Chapter 404

Chapter 404: Chapter 401: "A World Without War.Su Ming’an and Sherrod arrived at the Eastern District, which Lin Yin mentioned had sightings of his sister.

Sherrod was still writing in his notebook.

Su Ming’an glanced at it and saw the top line, "The Seventh Day of Encountering Travelers from the Otherworld".

"At this rate, your notebook might span hundreds, even thousands of days," he said.

He wasn’t joking.

Becoming a player also meant qualifying for a complete disengagement from the world game. If Zhai Xing could ultimately be redeemed, Sherrod might indeed write for decades.

Sherrod flipped through the pages: "Probably not, this one is almost full."

He turned to the second to last page, where his notes had reached.

Upon a cursory look, Su Ming’an saw various terms recorded: "ice cream", "air conditioning", "Lu Xun", each followed by a full explanation and even a section with Sherrod’s own views and insights.

It was evident that he was truly looking forward to the new world.

"No worries, the prices in the Main God World are quite low, we can buy a new notebook for you to keep recording," Su Ming’an said.

"Hmm..." Sherrod didn’t immediately respond as was his usual.

He paused briefly in his note-taking, tilted the page and kept writing, not letting Su Ming’an see what he was jotting down.

"What are you writing?" Su Ming’an asked.

"I’m writing about..." Sherrod began, "...Pulaya’s grass candy."

"Grass candy?"

Sherrod suddenly looked up.

"Captain, we’ve arrived at the refuge," he said.

Su Ming’an looked up.

This was the refuge point in the Eastern District which took in the injured and their relatives. In theory, if Sherrod’s sister were still alive, she would likely be found here.

The place was bustling. On seeing them arrive, many people excitedly got up from the ground, ready to kneel in gratitude before the heroes of Pulaya.

Sherrod stopped them, then turned to ask the person in charge of the refuge, "Excuse me, have you seen a girl like this?"

He took off the necklace with a photo around his neck, showing the person in charge the girl whose smile was as bright as a sunflower.

"Let me see..." the person in charge tried to calm his excited emotions, recalling with care, trying to help the hero who saved Pulaya.

But after thinking it over, unfortunately, he shook his head.

"I’m sorry. I have not seen her."

"Someone said she was seen here, with this girl," Sherrod said.

"Impossible." The person in charge shook his head: "All the refugees have been placed here. If the girl you’re talking about appeared in the Eastern District, she would definitely have been brought over by the patrolling Soul Hunters. It’s not possible for her to wander around."

Sherrod frowned deeply.

"Lin Yin said she saw her, but she felt it was just a similar presence. Perhaps she was mistaken," Su Ming’an said.

"Where should I look for her then..." Sherrod clenched his fist.

Su Ming’an glanced at the taskbar.

The quest to deliver the necklace to Sherrod’s sister had not yet failed.

Logically, she should still be alive.

"Let’s keep searching in the Eastern District," Su Ming’an said. "Maybe she’s being cared for by some family here?"

Sherrod nodded.

As they were leaving, he overheard the conversations of the wounded.

"... I heard that even if the barrier is raised, that group of sea monsters still lingers outside."

"What can we do then? Our foreign trade depends on that route. If the sea monsters block it continuously, even our relatives out at sea..."

"Yes, and the resources on our island have always depended on trade. If that route is cut off, then we..."

"Is the resource crisis from decades ago about to replay? But this time, how should we cope? Will Lady Su Rin still lead half the people away?"

"I don’t know... I’m also bewildered, I miss my father who is out at sea, I hope he returns slower, otherwise, it’s like sending him into the mouths of that swarm of sea monsters..."

Su Ming’an and Sherrod did not attend the celebrations held in the center.

The merrymaking sounds, music, and singing drifted over on the faint white snow, and one could vaguely see the brilliant fire leaping between the pale sky.

He walked in silence, passing through the quiet Eastern District, the streets bathed in the sunset, from beginning to end.

Along the way, they heard quite a few discussions about the calamity of the Sea Monsters coming from the houses on both sides.

Su Ming’an knew why those Sea Monsters had not left.

Previously, it was the Princess, the King of Sea Monsters, who had led that group to Pulaya.

To lure these creatures away, unless the King of Sea Monsters made another appearance, to lead them away.

But now,

The Princess was dead, and the energy of the King of Sea Monsters within him had been depleted, sending him into a deep slumber, completely powerless to suppress those Sea Monsters.

As they passed by the Eastern District’s Soul Hunter Department, he heard the new department head, Christie, bellowing in anger.

"—What are you good for! Can’t you drive away that group of Sea Monsters? After so many years in Pulaya, we’ve not found a method to suppress them?"

"Minister." A helpless subordinate’s voice came out.

"The only one who can suppress the Sea Monsters is the King of Sea Monsters," he said.

