TTGOL CH79

Chapter 78: Human World (2)

“Lin Yandong saved his life once.”

The boss lady continued to puff away, her gaze piercing through the hazy smoke as if looking back at the past again. “It was a massive instance with dozens of people. I didn’t go, so I don’t know the exact details. But only a handful of people survived in the end. Black Hat’s teammates all died. After clearing it, he opened the grocery store. Years have passed, the people in Yong Ye City have cycled through a new crop, and practically no one remembers what happened back then.”

Jin Cheng: “He never mentioned it to you?”

The boss lady laughed sarcastically. “I was just one of his lovers. Why would he tell me these things? If you want to ask, you’d be better off asking Lin Yandong. How did a perfectly fine person go in, only to come out with a drastically altered temperament? He used to call his teammates his brothers, but after they died, I never heard him mention them again.”

Deep in thought, Tang Cuo asked, “Do you think his teammates’ deaths are related to his change in temperament?”

“Who knows.” Turning to Tang Cuo, the boss lady resumed her beaming smile. “Anyway, he and I are completely over. Whatever he does has nothing to do with me. But Big Sister will give you a warning: be careful of Lin Yandong. No matter what Black Hat plans, he’s an Official Player; he has no way to directly attack players. Lin Yandong, on the other hand, is completely different.”

Tang Cuo smiled. “Thank you.”

Jin Cheng couldn’t watch this anymore. He placed the glass of lemonade next to his hand in front of Tang Cuo and took over the conversation. “Last question. Besides Lin Yandong and Black Hat, who else survived that year?”

The boss lady: “The fortuneteller in Zone B. But that guy hides in Zone B year-round and never comes out. It won’t be easy if you want to see him.”

That was indeed an unexpected answer.

A moment later, Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng left the Izakaya and returned to Zone E. On the way back, the two made a detour to Black Hat’s Grocery Store, standing across the street and watching for a while.

The two didn’t try to hide, simply observing openly and brazenly. One stood with his arms crossed, while the other leaned casually against a streetlamp. The streetlight merged their shadows, making them look somewhat intimate.

“There are quite a few people here,” Jin Cheng commented.

With three Movements issued in quick succession, triggering a wave of suicides and mandatory missions, Yong Ye City had emptied out considerably. Yet the usually deserted area around Black Hat’s Grocery Store was now gathered with many people. Most of them were loitering around; very few dared to tentatively walk inside, and many more were hiding in the buildings on both sides, stealthily peering out.

Jin Cheng didn’t know if An Ning’s people had arrived yet. Even if they had, they would be hiding in the dark. He and Tang Cuo, however, were out in the open. Appearing so openly and brazenly was precisely to let Black Hat see them.

Tang Cuo: “Do you think Lin Yandong is involved in this incident?”

Jin Cheng: “If he were, he wouldn’t have handed the Sixth Movement over to me so easily. But that instance from back then is crucial. Lin Yandong might not tell us everything that happened inside. We have to bypass K and investigate the past ourselves.”

“Worried he might tip off Black Hat?”

“One must always keep their guard up.”

Originally, K was an excellent source of intel. Although his prices were a bit steep, he was convenient to use. Having to discard him this time and bypass him would make things much more troublesome.

This was the first time Jin Cheng felt so constrained. Having been in Yong Ye City for three years, his foundation was still too shallow. Once things involved these veteran players and past events, he quickly fell to a disadvantage.

Watching the players pacing outside the grocery store for ages without anyone going in, Jin Cheng added, “Black Hat is probably in Zone A right now.”

Tang Cuo: “Why do you say that?”

Jin Cheng: “Skill gives one courage, doesn’t it? With Black Hat pulling a stunt like this, the elites in Zone A definitely can’t sit still. If they can’t mess with me, Jin Cheng, don’t tell me they wouldn’t even dare enter a grocery store? With Zone A being so lively, how could Black Hat, the owner of the grocery store, not go and inspect the results?”

Furthermore, the identity of an Official Player was Black Hat’s death-exemption plaque. No matter how powerful a player was, unless they used special means, they had no way to attack him.

Tang Cuo nodded, generally agreeing.

However, the two of them guessed wrong this time. The grocery store in Zone A was indeed lively, drawing many people out, but when they arrived, they discovered—Black Hat wasn’t there at all.

Rewinding the time to one hour ago, Zone F.

In a kaleidoscope-like, brightly colored space, irregular, infinitely repeating colorful geometric patterns covered the ceiling, floor, and surrounding walls. Moreover, this space wasn’t a normal hexahedron, but a dodecahedron. Bells hung on every face, all dangling naturally, completely defying the laws of gravity.

