Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 96 Hidden Rewards
"Pete, thank you so much! You brought John and the children out of that cursed place, Carneville. I don't know how to thank you enough!"

Fila then put on a great performance, stepping forward to give the chubby, bald-faced old man a warm yet reserved hug. "Oh, so you're Pete."

The imposing old man was Uncle John; their family was truly becoming more and more prosperous.

"Madam, I am deeply saddened by the news of your husband's unfortunate passing. However, upon receiving your letter, I resolutely put everything aside and rescued old John from that damned prison. It is my honor to serve you, Madam."

Old Pete bowed solemnly and gave a very standard hand-kissing gesture.

This scene was truly amazing, but it also gave Li Wei a slight feeling of temporal and spatial disorientation.

It's like watching the Lord of the Rings TV series and then watching the movie version.

Wow, that's brilliant!

“Oh, Pete, you’re still the same! I’m grateful for everything you’ve done, but that tyrannical lord of Kah City, who’s been possessed by a demon, probably won’t let you go. So, I would be honored if you could stay.”

“I would be delighted! Madam, your husband Anson Kah was the true heir to the throne of Kah City. Although he has unfortunately passed away, it does not mean that we should give up everything.”

“Yes, Pete, the city of Kah is a territory established by our ancestors and granted by the king. The glory of the Kah family must not be tarnished in our hands.”

At this point, Fila looked sorrowful and then turned to the dignified old man John beside her. "Unfortunately, we have lost all our family crests, marks, flags, and wealth. Our situation is extremely difficult, so we need to stick together and never give up. John, you are Anson's brother. Before Anson died, he hoped that George would be his successor. Can you keep your brother's last wish?"

“Yes, of course I will abide by it. I trust George! And I trust my brother Anson!”

Damn it?

Li Wei had been watching the plot in the corner for a long time, but unexpectedly, the topic suddenly turned to him. What the hell is this? The legal heir of the Kaher family!

Just say you want to kill me!

At that moment, he was truly terrified.

He didn't know if the real story was actually like that, nor did he know if his deceased adoptive father, Anson, really had this last wish, but without a doubt, if all of this was just a script randomly generated by these veteran players, then that would be absolutely ridiculous.

Furthermore, from the player's perspective, focusing fire on and eliminating this newbie is the most appropriate course of action in the current situation.

After all, only if he, the legal heir, dies will the others have a chance!
Clearly, these veteran players have reached a consensus on this matter.

Next, Fira warmly invited everyone to breakfast. During the meal, they talked non-stop, from the current situation in Kah City to the changes in the plague, to the province of Ver, and even to their camp.

The sword fights were invisible, but the entire sequence was smooth. If there were a camera at this moment, this scene wouldn't need any editing; it would be ready to be filmed immediately without any retakes. Except for Li Wei, who couldn't even insert a single punctuation mark at this moment.

Grass!
Finally, after finishing their meal, Fila got down to business.

“Pete, John, George, Leon, Penny, and my little Sophie, and Clyde, gentlemen, I have to tell you some not-so-good news. We're out of salt. I used up the last bit of salt for this meal. This is the worst thing that's going to happen to us. We need to send someone to Carneville to buy some salt, but here's the problem: we were attacked by bandits on our escape. They stole all the gold coins from our house. We need to think of something.”

“This is indeed a very tricky problem. I was originally the most suitable person to handle this; I have a few friends in the guild. But now, that madman in Kah City should have plastered my portrait all over the city gates. I'm wanted; anyone who dares to get close will be caught and hanged. However, I won't take advantage of this situation. I used to be a master fisherman.” Eddie Pete sighed and shrugged. His excuse was perfect and fit the plot logic.

“I can’t go either; I just escaped from prison. But I’ll be hunting in the forest for the next while. The winter wheat harvest is still about a month away, and we need more food in the meantime.” Uncle John chimed in, so he’s a three-star hunter?
“I’m not really suited for this job either. Besides, I need to hurry up and rebuild the blast furnace, produce charcoal, mine iron ore, and build a city gate. We need more tools and weapons in case assassins come after us. Without weapons, we’re like lambs, ready to be slaughtered.”

At this moment, Penny's suitor Clyde said, "It seems he is a three-star craftsman, or a three-star blacksmith."

“I need to continue quarrying stone and build two arrow towers along the edge of the city walls for lookout. We need to prepare for battle. Kah City has a well-organized guard that obeys that mad lord's orders. Also, those damned bandits in the mountains will covet our wealth. We've already dealt them two heavy blows; next time they won't be so timid,” Lyon said, shaking his head.

