Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 162: Night Talk

Amazon campsite, guest tent.

“Did you go there all by yourself?” Painter glanced downward, frowning, unusually raising his tone.

Amazon wouldn’t hide such intelligence as “monster appearances” from guests. Right after Demon King Nol disappeared, monsters started showing up near the undead dragon. It was blatantly obvious where that absurdly strong “monster” came from.

Teest was wiping the dirt off his feet with a wet towel, not bothering to look up. “Of course. I had to see him. Do I need to explain what ‘marriage’ means again?”

His tone was very matter-of-fact.

Painter’s mouth opened and then closed, after which he took a few deep breaths. “How is Mr. Nol doing?”

Teest was silent for two or three seconds. “Not so well, I guess. Whatever that seal is suppressing, it’s already affecting him.” He paused, then continued, and Painter witnessed a scene he would never forget—

The Mad Monk averted his gaze. “’Wanted by Fate’ definitely couldn’t do this. Could it be because I touched the seal?” For the first time, Painter heard a hint of unease in Teest’s voice.

From what he knew about the Mad Monk, even if the guy accidentally killed someone, he would just say, “Sorry, my hand slipped.” Even if he was pointedly accused of making a mistake, Teest would readily admit it without fussing over the “mistake” itself.

At this moment, however, Painter saw in those golden eyes an emotion that shouldn’t exist… something close to “regret”.

“No.”

The former Pope answered honestly. “With my understanding of magic, if you broke something that day, there would definitely be a change in the magical fluctuations on Mr. Nol—this isn’t to comfort you, it’s an objective opinion from a mage.”

“The system suddenly changing the quest content—it must be Star Stealer Sol meddling.” Lynn was irritably running her fingers through her hair. “Let me think this through… First, it used the system’s power to draw Nol to the center of the battlefield, then trapped the nearby players.”

“Second, didn’t the Red Dragon say Nol’s knowledge sealing power was very ‘pure’? If the seal is maintained by the system, and the system nearby is forcibly interfered with by Star Stealer Sol, the seal would also be affected, right?”

Painter stroked his chin. “This line of thinking is indeed interesting.”

Teest: “He had anomalies before, but none as severe as this time.”

“The anomalies of Mr. Nol before, compared to human interference, seemed more like natural triggers.” Painter gestured. “Encountering situations that touch on memories, or his own power increasing, could cause the seal to wobble briefly. As for this time, I agree with Miss Lynn’s speculation—the system being interfered with by Star Stealer Sol accidentally triggered Mr. Nol’s anomalies.”

“In terms of the outcome, it still benefits Star Stealer Sol.” Lynn’s face wrinkled in frustration. “It’s openly probing us.”

If Nol was lucid—this was a “trolley problem” of intelligence gathering. Through Nol’s choices, one could basically determine the true attitude of Paradise towards players.

If Nol wasn’t lucid—it only made the probing all the more perfect and cruel.

Lynn couldn’t even force a bitter smile. Star Staler Sol had set up the bloody stage, whereas they—they were still guessing the cause of Nol’s anomalies, let alone finding a solution.

In this gamble, they had completely lost the initiative and couldn’t just restart as in a real game.

“Kando, with your power, can you open a spatial rift?” Teest suddenly asked.

The silent black candle spoke dispiritedly. “No. Loser can’t defy the system, let alone me, who made a deal with It.”

“Then, I’m a bit curious about how this ‘Loser’ failed.” Teest ignored the main topic at hand and pulled up a chair in front of the candle. “I know you’re bound by a contract, so speak what you can—I guess, your master wouldn’t want to see Nol fall here.”

The candle’s single eye rolled slightly, and after a moment, it said tiredly, “Loser’s real name is ‘Perradat’, belonging to a species called the Floating Cocoons… It’s okay if you don’t understand, you just need to know, He is an ‘outsider’ to this world.”

“Perradat accidentally discovered this world and wanted to nest here. Unfortunately, He found another outsider already here. Like two stray dogs fighting over a corpse, they began to confront each other.”

“Lower than I expected,” Teest said. “Then what? How did stray dog Perradat lose?”

