Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 61: Two Stories

Everyone had entered the dark tower, leaving only the two Players outside.

Nol didn’t invite them to follow, nor did he close the door at this point. The black tower stood amidst a sea of corpses and blood, and the surrounding silence was terrifying. The fog silently rolled, licking across scattered flesh and bones, and the nearby wind seemed to be heated by the corpses. Anakin shivered and reluctantly moved towards the tower.

After all, Nol had explicitly said that they needed to witness until the end.

To be honest, Anakin couldn’t understand what Nol’s situation was.

Her and Solo’s actions had nothing to do with their own thoughts. It was purely motivated by the dangling quest “carrot” that was in front of them. Nol was different; his actions contained a bit more sincerity, but compared to pure sincerity, he seemed to be completing some kind of mission.

What kind of past did such an NPC have?

“That Nol must not be of ordinary origin. His feelings for Queen Hyacinth are unusual. Maybe Hyacinth was his teacher or something,” Solo said with lingering fear.

He thought assisting in protecting the tribe would require a grand battle, but now it seemed like it was almost like winning by laying down. This “free ride” with blood splattering everywhere made people feel uneasy deep down.

Anakin didn’t respond. The two of them stepped into the darkened door for the first time. Like breaking through a layer of black fog, their vision flickered for a moment, nearly blinded by the suddenly overflowing light.

The situation inside the tower was completely different from what they had thought.

The interior of the black tower seemed even more spacious than the outside, with a dozen circular floors built against the inner walls of the black tower. Even ignoring the huge holes in the center of these ring layers, each floor had an area of four or five football fields.

In the center of the black tower stood a square, spiral staircase built of wood. At every turning platform, a cross bridge would protrude, connecting to the nearest floor.

The exterior of this tower clearly had a spire. The sky at the Dream Edge was a hazy blue-purple, but inside, the top of the tower was connected to a piece of blue sky.

The brilliant sunlight made the inside of the tower incredibly bright. Soft vines hung down from the third floor with clusters of purple flowers blooming. Dense mist swayed on the fourth floor, casting shadows of rocks. The waterfall on the fifth floor gushed down into a pool, splashing silver-white water. Higher up, Anakin saw protruding giant tree branches.

Each floor of the tower had a “scene” that seemed somewhat different. Only the first floor—the floor they were on—was orderly. The floor was covered with large chessboard-style tiles. Load-bearing stone columns were decorated with potted plants and soft armchairs, and gargoyle-shaped wall lamps burned quietly.

Thousands of succubi were tightly squeezed into a corner of the first floor, occupying less than a quarter of the space. Perhaps because the environment here was too good, their panic had nowhere to be placed. Many people couldn’t help but look up, fascinated by the sky at the top of the tower. Even more people didn’t dare to make a sound, looking from afar at the figure lying in the sunlight—

The reigning queen lay asleep under the sun, her light golden hair shining dazzlingly in the sunlight. The succubus, wearing an old man t-shirt, stood by the queen. At the moment, she was tilting her head back, opening her mouth to this magnificent sight.

“We have brought the queen back.” Nol’s gaze accurately locked on to Succubus Doni. “So from now on, Teest is your crown prince.”

Teest stood on the other side with his arms crossed while tapping them with his fingertips. His daydreaming was blatant as he walked.

Succubus Doni looked at the queen and then at Nol, the fear in her eyes deepening.

When giving up his memories, he had pleaded for them to save their tribe… Had he made his wish to completely wrong entities?

These two had done so many inconceivable and absurd things, but they indeed conformed to the “heir selection” rules, he thought in a daze.

Teest hadn’t deliberately harmed any succubi, only stopped their counterattacks. Although Nol’s methods were rough, they didn’t cause substantial harm. He just transferred them all inside the tower.

Then, they brought back the queen, even the missing Knight Malvina.

“…Yes, the process is without problems.” After a while, Succubus Doni squeezed out an answer.

Behind him, the succubi huddled even tighter.

“Should I wait for this woman to die on her own, or should I put on the ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ascend the throne now?” Teest seemed to have regained his senses.

Doni bit his lip. “As long as the time ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is taken off doesn’t exceed ten minutes, the ‘Dream Dominion’ sheltering here will be fine. I suggest…”

Teest ignored him. He directly took off the queen’s earrings and threw one to Nol, who was beside him. Ma Zhigang, who was next to her, was about to have an outburst, but Teest had already placed the A Midsummer Night’s Dream crown on his head.

Anakin and Solo, who were watching, weren’t spared either. The necklace was thrown onto Anakin’s face, and Solo quickly reached out to catch it—

Soft light engulfed the sight of several people, and Nol closed his eyes first, taking a deep breath.

‘This is a dream,’ Nol thought.

Like the dreams people often have, it was just a moment in reality but felt incredibly long.

The dream left by Succubus Queen Hyacinth. The answer he was seeking was here.

[A beautiful boy and girl fell in love. Decoste often came to the Dream Edge to visit Hyacinth.]

[“It’s always so peaceful here. I really want to live a lifetime.” He lay on the grassy hill full of tiny flowers, with his hands cushioned behind his head.]

[“Then live a lifetime,” Hyacinth said with a smile.]

…This was originally a small conversation arranged by the production team.

But in the dream left by Queen Hyacinth, the environment was the same, the protagonist was the same, but the lines were worlds apart.

“You said bodies are lost at the Dream Edge?” The boy lay on the grassy hill, eyes wide in surprise. “Has this never happened before?”

Hyacinth sighed. “I’m afraid someone has invaded the Dream Edge.”

“What would they want with stealing bodies? It’s so strange.” Decoste frowned.

……

[The boy grew into a young man, but his lover still looked the same as a girl. Interlocking ten fingers became difficult, so he covered her hand with his palm. ‘It’s okay,’ Decoste thought. They still have a long time. Hyacinth was his destined one. Love could break through all difficulties.]

[“Now I’m a whole head taller than you!” He laughed, comparing his height to Hyacinth’s. “If I lower my head to look at you, will you cut it off, Your Majesty?”]

[“You’re about to become a formal businessman yet you’re still so informal.” Hyacinth laughed.]

In the dream, Decoste was wearing the same set of clothes and looked solemn.

“The Eternal Church wants to trade succubus bodies through me, claiming it’s for ‘collection needs’.”

Young Decoste pressed his soft hat to his chest, his tone worried. “They urgently need a large number of bodies. I guess they will not wait for the succubus to die naturally.”

Hyacinth nodded. “The magic that protects the lair should be upgraded, and I will also pay attention to the tribe members who have contact with humans.”

Decoste kissed her brow. “Don’t work too hard, Your Majesty. I will help you with all my heart and soul.”

……

[As Decoste stepped into middle age, specks of silver appeared at his temples. Due to some indescribable emotions, he could no longer hold his lover’s hand as freely as before, allowing her instead to link arms with him.]

[Would he receive love or pity from her as he grows old? Decoste began to fear “standing beside Hyacinth”. She sensed this, and concern filled her eyes. They no longer talk about the future.]

[“I’m so reluctant to leave you,” Decoste said. “I always calculate the opportunities we have left to meet. Hiya, why are the gods so cruel?”

“If you detest me, please tell me,” Decoste said. “Your eyes break my heart. I dare not look into them.”

He was obsessed and repeated this over and over. The sweet innocence of his youth had turned into bitterness and anxiety.]

[“A brave man has found fresh forget-me-nots.”

One day, Hyacinth brought two beautiful flowers still covered with fresh dew. “Decoste, dreams don’t lie.”]

Across from Hyacinth, Decoste looked frighteningly thin.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was sparse and gray. He looked as despairing as a corpse sunk in a swamp.

“Hiya, I cannot sleep.”

Decoste’s emaciated face twitched. “The Eternal Temple knows about our relationship. They found me again, saying there is a way for us to grow old together.”

Decoste’s voice was like sandpaper rubbing.

“They can transfer the power of monster corpses to humans. A girl with only half her body can restore it using the healing ability of a monster’s… I know, they just want to get succubus corpses from me.”

“But I always wonder—should I give them the corpses of succubi from other tribes? Or give them the succubi who committed capital crimes instead? Just once, just once, and we don’t have to be separated by time.”

“Every time I see you, I think of this. Every time I leave you, I still think of this. The path is right there, Hiya… The path is right there.”

