Chapter 267 181: Prelude to War

Meanwhile, Storyteller had naturally posted all this related intelligence on the forums.

When the players saw the content of this intel, it sparked both curiosity and amusement.

"The Burning War—is that referring to a war between gods? Hmm... Could this be the reason the Spirit Candle World ended up in this chaotic state?"

"I think so. The war that broke out in the Land of Burning must be hiding a huge secret. Speaking of which, when can we go to the Land of Burning instance to see what happened?"

"The highest among us is only Level 40, and we're still in the early to mid-game. Looks like we'll have to wait for the late game..."

"..."

Discussions about the world's background had always been a hot topic on the Spirit Candle Forum. Some players got into the game through Storyteller's videos, and many had their own theories.

From what they knew so far, only the tip of the iceberg of the Spirit Candle World's background had been revealed. Many more secrets and stories were waiting to be discovered.

But besides the discussions about the world's background, the intel Storyteller brought back also contained basic information about the various factions, which the players were equally interested in.

"Snowvera Masked Men... so that's what these Pot Heads are actually called."

"No, dude, you're not getting it. That's just what the Shadow of Deceit calls the Firewood Thieves. It's just like how we call them Pot Heads. How is that their real name?"

"Guys, this 'Wandering Fire,' if I'm not mistaken, it should refer to NPCs like Burton Mage, right?"

"Makes sense. These NPCs are probably like unaffiliated solo players... but it seems we haven't run into any yet."

"Tsk, tsk. Judging from the lore, these unaffiliated people seem to have it worse. Without a background like the Firewood Gatherers or the Shadow of Deceit, wouldn't they just be stuck in those instances?"

"Now that you mention it, you're right."

The players had yet to encounter any of these so-called "Wandering Fire."

They were quite curious about these unaffiliated NPCs.

Aside from these more serious discussions, the rest were mostly less-than-serious comments and posts from the Fun Seekers.

The reason was simple: the intelligence report from the Shadow of Deceit was just too ridiculous.

"The poor Firewood Gatherers, played like a fiddle by Le Ti."

"I can tell. Le Ti truly loves the Firewood Gatherers."

"Damn, what an elusive and dashingly heroic group of people, who play everything like a fiddle~ (sarcastic.jpg)"

"Oh god, listen to this awful self-praise. It's like an ignorant peasant trying to sell his potatoes. I swear, if you subject me to this kind of mental pollution again, I will take the big wooden club from the starter pack, shove it right up your ass, and spin it. I promise!"

"LMAO, Le Ti definitely wrote this intel. So shameless."

"I wonder how much Storyteller paid for this intel. I'd love to know what the Candlekeeper thought when he saw it."

"Holy shit, guys, there's even intel on us!"

"Whoa, that bastard Le Ti has been spying on us since Seaside Town... Did he follow the Firewood Gatherers here?"

"How dare you! Why 'for the Horde and Demacia'? Where are the great warriors of Noxus?"

"Cunning Villains!"

"Damn it, is our village really that small now?"

"Heh, you know what? The details in this Spirit Candle game are fucking awesome. They even included an evaluation of us. It feels weird, but it's also really immersive!"

"..."

The intel from the Shadow of Deceit was, of course, collected by none other than Le Ti. As such, it was unavoidable that it contained some personal, "subjective emotions"...

Jokes aside, however, looking at these evaluations from the Shadow of Deceit's subjective viewpoint did make their first impressions and assessments of the various factions clear.

Firewood Thieves: difficult to communicate with, dangerous.

Firewood Gatherers: naive, foolish, easy to trick.

Candle Spirits: bizarre behavior, incomprehensible.

However, most players weren't focused on this. Although many noticed, they just found it novel, surprised that they too were included in the intel as a group...

Beyond all the amusement.

Many were also focusing on a very important issue: the upcoming large-scale regional team battle. Discussions about this had been non-stop.

Hair-raising: "Speaking of which, how are we supposed to fight this group battle? We don't even know what the battlefield is."

Storyteller: "I asked the Candlekeeper, and he gave some hints about the battlefield area... He said the place has islands and shallow seas. Land and naval combat should be about fifty-fifty."

Baka Cat: "? You can just ask that? That's insane..."

Venerable Lique: "Actually, you can ask the Candlekeeper a lot of things, and he might even tell you. But let me give you all a piece of advice... don't ask questions like whether the fish in Spirit Candle have ever gone to college..."

I do Bull's Push-ups: "Fifty-fifty, huh... That's good. My tactics should be useful, hehe."

Xiaoma Pony: "Hehe, here I come!"

Brother Miao Won't Fail the Exam: "Guys, I suggest we divide ourselves up and prepare in advance."

Gray Sky: "Makes sense. Even though the NPCs in this game are pretty smart, it's better if we make some preparations. It'd be bad if the system doesn't have arrangements for this when the time comes."

Time for Mushrooms: "Right? NPCs don't know shit about warfare."

My Son Failed, But I'm On Shore: "Should we appoint a Marshal? Someone to command all the players?"