"Ah, I thank the Gods for allowing me to meet Your Grace."
Illyrio heaved his massive bulk from his chair, nodded respectfully to Viserys beside him, and then turned to face the group of players.
"And, of course, I must thank you... er..." Illyrio paused, seemingly struggling to find the right way to address this group.
They looked like mud-legged peasants, yet they gave him a strange feeling.
From the moment they sat down, the Magister sensed that these people weren't ordinary sellswords. Nor did they seem like the bastards of some exiled noble house from across the Narrow Sea.
They should be acting timid or subservient. Yet they dare to look me directly in the eye, brazen and unashamed, as if they believe they are my equals.
I must re-evaluate this "rabble," the Magister thought. First, the cunning Illyrio wanted to probe their true identities.
Viserys was supposed to be a pawn. But if he had other backers besides the Martells of Dorne (his secret "allies"), Illyrio would need to adjust his plans.
For example, instead of just using Viserys as a distraction to draw fire, he might let this "Young Dragon" cross the Narrow Sea and tear into his enemies. Then, when both sides were exhausted, Illyrio could swoop in like Vhagar and clean up the mess.
Thinking of this, a trace of smugness mixed into the Magister's fake smile. He glanced at the King, who had maintained his regal composure throughout the meal.
Viserys turned his head, smiled back, and raised his goblet.
"Their fathers and brothers fought and died alongside my brother, Prince Rhaegar, at the Battle of the Trident. Their hearts are filled with undying hatred. They have sworn to kill the Usurper and his lackeys!"
"Yes! YES!" The players raised their goblets in unison, responding to their King.
"Damned Usurper!" The Magister nodded, noncommittally.
"Yes! YES!" The players echoed again.
"Who is the Usurper?"
"Wait, do we have character backstories?"
"Dude, did you skip the intro cutscene? Do you even know the lore?"
"When do we start eating?"
This was the conversation happening under the table among the players.
Soon, the formalities ended, and the players finally got what they were waiting for: the feast. Cultural differences didn't matter when it came to stuffing your face with meat.
While a bard sang praises of the Targaryen ancestors, the players ate with greasy mouths and zero table manners.
Under the table, the hound named "Green Lion" by his Beastmaster owner was happily gnawing on a bone.
A greasy hand reached down and ruffled Green Lion's head. The dog looked up, annoyed, realizing his master was using his fur as a napkin after finishing his meal.
Green Lion let out a low growl of protest. Li Peng (Golden_Winged_Eagle) laughed and pulled his hand back.
---
After the banquet, servants led the players to their quarters.
Illyrio's estate was vast. Even with the addition of the King and a dozen retainers, it didn't feel crowded at all.
This was evident from the fact that every player got their own private room.
As soon as the new players closed their doors—before they could even admire the medieval decor—the System Sprite (Fireboy) delivered Viserys's new quest.
[ Teach new players Basic Swordsmanship. Reward: 20 Kingdom Coins, 2 Iron Chests. ]
FaFo and the other veteran Warrior players received the notification simultaneously.
Under the cold, watchful eyes of the Unsullied guards, the players walked out of their rooms one by one and gathered in the courtyard.
"So, where are the beauties His Grace promised me?"
Step_Sis_Im_Stuck, who had only joined the game a day earlier than the newbies, was already acting like a veteran. Wearing his leather armor and carrying a crossbow on his back, he had even attracted a follower.
Clearly, birds of a feather flock together. The two of them were already deep in conversation about eating, drinking, and enjoying their "second life."
As the saying goes: Full belly, wandering eye. Now that they were fed, they started dissecting Viserys's earlier promises, their gazes roaming freely over the handmaidens rushing through the courtyard.
"That fat guy is clearly planning to use the King as a puppet. He's up to no good. He feeds you meat and wine, and that's already generous. You really think he's gonna give you women?"
Minister_of_Excuses crossed his arms and whispered to Step_Sis.
"If he's a treacherous courtier, why hasn't he tried to corrupt me—a close confidant of the King—with sugar-coated bullets yet?"
Step_Sis's reply left Minister speechless. He turned his head away, ignoring him.
"Warriors! Eyes on me!" FaFo quickly gathered the four players who had chosen the Warrior class.
His roommate Optimus_Prime (Zhang Quan), group member Pineapple_Pizza_Lover, FBI_Open_Up, and Step_Sis's follower, Eighty_Thousand_Without_Mahjong.
The five Warrior players, plus Step_Sis (Scout), gathered in a corner of the courtyard and began practicing their sword swings with serious dedication.
Meanwhile, the Beastmaster Golden_Winged_Eagle (Li Peng) was holding Green Lion's face, staring unblinkingly into the dog's eyes. According to the Fireboy, building intimacy with your pet was the key to advancing from Beastmaster to Warg.
However, Green Lion turned his head away, clearly having no intention of satisfying his unreliable master.
"Why is the Alchemist class... different from what I imagined?"
Three Alchemists, personally guided by the Fireboy, stood looking at each other. Each held a torch in one hand and a bottle of mysterious liquid in the other.
"A fire-breather. They call this 'Pyromancer'?" King_of_Femboys (Song Jiang), FaFo's roommate, looked at the torch in his hand with a deadpan expression.
"Do not lose heart, fellow Daoist! The future of Alchemy is vast and limitless!" Minister_of_Excuses, who had also chosen the Pyromancer path, quickly solidified his stance.
"It looks complicated, but it's actually simple!" The third Alchemist, No_Cure_For_Stupid, was already roleplaying. He took a swig of the mysterious liquid and spat it onto the torch.
Whoosh! A long dragon of flame roared into the air.
No_Cure_For_Stupid lowered his voice dramatically, trying to sound cool:
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Nice!"
Bun_Immortal (Blacksmith), lounging in a corner soaking up the sun, and Mouse_Is_Duck (Assassin) offered polite applause.
Without a quest to motivate him, Bun_Immortal was content to watch the show while sipping honeyed water. Life was good.
As for his master, Rondo the Blacksmith? Bun had already forgotten he existed.
Outside Rondo's smithy, Rondo was distracted all day, constantly looking for the apprentice who had only worked for him for half a day.
Did he die? Rondo frowned, sighing deeply at the cruelty of the world.
Meanwhile, back in his room, Serious_Bush_Camper (Zhao Xiaotian) didn't even take off his sword. The moment he touched the bed, he logged out in a hurry.