The appearance of the system shop’s proprietor was completely different from the one Amanda had seen in the previous instance.
She clearly remembered that the person who had sat inside the shop and received her back then had been dressed in classical attire that fit the background of that world’s era.
Yet the man standing before her now looked more like a modern young adult active in Country A, someone who could easily blend into the sports field of a nearby university at any moment.
And yet, Amanda was absolutely certain.
They were the same person.
That casual, teasing tone that seemed effortless, able to seep into one’s heart before you even realized it, carried a sensation like honey laced with deadly poison. It was a feeling she would never forget.
He looked down on all inferior life that struggled in pain, faithfully carrying out the will of the Main God and despite such a core nature, he treated every customer with unfailing gentleness, as though he were your most sincere companion.
“She has ‘Self Rise.’ Didn’t she tell you?” Ye Jinran casually revealed the Medical God’s secret as he spoke, folding his hands together on the tabletop.
So called “Self Rise” referred to the ability to stand up on one’s own after falling. When a character died, they could revive without assistance from others. In the game, this ability was even rarer than resurrection spells.
Though infinite games contained countless ways to revive, most came with either severe inconvenience or heavy side effects. “Self Rise” was the sole exception, limited only by a cooldown period.
The Medical God had obtained this ability through an S rank item. Only by accounting for it during evaluation could the players’ strength in this instance be considered balanced.
She had hidden it extremely well. The item she used was already in a deactivated state after activation. Ye Jinran only discovered the secret after noticing the imbalance in player strength and conducting a careful, second review of her inventory.
“This is…” Amanda wasn’t particularly familiar with in game jargon. She searched her mind for the meaning of the term before saying, “She didn’t tell me. We aren’t actually very close. I also have many secrets I haven’t told her.”
Ye Jinran was unconcerned. “Secrets? Like the fact that you’re actually a real patient?”
The Medical God was not a god of medicine but Amanda was a patient.
Amanda froze for a second, then let out a bitter smile. “As expected, you know everything.”
From the corner of his eye, Ye Jinran glanced at the system’s backend interface that Amanda couldn’t see. Every player’s identity information was laid bare, nowhere to hide.
Her instance identity setting had also been altered by the system. What was originally supposed to be “a young new media reporter” had been changed to “a crazed reporter concealing a history of mental illness.”
Just as Crane had been patched into a genius girl who skipped grades, a player’s real life condition would, to some extent, influence their in instance character identity. This was the change brought about by the real Amanda herself, she was a psychiatric patient.
Who played games without going a little mad?
To be able to work as a private foreign language tutor for a family somewhere in Hua Xia, she must have concealed this condition exceptionally well in real life. It was her most unspeakable secret.
In a low voice, Ye Jinran said, “Relax. If adequate compensation isn’t provided, I won’t disclose this information. Of course, I believe no one would be interested in asking about your private affairs.”
At least, not in this instance.
Amanda let out a quiet sigh. “I think someone already knows. I don’t have memories from my other personality and I can’t recall ever offending Bai Yanzhou myself. The only possibility is that another personality did it.”
She suffered from dissociative conversion disorder, commonly known as hysteria and had long been tormented by it. Her other side was irritable and violent, easily provoked and stimulated, constantly doing things that could never be taken back.
The first time she saw the system shop proprietor in the instance Blood Moon Town, that other side of hers had surfaced in an instant, causing her to involuntarily launch an attack on the shop owner. Everything happened far too fast for her to stop. Fortunately, it hadn’t resulted in serious consequences.
“Thank you,” Amanda said, helpless yet genuinely grateful. “It always feels like this place can accommodate any secret.”
As the owner of the system shop, he must have seen all kinds of bizarre and abnormal players. Things like this were probably nothing new to him.
Only at times like this could Amanda slightly lower her guard and release a bit of the pain she kept hidden deep inside. This shop, which randomly appeared within instances, was like a harbor where players could rest, a place that put one at ease.
