Chapter 9: Publicity

I walked through Djaden, stopping by a few shops to sell the loot i had gotten.

I sold the diverse yellowed tunics, tough skin belts and the travelling boots for 60 bronze coins in a clothes store. in a more luxurious one i sold 2 short sleeved light brown tunics, the 3 light brown trousers i had and 1 dark brown trousers. to this i added half of my good clouted travelling boots and the ones i was actually wearing, reaching 1 silver 17 bronze.

My next stop was to a weapons shop were i exchanged my 12 extra hunting knives, dented knives and knifes, the common wooden bows and my extra hunting bows, the rusty iron swords, the ornamented swords, the 10 shining swords and all my stone headed hand made arrows getting 4 silvers and 183 bronzes. I then bought 375 wooden arrows, a fifth of which went into a newly acquired small quiver. Those cost me a total of 164 bronzes.

Paper scrolls and quirells were worth 1 bronze each instead of nothing if sold in a general store which i did.

In total, by selling my loot i had made a benefit of 7 silvers and 44 bronze coins.

After my various stops at the shops i had emptied my satchel and in my backpacks was only left the official site's recommended extras 5 clothing sets, enough arrows to fill my current quiver 4 more times, my Cook's, Brewer's and Herborist's tools and ingredients, a dozen of currently brewing beverages, hand made potions and healing pastes, Uncle Phillip's and Serena's letters, my map, the strange skill book, and the Forest Ruins Chiefs Journals complete book series.

I went to the Training Hall and found Kaden, exercising a few Hand to Hand Combat poses.

I took my bags, belt and my vest off and joined him. for the next hour we stretched our limbs and pushed our limits.

When we were both ridden with fatigue i turned back to him.

"Teacher, i am back."

"Welcome back, Ben. How was the Expedition?"

"Cooking for so many people was way tougher than i thought. I took part in a few battles too. Didn't really like it."

Too many players steeling my exp points.

"But i learned how to calculate an items market's value, it will be quit useful i think... and i drove a cart. it was difficult at first but now i am better at it."

"Sounds boring to me"

"It is but since you have to be careful of the road, what you are carrying and be wary of any attacks, you are always paying attention."

No way i would let anyone get my hard worked won loot without a fight.

"Oh, i met a man named Beok! he kinda knew you... And i have a letter for you."

"Oh? Let's see what it says then."

I gave him the letter, as he read it he kept eyeing me while chuckling. once he finished it turned to me again.

"Do you know what this letter says?"

"That she finds me insupportable? moronic?"

"It says that she will never be able to find another Cook because were so beyond perfect in your duties you nearly eclipsed her in front of her men."

"She says all that?"

"Yes and many more things. among which is the fact that you are the most surprising person she has ever met... that is not a light thing for her to say. And i agree."

Kaden stood up and went were his belongings laid, on rhe floor. from a pouch on his belt he pulled a large silver ring with a yin yan engraving in the front.

"Which is why i am proud to say announce to you that you are no longer my student. from now on you are a full fledged Martial Artist."

"Your Weapon Mastery Intermediate 2 and Hand to Hand Combat Beginner 5 Skills have merged into Martial Arts Beginner 8."

"Do you wish to set Martial Artist as your Primary Path?"

"No"

"Do you wish to..."

"Yes"

"You have set Martial Artist as a Secondary Path.

Through your choosing of a Path 5 points were added to each of your Stats."

"Martial Artist:

-Martial Arts: Beginner 8 (0%)

The ability to battle with or without weapons.

Strength, Dexterity +2

Toughness, Speed, Endurance +1

-Meditation: Beginner 1 (0%)

Increases Health by 2%

Increases Mana by 1%"

As a Martial Artist you can now wear all armours types with no penalties."

"You obtained the Murim's Membership Ring.

As long as you wear it, other members will recognise you and offer their services more willingly."

"Murim's Membership Ring

Durability: 123/125

Value: 154,694

Monetary Value: 5 silvers

A large silver ring with a strange pattern engraved on it. Members of the Murim recognise each other by this ring. It was given to you by Kaden, a member of the Murim.

