Am I the only one streaming Sword Art Online on the entire internet?

"Of course, I can't say for sure which one it is right now. We may have to wait until we get out of here to get a concrete conclusion. For now, let's focus on the task at hand."

After saying that, he looked up and pointed to the archway in front of him. He had seen this archway on Edwin's blueprints before; it was said to be for warriors who had returned victorious from battle.

You have completed the mission objective: Proceed to the City Lord's Mansion.

[Quest Objective Updated: 1. Help Lord Varian Wrynn persuade Edwin VanCleef (Optional)]

[Mission Objective Updated: 2. Help Edwin recover outstanding payments (Optional)]

[Mission Objective Updated: 3. Mediate the conflict between the two (Optional)]

The choices here affect different endings in the questline, and cannot be changed once selected.

Chapter 157, The Crossroads (Part 2) (Bonus Chapter 41/75)

Upon seeing the three mission objectives, Solin stopped in his tracks, choosing not to enter the city lord's mansion directly. He wanted to see the hidden ending, but he first needed to deduce which of the three options would lead to the hidden mode. After all, this game didn't have save functions, and this mission was the only one available.

"Thinking about it carefully... it's not really a matter of who's right or wrong; both sides are just victims. But if I were designing this quest, names like Edwin or Varian could still be used, but Prestor... it probably wouldn't be the original name."

Thinking about this, he reviewed the three options again and then explained.

"The first one is probably the Deadmines storyline. The second one... will most likely be Stormwind reputation hatred plus a chance to bombard Stormwind, which is what I'd like to see, but it's not a hidden storyline. I guess we'll have to choose the third one soon. Next, you'll see an interesting storyline of soloing Onyxia... Avishin, wake up, we're here."

After speaking, Suolin lowered his head and whispered in Aivixin's ear. Aivixin still looked drowsy, slowly raising her head with a confused look in her eyes.

"Put Ivy down, Daddy." Ivy forced herself to stay awake, but her voice still sounded sleep-deprived. "Ugh...where am I?"

“The Stormwind City Lord’s Mansion was completed less than an hour ago.” Thorin explained to Ivy in his gentle voice, then gently placed her on the ground and turned to look at Yuna. “Just choose the third option and watch my performance.”

"I understand." Yuna nodded, then took Ivy's small hand and followed Solin into the city lord's mansion. The interior of the mansion exuded a familiar grandeur, exactly the same as the royal palace in the original World of Warcraft. At this moment, Edwin and Varian stood on either side, each holding their own opinion, their words quite heated. Of course, since this was Varian's home turf, he had more people behind him.

“Mr. Edwin, I think the price you offered is still too high for us. We just had a fierce battle, and you should know that we simply can't afford that much money,” Varian said to Edwin in a deep voice.

He knew that withholding so many workers' wages was really inappropriate, but there's a saying that your position determines your perspective (crossed out) and his stance determines his attitude. He was still representing the interests of the Stormwind nobles, so it was difficult for him to make concessions in this situation.

"I put aside my guild work and brought my brothers to build your city. It's not unreasonable to include compensation for lost work time. I was once a resident of Stormwind, and I poured my heart and soul into this city, using the best materials and the most ingenious designs I could think of. Yet you tell me you can't afford to pay for its construction? Isn't that a bit much, Lord Varian?" Edwin retorted sharply, refusing to back down.

At this moment, everyone present suddenly saw the three uninvited guests entering through the main door. The two who were confronting each other stopped and looked at Solin, who was still wearing a mask.

“Don’t rush to argue about this matter, you two.” Sorin coughed twice, walked between Varian and Edwin, and continued, “From what I know so far, the matter can be simply summarized as follows: Mr. Edwin proposed a price that he considers appropriate for his work, while Mr. Varian thinks that price is not appropriate, so he wants to negotiate with Mr. Edwin. Am I right?”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my price. I need to pay my brothers’ wages, and I need to pay Mr. Sorin for the materials. I even only asked you for 200,000 Coles for that most valuable design!” Edwin retorted indignantly upon hearing Sorin’s words. “It’s clearly stated in the quote I gave you. Even if I wiped out the cost of the design and gave it to you for free, the price would still be 12 million Coles. And you only plan to give me 9 million! Varian, aren’t you going too far!”

