Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 123

In the game. Inside the semi-open instance of Zone 0.

Apart from a few trees, a patch of green grass, and a small lake, there was nothing here.

A square blanket was spread on the grass in front of the lake, where someone was sitting against a big tree on this blanket, with a few pieces of biscuits in front of them, seemingly in the midst of a picnic.

He looked very leisurely and composed in his demeanor. However, his pale complexion ultimately betrayed a hint of illness.

Besides the food, there was also a tablet on the blanket, displaying scenes of Bai Zhou in “The Red God’s Banquet”.

Suddenly, a drop of blood fell on the grass nearby, and a person with two heads materialized from the blood. It was the Blood Demon.

Following that, a whirlpool appeared in the lake. The whirlpool slowly approached the shore, and a turtle emerged from it. After the turtle swam to the shore, the shell on its back miraculously opened up, and a drowsy girl climbed out and sat on the turtle shell. This newcomer was, of course, the Turtle Fairy.

The Blood Demon and Turtle Fairy respectfully greeted the man on the blanket, then curiously joined him to watch the situation of Bai Zhou in the instance for a while.

After seeing the dialogue between Bai Zhou and the Red God, Xiao Xue yawned out of boredom. “He’s become long-winded.”

Xiao Mo agreed. “Agree. 100% agree.”

Xiao Xue: “NPCs are meant to be killed, just tools for the trials. For Rank God players, the more you kill, the more attributes you gain. Why waste words on NPCs?”

Xiao Mo: “Because of love, he’s become soft. Oh, this damned love.”

Xiao Xue: “You’re sick.”

Xiao Mo: “Is that how you talk to your sister?”

Xiao Xue: “Fuck. I’m your brother!”

“You’re both wrong. The path I take isn’t about killing NPCs…”

As the two were arguing, Turtle Fairy said this, yawned, and then suddenly started bleeding from her nose. Then, with a tilt of her head, she collapsed to the side.

Just before hitting the ground, the man on the blanket put down the tablet and caught her. Holding her wrist, he continuously infused his spiritual power into Turtle Fairy’s body.

This scene somewhat alarmed the Blood Demon, causing both heads to speak in unison. “Master, you’ve only recovered recently. Be careful. Let us do it—”

The one called “Master” by the Blood Demon was indeed the man named Shao Chuan.

Years ago, he had approached a young man daydreaming outside a hospital building, extended a hand, and said, “Hello, my name is Shao Chuan. I’m sorry about your illness. However, it’s not incurable. Would you like to talk more with me?”

At this moment, Shao Chuan, with a serious face, shook his head at the Blood Demon and continued to infuse spiritual power into Turtle Fairy.

After a long while, the girl in the white dress opened her eyes. She rested her hand on the turtle shell and looked dazedly into Shao Chuan’s eyes. “I, I…”

Shao Chuan said, “What did you see? Tell me. It’s okay.”

“The Peach Blossom Legion has already started to move. Blue Harbor City is about to…”

After saying a few words to Shao Chuan, the Blood Demon’s face changed dramatically, while Turtle Fairy started bleeding from all orifices.

Shao Chuan placed two fingers behind Turtle Fairy’s neck, and she gradually fell into a deeper sleep, slowly closing her eyes. Even so, she was still trembling.

Gently patting her shoulder, Shao Chuan said, “Don’t be afraid. According to Taoism, before ascension to godhood through cultivation, one must endure tribulations. It seems the laws of all things are interconnected. The moment has come. I believe he can get through it.”

As for Turtle Fairy, her last words before closing her eyes were, “What I saw… cannot be changed. It’s too terrible. But I can’t change it… I…”

Simultaneously, within the instance “The Red God’s Banquet”.

Amei also said, “Do you know? What has happened, cannot be changed.”

This was after Amei suggested the game was no longer fun.

Bai Zhou looked straight ahead, not looking at her, as if he completely didn’t think Amei would harm them.

The reason behind this was simple—

Why did they become “deserters”? Was it because they had once helped Amei, becoming criminals in the Land of Silence, forced to flee?

The magician Flowing Water had set a ban on them, aiming to kill them.

Thus, it was very likely that Amei was the one giving them hints.

After all, it wasn’t yet midnight, and the festival of Samhain hadn’t officially arrived, meaning the gates between worlds weren’t yet open. However, Amei’s appearance indicated she wasn’t restricted by the gates and had already arrived in this world.

Thus, Bai Zhou simply said, “We are not the targets of your game. The villagers are. You should have already been satisfied with this year’s quota.”

“But do you know?” At that moment, Amei said to Bai Zhou, “In our faith, what has happened, has happened and cannot be changed. So—”

“Maybe everything will start over.”

Under the moonlight, Bai Zhou’s expression remained calm, as if he didn’t take Amei’s words to heart.

He simply lowered his head and sent a message to Zhou Qian. “The true purpose of the golden feather is related to healing and recovery.”

Bai Zhou knew that Zhou Qian would also try to find out the story. The version he found would most likely be the same as what Bai Zhou had heard.

Zhou Qian, being so smart, would surely understand the truth upon seeing this message—

A woman who had saved the four great families, the king, and even the entire Kingdom of Words. Yet, they ruthlessly betrayed her, handed her over to the Land of Silence to preserve their own lives, and fabricated a series of stories to tarnish her reputation, portraying her as a villainess.

