Chapter 456

Chapter 456: Chapter 453: "I Will Help Them End Everything." ("Qing Ning Zi" Alliance Hierarch Added 2/3)Su Ming’an turned around and saw a young woman with black braided hair, glasses, and an apron, surrounded by a few children clamoring for candy.

"Teacher Fang?" Su Ming’an recognized the woman, "Is this area also within your relief scope?"

"Yes," Teacher Fang replied as she handed out candies to the children, then gave them sweet potatoes and corn, watching them gobble up the food.

She brushed a stray hair behind her ear with a gentle voice, "After all, if it weren’t for the benevolence of others, these exiles would hardly survive in such harsh conditions."

Her smile was pure and easily reminiscent of the independent women of the 70s and 80s, with their black braided pigtails and blue-black work attire.

Her gaze softened further when looking at these afflicted people.

She seemed not at all afraid of the curse that could erupt from these people at any moment, and was extremely close to a group of ticking bombs; after distributing candies, she squatted down to comb two girls’ messy hair into ponytails.

"I’ll stay here for one night, this is my last stop, then I’ll return to the First Tribe," Teacher Fang said, her wooden comb smoothly working through the girls’ hair like weeding, "There’s news from the First Tribe that the Clan Leader’s succession ritual has been moved up, we have to hurry back to attend. The nearby tribes should send elders to participate as well."

"Succession ritual?" Su Ming’an was surprised, "Wasn’t it said that Fengchang would not succeed as Clan Leader until fifteen days later? The date has been moved up?"

"Right, perhaps Lord Fengchang realized that this war might be more challenging," Teacher Fang looked mild-mannered but saw these matters very clearly.

Becoming Clan Leader sooner would allow Fengchang to use some powers he previously couldn’t. For example, forcing other Guides to help him ambush others or to harness the latent Bai Shen powers within him.

That’s why Fengchang deliberately moved up the ritual.

Su Ming’an’s acuity regarding instances helped him realize that this succession ritual was definitely a critical plot point, and if he wanted ultimate victory, he had to be part of this crucial storyline.

"Can I go with you?" Su Ming’an asked.

"Tomorrow? Sure," Teacher Fang smiled, "But Cici probably can’t enter the First Tribe, if she wants to see the succession ceremony, she might have to stay outside..."

"Su Ming’an." Lv Shu called from behind, "It’s getting dark."

Su Ming’an turned and walked towards his own house.

But just then, he suddenly looked up.

"Whoosh—"

He heard a fierce gust of wind.

The shadows in the tree canopy began to tremble, the dark shapes started to quiver, and even the sludge stuck on the trees was slowly melting and falling off, as if ice had met fire.

The temperature around seemed to be rising.

Not just him, Teacher Fang and the people nearby also sensed it, they looked up and suddenly saw two figures with white-hot swords in hand, their bodies shrouded in sacred flame, resembling deities, floating down from above the forest.

The two figures were rapidly growing in size, seemingly in a swift descent.

"What is that?" Yamada Machiichi popped his head out, "Is Pansen showing off too much?"

"Swoosh, swoosh!"

Two loud sounds echoed.

The temperature surged abruptly.

The onlookers immediately felt an intense discomfort. It was the unease of an inferior being overpowered by a superior one.

The two figures wreathed in white flame descended from the sky and landed in the clearing.

An old woman took a step back, instinctively shielding her child’s doorway.

The freshly landed Dian Si narrowed his eyes and looked around.

"——I’ve actually discovered another gathering place for those on the brink of a curse eruption," he said, looking at this makeshift settlement of a dozen or so people as if he was looking at vermin and trash: "You, who are about to die, still cling to the warmth that does not belong to you, ultimately becoming a source of parasitism for the curse. How pitiful..."

He lifted the sword in his hand, his expression solemn like a deity pronouncing life or death on others: "I will help you end all this suffering."

Teacher Fang’s hand remained stiff on the corn; she had not yet reacted. And the people beside her, too, were scared pale.

The scorching, slender sword blade, burning with blazing white flames, like a guillotine, was raised high above the ground by Dian Si, ready to be swung down—

"Wait."

Suddenly, a hunched, emaciated figure stepped out from among the frightened group.

The old woman coughed lightly, her steps firm as she walked to the front of the people.

Dian Si’s motion halted; he looked at her: "Right, I almost killed an innocent. Old woman, the curse on you isn’t on the verge of explosion; you’re not the same as these people... You may go. Don’t stay here, lest I accidentally kill you."