“Penny and I can’t go either, otherwise if we get close, those ignorant bastards will mistake us for witches, grab us, and burn us.” Sophie looked at Li Wei with a terrified expression. Damn it, why are you looking at me like that?

"Yes, everyone has gone mad. Several of my friends were burned alive as witches. If it weren't for my father, I might have been accused of being a witch."

Penny also had a pained expression on her face, and big tears were falling like raindrops.

At this moment, Fila sighed softly and looked at Li Wei, "Penny and Sophie really can't leave the protection of their family at this time. George, you've been in the province of Ver for the past few years. Not many people in Kah City know you. Could you go and buy some salt?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a message appeared in front of Li Wei.

[Monthly random task triggered (This type of task will be randomly triggered based on the situation in the family when there is no head of the household. If there is a head of the household, it will be changed to a special task, which can be designated to be triggered by the head of the household, or it can be left untriggered)]

The family, which had just begun to prosper, is now facing a logistical crisis due to a salt shortage. All family members are discussing the matter. You can offer a sufficiently reasonable excuse to refuse, or, if you are more skilled or suited to a certain task than others—for example, if you are a four-star blacksmith, you can request to be in charge of mining and iron smelting, allowing a family member, such as the three-star blacksmith Clyde, to purchase the salt. This aligns with the plot logic, and vice versa. [Hint: Thirty seconds remaining, family members will begin voting.]

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What the hell!

Li Wei cursed inwardly, "Is this what makes a veteran player so awesome?"

But he's also a Samsung farmer.

Wait, no, winter wheat doesn't need much intervention at this stage. The new wheat fields were only sown a month ago, so this three-star farmer is indeed in the off-season.

So, from a plot logic perspective, okay, he's the one being targeted, and he's aware of that.

If things continue like this, he wouldn't be surprised if he were voted out by the end of the month.

But it didn't matter; he felt honored to be on the same stage as a group of veteran players.

[Countdown ended, voting begins]

You voted in favor.

[Eight votes in favor, you have accepted this month's emergency mission. Mission description: You need to carry household supplies worth ten gold coins to Kahe City to sell in exchange for standard gold coins. Purchase salt; the quantity of salt must be no less than five kilograms. In any case, please return before the end of the month.]

[Task Rewards: You will receive 50 Family Contribution Points. For every additional kilogram of salt, you will receive 10 extra contribution points and an additional standard gold coin as compensation.]

[Friendly reminder: If you have enough standard gold coins, you can also directly purchase salt, thus converting supplies belonging to your family into personal property.]

Your mother, Fira, will prepare two to three days' worth of food for you, enough to get you to Káhr Castle. This includes five pounds of dried beef, five pounds of dried fish, and ten loaves of white bread.

The market price of salt is approximately one kilogram per standard gold coin (this is uncertain), but you can take ten gold coins worth of supplies from the family warehouse.

[Friendly reminder: You have triggered a hidden reward because you have met four conditions.]

First, you voted in favor in this round of voting and you are the one who will carry out the task.

Second, all family members voted in favor.

Third, the family currently lacks a head of household, and the current task is crucial to the family's future development.

Fourth, you are the legal heir of the family during the story missions;

[Note: Your courageous and responsible approach has been appreciated by your family members. Furthermore, your status as the legal heir will be determined by this mission. When all players vote, they will be unaware that you have already acquired one immunity from impeachment. You can choose when to use this immunity, but it is limited to this mission world.]

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Huh?
There are even more benefits!
Hidden rewards—is this hinting at something?
Could this also be part of training a lord—being courageous in taking on responsibilities, stepping forward in times of crisis, not shirking responsibility, not being passive, remaining calm and stable, not being discouraged by setbacks, and not getting angry or losing one's composure when faced with slander?

Wow, it feels like I've discovered some incredible developmental clues!
Li Wei was slightly excited because he had just tasted the sweetness of success.

The reason he had so many loot points in the last round was because he continuously rescued family members and dared to stand up for them when things happened.

This time, none of the seasoned veterans wanted to take on the task, but he cast his own vote as a hobby and surprisingly gained a hidden immunity from impeachment.

Are these seasoned veterans not experienced enough?
Or perhaps it's the older siblings who are taking care of him, the younger brother.

Then I thank you all very much.

However, does such a generous reward indicate that the danger of this trip is far greater than imagined?
Forget it, don't overthink it. At worst, we'll just run away.

After all, there's no punishment for being killed off by the plot, but you absolutely cannot die at the hands of the natives.

(End of this chapter)