"—Then what do you expect us to do? With most of the Soul Hunt dead or injured, not to mention the restless Soul Clan, our shipping routes cut off, surrounded by Sea Monsters—do you expect us to build another airship and take half the people up to Yun Shang City?"

"Minister, please calm down..."

"—I! I!"

A crisp sound rang out. Christie, who had thrown something, cursed as he walked out of the Soul Hunter Department’s main gate, just in time to see Su Ming’an and Sherrod passing by.

He quickly suppressed the angry expression on his face and squeezed out a smile.

"Ah, it’s you guys. Why aren’t you joining the central celebration? You are heroes." He scratched his face, smiling awkwardly, "If you went, I don’t know how crazy those girls would be."

Clearly, he did not want to pass on his negative emotions to the heroes just back from the brink of death, and so he forced a smile.

"..." Sherrod looked away.

"We’re looking for his sister," said Su Ming’an.

"Alright. Alright." Christie scratched his head: "If you need anything, just call me. I can help."

"The Soul Hunt must be quite busy," Su Ming’an shook his head. "No need."

He turned around.

The sunset suddenly poured down.

As the heavy snow gradually subsided, some sunlight streamed down from the sky.

In an instant, a reddish hue filled the whole sky, still fluttering with white snow. The sunlight and the heavy snow coexisted, presenting a beauty akin to that of the Otherworld.

Sherrod’s emotions visibly sank as he gazed at the photo in his locket.

"Sherrod, do you have anything else to take care of in the next few days?" Su Ming’an said. "Once you become a Player, you won’t be able to come back."

"..." Sherrod put away the photograph.

Even at such a time, he kept his subdued emotions hidden.

"Captain, I have nothing left to worry about," Sherrod said. "I’m really looking forward to your world of travelers from the Otherworld. I’ve heard that in your world, all direct harm is prohibited, there are no wars?"

"Yes," Su Ming’an glanced at the barrage: "The people in my live stream also like you. We have a platform where everyone can see what you say—it’s called ’World Forum.’ You can try it when you get there; there will probably be many people who will want to chat with you."

A feeling of anticipation appeared in Sherrod’s eyes.

He opened his notebook and wrote down this record.

[...The Transmarine Operation has ended, the Barrier has been successfully established, we... should be considered victorious.

The Red Rose that can turn me into a Player is already in my hands; once I find my sister, I will wear it.

With that, I shouldn’t be a so-called NPC anymore. Searᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The Captain says that the travelers from the Otherworld have a platform for communication, and moreover, they really like me.

If I become a Player, I should meet many new friends...]

He closed the notebook, revealing a somewhat tired smile.

"Captain," he said with a smile: "Then that means, I can finally taste what Leken mentioned, the taste of lemons, right? I’ve heard that it makes the flavor much better when you have it with barbecue..."

The smile on his face grew stiff.

On this road filled with festive music, a hunched, stooped old woman approached them.

Her expression was rigid, her eyes devoid of light, as if soulless, she dragged her legs, with a broom as tall as a person on her back, as though weighed down by a thousand pounds.

She was holding a small redwood box in her arms, walking in the snow, as if cradling a warm stove.

Lively celebratory songs drifted to her ears, but she seemed numb, showing no reaction to the outside world. Even when she encountered two heroes of Pulaya head-on, she still passed them like a walking corpse, brushing against their shoulders.

The name she murmured under her breath, as if biting it off with each utterance, kept echoing down the deserted street.

"Yongzhi."

"Yongzhi."

Her pace was slow.

Under her white hair were a pair of turbid eyes, like a frozen ice lake. The focus in her gaze was gone, gradually overtaken by spreading blood vessels, as if rationality and instinct were completely severed.

The red urn clenched tightly to her chest, she drooped her eyes and, with all her strength, embraced it with her gaunt, hunched frame, as if holding a dead flame.

"Yongzhi..."

A hoarse call, almost inaudible, echoed above the street, gradually freezing into the diminishing wind and snow.

The forced smile on Sherrod’s face disappeared.

He stared dully at the woman who seemed to have aged a dozen years in a moment, his fists slowly clenching.

"Captain." He spoke softly, "If I were to leave, our world..."

"Will continue on." Su Ming’an said.

The identity of the Ruler granted him the chance to return to the world; even if Sherrod left here, this world would go on.

"Are we..." Sherrod said, "really NPCs?"

"Yes." Su Ming’an said, "But who says I’m not an NPC myself?"

He stared into Sherrod’s firefly-like eyes: "...As long as you believe in yourself, understand that your current thoughts are the product of deep reflection, and will not regret any decisions you make—then you must believe that you are an independent person."

"Not regret any decision I make?"

"Yes."

Sherrod stood in place for a long time.

The fading snow clung to his golden hair, and the sword at his waist had broken in the recent battle.

Opening and closing his notebook, then opening and closing it again, novel terms danced before his eyes, his gaze dull as if devoid of light.

"Hey—!"

A call came from behind, and Su Ming’an looked up to see a flash of fiery red.

