Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

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"Huh? Announcement?!" Dale exclaimed in surprise

'But... What is that??... A carriage of all things?'

'A golden carriage being pulled by… Huh?'

'Those look like horses… But green? They're shining even.'

/Chatter!/

It wasn't just him that saw that.

All around Resko and Azimuth, many players were currently staring at the sky in disbelief and awe.

They gathered outside and raised their heads, some blocking their sun so they could take a better look at it...

As he thought about what this meant, a system notification played in their mind as a golden window popped up in front of him:

[One Month Commemoration event!]

[After many ups and downs, Azimuth has successfully reached 30 Million concurrent online players worldwide, and 120 Million 'lives' have been created in a span of only 3 weeks!]

[To commemorate this incredible achievement, we from Elder Throne Studios have been working day and night to bring you an inclusive event for all players to enjoy!]

[Within a week, the exclusive area 'Babilon' shall open to all players from all areas]

[Babilon is a special zone like the Tutorial area outside the main Continent, Azimuth]

[In there, many special sub-events and challenges await even the most veterans of players with many Unique rewards to collect, achievements to attain, and areas to explore!]

[Some challenges may only account for the user's basic Statuses and Abilities while gear will be blocked, while some others...]

[Individual challenges were made to adapt to the player's current level, so don't worry about it!]

[Babilon shall open within a week at 14 Pm Pacific time on the... So check your timezone!]

[Once the event starts, all players will be eventually moved towards the entrance gates of the Tower, but don't fret, no one is obliged for anything and all players are free to leave whenever they wish at any given moment]

[Quick reminder: This is a one-off event, so upon leaving, there is no way to return, no exeptions]

[Babilon will remain open for one in-game day, it may be short, but the rewards are up for it!]

[Players are advised to not start any time-sensitive Quests before Babilo's opening to prevent time conflicts in their schedule]

[While inside Babilon, players will be incapable of getting XP, the reasons will become clear as you participate in the event…]

[But any other sort of reward varying from rare Gear, Skills, Consumables, or even Miscellaneous Items are possible to be acquired and brought from there!]

[Even more unusual things such as Pets and Mounts can be gained if you explore them enough, we shall leave some of the other rewards a mystery, so hop with us and find out about them on your own!]

[Babilon is mainly an individual event, however, there will be a few competitive and cooperative events for those that prefer party play, this is an event built with all types of players in mind!]

[Even for payers that prefer a more casual experience, there are many beautiful and unique sights within Babilon to behold!]

[Together with many collectibles to show off to your friends and other players alike!]

[Be sure to prepare and check it out, we await you there, on the Elden Throne!]

(N1)

And the message ended just like that as the Golden carriage vanished in the sky as it moved towards the Golden sun...

The faint galloping sounds of the horses vanished amidst the clouds...

As if it was a mirage from the beginning.

/Whispers…/

Barely a moment after, Dale could already hear people talking outside, the curious and confused players as they discussed what just happened.

'An event huh…'

Dale thought for a moment, going to the essence of the matter.

His expression wasn't one of excitement or naive happiness... He didn't take their words for granted.

Rewards often come with Challenges, and he doubts that the Hardcore penalty would be lifted there.

One life, one chance... Not only in-game but in real life as well.

Should he risk himself going somewhere unknown?

'It is already clear to me that this world is much more than a game, so I need to treat such events as something much grander than a simpler developer message.'

'I have about a week to prepare? That's enough.'

'More than enough even, I already have my armor, and I also just acquired my accessories, and I have no need to go over my weapons...'

'It's also enough time to stock up on consumables and the like.'

'However... I won't be bringing my Sword, since I can't store it, in the event something happens and it is lost there, once the event ends, where will it end up?'

'... Too risky, but thankfully, I already have a decent substitute.' He thought as he held his spear

'Besides, as the message said, some challenges will disregard gear and items, and I can bet my right arm that those will likely be the ones with the highest rewards.'

'They may even lock some Skills from my items, because in a sense, if I use Caldgolg's unique Skills, then there's almost no challenge that can stop me.'

'In any case, for now, I'll just progress my Quests and see if I can get a few more Stats outside of leveling.'

'If I understood the message right, levels don't hold any meaning within Babilon as the good challenges will be made to fit the players accordingly…'

'So to get the most out of everything, increasing my own strength while maintaining my own Level is the best course of action.'

'I don't need to worry much about losing my lead, I can increase my XP bar to the limit, and in case I do go beyond it, setting a couple of Quests for the players should be enough to drain it back to the required Level…'

'Albeit I wonder if they would allow that in the first place, so I need to be careful to not cross the barrier on accident.'

Dale took a glance at the accessory box for a moment before storing everything inside his inventory.

"For now… I'll go talk with Tina and figure out this shard."