Lynn looked at Teest with some confusion—she was puzzled by this person’s thought process. With a big issue at hand, why was Teest suddenly interested in a past divine war?

Painter slowly relaxed his brows, silently listening.

“Believe me, Perradat is the most cautious and life-valuing creature I’ve ever seen. He also possessed the gift of prophecy, so He’s definitely not an easy opponent.”

“The result was Star Stealer Sol was even more afraid of death. Star Stealer Sol never fights directly but only attacks in various forms of stealth and somehow always succeeds—to this day, Perradat doesn’t know how He lost. Even the name ‘Star Stealer Sol’ was heard from the opponent.”

Saying this, the candle laughed briefly. ” Perradat only knew that Star Stealer Sol suddenly understood Him very well; all His actions were accurately predicted. As you can guess, Perradat was struck down. He decided to play dead and lie low, waiting for a new force to cooperate with.”

Teest hummed, tapping his thigh intermittently.

As expected, there was no epic battle in Perladat’s fall. It was just a bleak reality.

“So, Star Stealer Sol’s real body isn’t strong.” He mused. “It specializes in gathering information and then crafting, uh, what’s the word, a ‘perfect strategy’?”

“If it was really powerful, it wouldn’t need such roundabout methods. Plus, if Loser really valued its life, as you say, it wouldn’t have hesitated to wage war on Star Stealer Sol.”

“According to what you said, Star Stealer Sol’s real strength should be similar to, or even lesser than, Loser’s.”

Star Stealer Sol didn’t dare to directly confront the ancient Demon King, possibly due to some special reason related to “creator authority”. But it also avoided confronting other outsiders directly, which was quite telling.

For the first time, appreciation appeared in the black candle’s gaze. “I won’t deny… Perradat did say, if faced with a being like ‘The Pillar of the World’, He wouldn’t dare make a move.”

“Then I have only one question left,” Teest said. “Compared to ‘Loser’ in His prime, what level is that headless corpse in the cave?”

“A tenth.”

The candle answered crisply. “That is the remains of Perradat’s incarnation. Star Stealer Sol’s real body isn’t there, unable to suppress more power.”

Teest lowered his gaze, slowly outlining the enemy’s form in his mind.

Star Stealer Sol excelled in scheming. Its abilities were unknown, and it was accustomed to gathering intelligence, manipulating behind the scenes.

Its real body was weak, unlikely to enter the fray now. Even the previous battle between the two gods couldn’t force it out of the shadows, let alone this little skirmish.

But It was definitely watching. Whether through the four moons, the eyes of Its followers, or some other means…

“Shouldn’t we first resolve Nol’s issue?” Lynn couldn’t help but speak out. “We can talk about these matters later. The important thing is—”

“The important thing is, the more the enemy likes underhanded tactics, the less we can afford to be passive.”

Teest stared in the direction where Nol was, expressionless. “Nol’s anomaly is caused by system interference, so dragging Star Stealer Sol out to end the interference is the best solution.”

Painter grimaced as if in pain. “Drag it out…”

“It wants chaos, it wants war, it wants to probe our situation. Not giving it a good show would be too disappointing, wouldn’t it?” Teest bared his teeth, looking eager to tear something apart.

“Let me remind you, the people here are our compatriots.” Lynn pressed her temples. “Please, don’t even think about things like blood sacrifices.”

“I promised Nol, this time I’d play the hero.” Teest said softly, “I won’t break the game rules.”

After saying that, he added, “…By the way, I’ll be going out again tonight. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back on time at dawn.”

The night gradually deepened, then was diluted by the increasingly bright twilight.

The undead dragon lay quietly, and the alien monster sat motionless beside it. A soothing magic continuously flowed from its palm. And… probably around its thigh, Teest calmly rested his leg, lying on his side.

The omnipresent pressure from all sides remained, but from another perspective, this was also a kind of embrace. The bluish-red skin was cold and moist, with a faint smell of decay, but no matter. He had already gotten used to it in the Eternal Church. How wonderful this touch was, like a cold kiss.