Hyacinth listened quietly.

“Even if I become a monster, I want to stay by your side. But I don’t want to disappoint you…”

Decoste gently caressed his lover’s face. His thin hand was a stark contrast against her skin that was as white as jade. “My Queen, can you make this pain stop?”

Hyacinth closes her eyes. She gave her lover a hug. She hugged him for a long time, as if it was a farewell.

At the end of the hug, she extended her hand. In her palm lay two wrinkled purple buds.

“A brave succubus has found fresh forget-me-nots.”

She said, “Decoste, dreams don’t lie.”

……

[For the ruler of the succubus, traversing through dreams was a piece of cake.]

​[In the deepest dreams, the lovers met in the cabin where they first met. Wildflowers were all around the cabin, and the roof was covered with dark green rose vines. The clear lake reflected the blue sky, white clouds, and the aged Decoste.]

​[His back was hunched, and his robust body shriveled like a deflated pod. He had lost all his teeth, and sparse white hair stuck tightly to his scalp. Beneath the stacked, dry skin, a pair of murky eyes could vaguely be seen.]

[Opposite him stood a familiar yet unfamiliar old lady.]

[Her back was also hunched. Her lips enveloped bare gums, and the remaining strands of hair were styled into a silver-white bun. Her purplish-blue eyes seemed to have faded, turning into a misty gray. ​]

[They stood face to face, like any ordinary old people in this world. The sun was shining all around, birds were singing, and someone started to laugh. They looked at each other’s aged faces, laughing louder and louder, until they were out of breath and coughing.]

​[So it turns out that this was their deepest desire—to be at the same place, with the same person, at the same time.]

[“Quickly remember my appearance, so you won’t be curious later.” Hyacinth’s voice was old and hoarse.]

[“Compared to this appearance, I’m still very handsome now.” Decoste opened his toothless mouth.]

[The two of them laughed and played as if everything had returned to the best of times.]

[“There’s something I should have told you a long time ago,” Hyacinth said. “Deco, meeting you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me in this life.”]

For the ruler of the succubus, traversing through dreams was a piece of cake.

The cabin where they first met was right in front of them. The wind was warm and filled with the fragrance of roses. The aged Hyacinth wobbled towards the small house, where her lover, who had been waiting for her for decades, was nearby.

Decoste was standing in front of the cabin, just like the day they first met. He was an almost perfect young man.

His back was straight, his muscles were beautifully sculpted, and his lips were as bright as petals. He had beautiful curly golden hair, and his honey-colored eyes were incredibly clear.

Hyacinth stopped in front of Decoste, subconsciously touching her sparse white hair on her head. They stood face to face, one as beautiful as an angel and the other as old as Death.

Young Decoste stood still, tears incessantly rolling down his eyes.

“I’m sorry!” he cried out loud. “I can’t forget the temptation of that road. I can’t forget… I don’t want to leave you. I can’t deceive my true heart…”

He hadn’t betrayed her yet, and his love wasn’t a lie. It was just that the balance in his heart eventually leaned slightly toward darkness.

…In the end, they no longer looked in the same direction.

The beautiful young man, even crying, was unbearably moving. Decoste cried until he couldn’t breathe. He knelt in front of his aged lover, tears splashing on the green leaves.

The aged Hiya bent down and hugged her sobbing lover. She held him sorrowfully and calmly until he stopped crying.

“Let’s part, Decoste,” she said.

The young man with red eyes: “Part? How is that possible? I will find a way. There will always be a way…”

“No.”

Hyacinth patted his back and spoke in a gentle tone, as if telling a bedtime story to a real child.

“I’ll tell you a secret. Humans always have an illusion that love is a problem that needs an answer… To prove that they are right, some even have to endure painful choices.”

“You can’t possibly be the wrong choice,” Decoste choked.

“The problem distinguishes ‘right’ or ‘wrong,'” Hyacinth said softly. “To us, people just happen to walk together. It’s just that sometimes one of them walks fast or slow, or stops, and has to part. The journey that belongs to us both has ended. That’s all.”

She stroked her lover’s sunlit golden hair. “Decoste, you are the smartest person I have ever met. You understand, don’t you?”

Their relationship had become a festering wound, held tight by the Eternal Church.

Decoste’s heart was already wavering. If he didn’t amputate to survive in time, what awaited him would only be more temptations or threats, until Decoste compromised.

“There’s something I should have told you a long time ago.” Hyacinth kissed the top of his head, slowly letting go of her embrace. “Deco, meeting you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me in this life.”

Decoste didn’t respond for a long, long time.

“I heard from the traders that the Eternal Church specifically brought back the Demon King’s corruption from Desolation Island. I suspect they want to artificially create the Demon King’s minions as a kind of weapon—to fight against the succubi.”

When he spoke again, his face still had tear stains, and his voice was hoarse and solemn. “This is just my guess. But they have been lingering near the Black Forest recently, and sightings of monsters keep emerging. The succubus populations nearby have sharply decreased… If you are willing to believe me, please start defending as soon as possible.”

The elderly Hyacinth smiled.

She extended her hands, and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” appeared in her palms.

[“We should really thank the person who brought the bewilderment grass,” Decoste said.]

[“I plan to give ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to that person,” Hyacinth said with a smile. “Your gem, my craftsmanship. Our names will be mentioned together, and in this way, they will be passed down.”]

[“It’s a good idea, my romantic queen.” Decoste laughed.]

[From then on, the two of them lived happily together.]

“I have completed the new magic to protect the lair.” Hyacinth looked at the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in her hand. “It can perfectly seal the Dream Edge and then use ‘Dream within a Dream’ to completely hide the lair.”

“There’s only one problem. The caster needs to wear this jewelry for a long time. You know, it has an enhancing effect on the power of the succubus.”

Decoste was stunned.

“No!” He seemed to have realized something, and his voice became sharp. “Wearing this, you will no longer have normal emotional exchanges! You’re a succubus. What’s the difference between this and chronic suicide?!”

“Power always comes with a price.” Hyacinth sighed lightly. “I am the ruler of our tribe, and I must ensure the survival of everyone… The next ruler and the ruler after that, I believe, will make the same choice.”

“This might be the last time we see each other.”

With her old, ugly face, she gave him a smile like a young girl.

……

Nol stood like a bodiless ghost, positioned between the two apparitions, watching these images with despair.

He understood everything. Why the two would part ways, why Hyacinth could preemptively defend, why Queen Hyacinth chose to commit suicide years later. Her fate was sealed from this moment. She walked towards destruction with clear awareness.

Don’t you feel the pain? Don’t you regret it… Don’t you hate?

“Don’t you hate?” Decoste muttered dispiritedly. “Why particularly us—”

“What are you talking about?” Hyacinth patted his head. “This is a good ending.”

“…A good ending?”

“We parted ways by our own will, not because someone sabotaged us, nor due to disappointment, boredom, or betrayal. We just had to say goodbye at the crossroad,” Hyacinth said. “I have had a very, very wonderful journey. What about you?”

Decoste’s lips parted slightly. It seemed he had countless words ready to pour out. After several deep breaths, he moved his lips gently and uttered a short sentence.

“Me too,” he said. “Goodbye, Hyacinth.”

“Goodbye, Decoste.”

The illusion of the bewilderment grass shattered, and Nol saw Decoste quietly leaving and saw Hyacinth standing atop the grassy hill for a long time.

His mind went blank, and even his breathing stopped.

“This is what I wanted to explain, my successor.” Suddenly, it seemed like Hyacinth saw him and turned towards the void.

Her smile was still beautiful.

“Sorry, I had my own selfishness in there. I just wanted to explain that Decoste had nothing to do with those bad things. He didn’t betray in the end—I know people have been talking behind his back.”

“If you see this message, it means we’re still trapped by the tricks of the Eternal Church. Killing the succubi won’t yield more bodies. They will turn everyone into livestock. You ‘re the future ruler. Don’t give up. Don’t surrender.”

She gently looked in Nol’s direction, her gaze especially resolute.

“Next, here’s a bit of advice from experience. At first, you might find the effects of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ bearable, even beautiful. You have power. You are willing to do anything for everyone.”

“But as time passes, you will find yourself a shell carrying all sorts of expectations. No one will see the real you. Reality is just a void constantly consuming you.”

