Chapter 706: New Crisis for the Players

"Your Excellency Saint Duran." Within the most sacred expanse of the Radiant Divine Kingdom lay a complex of palaces as magnificent as the abodes of the gods. Legends held that the Peak of the Gods, the highest point of this realm, was where the deities themselves resided.

Perhaps no one had ever beheld a true deity, yet the citizens of the Radiant Divine Kingdom had ever held this to be true.

A woman clad in pristine, holy white robes drifted as if floating through an endless void. Her skin shone with a crystalline brilliance, and her features were so exquisitely flawless that she seemed to have stepped out of a painted scroll.

A faint, shimmering white luminescence seemed to emanate from her entire being. With every step she took, her jade-like, translucent bare feet seemed to coax a cluster of peerlessly holy radiance from the ground beneath.

"The centennial Feast of the Gods shall commence in the coming year, when the midsummer heat burns like flowing fire," that voice spoke, cool and detached.

"Has the time for the Feast of the Gods come once more..." Saint Duran lamented. "Thinking back, Her Royal Highness the Princess once claimed sole possession of the Holy Seat for several consecutive sessions. Throughout the ages, such a feat remains absolutely unprecedented."

The woman shook her head coldly. "I have not partaken in it for a long while."

"By now, you must already sit upon the Judgment Tribunal...?" Saint Duran inquired with utmost caution.

That was likely one of the closest positions to the gods in the entire continent.

The Feast of the Gods was originally a grand festival hosted by the Continent of Nora, and those it invited were exclusively the children and believers of the deities.

At this grand gathering, generally speaking, only divine arts were permitted to be used, which was said to be a treaty forged by the gods in ancient times.

Legends whispered that the victor of the festival could not only demonstrate the piety of their faith to all the world, but could also win the favor of the god they worshiped, and even partake in a feast blessed by the deities themselves. For all cultivators who studied divine arts, this was a golden opportunity of a lifetime.

Its participants could be believers who worshiped any deity.

Of course, under normal circumstances, it was used to test whether the faith of the younger generation of believers was sufficiently pious.

Saint Duran maintained a very low, humble posture, as though the status of this female projection was far loftier than his own.

"Farewell, Your Royal Highness." Only when that white projection gradually dissolved into nothingness did Saint Duran finally raise his head.

"Your Excellency Duran." At this moment, a tall, middle-aged man in red robes with a broad forehead and a wide face approached Saint Duran with deep reverence.

Duran nodded. "The Feast of the Gods is about to begin. I need to scout out some of the youngest and most outstanding candidates within the temple."

"Understood," the middle-aged man replied, then asked, "Your Excellency, regarding the matter of driving those outsiders out..."

Saint Duran fixed him with a deep, searching look. "Your Excellency Peebo, you seem to have some thoughts on this? Let us hear them."

"If we wish to drive them out, we must grasp their leverage and understand their weaknesses. Just as these Eastern Continentals say, know yourself and know your enemy..." Peebo could be considered Duran's most loyal and capable subordinate. At the same time, rumors whispered that in the near future, Peebo might succeed Saint Duran in his position.

"Continue," Saint Duran nodded in affirmation.

"Presently, we have indeed investigated some information regarding this shop and the customers within it." He handed several documents over into Saint Duran's hands.

"The Golden Gryphin Knights of the Morning Star Empire's Canlan City played World of Warcraft all night, resulting in a full day of absenteeism...?"

"The Dawn Earth Knights of the Orc Kingdom utilized magical missives during their shift to discuss World of Warcraft, leading to... neglect of the kingdom's leader..."

"Alchemy Master Hebrew secretly watched a lifestyle skill guide for World of Warcraft while conducting collaborative alchemy at the Kriston Kingdom's Alchemy Association, causing an extremely negative impact...? It has already provoked the high-ranking members of the association into a thunderous rage...?"

He flipped down through the pages, line by line. "'The Aslan Royal Magical Workshop' has long since forbidden the mages and alchemists within the workshop from discussing anything related to World of Warcraft during work hours, yet during their shifts, they actually watched the magical projection of 'Boss Fang's instructional live stream' for World of Warcraft? This has severely delayed the refining process of certain vital alchemical items?"

"The Elven Elder 'Xivi' is suspected of failing to fulfill her elder duties for a prolonged period, and the reason is precisely due to this mystic realm called World of Warcraft?"

"..."

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Peebo shouted loudly. "I believe this so-called Origins Internet Cafe, this so-called World of Warcraft mystic realm, is just like a poison. It has completely disrupted people's normal lives and work. They even sneak glimpses of the magical projection right under the noses of their superiors during work hours. This is simply terrifying! Furthermore, they have now rapidly expanded even among the nobility as far away as the Orc Kingdom."

"We can entirely strike from this angle, having these workshop masters, association presidents, kings, and leaders step forward to ban everything related to this mystic realm."

"Otherwise, if things truly continue like this, the bankruptcy of workshops and the corruption of kingdoms will only be a matter of time!"

"Of course, I do not believe it would be appropriate for us to make a move directly. But with this concrete evidence, we can have several great empires jointly introduce new policies, leaving those who enter the Origins Internet Cafe with nowhere to hide. This way, I believe it will not be long before no one is willing to take such a great risk to visit that damned Eastern Continental's shop."

"Naturally, once they have even lost their jobs, I doubt they will have the money to frequent such a place anymore," Peebo roared with laughter.

"Mm..." Saint Duran nodded. "Proceed as you think best. If you have any doubts, you may come here to consult me at any time."

"Rest assured, Your Excellency," Peebo sneered. "I am no buffoon like Luther."

...

"Heh... Ah-choo!" Boss Fang had just logged out of the game. Stretching deeply, he inexplicably sneezed once more.

"Why does it always feel like someone has been thinking about this boss lately..." Boss Fang rubbed his nose and pondered for a moment, but he could not seem to figure it out, so he simply dropped the thought. "Perhaps it is because I am too handsome, so even without stepping out the door, young ladies are still thinking of me..."

The System: "..."

It strongly expressed that the utterly ordinary Boss Fang possessed absolutely no self-awareness in his heart.

The players within the shop were clearly oblivious to any approaching danger; any sense of keen intuition had absolutely nothing to do with them.

Gradually, those who could fully clear the Scarlet Monastery grew in number.

Even someone like Commander Evan, who might have entered the core of the team through some sort of harmonious trade, was incredibly fortunate enough to obtain a purple ring that made everyone's eyes turn red with envy—the Hand of Edward, one of the very few epic rings in the entirety of World of Warcraft.

"Graduated from the Scarlet Monastery..." Commander Evan half-reclined in his computer chair, appearing utterly idle.

"Commander..." At this moment, a paladin from the Golden Gryphin Knights approached him. "Since your gear is already so excellent, shouldn't we head over to Southshore to slay some of those despicable Horde members who are always ambushing our Alliance compatriots while they do quests?"

"What an excellent idea!" Commander Evan's eyes lit up.