“Vestia, can you briefly describe what the Black Desert Trial entails?”
“…The long version, or the short version?”
“…The short version would do.”
“Short version, you say,” Vestia said, and paused for a couple of moments, before answering his question. “In Black Desert Trials, Wanderers have to go out into the desert, and kill Oren Beasts to earn Trial Points. The stronger the Oren Beast you kill, the greater the number of Oren Beasts you kill, the greater the points you will earn. As for the exact points…
“Oren Beasts at their Infant Stage are worth one point, while those at the initial phase of their Adolescent Stage are worth five points, those at the intermediate phase are worth ten points, those at the advanced phase are worth twenty points, and those at the peak phase are worth fifty points.”
“How are the points recorded? Do we have to bring a certain part of the Oren Beasts back with us to prove that we killed them? What if we drop those parts on our way back? Or what if other teams steal those parts from us? Who will get the points then?”
“…How the city records the points is a mystery that has never been solved, and probably will never be solved. In any case, you do not have to worry. The city will know how many Oren Beasts you have killed as soon as you kill them, and record your points based on the contributions you made in the hunt. You do not have to bring the bodies of the Oren Beasts, in parts or whole, back into the city. Unless, of course, you have accepted some hunting missions from the Blood Hall. In that case, you will have to bring back the objects of the mission to earn your rewards.”
“Missions…” Alnea mumbled. “I saw a counter for Blood Missions before, but never really paid any attention to them. Now, it looks like Blood Missions are also related to Black Desert Trials…”
“…You do not know about Blood Missions too?”
“What do you mean too?” Alnea said helplessly. “I admit that I did not know about the Blood Missions, but I knew about the Black Desert Trials long ago. In fact, you were the one who told me, Cecilia, and Yuri about them. Did you forget it already?”
“…I was just caught in your performance for a while,” Vestia said, coughing to ease her embarrassment. “What about the Blood Missions? Do you really not know about them?”
“How should I know about them? We knew basically nothing about the city when you met us. And after you met us, we have not bothered much with the Blood Hall, except for going to the cafeteria once a day. When do you think I would have had the time to go explore the Blood Hall, and learn about all its different amenities? Besides, I left you in charge of all our information. I did not hear you mentioning Blood Mission to me even once.”
“…I thought you already knew about them,” Vestia said, as her embarrassment turned into depression. Even her shoulders seemed to slump a little with self-blame.
“Alright, it is not entirely your fault. I should have asked you about the missions,” Alnea said, waving his hand to dismiss her worries. Though from how quickly she recovered, she may not have been worrying too much.
“…Can you tell me about the Blood Missions now?”
“…Blood Missions are basically tasks issued by the Blood Hall, which Wanderers can complete to earn some Blood Coins. These tasks can be anything, ranging from hunting Oren Beasts to even exploring the Black Desert. Though in general, Blood Missions are divided into four types; hunting missions, collection missions, exploration missions, and special missions.
“Hunting missions, as you should have guessed already, requires you to hunt a certain number of Oren Beasts, and bring back their specified body parts. Even the type of Oren Beasts that you have to hunt are specified in the missions. Although these missions do not pay very well, they are the easiest of the four types of missions. At the same time, there is also no upper limit on either the number of Wanderers taking these missions, or the number of Oren Beasts you can turn in. Mainly because that is where the food in the cafeteria comes from.
“In contrast, collection missions are a bit more dangerous, and also have an upper limit on the number of Wanderers who can accept them. There is also a requirement on the strength of Wanderers taking these missions. Not to mention the fact that some missions are available only in certain seasons, or time of the year. But that is inevitable. Some resources can be found only at certain time of the year. The only good point about these missions is that pay better than hunting missions.
“Of course, exploration missions pay even greater. And they are also available throughout the year. But in comparison, they are also much dangerous. Most of these missions are about exploring some of the most dangerous areas in the Black Desert, while a few of them are about exploring the unusual circumstances in the Black Desert. You must understand though, the Black Desert itself is a Forbidden Area. For there to be areas with unusual circumstances within the desert… In short, exploration missions are the most dangerous of all the missions, with greatest rate of casualty.”
“…What about special missions?”
“Special missions…” Vestia said, trailing off with a hint of hesitation. “How to say… they are a little different from other missions. As in, they cannot be accepted at the Blood Hall, and can only be encountered while completing other Blood Missions. It can be any type of missions, be it hunting, or exploration. While executing your missions, if your Blood Card begins to flash, then it means that you have encountered special missions.
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“As for what exactly the special missions are… From the accounts I have heard, every four out of ten special missions are about Fortune Springs, while one tenth are about encountering some relics or ruins from the Age of Gods. As for the rest, they are mix of all sorts of things. But these are all just second-hand accounts, so I cannot be sure of their authenticity.”