'And after that… I can only wait for nightfall and see what that girl wants, the so-called Saint.'

"Perhaps she can fill in the void of the priest?" Dale mumbled to himself with a thin smile

'Without a Priest, many of the Church's basic features are locked and players can't even start the related Quests of the Church in order to unlock their respective Classes.'

'And that is very important since Priests and Paladins are two very strong Classes that are needed in parties, however, it remains to be seen what sort of Classes will the religion of our Patron God holds.'

'There are usually unique Skills and Classes to each religion in Azimuth...'

'I could also talk with the merchants and the people from the Mercenary Guild, try to build a stable relationship with them, and perhaps get a few Quests…'

"As I said before, there is a lot to do…"

[DING!]

"What now?..." Dale mumbled, displeased with the interruption

'I can't get a breather, time and time again...'

[The blessing of enhanced growth from the God of Prosperity and Harmony has dispersed]

[The period of Intensive Training has come to an end, all Villagers will now resume their new or prior lifestyles]

"Ahh! I see it now... It has been exactly 2 weeks..."

Dale looked outside, feeling a bit nostalgic...

[Your performance is being rated…]

Dale's expression distorted towards a frown.

"My... Performance?"

"Was there such a thing?"

'I was already trying my very best, but if I knew I was being evaluated… I could've tried a bit more…'

[Displaying achievements:]

[Despite their negligence, the Crops and Cattle have been properly taken care of and the lifeline of the Village has been well maintained despite initial losses]

[Even when everyone was distracted, you took care of the outside affairs, properly making use of the overflowing labor to improve the Village's current decadent situation, achieving a certain level of harmony]

[After a bit of discussion, a temporary Library was erected, allowing everyone to access the old knowledge of the Southern Corps without complications]

[Thanks to your actions and words, everyone managed to focus on their own studies and self-reflections, achieving great feats as a result…]

[Many achieved their true vocations, and some managed to improve even further, be it by themselves or through your direct interference… But one thing's for sure, your presence influenced them all]

[The young have started to tap into their overflowing talents, passed down from an age of glory, while the old have a new purpose in life… Their will, reignited!]

[Among these, a few even achieved the realm of Master! Some with the potential to go beyond it...]

[The lost fields of Alchemy and Smithing have come into the light!]

[The City Hall, Guild Hall, Mercenary Guild, Southern Feather Inn... Have all been partly restored!]

[Everyone is thankful for your efforts and the hope of the Village increases]

[A new page has been unfolded]

[Overall Rating: Perfect!... For a Beginner]

"Well! Thanks?" 

'Perfect for a beginner… Look at these people!' Dale thought with a grumpy face as he exhaled 

'I tried my best okay? It was relatively stressful to keep everyone in line while also thinking about the people, the future of the Village, and myself…'

'Sigh… Either way, this works for me.'

Dale looked refreshed, hopefully, the Village affairs would go back into the hands of Edimund and the others, and he would be able to focus on what's important… Training.

... And giving the players Quests from time to time, he does have a certain wiggle room for that.

[DING]

Everything seemed fine, Dale was happy with his results and he was ready to step outside to continue with his day...

Until it started.

[Recalculating Village rating…]

/TREMBLE!/

"Earthquake?! Out of nowhere?" Dale exclaimed as the ground started to shake

'H-How?!'

[Analysing the number of inhabitants…]

[Analysing the living condition of the inhabitants…]

'I've read pretty much all history books in the Library in order to try and piece out as many secrets as I could of this place...'

'Yet, through the entire history of this place, a Natural Earthquake only happened twice!'

'At least, from within the books I read... There weren't that many books to begin with, the Southern Corps was very organized, but that's  to be expected of the Military...'

/TREMBLE!/

The Earthquake was certainly strong, but it was definitely not above 5.5 in magnitude, meaning, it was strong, but only strong enough to cause minor structural damage to property…

If this was Earth that is.

Resko was full of wooden houses and their foundations were decent at best, some were merely standing on sticks of wood so they wouldn't be flooded during the heavy rain season!

Dale feared for the worst and he hoped no houses fell…

Or if they did, he hoped no one was hurt in the process...

[Analysing the number of Unique and above Scenarios…]

/Tremble…/

/THUD THUD THUD.../

He could feel the ground shake and the many scattered tools in the shop drop on the ground…

/Fwoosh!/

/PIERCE!/

A large and sharp knife fell close to his foot, making his stomach turn cold…

"Urg..."

[Analysing the progression of major Questilines and their major contributors…]

"Out of all places it had to fall…"

"Wait!!" He said as he turned back

"OI! OLD MAN! Are you okay back there?!"

"MY CURSED HAMMER fell on M'thumb!" Barme exclaimed painfully as he hoped around, clenching his thumb before he fell on the ground

"..."

Without saying much, he rushed inside to help the fallen old man.

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