After receiving their quest rewards, the group left the Sanada clan castle with cheerful faces. At the castle gate, they noticed a crowd of players gathered around, laughing amongst themselves. Chang Long, curious about the commotion, pushed through the crowd to take a look.

A tiny light brown mouse with a clean white belly was sitting dejectedly, clutching a bag of grains far too large for it to carry. He snarled at anyone who came too close, waving a small sword in one hand while protectively hugging the grains bag that was three times his size with the other.

"Brownie?"

Chang Long called his name, causing the mouse to snap his head toward her. His tiny hand, holding the sword, trembled as did his lip, and his large eyes welled up with tears. It let out a loud, heart-wrenching cry, as loud as a small mouse could muster.

"Master!"

The surrounding players were startled. No one had ever heard of a beast in the game that could speak, except for some players with special skills that allowed communication with their pets. But here was this little mouse, clearly speaking human language, and everyone had heard it.

"A talking mouse!"

One player exclaimed, confirming what the others were thinking—they had not imagined it. The tiny, teary-eyed mouse in front of them was indeed speaking.

"Wah ~ Master, you can't leave me behind. I don't want to be separated from that cute little girl. Please, Master, take me as your pet. I'll obey your every command!"

Brownie sobbed as he ran over to cling tightly to Chang Long's shoe. The gathered players were stunned. They turned their eyes to Chang Long, realizing for the first time that the outfit she was wearing was far from ordinary. Some players, who had recently checked the game's official website, were equally shocked. Moreover, the player standing slightly behind Chang Long was also wearing an extraordinary outfit. He was someone well-known, recognized by many of the players, unlike Chang Long, whose name and deeds were unfamiliar to most.

Chang Long calmly pinched Brownie's tiny body, lifting him up along with the grain bag, and walked away without paying any attention to the stares from the other players. Though many wanted to stop her and ask about the talking mouse, none dared to approach, especially after seeing the group following behind her.

.....

At a quiet teahouse, Chang Long set Brownie down on the table. She gazed at it with a slightly exasperated look, never expecting the little mouse to fall so deeply in love with Anya, to the point of begging to become her pet. Truth be told, Chang Long was not keen on having more pets; managing the ones she had was already overwhelming. Sometimes, she had to pretend to forget about them just to get a break. But Brownie had played the tragic love card so well that Chang Long could not help but feel a bit sorry for him.

"I'd really rather have a white leopard as a pet instead of you, but since Anya seems to like you, I guess I can take you in..."

Chang Long's answer made Brownie stop sobbing immediately and switch to beaming with joy.

"But! You've seen how your seniors are. Kitsune and Hulu are Divine Beasts with pure bloodlines, and Fluffy Head-chan is a beast king. You, on the other hand, have no rank and your level is low. So, if you don't work hard, you'll be kicked out!"

Chang Long said in a casual tone. The others who were listening struggled to contain their laughter because it sounded exactly like a boss warning an underperforming employee.

"Understood, Master!"

Brownie responded enthusiastically, standing at attention like a soldier. Chang Long nodded and pulled out the empty ring that used to seal Kitsune, which was now unused since Kitsune needed a special Divine Beast ring, bought along with Hulu's sealing bracelet.

"Uh... I've never caught a pet before. Kitsune and Hulu both hatched from eggs,"

Chang Long admitted, turning to her friends for advice on how to seal a pet that did not come from an egg. Only Cat-Faced Angel seemed to know what to do.

"It's easy. Since Brownie already accepts you, just touch the ring to his body. The system will guide you from there,"

Cat-Faced Angel explained with a sleepy smile, her usual demeanor.

"And what if the beast I want as a pet doesn't accept me. What should I do then?"

Chang Long asked, curious because she still wanted a white leopard as a pet, though she was not even sure if such a creature existed in the game. She just liked the way it looked in documentaries and would capture one if she had the chance.

"The main thing is to get it to accept you on some level. But if it's a strong beast, you'll have to use some force to weaken it first, making sure it can't fight back. After that, it's up to you whether you want to seal it immediately or get it to accept you first. If you seal it right away, its injuries will heal, but you'll have to starve and deprive it of water until the system announce its surrenders. But if it doesn't accept you in the end, the sealing item will break, and you'll have to buy a new one. Plus, the beast you sealed will come out enraged!"

Cat-Faced Angel explained, and everyone listened closely, realizing how useful having pets could be.

"Uh-huh, alright then..."

Chang Long took the empty silver ring and touched it to Brownie's body. The little mouse looked a bit nervous, but its body soon turned into a beam of light, vanishing into the ring. The system then announced that Chang Long had successfully acquired Brownie the Thieving Field Mouse as a pet and asked her to give it a name.

Chang Long named it Brownie, as the name suited it well—a small, brown creature that looked cute enough to eat at times. Once the matter of Brownie was settled, Chang Long found herself troubled once again. She had not expected the system to make her quest so mysterious. The Mirror of Truth, the keys—only three of the Reaper Guardians were with her, but the last one remained in the Land of the Dead, where Chang Long could not go without both the keys and that elusive Mirror of Truth.

"Hey! Why don't we go visit Brother Jie? Since we're on Aseana Island already, maybe he knows something about the Mirror of Truth,"

Peach Blossom suddenly suggested, catching everyone off guard. Chang Long's eyes lit up. Brother Jie! (Zhang Yijie) The hundred-year-old Miracle Doctor might know something about this. Visiting him might help clear up the mystery.

"Who is Brother Jie? Is he a friend of yours?"

Destiny asked.

"No, Brother Jie is an NPC, a Miracle Doctor,"

Kimhant's reply left Destiny and Cat-Faced Angel stunned yet again. Since joining Chang Long's group, they had constantly encountered things that left them astonished.