“You will start to doubt, question whether everything is worth it, think the responsibility is too painful, and even want to abandon yourself…”

“My dear friend, it’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to want to escape. This is a path leading to darkness, not because you are weak nor because you did something wrong.”

Through centuries, she bowed deeply to her unknown successor.

“Even if the magic is successfully maintained, the situation will only get more severe. I’m sorry. This is the best solution I could think of—the tribe must survive, even if it’s painful. At least, being alive means there’s a chance for change.”

“My strength is limited. I can’t go too far. But regardless of the outcome, I had a good life.” Her voice was gentle and relieved. “I have only one piece of advice. Try not to walk alone.”

“May your journey lead to light.”

Kinky Thoughts:

Parting is always such sweet sorrow.

Ah… It’s chapters like these that make me fall in love with Nian Zhong’s work.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 60: Puppy’s Funeral

The tower’s tentacles were so thick they resembled cathedral bell towers, emitting a faint flesh-pink through the utter darkness. Their surfaces emanated a soft glow similar to human skin. They crashed heavily to the ground, scattering leaves and dust in all directions.

The robust trees bow down gently, like wheat stalks in the wind.

Shadow Wolf Ben, originally watching the excitement nearby, was now bristling all its fur. It jumped into Teest’s shadow with its butt still sticking out. After several kicks, it managed to wedge itself in.

In Teest’s ear, the soft jingle of coins hitting the ground had disappeared. He watched the colossal creature before him, and the smile disappeared from his face for a moment.

“Stronghold ‘Lost Tower’.” He rolled the words around on his tongue.

Initially, Nol told the couple that he would give them an “excellent stronghold”. Teest thought it would be some hidden cave, a vast underground relic, or even—a wicked thought crosses his mind—a naïve fairy-tale fortress similar to Nol.

What was before him resembled a “monster” more than a “stronghold”.

Teest had never heard of such a thing in the Black Forest. It was too tall and too bizarre. Adventurers exploring the Black Forest couldn’t have missed it.

The ground rumbled, but Nol stood still. The high tower was moving slowly behind him. The heavy tentacles almost brushed against the back of Nol’s head, but he didn’t even dodge.

“What you see now is the safest stronghold in the world,” Nol introduced with a smile.

The Lost Tower.

The only system guild base in “Tahe World”.

Initially, most Players would rent houses in the towns. When various guilds flourish, “Tahe” would offer some distinctive system bases for large guilds to choose from.

A walking tower, a floating library, a town submerged underwater, a tomb filled with luminescent mushrooms… Everyone excitedly planned for a long time.

To ensure compatibility with subsequent updates, the development team decided to create a sample case to observe possible bugs or loopholes.

Unlike other facilities, the Lost Tower wasn’t designed “for Players to discover”—

As undisclosed content, it was hidden in the code by the system. Only certified internal personnel could summon it through specific commands.

However, there was no such thing as “subsequent updates” in this world. Under the system’s shielding, the Lost Tower had wandered in the Black Forest for more than two hundred years, following its program settings.

Before, Nol never thought of using it as a weapon. He had to admit, this world had given him too many inspirations about “destruction”—

Although the Lost Tower was just a prototype, its design had no deficiencies and possessed all the functionalities a stronghold should have.

For instance, obeying a specific master.

Nol raised his magic staff, and bizarre, chaotic characters rose from the flames. The test key used by the development team was reproduced verbatim by him and flew towards the advancing giant tower.

Compared to the giant black tower, these characters seemed like dust in the sunlight. But the moment the first character touched the tower door, the giant tower stopped, as if an invisible wall had appeared before it.

It calmed down and gently lay on the ground.

The patterns on the heavy stone door lit up one by one, slowly opening with a soft green light. The vertical tower body, the writhing tentacles, and the thinner ends intertwined below the gate, weaving into a strange staircase.

Meanwhile, a small blue light appeared in the center of the stone door. It lightly flew to Nol and formed a small black key.

Nol strung the key together with the wedding ring on his chest. He stepped on the stairs, causing the tentacle skin to depress as if flesh had been stepped on.

Nol seems unaffected. He reached out to Teest with a gesture, like inviting him to dance.

“Alright, let’s go,” he said.

By now, Teest certainly knew what Nol planned to do.

He intended to get all the succubi into this impregnable tower, then would command the giant tower to go meet the queen. Even if they encountered the Demon King’s minions, this giant tower would forcibly carve out a bloody path. Thanks to Teest, the queen would surely stay far away—not honestly scared into scurrying around by this thing.

They were about to complete this heir selection with great fanfare.

Nol once said he wanted to destroy more things. Admittedly, he really excelled at “destruction”. Teest really liked this bloody plan, but he didn’t like Nol’s expression right now.

At this moment, Nol looked very calm—not the kind of resolute and steady calm, but the kind of dullness that came with semi-resignation.

Teest grabbed Nol’s hand and stepped on the tentacle steps. This thing felt no different from human flesh underfoot. Teest was barefoot and could feel the subtle temperature of the tentacles beneath his feet.

“How do you plan to convince the succubi to enter the tower?” Teest asked seemingly casually.

Objectively speaking, this tower was quite frightening, much like the kind of weird forbidden land from which there was no return.

“I will invite them in,” Nol said. “If they are unwilling, we have the ability to forcibly bring them in—once you rightfully become the crown prince, we can get ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.”

Teest raised his eyebrows. “What about the part of ‘saving the succubi tribe’?”

“I will cure the queen, send the succubi to a safer place, and they can figure out the way forward.” Nol spoke slowly. “Breaking through the monster encirclement is probably enough to meet the ‘saving’ standard… We’ll see how it goes then.”

“Hahaha!” Teest suddenly burst into laughter.

A slight crack finally appeared on Nol’s somewhat numb expression. “Did I say something funny?”

“Sorry, honey. You just resemble a little boy I’ve seen—when you heard about Queen Hyacinth’s suicide, your expression was exactly the same as when he heard news of his puppy’s death.”

“Just now, you were like him right after attending the puppy’s funeral,” he said gleefully. “His parents bought him two more puppies, and he just turned his head away, with an ‘I will never care about puppies again’ look.”

“It’s unexpected. I thought you were the type to give love recklessly. It turns out you are also afraid of the ‘bad ending’ after investing emotions.”

“You can’t say that. Before his ‘bad ending’, at least he and his puppy will have beautiful memories,” Nol responded quietly, letting go of Teest’s hand.

This world had hardly given him any positive feedback.

The novice village was destroyed without anyone knowing, the secret room in Whitebird City was full of skeletons, the Night of the Hunt dungeon trapped hundreds of innocents, the succubi living in the open world were tortured by hunger, not to mention his compatriots… In more remote corners, only more diverse pains were waiting for him.

Seeing the plight of the succubi, Nol found his feelings becoming more and more dull. Yes, your situation is miserable, and I will help you.

That was it.

Properly giving up on empathy could avoid a considerable part of the pain.

Currently, the only thing he couldn’t give up was the truth about “Hyacinth and Decoste” from those years. He must get that jewelry set to see what message Queen Hyacinth had left.

He didn’t know what he was looking for in an established tragedy. Maybe he just needed… to cut off the last illusion.

Nol was the first to step into the dark gate of the black tower. His figure disappeared in the darkness.

…..

Those alien Demon King’s minions were running in the mist. No, to be more accurate, they were fleeing.

Large tentacles rose and fell. Under absolute weight, all spirits and dreams were crushed into powder. The monsters emitted vague and sharp cries while their weird arms were crushed into bone and flesh paste, mixed with fallen leaves on the ground. Black blood splattered everywhere, faintly visible under the light purple mist.

The smell of blood in the forest was so strong that it was suffocating.

Nol was sitting on the steps at the entrance of the black tower, overlooking the crushed monsters.

Numerous twisted palms stretch out between the tentacles, all grabbing towards Nol, who was closest, trying to tear something off. The owner of one arm was almost successful. Its hand was about to touch the corner of Nol’s robe when it was crushed by two thick tentacles.

The earth trembled as the giant tower moved forward. Behind it, a long and wide trail of black bloodstains was dragged, like God casually drawing on this land.

Anakin and Solo were hiding behind a tentacle, silently watching everything.

Half a day ago.

At that time, Anakin still had some beautiful fantasies. 

Look, the Mad Monk and that Nol want to rescue the succubi! This is a positive phenomenon. They are still on the side of “justice”.