“But I really can’t come up with that much money. You can let me pay in installments, but paying in full at once… I really can’t do that.” Varian felt somewhat guilty as he listened to Edwin’s questioning, and was now just trying to fool him.

"Damn it, I should have had my brothers build the walls using rough stone masonry. The price you paid was only enough for this much anyway." Edwin looked at Varian, inexplicably annoyed. "Do you think I want my brothers to cause trouble? If you don't pay me, I can't pay their wages. How am I supposed to stop them?"

"They're just a bunch of commoners. Don't we still have an army? We can just suppress them. It's an honor for them to build such a capital for the Stormwind royal family, yet they dare to talk to us about money?" A nobleman in a purple robe behind Varian said disdainfully. "Poor and desolate places breed unruly people. That saying is absolutely true."

“However, correspondingly, wealthy families are also prone to producing bloated good-for-nothings like you.” Thorin finally couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped forward and firmly stood on Edwin’s side. “Although you asked me to find people to help build the city, I must now stand on Mr. Edwin’s side, Varian. However, I think there is still some room for maneuver in this matter.”

“Tell me your thoughts, Mr. Sorin. If your proposal is feasible,” Varian said after a moment of silence.

“First, I need to confirm one thing: if I’m not mistaken, there’s someone behind the scenes stirring things up today, right?” Sorin didn’t immediately offer his proposed solution. Or rather, he was well aware that if he didn’t bring this matter to the table first, no matter what solution he proposed, there would always be nobles standing behind Varian who would question it.

He looked at Varian and Edwin with a questioning gaze, and after a brief moment of recollection, they both nodded in unison.

“You’re right, Mr. Sorin. The night before the project was handed over, someone did tell me that my asking price was a bit too low.” This was Edwin’s version of events, and although Varian’s version seemed contradictory, they inexplicably aligned.

“Someone told me that these troublesome stonemasons… oh, I’m sorry, I’m not targeting you, Mr. Edwin, that’s exactly what they said—they’ll definitely try to raise the price, and we absolutely must not agree to their requests.”

"Isn't this interesting? And don't tell me it's someone else. Since you're going to listen to his advice, it means he must be someone you know, and not just someone you know. That person... must be one of your confidants."

158. True gamers, when it's time to betray their teammates, won't even spare their wives.

Actually, Thorin felt a bit cheated while doing this quest. He knew the original World of Warcraft storyline, where both Varian and Edwin were kept in the dark, unknowingly clashing with each other, leading to this tragedy. Of course, unlike the original storyline, this person directly suggested withholding wages to Varian and the nobles.

However, now that Thorin knows the plot and has managed to fool Edwin and Varian, both of them have begun to have doubts about the matter.

"As for me... I wouldn't call her a confidante, just a newly promoted noblewoman, Lady Presto."

“That’s what my second mate told me. His name is Belian. You should have met him before, Mr. Solin.”

Sorin was quite surprised when he heard Varian's explanation. He really hadn't expected that SAO wouldn't have even changed the alias of the biggest mastermind behind this incident. He pondered for a moment, then spoke to the two of them.

"Let me hear my solution first. I will personally pay part of Mr. Edwin's fee for his work and waive the material collection fee. Then, Mr. Varian, you can pay the Stonemasons' Brotherhood's wages first, and then pay me the rest in installments. Is that acceptable?"

This compromise is quite reliable. It allows Varian to make partial payments without sacrificing Edwin's main interests, essentially a form of installment payments.

You have completed the mission objective: mediate the conflict between the two.

[Mission Objective Updated: Investigate Ms. Presto]

[New Mission Objective: Investigate Belian]

Seeing that Edwin and Varian had both approved the plan, Thorin realized that even if the other nobles wanted to object, they wouldn't dare to argue in front of Varian. So he bowed once more and left the city lord's mansion, which should have been a royal palace.

