Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 110
Usually, a crucible needed to be heated for use, so one couldn’t directly touch its contents with their hands; some tools were necessary for assistance.
Even considering from a magical perspective, after adding ingredients to the crucible, a tool was likely needed for stirring.
Therefore, the crucible probably didn’t exist independently. When the wizard created it, he likely also made a tool to go with it.
What could this tool be?
Zhou Qian asked Wu Ren, “When I arrived, did I see you holding a big spoon?”
“Yes. I found it near the crucible. It’s convenient for moving bodies,” Wu Ren replied. “Could it be…”
Before Wu Ren could finish, Zhou Qian asked, “Have you used both ends of the spoon?”
“I have. But it doesn’t seem to have any extra use,” Wu Ren said. “At least I didn’t feel any.”
“Hmm,” Zhou Qian mused. “I’ll go out and check again later. But the spoon probably doesn’t have any use. Because I think I’ve guessed what the real tool is—”
Changing the topic, Zhou Qian looked at Wu Ren and asked with a smile, “Wu Ge, give me a straight answer. You failed to become an emperor in the instance. After I take you out of here, have you considered… hmm?”
Wu Ren: “…”
Zhou Qian: “This is the third time I’m asking. It’s hard for you to refuse now.”
Three minutes later, Wu Ren seemed to finally give up struggling and looked at Zhou Qian resignedly. “Honestly, I’m quite impressed with you. You’ve only been here for a few minutes… and you’ve already found so much key information. So, I just have one question—”
“Later, do I still have to move 50 bodies by myself?”
Zhou Qian immediately said, “Both my son and I can help you.”
“…?” Wu Ren was very surprised, with almost three question marks appearing on his forehead.
“You-Your son? Oh… who did you owe this romantic debt to?
“Right, as the saying goes, ‘Women love bad men.’ Maybe some girls like bad boys like you. I just didn’t expect you to even have a son. Is it from a girl in the game or outside the game?
“You didn’t abandon her, right? If you’re irresponsible, I won’t join your team!”
Zhou Qian asked in surprise, “Do I look like the type to be frivolous and let people down?”
Wu Ren nodded affirmatively.
Zhou Qian: “…”
“Let’s get back to the point,” Wu Ren said. “Anyway, I’ve already agreed to you. I’m not as slick as you. Either I don’t agree, or if I do, I keep my promise. So now—”
“What do you think is the real solution to clear the level?”
After looking around the interior of the crucible, Zhou Qian said, “To help the emperor and provide him with an endless supply of soldiers, the wizard created a magical crucible and a tool to activate it.”
“Now, you haven’t successfully resurrected, unable to return to the real world to help the emperor. However, at the same time, you also didn’t go to the real hell but is trapped in the ‘Crucible World’, in a state of neither living nor dying.”
“So the crucible actually worked, but only half its function. So what’s really going on is now clear—”
Looking at Wu Ren, Zhou Qian said, “I think the tool to activate the crucible was swapped. Someone stole the tool and replaced it with a big spoon.
“The emperor, unaware, put the bodies of the 51 soldiers into the crucible and tried to use this spoon to activate it.”
“The swapped spoon, of course, couldn’t activate the other half of the crucible’s function. So you couldn’t go back. What we need to do now is find that real tool.”
“So… who and for what purpose would steal that tool?”
“And what tool could help that person reach the ‘Crucible World’?”
Without needing Zhou Qian’s explanation, Wu Ren already knew the answer.
With the limited information in the instance, there was only one answer—the person who stole the tool to activate the crucible could only be the “god” who opposed the “last emperor”.
Wu Ren immediately said, “I know! It’s the scepter!”
“The tool that goes with the crucible can only be the scepter in the god’s hands! It’s also because the scepter’s power matches that of the crucible that the god being can enter the Crucible World through it!”
The scepter was very large, as long as the diameter of the crucible. Moreover, whether it was the red rain or the beams, all were emitted by the scepter. The key to the problem undoubtedly lay in the scepter.
The god stole the scepter that could activate the crucible and replaced it with a giant spoon.
Thus, the emperor’s attempt to resurrect his soldiers failed.