Watching her, Ye Jinran suddenly found it rather interesting. He didn’t mind chatting with her a little longer. “Is there anything you want to know or something you’d like to take from my shop?”
Amanda looked around and asked, “I want to know if you have something like a hidden camera, wireless, something that can be discreetly placed on other players.”
“Of course.” Ye Jinran couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at how professionally suited she was to being a reporter. “Invisible, lightweight, real time video transmission, anything you need.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a sheet of items from a cabinet. They resembled pills, each small piece being an independent miniature camera.
“Each one has a usage duration of twenty four hours. Stick it on and it’s ready to go. The footage will be displayed directly on your system interface.”
Amanda finally allowed herself a smile, one that was visibly more relaxed.
“This is exactly what I was looking for… I just don’t know what else I can offer you that would be of sufficient value. Please allow me some time to think.”
She was certain that an item of this grade was far beyond what her current points could purchase. She had no idea what kind of payment might please this shop proprietor enough to earn his favor and assistance.
“I will also receive the video data captured by the surveillance devices. That allows me to give you a discounted price and…” Ye Jinran paused, the low timbre of his voice carrying a faint hint of amusement, “…I hope you will put on a good show before Bai Yanzhou kills you. Don’t disappoint me.”
In truth, he could see everything recorded by the surveillance devices anyway. This time, he simply chose to inform the player out of rare generosity, conveniently using the opportunity to justify a “discounted price.”
This set of items was never expensive to begin with, it was Amanda who had misjudged their true value. Since she already had such psychological expectations, Ye Jinran didn’t mind harvesting a bit more from her.
When Ye Jinran named the number of points required, Amanda visibly relaxed. It was an amount she could afford at her current stage.
They had just completed the transaction when the sudden ringing of a phone shattered the silence. Amanda shot Ye Jinran an apologetic look before answering the call.
“Yes, yes, I understand. This afternoon… oh, no, I’ll head out right now to conduct the interview,” she said into the phone.
Ye Jinran tilted his head slightly, curiosity sparked. “New assignment?”
“Yes…” Amanda smiled helplessly as she put her phone away. “My editor is urging me to interview the person in charge of a meteorological weapons research and development project. They’ve already reached the second phase of their combat simulation tests. Once the third phase is complete, the meteorological weapon will officially be put into use.”
Ye Jinran immediately understood. This should be the first meeting between Crane’s younger brother, Wang Ai’min and Amanda within the instance. As for what kind of sparks would fly between them, no one could say yet.
Would it be open hostility?
Or the formation of an alliance?
Amanda tapped on her phone and skimmed through the materials. “I obtained the interview documents ahead of time. The military hopes that once the meteorological weapon is deployed, it can counteract natural climate disasters. Shopkeeper… is that really possible? Can it actually prevent the catastrophe that’s about to arrive?”
“The price for that answer is not something you can afford.”
Ye Jinran maintained a flawless smile. This concerned the greatest secret of the instance, he wouldn’t reveal it so easily.
“By the way… may I know your name?” Amanda asked hesitantly, shifting her gaze away in slight embarrassment. “That shouldn’t require an exchange, right? I just feel that… perhaps we might meet again in some other world.”
She didn’t dare arrogantly assume that she shared any kind of special fate with this mysterious shop owner. Still, deep in her heart lingered a faint, unspoken hope for an uncertain reunion in the future.
Ye Jinran’s amiable expression was like that of an old friend you’d known for years. “Black. You can call me by my name.”
He made it up on the spot, not even bothering to think of a surname. He simply felt that the color represented by the foreign word suited his impression of the Main God.
Amanda did not doubt him at all. She nodded solemnly. “I’ll remember it. Thank you for your generosity.”
Having achieved her goal, she left with the newly purchased items and a tangled mix of emotions, pushing open the shop door.
“May fortune favor you once again.”
Inside a campus meteorological observation station.
Crane cleaned up the scattered paper documents on the desk while doing her best to calm her classmates.