However, Bai Zhou’s message wasn’t sent.

The system panel showed he could not contact anyone at the moment.

Glancing at the time on the panel, it displayed exactly midnight—Samhain had arrived.

The voice of Red God Amei echoed from afar and near. “The gates between worlds are open. The moment of chaos has come. This is a segment of time that doesn’t exist. I hope you can get through it smoothly.”

“1 or 31, indeed, I did say that. Kill 31 people, and you survive. I will keep my promise and will not kill you. However, I don’t have much of an appetite tonight and can’t eat that many souls.”

“Young man, there’s something you don’t know. No one dares to kill on the eve of Samhain. Why did they bring you to shed blood, instead of killing you themselves?”

“Now let me tell you. In this chaotic moment, those you kill will all come back as spirits to claim your life!”

“They betrayed you. But you indeed betrayed them too. And I—I detest betrayal the most.”

“When the chaos fades, maybe I’ll take you to my inn in another world.”

“For now, please enjoy this moment of chaos. The feast has just begun.”

Fog rose on the mountain road, and the Red God with her red will-o’-wisps disappeared into the mist.

Immediately afterward, Bai Zhou heard footsteps behind him.

Turning his head, he saw a group of people holding torches slowly approaching.

Before they got close enough for Bai Zhou to see clearly, from their conversation, Bai Zhou already recognized them—they were Village Chief Ab and the villagers.

“Thank you all for your sacrifices.” Ab’s voice was slightly choked. “Nameless Village will always remember your deeds! And I, I will give everything to find a way to counter the Red God! I hope such a tragedy won’t happen again next year!”

Saying this, Ab quickly came up to Bai Zhou.

Behind him were the losers in the game—the Sun Family and the Star Family.

Upon seeing Bai Zhou, their eyes unanimously turned curious.

Ab first asked Bai Zhou, “How come you’re here?”

They seemed completely unaware that they were already dead, let alone that it was Bai Zhou who had killed them.

……

On the other side, the Tartar Inn.

When Zhou Qian and the others returned to the inn from the square, there was still some time left until midnight. Before entering the lobby, Zhou Qian specifically noticed the color of the windows on the second floor and the color of the eyes of the three-skull statue—they were all blue.

Under the guidance of Innkeeper Tartar, each room on the second floor, whether occupied or not, was equipped with items for burning white bone rituals and jack-o’-lanterns.

The players also put on strange costumes and wore ghost masks.

According to Tartar, in case some formidable ghost broke in regardless of the white bone ritual, they might still be able to avoid a disaster by wearing the masks.

After all the preparations were done, the innkeeper instructed the players and then went back downstairs.

Once she left, all the players went to Zhou Qian’s room, except for Yun Xiangrong.

Before going to Zhou Qian, Yin Jiujiu specifically asked her, “Really? Tonight might be very dangerous. You and him… I don’t know what happened between you guys. But now is not the time for revenge. At least, wait until we’ve figured out the conditions for passing the level.”

Yun Xiangrong simply said, “Going to Zhou Qian’s room is just to get the ore. The ore that He Xiaowei and others found contained a large amount of salt. Nothing else. Just help me get a piece. Thanks.”

“But you…” Yin Jiujiu still wanted to persuade.

Yun Xiangrong calmly met her gaze. “Actually, we are the same kind of people.”

Yin Jiujiu frowned. “What do you mean?”

Yun Xiangrong said, “The legion I belong to is very powerful. It can help me find a lot of information. So, of course, I know about you. Your purpose here is actually the same as mine.”

Yin Jiujiu was left stunned, watching Yun Xiangrong’s back as she left the room.

Yun Xiangrong looked at her and continued, “Maybe because of a mistake, or maybe because of greed… we accidentally entered this game. We want the gods to fulfill our wishes. But whether the gods exist or not, and whether our wishes can be fulfilled, nobody knows.”

“At least I have never seen anyone who really got something through this game. So—”

With a bit of choking in her voice, Yun Xiangrong said, “Wanting to revive the people we care about and love, the hope is slim. But avenging them is something we can actually achieve.”

“I have my own revenge to seek. You have yours. So I say, we are the same kind of people. We can cooperate, right? Even if we don’t cooperate, you don’t need to persuade me. Just help me get some ore. I don’t want to see them. Thank you.”

Thus, except for Yun Xiangrong and Bai Zhou, all other players were in Zhou Qian’s room at that moment.

After distributing the ore to everyone, Zhou Qian went to the window and specifically noted the color of the glass again. “There’s one thing we haven’t solved before midnight. How this glass changes color.”

Zhou Qian was worried that the glass might suddenly change color in the dead of night.

The problem he was pondering was also on the minds of the others, and everyone fell silent for a moment.

During this time, He Xiaowei suddenly sniffed like a dog, immediately ran out of the room, and after a while, ran back in, saying, “The innkeeper has started stewing meat soup again!”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian gave He Xiaowei a meaningful look.

He Xiaowei immediately understood, stepped forward to close the door, and then looked at Zhou Qian. “Qian’er, what’s up?”

“Is there something you guys find odd?” Zhou Qian asked.

He Xiaowei: “Hmm? What’s that?”

Zhou Qian: “Every household has a white dog. Why doesn’t the innkeeper have one?”

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