September 21, 4419 in the solar calendar.

The Red Apple Church's planning of the plague is revealed.

All the relevant incriminating evidence was reported by the Fossil City Shelter, and the legislatures of the six states specially convened a large meeting to discuss how to deal with it. At the same time, the Sun royal family also got the news.

It is different from Chen Lun's experience of the battle between the gallery and the square a year and a half ago. Although the Red Apple Church was also behind the scenes, the negative impact was limited to the inner part of a city.

And because of Chen Lun's timely stopping, there was no irreparable situation in the end.

So the result of the treatment at that time was not successful.

The Empire stepped in and silenced all voices, and the Red Apple Church only ceded the mission rights in that area and declared the matter over.

In fact, the Red Apple Church has nothing to lose at all.

Such an "indulgent" situation is not what the Sun Royal Family thinks, but it can't.

It is no longer the beginning of the founding of the country, and for thousands of years, the disadvantages in many aspects have become greater and greater, and these deep-rooted problems have involved too much energy of the Sun Royal Family. As the most powerful transcendent force, even if it is the Sun Royal Family, the Orthodox Church cannot move them at will.

In the past, the royal family was not unaware of some small actions of the Red Apple Church, but because the matter did not touch the "root", they simply turned a blind eye.

But the plague was so widespread that it had spread across the southern part of the Gem State, affecting five or six cities, dozens of small towns, and hundreds of villages.

The number of deaths, as well as the indirect economic losses, is difficult to estimate.

The Red Apple Church is to blame.

The most important thing is that the incriminating evidence has been uploaded and made public.

The Sun Royal Family could no longer remain indifferent.

In response to this, the Moon Church, the Star Sect, the History and Ritual Society, and even the usually extremely low-key Hailing Troupe and the Mad Sect all began to denounce the Red Apple Church.

Together, the five Orthodox Churches recommended that the Sun Royals expel the Red Apple Church and, if necessary, even suppress it by force.

They will all be there to help.

But just when the Sun Royal Family was still hesitating, Prince Dazlai overrode the public opinion and solemnly announced that he would impose a "holy sanction" on the Red Apple Church - that is, it would be completely expelled from the country, and the faith of Lady Rose would be forbidden to continue to preach within the empire.

As soon as this decision came out, it set off a wave of public opinion in the high-level circle of Wangcheng.

This is the Church of the Seven Righteous Gods! It is the Church of the true God!

If you really want to do this, I am afraid that it will lead to unimaginable war!

But before the order was officially conveyed, another bombshell news came first-

The United Kingdom of Anlong has officially declared war on the Trisur Empire!

The situation on the western border suddenly became tense and solemn, both sides began to deploy troops, and war was about to break out!

The entire empire then fell into a frenzy, and most of the inhabitants of the empire raised their flags and shouted, hoping that the empire's army would be able to defeat the United Kingdom of Anlong and regain the territory that the empire had lost for hundreds of years.

There are also some people who are worried, after all, war is cruel, and the fighting between two countries will eventually lead to many deaths.

Two days after the declaration of war by the United Kingdom of Anlong, there was a sudden large-scale unrest throughout the empire!

Cities and towns were destroyed, countless civilians died in vain, and explosions and fires destroyed houses and lives, presenting a tragic appearance of purgatory on earth.

The source of this is all the work of the Red Apple Church!

They seem to know the decision of the Sun Royal Family, and choose to strike first!

The turmoil of the empire has officially begun!

*

*

*

Jewel Bang.

Tortoiseshell City.

It's a remote city, a little smaller than other cities in the state. But it is located in a valley, rich in industrial ores, and has a strong heavy industry.

Among the many cities in the gem state, the status ranking is not low.

On this ordinary day, the Red Apple Church, located in the middle of the city, suddenly became a little weird.

Many of the believers who came to worship entered the church gate and never came out.

Even the families of believers who came to the church to find people in the follow-up all went in and out.

This quickly caught the attention of the police station, who immediately dispatched police officers to investigate.

But as a result, without exception, all the police officers who entered the Red Apple Church disappeared.

The Red Apple Church has suddenly become a terrible no-go zone!

The once sacred building suddenly became terrifying and inexplicable, like a man-eating demon cave, and no one dared to approach it again.

Under the official recruitment announcement, a temporary group of hundreds of players, followed by two teams of asylum investigators, came to the Red Apple Church to investigate.

The two team leaders are both transcendental.

But no one thought of it.

As the doors of the church opened, hundreds of people rushed out, muttering strange prayers and looking like madmen.

These are all former missing people!

Just a face.

The first row of asylum investigators was pounced, and the madmen lay on top of them, their mouths open and gnawing like a pack of hungry beasts.

For a while, the scene was chaotic and bloody.