“They’re adults, after all. Whatever decisions they make, people like us, just a group of students, won’t be able to interfere,” Crane struggled to find comforting words and spoke with resignation. “The weapons testing must have been scheduled long ago. Worst case, we’ll just abandon this project.”
Even as she said this, she wasn’t confident herself. If the other students truly gave up their observations, her personal mission would be finished as well.
The boy beside her had already descended into frustration, repeatedly stabbing dots into the blank spaces of the paper with his ballpoint pen. “What are they even doing?! Why do they have to test that damn meteorological weapon now of all times? All of our data has been completely thrown into chaos!”
“Exactly! And our project is important too! If we can accurately predict the arrival time and movement trajectory of this hurricane disaster and report it in advance, the regions along its path could prepare ahead of time and significantly reduce losses!”
“We were so close. We definitely could have reached the right conclusion.”
The students began complaining all at once, voices overlapping.
With a guilty expression, Crane said, “I’ve already tried communicating with them. I’m hoping that at the very least, the third test can be postponed and give us a chance.”
The only person she could contact was her younger brother. As for how much say he actually had within that project team, she had no idea.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the observation station. “Is anyone inside? Professor Reid wants to speak with you.”
The people in the room exchanged glances. None of them recognized the name. After a moment, someone finally reacted. “Isn’t he a professor who studies geology?”
A long haired woman walked over to open the door. The student who had knocked nodded in greeting when he saw her and then left, leaving only one person standing outside.
That person slowly walked in, his steps unsteady, his physical condition utterly mismatched with his apparent age. His skin was deathly pale and deeply wrinkled, like a corpse just unearthed from the ground.
He was little more than skin and bones, his eyes cloudy and lifeless. Several of the students were startled by his appearance, only Crane, who was accustomed to strange and unsettling sights, managed to stay relatively composed.
He swept his gaze across the room and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Do not continue. There will be no results…”
“Professor, are you feeling all right?” The long haired girl reacted quickly and brought over a chair but Professor Reid ignored it and refused to sit.
He stared directly at Crane, his gaze seeming to pierce through her outward shell and reach some secret lurking deep within. “Do not attempt to speculate about that which rides upon the wind. Those who show irreverence toward nature will invite the wrath that comes from the far reaches of the polar north.”
Crane felt a chill crawl up her spine under his gaze, along with a growing sense of unease. “Sir… what do you mean is… ”
“Don’t listen to him!” The boy who’d been stabbing his pen slammed it down impatiently, cutting her off. “We pursue weather forecasting precisely to challenge the will of heaven and bring benefit to humankind. Without this spirit of inquiry, forecasting technology would never have advanced to where it is today. Are we supposed to retreat just because of one or two failures?”
Crane’s lips trembled slightly. She had no way to refute him.
Deep down, she clearly understood what Professor Reid’s words were implying. Yet for the sake of preserving her classmates’ fragile and pitiful worldview and their already strained mental states, she could not explain it to them.
Still, she wanted to confirm it once more.
“Professor, are you certain that this hurricane was caused by the kind of… thing you’re talking about?”
A flash of fear passed through Professor Reid’s eyes, as though even his soul were shuddering. He seemed to exhaust all his strength just to barely pry open his lips, forcing the words out of his throat one by one.
“I’ve seen it… I saw it during an expedition to the Arctic…”
Within the roiling mass of dark clouds, there seemed to be a humanoid outline. Its gaze burned like blazing fire. Roaring winds swept across the land, dragging all living beings away toward an unfamiliar realm of utter, bone chilling cold.
Crane was nearly certain now, only someone who had truly witnessed something that transcended common sense could be molded into such a “beautiful” state of madness.
