“What would you like to eat?” Xia Jienan asked suddenly, breaking through Ye Yuzhi’s tangled thoughts.
Ye Yuzhi came back to himself and replied softly, “Something… light will be fine.”
He had wanted to say “some vegetarian dishes,” but then he remembered that he wasn’t in his own country anymore. He was in E Country, in some uncertain era and no one here would be able to conjure up the familiar meals from home for him.
Xia Jienan nodded and ordered a creamy soup, a salad and a few fruit pastries for him.
Ye Yuzhi thought this might be a good chance to take the initiative, to say something, anything. Yet, when he faced the man, not a single word would come out. His lips pressed together, his expression cold and distant, as if the only reason he was even sitting here was because Xia Jienan had begged him to.
Maybe… he should still say something. Even if not about his true identity…
The more Ye Yuzhi thought about it, the harder it became to open his mouth. His lips only tightened further. He didn’t look up at Xia Jienan, only lowered his gaze and stared at the faint, reflective smudge of oil along the edge of the table.
He was practically dying of anxiety inside. He wanted nothing more than for his soul to leap out of his body, grab himself by the shoulders, slap him across the face and shout, “Say something! For heaven’s sake, say something!”
Across the table, Xia Jienan had no idea what kind of chaos was raging in Ye Yuzhi’s head. He gave him a bright, sunny smile and reached into his pocket, taking out a folded piece of paper. He placed it in front of Ye Yuzhi.
“Sorry,” Xia Jienan said pleasantly, “I think you might have dropped this earlier. We opened it just to confirm what it was. You don’t mind, do you, Mr. Shawn?”
The moment Ye Yuzhi saw that invitation letter, it felt like the blade that had been hovering above his forehead suddenly dropped a few inches lower. His voice came out dry and stiff. “I don’t mind.”
Seeing his emotionless expression, Xia Jienan assumed he was still upset about Du Yun’s earlier attempt at “charming” him.
“It’s quite the coincidence,” Xia Jienan continued smoothly. “We came here because we also received an invitation to Anthony Manor.” He gave Ye Yuzhi a playful wink. “My name is Samuel. I’m a photographer. If you ever need your picture taken, Mr. Shawn, I’d be happy to help.”
Ye Yuzhi still wasn’t used to answering to that name. He nodded slightly. “If I need it.”
Then he closed his mouth again and fell silent.
“Mr. Shawn, did you also come to Guerrero for the ‘wish’?” Xia Jienan asked, sounding as though it were just casual conversation. “I mistook you for a local this morning when I asked for directions. Sorry about that.”
“Wish?” Ye Yuzhi thought for a moment and vaguely recalled that something about a wish had been mentioned on the invitation letter. But he’d been distracted at the time and hadn’t paid much attention.
He hesitated for a few seconds before deciding not to reveal that he was a player. It would just be awkward if he did, especially since that girl, Du Yun, had actually tried to charm him.
That alone was enough reason to keep quiet, he thought with satisfaction.
He replied according to his current “identity.” “I’m local. I came to Guerrero to take care of something.”
As for the wish… according to what Ke Hu had told him, the “wish” was only the narrative reason for starting the game. The grander and more exaggerated the wish sounded, the less likely it was to ever come true. The real key moments were always right before the game reached its end, usually when the so-called “final boss battle” began.
That was exactly why Ye Yuzhi had been so desperate to escape before then. He had never played in any of Ke Hu’s tabletop sessions but he remembered every rule, every warning that Ke Hu had explained.
Xia Jienan nodded, pretending to suddenly understand. “I see. You don’t really look like a local, Mr. Shawn. Guess my misunderstanding this morning wasn’t entirely wrong then.” He paused with a faint smile. “Since you helped us out earlier, if there’s ever anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Ye Yuzhi nodded again. “If I need it.”