Appearing suddenly, Nailuo limped to catch up with them.

"Knight of Light, are you looking for your sister?" Nailuo asked.

"Yes." Sherrod tried to muster his spirits.

"..." Nailuo sighed softly: "I’ve seen your sister. She came looking for me."

As expected, Su Ming’an was not surprised; the Red Level quest called "Immortality" to deliver the necklace was not yet completed, so that sister must still be alive.

"Where is she?" Sherrod immediately asked.

"..." Unusually for her, Nailuo’s voice held a trace of hesitation.

"Knight of Light." She said, "Prepare yourself."

She took out a sea-blue jar.

Within the jar, one could vaguely make out a curled-up sea monster.

Southern District docks.

The central celebration seemed unrelated to this place.

Joy belonged to those who were joyful, while grief was left for the friends and family of the fallen.

Being the closest to the battlefield, this became a collection area for the dead. The sea monsters had retreated beyond the newly established outer barrier, making the white bridge secure.

People stepped onto the city wall, onto the white bridge, to begin collecting the bodies of those fallen in battle. Some had been bitten beyond recognition, some were missing arms and legs, and some were reduced to nothing but flesh, unidentifiable.

Blood covered the white bridge, as the cries of the wounded filled the area. Medics were conducting emergency rescue operations.

Old man Clifford, his arm bandaged, seemed to age several more years in the course of the fight. The wrinkles on his face became more pronounced, age spots scattered like chess pieces across his stiff countenance, and even his eyes appeared far more numb.

"Minister." A soul hunter reported to him the casualty figures: "Out of a total of 1065 people, the deceased... 769, the injured 238. Among them, more than half of the severely injured will be left disabled."

Clifford listened somewhat numbly to these numbers.

A thousand-man-strong team, more than two-thirds dead, nearly every survivor wounded.

"Furthermore, Minister," the soul hunter said softly, "since most of the deceased were soul hunters and combat power reserve soul hunters, our numbers are... extremely short. If the Soul Clan were to again..."

"The Soul Clan won’t make a move at such a time, Su Rin can keep them in check," Clifford said.

"Yes. But now the greatest crisis is the sea monsters on the outer layer, if they don’t leave for a day, our seafaring residents are at risk of being killed at any moment... and our shipping routes are also..."

"...I understand."

"Minister, if this continues, the island’s resources will soon..."

"I know!"

Clifford’s face reddened with anger as he glared with bristling whiskers: "Young man! Do you think I don’t want to drive away those sea monsters? Do you know what it costs to drive away the sea monsters? It’s to awaken the King of Sea Monsters inside Su Rin!—If awakened, do you know what the price of awakening her is??"

The young soul hunter immediately bowed his head, not daring to say a word.

Clifford closed his eyes briefly.

Among the wails of the injured, his voice was almost inaudible: "...Let’s see how it goes for now. If we indeed run out of resources, then we’ll have to open new shipping routes. The north side is far, but not impossible..."

"Minister. But the sea monsters have already encircled the north side..." The soul hunter hesitated, then still repeated the dire situation, "Just now, without the control of the King of Sea Monsters, Pulaya is completely surrounded by them, we cannot get out in any direction."

Clifford took a deep breath.

He knew that if things continued this way, they’d have to awaken the King of Sea Monsters in Su Rin, let that blue sea monster king help them drive away the sea monsters surrounding them.

But even the kids in Pulaya knew what it cost to awaken a sea monster.

The King of Sea Monsters lies in slumber due to the exhaustion of energy.

To awaken her, one must feed her the energy she needs to replenish.

And the energy sea monsters need...

Is people.

Is bodies, is souls.

Because she is the king among sea monsters, she needs more lives than a regular sea monster would.

...They need the lives of countless residents of Pulaya to fill up the gap once more.

Clifford clenched his fist.

His whole body shook with rage.

He felt as if he were a stake pounded into the soil, the heavy weight of guilt and duty so suffocating he could hardly breathe.

In his throat was a taste of blood, as if anger had brought on a cerebral hemorrhage.

He suddenly broke down, punched a wall beside him, creating a spiderweb-like crack.

"Bang!"

The loud noise reverberated through the area.

"—Heavens! You are unfair to Pulaya!" Clifford howled miserably, tears streaming down his weathered old face, his eyes nearly blinded by grief.

"Why—why the hell do you make the people of this land endure such pain again—have we not suffered enough? Do you need the lives of so many innocents to fill up once more!?"

With a swing of his fist, he suddenly collapsed to his knees, hands covering his face, his voice breaking.

"So many—so many young children’s bodies, they were once alive right there..."

His tears fell to the ground, mingling with the pale snow.

And at this moment,

a dark shadow, backlit by the sunset, appeared before him.

In their hand, they held a jar of deep blue liquid.

"Minister." The person spoke softly, their voice steady:

"There’s no need to sacrifice so many lives."

"I’ve arrived."