Chapter 178: Chapter178-The King’s Traces, Heading to the Forbidden Zone to Investigate

After finishing all these guild matters, John finally had time to pay attention to his own level.

Ever since he had obtained five direct class-selection breakthroughs to Level 200 last time, his level had barely moved.

Now, it was about time to consider the next level-limit quest.

"If I want to break through to the next level, the only path I can currently find lies with the Five Divine Class Clues."

John’s eyes shifted slightly as he pondered inwardly.

The Five Divine Class Clues were items he had previously exchanged for in the Demon Progenitor invasion dungeon.

These kinds of items did not directly issue quests. Instead, they triggered clues related to the Five Cleric Classes Quest through various methods.

John immediately took them out and chose to use them.

[Do you wish to use the Five Divine Class Clues?]

[Note: After use, it will take a long time to trigger the Five Cleric Classes Quest. Please wait patiently. It is best for the player to roam through various major regions, as there is a chance to trigger it in advance.]

John did not hesitate and used them decisively.

The next moment, he felt an inexplicable energy field appear within his body.

It was as if some existence had planted a magnet inside him, making his perception of everything around him much sharper.

"What I need to do next is roam through as many major locations as possible to increase the chance of triggering the Five Cleric Classes Quest."

John’s goal was clear. Just as he was preparing to set off for another region, a notification suddenly rang beside his ear.

[Ding! You have received an urgent confidential letter from the royal court of the Eaglecrest Empire. Please check it!]

"Why would the royal court send me a message at a time like this?"

John’s heart stirred.

He immediately connected it to the Five Divine Class Clues he had just used.

Could it be that news had arrived this quickly?

With some expectation, he opened the mail panel and accepted the letter.

[To the respected and great Lord Regent:]

[Ever since the king disappeared, the royal court has spared no effort in searching for his traces. Recently, we finally obtained some clues. Traces suspected to have been left behind by the king have been discovered in The Far East. We respectfully ask Lord Regent to come to the royal court at once so we may discuss this matter together!]

[Respectfully, Prime Minister Ganelon]

After John finished reading it, his heart stirred slightly.

He had never expected traces of the missing king to suddenly appear at this time.

Ever since the king disappeared, in reality, the entire Eaglecrest Empire had already belonged to John alone.

If he chose not to search for the king now, then the Eaglecrest Empire would likely completely become his territory in the future.

The problem was, without the king, many key plotlines might change later, preventing some special quests from being triggered.

Moreover, John had only just used the Five Divine Class Clues, and now clues about the king had suddenly appeared. No matter how he thought about it, he felt that there had to be some connection between the two.

"Compared to the Five Cleric Classes Quest, a mere Regent position is nothing. I’ll go take a look first and see what’s going on."

With this thought, John no longer hesitated. He decisively used the East-West Ridge Teleport and arrived at the Eaglecrest Empire main city.

...

Eaglecrest Empire Main City.

As white light flashed, John’s figure appeared inside the imperial royal court.

John strode into the royal court. As soon as he entered, he saw a white-haired old man anxiously pacing back and forth.

When the old man saw John, he hurried forward and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Regent, this old man has been waiting here for you for a long time."

John nodded slightly and directly sat on the throne in front of him.

At present, he was the Regent, so he was naturally qualified to sit on this throne.

He gestured to the old man and said, "Go on. Tell me what happened."

The old man did not dare delay and hurriedly explained, "Lord Regent, recently, our royal court’s secret agents discovered some weapon fragments left behind by the king in The Far East. After searching the area, they discovered that he may have entered a forbidden zone.

"That forbidden zone cannot be entered without sufficient strength. This old man thought it over again and again, and in this era, the only one qualified to enter that forbidden zone is you, Lord Regent. That is why I wished to discuss this matter with you and see whether you could go there to investigate."

"A forbidden zone in The Far East?"

Hearing this, John’s gaze sharpened.

Naturally, he had heard of that place before.

In his previous life, quite a few players had thought that place was a dungeon and excitedly attempted to clear it.

In the end, after entering, they discovered that all players who died inside would not revive in their original main city. Instead, they mysteriously disappeared.

Even their former friends could no longer contact them. It was extremely bizarre.

Even though John now considered himself invincible among players, he was still extremely wary of that forbidden zone.

He immediately prepared to refuse.

But in the next moment, a notification rang beside his ear.

[Hidden Quest has been triggered!]

[Quest Name]: Searching for the Missing King

[Quest Objective]: Head to The Far East and investigate the whereabouts of the missing king.

[Quest Reward]: Five Cleric Classes Quest trigger chance increased by 90%.

[Quest Hint]: There is a mysterious forbidden zone in The Far East. No one has ever survived to learn the secrets within. However, certain anomalies may perhaps be able to attempt entering it...

...

"Five Cleric Classes Quest trigger chance increased by 90%?

"Isn’t that basically telling me outright that if I accept this, I can obtain the quest?"

When John saw the quest reward, the words of refusal that had just reached his mouth were immediately swallowed back down.

A 90% increase in the trigger chance of the Five Cleric Classes Quest basically meant that as long as he could complete this quest, he would definitely trigger one of the Five Cleric Classes Quests.

Besides, as for that mysterious forbidden zone, as long as he did not die, it should still be quite easy to leave.

With this thought, John immediately stood up and said with righteous conviction, "The king is the ruler of a nation. There is absolutely no way we can allow him to wander outside. Rest assured. I will retrieve the king for the countless citizens of the empire."

The prime minister had originally been worried that John would refuse, and his heart had been filled with unease. Now, hearing John agree so readily, he was so moved that he almost knelt down.

"On behalf of the countless citizens of the empire, I thank you, Lord Regent. Your selflessness and greatness shall be recorded forever in history!"

As he spoke, the prime minister paused.

He took a deep breath, his gaze resolute.

"If... if His Majesty has unfortunately met with disaster this time, I am willing to petition the inner court and request that you officially inherit the throne!"

John nodded slightly.

"Mm. Leave this matter to me."

Sometimes, communicating with these NPCs required skill as well.

If one could fool them properly, the situation would become exactly like this.

Even if this quest ultimately failed, he would still obtain an entire empire.

"There is no time to lose. I will head to The Far East immediately."

John immediately used his communication token. With a flash of white light, his figure disappeared from the royal court.

After he left, the prime minister looked at the throne with a complicated gaze.

"Your Majesty, if you do not return, the prince is incompetent and will certainly be unable to support such a vast empire. Only the Regent can inherit your will and continue guarding the empire!"

...

On the other side, inside the main city of The Far East, John’s figure appeared in this scorching land.

Whoosh!

A gust of wild wind swept past, sending sand and gravel flying toward his face.

"I feel like the quest should be in that direction."

John looked toward the depths of The Far East. His figure flashed, and he swiftly swept toward that forbidden zone.