Godsrealm Games [VRMMO LitRPG // Books 1-2 COMPLETE!] Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Fang Forest

Read chapter 5 of Godsrealm Games [VRMMO LitRPG // Books 1-2 COMPLETE!] by M_O_Ravensdale on NovelPedia.

I saw players already leaving the village, going on a hunt or collecting herbs, but I wanted to look around and speak with the people of the village first. Getting to the marketplace, I noticed that most stalls and shops were already set up, and merchants were sorting through their merchandise. Judging by the horse-pulled carts behind some of them, I was certain that many weren't locals and had probably been pulled to Carpa because it was an ‘adventurer's welcoming ground’, as they said. Various foods and beverages were already being sold, but a lot of interesting curiosities and ancillaries were put on display as well. I saw tents for events like dueling, practicing with various weapons, shooting at targets, and even a riding field being prepared for horse races, along with workshops where both NPCs and players could try various crafts like pottery, woodworking, blacksmithing and so on. It felt like a real medieval fair, sprinkled with just enough fantasy elements to keep fans of the genre occupied for hours on end. The lady who was setting up the Arc was amid preparing her stall; she must have been some sort of a cook, because her wares were mostly baked goods, some of which I'd never seen in my life. I paid her a visit, even though I had no money to spend. "Everything smells delicious," I tried to fire up a conversation. "Thank you, young adventurer!" she smiled. "Here, have a taste of this. I've just finished baking them. These cakes are made from walnuts and erdberries, but the rest is an old family recipe. I can't share them with anyone just yet." "I'm honored, but sadly I have nothing I can pay you with." I was bummed since the cake smelled and looked delicious, and even though this was just a game, my avatar felt quite hungry. "No need to pay, adventurer. You were so kind when you offered me help with the arch; take this as a show of gratitude." She put the cake before me. This interaction alone gave me some much needed information about the world. The first thing was that NPCs remembered previous meetings with specific players, although I didn't know how long their ‘memory’ was just yet. We’d met half an hour ago, after all. The second, more important piece of information was that the way you treated NPCs affected the way you were going to be treated by them in the future. It was just basic courtesy to offer my help, and yet it scored me a delicious surprise. Even though these events seemed minor initially, when projected to a scale of 2 million players and numerous NPCs, with virtually unlimited interactions between a single player and all the NPCs they could encounter, I was once again astounded by the system's capabilities. "In that case, I'm grateful," I said, taking the cake. The moment the sweet dough touched my lips, my heart melted. I didn't remember the last time I ate something so… good. I felt all the different ingredients coming together to form a taste so unique yet so familiar I had to close my eyes to savour it. "This... this is the best cake I’d ever eaten," I said without a hint of doubt in my voice. "I'm glad, young adventurer!" The woman was visibly pleased with her creation. "Please. Call me Orion." I wanted to see if NPCs remembered specific names as well, but most of all I really wanted to befriend the person behind the best delicacy of all time. "In that case, nice to meet you, Orion. My name is Sheila, and I work at the inn as a bartender. If you ever need a place to stay or you get hungry after a long day of adventuring, you're welcome to visit us!" I thanked her for her kind words and set off to take a look at the other stalls. However, when I looked at my health bar, I noticed a small icon. Luck +5 Time remaining: 58m, 36s You've unlocked the hidden property of 'Sheila's Erdberry Cake' by eating it without paying for it. Once the buff runs out, Luck will permanently be increased by 1. My Luck was 1 before, so this brief encounter had essentially doubled it. From the prompt, it sounded like e