Xia Jienan began to feel a little frustrated. This Mr. Shawn was like an impenetrable wall, none of his conversational hooks or subtle hints seemed to get through. No matter what he said, the man refused to reveal even a scrap of useful information. He hadn’t spent his entire afternoon here just to keep getting stonewalled by an NPC.
The waiter arrived with their food. Xia Jienan decided to try another route. “So, Mr. Shawn, you didn’t go stay at Anthony Manor either? Is that because of what you’re working on? I heard they prepared some rather luxurious accommodations for all the guests invited this time.”
Not at all, Ye Yuzhi thought drily. He’d been here from the very beginning and had no intention of setting foot in that obviously dangerous mansion. As for the “thing he was working on”… even if it was summoning an evil god, he still had no idea what he was supposed to do to make that happen.
Since explaining would be troublesome, he simply nodded. “Yes.”
“By the way,” Xia Jienan said casually, cutting into his steak, “what kind of work do you do, Mr. Shawn?”
Ye Yuzhi froze.
What kind of work…? I’m a cultist devoted to an evil god, he thought helplessly.
Across from him, Xia Jienan muttered under his breath, “I’ll use Psychology on Mr. Shawn.”
In his mind, the familiar sound of dice rolling echoed. Then came the result: You sense that Mr. Shawn feels deeply troubled about the question concerning his occupation.
Troubled? Xia Jienan frowned slightly. Even if he didn’t want to tell the truth, he could at least make something up, couldn’t he? Unless… there really was nothing to make up. Could it be that this NPC had no stable job at all? But he certainly didn’t look like someone who had just lost his livelihood and returned home in defeat.
Though Xia Jienan had no strange interest in overly attractive NPCs, he agreed with Du Yun on one thing, Mr. Shawn was definitely not just an ordinary background character.
After a moment’s thought, Ye Yuzhi’s fork slowly pierced a cherry tomato on his plate. He decided to just give the truth from his real life. “I’m a student.”
“A student?” Xia Jienan’s brows lifted slightly. He smiled but clearly didn’t believe it. “So this trip home is for a research project, then?”
“It’s personal,” Ye Yuzhi said curtly. He stuffed the tomato into his mouth, chewed twice, swallowed and then, almost begrudgingly, asked, “And you?”
“I told you, I’m a photographer,” Xia Jienan replied, blinking innocently.
“I meant…” Ye Yuzhi paused. “The invitation.”
He had wanted to ask what exactly had brought them here, what their mission was but then realized Xia Jienan had already said they’d come because of the invitation. So maybe the better question was how they got it.
“Oh, that,” Xia Jienan said with a grin. His face wasn’t particularly handsome yet his smile carried a strange, infectious charm that almost made him seem so. “I took some photos for Mr. Anthony a while back, so he sent me an invitation this time. I figured I’d come and gather some material, maybe shoot the scenery around here. My companions, though, they each have their own reasons, some are hoping to win that grand prize, for instance.”
Ye Yuzhi wasn’t interested in any so-called “wish-granting prize.” He nodded, indicating he understood and focused on finishing his meal. He had barely finished his salad when Xia Jienan picked up the conversation again.
“Mr. Shawn, if you’re a local, why were you carrying a map of the town?”
“I left here when I was very young,” Ye Yuzhi replied after a moment’s thought. “I’m not very familiar with it anymore.” Then, after gathering a bit of courage, he asked, “And your companions?”
“They went out exploring,” Xia Jienan said easily. “They’ll probably be back later tonight. Actually, Mr. Shawn, would you like to join us tomorrow? We’re planning to visit the vineyards near Anthony Manor or we could just stroll around town. You know, a little nostalgic sightseeing. Of course, only if you’re free.”
Free. He was too free, so free that he didn’t even know what to do with himself. Ye Yuzhi thought bitterly, then nodded. “Alright.”
After filling his stomach, he lost all desire to keep probing for information. He thanked Xia Jienan briefly and went upstairs to his room.
Xia Jienan, however, stayed downstairs, frowning slightly as he waited for his teammates to return.
Around eight that evening, Du Yun and Jiang Xing finally came back.