Even so, the god, still uneasy, repeatedly entered the world created by the crucible using the scepter, wanting to kill the general completely.
Wu Ren couldn’t help but look at Zhou Qian and ask, “But with the god controlling it, the scepter will attack us! How can we truly activate the crucible with its help, allowing us 51 people to return to the human world?!”
Zhou Qian said, “The crucible and the giant spoon that exist in reality have their counterparts in this ‘in-between life and death’ world, to assist players in solving puzzles.
“So, there should be information about the scepter as well. It’s just that you didn’t have time to find it. Every time you return all the bodies to the crucible, it takes you almost an hour.”
“I’ll move the bodies now. You go find it!” Wu Ren said.
“Actually, there’s no need to search specifically. This is where off-scene information becomes important.”
Zhou Qian yawned and asked Wu Ren, “Do you know about a god named ‘Dagda*’?”
*An important god in Irish mythology. One of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Dagda is portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid. He is associated with fertility, agriculture, manliness and strength, as well as magic, druidry and wisdom. He can control life and death, the weather and crops, as well as time and the seasons.
Wu Ren decisively shook his head.
Zhou Qian explained, “Dagda is known as the ‘good god’ and is said to control the fertility of the Irish people. So you see, you misunderstood; I’m not a playboy. Dagda is the real womanizer with a string of lovers.”
“Dagda has two very magical treasures, one of which is a rebirthing crucible that provides an endless supply of food, and the other is a gigantic club.”
“Dagda’s club has powerful effects; one end can cause death, and the other can bring life.”
A few seconds later, Wu Ren fully understood.
“The club in our instance corresponds to what we thought was the god’s scepter! The red rain and beams are emitted from one end of that scepter. Are we supposed to find a way to use the other end of the scepter?!”
“Exactly. But this is just my speculation based on mythological stories. Ideally, there should be clues in the instance to further confirm this idea. So—”
“Brother Wu, you continue moving the bodies, and I’ll look for clues.”
As he said this, Zhou Qian muttered to himself, “My son should have recovered some by now.”
Reaching into his bag, Zhou Qian pulled out a scale, rubbed it three times with his finger, and a deep blue little dragon popped out.
Hopping over to Zhou Qian, the small dragon tilted its head and rubbed his trouser leg with its head, making a cute “yip” sound.
“Good boy.” Zhou Qian patted the little dragon’s head. “Can you grow bigger and fly me? If you can, let’s go find the clues quickly.”
Hearing this, the little dragon quickly grew to the size of a person. Its tail swung over, lifting Zhou Qian up and then placing him on its back.
Zhou Qian patted its head again. “Use your treasure-hunting abilities. Let’s find the clues quickly so we can go see your dad soon. I’m starting to miss him.”
Small Dragon: “Yip!”
Zhou Qian then took out three small bottles of medicine and threw them to Wu Ren. “Wu Ge, replenish some health. My son is still young and can only carry me. You’ll have to climb out yourself.”
After saying this, the small dragon swung its tail and flew Zhou Qian to the top of the crucible, disappearing from Wu Ren’s sight.
Wu Ren was stunned for a moment but quickly consumed the medicine. After regaining some health, he hastily started climbing out, determined to collect the bodies quickly.
Having fought the “god” six times, his health was too low, causing his brain to be a bit slow to react.
It was only after climbing out from the bottom of the crucible that Wu Ren belatedly realized something was off.
Wait, why did Zhou Qian tell his “son” that they were going to find “Dad”?
……
The small dragon carried Zhou Qian, quickly circling the entire world.
They flew left all the way and eventually returned to the starting point.
This world was clearly circular.
The circle was surrounded by impenetrable red mist, and the dark red clouds at the top of the sky were also untouchable.
Thus, the investigation seemed to further prove that they were indeed inside a pot; the sky was an unreachable pot lid, and the surroundings were impassable inner walls.
The crucible in this world and the continuous cycle of life and death of those 50 bodies were like a repeated scene from the real world.
These soldiers had died for the emperor in reality and “died” again and again for their general in this “in-between life and death” world.
