanding, so he consciously became a listener.

That's good.

Zhong Zemo shrugged helplessly: "It seems that I, the first tyrant, can only become fertilizer for everyone."

A joke circulated in bed: "The destruction of the Silent Territory was not the squid's fault~~~"

Jiang Heyi stroked his chin thoughtfully, and an idea gradually took shape in his mind.

Time jumped again, this time skipping seven days in one go.

There were not many changes within the territory, the only difference being that Caen's 50-man guard was finally assembled.

The adventurers initially had no intention of contacting him after hearing of his reputation, but they were persuaded by Caen to visit him somewhat awkwardly.

awkward?

It's good that it's awkward! It shows that these adventurers still have a conscience and are moral people deep down.

Normally, everyone calls Zhong Zemo either "Inkfish" or by his full name. During the simulation, with the help of his bed, everyone turned into "Tyrant".

Those who can find this lord pleasing to the eye are probably the most extraordinary of all.

Zhong Zemo found the slightly reluctant expressions on these people's faces increasingly pleasing to the eye.

Even if you don't dislike him, he still won't want you.

After distributing the reward money, Zhong Zemo gave Caen another sum of start-up capital, this time asking him to recruit 100 people.

"This……"

Caen swallowed hard.

"Do we really have to go with Black Frost..."

"That's why I'm speaking to you privately. I hope you can find out through the adventurers' channels why Blackfrost's caravan crashed and where the cargo went."

"If you feel that the offer I'm making is insufficient for you to serve me, then just pretend I didn't mention it."

Without hesitation, Caen took a deep breath and gave his assurance in a firm and resolute voice.

Caen's repeated keeping of his promises and prompt payment gradually swayed him toward the territory's side.

As he left, he asked a question that left him both amused and exasperated.

"Your Lordship, was it all an act before?"

Zhong Zemo replied mysteriously, "I can't say, and you'd better not ask."

The perfectly timed bitterness on his face made Caen feel enlightened.

What a charade!

What kind of potential threat compels a noble lord to pretend to be a tyrannical and ruthless villain who preys on people?

Thinking of this, Caen felt a surge of fighting spirit to confront him.

The boundary between the virtual and real worlds began to massively purchase magic crystals using the lord's inventory funds.

Aside from the rewards paid to the adventurers, I spent it all. It wasn't their money anyway, so I didn't care.

Get ready, Zhong Zemo quickly turned the clock hands, not stopping unless a mandatory event was triggered.

The first mandatory event occurred exactly one month into the operation of the territory.

Black Frost sent another letter demanding that Silent Territory hand over the lost goods within a specified timeframe.

From initial suspicion to current conviction, Black Frost's letters are devoid of any of the polite formalities between nobles, leaving only cold threats.

Black Frost most likely secretly dispatched a large number of messengers to quietly collect information without violating imperial laws and showing respect to the empire, and concluded that the culprit was Zhong Zemo.

Kaen has helped assemble a team of 200 adventurers and has spread his information far and wide, but he still cannot find the stolen goods from Black Frost.

Like begets like, and even a mouse's child knows how to dig a hole. If Caen, who has been in the adventurer's circle for many years and has a wealth of information channels, is completely clueless, then... where does Black Frost get its information from?

Time jumped again, this time stopping at the 7th day before the two-month deadline.

Just as things were starting to flow again, a deafening roar came from outside the castle.

"The attack has begun! It has begun!"

"Magician, infuse the magic crystal with energy."

"Summoners, airdrop your summoned creatures! Don't let them attack the barrier together!"

Everyone rushed onto the balcony.

A semi-circular curtain of azure light enveloped the lord's castle.

Outside the barrier, dense magic rained down, and the magical shield rippled with countless waves, blurring everyone's vision and distorting everything around them.

Jiang Heyi could vaguely see that a raging fire had broken out in the residential area of ​​the territory below the mountain.

Caen roamed and worked tirelessly along every heavily fortified defensive line.

Upon seeing Zhong Zemo appear, he rushed over and said in a low voice, "Lord, please be prepared to flee at any time."

"The enemy has as many as 11 seventh-tier mages. This number... even with the continuous infusion of magic crystals, it will be difficult to sustain."

"How long can this drag on at most?"

"Seven days is the limit."

"Then let's stall!"

When Zhong Zemo woke up, he already knew that it was Hei Shuang's doing, and he also knew the key that could lead the player to become Louis XVI.

The adventurers recruited by Caen proved to be reliable; even when Blackfrost invaded their territory, they all chose to stay.

They'll get things done for money; they have such high professional ethics!
"The key points we've extracted from this playthrough require Caen's help; he can cover for us," Fries shouted at the top of his lungs.

Without doing so, the sound couldn't be transmitted. Black Frost's magical attack was fierce, and the barrier and the ground shook, as if an earth dragon were turning over.

For seven consecutive days, only two saw Blackfrost's mage offensive slow down.

They hadn't expected that the boundary between the virtual and real worlds could fill several warehouses with magic crystals within their territory.

The mages guarding the magic circle burned crystals without spending a penny to maintain it, yet the nearly one hundred mages of Black Frost made little progress.

Time ticked by, and facing the impenetrable walls of the Vatican, the Black Frost magician couldn't help but curse and grumble from outside the barrier.

In the final moments, Zhong Zemo flipped through the documents that had appeared on the desktop during the time acceleration.

The countdown has ended, and the first playthrough is complete.

Time stands still, and the world turns black and white again.

The evening dew drifted down, and the light screen in my hand rapidly enlarged, projecting a fluctuating number—the score for this cycle of the boundary between reality and illusion.

3780/10000.

"Below average," Xi Lu said. "We're still a long way from the promotion standard."

(End of this chapter)