Then she saw the monster-like black tower rumbling over.

At that time, Solo immediately grabbed Anakin, and the two climbed to a high place, just about ready to flee.

Just kidding with assisting in this rescue quest. To face such a thing, they would die immediately!

The succubus lair was wrapped in a forest and looked like a city without walls and no suburban edges from the outside. The largest building in the center housed the royal court, surrounded by clusters of small settlements.

From a high place, the lair looked like cream decoration hugging a strawberry.

The succubi had no idea what kind of monster was coming. They summoned men, women, old and young, surrounding this “decoration”, desperately erecting magical defenses. However, those protective arrays shattered like thin sugar sheets. The black tower casually stopped in front of the royal court without slowing down.

Nol, holding his staff, walked down the steps formed by crossed tentacles.

This time, the Mad Monk didn’t walk with him. That person was sitting at the top of the steps, looking down at Nol’s back. He had one leg raised while his palm supported his cheek, pondering something.

“I will take you to meet the queen, and then I will take you away from here.” Nol stopped in front of the crowd, his voice sounding like a sigh. “If you want to survive, follow me.”

Anakin on the platform choked a bit. How can someone make helping sound so much like a threat?

Solo opened his mouth wide, fascinated by the solemn tower in front of him.

For this soft and dreamy environment, it was too dark and hard. But it… it really was too cool. Where did that NPC get it? It’s simply a moving fortress!

‘This guy must be a mainline NPC,’ he thought. ‘The covenant was worth signing.’

Below, the “NPC event” continued.

“I still hope you two can bring the queen back.” Succubus Doni bowed slightly, watching the towering black tower with extreme caution. “Your request is somewhat sudden. We may not be able to comply—as you see, most succubi are very weak. It’s unsuitable for them to leave their residence.”

Nol looks at Doni almost tiredly.

Anakin can feel Nol’s abundant and stable magical power, but he was indeed emitting a strong sense of fatigue—his state was like a flickering ember.

“So you don’t want to leave,” Nol concluded. “I understand.”

“Thank you for your understandi…”

“I should make a touching speech, reason with you, and try to win your trust. Then, after your thousands of people discuss back and forth for who knows how long, wait for an uncertain result.”

Nol interrupted Doni with a somewhat scary, mild tone. “But that requires too many people to communicate. It takes too long, and I’m too tired.”

Saying that, he tapped the ground with the end of his staff.

What followed was like a nightmare.

Countless tentacles shot out. They quickly wrap up the nearest succubus and shove them straight into the tower. The monster-like tentacles twisted and turned as the succubi scattered and flee, but in front of those tentacles, they were weak like mice stared at by pythons.

Every time an attack spell was directed at Nol, it was always interrupted by a conveniently placed golden thread. If what was coming were arrows or poison needles, they were directly knocked down by the Mad Monk’s magic.

There was only one kind of magic the Mad Monk ignored.

Enchantment spells hit Nol like rain, but Nol had no reaction. Amidst the chaos, the cries and calls for help from the succubi were coming one after another. In the sharp screams, there was a moment when Nol seemed to want to turn his head to look in the direction of Teest.

In the end, he just stood there, with a bit more sorrow on his face.

Anakin didn’t know how to describe the scene in front of her… The young man she once thought was kind and gentle was now manipulating this race like playing with toys. The exquisite and beautiful succubus lair was like a playhouse in front of him.

Friends and family were taken away, and the resistance of the succubi was getting weaker and weaker. In the blink of an eye, most of the succubi have been stuffed into the towering black tower.

Some succubi ran faster and hid themselves in the hidden corners of the lair. But the black-haired magician seemed to be able to see souls. With a point of the burning blue fire staff, the tentacles dragged them out accurately from their hiding places.

Even sleeping children were gently wrapped by the tentacles and sent deep into the black tower. In just one short hour, the succubus lair had become a completely empty city.

After all this, Nol lifted his head and looked in the direction where the two Players were hiding. The tentacles of the black tower were gently dancing behind him.

Anakin clenched her teeth and grabbed Solo, revealing themselves voluntarily.

…However, they didn’t dare to enter the tower. They could only watch as the dark tower rolled in a certain direction like a bulldozer. Just as Anakin’s sense of smell was about to be numbed by the smell of blood, the dark tower finally slowed down its speed.

They saw the Mad Monk stepping on tentacles and easily jumping up, holding two emaciated figures in his hands—one with a drooping head, unconscious. The other one was cursing, unexpectedly wearing an old man’s shirt.

Nol moved the corners of his mouth slightly and turned to walk towards the gate. The Mad Monk carried the two, humming a tune and following behind, with the succubus’s tail swaying lightly.

It seemed he noticed the gazes of the two Players. He slowed down a bit and showed a smile to the two who were peeking.

[It’s still a long way from the end,] he silently mouthed.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 59: The Crazy Guardian

Anakin’s palms were sweaty. She ignored Solo, who was trying to whisper to her, her eyes occasionally sweeping over the line that read “Player Privileges”.

To sign or not to sign? …The punishment was too excessive. Honestly, she didn’t want to sign, but did she have a choice?

There were two handsome NPCs in front of her, one of which had a gentle and shy expression but could directly “deprive Player Privileges”; the other one, with a smile more enchanting than a succubus, could bind them with golden thread and slice them into thin meats for dumplings. After such an ordeal, she would definitely have handsome-guy PTSD.

Stay calm and think carefully.

The requirements of the covenant and the quest’s “one problem” were almost overlapping. If it was just assisting in saving the succubus tribe, it was beneficial for them.

Keeping the secret of the Mad Monk… seemed to be no problem either.

Most Players were staunch atheists, regardless of whether the local religion was disgraceful or not. Moreover, the Mad Monk hadn’t killed any Players. Anakin’s bottom line was somewhat flexible on this aspect.

What she cared more about was whether the phrase “we might become friends” was related to the “goodwill of a certain existence” in the quest reward?

Anakin would never have made such a ridiculous guess before, but the black-haired young man could even take away Players Privileges, so this was hard to say.

In any case, that guy wasn’t someone they could afford to offend.

Anakin extended her hand. Magical power condensed at her fingertips, and she decisively signed her name. Seeing her do it, Solo also signed his name without hesitation.

“Thank you both for your cooperation. Let me reintroduce myself. You can call me Nol.” Nol bowed slightly. “Next, please do us a small favor—please get the Investigation Knights to leave here as soon as possible. They don’t need to withdraw too far. Just out of the Black Forest will do.”

It seems that these two are still constrained by the Investigation Knights! Rogue Solo sighed in relief. However, Nol’s next words shattered his illusion—

“This is also for their safety,” Nol said. “I don’t want to be enemies with the Temple of Life so soon.”

Anakin, Solo: “.…..”

Anakin: “I understand. Is there anything else we need to do?”

“Yes,” Nol said. “Please witness till the end.”

After dealing with the Players, Nol locked himself in the bedroom.

This time he didn’t even ask the succubi for parchment but directly drew traces in the air with blue fire. Countless formulas and numbers floated gently, like decaying debris drifting deep underwater.

Nol sat at the bottom of this vortex, holding a staff burning with blue flame, as quiet as whale bones half-covered in mud.

Teest closed the door gently, leaving the focused Nol alone in the room. He quietly closed the door behind him, and the originally curled and shaking tail fell down.

Teest could feel Nol’s anger.

This time his anger was like magma beneath a volcano—more restrained and more dangerous. And he himself was like a beautiful vase standing on the edge of a table, half hanging in the air. Just a gentle touch, and he could return to a safe area or fall and shatter.

It was hard to look away.

…Should he push him down or push him back?

The vase filled with blue flowers, shining beautifully, would probably make a pleasant sound when it shatters. The blooming flowers falling into the crimson liquid would began to wither and rot from that moment. The smooth curves would turn into sharp fragments, creating a fascinating contrast. Teest was quite tempted.

But if he did that, he would never see those flowers again. It was truly difficult.

In the deserted corridor, Teest leaned against the door, struggling seriously for a long time.

In the end, he opened the window opposite the door and jumped into the eternal and unchanging mist. He didn’t turn back to open that door.

…..

In a certain cave, Ma Zhigang was curled up asleep on a hard stone slab.

