Chapter 36: The Death of the Poet (1)
After the dust settled, Jin Cheng found Wen Xiaoming disguised as a mushroom in a corner outside East Cross Street. He asked Wen Xiaoming, “Why didn’t you go in?”
Wen Xiaoming pointed to the red numbers above his head. “Wouldn’t going in mean going to prison? I’m still a Zone A player, Boss.”
Fifteen minutes ago, Wen Xiaoming had initiated an extreme pond-bombing operation, blowing up everything on the outskirts of East Cross Street right into the street itself, but he didn’t dare go in himself.
Jin Cheng was somewhat surprised. “You’re a logistics guy; where did you get player kills?”
Wen Xiaoming jumped up from the ground. “I fought my way up to Zone A following you, Boss. Don’t look down on me!”
Jin Cheng rubbed his nose under Wen Xiaoming’s resentful gaze and held out his hand. “Where’s the vaccine? Did you bring it?”
“I brought it.” Wen Xiaoming sighed in resignation. I chose this Boss myself; even if I have to kneel, I will conquer the world with him. He took out the vaccine and continued pulling things out, muttering, “I won’t be able to come to East Cross Street to see you anymore, Boss. You have to take good care of yourself. Take these things for now. If it’s not enough, I’ll come to the intersection to find you later.”
Hearing you say that, it sounds like I’m the one going to prison.
Jin Cheng gave him a light smack on the head in exasperation, put the items away, waved his hand, and walked off as freely as the wind. Wen Xiaoming clutched his forehead, watching his retreating back, sighing repeatedly like a loving father.
The task of distributing the vaccine was still left to Chi Yan. Wen Xiaoming didn’t bring many vaccines, but Zone F players generally had low health. One person didn’t need a whole vial, so dividing it up was enough for everyone.
Jin Cheng was fiercely protective of his own, so Tang Cuo got a whole vial.
“Better safe than sorry. Who knows when you’ll target your own health points again,” Jin Cheng said.
Tang Cuo offered no comment. He used the vaccine and drank a healing potion, finally maximizing his health points. However, low blood sugar forced him to yield; he had to rest.
Although Jin Cheng wasn’t infected, he had taken quite a bit of damage to put on a show and also needed a good rest. Since the block’s destruction required time for Yong Ye City’s self-repair, they couldn’t return to their own rooms and simply stayed in the borrowed house.
Chi Yan was destined for a life of toil.
He didn’t know why the two big brothers went to rest while he, the weakest one, had to hold a megaphone and distribute vaccines along the street. “Come look, come see! Freshly brewed vaccines! Infected friends, hurry out. One shot of vaccine, you won’t suffer a loss, and you won’t be fooled. This event is completely free, first come, first served. Final interpretation rights belong to East Cross Street…”
Under Chi Yan’s passionate calls, players finally dared to step out of their doors. Gradually, the street regained some life. East Cross Street was stabilizing, but outside Zone F, the storm brought by the Eleventh Movement had just begun.
Amidst repeated exclamations of “Holy shit,” “That’s too ruthless,” and the combination of the two, “Holy shit, that’s too ruthless,” Jin Cheng’s name once again echoed throughout Yong Ye City, crowning him the number one player no one wanted to provoke.
Zone A, the place with the fewest players in all of Yong Ye City, looked even emptier now. The villas, now missing people, each told a sad story.
Carrying his cannon, Miao Qi strolled boldly into a courtyard covered in climbing roses under the scrutinizing and probing gazes of various players. In the courtyard, under a trellis, sat a man reading a book. He looked to be about thirty-two or thirty-three, wearing pure white cotton and linen loungewear, with a handsome face and an elegant demeanor.
“Sir, why are you reading again?” Miao Qi poured himself a glass of water, ignoring the chairs with backrests and opting for a small stool instead.
“You’re back?” Lin Yandong looked up, closed the book, and asked, “Did it go smoothly?”
“I didn’t even get to speak to Jin Cheng. Once he issued that decree, I couldn’t even enter East Cross Street.”
“That’s for the best.”
Lin Yandong ran his fingers over the gold-stamped cover, thought for a moment, and said, “The scope of the decree is smaller than the three decrees originally planned. It seems he made revisions. The Eleventh Movement’s authority isn’t that large, so being cautious is the right move. Moving forward, whether it’s Zone A or Zone F, things should be quiet for a while. You and the others should take this time to run a few more instances and save up some points. Don’t spend them all again.”
Miao Qi asked curiously, “Sir, are you and Jin Cheng considered allies now?”
Lin Yandong shook his head. “Not quite. He’s just using this to test me.”
Miao Qi: “Test?”
Lin Yandong smiled and patted his head. “You’ll understand in the future.”
Miao Qi curled his lip. He hated it when smart people spoke in riddles, making him feel stupid. Later, Lin Yandong asked about the specific situation on East Cross Street, and Miao Qi recounted it in detail.