Nol occasionally uttered unintelligible murmurs, with the short syllable “Teest” mixed in. That sound, like bubbles rising and bursting, brought a strange sense of comfort.

Teest liked it here; he comfortably closed his eyes.

His body was covered in wounds of various sizes and depths. Blood soaked through Teest’s clothes, flowing down the stone platform. Wounds that could be healed with recovery magic, so Teest let them be, and the blood continued to flow out little by little.

Until the monster’s “hand” gently covered them, awkwardly healing those wounds.

[Teest.] it said. [Teest.]

“I’m ready, honey.” Teest said, “I don’t know if this will be a good story.”

“But it’s bound to be thrilling. I hope you’ll like it.”

……

“Redeploy the investigation team.” In the Amazon command tent, Dorothy hadn’t slept all night. “We can’t delay too long. The longer it takes, the more panicked everyone becomes.”

“First, find a way to kill the undead dragon, and immediately retreat after killing it. If its master becomes enraged, we can still gather some intelligence.”

“What if, without the undead dragon, that thing enters its second phase…” Assassin Sharp couldn’t help but shudder. The undead dragon was manageable, but its eerie master indeed left her with a psychological shadow.

“It’s better than dealing with both sides at the same time.”

Dorothy forced a smile. “We’ve brought plenty of light-based output this time, and the quality of Drake’s companions is high—Ruby has seen them. It seems like there’s a ‘Saint’ and a ‘Sorcerer’, and Drake himself is a magic swordsman—just suitable for this battle.”

“The mission given by the system can’t be an impossible situation. No one will die, and if there’s a permanent debuff from death, there will be a way to remove it. Don’t worry.”

“Understood. Then I’ll go find Bonnie Jie to draft the attack list.”

Dorothy nodded, hesitating for a moment. “I heard Mandela secretly made some buns? Are there any left? I’d like to eat some.”

“There should be some left…” Sharp replied, somewhat puzzled. Dorothy never cared about these things before.

“I see.”

Fifteen minutes later.

Dorothy, holding a stack of pan-fried buns, entered Lilith’s secret tent.

“Wow, pan-fried buns—!” The snake girl sprung up like a spring.

“No vinegar. I used some sour lemon juice instead.” Dorothy sighed. “Eat up.”

Lilith’s claws reached for the buns, then slowly stopped. “Sister, something’s off in your tone… This isn’t going to be my last supper, is it? I know the quest has changed. Is our opponent that scary?”

“Not optimistic.”

Dorothy shook her head. “Listen, Lilith… Lin Li. If something happens to me, I might not be able to look after you. Remember, don’t let anyone know your true situation. As long as your prophetic ability exists, they will protect you unconditionally.”

“I don’t understand. Can’t even Sharp Jie know?”

A sorrowful expression crossed Dorothy’s face. “If you were just ‘an exception’, that would be one thing. But if all the monsters in Paradise are like you… that means, this might not just be a ‘game’.”

If Paradise was full of people like Lilith, they would be all their compatriots, yet they hadn’t contacted the players sooner. It could only mean that Paradise’s side had some intelligence—some negative information that was inconvenient to tell the Players.

Regarding the possible content of that intelligence, Dorothy had some guesses. But no matter what the answer was, it was bound to bring chaos to the Players.

Rather than betting on so many Players’ sentiments, Dorothy preferred to believe in the peaceful approach of the Master of Paradise.

The recent incident in the Brick Mountains had even shocked Hot Ash himself. With more and more strange events happening, the last thing Players needed now was chaos.

“The situation is special. I’ve removed the seal on the door, and there’s an invisibility potion in this small bag. If no one comes for you for more than twenty-four hours, remember to check the situation yourself.”

“Thank you, sister. I’ll remember.” Lilith finally took a bun and chewed it carefully. “If the situation gets too urgent, I’ll run away.”

Dorothy managed a strained smile.

“If you’re really uncomfortable, how about I make a prophecy for you?” Lilith offered. “Although I personally don’t like spoilers in life, given the circumstances…”

“No need.” Dorothy patted her head. “I only have one outcome—going home and having a good New Year with my parents. I don’t want to know about anything else.”