They together formed an imagery, perhaps with the real purpose of awakening the general’s memory—
General, you have died in battle, but the emperor in the human world is still waiting for your help.
Now, the god is still trying to enter the “in-between life and death” to kill you completely. He even fears your spirit!
Such a powerful general, please recall everything. Lead us to take back the scepter and return to reality! Please fight for the emperor. Avenge us all!
With 10 minutes left before the god’s next arrival, Zhou Qian and Wu Ren were again with a pile of bodies.
Wu Ren asked Zhou Qian, “So, did you find that clue related to the scepter?”
“I did.” Zhou Qian handed Wu Ren a piece of cowhide.
The edges of the cowhide were charred, and it was covered in mud; it was dug up by Zhou Qian after the small dragon smelled it. It was fortunate that it was buried deep below and wasn’t destroyed by the red rain.
The cowhide had several drawings.
The first drawing depicted the wizard creating the crucible. In the image, what was placed in the crucible wasn’t a spoon but a gigantic stick, which was the “god’s” scepter.
The second drawing on the cowhide was also interesting. A cloaked wizard raised the scepter towards a fish belly-up in the water, clearly dead.
The following third drawing showed the fish swimming in the water.
The cowhide was old and ancient, but the fish in the drawing was vividly alive, flipping its tail and stirring up countless droplets, as if they would leave the water and splash onto one’s face any moment.
The last two drawings clearly indicated a fact—the scepter indeed had the power to resurrect.
“Phew… just as I thought. But for a single-player instance, this is too difficult.”
After quickly examining the drawings, Wu Ren couldn’t help but say, “It’s impossible for one person to collect so many bodies…”
“Yes. The mythology of Dagda’s system is relatively obscure for us. Without knowing this off-scene information, it’s very hard for a single person to complete it alone.”
Zhou Qian asked Wu Ren, “What’s the difficulty level of your instance? Why haven’t I encountered it?”
When selecting single-player instances, Zhou Qian looked through each option several times, but he indeed hadn’t seen this ‘Magic Crucible’.
Therefore, if not for Wu Ren pulling him in, he wouldn’t have come here.
Wu Ren said, “I played several instances in Blue Harbor City, and once when I opened a treasure chest, I got an item that could summon teammates. After that, I was able to see this instance. I… I was eager to accomplish something, so I was indeed a bit hasty. The success rate of this instance is only 5%.”
Zhou Qian: “I have such an item, but it still didn’t open for me. Is it because my stats are too low?”
Wu Ren: “If you don’t use your full power when you’re critically injured, under normal circumstances, my output is three times yours. Besides, there are defense and other factors…”
“Alright. So basic attributes are one hurdle to enter this instance. The summoning item is another hurdle.”
Zhou Qian said, “Can it be understood that this instance is only open to you when you can summon teammates? So…”
“Perhaps this can be seen as a kind of hint.”
“What hint? How to deceive the god into using the other end of the scepter to resurrect us. Do you have an idea?”
After Wu Ren asked this, Zhou Qian’s gaze suddenly became more profound.
Wu Ren felt a sudden jolt in his heart. “What do you mean?”
Zhou Qian said, “I mean, actually, the system is being kind to players. It thinks this instance is one you can only pass with a summoning card. You can’t complete it alone.”
“Your HP is only 5,000 now. But you said that when the god arrives in this world, his first move has a 100% hit rate. Even if you completely dodge it, you will still lose 8,000 points of health.”
Wu Ren: “The health restored by the small potions is little, but still barely—”
Zhou Qian: “But it seems we can’t directly take the scepter from his hand. He has the power to fight an emperor with numerous soldiers, not to mention the enhancement from the scepter. Moreover… he can leave this world and return to reality at any time. Can we delay another hour?”
“Once he discovers we know the secret of the scepter, will he still dare to come?”
“Perhaps if we fail to snatch the scepter, we will be completely trapped here!”
By this time, Wu Ren had fully understood what Zhou Qian meant. “You want to… use my death to trick him and get his scepter.”
“Correct,” Zhou Qian said. “This is the hint I mentioned from the instance—you need someone else to help you through this level. Otherwise, you will definitely die.”
