System: Congratulations to the player for completing the epic main quest "
But compared to the quest rewards, what truly stunned Shi Feng were the other system announcements.
Black Dragon Empire Regional System Announcement: A player has triggered the new expansion "Ice Crystal World." Katie Green has received an imperial edict, becoming the Empire's eighth Grand Lord. Lakeheart City will become the territory of Grand Lord Katie Green.
Black Dragon Empire Regional System Announcement: Grand Lord Katie Green will open the gateway to the Ice Crystal World in Lakeheart City three hours from now, leading the Black Dragon Empire's First Division on a crusade against the Ice Crystal World, launching the Empire's expedition into an otherworld.
...
The system broadcast repeated three times, echoing in the ears of every player across the entire Black Dragon Empire.
At this point, not only was Shi Feng utterly shocked, but even the higher-ups of every major guild within the Black Dragon Empire were dumbfounded.
"An expedition into another world?"
"You've got to be kidding! Who on earth is so powerful that they could trigger an expansion like this?"
An empire launching a crusade against an otherworld—this was absolutely a first in the history of the Divine Realm. As for the so-called otherworlds, ordinary players might not have much of a concept, but the higher-ups of the major guilds knew a thing or two, since the Imperial Library contained relevant introductions that could be found with careful research.
As for the description of otherworlds, they were incomplete small worlds, but they were filled with resources that the Divine Realm's continent lacked. Legend had it that these otherworlds were created by ancient gods and contained their hidden treasures.
So in every era of the Divine Realm, there had been kingdoms and empires that launched expeditions into otherworlds, seeking to claim them and acquire an entire world's worth of resources.
Among them, the most famous in the Divine Realm were the Four Great Ancient Nations. These ancient nations had all been relatively minor kingdoms in their early days, but by seizing control of an otherworld, they had risen to become powerful empires.
Because of this, an otherworld expedition was considered one of the most important events for any kingdom or empire.
And for players, it was equally significant. The empire could claim otherworld territory, while the players themselves could obtain otherworld resources—after all, the resources in otherworlds were far richer than those on the outside. If any guild could monopolize otherworld resources, becoming a powerhouse would be inevitable.
In an instant, the eyes of every major guild in the Black Dragon Empire lit up upon seeing the system announcement. They immediately began gathering all their senior members for an emergency meeting to discuss the otherworld expedition.
Outside the Countess's Manor in Lakeheart City, the six people who had been driven out by the butler Milton stood frozen in place, staring at the system announcement in disbelief.
"Boss, isn't Katie Green the NPC we traded with? How did she suddenly become an Empire Grand Lord and start some kind of crusade against the Ice Crystal World?"
"No way—we just walked out of Katie Green's residence, and the system immediately made the announcement. Plus, it said a player triggered the new expansion. It has to be related to that swordsman in the black cloak."
"Exactly. Look at how the Countess treated him—there's definitely some secret there."
"So what do we do now, Boss?"
"Our luck is pretty good. Since that guy was able to trigger the new expansion, he must know a lot about it. Let's wait here. If we can squeeze some intel about the expansion out of him, we'll have the advantage."
"Right! If we can get that info, our Song of Eternal Slumber Adventure Team might just become one of the top adventure teams in the Black Dragon Empire."
The other five nodded in agreement with the idea proposed by their Level-51 Swordsman leader.
The arrival of a new expansion was nothing short of a massive opportunity—certainly no less valuable than trading for high-grade items with the Countess.
Meanwhile, inside the reception room of the Countess's manor, Katie Green had also undergone a tremendous transformation.