He was accustomed to sleeping in this position. In his early years, moving from relative to relative, he could only sleep wherever space was temporarily made for him. From window sills without mattresses to creaky sofa beds, he knew well how to make himself comfortable.

He dreamed of a time not long ago—

Ma Zhigang sat in a spacious and grand office. Above his head hung calligraphy filled with flowing, elegant script. The furniture was custom-made from high-quality wood and painted with shiny lacquer. The water ornament on the desk had been specifically chosen by a feng shui master, and the money tree by the window was particularly vibrant.

He wasn’t yet sixty, in the prime of life, and he especially loved the cautious looks the younger people gave him.

The phone on the desk vibrated twice. It was a WeChat message from his daughter.

His daughter, Ma Moli, attended the best undergraduate programs domestically and then pursued her master’s degree at a renowned university abroad. Active and filial, she made the Ma family very proud.

However, there was one bad thing—since she got married, she had become more and more sensitive.

​[Moli: Dad, I checked his cellphone yesterday, and he was making dirty jokes with his female colleagues.]

Ma Zhigang frowned and sent a voice message. “Did he sleep with her?”

His daughter instantly replied.

​[Moli: No, but this isn’t the first or second time. Dad, I just got pregnant!]

“If he didn’t sleep with her, then just control him better,” Ma Zhigang said.

[Moli: I kind of want a divorce.]

Ma Zhigang felt a headache coming on. “Why are you so impulsive? He hasn’t slept with anyone and hasn’t solicited whores. Why are you making a fuss?”

Not long ago, the department Ma Moli worked in was dissolved by the company. Around the same time, she found out she was pregnant and had to stay at home.

Since then, his daughter became more and more neurotic, complaining either about “the in-laws thinking she is wasting money by hiring a nanny”, “her husband’s relatives overstaying their welcome at home”, or about “her husband talking too much with female colleagues”, or “being upset because she can’t find a job recently”.

Ma Zhigang thought for a while and sent a few more voice messages.

“You’re intelligent. You can make your marriage work. I don’t believe my daughter, who’s so highly educated, can’t control her husband.”

“If you want to work, wait until you have the child. With your qualifications, there should be no problem. If you can’t make it, what about those who are less qualified? Are they begging for food with golden bowls*?”

*Metaphor referring to not utilizing one’s own capabilities and instead begging for help from others. You have good objective conditions but are unable to solve your life problems despite that.

This time, Ma Moli took a long time before replying, “I know.”

After that, Ma Moli really did complain less.

Sometimes, she would just ask if they could have a meal together. Sometimes Ma Zhigang would agree, but more often, he would refuse. His factory was extremely busy, and he wanted to earn money for a few more years.

His daughter would be fine. She was intelligent. Not to brag, but Ma Moli’s living conditions were better than 90% of the girls in the country. Once she had her child, she wouldn’t have so much idle time to worry about these trivial things.

Until one day, she sent another message.

​[Moli: I checked his cellphone yesterday, and he’s still chatting with his female colleague. His parents said it’s my problem…]

Here we go again. Ma Zhigang replied routinely, “Did he sleep with her?”

Ma Moli’s reply came late.

​[Moli: How about having dinner together tomorrow? I want to talk to you.]

“I have a meeting tomorrow. If you have something to say, just say it,” Ma Zhigang said. “If it’s about those trivial things, talk to your peers.”

It took a long time before Ma Moli responded.

​[Moli: Dad, do you love me?]

Ma Zhigang paused for a moment. “What nonsense are you thinking about every day? You’re a mother, don’t you know? Who do you think I am working so hard for at this age?”

Ma Moli didn’t send another reply.

That was the last thing she said in this world.

Ma Zhigang didn’t understand. His daughter had a life of luxury; happier than any woman he had seen in his early years. Now she even had her own child. Wasn’t it said that mothers are strong? Why did she give up?

His daughter was clearly cheerful and strong, just like him. And he had suffered much more than her. Why did she give up?

Ma Zhigang couldn’t work anymore. He pondered this during the day, and at night, when he couldn’t sleep, he continued to ponder. He hadn’t shed a tear, but his hair visibly turned white quickly.

After the incident, his son-in-law moved out with the child. Ma Zhigang moved into his daughter’s room, paranoid about every mark on the wall. He sat in the security booth of Joy Garden, staring at the spot where his daughter fell every day.

Over a year had passed, and he still couldn’t understand why, and he didn’t know who to ask.

…Until he came to this absurd world.

During his escape, Ma Zhigang accidentally discovered the succubus queen hidden deep in the forest.

She looked nothing like Ma Moli, except for those eyes. Those eyes were too similar. The last time he had a meal with his daughter, Ma Moli had the same eyes.

Those eyes were blank, seemingly looking at people but also elsewhere. The pupils moved like unlubricated gears, almost creaking.

So Ma Zhigang stopped. He really did want an answer, he thought. Maybe this girl knew something.

When he occasionally fell asleep, he still dreamt like this of the past. In his dream, he held his phone, and his daughter on the other side of the screen was waiting for his reply.

Dad, can we have dinner together tomorrow?

Dad, do you love me?

Dad…

He saw his little daughter running to him, holding her test paper, her face full of pride.

…Dad, I got a perfect score!

He smiled at her; a warm, broad smile.

When Ma Zhigang woke up, the smile on his face hadn’t faded. He saw the silver hair tips and instantly sprung up, rolling and crawling.

“It seems you had a good dream,” Teest said.

At his side, the current queen, Wilimina, was firmly bound in place by golden threads. She didn’t struggle at all, like a breathing corpse. Her light golden hair was extremely dry, and her silver eyes were murky and lightless.

“I’ve always been curious about what ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ looks like. I must say, I really didn’t expect this,” Teest said pleasantly, his gaze sweeping over the Succubus Queen’s head.

The so-called crown was nothing but a light red petal hidden among her hair. It appeared and disappeared among her hair, exuding a lively and playful vitality that was completely unobtrusive. The necklace was a pink line near the collarbone, looking like the imprint of a few small flowers, as if the wearer had just taken a nap in the flowers.

Two earrings turned into two small red moles on her snowy white skin, lightly dotting her earlobes, bright as two beads of blood.

If he hadn’t known that the queen was wearing a full set of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, even Teest would find it hard to see that she was wearing jewelry. They blended seamlessly with her, hidden in breathtaking details, full of unique charm.

However, considering that the Succubus Queen was essentially a living skeleton, this charm was significantly discounted. Teest withdrew his gaze immediately upon touching her, showing obvious disinterest.

“How… How did you do it? Why are you alright?” Uncle Ma exclaimed in shock. “That set is cursed!”

“Cursed?” Teest asked curiously.

“The curse that makes everyone go crazy.” Ma Zhigang looked up and down at Teest. “How come you have no reaction?”

“Don’t you also have no reaction?” Teest shrugged.

“How could I not! I can’t help but see her as my daughter. I can’t leave her alone. According to her, I am already in the best situation,” Uncle Ma muttered, “and you only glanced at her!”

“A bit of resistance, strict training, and a clear mind.”

Teest casually played with the golden threads between his fingers. “I was also affected. She actually ranks second on my ‘It Would Be a Pity If They Died’ list.”

Uncle Ma stared dumbfoundedly at Teest, but it was the corpse-like queen who took the initiative to speak.

“You’re not a succubus of the Black Forest.” Her voice was like shredded silk, soft and rough. “…Why are you looking for me?”

“Your brethren all want to take you back.” Teest didn’t answer her question but spoke his mind.

The current queen shuddered instantly, showing a fearful expression. She finally looked like a living being. “No, I’m not going back… I don’t want to see them…”

Teest sighed. “That’s what I was worried about. If you two run around at a critical moment, it would be troublesome.”

The queen, with her lifeless eyes, stared at Teest, who squatted in front of her.

“Indeed, the so-called curse is ‘being madly adored by everyone’,” Teest said softly. “It’s quite close to what I guessed… My poor husband is probably still wondering what went wrong.”

His Mr. Lich knew all but was oblivious to the dark side of everything.

For succubi, a race even more dependent on social interactions than humans, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” could only be a curious toy and could never be worn for long.

The one who was madly adored by everyone was destined to be an illusion. Regardless of how perfect it seemed, an illusion was just an illusion. The one enveloped by the illusion and “being forgotten by everyone”, were no different—even if a donkey wore “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, it could receive undifferentiated love from everyone.

