World Conquest Online

Dom soon reached his room, undressed and placed his clothes on the chaise lounge at the bottom of his bed. He then climbed in and asked the system to show Riverside’s stats before he logged out.

[Town Centre of Riverside

Village Grade - S

Village Level - 5

Village Occupancy – 2.8K

Village Buildings -

Houses (Numerous), Inner Wall, Granary

Level 1 - Heroes Hall, School, Stables Red Hare, Market, Blacksmith Forge, Shipyard, Pottery, Brewery, Bank, Beast Hall, Warehouse, Mausoleum, Mine, Gambling Hall, Wood Workshop.

Level 2 - Female Horse Archer Cavalry Warriors Hall, Legionary Warriors Hall IX Hispania, Legionary Warriors Hall I Germanica, Animal Husbandry Sheep, Coinsmith, Tang Dynasty Forbidden Guards Warriors Hall, Tavern, Mine, Bathhouse, Clinic, Animal Husbandry Ox, Barracks.

Level 3 – Lumber Camp, Dock, Hoplite Warriors Hall.

Level 2 Perks:

(Villager Spawn S Grade - 28 rolls per day, high chance of high grades or skills appearing)(Family bonds S Grade - high chance of family members joining spawned villagers)(Quest creator S Grade- random quest creation, high chance of up to grade S quests appearing)(Give Me More S Grade - All spawn related buildings will have a random increase in daily spawns or reduction in spawn time)(Prestige S Grade - Increases the attractability of Riverside to non members)(Expansionist S Grade- Increases the percentage of daily spawns related to expansion trades)(City State S Grade - Increases the prestige of Riverside)

Town Centre Upgrades:

Map Room, Kitchens, Servants Quarters, Great Hall, Mayor’s Office, Architects Office, Sanitation Office, Commanders Office, Diplomats Office, Finance Office, Pest Control, Legal Office, Administration Office, Guards Office.

Level Advancement Quest:

Have 20 level 2 buildings, not including Granary and Houses - 12/20

Have 5 level 3 buildings, not including Granary and Houses - 3/5

Have 1 Level 4 building, not including Granary and Houses - 0/1

Have a Population of at least ten thousand – 2.8/10]

Dom was impressed with the growth, and hoped that the situation in Tongpai Town didn’t reduce his population by much. Not because the numbers would take time to recover, but because the characters within the game were all recognisable and he felt that they were his own people.

He was also happy to see the advancement quests were slowly increasing and it looked much less daunting to complete now after the success of the last auction. He hoped he could make similar purchases at the Top Player Auction, but his expectations were much lower as it was aimed at everyone and not just Lords and Leaders.

...

Dom logged out of the game and woke in his bed as usual, he headed for a quick shower and then combed through Golden Sun’s blog in the living area whilst he waited on Andrew and Kai. Dom had always been the late sleeper, but since playing World Conquest Online, he always felt refreshed.

There wasn’t anything particularly outstanding in today’s blog, with it mainly covering some new stories from around the world. Golden Sun did mention that DragonKnight123 had returned to the game and had joined a small kingdom and had decided to play as a civilian player rather than a military one for a while, as he recovered psychologically from the terrible in game deaths he had suffered so far.

Andrew and Kai soon joined Dom in the living room and they discussed the happenings of the game before deciding to spend the afternoon relaxing outside in the sun. Alice also joined them as usual, where she reminded them that their was a Leavers Ball the following evening and they were all expected to be there.

Dom had completely forgotten about the Leaving Ball, and as Andrew and Kai had also failed to remember, the three of them were caught off guard. The timing of the Leavers Ball would also mean that they would have to log in to the game much later than usual, and would most likely loose another in game day. It was also a sign that their time was coming to an end and they would be leaving soon.

Dom sent a message to Annabel Howard, the representative of the Isles of Brittany One Hundred Peaks Sword Sect, that he would be joining them. This actually meant that he would be joining Central University, but as a representative of the Sect, which Annabel had told him was a front for a more interesting society that most world leaders were part off.

The day soon flashed by and Dom was back in his room, ready to log back in to World Conquest Online. He lay on his bed and placed his headset on, expecting to immediately awake in his room in the Town Centre.

.....

He was surprised however to see that he had arrived in the white space and was greeted by Game Support who was sat with her legs crossed whilst playing a game of Go against herself. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Care to join me Mr Lazarus?" She asked as Dom appeared before her, surprised to see that he was in just his boxers he had gone to bed in, rather than the in game Toga he wore in Riverside. He normally would have felt uncomfortable, but was slowly becoming more accustomed to the realism of the game.