“Ding!”

“Welcome to the Dream Infinite Market.”

All twelve bells trembled in unison. The twelve walls acted like LED screens; the irregular geometric patterns began to spin and switch, and in the next second, they all turned into white screens.

The white screens flickered, and a black wizard hat appeared on every wall. Beneath the hats were eerie, smiling faces wearing pure white masks, completely devoid of bodies.

One of the masks spoke, looking toward the two people—one large, one small—inside the space, its smile stretching almost to its ears.

“I didn’t expect my first customer to be born in Zone F. What would the two of you like? There’s a discount on your first order.”

“I want the dagger hidden inside the Tome of the Gods,” the smaller one spoke up. She was wrapped in a red linen cloak. Her exposed bare feet were slender and frail, and the small face hidden within the hood revealed a sickly pallor.

If Chi Yan and Tang Cuo were here, they would definitely recognize her as that little girl, Zheng Yingying. The person standing beside her was naturally Jiang He.

“The Nameless Blade.” This time, it was a different wizard hat that spoke. The wizard hat spun comically, the tip pointing down, looking at them upside down, and said, “That is not cheap.”

Zheng Yingying: “How much?”

Wizard Hat: “This is not something that can be measured by a price. However, seeing as you are my first customer, I can reluctantly offer you a quote.”

Zheng Yingying: “Tell me.”

Wizard Hat: “I want half your heart, one eye, and one pinky finger, and they can never regenerate.”

Hearing this, Zheng Yingying furrowed her delicate brows, showing hesitation and doubt for the first time. Beside her, Jiang He also looked wary and immediately interrupted: “What happens without a heart?”

Wizard Hat: “Rest assured, this is Yong Ye City. The soul is above all else. The physical body is merely a vessel to store the soul; it can become infinitely stronger. Losing half a heart certainly won’t kill her. But what she will ultimately become is not something I can control.”

Jiang He: “Since this is a trade, you should make everything clear.”

The wizard hat cackled weirdly. When it spoke again, it was the one beneath Jiang He’s feet. “You are truly interesting. Didn’t you know? Yong Ye City never provides after-sales service.”

Jiang He instinctively pulled Zheng Yingying back. The moment they stepped away, the wizard hat above their heads spoke up. “That is the Nameless Blade. For you to ask for this the moment you arrived means you are quite bold. If you don’t want to buy it, you can leave right now.”

As the words fell, the irregular geometric patterns began to surface on the walls again. The brilliant colors surrounded the twelve wizard hats, resembling blooming flowers and fluttering butterfly wings, constantly shifting and seemingly endless.

The expressions on the masks beneath the wizard hats also began to shift, changing every second, freezing in grotesque poses filled with an eerie atmosphere. From the swaying bells drifted a simplified version of The Song of God, Lambs, and the Crow—no lyrics, only the ding-dong, ding-dong ringing of the bells.

Hearing the bells, Zheng Yingying’s body trembled within her cloak, but her gaze grew even more resolute. “I’ll buy it.”

The bells abruptly stopped, and the shifting colorful patterns froze. The wizard hat directly in front of her grinned widely. “I must remind you one more time. The Dream Infinite Market is the roulette wheel of fate. What you are buying is merely a chance to possess it.”

With a flash of light, two glowing orbs appeared in front of Zheng Yingying.

“One represents ‘have,’ and one represents ‘have not.’ Once a choice is made, the transaction is immediately finalized.”

Jiang He’s expression was grave. He wanted to stop her, but his gaze swept over Zheng Yingying’s face and was halted by her resolute eyes. Gritting her teeth, Zheng Yingying stared fixedly at the two glowing orbs, oblivious to anything else.

A moment later, she finally reached out, steeled her resolve, and tapped the one on the right.

“Ding! Transaction finalized!”

The instant the broadcast sounded, Zheng Yingying immediately clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground, curling up in agony. Jiang He hurriedly supported her, only to see blood streaming continuously from the hand clutching her chest. One pinky finger was conspicuously missing.

Looking at her eye, it seemed to have been violently gouged out, leaving only a bleeding, empty socket.

Jiang He quietly clenched his fists. Right at that moment, a figure wearing a wizard hat finally appeared before the two of them. In his left hand, he held a tray. Resting on the tray were Zheng Yingying’s missing pinky finger, one eye, and a beating half-heart.

The wide brim of his hat obscured his eyes, revealing only his grinning mouth. He then pulled out a dagger and tossed it at Zheng Yingying’s feet. “Congratulations, you won the bet.”

But Zheng Yingying was in too much agony; blood had nearly dyed half her body red.