Everyone was looking at you, but no one saw you. Family, friends, lovers… all their faces turned into a bottomless well. Whether desperately asking for help, passionate confessions, or nonsensical screams, the well only echoed the same response.

From the moment she wore “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, the Queen of the Succubi permanently exiled herself.

Enduring pain on one side to protect her tribe and suffering terrible loneliness within her tribe on the other. Wasn’t this also a curse?

The queen slouched in the dim cave, her robe dirty and her tail lifeless in the sand. She neurotically scratched her neck, where the skin seemed to be broken repeatedly, and fresh, white flesh protruded beneath the layers of scabs.

“I won’t go back. I won’t go back.” She murmured while scratching, her fingers twitching as if restraining the urge to rip off that necklace. “I won’t go back. I can’t stand their gazes…”

“Alright, alright, you won’t go back.”

Uncle Ma, bypassing Teest, approached the queen. Ma Zhigang cautiously retracted his limbs, letting the queen lean on his shoulder.

“If you don’t want to go back, we won’t go back,” he said, like coaxing a child. “You’ve done enough for them. You’ve tried your best… Just live and sleep if you want!”

The queen’s breathing became steadier. Her eyes widened, and tears slowly soaked Uncle Ma’s overalls.

“You must be exhausted after all this time.” Uncle Ma’s voice softened. “It’s okay, it’s okay… My girl doesn’t have to be afraid of anything…”

At the moment she heard the term “my girl”, a hint of despair flashed in the queen’s eyes. But she pressed it down and slowly closed her eyes.

“Please, don’t take me back.” She stuffed a bud of bewilderment grass into her mouth, murmuring towards Teest. “I will maintain the magic to the end. I will protect everyone… I’ve sworn… Let me be alone at the end…”

Teest stood up and looked down at the thin body at his feet. In this state, the queen indeed wouldn’t live past two months. If she was forcibly taken back to her tribe by other succubi, whether she could last two weeks was even more uncertain.

The queen stretched her twig-like arm, reaching imploringly towards Teest’s barefoot. The moment her fingers touched his skin, she abruptly opened her eyes wide, her face completely distorted by fear.

“You’re not a succubus!”

She withdrew her hand as if she had touched a hot iron, hissing. “You-you clearly don’t have succubus blood, yet you have the power of a succubus… You’re an Eternalist! You’re a Supplement Demon!”

The queen raised her head, trembling all over, her voice unusually sharp.

“This power… How many of my kind have you eaten? Monster! You disgusting monster…”

“How rude.” Teest withdrew his bare foot. He bent down, his fingertip touching the queen’s forehead.

In the blink of an eye, the queen was dragged into a dreamland, completely falling into a deep sleep. She slumped to the ground with only faint breaths remaining from her chest.

Uncle Ma hadn’t been in this other world for long. His knowledge only extended to things like “the Demon King’s minions” that he had encountered. He subconsciously hugged the queen, staring at Teest, puzzled and vigilant.

“Alright, I originally came here to do this. You both just stay here peacefully.”

Teest patted the dust off his clothes and said in a relaxed tone, “I put her into a deep dream. People in this state can’t be awakened carelessly. I advise you not to move her—well, if you don’t care about her life or death, you can try.”

“What if the Demon King’s minions find us?” Uncle Ma shouted.

Teest seriously thought for a few seconds. “Consider yourself unlucky.”

“You—”

“Don’t worry. You won’t have to wait too long.” Teest smiled brilliantly. “Nol has said he will give a solution within two days. He always keeps his word. Promise me, can you be not so unlucky?”

Uncle Ma gritted his teeth.

Teest stretched a bit and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

As Teest was about to leave the cave, Ma Zhigang tried to stop him. “You seem to be not surprised at all by her condition. Can you understand why she… doesn’t want to live?”

Teest continued walking as if he hadn’t heard.

“Please, tell me.” Uncle Ma’s voice became a bit hoarse. “I can’t understand my daughter, and I can’t understand her either. She’s a queen. Her life is much better than others’.”

“Just a lack of some care, how did it become like this? I can’t understand. She said other succubi don’t understand either…”

“Swear to cooperate with us.” Teest finally stopped without turning back.

Ma Zhigang looked at the sleeping succubus queen and gave a wry smile. “I swear.”

“Most people live to pursue an answer,” Teest said. “What will happen tomorrow, who will meet, whether important people are doing well… or confused about something or want to find out the truth.”

“You seem very persistent in figuring out why she doesn’t want to live. Isn’t this the answer you’re pursuing, no?” There was a hint of amusement in Teest’s voice. “Then imagine yourself after knowing the answer.”

Knowing why his daughter ended her life? What about afterward?

His daughter was really gone. He certainly couldn’t get custody of his grandchildren, his future life was destined to be alone, and he couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do… He never thought about the future, and he didn’t expect anything in the future.

Ma Zhigang stood still.

Teest continued timely, “Your daughter and the queen? I guess they either got the answers or didn’t have the strength to ask anymore.”

“You understand these things very well.” After a long time, Uncle Ma said hoarsely.

His voice involuntarily softened. This young man could understand these things. He must have suffered a lot and felt empathetic. Perhaps his judgment of this person was somewhat rash. He—

“Of course I understand. To completely destroy a person, you have to know where a person’s will to live is,” Teest said casually. “I have been taught this many times.”

Having said that, with a flash of his silver hair, he disappeared from Ma Zhigang’s sight like a ghost.

……

Teest adjusted his expression for a moment before opening the door to the bedroom.

The time was almost right, so what surprise had his Mr. Lich prepared for him?

The moment he opened the door, a large wolf snout thrust out. Its cold nose forcefully rubbed against Teest’s face, leaving his face covered in snout moisture.

Teest: “…………….”

Teest: “Honey, didn’t you say this thing couldn’t come in?”

Behind the night-like black fur, Nol squeezed out. “My… cough, the magic just succeeded, but to bring in something bigger, we need your succubus trait to help…”

He was panting, also squeezed by the shadow wolf. That lava-like anger had vanished without a trace.

It seemed that Nol used a method similar to ​​[Travel Through Dreams] to pull the shadow wolf in. Shadow Wolf Ben, indeed, could serve as a helping force. But to deal with so many Thousand-Hands Nightmares, the shadow wolf wasn’t enough—even if it had mysteriously grown a lot bigger, it couldn’t withstand the trampling of thousands of monsters.

“You need to summon something bigger.” Teest wiped his face carefully and confirmed again.

“Yes, come with me quickly. The best time is approaching!” Nol grabbed Teest’s wrist and ran with him towards the forest.

Teest, confused, pushed aside branches and followed Nol for a while. Around the two, a light purple fog rolled maliciously, and Teest faintly heard the sound of coins falling to the ground.

What’s happening? Has Nol finally gone mad?

Nol stopped in a clearing, his face slightly excited.

He took out the letter opener and pierced his palm directly. The blood floated up, quickly forming one complicated magic circle after another. They extended from the ground towards the sky, forming a giant circle with a radius of six meters.

“Come.” Nol grabbed Teest’s hand, and the blood flowed down Teest’s fingers. “Let’s activate it together. I have calculated it. There’s absolutely no problem.”

Not knowing what could be summoned, Teest raised his eyebrows and extended his hand obediently. …Anyway, he had even seen the Dragon King Subelbot. Maybe Nol planned to summon a giant dragon!

Both of their palms pressed on the magic circle at the same time.

The blood circle lit up quickly, and numerous magic nodes shone brightly. The force of this magic was very gentle, unlike an attack circle or a summoning circle, Teest thought. It truly was an upgraded version of ​[Travel Through Dreams]​, a “door to the dream world”.

The surrounding space twisted and deformed. Something was trying hard to squeeze in. Finally, accompanied by a terrifying sound of space tearing, the true form of the thing revealed—

It was a tower.

A huge black tower with black tentacles growing at its base, like a giant cone snail hermit crab.

The tentacles at the base of the tower seemed to have no perception and were forcibly squeezed into the “door” that Nol opened. The tower was square and straight, with a gravestone-like heaviness, as if a pillar supporting the sky was falling.

“Nol, you didn’t…” Teest held his breath and murmured quietly.

“At this time, the stronghold the ‘Lost Tower’ just passed specific coordinates.”

