Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 160: Script Writer
Barto returned to his tent, pushing aside the wine bottles on the table—if nothing else, the wine in this world was genuinely good. Back in the novice village, he could only afford cheap barley beer. Since joining the Alva Merchant Group, high-quality red wine was available in abundance.
For logistical work this time, Barto had specifically picked out some high-quality cheese and the best ham to accompany the wine.
As long as it wasn’t too outrageous, as long as he, a “Player”, asked for it, the Alva Merchant Group would provide. This is what he considered the smartest use of resources, Barto thought. Why wouldn’t those fools try it?
Barto sat at the table and took out a slender case from the system’s item bar.
This was the focus of this logistical work, the transport of a special magical item. Just by bringing this item along, he could earn a personal transport fee of ten gold wheels.
It was said to have been specially ordered by someone in Amazon. Barto had heard the introduction beforehand. This item was rare, potent, and very expensive. However, in terms of practical value, it wasn’t anything significant.
[Wanted by Fate: Effective radius 50 km. Provide your impression, and it will summon the person you wish to see.
※Valid for 5 days. Please ensure the person you are looking for is capable of movement and not too far away.]
The item description was ordinary, which didn’t change the fact that it was a black magic item.
It must be some girl wanting to find a man she fancies, going through the trouble of getting such a complicated item. Barto could only think of using it to find rare quest targets, but sadly, the item was too expensive, and it was a loss no matter how he thought about it.
The case was specially made, and it could only be opened within a hundred meters of the employer. In theory, Barto shouldn’t touch it… But who cares? A look wouldn’t hurt, as long as he didn’t tamper with it, right?
Barto pulled the scroll out of the case, weighing the expensive item in his hand, when he suddenly noticed his palm was a bit wet.
Sniffing, there was a faint smell of blood in the air. Barto frowned and decided to open the sealed scroll. Then, his hand shook, nearly dropping the scroll to the ground.
To activate this item, a clue for the person being sought was required. A realistic painting, a photograph, a video clip—the more realistic the impression, the better the effect.
At that moment, the activation bar of the item was stitched with a withered eyeball. It was covered in blood, and the pupil was a beautiful ash gray. And the moment Barto opened it, the scroll activated automatically.
A cool magical ripple spread out, like ripples caused by a stone falling in water.
…What’s happening?!
Barto hurriedly tied the scroll back up and put it back into the case as it was. That was when Barto noticed that the “recipient” written on the box had already blurred.
It wasn’t his fault; it was the Merchant Group’s issue!
Even if he hadn’t impulsively opened it, to find this recipient with a blurred name, he would have had to open the case to confirm! It wasn’t his mistake!
Well, at worst, it would just attract some random person nearby. After all, Amazon would clear the area, and unrelated people would be discovered sooner or later.
Let it be, then. If the client asks, just say the Merchant Group didn’t package it well.
Barto, frustrated and confused, threw aside the case and opened another bottle of red wine.
……
That night, Nol held Teest as usual as they slept.
He liked to cuddle Teest’s head in his arms or rest his head on Teest’s arm. This person was literally his “security”; as long as he saw that silver hair, he always felt there was hope.
But that night, he couldn’t sleep, no matter what.
The discussions of the day were still swirling in his head—writing a script, persuading Amazon. It sounded not too difficult, but he had this nagging worry—a sense that “something is missing”.
Maybe the plan wasn’t detailed enough, Nol thought.
According to his current idea, he planned to first collect some items that could serve as rewards, then use the reputation of “Hero Drake” to his advantage. Then, they just needed to cooperate with the undead dragon to stage a grand play, providing a sufficiently peaceful ending.
Next, as long as he could persuade the Players and the dragon race to interact, he could figure out a way to shift the “Demon King” identity onto Star Stealer Sol.
A standard plan. If all went well, he could even save the undead dragon.
…But the subtle unease still lingered. What was the problem?
Nol couldn’t help but hug the sleeping Teest tighter, his nose brushing against the other’s long hair. The infamous Mad Monk emitted a very warm scent.
Better not to overthink for now. Nol closed his eyes, telling himself it was best to wait until dawn and discuss it with everyone.
Wait and discuss with everyone at dawn…
■■■■■■■■■■■■■……
Teest woke up early in the morning.
He felt a sudden chill for no reason and instantly opened his eyes. There were no malevolent visitors in the cave; instead, there was one less presence.
Nol wasn’t by his side.
Next to the stone bed, Nol’s boots were gone. His cloak was still neatly folded on the stone platform, indicating he had likely left in his pajamas. The black candle was also securely placed on the table, still soundly asleep.