The old woman did not bear the black pattern mark of the curse, and in this small settlement, she was the only one whose curse was still stable. She was there just for her son.

But she did not leave because of this "innocence" and "special pardon" Dian Si spoke of.

Like a barrier, she spread her arms, protecting those behind her.

Her head slightly lifted, her voice pleading: "Great Guide, these people... When they are on the brink of death, they will end their own lives. Those who die not from the curse will not contaminate the environment around them. I beg you, let them go in the little time they have left..."

Her voice was trembling, but her protective stance was resolute.

Sweat slid down her withered cheeks, and in her cloudy eyes reflected the figures of Mizushima Kawa Sora and Dian Si, as strong and perfect as gods.

She looked extremely dirty, and extremely trivial, her face gaunt, her figure small and stooped. Next to the goddess-like Mizushima Kawa Sora, she was the complete opposite. She appeared like a tiny ant blocking the sword of judgment, like a shadow standing under the light, ignorant, ugly, small, about to be melted away.

"Naive!" Dian Si laughed out loud, his laughter dripping with sarcasm: "So naive! Old woman, I know all too well the survival instinct that humans burst forth with when facing death. We are a species capable of doing any evil just to stay alive! That nonsense about ending their lives before the curse erupts... it’s simply unrealistic!"

"I will help them," the old woman drew out the dagger at her waist.

The dagger was cold and rusty; she clearly wasn’t adept with it, but she still raised it: "...before that happens, I will help them end it all."

She said, her voice gentle: "...including my son."

"—Ridiculous!"

Dian Si felt as if he heard the funniest joke in the world; he no longer paid attention to the crazy old crone, turning his head to Mizushima Kawa Sora instead.

Mizushima Kawa Sora’s profile, illuminated by the holy flames, looked exceedingly beautiful and perfect; she watched this scene silently, like a goddess indifferently observing the suffering of living beings.

"Adventurer, take a good look. For such evildoers, what we must do is... purify their evil," Dian Si said to Mizushima Kawa Sora.

His hand held up high, the sword in his hand burning fiercely.

The old woman raised the dagger high, aiming at him, her eyes filled with a wolf’s defiant resolve.

She still did not budge an inch.

And at that moment, a voice suddenly sounded from an angle:

"—Mizushima Kawa Sora."

Mizushima Kawa Sora was slightly startled.

She turned her head slightly and, seeing the person standing there, her pupils immediately constricted.

She had not expected Su Ming’an to be here; she was just passing through on her way to the Fourth Tribe. She was not ready to ask him any questions.

Su Ming’an looked up.

Next to him, the cocky figure in long robes took a step forward, his form slowly rising, his head held high, hand lifted, his palm already aimed at her—

"Retreat!" Mizushima Kawa Sora immediately shouted at the top of her lungs and turned to run.

She had sought out Su Ming’an to inquire about the whereabouts of her sister, not to duel him to the death. Judging by this situation, he clearly intended to let his Guide take direct action.

She had heard that Su Rin’s Guide was the second-ranked Fengchang, her own Guide was the third-ranked Dian Si, Edward’s Guide was the fourth-ranked Migael. Therefore, there was no doubt about who Su Ming’an’s Guide was. She wasn’t one to put her life in danger unnecessarily, and fighting here was utterly pointless.

Dian Si paused slightly, but upon seeing Mizushima Kawa Sora turn and run, he didn’t linger and grabbed Mizushima Kawa Sora to flee with him.

The pair arrived swiftly and departed just as quickly. Their entrance might have been full of bluster, but their exit was equally undignified.

Watching Mizushima Kawa Sora and her companion run away in a matter of seconds, Yamada Machiichi was dumbstruck. He truly hadn’t anticipated that the fake first Guide would possess such a strong deterrent effect.

...How many had been scared off by now?

The old woman beside him stopped in her tracks as well.

The aura of resoluteness hadn’t even faded from her when she observed the Guide, who could easily slaughter them all, turning tail and fleeing like a startled rabbit.

She carefully put away her dagger and sincerely thanked Su Ming’an.

Although she didn’t know who Su Ming’an’s Guide was, she knew that he had saved them.

Hearing the old woman’s thanks, Su Ming’an frowned slightly.

He knew that, although the situation seemed comical, this was hardly a sustainable solution.

Kael Nashe could pose as the first Guide, but he couldn’t keep up the act forever. Mizushima Kawa Sora had been frightened because she was unprepared and had been bluffed by Kael Nashe’s demeanor.