“This also means that after you die, the god will let his guard down, which is a certain plot development.”
“Then, your teammate, seizing that opportunity, can take the scepter and then use its other end to resurrect you and the other 50 soldiers.”
“Now the teammate you summoned is me. I’m the only one who can help you.”
“But it’s also possible…”
Wu Ren gave a bitter smile, sat down against the inner wall of the crucible, with two charred corpses beneath him.
The dim light made his normally gloomy eyes squint, and his pupils were deeply black.
“It’s also possible that after I die, the god will kill me, this war god, and then leave. You are not part of the story. Perhaps you can naturally leave.”
“You yourself said that we can talk to each other… This doesn’t fit the setting. It’s outside the story logic.”
“Wu Ge, if you still think like that now, I’m really going to get angry.”
“First, your idea is completely wrong. If you die and I ignore you, I’m afraid I’ll also be trapped here. Although we can talk to each other because of the summoning item, since I can enter the Crucible World in the story, it’s very likely I’m also dead. Second—”
Looking into Wu Ren’s eyes, Zhou Qian’s expression became unprecedentedly serious. “I haven’t met many good people before. But since entering this game, I’ve met quite a few decent people, and you’re one of them. So, Wu Ren—”
“I came to save you, not to kill you. I won’t abandon my king.”
“Do you trust me?”
Staring into Wu Ren’s eyes for 30 seconds, Zhou Qian stood up and said, “If you trust me, then use your death to trick the god into a ‘relaxed plot’.”
“In the story, you’re actually already dead, so you won’t truly die.”
“In the story setting, I’ll use the scepter to bring you back from ‘in-between life and death’ to reality. You’ll return to the human world as a ‘knight’ and fight for your emperor.”
After a pause, Zhou Qian raised his Rib of God, tried to make the little dragon exhale some purple mist, and suddenly white smoke rose from the bone.
The smoke formed a human shape and then dispersed.
Then Zhou Qian clearly saw the astonishment in Wu Ren’s eyes.
Zhou Qian said, “If you trust me, now help me fish out two more bodies.”
Wu Ren quickly understood Zhou Qian’s meaning. “You’re worried that the crucible can only resurrect 51 people at a time?”
The war might have been large-scale, so there could be countless casualties, not just the ones Zhou Qian and Wu Ren saw.
The reason there were only 51 people in this world might be because the crucible could only resurrect 51 people, so the emperor only put 51 bodies into the crucible to try to resurrect them. After all, there were only 51 soldiers carved on the inner wall of the crucible.
Seeing Zhou Qian nod, Wu Ren quickly asked, “I understand your meaning. You were summoned here by an item, so whether you have an identity in this instance is an uncertain matter…”
“So, if you are considered a character in the story, like me, already dead in reality… you’ll need to replace a soldier’s resurrection slot. That way, the two of us can return to reality together.”
“But if that’s the case, I only need to throw out one body. Why two?”
“Did you see the white smoke just now?”
Zhou Qian glanced at the Rib of God and smiled at Wu Ren. “He used to be my teammate and died in someone else’s scheme. He’s temporarily become my bone spirit, maybe just one step away from resurrection.”
“So, I want to try and see if this crucible with the power of rebirth can realize some kind of resurrection for his spirit. Perhaps the resurrection crucible is just a setting of the instance and won’t have much effect, but I’ll try my best. So, Wu Ren—”
Putting away his smile, Zhou Qian became serious again. “You’re right, I asked you to be the so-called ‘king’ because I need your abilities.”
“But in this game, isn’t being teammates about complimenting each other, cooperating, or, in other words, ‘using each other’?”
“You have to believe that I will take you all out alive.”
“I won’t let go of any scum, but for decent teammates, I won’t abandon any. I have that confidence.”
“Wu Ge, maybe I will use you in the future. But now, it’s your turn to use me. You must seize the opportunity.”
The author has something to say:
The crucible, giant club, and Dagda ‘the good god’ are all from the Celtic mythology~
Kinky Thoughts:
Oh, I’m glad Gao Shan isn’t really dead.
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