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Chapter 116 - 114. "Werewolf Clue

Chapter 116: 114. "Werewolf Clue

"You are the Guard, right?" Su Ming’an said, "Before number eight, Andre, died, you said you were the Guard. I don’t think I misheard that."

"I, I am the Guard..." Lin Jiang lowered her head, her voice shrinking, "I really am the Guard..."

"Hmm, I believe you." Su Ming’an placed his hand on her shoulder, "Tonight, guard player number four, Lv Shu, there shouldn’t be any problem, right?"

"Hmm... Hmm..."

"If tomorrow morning I wake up and find that player number four is dead, I’ll make sure you die with him. Do you understand?"

"Under, understood..." Lin Jiang nodded, trembling like a sieve.

The comments started to sympathize:

[Ming’an bro, have a heart! Your tone is so harsh...]

[It hurts me to watch; she looks really scared...]

[Guys, wake up, this is rank eleven in the world, it’s not that simple.]

[Lin Jiang has never started a live stream; nobody knows this person, who knows what an ugly face hides beneath her pitiful little white rabbit appearance...]

[Hey! That’s too sour, personal attacks much!]

[I think her fear is real, she’s truly trembling... it doesn’t seem like an act, maybe she’s just a player like a ’king of luck’ who has smoothly made it this far, is that not okay?]

[Who knows, I could act like that in front of Ming’an bro too, and I’d be happy even if he’s harsh on me!]

[To the person in front, wake up, step out of the live stream room before you talk.]

[...]

"Alright, let’s go." Having threatened Lin Jiang, the villainous Su Ming’an dragged Lv Shu away from there.

Now was free exploration time; he needed to make a trip to the town’s ancestral hall—an apt place for finding clues about this world.

He had already noticed something special about the town—it looked like a Westernized town but was decorated with Dragon Country-style redwood and temple halls, the signs resembling ancestral tablets. Eastern and Western cultures eerily merged together, making it look somewhat inappropriate, not like a real town, but more like a space specifically designed for their trials.

He headed toward the central temple hall when he suddenly saw a ghost-like figure of the mayor, appearing and vanishing out of nowhere, at the corner of the street.

"Dear traveler number one." The mayor, leaning on a dragon head cane, smiled at him, "You haven’t visited my home yet. I remember... I still have to tell you about the story of this town..."

"Can he listen too?" Su Ming’an pointed at Lv Shu.

"... It’s better if he doesn’t, dear traveler." The mayor shook his head, "It’s only because of our fate that I am willing to speak these secrets to you..."

"I’m leaving." Lv Shu said, "If I find any clues, I’ll come to your room and leave a message."

"Sure, if there’s a chance, I’ll tell you who I’m checking on tonight, remember to mention it at tomorrow’s gathering." Su Ming’an waved his hand at him, then had a clone come over to listen to the story with this Underworld old man.

Su Ming’an himself went on to the temple hall.

The air in the town was unusually fresh, devoid of the constant foul smell present in the Apocalypse instances, even carrying a hint of fruit fragrance. After dodging the overly enthusiastic townfolk, he arrived at a temple hall.

The building in front of him was unexpectedly dilapidated, as if it had not been cleaned for a long time, and there was no one guarding it.

Su Ming’an pushed the door open; hearing the old wooden door creak, spider webs sticking to it were torn apart, floating to the ground like willow catkins.

... And just as he was about to step over the threshold, he heard a particularly loud thunderclap from the sky.

"Boom—!"

In an instant, the sound of drip-dropping rain emerged; he turned back to see the original clear blue sky now dark and brooding, a thick curtain of rain enveloping the quiet building like silent tombstones.

"..."

He felt a chill brought by the rain, as if some ominous event was brewing.

The sudden heavy rain seemed strange, but he didn’t leave and instead stepped his right foot inside as well.

The shrine in front of him was dedicated to hundreds of plaques.

A dim red candle burned inside, with some candle wax accumulated beneath.

...It was strange.

The door was covered with cobwebs, and from the outside, the shrine looked like a building that was long-neglected and might collapse at any moment. But once inside, it seemed more intact, even the candle was still lit.

He closed the wooden door behind him, walked in, and observed these plaques.

The plaques bore Westernized names, below which was a line of text:

"They are the builders of Terrily, great beings who willingly sacrificed themselves for the great deity..."

There was something oddly placed behind the plaques, and he reached out to tear it off—a yellowed strip of paper.

...