Below the black tower, Nol turned around smilingly and opened his arms to Teest. “You said, if the power disparity is big enough, those monsters can stomp the succubi to death just by stepping on them.”

“It applies the other way around too, doesn’t it…?”

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 58: Lost Memories

Nol stood up too fiercely, almost bumping into Teest, who was hugging him. Fortunately, Teest was agile enough. He dodged gracefully while his hand still rested on Nol’s shoulder.

The same kind of confusion appeared in the eyes of the two Players. They couldn’t understand why Nol was so agitated.

It was just a cursed item. Weren’t they common?

Succubus Doni showed a hint of surprise. He paused, and his voice became slightly softened. “Yes, many people share your view. ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was personally created by Lady Hyacinth and has been kept by the rulers… The Great Queen wouldn’t curse her subjects.”

“The Red Magic Diamond used to make it was given by that human. If the human had tampered with it, Queen Hyacinth would have noticed. I personally don’t agree with the notion of a ‘curse’.”

Nol didn’t respond. He was staring intently at Doni’s withered lips, as if trying to pry more words out with his gaze.

“After the death of Queen Hyacinth, just over a hundred and fifty years ago, we said farewell to six rulers. Before Queen Hyacinth, each ruler usually ruled for one hundred to two hundred years. The only difference is that the later rulers all wore the ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’… So suspicion is inevitable.”

Succubus Doni looked slim, and his features still held the shadows of a man in his thirties, but his tone was incredibly old.

“Holy shit, aren’t you clearly letting the Mad… uh, Teest be the fuel?” Solo’s eyes were still red, and he carefully avoided looking at Teest.

This was a clumsy attempt to please, Nol judged. Like a trapped and helpless little animal, it could only tentatively lick the hand of the hunter, begging for some mercy.

The Players were his kind, and he should have felt displeased or sad for this, but Nol’s thoughts were filled with “the curse of the A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. His heart was pounding with sharp pain, barely suppressing a surge of anger.

So Nol didn’t intend to intervene in this conversation. He looked at Succubus Doni, signaling him to make it quick.

“I don’t know what you are implying. This gentleman has explicitly expressed his willingness to dedicate himself to our tribe. We even signed an additional agreement.”

Doni’s voice quickly became cold. “Not only is Lord Teest participating in the ‘Heir Selection’, everyone has sworn to give their all—the ruler’s protection must never be interrupted. It relates to the survival of the race.”

“You talk a good game*, so why don’t you do it yourself?” Solo muttered.

*What you say is better than what you sing (说的比唱的还好听) Idiom referring to although one’s words are beautiful, they are deceptive and empty.

The corner of Doni’s mouth twitched, and he sighed. “I’m already two hundred and sixty-five years old.”

Equivalent to about seventy in human years, Nol quickly calculated. The appearance of succubi ages slowly, and Doni’s appearance indeed matched.

But that wasn’t the point.

“So you have seen Queen Hyacinth.” Nol’s hands pressed on the edge of the table. His fingers slowly closed as he looked at Succubus Doni with a mixture of sorrow and longing.

Solo was completely choked by that gaze and couldn’t continue the conversation.

Back on Earth, he had seen such eyes—during elementary school, Solo had a particularly good friend who died young due to illness. Every time that child’s father looked at him, the gaze was the same as “Ross’” now.

They treat the person before them as a puzzle, futilely piecing together the shadow of the departed.

“Bring out your memories.” Teest suddenly spoke.

“No.” Doni refused sternly.

By now, from the attitudes of those two humans, this “Succubus Teest of the Shiva Tribe” didn’t seem as gentle as he appeared. But that was okay. An agreement was an agreement. Either he had to abide by it or pay the price.

“If you want to save this tribe—though I think you guys don’t have the slightest worth to be saved—hand over the memories about Queen Hyacinth. I know you can,” Teest said lightly. 

“If you have questions, I am willing to answer. Memories are absolutely private, and my memories are unrelated to this matter.” Doni frowned. “Why must you peep into memories?”

“Because that will make me very happy.” Teest tapped his chin. “I will try my best to be your heir when I’m happy. If I’m unhappy, I can only break the promise—by the way, my husband is proficient in pain-relieving magic. I will just lose my legs and eyes for a while.”

“Also, my blood will stain your floor. Bloodstains are hard to clean. You should be prepared.” Teest’s tone became serious, as if this was the most frightening threat.

“What are you talking about? This isn’t a game!” Doni said in shock. “Are you going to put so many lives at the whim of your mood?”

“Aren’t you doing the same?” Teest smiled.

Lunatic. Succubus Doni stood there in shock.

This was the first time he had seen someone spout such blatant nonsense with such righteousness, and somehow making a bit of perverse sense.

He instinctively looked at Nol. The handsome black-haired youth noticed Doni’s gaze in an instant. Nol stared at him with a frightening determination burning in his eyes.

Doni slowly sat back on the stool. His face was numb for a few seconds, revealing a smile that didn’t quite seem like a smile. He tiredly raised his fingers, not even avoiding the humans he despised.

“Alright… I beg you. Save this tribe.” He sighed lightly and closed his eyes.

They were on the Dream Edge. Doni snapped his fingers, and his memories turned into scenes, appearing directly beside everyone.

Everyone saw a young girl.

The girl had satin-like golden hair, and her blue-purple eyes were like the sky at the Dream Edge. She wore no makeup, nor did she need it—like a delicate and pretty water lily, any extra adornment would be superfluous.

Succubus Queen Hyacinth.

Hyacinth wore a popular hemp dress from a human village. Her long hair was loosely tied behind her head, with a few fresh wildflowers pinned to her bun. Her gaze wasn’t as naive as that of human girls, more like a blade wrapped in sheer silk.

Only when looking at her lover would that sharp blade completely sink into the silk, leaving only softness behind.

Decoste, a similarly beautiful human youth. They walked hand in hand, talking and laughing through the Dream Edge. Everyone watched them through Doni’s eyes… They looked blissfully happy.

Nol almost reached out to them.

The young succubus Doni couldn’t get too close to the Queen. His memories of her were just fragments. A new scene bubbled up, shattering the previous illusion.

Decoste transformed from a handsome boy into a robust and handsome young man, then from a handsome young man into a mature and elegant middle-aged man. He was much taller than Hyacinth and no longer held Hyacinth’s hand. They were arm in arm instead.

Queen Hyacinth still looked like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl. The unrestrained smiles on their faces were gone, replaced by worries.

…The inherent lifespan difference between the two races had already bared its fangs.

According to the arrangement of the production team, it was time for the Players to act—Players got lost in the Dream Edge, helping Hyacinth find the bewilderment grass.

Later, this pair of lovers would take the bewilderment grass, connecting their deepest desired dreams. After confirming each other’s intentions, they decided to cherish the remaining time. The Player who successfully found the bewilderment grass would receive the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from Hyacinth.

A sweet story tinged with a hint of sadness.

Unexpectedly to Nol, even if the Players didn’t appear, Hyacinth still issued the task of finding fresh bewilderment grass. The first to complete the task was Succubus Doni.

In his memory, this was the closest he ever got to Queen Hyacinth.

A faint worry shrouded Hyacinth’s face, but her eyes were filled with more determination. She took the fresh bewilderment grass from Succubus Doni with both hands, giving him a warm smile.

“Thank you, Adonis.” She patted his head.

The bewilderment grass was green all over, topped with dense blue-purple flowers, somewhat resembling forget-me-nots. However, its flowers were shaped like tiny hearts, appearing more sparse.

“What are you going to do with it?” Young Doni asked. “Bewilderment grass cannot be taken directly. If you need bewilderment dew…”

Hyacinth shook her head with a smile. She gently held the bouquet, beautiful like a dream itself.

“These flowers are enough, young man,” she said. “I just need to see two hearts clearly.”

That day, Decoste wasn’t by her side, and from then on, he never was again.

Why? Nol couldn’t understand.

The Players only found the bewilderment grass for the couple. Considering the varying EQ of the Players, they didn’t arrange any mandatory lines for them. The couple resolved their emotional entanglements completely on their own.

Since Hyacinth made the right choice at the right time, why… Why did they still face such an outcome?

The memories of Succubus Doni continued.

Hyacinth changed.

She was once a queen who highly valued freedom, encouraging everyone to adventure and enjoy life. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, Hyacinth would be away from the throne for three hundred and sixty days.

