Chapter 9: The Inability to Complete Hidden Tasks

Dali noticed that Emily's expression was unusual and asked nervously, "Is there something wrong with this?"

Today, what will the random system arrange for her to eat and play?

Stepmother! Dali finally understood why this little girl constantly approached strangers for candy and toys; it turned out to be a lack of love at home. This issue is serious; if her own incompetence leads to the little girl being harmed, what would happen to her reputation? But the problem is, she truly feels incompetent; completing hidden tasks is really beyond her capabilities

Life presents many opportunities, but one must understand the importance of making choices. Abandoning a task leads to a loss of reputation, and failing to complete it results in an even greater decline; thus, it is better to let it go. After much internal struggle, I resolutely decided to give up, only able to say with embarrassment: "Emily, the information you provided is simply too limited for me to assist you in finding it, so, so..." The little girl's eyes turned desperate, and I found it hard to muster the courage to say it out loud after such a long hesitation. I could only express with embarrassment: "Emily, the information you provided is simply too limited for me to assist you in finding it, so, so..." The little girl's eyes turned desperate, and I found it hard to muster the courage to say it out loud after such a long hesitation.

Dali was stunned. In the previous life, there were indeed many task enthusiasts who specialized in seeking hidden missions. They triggered numerous hidden tasks, but most of them were helpless. In their words, discovering hidden tasks only requires perseverance and luck, but completing hidden tasks relies on wisdom and strength, as well as exceptionally good fortune

At this moment, the little girl whispered sadly, "If Mom finds out that I lost her necklace, she will definitely kill me! Brother, you must help me."

Dali helplessly asked: "What does the necklace look like? Where did you lose it? When did you lose it?"

In summary, during that era, the greatest value of tasks was to trigger chain tasks and hidden tasks. From the perspective of players at that time, the reason game companies designed so many tasks was to obscure hidden tasks, making it difficult for players to easily find them. This viewpoint remained widely accepted as correct even on the eve of the great traversal.

Brother, goodbye

The former is reverence, while the latter is warmth— the differing attitudes of NPCs towards you will determine the various tasks you can trigger! This is an ironclad rule of task flow

Heavens! Could it be that they are calling me to search for something? What Dali hates the most is searching for lost items. Asking him to find a dog or a cat is manageable; he can inquire everywhere. However, if a necklace is lost, just try asking around: "Have you seen Emily's necklace? She lost her mother's necklace..." The likely response would be: "What do you mean? Do you think I found it?" Consequently, the favorability rating plummets, and the reputation declines...

After waiting for a while without a response, Dali became somewhat impatient. He had to complete hundreds of daily tasks each day and did not have time to waste with a little brat. However, he could not just leave abruptly, as that would damage his image. As a task-oriented individual, maintaining a good image was very important. Therefore, Dali decided to take a step back by moving forward: "Emily, is there something troubling you? Perhaps I can help you out."

What else? What else? Dali became anxious and said, this is so abstract, how is Dali supposed to find it?

Dali quickly turned around and crouched in front of her, gently stroking her head. Suppressing his excitement, he asked softly: "Emily, if you have any difficulties, just tell your brother. I will definitely find a way to help you solve them"

Emily's desperate gaze turned bewildered: "New?"

I casually pointed to a little girl named Emily who had been loitering in front of my house. This child is characterized by her gluttonous and playful nature. The tasks I assign to her daily are nothing more than asking her brother to buy some candy or small toys, or something similar.

Now, the NPCs will greet Dali with a smile in person, asking trivial questions like "How is m.hetushucom.com? Have you eaten? The weather is nice, etc."

On this day, after processing the materials that were mailed, Dali continued to perform daily random tasks

In the coming days, Dali will always greet Fiona as soon as he logs in, but unfortunately, there are still no tasks available. Based on her years of leveling experience, it is unlikely that there are no follow-up tasks, especially those related to reputation. Perhaps accumulating enough popularity to reach a level of respect will trigger the release of new tasks

"To! New! I will show you right away!" Dali took out a full set of tools and started working on the spot. To be on the safe side, Dali decided to splurge and make a high-end silver and green agate necklace.

The task prompt, devoid of any clues, left Dali feeling utterly flustered, and he could only respond perfunctorily, saying: "How could that be? Mom just spanks a little, that's all..."

Later, players discovered the reputation system, where completing tasks could enhance reputation. However, defeating monsters in dungeons or the wild could also increase reputation, and the efficiency was still much faster than running errands for tasks. Moreover, players found that at the military supply officers in some major cities, simply delivering certain materials could rapidly boost their reputation. For instance, the famous cloth supply officer would grant appreciation for delivering 1,000 pieces of wool, and respect for delivering 1,000 pieces of silk. For players with a bit of wealth, achieving exalted status became exceedingly simple.

Before the journey, Dali started playing the game "Gods and Demons" a year after its launch, and he was a casual player. At that time, he did not know how to level up, and what impressed him the most was the numerous NPCs in various towns. Moreover, he could easily engage in a few casual conversations with any NPC to receive quests. The experience points from the quests were minimal, the rewards were meager, and doing too many of them became tedious.

