Chapter 175: The Hall of Valor New Recruit Token
"You can't be serious! Is the capital in trouble again?"
Countless ordinary citizens were crying out in distress, each one as skittish as a startled bird. Given the current state of the Divine Mountain Empire's capital, there was no formidable warrior to rely on, aside from the demigod who was highly unlikely to intervene.
Any random troublemaker could easily spell doom for these commoners, as well as the nobles and officials.
Fortunately, much to the relief of countless people, the rainbow ship descended.
Two figures were seen stepping onto the seven-colored rainbow bridge and boarding the ship, which then transformed into light and vanished.
It seemed the crisis had been averted.
The mysterious entity was not targeting the people of the Divine Mountain Empire after all.
A collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd. "Thank heavens!" "Thank heavens!"
They watched the rainbow ship disappear, their hearts brimming with gratitude.
The Divine Mountain Empire truly could not withstand another disaster.
"Who would have thought that David actually has a bit of compassion?" Felicia muttered in Faye's consciousness space as they stepped onto the rainbow bridge leading to the ship.
She noticed that David seemed to be staring blankly at the suffering ordinary people of the Divine Mountain Empire, as if he felt sympathy for them.
However, Felicia was clearly unaware that the root cause of all this misery was the supposedly compassionate "David" himself.
Sterl was not being hypocritical or lamenting the fact that he had caused harm to the common people of the Divine Mountain Empire.
He was simply reflecting on the harsh reality: without power, everything is futile!
If he were not strong enough, the aftermath of a future battle between powerful beings might force him to watch helplessly as Linna, Rayna, and their entire family perish.
...
"This is the rainbow ship?" Sterl gazed around the interior of the vessel with astonishment.
What lay before him was an almost entirely transparent creation, seemingly forged from the very light of the rainbow.
When he touched the walls and floor, which appeared to be made of light, he found them to be incredibly sturdy.
The ship was also exceedingly fast. In just a few blinks of an eye, Sterl noticed via his personal map that the rainbow ship had almost left the borders of the Divine Mountain Empire.
"The Hall of Valor certainly lives up to its name." Sterl observed. He quickly realized that this ship was occupied solely by those players who had survived the Netherworld.
Clearly, the Hall of Valor did not recruit solely from the Dark Moon Alliance in one go.
In other words, there are countless rainbow ships like this one within the Hall of Valor!
He was still standing there in a daze, while the other players had already started socializing.
"Brother Yule, this is the fine wine from my hometown that I told you about. I brought plenty for you."
"Much appreciated! I found that [Localized Amplification] you were looking for!"
"Really! Bro, you're a lifesaver!"
"That's what friends are for..."
The players had formed small groups, chatting enthusiastically. These groups even interacted with each other, creating a warm, familial atmosphere.
Even Faye was approached by someone who greeted her warmly.
"Saintess of the Water Blue Clan, meeting you again feels like my life has been illuminated." said a rather handsome man who stepped forward, seemingly intending to perform a hand-kiss gesture. However, he quickly retreated under Faye's indifferent gaze.
Sterl, standing in place, was also approached by several enthusiastic individuals.
"This must be the top-ranked 'David,' right? You certainly have an extraordinary presence."
"Would I be fortunate enough to make your acquaintance...?"
Sterl responded casually. He had no intention of building relationships with these players, but he also didn't want to be rude, so he just went through the motions.
He observed that the players now seemed much stronger compared to when they had just escaped death in the Netherworld.
After all, each player had earned a significant amount of legend points, along with contributions to the Dark Moon Alliance. Many were already near the third class level, just a step away when they entered the Netherworld.
Those who survived were mostly at the max level for their second class, as the weaker ones had likely perished in that deadly instance.
Thus, in just a week's time, almost everyone on the rainbow ship had reached third class.
Even Faye's level had skyrocketed. Through Star Insight, Sterl noticed that she was already at level 99.
"If Faye had stubbornly stayed with the princes and piggybacked on my quest progress, she might have reached level 100 by now." Sterl pondered.
At that moment, a particularly strong presence emanated from a third-class player who had reached level 110. He stepped into the center of the ship's cabin and raised his voice.
"Everyone, I have to say some discouraging words."
"We're heading to the Hall of Valor, an unknown force. I estimate that at least half of us will die there!"
