Chapter 796: The Main Quest's End Is Just the Beginning

In the days following the official launch of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, posts about the game dominated major VR game discussion forums, with a large number of players eagerly discussing the game's content.

Initially, discussions revolved around unique elements, such as the chickens in Riverwood, the guards' dialogue, the Dragon Language activity that players still hadn't fully uncovered, which playstyles were powerful, and where hidden quests were located.

However, as players progressed through the game and gradually understood the background and ancient history of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, everyone's attention gradually returned to the game's main storyline.

In Riverwood, a place that left countless players heartbroken, players met Delphine at the inn. She and Esbern were the legendary Blades, loyal to the Dragonborn.

After slaying a resurrected dragon in the wilderness, the next step was for players to infiltrate a Thalmor stronghold to investigate the reason for the dragons' appearance.

From Solitude to Riften, and then to Markarth, the Dragonborn in the game journeyed through Skyrim in search of the truth about the dragons' return, gradually understanding the cause of their resurgence.

The dragons' return symbolized Alduin, the World-Eater, breaking free from his seal and returning to destroy the world once again. However, since the protagonist was the Dragonborn, there was still hope.

Yet, Song Ren, while playing the game, didn't feel this way at all.

If there was anyone he truly disliked in the game, aside from the particularly annoying Thalmor mages who would yell, 'You're just a dog, and I'm your master,' the moment they met, it was the Blades duo, especially the old man Esbern.

Of course, it wasn't due to the bug in Riften's Ratway that prevented entry in his previous life. Compared to the various original bugs in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim of his previous life, the version developed by Nebula Games had perfectly eliminated them.

What truly made Song Ren find Esbern utterly detestable was the old man's demeanor.

As the story progressed, the appearance of Alduin brought the Empire and the Stormcloaks together under the guidance of the Greybeards, preparing to temporarily sign a truce. However, negotiations stalled at the table due to conflicting interests between General Tullius of the Empire and Ulfric, leader of the Stormcloaks.

It was then that Esbern stepped forward, delivering a thundering speech that left Song Ren amazed. He felt that this old man was no simple NPC; he must be a wise sage. His bad temper with Delphine, who ran the inn so arrogantly, could be overlooked.

But in the subsequent quests, it became clear that Song Ren had been overly optimistic; these two individuals were more infuriating than the last.

He had originally believed the Blades were loyal subordinates to the Dragonborn, especially since various books described the Blades as incredibly formidable. The legend of the Blades was built upon the sacrifices of true Blades who had fallen in battle.

However, Song Ren seriously suspected the Thalmor had made a mistake; these two were pure janitors within the Blades. Could he, the Dragonborn, enter Sky Haven Temple without them? Without him, the Dragonborn, Esbern would have died in the Ratway long ago, his corpse already rotting!

Yet, at the Throat of the World, these two forced Song Ren, as the Dragonborn, to kill the old dragon Paarthurnax, even though Paarthurnax did indeed carry countless sins. As Alduin's former minion, he had burned the land with fire and killed countless people.

But in the game, at least at that moment, Paarthurnax felt more like a guide to the Dragonborn, and he even taught players how to kill Alduin and how to limit dragons' Dragon Shout: Dragonrend.

In contrast, these two janitors of the Blades were far more annoying; they wouldn't even speak unless Paarthurnax was killed.

Beyond that, there was Ulfric, the leader of the Stormcloaks. Like most players, Song Ren's initial favorable impression of the Stormcloaks far exceeded that of the Empire.

This was because upon entering Helgen Keep, the female captain who indiscriminately tried to behead him was utterly unacceptable.

But as the game's story progressed, especially after visiting Windhelm and learning more about Ulfric, Song Ren's opinion of this 'bro' completely changed.

The Empire certainly had its flaws, but the leader of the Stormcloaks was entirely different from what he had imagined.

Initially, Song Ren had believed this 'bro' to be a rebel leader, unhappy with the Empire's oppression and its weak, humiliating stance against the Thalmor, ready to rise in defiance.

But in reality, this guy was purely a racist. As the Windhelm soldiers put it, all races other than Nords were inferior beings.

Like Song Ren, wandering through Skyrim, experiencing its customs and local conditions, there were too many memorable characters and events in the game for players.

More and more interesting points in the game also gave rise to many amusing memes within the player community.

Aside from the guard's line, 'I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow to the knee,' and Riverwood's Chicken God, there were also various distinct characters in the game.

The leader of the Thieves Guild in Riften, dubbed 'Honest Mercer' by players.

The two sole remaining members of the Blades, 'Reasonable Delphine' and 'Eloquent Esbern.'

The Stormcloaks, who firmly believed in 'equality for all,' and 'Chaste Haelga,' who left behind countless scandalous rumors.

And of course, there was 'Simple Folk Markarth,' which allowed players to experience what 'good public order' truly meant in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

These distinct characters and features created memes that became an indispensable part of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's game culture.

Furthermore, compared to previous games, players usually only focused on the main story.

After completing the main storyline, unless a game had a multiplayer mode, players would generally put it aside. Aside from occasionally reopening it on a whim, they wouldn't replay it.

This included even open-world games like Red Dead Redemption.

The reason was simple: for these players, once the main story was completed, there wasn't much content left to hold their interest.

Aside from those with obsessive-compulsive tendencies who felt compelled to achieve 100% completion, many players simply followed the main quest and then never picked the game up again.

But The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was different.

Even after the main quest ended, it didn't mean the Dragonborn's story was over.

Across Skyrim, countless quests still awaited players. Some of these quests were no smaller in scale than the main quest, giving players the feeling that the end of the main story was just the beginning of the Dragonborn's life.

(End of Chapter) <>