At the same time, she nearly fainted on the spot, because this meant that from the very beginning, she had been attempting to carry out a calculation that was fundamentally impossible to complete.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
We have reached the inevitable coffee solicitation.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Blood Moon Town: ShhhChapter 2 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (1)Chapter 3 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (2)Chapter 4 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (3)Chapter 5 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (4)Chapter 6 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 7 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (6)Chapter 8 · The mist over Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 9 · The Mystery of Nanjin Village (The End)Chapter 10 · Real WorldChapter 11 · Riding The Wind (1)Chapter 12 · Riding The Wind (2)Chapter 13 · Riding The Wind (3)Chapter 14 · Riding The Wind (4)Chapter 15 · Riding The Wind (5)Chapter 16 · Riding The Wind (6)Chapter 17 · Riding The Wind (7)Chapter 18 · Riding The Wind (8)Chapter 19 · Riding The Wind (9)Chapter 20 · Riding The Wind (10)Chapter 21 Part 1 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 21 Part 2 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 22 · Real World (1)Chapter 23 · Real World (2)Chapter 24 · Golden Sands Fade Away (1)Chapter 25 · Golden Sands Fade Away (2)Chapter 26 · Golden Sands Fade Away (3)Chapter 27 · Golden Sands Fade Away (4)Chapter 28 · Golden Sands Fade Away (5)Chapter 29 · Golden Sands Fade Away (6)Chapter 30 · Golden Sands Fade Away (7)Chapter 31 · Golden Sands Fade Away (8)Chapter 32 · Golden Sands Fade Away (9)Chapter 33 · Golden Sands Fade Away (10)Chapter 34 · Golden Sands Fade Away (11)Chapter 35 · Golden Sands Fade Away (12)Chapter 36 · Golden Sands Fade Away (13)Chapter 37 · Golden Sands Fade Away (14)Chapter 38 · Golden Sands Fade Away (15)Chapter 39 · Golden Sands Fade Away (16)Chapter 40 · Golden Sands Fade Away (17)Chapter 41 · Golden Sands Fade Away (18)Chapter 42 · Golden Sands Fade Away (19)Chapter 43 · Golden Sands Fade Away (20)Chapter 44 · Golden Sands Fade Away (21)Chapter 45 · Golden Sands Fade Away (22)Chapter 46 · Golden Sands Fade Away (23)Chapter 47 · Golden Sands Fade Away (24)Chapter 48 · Golden Sands Fade Away (25) The EndChapter 49 · Main God’s DomainChapter 50 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (1)Chapter 51 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (2)Chapter 52 · Item FactoryChapter 53 · Defrosted Friendship (1)Chapter 54 · Defrosted Friendship (2)Chapter 55 · Defrosted Friendship (3)Chapter 56 · Defrosted Friendship (4)Chapter 57 · Defrosted Friendship (5)Chapter 58 · Defrosted Friendship (6)Chapter 59 · Defrosted Friendship (7)Chapter 60 · Defrosted Friendship (8)Chapter 61 · Defrosted Friendship (9)Chapter 62 · Defrosted Friendship (10)Chapter 63 · Defrosted Friendship (11)Chapter 64 · Defrosted Friendship (12)Chapter 65 · Defrosted Friendship (13)Chapter 66 · Defrosted Friendship (14)Chapter 67 · Defrosted Friendship (15)Chapter 68 · Defrosted Friendship (16)Chapter 69 · Defrosted Friendship (End)Chapter 70 · The Real WorldChapter 71 · Matching TimeChapter 72 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (1)Chapter 73 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (2)Chapter 74 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (3)Chapter 75 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (4)Chapter 76 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (5)Chapter 77 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (6)Chapter 78 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (7)Chapter 79 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (8)Chapter 80 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (9)Chapter 81 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (10)Chapter 82 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (11)Chapter 83 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (12)Chapter 84 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (13)Chapter 85 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (14)Chapter 86 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (15)Chapter 87 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (16)Chapter 88 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (17)Chapter 89 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (18)Chapter 90 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (19)Chapter 91 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (20)Chapter 92 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (21)Chapter 93 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (22)Chapter 94 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (23)Chapter 95 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (Complete)Chapter 96 · The Main God Invites You for TeaChapter 97 · The Player ForumChapter 98 · Training GroundChapter 99 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (1)Chapter 100 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (2)Chapter 101 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (3)Chapter 102 · Eternal Night · The One Who Strikes the Stone (Finale)