"—! Is this a zombie crisis?! ”

"—How did the Red Apple Church become like this!"

"—Kill, kill!

”

Although the player is surprised, he is very stable, this is a task for them, no matter how weird, it is just to upgrade and fight monsters.

But soon, these players found out that these madmen who rushed out of the church, after being stabbed seven or eight times, or even shot in the head, would not die.

Even though he was covered in flesh and blood, and received injuries that could kill ordinary people several times, he still had a hideous face, and kept muttering the word "eat" in his mouth.

Casualties among investigators and players began to mount.

The leader of the Transcendental team of the asylum finally made a move and killed two hungry maniacs with crushing strength, but these two "corpses" instantly turned into "humanoid monsters" covered with flesh and blood tentacles!

The two team leaders immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and shouted to retreat. This kind of "unbeatable" monster is definitely not something that these people can handle.

The player retreats with the asylum investigators, but the madmen chase after them.

None of them can be called "human", but monsters with human appearance!

After investigation, players saw the information of these monsters, their physical fitness far exceeded that of ordinary people, and they reached the threshold of transcendentals, and their names were uniformly called "Fallen Believers".

"—This is a monster researched by the Red Apple Church!"

Players have come to their senses.

"—Big event!"

"-Messed up! It's all messed up! ”

As they ran, their bodies exploded like flowers of flesh and blood. The lower half of the body still maintains the legs of a human, running wildly, but the upper body has become a hideous and disgusting tentacle of flesh and blood.

Pedestrians, cats, dogs, and horses were swept up and eaten by their tentacles, even low-flying birds.

Players were shocked.

Looking at the city that is mired in chaos and carnage, everyone realizes that things are becoming more and more uncontrollable, and this is a disaster!

At the same time.

On the game forum, posts exploded centrally.

Players across the empire have posted that their cities have erupted in a horrific disaster.

Countless cannibalistic "degenerate believers" spread like a virus, spreading and eating every human being, and any living thing is their target.

The police at the police station were powerless, ordinary people hid in their homes and prayed, and only the shelters and the churches stationed in various places could effectively suppress them.

But chaos has begun, and panic is gradually boiling.

*

*

*

"Did you read the forum?"

Polaris was sitting on a sofa at the moment, asking Dongyang, Chenxi, and Kotoujin and the others.

"If you look at it, you can know even if you don't look at it, and now the whole empire is in chaos."

Kotou Jin drank a juice drink and said.

The rest of the high-level players nodded their heads.

Things have made a big fuss, and almost every player knows that this is probably the big event in the main story of the version.

"Sure enough, as Jack said, the Red Apple Church is the source of unrest...... Aren't those 'fallen believers' the same monsters we've encountered in Red Flower Town? ”

Centaur said.

"That's right, those monsters came from the Red Apple Church at that time, and they don't know what means they used to transform ordinary people into 'tentacle monsters', and ordinary weapons can't kill them...... One can imagine how chaotic the various regions will be now. ”

Dongyang nodded and poured himself a glass of juice.

"Putting that aside, how are you doing? I can't stay here and wait forever. ”

Polaris raised his hand and gestured to the silver snake ring on his finger.

Dongyang and Chenxi glanced at each other, both a little envious.

"Brother Polaris, after listening to you talk about the benefits of upgrading the token, which of us doesn't want to upgrade it...... In the past two days, almost all of our energy has been focused on this. ”

He took out a money bag, shook it gently, jingled inside, and solemnly placed it in front of Polaris.

"Here is 200 gold pounds, which is the sitting-fee I will give you brother, wait patiently for two days, no...... Just one day! Not only our Valhalla, but also the Dawn of the Morning and the Doghead Gold and their Divine Love Guild will gather enough people to come over. ”

"In that case, well."

Polaris looked reluctant.

He opened the purse and expertly tucked the gold coins inside into the panel.

but in my heart I was secretly happy.

At the current black market price, this money is enough to be exchanged for more than one million credits in reality. Grandma's follow-up maintenance expenses, as well as the electrical appliances and furniture of the new apartment, have been settled.

That's when it happened.

The ten high-ranking players in the room were all stunned.

At the same time, they received a prompt popping up on the panel-

[Version 1.0 main quest is officially opened!] 】

[A-level main quest "Crimson Festival" Ring 1: Enter the hometown!] 】

[Please join any of the factions within 10 days!] Note: The second part of the main quest will be opened on the premise of joining the faction! Players who have not joined the faction will not be able to unlock the second part of the main quest! 】

The red text stimulated the nerves of the players present.

"The main quest for version 1.0 is finally here?!"

Dongyang raised his eyebrows.

The other players were also surprised.