Fame +1000

Leadership, Respect, Luck +15

Strength, Toughness, Speed +10

Endurance, Dexterity +6"

Woah!! Jackpot!

"Thank you, Teacher."

After talking some more with Kaden i left the Training Hall and went to the wizards tower. I told the old my of my adventures in the Ruins and he started telling me about the Old Ways that the Druids used to follow. He gave me a set of books about Druids conclaves and way of life.

Apparently the Druids were Vegetarians, cultivated herbs for their potions and gave advises to all that requested it. they also believed in information sharing and adores violence.

As i read i had more and more ideas for the old ruins. by the end of the in game day i had added a few more pages to my project.

I woke in my bed. quickly showering and dressing i ate my breakfast. I could hear Annie move inside her room, waking up.

The Expedition had taken a total of 24 in game days which equalled to 6 and a half days in real life.

Thankfully the last bit of the Expedition had happened on Friday evening. I had caught on his late sleep and it was now past 11 am.

I was looking through the internet when i decided to take a look at the New Roads! Official Website.

The Forest Ruins were now registered. a small item list was already added, along with a map.

There was also a lot of talks about the Expedition. Many were jealous they hadn't been able to join it as the players were now boasting their rewards and feats. there we comments about a few Wall of Fame videos too.

That's when i remembered i had started filming at the beginning of the Expedition. By now watching the video would take close to a week!

Maybe i should edit it? but i don't know anything about video editing... might as well give up.

After that i went on the Wall of Fame.

There i noticed that i was at the third place in the classement.

Thank you Murim Ring!

Clicking on my name an information bubble appeared.

"Name: Ben Varrand

Race: Human

Level: suspected 27-34

Profession: suspected Cook/Herborist/Swordsman/Archer/Ninja

Last sighted in: Djaden City

No comments posted"

A series of photos of my avatar, driving the food carriage, preparing food, sitting close to the camp fire or talking to a soldier, had been posted.

Then a series of comments from players from the Expedition came to his attention.

"This guy was friendly with every NPCs."

"An awesome fighter"

"The officials regularly asked for his opinion"

"How did he get 1000 fame at once?!"

"I was impressed by his strategy to take over the camps."

"And his fight with the bandit chief!"

"I heard he was at the front lines in the Ruins!"

"His avatar is kind of looking like an Indian..."

"My work as an Archer in the Expedition was labelled as Satisfactory. i wonder what label he got?"

"Yeah."

"I got satisfactory too. yet i killed 21 bandits on my own! how many do you think he killed?"

"Do you think he will post a video of the Expedition?"

"That would be nice!"

"Maybe he had already went through the quest and knew exactly what to do?"

"If your saying he is a Beta... well maybe that's it"

"Hey! i am a Beta but i also got a satisfactory note! being a Beta does not mean we always know what we are doing!"

"I confirm what he said. Betas generally try to redo the quests they've done before and get the same skills too. i have never heard of a Beta that Cooks, fights like a Ninja, wields a black handed sword or can influence Officials so much."

"You saying that he is either new or that he is a Beta that did not retrace his previous avatar steps?"

"What about his Gourd?"

"True. You can't get those in Djaden."

"A quest?"

"It's in the golden Pack"

"Holly! So he truly is a Beta!"

"Or a player of The Path."

"Say does anyone remember that Guild called 'Varrand'?"

"Oh, yeah! there was a bunch of strong people in it!"

"Heard that their Guild Master and half of their members switched to New Roads!"

"Really?"

"It was on their Guild Wall"

"You think he was a part of it?"

"Maybe a Fan?"

What the hell is with those people? Can't they mind their own Business?

I looked at the two players above me. there was only 46 and 82 Fame points between us.

I am so close to being the top player!

I checked my mails.

One of them was from RetroGame corporation.

Apparently they wished to meet with me. Using the number provided in the mail i called them to set the day of the meeting.

"RetroGame Corporation, Publicity department, this is Sandy listening!"

"Hum, Hello."

"Hello sir"

"I am Benoit Maximillian Varrand. i received a mail about my New Roads! avatar..."

