There is no such thing in the game.
He gently picked up the parchment and found that it was actually a will. There were only a few short sentences written on it:
’Martha above, I may not be long for this world. If I pass away, and the person who sees this will is fortunate enough, I am willing to legally transfer all my personal belongings to this person. Besides, I have a secret inheritance, which I am willing to divide into three parts: one part to this person, one to my wife, Sadi, and one to my daughter (the words here were indistinguishable)...
If the person who sees this will has an interest in this inheritance, please deliver this will and my token to my wife, and tell her about the ’appointment at the Baden Ball’; she will understand what I mean.
Finally, I am sorry, Sadi, may Lord Marsha punish me—’
Brand finished reading and couldn’t help but be stunned. He increasingly confirmed that he had never seen this thing before. Previously, this task line was simply to remove the seal ring from the noble’s finger bone and deliver it to the Brags’ citizen registry to get a reward. The task line ended at that point with no follow-up.
But what is the reason? Is it because here it is different from the game? Brand shook his head, instinctively unwilling to believe this judgment. At least every previous discovery matched perfectly, right? So why would there be an exception here? What could be the reason?
He thought for a while and suddenly realized perhaps only the first person to discover it had this task? In Amber, there were many unique and first tasks, but was this also possible in an instance? This had never been mentioned before.
He hesitated for half a day, only to fold the will and seal ring together carefully and put them close to his body. He felt this task seemed a bit familiar; perhaps indeed someone had completed it in the past—but unfortunately, the names and addresses regarding the daughter on the will became blurry. Otherwise, the task would have been straightforward.
However, Brand did not mind this; the more troublesome the task, the richer the reward. At worst, he could start with the Brags’ citizen registry. At least, he knew two clues—the noble’s name and his wife’s name. And those were matters for the future, now he had to face his own difficulties.
After putting away the will, he began examining his spoils of war. In the bag were two rubies, some coins worth approximately thirty silver coins—a significant sum. Additionally, a pipe, a dark grey stone piece, and a glass bead. Brand poured out these items and carefully checked them to find, disappointingly, no Soul Crystal. This made him sigh involuntarily.
If in the game, these gains would have been quite good. But now he needed not materials or money, but something that could immediately enhance his power. Despite the disappointment, Brand swept everything into his pocket; he didn’t have time to check what was useful and what was just decorations or miscellaneous items. Safety came first.
After cleaning up the spoils, Brand glanced at the skeleton once more and returned the way he came. Everything went smoothly, and when he returned to the stone crevice where Roman and Frey were, he clearly saw two girls breathe a sigh of relief.
"Brand, finally you’re back. Without you, Frey and I were nervous to death. There’s no sound around, it’s completely silent," Roman patted her small chest and exhaled.
"Don’t involve me—" Frey’s face reddened.
"I just went to check the surroundings, outside there’s only a patrol team; we need to eliminate them quickly."
"We can also stay inside, wait until later and leave through the other side of the mountain path. This way we can avoid battle, but it might be tight on time," Brand replied.
"How tight?" Frey asked.
"About two hours later."
The girl paused: "How far is it from here to Ridenburg?" She had hardly left home, the furthest being Weibin. Ridenburg was often mentioned by adults, but it was just a figure impression.
"Put it this way, if we are late by two hours, we will have to race with Madara’s Undead Army." Brand looked at Roman: "We might arrive at Ridenburg first, but the remaining time will be limited."
"Would it be faster if we go out and kill that tree?" she asked.
"There’s a secret passage behind; it’s dug out by merchants to bypass checkpoints. I have seen it in Brags’ municipal documents, back when I was with the Brags civilian guard—" our protagonist lied without a blush. But about the secret passage, he didn’t lie to Frey; he learned about it in the game.
Frey glanced at him suspiciously.
"Is that tree dangerous?" she pointed outward.
"Very dangerous, we have a fifty percent chance of failure," Brand answered seriously, though he was tempted to bet on killing the Golden Magic Tree—he also told himself to honestly inform Frey about the substantial risks, for he was responsible for three people’s lives.
In a team, everyone has the right to make decisions about their own life. This is the basic rule of Amber Sword. No one can compel anyone.
"Roman, what about you?" she asked.
Roman shook her head: "I like adventure; one’s life should be dedicated to meaningful things."
Frey finally withdrew her gaze and nodded: "I understand. Brand, please lead us to conquer it. If we fail, I won’t regret it."
Brand smiled, unexpected at Frey’s strong reaction: "It’s not that serious; I’ll tell you how to deal with it. But first, we’ll handle that patrol team, six Magic Tree People, you’re already familiar with them, but this time we need to end the battle in an instant."
Then he led the two to the edge of the stone crevice, from where they could see the offspring of the Golden Magic Tree clearly. Brand marked out a range: "We’ll sneak over from here, initiate the attack at my signal. Before the battle starts, move as slowly as possible, ensure they don’t detect any sound."
"We have at least half an hour, so take your time."
"Roman and I will attack from the right; you hide under the rock on the left. When we start the attack, you attack the last two—remember their weaknesses?" Brand placed Roman and himself on one side to protect her and lighten Frey’s pressure, knowing the merchant lady lacks combat strength.
Frey nodded, knowing Magic Tree People’s weaknesses were in their limbs where their sensory organs were located. Without limbs, they pose no threat. But tension rose in her; before, they’d used surprise strategies like falling rock traps, now they faced direct confrontation and needed to end it instantly—no doubt of Brand’s capability.
But could she do it herself? Frey wasn’t sure.
Brand noticed her thoughts, understanding every newbie had these issues. Frey, probably an ’NPC,’ seemingly not exempt. After thinking, he encouraged: "Don’t worry; your Wind Queen Half Armor restrains them greatly; attack boldly—"
(PS. Overslept, a bit late, sorry. Please support with favorites and recommendations, everyone!求支持!)