Immediately after that, they received another prompt -

[You have joined the transcendent organization "Circus" and completed the first part of the main quest "Crimson Festival"!] 】

[Get the mission reward: 1000 XP points and 80 silver knights!] 】

[The second ring of the A-rank main quest "Crimson Festival" is opened!] For specific mission objectives, please check them according to the faction you belong to! If it doesn't happen, please be patient! 】

The high-level players present stood up one after another.

They clicked on their panel to check and found that the description of the main quest was still vacant for the time being, but it did show that it was unlocked.

"The main quest is divided into factions, each with a different goal...... It's a bit like a power war? ”

The centaur was surprised.

"It seems that this should be the case, this turmoil originated from the Red Apple Church, then they are most likely the version of the boss, and all the forces will revolve around it......"

Dongyang thought and analyzed.

"According to Jack's attitude, our circus should be hostile to the Red Apple Church, and most of the second ring missions are to fight them."

The others nodded.

Chenxi, Su Keying, and Tail are flipping through the posts on the game forum.

Their expressions looked surprised.

"Look at the forum, other players have also received a prompt for the main quest to open, which is indeed just like Dongyang said...... The mission objectives of each faction are different. ”

Polaris opens the forum built into the panel and discovers that there are a lot of new posts, and new ones pop up every second, and the swiping speed is extremely fast.

He clicked on a few of them.

The content of the post is shared by the players, and even a screenshot of the mission is attached.

It's been about three months now in open beta, and the vast majority of players who are keen on exploration and adventure have joined various factions in an effort to step into the realm of mystery and become a transcendent.

Cults such as the Seven Righteous Churches, asylum camps, and other covert and other, to a lesser extent, have also entered the gangs, chambers of commerce, and various strange associations in various places.

There are quite a few players who have explicitly started the second ring mission, such as the Church of the Sun, the Asylum and a few Orthodox Churches, and their goal is to eliminate a certain number of "fallen believers" and maintain stability in the region.

If you can kill the clergy and important people of the Red Apple Church, the rewards and power contribution points obtained are very considerable, which is obviously encouraging players to fight against the Red Apple Church.

"It's exciting! Once the main quest is opened, these large transcendent organizations will definitely come up with valuable rewards, such as transcendent knowledge. ”

Dongyang took a deep breath and said with a smile.

"Soon, there will be more and more transcendents in the player base."

"And you still laugh? I'm afraid that our advantage will soon be caught up by other players. ”

Morning and evening poured cold water on the side.

But Dongyang shook his head.

"What are you afraid of...... I have a lot of faith in the circus and Jack, and I have faith in our Valhalla, as long as this NPC is around, everyone will definitely be able to stay ahead of the curve! And it's only fun when there are more transcendent players! ”

A few more people chatted.

Suddenly, Dongyang and Chenxi and other guild leaders seemed to have received some kind of summons, and they showed a look of surprise.

"Brother Polaris, our people are here, don't wait...... Later on, all of them will enter the circus's quest hall, the 'Lake Cabin', through your 'Silver Serpent' Ring! We've got it done! ”

Dongyang said.

Chenxi and Goutou Jin also responded.

I don't know if it's the appearance of the main quest, the efficiency of the guild has suddenly become higher, I'm afraid that the high-level people also realized that time is precious, and temporarily caught some "strong men" to help Dongyang these official members of the circus complete the task of "token upgrade" as soon as possible.

Scattered players such as Su Keying, Polaris and Tail Yin have also been discussed, and the three guilds of Valhalla, Chuxi and Shenai will put together some people to help them complete the "number of people".

Everyone is a companion on the same front, and this little favor is nothing.

"Okay."

Polaris let out a sigh of relief and nodded in response.

*

*

*

Fairyland.

Lake side cottage.

Players descend one after another, and young men and women look at the area curiously.

"Oh! Is this the public area of the circus? ”

"It's so beautiful!"

"What a hook! It's like a new world...... According to what Polaris said, when our token is upgraded, you can enter here anytime and anywhere in the future, which is too convenient! ”

"Anyway, as far as I know, players from other forces don't have such a function at all."

"Yes, even the players of the Seven Righteous God Churches have never heard of such a convenient token."

The players who came in were talking a lot, wandering around, looking around, and being very interested in everything here.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, the breeze blows across the endless grassland.

On the left and right sides of the open space, there is a metal sign, and in front of it is a wooden house. There is a vine in front of the hut, and next to it is a statue of Mr. Jack.

Beyond the wooden house, a lake can be seen faintly in the back.

The whole area is stunning.

When the total number of players reaches 50, new players are stopped.

"Huh? There seems to be a limit to the number of people...... There are only fifty players coming in each time. ”

Dongyang discovered this phenomenon and said to Polaris and others.

The other high-level players looked around and nodded.

"It's true, but even then it's good...... After all, it is a public space that is not limited by time and geography, and it is too convenient for us. ”

Polaris said.