“Did you see him?” Du Yun asked eagerly before even sitting down. Jiang Xing, calmer as always, waved the waiter over to order their dinner.
“I saw him,” Xia Jienan said flatly. His expression now was completely different from the bright, friendly mask he had worn earlier. Without his smile, he looked cold and distant. “But he’s hard to talk to. Couldn’t get a single useful clue out of him.”
“Seems like you didn’t have much better luck than us,” Du Yun sighed. “At least you got to enjoy some eye candy though. Better than me and Jiang Xing spending all afternoon failing our Library rolls.”
They had tried to search the library for useful information but the dice had apparently been cursed with lead. Every time they attempted to use the Library skill, they failed miserably, wasting the entire afternoon.
“It wasn’t a total waste,” Jiang Xing said. “We stopped rolling eventually and managed to find a few bits on our own.”
“Oh?” Xia Jienan raised a brow.
“The Anthony Manor was built less than ten years ago,” Jiang Xing said. “So it’s pretty new.”
“And?”
“That’s it,” Jiang Xing admitted, spreading his hands. “That’s all we got before another failure.”
“The librarian mentioned the manor has its own private collection though,” Du Yun added seriously. “If we want more information, that’s where we should look. Honestly, we should have gone to stay there tonight. I only have five credit points left, I can’t even afford another night here.”
Jiang Xing gave her a look that screamed, Why am I in a team with this person? and asked, “Where did you even put your points?”
“Charm,” Du Yun replied solemnly. “Money in a game isn’t real money. Why waste points on that? You can’t take it with you anyway.”
Xia Jienan rubbed his temples. “I managed to get Shawn to agree to join us tomorrow.”
“Nice!” Du Yun instantly brightened. “So where are we going tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow,” Xia Jienan said, looking her squarely in the eyes, “you are going back to the library.” He spoke each word with deliberate weight. “You have the highest Library skill and you’re the one who critically failed. Do not cause trouble again.”
Du Yun’s face fell. “You’re so cruel…”
She hesitated for a moment, then said, “Then maybe you should try charming him, Brother Xia?”
Xia Jienan gave her a long look. “Do I look stupid to you, Du Yun?”
Du Yun stuck out her tongue and wisely shut up.
After dinner, the three of them went upstairs to rest.
That night, Ye Yuzhi drifted into sleep, only to be jolted awake by a sharp, piercing sound.
Beep.
The noise cut straight through his skull like a blade of ice. Before he could catch his breath, the familiar, unnatural voice that had haunted him before returned, crashing through his mind like a surge of electric current. His entire body went rigid. A cold, crawling sensation raced over his skin, raising every hair on end.
[Sanity check 1/10]
The voice whispered like death itself, scraping against the edges of his nerves.
The dice rolled somewhere in the void. [82/80, failed. 1d10 = 8. Sanity now 52.]
Almost the instant the voice faded, a loud thud came from the window.
Ye Yuzhi froze, completely unsure of what had just happened. Slowly, stiffly, he turned his head toward the sound.