His bold statement immediately captured everyone's attention.
However, none of the many players present dared to refute his words. Instead, each of them wore a solemn expression.
When they had escaped the Netherworld, most of the players were dazzled by the Hall of Valor's reputation and were also lulled into a sense of security by the goddess's intervention.
But now that they had come to their senses, they all vaguely realized one thing.
Could Gloria's influence really recommend so many people? It just didn't seem right!
Their suspicions grew stronger as they looked at the introduction on the Hall of Valor invitation—
It stated that they still needed to pass an entry test to truly join the Hall of Valor.
The players instinctively felt that this entry test would likely be extremely difficult. The leading player had struck a chord with everyone.
"The entry test probably has a high mortality rate. Why would Gloria, that witch, let us have an easy time?"
"Haven't we been tricked enough already?"
"But... this is indeed an opportunity. We must stick together to have a better chance of passing the test!"
They discussed fervently among themselves.
The leading player seized the moment and continued, "My name is Yate, from the Thorn Federation, with an S-grade talent and an A-grade class."
"I dare to suggest that everyone gather around me so we can face challenges together..."
However, just as the conversation was getting heated, a sudden silence fell over the group.
A soft, purplish moonlight illuminated the rainbow ship, and a figure appeared.
With a perfect figure and an innocent-looking beauty, it was none other than the Dark Moon Goddess, Gloria!
The players were dumbfounded. Who would have thought that someone of Gloria's stature would actually descend onto the rainbow ship?
The players who had previously cursed "Gloria" immediately turned pale!
The rest of the players also became incredibly well-behaved, sitting upright and still.
Gloria simply smiled, exuding an enchanting charm.
She seemed to have not heard any of the earlier insults. She merely said, "Warriors, you are soon to enter the Hall of Valor."
"This is the last bit of assistance I can offer you."
As she spoke, she waved her hand, and with a soft glow, five tokens appeared.
The players could see the specific attributes of the tokens:
[Hall of Valor New Recruit Token]
[Description: A recommendation token issued by the Hall of Valor organization to various deities. Extremely rare.]
[Effect: None.]
[Note: This item cannot be destroyed.]
"These tokens can give you some initial advantages in the Hall of Valor. They can be directly exchanged for contributions and can unlock certain permissions." Gloria explained.
On the surface, she appeared nonchalant, as if these tokens were taken out casually.
In reality, these five tokens were something she had accumulated over hundreds of years.
Each token could unconditionally recommend one person, granting them preferential treatment during their trials in the Hall of Valor. Even if they failed the trial, they would be protected by Divine Power within the Hall of Valor, ensuring a safe escape.
These tokens didn't significantly enhance Gloria's own power, but given her status as a minor deity, acquiring them was no easy feat.
She could only obtain one during the Hall of Valor's Divine Assembly, held once every hundred years.
Now, she was giving them all away, aiming to subtly grant one of the tokens to "David."
She continued, "Let me give you all a piece of advice."
"When you enter the Hall of Valor, make sure to showcase your strength as much as possible. There are countless opportunities hidden within. Moreover, the Hall of Valor itself possesses the power equivalent to a mighty deity.
Everyone's actions must comply with the rules of the Hall of Valor, so you need not worry about revealing your strength and becoming a target."
Gloria was clearly speaking to "David." She was convinced that this human from Earth was hiding his true power.
The other players nodded in agreement, some even groveling on the ground, thanking the goddess for the tokens and her advice.
Gloria knew that while she wanted to discreetly assist "David," she couldn't be too blatant about it. With a slight nod, she disappeared in a flash of light.
After the goddess left, the five tokens floated to the top five contributors from the previous Netherworld campaign.
Sterl casually caught one.
The other four tokens were claimed by players unfamiliar to him. By the end of the Netherworld campaign, survival had little to do with strength, which meant that aside from Sterl, most of the top contributors had perished.
Of course, Faye didn't receive a token. She had spent too much time collecting the first drop of Netherworld Water, missing out on the chance to rank high in contributions.
Sterl accepted the token with a calm demeanor.
However, Yate, the player who had been speaking earlier, frowned slightly as he looked at "David."
Wait a minute... The other four players who received tokens were all third-class, but this David, according to detection skills, seemed to have only recently reached second class??