"The circus is not a simple force...... It should be said that Mr. Jack is not simple! ”

Dongyang sighed.

Immediately afterwards, he and Chenxi Kotou Jin walked up to the other players and gave them a few instructions, let them explore this area on their own, and exit when their sanity points are almost exhausted, and then let the other guild members enter, replenishing the number of people, and always maintaining a number of 50 people.

According to the general level of players now, the upper limit of each person's sanity value is about 15 to 20, and they only need to come in twice at most, and the "token upgrade" task of Dongyang and others can be completed.

It's not that hard.

Dongyang and the other ten most qualified high-ranking players sat back and enjoyed their success, and simply went to the grass in the "intelligence exchange" area and sat down, chatting while waiting.

As for the other group of new circus members, they formed a new circle next to them, chatting with each other.

"Now the game "Mysterious Age" is very popular, and the number of players may have reached tens of millions, or even more...... But the vast majority of them are just ordinary people. ”

Dongyang shared his guild's investigation report and shook his head.

"This is also something that can't be helped, not to mention the difficulty of acquiring transcendent knowledge, ordinary people are not interested in mystery and transcendence at all......"

Chenxi said.

"Many sisters in our Chuxi Guild, and their friends also play this game, but they just use this world as a sweet dream to sleep and experience life."

Dongyang nodded, snorted, and said with a smile:

"Yes, it's mostly young people who love to fight and take risks...... In fact, many people are just employed as a life sub-profession, working and living in games, as a reality spice.

I have to say that even if you do a little work, you can make some extra money for reality, after all, the current game currency is quite valuable. ”

Polaris listened silently.

A moment later.

Dongyang took the lead in drinking a bottle of "Tranquilizer" and said with a smile:

"I have to say, it's really convenient here, but it's going to be irrational all the time, and it's a little inhumane......"

"It's cheap and good, it's good to have such a space, it's a big deal to come in and brag less, and how much time can it take to do something serious."

Chenxi also drank a bottle of "Tranquility Elixir" to replenish some sanity value.

She stood up and walked to the statue in front of the hut.

"It's time to get down to business and see if there's a mission...... After all, the second ring of our main quest has not yet appeared! ”

"It makes sense, it's still Miss Chenxi directly, I like it."

The centaur smiled and got up.

Seeing this, the rest of the high-level players simply stopped talking, and followed Chenxi to the wooden house together.

At this stage, there are 59 players who have become official members of the circus, most of whom did not come today, and now there are only about 20 people here.

Together, they came to the statue of Jack.

"Handsome......"

Goutou Jin sighed.

Su Keying and Tail Yin also nodded secretly, with an aunt's smile on their faces.

On the head of the statue, a golden exclamation mark suddenly popped out.

The players were surprised at first, and then tried to interact.

[Trigger the second ring of the A-level main quest "Crimson Festival": Hunt the Church!] 】

Description: As a full member of the circus, you need to hunt down the Red Apple Church as you begin to spread the "Fallen Faithful" and allow the killing to spread!

Each "Fallen Believer" killed will earn 1 Contribution Point.

For each "clergyman" killed, you will receive 2 contribution points.

For each "Transcendent (Sequence 9)" killed, you will receive 5 Contribution Points......

……

[Trigger the first ring of the A-rank side quest "Source of Tragedy": Investigation!] 】

Mission Description: Mr. Jack, the leader of the circus, prepares to hunt down a Sage of the Sequence of Destiny, known as Howard, the tragic writer.

Keep an eye out for this enemy's whereabouts, and if you have any clues, you can submit them.

The head of the group, Mr. Jack, will give corresponding rewards according to the value of the information.

Tip: This task is valid for a long time.

……

Dongyang and the others looked very surprised.

"The second part of our main quest seems to be the same as the goal of those official forces...... In other words, are we on the opposite side of the Red Apple Church, and are we on the side of justice? ”

He asked.

"I don't think so, the circus gives me the feeling that it has always been neutral...... The reason for the unanimous goal is more likely to be that Jack is more hostile to the Red Apple Church. ”

Small kiosk

Chenxi said.

"I'm more concerned about another side quest, that enemy of Captain Jack......"

"Tragedy writer Howard? Jack wants to hunt down a high-ranking transcendent! ”

Centaur and Kotou Kim and others were also shocked.

At this moment, they suddenly received a prompt from the panel again-

["Destiny Guide" Jakespet disrupted the original deployment of the Red Apple Church, and the version 1.0 main quest "Scarlet Ceremony" was opened ahead of schedule, and the overall strength of the Red Apple Church was indirectly weakened...... The members of the circus are honored, and the regional singing degree is +1! 】

“？！”

Dongyang and the others' expressions froze.