Now, the fixed tasks of hundreds of NPCs in the town have been completed diligently, but it is not a concern, as the system has daily random tasks generated. The NPCs will randomly generate a new task every day. In his previous life, Dali had no opportunity to try this. At that time, he was merely a casual player going with the flow, and later, after losing his job, he became a professional game booster, which meant he could only follow the guides.

Today, she squatted on the ground with her head buried in her knees, remaining silent. "Hey, hey," Dali attempted to engage her in conversation, but she did not respond. Could it be that her stomach hurts and she wants to take medicine today?

In order to verify this, Dali decided to see the task through to the end. Of course, having faced setbacks in his leveling strategy, he seemed to have no other choice

Fortunately, the speed of material procurement has suddenly surged, with my inbox filled daily with various ores and gems sent from the auction house. Dali is both delighted and astonished; he is pleased that he does not have to wait two to three months, but astonished by the sheer volume of mid-tier materials available in a market where even the highest-level players are only at level 35.

The little girl murmured: "I just don't know when or where I lost it. As for its appearance, well, it was a white chain with three green beads, about this big, this big..." She gestured with her hands as she spoke.

In the days that followed, the frequency and prestige of daily random tasks began to increase, and their difficulty also escalated. This was evident as the errands were no longer confined to the town but had extended to the countryside. Dali started to feel overwhelmed, as he was not familiar with the NPCs in rural areas. He began to doubt whether, if this continued, the errands would extend to other towns or even to the city.

The reason I was able to receive the Paladin reputation quest at such a low level is likely due to my high popularity

Emily was taken aback, and her expression finally returned to normal. A bit at a loss, she said: "This one is different from the one Mom has. Although it also has three green beads, they are a bit larger..."

In the past, when Dali completed the reputation quests and returned to the town to purchase supplies, the NPCs would only praise from a distance: "Did you see that? That is the great hero rumored in our town, who once defeated monsters in such and such a manner..."

At that time, the channels were filled with calls for forming teams to rush through dungeons, as the experience gained from repeatedly clearing dungeons was far faster than completing quests. Dali could not understand; was the game company being redundant? Since there was such an efficient way to level up by grinding dungeons, who would still bother with quests? Was it really necessary to design so many quests for each NPC, and after completing them, have the system randomly generate more? Was it merely to facilitate players in earning money? In reality, quests were not the best way to make money.

The little girl lowered her head and said slowly, "I lost my mother's necklace..."

It seems that this time I have set my sights on a rather expensive toy. What is a toy worth, after all? With great confidence, he replied: "Well, my brother is a paladin. Is there a paladin who does not keep his word?"

Dali Dao: "Emily, what’s wrong? Is your stomach hurting? Should I buy you some medicine? Speak up, you wouldn’t have forgotten your brother, would you?"

The little girl suddenly lifted her head, her face all streaked with tears: "Really?"

So, I will help you make a new one; your mother will surely forgive you

The little girl cried loudly: "Mom is a stepmother!"

No indication of task completion or failure, is that how she was dismissed? Dali, feeling guilty, hurriedly left. Will he be able to see her again tomorrow? Dali is filled with a sense of remorse

In Emily's curious gaze, a new necklace was completed. Dali handed the necklace to her, saying, "Take it home and give it to your mother"

However, Dali has always been skeptical of this viewpoint. In his mind, a great game company must have deeper significance. During this period, he clearly felt a difference between the errands he ran now and those in his previous life.

However, wisdom, strength, luck, and the like have always been mere illusions for Dali

Dali smiled wryly and said: "It would be better if it were larger, as it indicates that my necklace is of a higher quality. It's about bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. Your mother will surely be happy and will definitely forgive you. Alright, I still have things to attend to. See you tomorrow!"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Dali's mind: three green beads and a white chain? A silver cat's eye stone necklace? A silver green agate necklace? Why not? After all, these aren't particularly expensive items, so I might as well make one to appease her. Who knows if the task items and jewelry are the same? Never mind, even if the task fails, I will still have a reputation for righteousness, and I won't lose too many points! Yes, that's it! Who knows if the task items and jewelry are the same? Never mind, even if the task fails, I will still have a reputation for righteousness, and I won't lose too many points! Yes, that's it!

At that moment, a sobbing sound came from behind Emily. Huh? Is there a quest? What task has been triggered? It can't be, I've completed all her fixed tasks. How could a random task take so long to resolve? Could it be a hidden task? Yes, a task that is so deeply concealed can only be a hidden task! Dali felt a faint excitement in his heart.

What a tragic situation

Thus, this should be the reason why Dali triggered today's storyline. Can defeating more monsters earn the trainer's recognition? Certainly not, as they have experienced far more than players have. What do players' achievements amount to? Upon careful reflection on what the trainer said, the answer should be that having good relationships is what truly matters

Emily picked up the necklace, her gaze becoming very, very strange, exceedingly difficult to describe

The little girl whispered, "There is none left..."

In other words, the reputation gained through completing tasks is essentially social connections, or public favor. This is fundamentally different from the reputation obtained by defeating monsters

Without making a sound, not even lifting his head, he had no choice but to leave, saying as he walked: "If there's nothing else, then I must take my leave. What would you like to eat? Ah, I will bring you lollipops tomorrow, goodbye..."