With her acuity, she might very well swing around for a counterattack, or attempt other methods to probe and investigate.

He had to find a way quickly to suppress the other Players during the daytime...

He glanced at the Emotional Value bar, which was at 337, still a distance from the required 500.

As he opened the door and was about to return to his room, Teacher Fang followed him.

"...Was your Guide just now pretending to be the first Guide?" She had her hand on the door, her black braid swinging behind her.

"Mhm," Su Ming’an said.

"The first Guide holds the power of ’curse’ itself. She can trigger the curses on others as well as manipulate the cursed energy in the Black Mist," Teacher Fang said. "Her arm is embroidered with a black raven, something known only to a few Guides. You might use that to your advantage in your disguise."

"..." Su Ming’an looked at her in mild surprise.

He hadn’t expected Teacher Fang, who was not a Guide but an outsider, to be aware of the first Guide’s situation.

"I know... the first Guide," she said with a gentle smile. "She’s a very lovely young girl. Though since the war began, I haven’t seen her."

"Please, take a seat," Su Ming’an offered, moving a stool for her to sit down.

Teacher Fang complied gracefully, her hands folded neatly over her knees, sitting very elegantly.

"A few kids I know have joined this war," she spoke softly. "To be honest, I don’t wish for any of them to win."

"If they win, the victor will survive and leave this Cursed Land," Su Ming’an said.

Teacher Fang looked at him and smiled.

"That is true... But I still hope that the rest of their lives won’t be based on this," Teacher Fang said. "This war shouldn’t have winners or losers. Even if some of those children survive, having killed the other ninety-nine. Like Cici, if in order to survive she killed her fellow contestant brother, her elder, friends of her age, her relatives... and then, she alone walked out of this Cursed Land... What would her future be like then?"

"Such a war, there’s never a true winner," said Teacher Fang. "Even as an outsider, I understand. This is merely an execution ground where a hundred competitors are slaughtered. It’s just that the flesh of ninety-nine is killed, and the soul of the remaining one."

"Such words here are tantamount to the utmost blasphemy," Su Ming’an said.

"Indeed," Teacher Fang extended a hand, brushing away her jet-black hair: "...Blind faith kills, right? Even here, where deities truly exist, their oracles still have a hundred living beings slaughtering each other, I don’t approve of such deities."

Teacher Fang really saw things clearly. Such a war, if there really were no hidden details, could be considered utterly meaningless.

But looking at the situation of Su Rin from the Seventh World, maybe the deities also have their difficulties. Bai Shen had already died five years ago, becoming the firmament, so any difficulties might be beyond knowing.

"At least, this is the last hundred-man war," Su Ming’an said. "Bai Shen is dead, He won’t leave behind another oracle to select the next hundred."

"..." Teacher Fang shouldered her bamboo basket.

"Hmm." She smiled: "Although this war is meaningless, at least Bai Shen sacrificed himself to protect us, I don’t have any complaints against Him..."

"It’s just, if possible," she sighed. "I just want to see Him resurrected and end this last war. Fengchang, Cici, Shuangshuang, Tongtong... I don’t want any of them to die. If possible, please take good care of Cici, and don’t... don’t abandon her."

She left.

At this moment, Teacher Fang’s favorability was raised to 50 points. Although it was only a brief conversation, the Ruler’s increase in favorability was also very fast.

Su Ming’an closed the door.

He wiped the dust off the stool and sat down.

He took out that key.

The key was dull and without luster, with no system notification; he didn’t know why it had fallen in front of his door at the start.

...According to the Clan Leader of the Fourth Tribe, it carried a wisp of Bai Shen’s lingering aura; perhaps he would get answers after going to the First Tribe.

Also, that Dian Si, he was quite troublesome. Dian Si was a zealous believer of Bai Shen, detesting everything related to Jiu Shen; if Xiber returns, he might come back to target her again...

"Swish..."

He suddenly heard the soft sound of feathers flapping.

A pitch-black bird slowly alighted at his window.

Its beak was thick and long, its feathers slender, and its throat feathers prominent, glowing with a unique, light purple sheen. The night gently scattered over it, as if it wore a hazy, dark veil.

It was staring at him, its pitch-black eyes faintly rimmed with blood red.

A line of bright red text emerged above its head, which seemed not to have been successfully translated by the system, but rather a line of ancient script that was indecipherable.

Su Ming’an heard the system’s prompt.

...Lord Bai Shen."]