"There are some things I don't understand. Can you explain them to me?" After leaving the city lord's mansion, You Na could no longer suppress the doubts that had been swirling in her mind. "If I had seen it just now, it would have just been a large-scale movement of workers demanding unpaid wages. How do you know that someone is stirring them up behind the scenes?"

“Because I’ve seen this plot, it’s that simple.” This time, Sorin didn’t try to act mysterious. “If I’m not mistaken, Ms. Presto, like other ladies, has her period a few days every month. We can follow her during that time.”

Yuna blushed upon hearing Suolin's seemingly lewd remarks, while Aiweixin looked confused and asked, "Dad, what about the days each month?"

Steam has sales for a few days every month.

Speaking of which... why does Uncle Suolin take a few days off each month? (laughs)

Drink more hot water (the correct approach)

“You don’t need to know, because you’ll never encounter something like this in your life. Of course, neither will Lady Prestor. You’ll find out soon enough,” Thorin said mysteriously, then decided to check on Edwin’s second mate, Belial, to see what was going on. Actually, he had already sensed something was amiss. After all, SAO was, to put it bluntly, a world with extremely low magic levels. It was impossible for that young lady to be able to use a mirror image at a time like this.

------

"Hello, Mr. Sorin, and Ms. Yuna. May I ask what brings you here?"

Belian sat in his seat, surrounded by a plethora of professional books, much like a typical single civil engineer. He wore glasses and had a rather unassuming appearance.

“I’m curious why you asked Mr. Edwin to raise his asking price at the last minute. Generally speaking, this is not in accordance with business rules, is it?” Sorin did not start by pressing him aggressively, but instead used a persuasive way of speaking. “As Mr. Edwin’s deputy, you should be able to understand this point, right?”

“Generally speaking, that’s true. But before the project was handed over, I checked the accountants’ books and found a few crucial omissions, which I pointed out. The situation was also strange at the time. The accountant said he clearly remembered recording those data, but there was no trace of those data in the books.” Belian explained, and fearing that Solin might not understand, he took out the books from that time and pointed to them, continuing to explain, “Look here, they weren’t erased, but rather as if they never existed. Then I pointed this out to Mr. Edwin, and the quotation was temporarily revised. That’s how it happened.”

"I understand. Thank you for your help." Sorin nodded, turned and left, then took out a small notebook and crossed out Belian's name.

You have completed the mission objective: Investigate Belian.

“The second mate is fine. He didn’t alter the ledger either; I can confirm that.” Sorin explained briefly, then set the target at Ms. Presto’s suburban manor. “Yuna, you go up in a bit. I’ll hide nearby with the children.”

“But… I’m a little worried I won’t be able to find out anything about her, Sorin.” Yuna said with some concern, her tone tinged with uncertainty. “Can I really do it?”

“You can create an illusion. Don’t worry, just play yourself.” Solin looked confident. “The more clumsy the explanation… I mean the more amateurish the better, try to give her the illusion that we don’t have any ability and are just simply suspicious of her, that’s it.”

[Girl: MMP]

Why do I keep getting this feeling that old men are getting better and better at betraying their teammates lately?

A true gamer, when it comes to betraying teammates, won't even spare their wife...

"It's a tactic that really suits your style, Sorin, but I still have this inexplicable feeling of unease," Yuna complained in Sorin's ear. "Why do I always have to do this kind of thing..."

"It's okay, Yuna. It's been over a year, haven't you gotten used to it yet?" Sorin laughed when he heard Yuna's complaints. "By the way, Ivy, we might have to rely on you in a little while."

"Really?" Ivy asked excitedly. "Then it's a deal, I'll take care of it in a bit!"

"Thinking about it carefully, this girl is becoming more and more belligerent. Is that a good thing or a bad thing...?"

Suolin thought silently, then shook his head to clear his mind of those random thoughts, sighed, and then patted Aivixin's head.

"Good luck later, Ivy."

159. How dare you...

Yuna, having been out of Sorin's sight for a long time, carried out the mission alone. She walked slowly to the front of the rather luxurious villa and knocked on the door somewhat nervously.