But with Decoste’s disappearance, Queen Hyacinth became a true queen, accompanying that exquisite throne day and night.

She issued several directives in succession.

Uncharacteristically, she strictly forbade tribe members from interacting with humans and prohibited everyone from leaving the protection of the Dream Edge at will. At the same time, she hid the succubus lair within a dream and established the rule that “the ruler must inherit the A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

For the disorganized succubi, this series of changes was too sudden. Everyone was extremely puzzled, and quite a few people had directly jumped out in opposition. Succubus Doni was one of them—he had just made good human friends in an outside adventure team, and they had agreed to travel together.

“You have dealings with Mr. Decoste yourself. Why do you require this of us?” In the royal court, he asked in dissatisfaction.

“Decoste won’t come here anymore,” Queen Hyacinth calmly said. “If you have heard, the Eternal Church has been targeting the succubi recently, and several groups have completely lost contact.”

“Next, our territory will enter a semi-closed state. Everyone, please form teams and take turns going out to hunt. Remember not to always take the same path.”

The succubi discussed amongst themselves. They were all young and beautiful, complementing this beautiful lair.

“So suddenly?” another succubus voiced. “Our territory is on the Dream Edge, not as exposed as theirs, and everything has been normal recently…”

“By the time we realize it’s not normal, it will be too late,” Hyacinth said. “There will be no discussion on this matter.”

“We need to know what exactly happened, Your Majesty.” Doni tried to raise his voice while maintaining politeness. “Like what we are facing, and why the next ruler has to use ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’? We need a more detailed explanation. Otherwise, it’s hard to explain to others outside.”

“I also don’t know what we will face.” Hyacinth sat on the exquisite throne, her majestic tone completely mismatching her young appearance. “But I know, it will be fatally dangerous. Maybe in the future resistance, everyone will have the chance to understand.”

The succubi looked at each other, then all looked at the queen on the throne. The confusion on their faces didn’t decrease but increased.

“As for the reason for having to use ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’? I left it on that jewelry set. The moment you wear it, you will know the reason… Dear Adonis, if you are really so curious, please strive to become the crown prince.”

Queen Hyacinth raised her leg, somewhat playfully supporting her cheek. “However, I have something to say in advance. The throne is very uncomfortable to sit on. You all have to think carefully.”

“Alright, starting tomorrow, I will wear ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It will become the new crown of the Black Forest Tribe.”

Nol stood in the center of the royal court, looking at Hyacinth on the throne through more than a hundred years of time.

The loving couple had already separated, but Hyacinth acted as usual. It wasn’t a pretense of strength. She sat there proudly, her eyes firm, her smile bright.

Why would such a person choose to end herself after so many years…

God knows how much Nol wanted to talk to his creation. He had too many questions for her.

What exactly have you experienced? What kind of pain have you endured? What were you thinking at the moment you left the world?

…Did you, despise this world very much?

The smiling queen was only a dozen steps away from him, but they were already separated by life and death.

He no longer had the chance to ask.

……

“As you all have seen, the Great Queen Hyacinth has protected us.”

After scouring through his memories, Doni spoke with some resentment. “If it weren’t for Lady Hyacinth overcoming all objections and insisting on early defense, the Black Forest Tribe would have been annihilated when those Nightmares attacked suddenly.”

“How can ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ be cursed? Those who wear it are all prepared to die for the tribe. We have also tested it in countless ways… It’s a treasure left by Lady Hyacinth—a proof of sacrifice…”

The room was very quiet.

“Let me see,” Nol said. “Only by wearing ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ can the truth be known, so we must win the heir selection. The victory condition is ‘bring back the mad queen’… I have only one question.”

Doni took a deep breath. “Go ahead.”

“As long as the queen returns to the tribe, it counts as ‘bringing back’, right?”

“…Yes,” Succubus Doni answered perplexedly. Isn’t this the basic definition?

“Then, if I bring you to the queen, it also counts as ‘bringing back’,” Nol said. “Good, let’s do this. Next—”

He walked towards Anakin and Solo, who were sitting dumbfounded. “It’s time to sign the agreement, friends.”

“Whatever you want to know, I won’t spill!” Solo shivered. “Ju-just kill me!”

“It’s just to supplement the original agreement.” Nol stretched out his hand indifferently, and blue fire sketched out two pieces of text in the air.

The flames burned slightly in midair. The writing was very clear. Anakin glanced at her cousin. The content of the two agreements was identical.

The agreement was concise and clear.

The four must cooperate fully to strive to save the succubus tribe. During the mission, they couldn’t harm each other.

If they could obtain the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, these two perverted gays would give them the crown and necklace—exactly as they initially agreed.

In exchange, the two Players needed to keep two secrets. They couldn’t disclose any information related to the Mad Monk to anyone, nor could they disclose the content of this agreement to anyone.

“That’s it?” Solo lifted his head in surprise.

What kind of dream clause is this? It’s almost like giving “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” away for free. And the requirement was just to save the succubus tribe. This sounded too righteous… Had the Mad Monk been baptized by love and decided to turn back?

Anakin remained silent for a long time. Her eyes were fixed on the brief penalty for breach at the end of the agreement, and her heart was in turmoil.

Penalty for breach of contract: Revocation of “Player Permissions” of the two Players.

…Are you kidding me?

…This is way more horrifying than the Mad Monk! How could an NPC possibly deprive Players of their rights? No, why does this guy know about “Player Permissions”?!

She stiffly lifted her head to look at Nol behind the blue fire text. The latter pursed his lips at her, smiling somewhat apologetically.

“I didn’t want to bind you all so strictly,” he said, “but Teest’s identity is really special. Please understand.”

“This agreement…”

“Don’t worry. As long as the magic of the covenant passes, it means the content of the covenant is true and effective.” Nol returned to Teest’s side, looking as usual.

“Sister, there’s no restriction on that female knight above.” Solo, oblivious to the anomaly, was still whispering to Anakin. “At least, we don’t have to keep this secret.”

No, it’s not that simple. Anakin was still staring at Nol.

The point when the two NPCs turned hostile was precisely when “they found out something was off with the female knight Malvina”. She didn’t think they were unaware or indifferent to Malvina’s anomaly.

If these two didn’t specify it in the covenant, there was only one possibility—

After this matter was over, those two NPCs firmly believed that they would voluntarily keep the secret.

She couldn’t imagine at all how they planned to achieve this.

“So, what do you¹ plan to do?” Anakin couldn’t help changing her form of address¹. “You just asked about the definition of ‘bringing back the queen’… You have an idea, right?”

¹Clarity: She started addressing them as [nin] (您), which is a formal polite way to say “you”. It’s often used as a form of respect to elders, superiors, customers, or strangers.

“Yes, this matter requires your assistance,” Nol said.

“…If this matter is resolved smoothly, we might even become friends.”

The author has something to say:

Alright, the lunatic couple is about to create a person!!!

Ready—Go!

Kinky Thoughts:

In terms of meaning, Forget-me-nots represent remembrance but also have other meanings, including true love, devotion, and royalty.

Hyacinths symbolize peace, commitment, and beauty, but also power and pride. It is also a symbol of jealousy from the Greek mythology Hyacinth.

Hyacinthus was a Spartan prince of remarkable beauty and a lover of the sun god Apollo. He was also admired by Zephyrus, the god of the West wind, Boreas, the god of the North wind and a mortal man named Thamyris. Hyacinthus chose Apollo over the others. He visited all of Apollo’s sacred lands with the god in a chariot drawn by swans. So fiercely was Apollo in love with Hyacinthus that he abandoned his sanctuary in Delphi to enjoy Hyacinthus’ company by the river Eurotas. He taught Hyacinthus the use of the bow and the lyre, the art of prophecy, and exercises in the gymnasium.

One day, Apollo was teaching him the game of quoits. They decided to have a friendly competition by taking turns to throw the discus. Apollo threw first, with a strength so great that the discus split the clouds in the sky. Eager to retrieve the discus, Hyacinthus ran behind it to catch it. But as it hit the ground, the discus bounced back, hitting Hyacinthus’ head and wounding him fatally. An alternative version of the myth holds Zephyrus responsible for the death of Hyacinthus. Jealous that Hyacinthus preferred the radiant Apollo, Zephyrus blew Apollo’s quoit boisterously off course to kill Hyacinthus.

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