- Please reconsider, Jack. It’s only one more time, and you can avoid a lot of trouble between our Kingdoms.
Jack raised an eyebrow. The half-orc in front of him was an envoy from the Goblin Kingdom. Another one.
It wasn’t a secret that Emperor Marcus was dying of old age. He already did, at least three times. Orc-born had a much shorter life expectancy than regular humans, and he hadn’t been able to grind much ever since he arrived on Another World - he wasn’t an overwhelming being such as Jack, so he obviously had to conduct a much stricter and realistic rule in order to remain an Emperor. Training wasn’t an easy thing to do.
The thing is, this time he had screwed up. Screwed up bad.
The Demon Kingdom was known as the Portal to Earth. Initially, people called it the Portal to Reality or things like that, but, in truth, it was just a place were the powerful could conduct business.
Around five years after the closing of Another World, Demon King Orloss (Meredith) seemed to enter a severe coma. No one knew why. In her place, a player named Timoty appeared, promising a chance for people to talk to the loved ones they left behind.
Not only that, this man also had a decent level of access to Shabe’s Will, so he could do a thing which become known as “Soul Transfer” - basically, to ensure someone’s soul would be transferred to a new body of their liking.
To players such as elves and undead, this was a treat if not useless. However, for players such as orcs or half-orcs, which had a life expectancy of 10 and 35 years respectively, it was a heaven’s send “service”.
Timoty’s skills were the real deal, and the “neuromancers” he had under him as well. Indeed, the capital of the Demon Kingdom, Demon King Village, soon became the place were both those desperate for contact to the outside world, as well as those who had the skill to make that happen, meet.
It was quite a market, but it was also a shady one. Suspicious people with suspicious attitudes would come and go every day, and a shocking number of player assassinations happened there.
Be them real-world people who defied the law to meet inside Another World, be them innocent bystanders or even neuromancers - compared to the rest of the world, Demon King Village was a meatgrinder.
And also, another place were politics were conducted on a much more realistic level. With so many powerful people around and Timoty himself not being the Demon King - at most just a very powerful Dungeon Master - it was almost impossible for something else to happen.
In Dragon King Island (2), Jack was an absolute existence. Even If those near-max-level payers were to try and attack him, a group of over 20 of them had little chance of succeeding - that not to mention if Jack was to use his Dungeon Master powers.
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In the end, the relationship between the Goblin Empire and the Demon Kingdom was bound to get sour at some point, as conflict of interest between the influent players in each Kingdom become more and more frequent.
And that was the reason why this envoy was now talking to Jack. They wished for him to gather high-level people and help them to transfer the soul not only of their leader - Marcus - as well as the souls of many other half-orcs which were nearing the end of their lifespan.
And since this was a time in which many half-orcs desperately needed a “soul transfer”, they were willing to allow their “Orc King Goblin Emperor” to finally “reincarnate” into a human NPC’s body - something he always wanted but was always stopped from doing.
[- No deal. I still remember the last time, you know? If you guys want to come and gang up upon me, just do it already. It doesn’t seem to matter if I do you a favor or not].
In the past, Marcus tried to secretly contact Jack in order to change bodies. Tricking his own influential players as well as Timoty, he sneaked into Dragon King Island (2) and was almost successful on his attempt.
The only problem was, the moment Jack started to access the Administrator Panel and help him, a small note popped up in front of Timoty - which then ordered for the Demon Kingdom’s armies to be railed outside of Dragon King’s Island (2).
Soon the Goblin Empire’s own troops were there as well, and Jack had to undo what he initially did, so to avoid problems.
This was the first time things got serious between Jack and the other two of the Three World Powers - and also the first time he felt that living on Another World may actually be quite dangerous.
- Please, Jack. That time people got pissed off because you were using a bomb to kill a cockroach. This time we just want a Soul Transfer.
The half-orc envoy forced a smile, and begged again.
[- You guys actually think doing that is easier than changing the guy’s Avatar with the Administrator Panel?! Soul Transfer is ass-kicking difficult! It goes against Shabe’s Programming!]
Soul Transfer worked through forcefully accessing Another World’s deep code and changing a certain’s mind address in regard to its body. So, it meant going against the Auto-Repair Software, which people began calling “Shabe’s Programming”.
Instead, accessing the Admin. Panel and changing one’s Avatar nature and age was natural and easy - except Timoty couldn’t do it even if he wanted, since he entered Another World using a regular neuroset, and not an employee-only one.
Only those who had accessed Another World through special employee-only neurosets could access things like the Administrator Panel.
There was a theory that, deep into the hard-programmed code, where no one could access, one could change that as well. But not even employees who were former moderators could do so.
- Please, please reconsider! We need it to keep living! It’s an easy job, no one will be against it!
[ - If you guys establish a good Training Grounds and use a Wandering Neuromancer all of that can be solved without needing me. The fact that you have come all the way here proves that a certain someone will be against it. I don’t want trouble, and even if you bring it to my door, I rather have trouble with you folks than have it with Timoty! Now get out!]
The half-orc clenched his fists and turned his back against Jack.
The council’s chamber where silent at the moment, but loud talking issued as soon as the Goblin Envoy passed through the doors.