Finally, he asked, “What exactly is Jin Cheng trying to do? Play the savior?”
Lin Yandong smiled. “No, this is called leveraging fate.”
In the Central District, the knockoff izakaya had hung up its “Closed” sign, yet two people were still inside drinking.
The owner of the Ruby Tavern, still wearing his flashy purple suit, swirled the small sake cup in his hand and said, “You were the one who insisted on drinking here. What’s wrong with me staying comfortably in Zone F to watch the show? Look, the proprietress is ignoring you.”
The person across from him wore a black witch hat, the brim obscuring his eyes. His complexion was pale, and his smile was sinister. When he didn’t speak, the man in the purple suit boringly continued drinking.
The heavy sound of meat being chopped came from the kitchen, interspersed with an occasional cold snort, seemingly expressing the proprietress’s extreme dissatisfaction with them overstaying.
“Which number is your Movement?”
“Five.”
“What are your plans?”
“Hehe.”
Black Hat chuckled softly but didn’t answer.
As Lin Yandong predicted, both Zone A and Zone F ushered in a brief period of peace. With these two zones peaceful, the other zones naturally remained calm.
The most talked-about topic was B Zone’s famous “European Emperor”1, ID F66666, Yu Yiyi. Not only was his ID incredibly lucky, but his personal luck was also off the charts. He had clearly gone to East Cross Street this time, yet he left just one minute before the decree was issued, luckily escaping disaster.
And to date, not a single person locked in the prison had been released.
On East Cross Street, Tang Cuo was also asking Jin Cheng, “What exactly is the standard for sentencing?”
Jin Cheng nestled comfortably in his chair sipping tea and said, “I don’t know. I only provided the framework. Exactly how the sentence is passed and for how long—that’s Yong Ye City’s business. The Eleventh Movement’s authority is still too small. I could only make appropriate concessions to avoid capsizing in the gutter and wasting all my effort.”
Tang Cuo didn’t press further.
Jin Cheng said, “Get ready to enter an instance. Wen Xiaoming just sent word that there’s progress on repairing the ring; he just needs to find one more material. The hidden mission doesn’t require going to the Mission Hall, nor do we need to team up with strangers. When the time comes, it’ll just be the two of us going in. Once we leave, let Chi Yan return to Zone E to find An Ning.”
Tang Cuo had no objections to Jin Cheng’s arrangements.
A day later, Wen Xiaoming indeed delivered the repaired ring. It was a quaintly styled bronze ring engraved with a nightingale and some kind of floral pattern, perfectly sized for Tang Cuo’s index finger.
Jin Cheng thought the ring looked quite nice on those slender fingers. With that thought, he reached out his hand to Tang Cuo and said, “Let’s go.”
Tang Cuo gave him a strange look. “What are you doing?”
Jin Cheng: “Grab my hand; otherwise, how are you going to bring me into the instance?”
Tang Cuo: “Actually, I can do it alone.”
Jin Cheng suddenly smiled. Relying on his height advantage, he slung an elbow over Tang Cuo’s shoulder and teased, “Are you being shy?”
Tang Cuo remained expressionless, only wanting to hit someone.
Seeing his foul mood again, Jin Cheng finally stopped teasing him. Actually, holding hands wasn’t strictly necessary; as long as they had physical contact, they could enter the instance together.
“Ding!”
“Congratulations to the player for activating the hidden mission [Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight]. This mission is a serial mission.
Phase 1: The Death of the Poet.
Current participants: 2.
Duo mode activated.”
“Please check the mission panel frequently and complete the mission according to the guidelines.”
“Wishing you a happy survival!”
The darkness receded, and an unfamiliar city appeared before Tang Cuo’s eyes.
In the rose-colored sunset, the golden desert embraced the ruined walls. The massive red sun happened to set upon a breach in the city wall, tinting the clusters of white climbing roses there with a blush—like a beauty at dusk, shy and graceful.
The circular city was filled with these beautiful flowers. Like a back garden forgotten by the gods in the desert, weathering the erosion of the yellow sands, the flowers bloomed tenaciously, exuding a unique vitality amidst the desolation.
Perhaps the sight was too beautiful, causing Tang Cuo to momentarily forget where he was. When he snapped back to reality, he found himself standing in a towering watchtower on the western side of the city.
The highest level of the watchtower was hollow on all four sides. A bronze bell hung from the spire, engraved with a half-moon symbol. A half-moon symbol, the Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight—could there be a connection?
“This looks like a dead city.” Jin Cheng’s voice came from the side.
Tang Cuo directly opened the mission panel to check.
[Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight]
Phase 1: The Death of the Poet
Main Quest: Find the bard Lancelot
Side Quest: —
This hidden mission was indeed different from regular instance missions, even separating into main and side quests. When Tang Cuo first heard the words “The Death of the Poet,” he assumed it was another deductive reasoning instance, but now it looked like an exploration instance.
