Chapter 774: A Day Trip to Stormwind City
"This is... a gryphon?? It really is a gryphon!"
Lin Xue instantly recognized this creature unique to Western fantasy worlds.
It was a snow-white gryphon, with a sharp beak and pure white feathers, but its main body and tail were like those of a lion.
It was also clad in specially crafted armor, protecting vital areas like its head and chest. On the chest plate was the unique emblem of the Alliance from the world of Azeroth.
This gryphon was quite large; if it stood on all fours, it would probably be about as tall as Lin Xue's avatar.
However, this somewhat fierce-looking beast showed no aggression at all. Instead, it lay on the ground, as if waiting for Lin Xue to mount it.
"Is this... for me to ride?"
Lin Xue walked over hesitantly.
There was a very obvious saddle and reins on the gryphon's back, making its purpose clear without a word.
Lin Xue never expected that Chen Mo would actually bring a species from a Western fantasy world into *Seaside Mansion*.
To be fair, although this gryphon seemed a bit out of place, it didn't clash with the scene. Its modeling, movements, and textures were clearly made to the highest standards, on par with *Uncharted*. You could even see the intricate details on its feathers.
Lin Xue walked over and climbed onto the gryphon's back.
The gryphon took two steps forward, then immediately spread its wings and took off, flying toward the distant sea.
"Where... where is it taking me?"
Lin Xue was a bit confused. Before the update, there was nothing on the sea. If a player swam out, they would soon hit an invisible wall.
But this time, the gryphon kept flying farther out over the sea. By the time Lin Xue looked back after a while, she could no longer even see her own seaside mansion.
"Is this the gift Chen Mo prepared? A brand-new scene? Could it be... no way!"
Lin Xue had a guess in her mind, but she wasn't sure.
The journey wasn't long, just two or three minutes, with nothing but the vast sea the whole time. But Lin Xue knew this time was just to help players smoothly transition between scenes without breaking immersion.
"That... that is..."
On the distant horizon, the silhouette of a city appeared.
Nestled among rolling mountains, a magnificent human city-state came into view before Lin Xue.
Closest was a huge harbor, with many wooden sailboats docked there. She could vaguely see people moving about on the ships.
To the left of the harbor, a lighthouse stood on the sea, guiding passing vessels.
Further in the distance, more buildings appeared faintly, with the tallest fortress at the far end of the view, its grand outline barely discernible.
"This is... Stormwind City!!"
Lin Xue's shock was written all over her face. She was very familiar with the stories of Azeroth and had once toured Stormwind City in *Minecraft*, so she recognized this grand city-state at first glance.
Before Lin Xue could recover from her shock, the gryphon had already flown over the harbor and headed toward the gryphon roost at the main gate of Stormwind City.
At that moment, a soothing yet majestic background music began to play, perfectly matching the breathtaking view ahead. Lin Xue felt an overwhelming sense of awe!
The gryphon made an elegant circle in the sky, allowing Lin Xue to take in the full panoramic view of Stormwind City.
Dense clusters of buildings, clearly layered.
Lin Xue tried to recall the layout of Stormwind City, matching it with what she saw before her.
The purple roofs looked pretty authentic.
Lin Xue, now clad in her leather armor, was a bit confused about where to go. She thought for a moment, then wondered if she should ask an NPC.
She wasn't sure if the NPCs here were as advanced as Nuan Nuan and could understand what players said.
Lin Xue approached the female dwarf gryphon master: "Excuse me... what should I do now?"
The dwarf woman paused her work: "Whatever you like. This is Stormwind City. As long as you don't steal or attack the guards, you can wander freely."
"Oh." Lin Xue asked again, "Then, I'd like to see the main gate. How do I get there?"
The dwarf woman replied, "You need to leave here, go down the steps, and cross the entire Trade District. Or you could just jump into the moat, but I wouldn't recommend that. Dragging out corpses is a hassle."
Lin Xue: "..."
This NPC was practically sentient! Not only could she understand what players said, but she also cracked jokes in her responses...
Clearly, these NPCs also used some form of artificial intelligence and could answer certain in-game questions. However, they probably couldn't handle overly complex queries.
Lin Xue originally wanted to go to the main gate of Stormwind City first, to get a close-up look at the statues under this new level of artistic quality.
But since she had to pass through the Trade District anyway, she decided to take a stroll through it on the way.
Just treat it as a sightseeing trip.
Just as Lin Xue was about to leave, the female dwarf gryphon master spoke again: "This is your first time in Stormwind City, right? Here's an adventurer's map. Take it."
As she spoke, the dwarf woman handed over an adventurer's guidebook.