"Obtained challenge clue: Werewolf Clue Three"

"(Werewolf Clue Three): He is skilled at disguising, yet what he disguises is his own sincere heart, yearning for the world beyond the solitary well. Nobody knows why he came... Driven to a dead end and making a desperate bet? Or... for a thorough liberation?"

"Note: Challenge clues are player identity clues, each clue corresponds to one player."

"Players can collect clues to deduce the identity information of other players."

"Clue has been logged into the clue column and can be checked at any time."

"Obtained 10 Exploration Points."

...

...Clues about players?

Su Ming’an looked at the strip of paper. The content seemed to describe a player’s past, but after thinking, he felt it didn’t precisely pinpoint any particular player.

It mentioned "Werewolf Clue," which meant that identifying which player it referred to could confirm that the player was a werewolf...

So, could there also be "Prophet Clues," "Witch Clues," "Hunter Clues"... even "Commoner Clues" that would gradually clarify everyone’s identity outside the game?

...He was quite curious about what would be written on his own strip of paper, and how the world game would define him.

As Su Ming’an pondered, he suddenly heard a light "creak" from behind.

...The sound of the wooden door being opened.

His Mentality Points were very high, so theoretically, if someone approached from behind, he should have heard footsteps.

...But there were none.

It was as if a ghost had drifted in; even after the door opened, he still heard no footsteps that should have touched the ground.

He rolled up the strip of paper and slipped it into the clue column, with a faint ripple of space around him.

"Ah... wait a moment..."

He heard a soft girl’s voice.

Turning around, he saw a girl dressed in a Lolita gown, looking at him somewhat timidly.

...One of the players, Yamada Machiichi.

She also seemed to be searching for clues, but, like a cat, she made no sound as she walked in.

"I, I’m just looking... don’t hurt me..." Yamada Machiichi appeared a bit afraid of him, but not too scared. She even voluntarily took a few steps closer, as if wanting to get a better look at him.

"Suit yourself." Su Ming’an couldn’t yet determine her identity, so he let her be.

While observing the plaques, he did not let down his guard against her.

...Elderly people were reverted to their prime, and many middle-aged individuals found themselves young again.

This resulted in many players appearing extremely youthful, to the extent that it was easy to underestimate their accumulated experience and wisdom.

Especially some of the older female players... after becoming several decades younger, coupled with makeup that might as well have been magical, and some beauty props from the Main God Store which he deemed useless, they looked just like girls in their late teens or early twenties. This led to frequent occurrences of age disguise and deceptive marriages in the Main God World, where it was common for an older man to marry a much younger woman, and vice versa, with players only discovering the real age of their partners after the wedding.

...Although it was supposed to be a relationship of free will, concealing one’s real age was inherently harmful to those deeply in love.

...These were among the hot topics fervently discussed on the World Forum, even leading to a popular poll on "whether the original age or the current age should count," which Su Ming’an had seen while gathering information.

The woman in front of him, who appeared to be in her early twenties, Yamada Machiichi, was not as simple as she seemed on the surface.

Su Ming’an observed the desktop, and after not finding any similar notes to the previous clues, he prepared to crouch down to see if there were any clues under the table...

"Snap!"

He heard a very heavy sound, like something crashing onto the ground.

Yamada Machiichi, standing nearby, was staring blankly at the plaque on the ground that had shattered.

She looked somewhat dazed, turning to the crouching Su Ming’an, her voice trembling:

"I, I just slipped my hand... I don’t know how it shattered..."

The next moment, the entire shrine began to shake violently!

Su Ming’an instantly felt an invisible force pressing down on him, nearly forcing him to the ground. After hesitating for a moment, he grabbed Lolita, who was standing beside him, and the space flickered momentarily.

After teleporting out of the shrine, the heavy mahogany door behind them closed with a "clang," kicking up a large amount of dust.

Then, from under the door, slowly seeped out what looked like crushed, bright red blood.

...Good, the World Replica remained as ominous as ever.

Before he could steady himself, he suddenly heard a strange chuckling sound, as if it was echoing right beside his ear.

"—Outsider, traveler from beyond,"

"Why, why enter here,"

"Why, why disturb our peace?"

"Why, why shatter Terrily’s eternal... tranquility?"

Su Ming’an abruptly turned around.

Carrying blood-stained clubs, about a dozen townfolk gathered, their expressions numb and indifferent as they stared at him.

The fruits they were holding had spilled all over the ground, gradually taking on the same shade as the blood.

