Chapter 85: God's Domain Lord Mode Activated; Lord Orders and Deprivation Orders.
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The Third Elder of the Snow Maidens was indeed in an awkward position. The quest reward was a single Elder position, and it required a formal application to the Snow Queen. But now, looking at the group, she wasn't sure who should receive it.
Logically, it should go to Maple, since it was her quest. But the Princess had been carried back by Seito, which made the hand-off a bit complicated.
"Elder, just give the reward to Seito-kun directly," Maple suggested, pointing at Seito.
She had already leeched enough experience to hit Level 40; she was perfectly satisfied and didn't feel the need for the title.
"Very well." The Third Elder nodded and turned to Seito. "Advanturer Sei, please follow me."
"Understood." Seito followed her out of the hut, leaving Maple and the others to rest.
Three minutes later, they arrived before a small, elegant courtyard. This was clearly the residence of the Snow Queen. Several Snow Maiden guards stood at the entrance, bowing respectfully as the Elder approached. "Third Elder."
The Elder knocked firmly on the door.
"Who is it?" A voice drifted from within—unlike the soft tones of the other Snow Maidens, this voice was heavy with authority and majesty.
"My Queen, the Princess has been rescued. I have brought the traveler here to receive his reward."
Thud!
The doors swung open immediately. A stunning woman with waist-length blue-white hair and a magnificent white gown appeared. Seeing her, the guards and the Elder dropped to one knee. "Your Majesty."
"Rise," the Snow Queen commanded, her voice dignified. she reached out and took the sleeping Yuki Snow from the Elder's arms. Seito took the opportunity to check her stats.
[Mia Snow]
[Level: 100]
As expected! Another Level 100 NPC. No wonder the tribe couldn't rescue the Princess themselves—the Yeti King was a direct peer to their Queen. Mia stroked her daughter's hair with visible emotion before looking up.
"Third Elder, take the Princess to her chambers to rest."
"As you command."
Once the Elder had departed with the child, Mia turned her gaze toward Seito.
"Advanturer Sei, come inside and rest for a moment."
"Then I'll be imposing on you," Seito replied, following her into the lavishly decorated interior. They sat at a round table, and Mia Snow produced a crystalline frost badge, handing it to him.
"Advanturer Sei, from this day forward, you are a Guest Elder of the Snow Maiden Tribe."
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the quest!]
[Your status has increased: Guest Elder of the Snow Maiden Tribe, Floor 17.]
Suddenly, a server-wide announcement boomed across God's Domain:
[Server Announcement: A player has obtained a Noble Status. Lord Mode is now activated!]
The sudden notification left the entire player base in a state of shock.
Lord Mode? What is that?
"Holy crap, who got the status? Does this mean we can build cities now?"
"How do we build them? Do we buy land?"
While players debated the mechanics of city-building, Seito turned to the Queen to clarify the benefits of his new title.
"Your Majesty, what exactly does this status allow me to do?"
"It grants you the authority to command Snow Maiden units," Mia explained.
"Furthermore, if you establish a territory, our tribe may travel freely through your lands and even assist you in times of war."
Seito perked up instantly. "Does this mean I need a [Lord Order]?" In most MMOs, becoming a Lord required a specific token.
"Yes and no," Mia shook her head. "A Lord Order requires the purchase of vast tracts of land—an expensive and tedious process for travelers. Besides, those can only be used between Floors 21 and 50."
Seito's mouth twitched. To build a city, you needed the token and had to buy the land? How much capital would that take?
"However," Mia continued, pulling out a different, more ominous-looking token, "the [Deprivation Order] is different. This allows you to declare war directly on an existing territory. If you are victorious, you become the new Lord. Whether you wish to build a city or a kingdom from there is up to you."
Seito took the token and scanned its description.
[Deprivation Order (Unique Item): Can be used on Floors 21–50 to initiate a War of Territory.]
Victory: Become the new Lord of the territory.
Failure: 50% of your guild's resources will be seized.
This was a masterpiece of an item! Seito's eyes gleamed. "Is this for me?"
"Consider it an extra reward for slaying the Yeti King."
Seito smiled broadly as he stashed the token. Today had been a massive haul—a unique status and a shortcut to becoming a Lord. He bid the Queen farewell and stepped out into the crisp air of the safe zone.
Opening his friend list, he noticed that most of the Executives had already logged off.
[Executive Private Channel]
[Sei: Where is everyone?]
[Sora: They logged out. Tomorrow's Monday—school starts. It's already past 10:00 PM.]
[Shiro: When is Seito-nii coming offline?]
Seito realized he was the only one who didn't fear a late night.
[Seito: I'll be off soon. I just need to evolve my weapon to a Divine Artifact first.]
[Sora: A Divine Artifact?!]
[Shiro: Seito-nii? What do you mean 'evolve'?]
The siblings were floored. Gear could evolve? Seito quickly explained his unique crafting caps and the evolution process. After a moment, Shiro sent her coordinates.
[Shiro: Coordinates.JPG. Seito-nii, Shiro wants to witness the birth of a Divine Artifact!]
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Thank you for reading.