“Just like you only have one outcome. You’ll find your sister, and you both will go home.”

“Mm.” Lilith responded with a smile.

Not far from the command tent.

Barto was fuming, veins popping. He had just come for a logistics mission and ended up getting involved in something big—recently, he hadn’t leveled up at all, and he wasn’t fit for the battlefield! Now, with the system locking the dungeon and the quest incomplete, he couldn’t even leave.

If it weren’t for that damn scroll delivery mission, Barto wouldn’t want to deal with that bitch Dorothy ever again. He thought to himself, getting involved with these women never ends well, as he kicked the scroll box again.

Who’s in the mood to find the recipient? Let’s just get this cursed quest over with first.

Speaking of which, the snake woman had a prophecy.

Someone would grant them the way home, and they would witness a noble sacrifice. Barto originally thought “the way home” meant a way back to Earth, but now it seems, it could also mean leaving this cursed place.

A noble sacrifice… Well, it certainly won’t be his. As long as they survive until a specific character sacrifices themselves, they’ll have a chance…

Thinking this, Barto finally felt a bit calmer. It was almost dawn; it might be good to go out for a walk to clear his head.

As he stepped out, Barto immediately saw Lynn, carrying a basket of bread.

She didn’t look like one of the Amazons. A guest, perhaps… Last night, Dorothy threw out “Drake’s visit” as a pacifier for everyone. Could this be one of that hero Drake’s companions?

This newcomer looked to be no more than eighteen, petite, with two flaxen braids, full of girlish charm. Her pale red eyes were round and beautiful, like a little girl who might appear in a fairy tale.

‘Quite cute,’ Barto thought. And being one of Drake’s companions, it wouldn’t hurt to get on good terms.

“Good morning.” Barto put on his trademark sweet smile, blocking Lynn’s path. “Guests are up so early, huh?”

Lynn struggled to suppress the subtle look in her eyes.

Well… At Lynn’s own request, Nol had shown her every player he met through memory images, to enrich her “Paradise Intelligence Database”.

Hmm… this person, she remembered, was a man?

Hmm…

“Good morning, miss. I’m used to getting up early.” Lynn also put on a perfunctory smile. “Any new news from your side?”

She couldn’t say that the Mad Monk “Drake” had gone out in the middle of the night and hadn’t returned, and she was trying to summon him with fresh bread.

“Nothing new from the battlefield. Honestly, the Amazons’ reaction is slower than you’d think.”

Barto said with an air of importance, “I’m actually a representative of the Alva Merchant Group, not a member of Amazon.”

Good, the intelligence database can be enriched a bit.

“Oh my, a representative of the Alva Merchant Group?” Lynn feigned surprise. “You’re so young. That’s amazing! But if a representative is here, is something the matter…”

“Don’t worry. It’s just a secret merchandise transport.” Barto winked mysteriously. “There are plenty of secrets here.”

Lynn maintained a perfect smile with a hint of appropriate admiration in her eyes. “Wow, really? Is it a secret weapon?”

“Ah, just a person-finding tool, nothing exciting.”

Barto was completely unguarded around this “Hero’s companion”. Setting aside how prestigious the name Drake was, such a pure and cute girl must be the “Saint” mentioned in the intelligence—Saints have high moral standards.

That scruffy man must be the “Sorcerer”. That face did look a bit familiar. Has he seen him before? …Never mind. It wasn’t important.

Here stood a Saintly Sister, seemingly very innocent, easily manipulated in minutes.

Securing this connection, leaving here would be another achievement. The Alva Merchant Group would surely value him even more.

“But we do have a secret weapon,” Barto said, beaming.

“The Amazon have secretly hidden a prophet from the Priest Serpent Clan. It has prophesied about this crisis!”

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The author has something to say:

You think she’s a Saint.

Actually, it’s a Supreme Domination Witch (…

Teest is not only unflustered but also wants to rest his leg on someone.

And don’t get it wrong! This couldn’t possibly be the final battle (lol

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Kinky Thoughts:

Well… if you didn’t know what Loser was before, this chapter should really tell you who it is now. Anyway, no spoilers for those who haven’t read it.

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