"Right, Ben Varrand! We were waiting for your call. we would like to set a meeting to discuss some commercial arrangements with you."

"Commercial Arrangements?"

"Yes. would you be free to come at the Corporation Building this week?"

"I could be there in an hour if its good with you."

"It is perfect! i will see you soon then!"

"Yes"

Annie came out of her room as i hanged up and sat at the breakfast table. we chatted while she ate then we left the apartment. I drove her to a friends house then went to the RetroGame building. i parked my car and went to the front door. After giving my name, the broad man at the entrance hall gave me a Guest badge and told me what level to go to.

I went up the building in a lift and entered a large room with semi-private work cubicles. there a secretary, Sandy, welcomed me and led me to an office labelled "New Roads! Advertising Executive Director".

She knocked, opened the door and announced me.

"Sir, player Ben Varrand is here."

"Let him in."

The voice was deep and assured. as i went in i discovered a private office with a small meeting table. Behind a large desk, sitting in a spinning leather chair a man in his late forties and dressed in a luxurious suit stood up. Another man was sitting at the meeting table, he was a bit younger than the first one. I shacked their hands and sat in the seat i was offered.

Sandy proposed to bring me a drink, i accepted a cup of water. I truly wanted a coffee but i could relate to being a go to secretary and didn't want to make her work more than necessary.

Once we were settled the man behind the desk started talking.

"Thank you for coming here so quickly, Mr Varrand."

"I was gonna be in the area anyway"

"I see. First i would like to present myself. I am Joshua Quelt, New Roads! Executive Advertising Director."

He then showed the second man.

"This is Mr Jais of Neet.tv."

"Hello Mr Varrand."

"Hello."

The man from Neet.tv started talking.

"As we told you when you called, we, actually both RetroGame and Neet.tv would be interested in running a short advertisement video using your Avatar."

"Why me?"

The one who answered me was the Advertisements Director.

"Well, it is very simple actually. You are the player who influenced the most the Bandit Camp Punitive Force, your avatar is on the Wall of Fame and we noticed that even if you turned on the Quest Filming option you have yet to post the video."

"I see... there is a problem through."

"Oh?"

"The video is not over yet."

"What do you mean not over?"

"It is still rolling."

The men now had a concerned expression. after a moment of reflection the Director started asking me questions.

"Have you not returned to Djaden?"

"I have."

"Did you talk to the Expedition Forces officer in command?"

"I did. Apparently since i went beyond duties of my Cook position i received several Bonuses."

Hearing that i had not been a part of the offensive forces of the Expedition the TV representative had a concerns expression while the Dirrector's face brightened.

"Wait, did you say Cook?"

"Yes."

"Did you get it through another NPC?"

"The Training Hall Master Kaden. Why?"

"No reason. Please give us a moment, i need to talk to Mr Jais."

I left the room, standing in front of the door. Sandy came to propose me another cup of water. Once again i accepted. The two men talked some more. When they came to a conclusion Mr Quelt opened the door for me. I noticed that Jais had an exited look in his eyes.

"Well, it has all been arranged, you should receive your reward by tomorrow."

"What was the problem?"

"No problem, it is just that when certain conditions are met players can receive very special rewards. Your accomplishments during the Expedition and Familiarity with the Officials have triggered one of those rewards. The game's system is now calculating the most appropriate one!.

"So... i hit Jackpot?"

"Yes!"

Awesome!

"This only makes your video more interesting!"

"But it is still too long."

"No worries! We will cut days of travels, a few conversations, some of your cooks duties..."

"No!"

The two men had been exanging comments when i suddenly interrupted them. They were surprised by my sudden change in behaviour.

"What? Why not?"

"You can't do that, those are part of how a player increases familiarity and skills! This was an adventure made of exiting and boring moments alike! The fighting, the waiting, the travelling, the working... all of that was the Expedition!"

"Okay, okay... i get it. you want every moment put on screen."

"But like you said it's too long. We would have to cut the video in several parts that would be screened on several days..."

The men stopped talking, as if they had suddenly realised something. After exanging a look they both took out their phones and called their superiors, asking to change the advertisements format into a series of episodes.