"But without Tai Yang to guide us, we won't even know how to get up there,"

Draco voiced his concern. Every time they went to visit Miracle Doctor Zhang Yijie on Longshan Mountain, Tai Yang, the doctor's pet, had always been the one to lead them.

"Right!" The duo Oliang and Wet Trash Can exclaimed in unison. Without Tai Yang, they would likely get lost on the mountain.

"We could just try going anyway. Who knows, we might bump into Brother Jie at the foot of the mountain again,"

Siegfried suggested, and everyone turned to look at Chang Long, waiting for her opinion.

Beep beep beep beep

The sound of Siegfried's wrist communicator interrupted. He glanced at it and immediately answered since the caller was none other than Rafael, who was the Acting Guild Leader in Siegfried's absence. Everyone, especially members of the Pendragon Guild, watched Siegfried with interest. If the guild was in trouble, they would have to return, missing out on the adventure with Chang Long.

"What's up, Rafael?"

Siegfried answered in a serious tone.

"The game has announced the new patch. Are you guys in the city? If so, check it out; they've posted the details at the city's notice board. Also, I'd like you all to return. We need to prepare for several things ahead of the patch launch. I want us to be the first to claim the special territories the game will open for players to conquer and develop freely,"

Rafael explained, causing the Pendragon members to feel a wave of disappointment since they had hoped to continue their journey with Chang Long.

"When's the new patch coming out?"

Kimhant asked, interested, after Siegfried hung up the call. The group made their way to the city square to check out the noticeboard.

At the city square, a crowd of players gathered, eager to see the announcement. Despite the board being large, it was still completely obscured by the curious players. Chang Long's group had to wait until the crowd thinned out before they could approach and read the system announcement.

.....

Announcement

Due to the upcoming patch update for Adventure World Online, new special territories will be introduced. Players will be able to fight for and claim these areas, allowing them to build their own ideal cities. The update will also include a mining system for gathering resources essential for construction, a warp system for travel between cities on the same island, and a banking system allowing players to freely exchange in-game currency for real money and vice versa (with an exchange rate of 1,000 in-game currency for 1 baht). Additionally, the Ameris Island will officially be opened to players.

Players who successfully claim special territories will be able to build cities and invite NPCs to stay in the territory, with terms being negotiated between the player and NPC. The player in control of a city within the special territory will have a status equivalent to a city king within the game. They can hire AI soldiers and set taxes (within the limits set by the system.)

The patch update will begin in two days in real-world time and will take 1 full day to complete. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Asian Paradise Co., Ltd.

…..

"Two more days in the real world. That's pretty fast,"

Chang Long muttered to herself.

"But on the day the game updates, we've got business to take care of anyway. After that, we can sleep it off and get back to playing once it's up,"

Draco said cheerfully, referring to their upcoming visit to the police station to give statements about the kidnapping incident they witnessed.

"I've got something to do that day, too,"

Chang Long added, making Draco and Siegfried turn to look at her. Both had long suspected that Chang Long might actually be Chang in the real world. The new look she had after gaining the Lord of Spirits profession made her resemble Chang even more. However, they could not be sure yet—after all, people could look alike. As long as they were not sure, they were not going decide it was absolute.

"We really need to return to the Starting Island. There are still things we need to wrap up, like finalizing the alliance agreement contract with the other guilds,"

Siegfried noted, causing Destiny to flinch. He suddenly remembered that, as the leader of the Immortal Guild, he also needed to formalize the alliance with Siegfried's Pendragon Guild and Caesar Guild, one of the largest on Europa Island. He, too, would have to return to take care of it.

As the group prepared to part ways due to the upcoming major game update, Chang Long thought it was a good thing that everyone would be splitting up. She could use that time to figure out how to open the Door to the Land of the Dead and continue training to exact revenge for Kitsune.

Jane and Hero had their own issues to deal with, as their friends called to remind them of promises they made. Jane hugged Chang Long, while the others shook hands, knowing that if they joined in with hugs, they might be sent to wait for respawn out of the blue. Soon, only Kimhant and Cat-Faced Angel remained by Chang Long's side.

"Are we still visiting Brother Jie, master?"

Kimhant asked once the others had left.

"Yeah, but probably not today. I have to log off tonight,"

Chang Long replied absentmindedly, still preoccupied with her own mysterious quest.

"So, what should we do with the time we have left today?"

Kimhant inquired as they walked slowly down the street, eventually stopping in front of a pet supply shop. Chang Long had already stored her pets in their sealing accessories, as they drew too much attention from other players when out in public.

"Let's check out the stuff in here,"

Cat-Faced Angel suggested. She had plenty of things she wanted to buy to enhance her pets' abilities but had been short on funds even though she opened some roadside circus shows. However, after tagging along on several of Chang Long's quests—especially the recent one involving freeing of the bride's spirit. Other than receiving a Guiding Flame as quest mission, she had earned a surprising amount of money from selling the loots they got from the beasts. Her friends had also shared some of their loot, despite her limited contributions, so now she could finally afford to buy some good items for her pets.

Chang Long, interested in getting something for Brownie, agreed. But just as they were about to enter the pet supply shop, trouble found them once again.

A group of players from various affiliations, identifiable by the badges on their chests, surrounded Chang Long, Kimhant, and Cat-Faced Angel. One of them was from the Circus Association, a group not known for engaging in extortion, which gave Chang Long a hint about their purpose for approaching her.

"Hey, pretty boy,"

one player greeted. He hesitated between calling her pretty boy or handsome girl but ultimately went with pretty boy because Chang Long's chest was not as prominent as other girls'.

-----

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