Tang Cuo looked back down at the city and indeed saw no signs of people. He reached out and touched the railing. There wasn’t much dust; the city looked dilapidated but not as if it had been abandoned for long.
The watchtower had a spiral staircase leading all the way to the ground floor. The door on the ground floor wasn’t locked. Pushing it open, they stepped onto a street paved with stone bricks. Probably because the city wasn’t very large, the streets here weren’t wide either, only allowing about two carriages to pass side-by-side.
This was a city with a typical Western fantasy style. It was hard to tell exactly which era it belonged to. The walls had faded, their original appearance indiscernible.
Only the white climbing roses blooming everywhere were vibrant with life. But there seemed to be no major water source here; it was a mystery how they grew.
“Let’s walk around. Maybe we’ll trigger something. Anyway, this instance has no time limit, so we’re not in a hurry to leave.” Jin Cheng had changed back into his leather jacket and motorcycle boots today—free and uninhibited.
Tang Cuo had the same plan. The two walked along the street, stopping occasionally to look at the many small shops. Most of the doors and windows were open, allowing them to see inside without entering.
Bakeries, small taverns, blacksmith shops, etc., mostly common places. As they walked past these, a magic shop suddenly appeared ahead.
Tang Cuo stopped and turned in without hesitation.
The shop wasn’t large. On the left was a counter, and behind it, a whole wall of shelves filled with various potion bottles and scrolls, along with some bizarre little trinkets of unknown use.
On the right was a small table holding a crystal ball. The other three walls were covered in items belonging to mages, such as witch hats, cloaks, magic wands, and more.
Jin Cheng casually picked up a magic wand, played with it in his hand, and said, “It seems this is a world of magic and swords. Do you want to be a mage? Or a knight?”
Tang Cuo asked in return, “What’s the difference between magic and superpowers?”
Jin Cheng replied, “Fundamentally, there is no difference. Whether it’s magic, superpowers, or martial arts inner energy, the source of power is Yong Ye City; it’s all the same. The only difference is how they are expressed. For example, fire magic and a fire superpower actually look pretty similar.”
Tang Cuo understood.
But setting that aside for now, only what he could get his hands on was real.
Without a word, Tang Cuo walked around the counter and picked up a potion bottle from the shelf. He tried it and found it couldn’t be stored in his inventory. His mood instantly soured. Jin Cheng laughed and said, “There are so many here. If we could really take them all, wouldn’t Yong Ye City go bankrupt?”
Tang Cuo: “If I can’t take them away, at least I can use them.”
Aside from ordinary healing potions, the shelves also held sleeping potions, antidotes, hallucinogens, and various other types. The bottles had labels, all written in Chinese.
It was rare for Yong Ye City to be so considerate. Frustratingly, Tang Cuo’s pockets weren’t big enough to hold much. He picked a few practical bottles, deciding he could come back for the rest later.
Jin Cheng enthusiastically studied the crystal ball and searched the shop for a long time but didn’t find any potion recipes or magic spellbooks, much to his regret.
The scrolls on the shelves looked the part, but they couldn’t be opened. Afraid of breaking them, they had to leave them be.
“For a shop like this not to trigger a mission is unscientific,” Jin Cheng said.
“There is no science here; this is magic,” Tang Cuo retorted.
As they spoke, they walked into the next shop. Unexpectedly, the moment they stepped through the door, they heard a familiar “Ding.” A mission had arrived.
“Side quest triggered—Cecilia’s Bakery.”
“Travelers from a foreign land, welcome to the Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight. The annual Flower Festival is approaching again. The beautiful Cecilia must go to the Well of Time to fetch water and temporarily cannot tend to her shop. Please help her deliver the bread ordered by her customers. She will be immensely grateful.”
Hearing this, Tang Cuo looked inside the shop. Rows of fragrant bread sat on the shelves by the window. Three woven bamboo baskets lay on the counter, covered with blue floral cloth.
Further inside was the baking area; the oven was still lit, wafting waves of aroma outward.
He opened the mission panel.
[Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight]
Phase 1: The Death of the Poet
Main Quest: Find the bard Lancelot
Side Quest: Cecilia’s Bakery
Deliver the bread in the bamboo baskets to the customers (0/3)
It was incredibly straightforward. Jin Cheng swore he had never encountered a simpler mission since entering Yong Ye City. Delivering bread—in short, food delivery; also known as running errands.
Jin Cheng: “Are there really people in this city?”
Tang Cuo picked up the little notes thoughtfully left in each bamboo basket, recording each customer’s name and address: Little Jack, Aunt Anna, and Mr. Gilbert.
“We’ll know when we go take a look,” he said.
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Author’s Note:
Today’s BGM: everytime you kissed me & sand dream. Yuki Kajiura’s songs perfectly fit this Western fantasy instance, highly recommended. This serial mission is story-driven and will be somewhat different from previous ones.
- T/N: slang for someone with incredibly good luck ↩︎