...

The clone followed the mayor into his room and unexpectedly discovered there were already other guests inside.

With his brilliant golden hair, Edward squinted at him, his stunning blue eyes reminiscent of a frozen azure sky.

He was sitting at the hall’s long table holding a teacup, with an apron-clad girl with braided hair, showing a shy expression, standing next to him.

"Ah, right, since this traveler number three has also earned my favor, I thought to invite him to hear a tale about this town," the mayor said with a smile, looking at the two exchanging glances, "It looks like you two know each other?"

"Unfortunately, very much so," the clone responded with a full smile, greeting Edward:

"Hi, idiot."

"..."

A visible shock appeared on Edward’s face.

"I’ve disliked you for a while now, a useless waste who only adds to the chaos. If everyone can Pursue Light, you’re just trash who insists on blocking the light," the clone said cheerfully, gesturing at his neck: "—I’ll kill you in three days."

"You—!" Edward hadn’t yet grasped why this person’s attitude had suddenly changed, when the rather biased mayor stepped in:

"Hey, hey, young man... don’t be angry, let’s chat amiably, we’re all traveling together, let’s not talk like that..." The mayor immediately downplayed the situation, pushing the girl with braided hair forward: "Let’s introduce, this is my daughter Moli... Moli, these two are travelers from the outside world."

...Moli?

The cloning shifted his gaze from the person deemed worthless by the host and looked at this timid girl, recalling the task given by the Ruler—to expose this Moli.

The task description mentioned that she was extremely evil, certainly harboring some sinister secrets to be uncovered... It seemed he would need to keep a close watch on her next.

He observed this girl who appeared extremely shy and introverted.

Her cheeks were red, like ripe tangerines, her eyelashes fluttering as if sifting flour through a sieve, her eyes as clear as the blue sky reflected in a mountain lake.

...She seemed well-disguised, maintaining an innocent, pitiful demeanor.

The cloning had long understood that in this Underworld replica, those who appeared harmless were the most suspicious, whether it was Duoduo, Nuoliya, or Shen Xue, none were simple figures, and surely Moli was no exception.

"Hello, hello..."

Moli blushed, smiling shyly. She seemed somewhat afraid of meeting strangers, setting the teacup and fruit down in front of the cloning before turning and dashing back inside.

"Hey, hey, Moli." The mayor waved at her, smiling kindly: "Don’t go, sit here, sit with the two young travelers, you’re all around the same age, talk together, chat, try making friends, that would be so nice, don’t always stick with this old man."

...His tone, as if trying to sell his own daughter, resembled hosting a matchmaking event.

—No.

The cloning became alert.

...Looking at the mayor, it really seemed like he intended to match his daughter with someone.

Moli, pinching the corner of her skirt, first glanced at Edward, her eyes sparkling like little stars, her face flushing like the dawn. After all, few girls could resist a youth with such a noble demeanor, blonde hair, blue eyes, as if a prince stepped out of a painting.

But when she looked at Su Ming’an, her smile appeared more genuine, as though seeing someone who made her feel more at ease.

Her hand gently grazed the table, and then she deliberately sat closer to Su Ming’an, lowering her head again.

"Hmph..." The cloning heard Edward across from him snort, his knuckles cracking, as if he was struggling to stay calm.

But the cloning focused only on the mayor’s room.

He noticed the redwood decor, similar to their room, and a table with red candles and ancestral tablets... Yes, this living room had conspicuously placed ancestral tablets, the inscriptions on them no longer clear, but these two tablets brazenly laid out in front of the dining table, as if watching the guests eat.

[*You have gained Clue II: The Ancestral Tablets in the Living Room.]

[(The Ancestral Tablets in the Living Room): You see two ancestral tablets in the mayor’s room, their names appearing blurred, not visible in detail.]

[The clue has been recorded in your clue column, and you can check it at any time.]

...

"Ding-dong!"

Suddenly, he heard another system notification sound directed only at himself:

[Due to the "Ruler" privilege, you can know the NPC’s favorability towards you.]

[NPC (Moli), Favorability: 20 (Basic Favorability) +10]

[Current favorability rating: Friendly]

...Something’s off.

This was the first time the cloning heard such a favorability increase notification, but, such notification didn’t appear when he met the mayor.

Does this mean that the mayor, always appearing affable, talking as though he was his long-lost son...Mayor Mitchell, had in fact, close to zero emotional fluctuation from the beginning?