Dracoliches decompose the food they eat into magic, so there’s no need for Nol to get up at night… Could it be the same situation as before? Thinking of Nol staring blankly in front of Lynn’s cottage, Teest quickly put on his cloak and stepped into the night.
Outside the room, nothing. In the distant caves, nothing. On the spider-web-like mountain roads around, nothing.
The Dragon’s Lair was terrifyingly quiet; Nol’s presence was nowhere to be found. Telepathy felt like throwing a stone into the abyss, with no response whatsoever. Teest summoned Ben, who sniffed around and whined in confusion.
So, Teest made a swift decision and headed straight for Painter and Lynn’s place.
“Do you remember a person named Nol?” The Mad Monk got straight to the point.
First, he needed to clarify if this was part of Star Stealer Sol’s domestication process.
“Of course. What’s the matter?” Lynn, having been woken up before dawn, had a face full of unspoken curses.
“He’s gone,” Teest said succinctly. “There are no signs of a fight. He left on his own.”
Lynn’s last bit of sleepiness vanished instantly, and Painter tensed up. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. There was nothing unusual last night. If there were invaders nearby, I would have definitely woken up… But if Nol wanted to leave without me noticing, I indeed wouldn’t have detected it.” Teest crossed his arms, his fingertips tapping his arm restlessly.
Painter lowered his gaze, thinking for a few seconds.
“This is the Dragon’s Lair, protected by ancient magic. Star Stealer Sol couldn’t have directly intervened.” The former pope said solemnly, “He must have used some method to lure Mr. Nol out of here.”
‘To get him away from [God’s Forsaken],’ Teest added in his mind.
“How did that thing know Nol was here?” Lynn’s face turned even uglier, as they had all thought the Dragon’s Lair was absolutely safe.
“It might have some understanding of Nol, knowing he would come. It might want to create an incident that forces Nol to show himself.” Teest hummed. “Regardless of the situation, I must find him quickly.”
He needed to be by Nol’s side.
Without Nol, he felt a very subtle discomfort. It was like waking up to find oneself missing a leg or an arm.
For half a year, his [Betrayal Overture] buff had been deactivated for the first time. Strength and something else… were drained from his bones, leaving only a continuous cold, which Teest disliked intensely.
“The Claw Scar Mountains,” Teest said.
“This Villain thinks so too.” Painter nodded.
Lynn twisted her brows in frustration. “Please, explain.”
Teest glanced at her. “Intuition.”
“Ordinary divination only provides a very vague direction. To effectively search for an unknown target, there are only four things in the world that can do it—Oracle, Witchbone Horn, Bloody Spindle, and the Wanted by Fate.”
Painter patiently explained.
“Let’s not talk about the oracle; the last three are very powerful dark magic artifacts. The first two have strong curse properties and are almost impossible to find on the market. The ‘Wanted by Fate’ is somewhat better; it doesn’t take the user’s life or organs but brings great misfortune to the user.”
“Mr. Nol is very powerful and wouldn’t be taken away by simple magic. The person being searched for leaving on their own is very much like the effect of [Wanted by Fate].”
Lynn let out a long sigh. “Continue.”
She thought [Wanted by Fate] must be a system item. The current Nol indeed couldn’t resist the system’s power.
Painter: “Here’s the problem. The stronger the power of the artifact, the greater the restrictions and costs—these three items all have a range limit. They require your target to be within a certain distance of you. Otherwise, the effect doesn’t work, but the cost is still taken.”
So that’s it. The most likely stage nearby to cause an incident was only the Claw Scar Mountains.
Facing the level of power of Nol and Teest, this kind of sneak attack could only be done once. Star Stealer Sol wouldn’t just drag Nol to a desolate place to take a look; there must be a scheme.
“I understand,” Lynn said. “Let’s go now.”
Her words had not yet fallen, and Teest was already gone.
The Mad Monk even forgot to wear shoes, she thought with mixed feelings as she quickly put on her cloak.
“Do you have a way to find Nol? He’s not an ‘unknown target’ to you.” Lynn packed her suitcase within half a minute and turned to ask Painter.
Painter’s smile was a bit bitter. “If that person managed to deceive even the Mad Monk, I have no way either. To be honest, I’m more worried about what’s about to happen than Mr. Nol himself.”
“First, Mr. Nol’s abnormal frequency of occurrences, being guided all the way to the Dragon’s Lair, and then the Claw Scar Mountains issuing a quest. All of this is too coincidental… Really too coincidental.”
Before Painter could finish, Lynn suddenly frowned.
In front of her, the system pop-up appeared again.
[The regional environment has changed.]