"I’m not the best at Go." Dom replied, "But I’m more than happy to play a game."

A chair appeared before the small table that Game Support was playing on and Dom walked over and sat down in it. He looked at Game Support again, and he looked over her familiarity to the representative Annabel Howard again. There were clear differences, such as the eye lines and Game Support’s plumper lips, but they could easily be mistaken from a distance.

"Have you finished ogling me?" Game Support asked with a smile, that wasn’t a smile.

"Sorry!" Dom apologised, "You just remind me of someone."

"I remind a lot of people, of a lot of people." Game Support replied with a shrug, as she cleared the board from her last game against herself and moved the first piece. Dom moved his and the game began, it didn’t take long before Dom was defeated and Game Support smiled at him, before clicking her fingers and the board disappearing.

"Thank you for the game." Game Support said kindly, "Enjoy your Auction."

.....

The room disappeared, and Dom felt like he was falling, before he quickly opened his eyes and found himself in his bed in Riverside. A clean outfit was laid out waiting for him, as was his sword in it’s scabbard. Dom felt like he should reach out to his new Swordsmith Ou Yezi and ask for a sword to be commissioned that suited his fighting style. His Slaying Spear was in a weapons rack to the side, and he would be back to grab that before he departed to the Military Camp in the East.

He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, where he was happy to see that Xun Yu, Shang Yang and Lucius were waiting for him.

"Good Morning Lord Lazarus!" Lucius greeted, as he sat and ate from his platter of food at one of the large tables.

Dom headed over and grabbed some grapes from Lucius’s plate and waved good morning to the other two. This had become a bit of a routine, and Dom wished he had someone like Lucius in his life growing up.

"Preparations are going well." Xun Yu commented with a smile at the sight. "Crassus is dealing with the logistics and has sent a trail of Ox Carts towards the camp, filled with food and heavily watered down wine. This should keep morale high within the departing force."

"We have also decided to hold the games and festival for when the force returns from Tongpai Town. We have distributed information and everyone seems keen to celebrate a big victory, what ever that may be." Shang Yang added. "Crassus and I have discussed, and we will also use this as the setting point to release the currency and salary in to the public, as well as our founding laws."

"It’s a good opportunity to set out our governance of Riverside." Lucius agreed. "of course, if you want to do anything different, we will."

"No, that is a great idea." Dom accepted, "Let everyone celebrate and enjoy themselves, whilst also turning Riverside in to a real city. How are the plans for the Festival and Games going?"

"Meritamen has accosted Wang Shu and Lars’s Wives, whilst also bringing Helena on side. They have pressured their husbands to put some time aside to build a temporary space across the River where the Games can be held." Xun Yu laughed, "Crassus has given them some background to some games he is aware off, and they are creating a basic running track and a place for Javelin throwing and some other games. Hatshepsut has pulled Sostratus away and they are designing a seating platform."

"Festival wise, she has had Peruda put aside her best drinks for it, whilst Hypatia and Lady Ban have been liaising with different cultures to see what we can show off." Lucius added.

"Meritamen has taken over it then." Dom laughed.

"She and her gang are the real rulers of Riverside." Shang Yang lamented. "This is not a good sign."

"It will be fine." Lucius laughed. "It is important for Riverside to have moments like this in our history."

As they talked, Dom was surprised to see the Notification from the System so quickly from him logging in.

[Top Player Auction will begin in one hour, please prepare to leave]

[Due to Player finishing in the Top 10 of the Top Player Leader board, Player can bring two people to accompany them at the Auction]

[Due to Player finishing third in the Top Player Leader Board, Player will be granted the third largest Private Suite at the Auction.]

[Please note, no weapons are allowed to be taken to the Auction. Players safety is guaranteed by the World Conquest Online administrators.]

"Are you ok Lord Lazarus?" Shang Yang asked, looking at Dom’s face.

"Just a little deja vu." Dom replied, which caused Shang Yang to raise his eyebrow at this unfamiliar term.

"It feels like I have been in a similar situation before." Dom explained. "The Auction begins in one hour, I can take two people again."

"Meritamen and Crassus." Lucius replied, "We have discussed it amongst us, and unless you have your own preferred choice, these are who we think is best."

"Not you Xun Yu?" Dom asked surprised.

"Crassus was definitely more helpful." Xun Yu said with a shrug. "And Meritamen is your Wife, and therefore more senior than us. If she wants to go, I’m not being the one to argue against her."

"It’s a balanced choice." Shang Yang agreed. "Hopefully this trip is just as fruitful as the last."

"I will dispatch someone to fetch them both now." Lucius said as he headed towards the entrance to grab one of the Forbidden Guard.