There, on the glass that should have been frosted over with snow, was the clear outline of a handprint, slick, dripping and glistening with some kind of viscous slime.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
✦ A tiny offering to the translator may please the spirits of the Realm. ☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Guerrero’s Lair (1)Chapter 2 · Guerrero’s Lair (2)Chapter 3 · Guerrero’s Lair (3)Chapter 4 · Guerrero’s Lair (4)Chapter 5 · Guerrero’s Lair (5)Chapter 6 · Guerrero’s Lair (6)Chapter 7 · Guerrero’s Lair (7)Chapter 8 · Guerrero’s Lair (8)Chapter 9 · Guerrero’s Lair (9)Chapter 10 · Guerrero’s Lair (10)Chapter 11 · Guerrero’s Lair (11)Chapter 12 · Guerrero’s Lair (12)Chapter 13 · Guerrero’s Lair (13)Chapter 14 · Guerrero’s Lair (14)Chapter 15 · Guerrero’s Lair (15)Chapter 16 · Guerrero’s Lair (16)Chapter 17 · Guerrero’s Lair (17)Chapter 18 · Guerrero’s Lair (18)Chapter 19 · Guerrero’s Lair (19)Chapter 20 · Guerrero’s Lair (20)Chapter 21 · Guerrero’s Lair (21)Chapter 22 · Guerrero’s Lair (22)Chapter 23 · Interlude (1)Chapter 24 · The interlude (2)Chapter 25 · The interlude (3)Chapter 26 Part 1 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 26 Part 2 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 27 · Calling in the Wind (2)Chapter 28 · Calling in the Wind (3)Chapter 29 · Calling in the Wind (4)Chapter 30 · Calling in the Wind (5)Chapter 31 · Calling in the Wind (6)Chapter 32 · Calling in the Wind (7)Chapter 33 · Calling in the Wind (8)Chapter 34 · Calling in the Wind (9)Chapter 35 · Calling in the Wind (10)Chapter 36 · Interlude (4)Chapter 37 · Interlude (5)Chapter 38 · Interlude (6)Chapter 39 · Interlude (7)Chapter 40 · Interlude (8)Chapter 41 · Interlude (9)Chapter 42 · Welcome to Doville (1)Chapter 43 · Welcome to Doville (2)Chapter 44 · Welcome to Doville (3)Chapter 45 · Welcome to Doville (4)Chapter 46 · Welcome to Doville (5)Chapter 47 · Welcome to Doville (6)Chapter 48 · Welcome to Doville (7)Chapter 49 · Welcome to Doville (8)Chapter 50 · Welcome to Doville (9)Chapter 51 · Welcome to Doville (10)Chapter 52 · Welcome to Doville (11)Chapter 53 · Welcome to Doville (12)Chapter 54 · Interlude (10)Chapter 55 · Interlude (11)Chapter 56 · Interlude (12)Chapter 57 · Interlude (13)Chapter 58 · Interlude (14)Chapter 59 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (1)Chapter 60 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (2)Chapter 61 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (3)Chapter 62 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (4)Chapter 63 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (5)Chapter 64 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (6)Chapter 65 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (7)Chapter 66 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (8)Chapter 67 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (9)Chapter 68 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (10)Chapter 69 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (11)Chapter 70 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (12)Chapter 71 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (13)Chapter 72 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (14)Chapter 73 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (15)Chapter 74 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (16)Chapter 75 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (17)Chapter 76 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (18)Chapter 77 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (19)Chapter 78 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (20)Chapter 79 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (21)Chapter 80 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (22)Chapter 81 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (23)Chapter 82 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (24)Chapter 83 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (25)Chapter 84 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (26)Chapter 85 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (27)Chapter 86 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (28)Chapter 87 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (29)Chapter 88 · Tunnel in the Dark Night (30)Chapter 89 · Interlude (15)Chapter 90 · Interlude (16)Chapter 91 · Interlude (17)Chapter 92 · The Promise of Hamelin (1)Chapter 93 · The Promise of Hamelin (2)Chapter 94 · The Promise of Hamelin (3)Chapter 95 · The Promise of Hamelin (4)Chapter 96 · The Promise of Hamelin (5)Chapter 97 · The Promise of Hamelin (6)Chapter 98 · The Promise of Hamelin (7)Chapter 99 · The Promise of Hamelin (8)Chapter 100 · The Promise of Hamelin (9)Chapter 101 · The Promise of Hamelin (10)Chapter 102 · The Promise of Hamelin (11)Chapter 103 · The Promise of Hamelin (12)Chapter 104 · The Promise of Hamelin (13)Chapter 105 · The Promise of Hamelin (14)Chapter 106 · The Promise of Hamelin (15)Chapter 107 · The Promise of Hamelin (16)Chapter 109 · The Promise of Hamelin (18)Chapter 110 · The Promise of Hamelin (19)