[You have triggered a time-limited regional quest: Necromancer’s Curse [Hell Mode]]
[Quest completion conditions: Kill the wandering undead dragon Telistam and its master in the Claw Scar Mountains.]
[Quest rewards: Highest level +5; the Lost Dragon Clan’s treasure; permanent buff “God’s Blessing”.]
[※Quest introduction: Brave warriors, the Demon King has discovered your movements. It has sent its sharp minions to fight alongside the evil dragon Telistam. The Demon King’s curse has corrupted this land. The living cannot leave, and the dead will have their levels reset to zero, suffering the permanent debuff “Agony”.]
[※Combat recommendation: Second-job transfer full level; number of people ≥100]
Lynn’s face instantly darkened.
The good news, Star Stealer Sol didn’t yet know that the person it was looking for was the “Demon King” himself. It probably didn’t expect the Demon King to personally run around with his family, only considering Nol as the Demon King’s “right-hand man”.
The bad news, she could probably guess what Star Stealer Sol wanted to do—as Nol wants a “peace without war”, Star Stealer Sol intends to throw Nol into a battlefield filled with his compatriots. The nearby area was forcibly locked by the system, and players can’t even leave before the mission ends.
Nol would die if he didn’t resist, and if he did resist, he was likely to destroy his compatriots. All this assuming Nol himself was sober and rational… At this point, they couldn’t be sure if Nol himself was sober.
Star Stealer Sol was sharper than they imagined. If this was a “true domestication” that was about to begin, it was too cruel.
Lynn didn’t know how bad the permanent debuff “Agony” was, but Lynn knew of Players who were tortured in the hunting lodge until they chose to “log off” on their own, and she didn’t hesitate to make the worst guess.
“It seems our mission this time isn’t to write a script.” She sighed. “We have to tear up the script.”
Painter: “Miss Lynn?”
Lynn pursed her lips, looking at the powerful former Pope beside her. After a brief thought, she quickly made a decision—
“Godfrey Paint. Given the special circumstances, I, as a representative of Paradise, request to make a deal with you,” Lynn said.
Painter was surprisingly calm. He didn’t speak but looked at her with his light green eyes.
“‘The truth and protection of Paradise’ in exchange for ‘cooperation without concealment’.” She said, “From now on, we have no room for mistakes in what we have to do, and we can’t distrust each other internally.”
Lynn trusted her judgment of character; she had to bet on this— the Mad Monk wouldn’t care about anything other than Nol, so someone had to make decisions for Paradise.
“This day has come faster than I thought.” Painter stared into Lynn’s eyes. “No problem, as long as you promise one thing.”
“What?”
“Do not sacrifice this world. Otherwise, This Villain… will betray immediately.”
Painter was succinct. “My cooperation with you is not because ‘I like you’, but because I want to escape from that False God who treats war as a toy. I hope you understand.”
“Deal,” Lynn said.
She walked into Nol and Teest’s room, picking up the staff they had forgotten.
At the same time.
Nol was walking under the moonlight.
His head was filled with all sorts of thoughts—normal and abnormal, tiny and large. They buzzed like a blender, turning even his brain into mush.
He shouldn’t be walking here. Amidst the chaos of thoughts, Nol struggled to stay sober. He should be by Teest’s side. Without [God’s Forsaken] nearby, such behavior was very reckless.
He shouldn’t be walking here. But his legs dragged him forward. The sky gradually twisted, and the shadow of the only moon gradually blurred. Soon, he would leave the shelter of the Dragon’s Lair.
He shouldn’t be walking here. Since he couldn’t resist… he had to think of other ways…
Right, the plan. His plan. He had his script.
Nol stretched his body, trying to morph into the appearance of Drake. Accompanied by the creaking sound of flesh twisting, the shadow cast by the moonlight twisted into a bizarre shape. Five arms waved aimlessly while two heads wobbled.
It felt like a thousand people were talking in his head, with continuous tiny screams. Nol bit his lip—probably his lip—forcing his thoughts back.
No, no…
This won’t do.
By the way, what do humans look like again? Four arms and four legs? Five arms and three legs?
How many heads? How many eyes? How many mouths?
Damn, can’t remember.
But he couldn’t maintain his original appearance; he couldn’t just expose himself like that. Star Stealer Sol would see. Star Stealer Sol would find out. He must protect Paradise, protect the Players… He must protect Teest…
Nol walked under the moon, and the shadow on the ground gradually changed its shape.
Under the moon walked a pure “monster”.
Kinky Thoughts:
Note to those reading along: A change has been made to Painter’s oracle.
It is now: His existence brings glory to God, and his disappearance will fulfill divinity.
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