Jiang He wanted to pick it up for her, but heard Black Hat’s sinister warning: “That is a dagger cursed by the gods. If you’re not afraid of death, you can try touching it.”

Jiang He’s hand instantly froze. In a flash of lightning, he recalled the legends surrounding this dagger. It was a god-slaying dagger. Legend had it that someone hid it inside a book in an attempt to assassinate a deity.

Where this story originated from—whether it existed within an instance world or somewhere else—could not be verified. However, the dagger itself was real. The god killed the assassin and placed a curse upon the dagger. From then on, this dagger possessed a special ability—Devour.

Anyone stabbed by the dagger would have a portion of their soul devoured, which would then belong to the dagger’s master. Unless the master died, whoever touched this dagger would suffer terrible misfortune.

“I’ll do it myself.” Zheng Yingying finally caught her breath. Although still in too much pain to stand up straight, she raised her head, reached out longingly, and then—

Firmly grasped the dagger.

Fate was finally in her own hands.

Across the various zones of Yong Ye City, the Dream Infinite Markets opened one after another, welcoming their respective customers. However, aside from Zheng Yingying in Zone F, no one else saw Black Hat himself.

Half an hour later, just as Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng were leaving the Izakaya, Black Hat was actually in the Central District—inside a private club just one street away from the Izakaya.

He was even sitting by the window, watching Jin Cheng and Tang Cuo leave.

“Are these the allies you so carefully selected?” He turned back to look at Lin Yandong, who was sitting across from him.

“Are they not good?” Lin Yandong countered.

“Yong Ye City has existed for so long. There have been thousands of people who reached the summit, not just Jin Cheng. Most of these people were either flashes in the pan or too conservative, reincarnating when their time was up. Can you be certain Jin Cheng is the special one?”

“With Tang Cuo added, he is.”

Black Hat tilted his head, thought for a moment, shrugged, and said nothing more.

Rolling prayer beads in his left hand, Lin Yandong said, “Aren’t you going to give me an explanation regarding the Twelfth Movement?”

Black Hat: “You knew from the start that I was going to open the Dream Infinite Market. Moreover, we’re not in the same boat. The ones in the same boat as you just walked past outside. Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell them you knew about the Dream Infinite Market?”

“You are very welcome to tell them.” Lin Yandong remained calm and unbothered.

“Heh.” Black Hat chuckled lightly. “Don’t drop a rock on your own foot. Jin Cheng is not an easy person to fool. Be careful he doesn’t kill you in the end.”

“That is none of your concern. Tell me, how do you plan to settle things this time?”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to collect a debt from me.”

Lin Yandong looked up, his hand pausing on the prayer beads. He smiled. “Have you forgotten what happened back then? I saved your life once.”

“You’d better not even mention that.” Black Hat instantly became violent and sinister. “Mr. Lin, I never asked you to save me.”

“Then perhaps you could go die.”

“…”

With one light, airy sentence, Lin Yandong successfully shut Black Hat up. If it were back during that instance, Black Hat might have chosen to die and never return. But years had passed, and his mindset had long since changed.

After a long while, Black Hat regained his composure. Smiling sinisterly, he said, “Alright then. I can offer you a free clue regarding another Movement. How about it? Jin Cheng already sent K to warn me, and I don’t want to completely tear up our relationship right now either.”

Another half hour later, Chi Yan showed up at Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng’s residence in Zone E. Carrying a small bag, he breathed a sigh of relief as he handed the items to Tang Cuo.

“Xiaoming-ge asked me to deliver this. He said it was given by someone named Lin Yandong, and you’d understand once you saw it. Sister An Ning and the others are watching the grocery store, so he went back to Zone A first.”

Tang Cuo opened the package and found two Zone B passes.

Seeing this, Jin Cheng leaned back against the sofa and said, “Lin Yandong doesn’t want to tell us the truth himself, so he sent two passes. He’s brushing us off to go find the other party involved. It seems he won’t be seeing us for the time being.”

“He probably knows we went to the Izakaya.” Tang Cuo mused, then asked, “You said that fortuneteller sees clients once every three months. When is the next time?”

Jin Cheng calculated the date. “Coincidentally, it’s tomorrow.”

With that, Jin Cheng looked at the completely bewildered Chi Yan. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the open bedroom door. An idea suddenly struck him, and he smiled. “Chi Yan, it’s been a long time. Your Tang-ge just moved into a new place. Want to stay over tonight?”

Chi Yan scratched his head. “Ah? I can stay?”

Tang Cuo: “…”

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Author’s Note:

Jin-ge: My intentions are extremely obvious, but I’m still going to do it anyway.

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