"Not a brawl but an adventure... cutting it into an episode per in game day... 3 hours long each... a double episode for the last attack... maybe add a few passages for the other three battles... if we screen them one per day we would end it in a month. by then another one could be ready..."

I didn't mind being put aside, drinking my water in silence. i didn't care how they made it happen but i just wanted my adventure to not be mixed into a giant brawl without any sense. i had seen many videos or tv programs of this sort and i had always hated them.

After a few minutes of arguing they had both finished negotiating and turned back to me.

"Okay"

"Pardon me?"

"Okay, we will diffuse it without mixing, cutting or changing anything."

"We will just cut it into at least 31 episodes. They will be diffused during the week as a brand new New Roads! adventure program."

"That sounds great to me already."

Since they had to rewrite a new contract i was asked to come back tomorrow with my head gear and the game cartridge.

"How are you planning to call the program?"

"We don't know yet but yours will be called by the Quest name."

"Somehow it fits."

I bid goodbye to the men and Sindy and left the building. once home i connected to the Wall of Fame again and using my game login i updated my profile.

My information window now read this:

"Name: Ben Varrand

Race: Human

Level: 19

Job: none

Path followed: (suspected) Swordsman/ Archer/ Ninja (confirmed) Cook, Herborist

Last sighted in: Djaden City

Comment: A video of my Bandit Camp Punitive Expedition Force Quest will soon be diffused on the Neet.tv channel. Stay Tuned."

It was a short but concise comment. I likes it very much.

After that i connected to New Roads! again. Since i could not leave the city i decided to work on my skills.

Looking at my avatar Skills i saw that the only ones still at Beginner 1 were Meditation, Trading, Market Value Evaluation and Contracting. Remembering Beok's advise i went to the Bubbling Bar, an establishment near the Western City Gates. There i talked to Gerry. He was drunk. From what i gathered his old man was the patron of the city's General Store, he was often away in the surrounding villages gathering goods while a employee took care of the shop. Normally Gerry would receive tasks but since a while his father had stopped trusting him with the family business. That's when Gerry had had the idea of finding Nice Silk Rolls, one of the most expensive tissues found in Braeen Kingdom. he knew someone who was willing to sell some to him but he did not have enough money to do so. As a last resort he had made a Trading contract. Except he did not pocess the items required to fulfil it.

After making him drink some more, Gerry had accepted to give me the contract and i was now running through the city, gathering everything needed while using my trading skill and Market Value Evaluation. i managed to negotiate the price of many of the items. some had to be exanged for other objects that i could get from other people throughout the city.

Several times i had been tempted to abandon the quest but each time i fulfilled a deal my merchant skills were improving. After finally gathering all the necessary items i had the feeling i had walked the city 10 times over. i went to the shop owner to complete the trade contract and returned to Gerry with the five Nice Silk Rolls. Along with the quest completion came a series of information windows.

"You have levelled up"

"The following skills have risen:

-Trading Beginner 6: you can now sell 150 of the same item at a time. INT+1

-Contracting Beginner 5: you can form business contracts involving goods and services. max monetary value: 5 silvers.

-Market Value Evaluation Beginner 7: each time you enter a shop the Market Value of all known items to you will be evaluated. the evaluation can be more correct through your knowledge of the city/ kingdom/ continent the shop is in."

"Through your experience and actions you have realised the existence of the Merchant's Path. Do you wish to follow the path of a Merchant?"

I took my time to think about it. Kaden had suggested several times that a combat Related Path was not the most effective to realise my travel dreams, Beok had told me that Merchants could become rich trough hard work and dedication...

i didn't seem like a bad idea to me. Yet i still wanted to be sure. After refusing to set Merchant as my last and Primary Path i pulled the Strange Skill Book from my backpack and read it.

"You have read the Strange Skill Book.

The Book's Magic will now operate.

You will not be able to connect for 1 in game day while the game system views all of your actions since your Avatar connection.

When you reconnect the book, will have changed to the most adequate skill for you.

Weather you choose to learn the Skill is your own choice.

The Strange Book Magic can only be used Once and will forever stay in his new Form."