For the next three days, Kael and Lila didn’t rush back. With Ben as their guide, they toured New York City and its surroundings, treated to lavish receptions at every stop. Ben, utterly fascinated by Kael's in-game adventures, peppered him with questions about his experiences.

  The staff hosting them couldn't help but gossip, wondering who this unknown person was that had so thoroughly captivated the young master of the Carrington family.

  Three days later, Kael and Lila were back in Villa 8 at Cypress Point Estates in Houston. They logged into the game together.

  The scene that greeted Kael left him speechless.

  Starlight Village was unrecognizable. The streets were wider, the buildings taller, and new shops lined the main thoroughfare. This wasn't a village anymore; it was a burgeoning town. A sea of players swarmed the area, a crowd so dense it felt like the first day of the server launch all over again. The only difference was that these players were mostly level 23 or 24.

  Kael froze. How did they level up so fast? I've only been gone for four days. How did they manage to gain 100 million XP per day?

  Remembering he still had to turn in the teleport nexus quest, Kael made his way toward the administration building. The plaza in front of it had also been expanded, but the number of player-run stalls was surprisingly sparse. As he passed by, he overheard a conversation between two stall owners, a guy and a girl.

  "Hey, why aren't you out questing? What are you doing running a stall here?" the female player asked.

  "Burnt out from the grind," the male player replied. "Look who's talking. You're right here next to me running a stall."

  "Eh, I just finished my runs in the Verdant Pool Dungeons," she said with a sigh. "Taking a breather before I go back to grinding essence."

  "Heh, same here. I’m fried from grinding essence. Just waiting for my squad to log on so we can hit the Dungeon in Beryl Creek."

  "Seriously, they need to remove the daily cap on the Verdant Pool Dungeons," she complained. "Five runs a day is nowhere near enough."

  "Oh, come on. You get almost ten million XP per run, plus a shot at level 25 rare and epic gear sets. What more do you want?"

  "Hehe, I'm just saying," she teased. "But for real, why are the rewards for this level 25 Dungeon so insane? Merlin's Crossing has a level 25 Dungeon too, but the XP is only half of what you get here, and the gear drops suck in comparison."

  "You're from out of town, aren't you?" the male player said, a knowing smirk on his face.

  She pouted. "So what if I am? We're all players, right?"

  "Not exactly. Check out my title."

  She squinted at the text floating above his head. "'Member of Starlight Village.' So what? It's just a few extra stat points."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Heh, let me ask you something," he said, leaning forward. "When you're grinding essence here and you turn in the quest, how much XP do you get?"

  "10,000 XP per essence. I can grind out thirty, forty million a day."

  "I get 12,000 XP per essence."

  "What the hell? How is that fair?"

  "How is it fair?" he scoffed. "Dude, I bled for this village. I grinded my ass off with the original crew to build this place from the ground up. That's why."

  The girl’s eyes went wide. She leaned in close, her voice turning playful. "So… how does one join Starlight Village?"

  The man puffed out his chest, trying to act cool. "Well, that depends on how you play your cards."

  "Hehe, how about you start by adding me as a friend?"

  Kael paused, listening, and it all clicked into place. The essence quest was the one for charging the teleport nexus. Such quests didn't exist elsewhere because those teleportation networks were powered by the system itself.

  But Starlight Village was different. Its teleport nexus had been cut off by the main city, forced to rely on essence submitted by players. That's why the quest existed.

  As for the Verdant Pool Dungeons, it was currently the only player-unlocked level 25 Dungeon in the entire game. If it weren't for the level 30 teleport restriction from the main city, half the server's population would probably be crammed in here.

  Having pieced it all together, Kael stepped into the council hall. It too had been massively upgraded, now populated with functional NPCs such as a blacksmith, an armsmaster, and an alchemist.

  An NPC with the title of 'High Steward' scurried over to him.

  "Fourth Chieftain, you've returned!"

  Kael took a closer look and chuckled. The so-called High Steward was Malcolm.

  "High Steward," Kael said with a smile. "Where are the other Chieftains?"

  "The Third Chieftain is tending to the Second Chieftain's injuries, and the First Chieftain is in his office. Right this way, please."

  Malcolm led Kael through the hall to a large room in the back. Korbin was slumped over a desk, fast asleep. The desk itself was a chaotic mess of books with titles like:

  Chiefing for Dummies

  The Art of Peasant-Wrangling

  Power, Perks, and Paramours: A Chief's Guide

  Dating a Succubus 101

  Kael couldn't help but snort with laughter.

  Malcolm gently shook Korbin's shoulder. "Chief… Chief…"

  Korbin continued to snore.

  Malcolm tried again, shaking him more firmly. "Bro! First Chieftain!"

  “Huh? What’s going on?” Korbin finally stirred, sitting up and stretching wide before he noticed Kael standing there. “Oh, Ullr! Hey! Grab a seat.”

  Kael took a seat opposite him.

  "So," Korbin began, "how did that little errand I sent you on go?"

  Kael nodded. "It's done. Starlight Village can now access Beryl Creek through the teleport nexus."

  "Fantastic!" Korbin leaped to his feet, his excitement palpable.

  Kael found the whole situation amusing. Typical NPC behavior. Players had been using the connection for days, but the system required Kael to personally report the quest's completion to him.

  Korbin strode over to Kael's side. "I'm appointing you Ambassador. Your new duty is to forge more teleport nexus connections."

  "Ambassador?" Kael was taken aback. He was getting an official NPC title? Being Fourth Chieftain had been just a title with no real responsibilities, but this sounded like a position with actual power. He'd never heard of anything like this happening in his past life.

  As a rule, player and NPC governance systems were two completely separate things. At most, an NPC might issue a quest that allowed players to indirectly influence politics, but direct participation? Unheard of.

  Korbin nodded gravely. "That's right. And it's not just about the teleport nexus. I want you to bring other villages under our banner as well."

  "Uh…" Kael was even more confused.

  Just then, two system prompts appeared, stunning him even further.

  System: Congratulations, you have become the [Ambassador] of Starlight Village. Corresponding NPC administrative permissions have been unlocked.

  System: Lucky Bonus triggered. [Ambassador] permissions have been upgraded to [Lord] permissions.

  Kael felt his head spin. What the hell is going on? Can anyone please tell me what the hell is going on?