“…It does not matter,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “Since special missions can only be encountered, and not be sought after, there is no use thinking about them. We will know what they are when we actually encounter them. Besides, I do not plan on accepting any missions for the time being. So, naturally, we will not be encountering the special missions anytime soon.”
Alnea paused for a few moments, allowing his words to sink in, before he began addressing the Star Seekers as a whole.
“Some of you may be confused as to why I asked Vestia to describe the contents of the Black Desert Trial… I did it for only one reason, to bring your attention to the main content of the Trial. Hunting Oren Beasts. Although most of you have ventured into the Black Desert already, there are still four of us who will be new to the desert. Four out of ten… almost half of our team…
“We will try our best to be more cautious, but adjusting to the desert will take time. And in that time, our team will be at its most vulnerable point. Ambushes from other teams, sneak attacks by Oren Beasts, our cooperation, there will be just so much for us to handle with almost little to no experience…
“With our team facing such a predicament, rushing out to challenge other teams, or accepting Blood Missions would not make any sense. So, until the ten of us begin acting like a true team, like the Star Seekers we are meant to be, you will be suspending the task that I gave you last month, and focus on just hunting Oren Beasts to acclimatise yourselves with everyone. Yes, Zain, including you too.
“You may have developed a certain degree of cooperation amongst the five of you, but with the five of us joining you, cooperating with each other will become much more difficult than before. We will have to begin from scratch, learning each other’s battle habits once again, and adjusting ourselves to those habits in battles. So, for the next period of time, our focus, as a team, will be to increase our teamwork.
“That brings us to the last thing that I want to talk about. Last month, we did not move in together, because I had already rented this mansion, and we were not going to perform the same tasks anyway. Abandoning this mansion for a larger one seemed like a waste of Blood Coins. But that was the case last month. Things have happened since then, which has forced me to think otherwise. The explosion…
“In any case, like Vestia said, this mansion, and the mansion that the five of you are in, are lacking in defensive and preventive measures. They may keep you safe from other Wanderers, but they cannot defend against the attacks coming from within its walls. Besides, living in the same mansion would be conducive for a better teamwork. Not to mention that the time this mansion was reserved for is about to be up. In short, we are going to shift into a new mansion.”
“A new mansion…”
“Finally…”
“…That does not sound too bad…”
“…I was beginning to get bored of this mansion…”
“…More people mean more chances of hiding myself…”
“…It is too small…”
“…I do not care either way…”
“…We can use this chance to have a little exchange…”
…There were some weird exclamations mixed in the reactions of the Star Seekers, but all in all, everyone seemed to accept the idea of living together, allowing Alnea to heave a sigh of relief. Although he sounded confident, and firm, his Heart was anything but that. He did not think he was a good Captain. At the very least, he was not as good as Yuri. Even Vestia might have done a better job than him. And so might have Ralph. In the end though, they had chosen him to be their Captain. And he did not wish to disappoint them. Being a good Captain was tough…
“…Since everyone agrees with moving in together, then we should do it as soon as possible. Vestia, how many mansions have you found that fit our requirements?”
“Three,” Vestia said. “Twenty seven, if you count those in the jurisdiction of other Blood Halls.”
“…In the Northern District?”
“In the Northern District.”
“…Forget it. Let us stick close to the Sixth Blood Hall. We are more familiar with this area anyway. And there are not too many hostile clans in this area either.”
“Depends on what you define hostile as,” Vestia said, chuckling at his words. “Though most of the people keeping an eye on us are indeed from other Blood Halls.”
“…Ignore them. Choose the mansion that you see fit. Just make sure that it is not too far away from the Blood Hall.”
“Leave it to me,” Vestia said with a grin. “I will choose the best mansion for us.”
“…Regarding the Blood Coins—
“It is alright, Alnea. I can afford spending some Blood Coins. Besides, I have been living in your mansion for the past month. It is only right that I reserve the mansion for the next month, right?”
“…Then we will count it as your contribution to the team. One Star for a thousand Blood Coins.”
“No need, Alnea. I—
“You are contributing to the team, Vestia. And every contribution must be valued. That is the rule.”
“…I understand,” Vestia said with a helpless smile. Even in her helplessness though, her smile was still beautiful…
“…We have already wasted much of our time today,” Alnea said, turning back to the rest of the Star Seekers. “Going to the Black Desert now would not make much sense… Let us gather in front of the Sixth Blood Hall on the morrow, one hour before dawn. And if you are unable to make it there on time because of some unforeseeable reasons, then remember to pass on the news…”
“…It is not my fault that Aren was challenged…”
“…You should not be challenged twice in a row, right?”
“…I—We will be there, Captain…”
“…Good. Then that marks the end of today’s meeting. Everyone can go back, and do what you like for the rest of the day. Just remember to come to the Blood Hall on time…”