There was a rustling sound coming from inside the door. After waiting for a while, Yuuna heard a click, and the exceptionally ornate double door suddenly opened, revealing the scene inside and the noblewoman standing in the doorway—Mrs. Presto.

Lady Presto possessed a face befitting her noble status, a face that could be described as breathtakingly beautiful; her fair and graceful body was partially concealed by a silk nightgown; and her long, jet-black hair was as smooth as satin, casually draped over her shoulders, the ends almost reaching her bare feet, which made Yuna blush slightly.

“Hello, Ms. Presto. I am Yuna… an adventurer, and I would like to ask you about some things.” Yuna felt a little awkward under Presto’s crimson gaze. “Is that alright?”

“No problem, little girl, your reaction is quite adorable.” Ms. Presto nodded, took two steps back, and gestured for Yuna to come in. Yuna looked around and found that Sorin was indeed missing, just as he had said, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk into the villa.

So what is Solin doing now? If we zoom out a little, we'll find that he's actually being suspended in mid-air by a strange device used by Ivyxin, looking down at the villa.

"Hang in there a little longer, Ivy, the plan is halfway done." Solin held a long, cylindrical object that looked like a telescope, staring intently at the villa. "Wait, something's not right. Why is Yuna inside?"

He wasn't worried about Yuna getting into trouble, since if Lady Prestor wanted to continue hiding her identity in Stormwind, she wouldn't have targeted Yuna. However, he also knew that she wasn't a woman who could be judged by common sense, so he needed to prepare contingency plans now.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Ivy asked in confusion. She could see very far, but she didn't know what had happened. "I hope Mom will be alright."

"The chances of something going wrong are slim. She's still able to contact me, but I need to keep an eye on her," Solin replied in a deep voice. "If I see Yuna enter combat mode, take me down immediately, understand?"

“Mm,” Ivy responded earnestly.

Meanwhile, at the Presto residence, in the reception room.

"Who sent you here, little girl?" Presto sat down at the coffee table, poured Yuna a cup of black tea, then took a sip of his own. "I only have black tea here, is that alright?"

"Um... thank you." Yuna nodded cautiously, picked up the cup with both hands, and took a careful sip. "King Varian sent me. He said that the Stonemasons Brotherhood does not approve of the price he offered, and it even caused a riot in the city. So he wanted to ask you what you should do."

“I see… I think he is the king, and this kind of thing should be left to him, not to an unknown duchess like me.” Prestor shook her head with a slight smile, also taking a sip of her red tea, her every move exuding a graceful and generous air. “Compared to those penniless commoners, his biggest advantage is that he has Stormwind’s army, and he should be aware of that.”

“But to go back on your word when you should have paid the agreed amount beforehand, and even to have the army suppress you, is probably not something a king should do.” Yuna put down her teacup and looked at Presto with some displeasure. “The kind of person you’re describing is an outright tyrant. At least I don’t think Mr. Varian is that kind of person.”

"Think what you will, that's my answer. You can go back and tell Mr. Varian... or maybe it wasn't Varian at all. You still weren't telling the truth, little girl."

Presto's smile gradually turned cold. Just as Yuna realized something was wrong, she suddenly found herself with a "paralysis" debuff, rendering her unable to move.

“You…” Yuna looked at Presto in surprise. She had seen Presto drink the same black tea before drinking it herself, but now, the duchess in front of her hadn’t reacted at all, which she found quite unbelievable. “Why…”

“It’s just a little trick.” Presto stood up, a dagger appearing in his hand. “Don’t worry, little girl, I won’t kill you, but I hope you’ll behave and tell me who’s behind you…”

She sheathed the dagger at her waist, then walked up to Yuna, gently lifted her up in her arms, and the smile on her face seemed terrifying to Yuna.

"Otherwise... I can't guarantee you'll have another chance to get out..."

Just then, a sudden sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the first floor of the villa. Presto looked towards the front hall in confusion, only to see a mysterious figure carrying a strange box descend from the sky and land steadily on the ground. Besides him, there was also an angel holding a double-pointed spear, gracefully hovering in mid-air, but her eyes were filled with murderous intent as she looked at him.