I wasn't heartless enough to send my citizens to work on an empty stomach!
So I promptly provided them with a free steak breakfast. Just the raw ingredients, of course. They handled the cooking themselves. Now that I finally had a healthy balance of Castle Points, spending one or two points on food felt like nothing! Of course, food costs could add up fast once I had more citizens. For now, though, I let them enjoy their privileged treatment.
Half an hour later, it was time for my experiments.
First, I spent points to purchase five units of Stone.
Apparently, I could materialize them as five separate 10 kg blocks… or as one massive 50 kg slab. This time, I chose the latter.
The enormous block materialized with a heavy thud in the courtyard. The impact immediately caught the goblins' attention. Both rushed outside to investigate the sudden noise.
The moment their feet crossed the threshold, I slapped a quest scroll onto the surface of the stone.
[Quest: Strength Demonstration #1!]
Quest Info: Your ruler wishes to evaluate your strength. Mighty follower, lift this block of stone overhead to prove your worth!
Quest Type: One-Time
Objective: Lift the 50 kg stone over your head and hold it steady for 2 seconds.
Reward: 1 chicken drumstick
Gopuro was faster. He snatched the scroll and accepted it before Gopuran even had a chance.
[Ding! Gopuro has accepted your "Strength Demonstration #1" quest!]
The goblin girl let out an indignant yell and pouted furiously, cheeks puffed out in clear frustration.
But Gopuro didn't even faze. He just laughed triumphantly, like a warrior who'd just claimed victory in single combat!
And as a result, even though Gopuran was visibly seething with jealousy, she could only cross her arms, stomp one foot, and shoot him a glare that could've curdled milk.
(Haha, this guy is definitely no gentleman!) I chuckled inwardly at their antics.
(Don't worry, Gopuran. There'll be more quests after this! You'll get your turn soon enough!)
Gopuro then shoved his partner aside to clear space for his performance.
The guy was seriously buff with muscles thick and rock-hard, like those of a super professional bodybuilder. So, I had no doubt this would be child's play for him.
He gripped the block with both hands, planted his feet, and let out a sharp grunt.
"Rarr!"
With powerful motion, he hoisted the 50 kg stone overhead and held it steady.
[Ding! Gopuro has completed your "Strength Demonstration 01" quest!]
Gopuro hurled the slab aside the instant the task completed, letting out a triumphant roar.
The chicken drumstick materialized in his hand, and he devoured it right in front of Gopuran's face, complete with a smug little smirk.
(Oh haha, this bastard!) I chuckled.
Gopuran kept pouting, hands planted firmly on her hips, her green skin flushing a deeper, embarrassed reddish hue.
(Now then… time for round two.)
(Gopuran, you've got to be faster this time!)
(You have more speed than Gopuro, right? I believe in you!)
I absorbed the stone back into my inventory, then materialized a new one—exactly double the previous weight: 100 kg!
BAM!
It crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust.
I immediately slapped another quest scroll onto its surface. The objective was identical: lift it overhead and hold for 2 seconds, but this time for 2 chicken drumsticks.
I was counting on Gopuran to snatch it first.
But nope. Gopuro beat her again.
By a fraction of a second. Like, 0.00001 seconds!
[Ding! Gopuro has accepted your "Strength Demonstration #2" quest!]
"YAHAHAHAA!"
His laughter boomed even louder and smugger than before.
Gopuran's frustration boiled over. She stomped her foot hard, the impact sending a tiny puff of dirt flying. It was honestly adorable seeing such a fiery goblin girl this mad.
(Well… it is what it is.)
(Go on, Gopuro! Show me what you've got!)
Gopuro cracked his knuckles with a wide grin, then tilted his head side to side to crack his neck. He bent down, rolling his shoulders in a few quick stretches to warm up.
I watched eagerly.
50 kg had been child's play.
But 100 kg? That remained to be seen.
He gripped the slab tightly with both hands. Then, with a deep, guttural grunt, he channeled every ounce of power into the lift.
"RARRRRRR!"
It was clearly much tougher this time. His arms trembled, veins bulging, but the stubborn goblin powered through!
He hoisted it shakily overhead, held it for the required second, then bam—dropped it as soon as the notification pinged.
[Ding! Gopuro has completed your "Strength Demonstration #2" quest!]
The system instantly delivered the two drumsticks, and that silly Gopuro boy inhaled both in front of Gopuran's increasingly teary eyes, just like before.
(Haha! Excellent!)
I mentally showered the chad with praise he couldn't hear.
I already knew their evolution and stat boosts had made them far stronger. But numbers on a screen are abstract. Real-world feats like this let me truly understand their limits.
(So even at their current stats, 100 kg is still "easy as cake," huh?)
With Gopuro claiming yet another victory, I reset the field and spawned the third slab.
BAM!
The instant it crashed down, both goblins lunged without so much as glancing at the scroll!
Gopuro still beat her to it.
"YAHAHAHAHAHA!"
His cackle rang out like the laugh track of an absolute cartoon villain!
[Ding! Gopuro has accepted your "Strength Demonstration #3" quest!]
But the second he actually read the text, his smug grin evaporated.
(Muehehehehe…) I laughed evilly inside. (What are you gonna do now, my guy?)
Because this wasn't 100 kg anymore. It wasn't even 200 kg.
It was 500 Kilo-freaking-grams!
With this, my original question for this experiment had been decisively answered:
Even if a citizen lacks the ability to complete a quest… they can still accept it.
Hell! They can even grab the scroll without reading it at all and have zero clue what they just signed up for!