This was actually something that surprised Bai Ye quite a bit.
A hidden quest!
A chain of hidden quests!
And they only gave him a green-tier item?
How could they even?
Thinking of this, Bai Ye thumped his chest in regret. Because he had failed the third quest: finding and defeating the mastermind, the demon Krumit!
The rewards for hidden quests were definitely good. So, if the rewards for the first two quests were disappointing, Bai Ye felt that the main event would surely be the final hidden quest. But…
He had failed!
"This is truly a sad story!"
Bai Ye looked helpless. Fortunately, his sadness only lasted for a moment. Failure was failure; there was nothing he could do. Besides…
Looking on the bright side, the Ruby Scepter was useless to Bai Ye. Although the multi-target enhancement effect was niche, the mana accumulation effect could increase spiritual power and mental resistance. It had high trading value and could definitely be traded at a premium for a blue-tier item, which was better than nothing.
As Bai Ye pondered this, he looked back and didn't see Li Jiayi.
"That guy was quite decisive in his escape!"
Bai Ye wasn't particularly surprised by Li Jiayi's departure.
That fellow was also an experienced and pragmatic individual. Since the demon Krumit had left and the quest had failed, Li Jiayi would naturally flee. Battles without benefits were meaningless.
Why was Bai Ye so clear about Li Jiayi's thoughts?
Because Bai Ye himself was also a pragmatist. Otherwise, he would have checked the information on the Ruby Scepter and the hidden quest. Instead, he would have immediately pursued and killed Li Jiayi.
However…
Bai Ye also wasn't keen on battles without benefits.
Of course, defeating Li Jiayi might yield fragments of the God Stone, but that guy was not easy to deal with. The cost and reward were likely to be disproportionate.
As Bai Ye mused, he nudged Gavil beside him and asked, "Lizardman chief?"
Gavil looked up blankly and asked, "Yes, who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am," Bai Ye said. "Let's go, I'll take you to see your father."
Bai Ye directly grabbed Gavil and dragged him away.
Although one hidden quest had failed, Bai Ye felt there was still hope. The Orc Lord had not appeared yet, and the Orc Lord's invasion of Jura Forest had not ended. This meant that subsequent quests should still be coming. Therefore, the immediate task was to take the lizardman back to the Monster Kingdom.
However, Li Jiayi had appeared…
Bai Ye felt a bit of a headache.
Just as Li Jiayi was wary of Bai Ye, Bai Ye felt that the guy was not easy to deal with. The fact that he had participated in the Twelve Great Battles indicated that Li Jiayi's strength was definitely among the top tier on the current world battlefield. This time, they were not on the same side, and who knew what tricks he might pull later!
With these thoughts, Bai Ye, along with Gavil, rejoined Shion and retreated to the Monster Kingdom.
This time, they encountered no trouble. The goblins were still lingering in the marshlands and had not advanced further into Jura Forest, so Bai Ye and Shion successfully returned to the Monster Kingdom.
And then…
With the addition of the lizardmen, Rimuru began a war council. A battle between the Monster Kingdom and the Orc Lord was inevitable. As for Bai Ye…
He continued to be a wanderer.
The development of the Monster Kingdom didn't require Bai Ye's concern.
Bai Ye had experience with this matter. The memories from his past life were not for nothing. Whether he participated in the so-called war council or mingled with Rimuru and the other natives would not affect the triggering of hidden quests, because Bai Ye had already met the conditions to trigger them.
Gaining Rimuru's approval and becoming a temporary resident of the Monster Kingdom was the condition to trigger the hidden quest. Therefore, there was no need to rack his brains to do meaningless things; he just needed to wait.
As for how long the waiting time would be, Bai Ye also had a deduction.
Because, recently, more and more "Chosen Ones" had appeared in the Monster Kingdom!
Therefore, according to Bai Ye's speculation, this matter was most likely related to the number of Chosen Ones. The hidden quest facing the Orc Lord army was not aimed at a single Chosen One, but would only be triggered when a certain number of Chosen Ones were present.
As for the matter of the lizardmen, Bai Ye's understanding was that he had arrived early, hence he had the good fortune to eat an appetizer. This also explained why the quest rewards were only mediocre and lacked the grandeur of a hidden quest.
Regarding the quest for the demon Krumit, Bai Ye believed that the quest might directly end the Orc Lord's invasion event, or have a significant impact. It was even possible that defeating the demon Krumit would mean no further hidden quests.
Therefore, the difficulty of the quest was very high, but the rewards should also be very substantial.
However…
Failure was failure; Bai Ye didn't want to dwell on it.
One should look forward.
…
"Hey, Bai Ye, when exactly will the Orc Lord attack?"
Bai Ye sat down at a dessert shop selling mochi. A burly man at the next table couldn't help but ask Bai Ye.
The burly man, named Jemmas Todd, was a Chosen One from a fantasy world, just like Bai Ye.
Holding a plate of mochi, Jemmas sat down in front of Bai Ye and said, "You're the only one who can enter and exit Rimuru's mansion. Don't you have any inside information?"
What is prestige?
Prestige is being able to do what others cannot; that is prestige!
Bai Ye, as the first Chosen One to arrive in the Monster Kingdom, was the only one who could enter and exit Rimuru's mansion. Other Chosen Ones were brought to the Monster Kingdom by Rimuru's subordinates, and they could not enter Rimuru's mansion, nor could they even directly converse with Rimuru.
Although…
Bai Ye felt that this privilege of his was of little use, it was still prestige.
Bai Ye looked around as everyone turned their gaze towards him, and shrugged, "If I had inside information, would I be here eating mochi?"
Jemmas said, "Bai Ye, that's not right. Even if there are hidden quests, we're on the same side, all working for the Monster Kingdom. There's no need for you to be secretive."
Bai Ye replied, "The problem is, I really don't have any inside information."
Jemmas sighed, and the others also showed disappointment.
Currently, the Chosen Ones in the Monster Kingdom had a relatively harmonious relationship with each other.
Firstly, the Monster Kingdom was a neutral territory. Fighting amongst themselves would come at a heavy price, especially since Rimuru's subordinates were not weak. Therefore, even though they were all "walking God Stone fragments," they harbored no ill intentions towards each other.
Secondly, as Jemmas said, they were all on the Monster Kingdom's side for hidden quests. The quests should not conflict, and there was no reason to be antagonistic. Instead, they should cooperate with each other.
Therefore, no one suspected that Bai Ye was truly being secretive. They were just lamenting how much longer they would have to wait.
…