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Chapter 334 - 331: "The Kindness of the Father and the Filial Piety of the Son

Chapter 334: Chapter 331: "The Kindness of the Father and the Filial Piety of the Son

The small door slowly opened.

In the faint smell of disinfectant, Su Ming’an saw the scene inside.

Inside was not any kind of royal escape route, nor was it the so-called barrier.

...It was just a laboratory with various instruments laid out.

Soul Clan members wearing gloves and masks stood inside, each holding different instruments, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

The smell of disinfectant wafted from their bodies.

And Sevya, who should have been knocked out, was standing inside just fine, watching him like a predator waiting for its prey.

A crisp mechanical sound came from above the spiral staircase, and the path Su Ming’an had originally taken was completely locked down.

Just as the small door opened, Yuanyuan suddenly stepped behind him and pushed him in the back.

But the moment she reached out, Su Ming’an, as if he had anticipated it all along, grabbed her wrist and pulled her in with him.

"Bang!"

The door closed behind him, with Su Ming’an knocking Yuanyuan to the ground in one fierce motion, causing her to faint on the spot.

The barrage was utterly confused and had no idea what was going on:

[...What’s happening?]

[????]

[My god, how could Yuanyuan betray us?]

[What nonsense! It’s obvious that Yuanyuan was deceived by Sevya, how could she possibly stab Ming’an in the back?]

[But why did she push him like that...]

[I’m more concerned about why Su Ming’an acted as if he had expected it, has he always been suspicious of Yuanyuan?]

...

Su Ming’an let go of her hand, stood up, turned around, and looked at Sevya who was waiting.

"So, you weren’t fooled," Sevya said, "Judging by your performance, you must have been wary of Mia for a long time... So why did you follow her here?"

"I mainly wanted to see what kind of game you were playing," Su Ming’an shook his hand, "I don’t understand why you’re doing something so unnecessary."

Obviously, Sevya would have guessed he would come back from the bed, so just putting the bed in this laboratory would have been enough.

Instead, he had the bed placed so far away, and then sent someone to lure him over...

"—Of course, it’s to let you appreciate the scenery of the Soul Clan’s city," Sevya spread out his hands, "You’ve seen it just now, our city... What do you think? Isn’t it no different from Pulaya?"

"There is no difference," Su Ming’an admitted.

"Su Rin... father," Sevya whispered softly, "I thought about it all night and have understood what you said—I’ve realized that my ideals are indeed too idealistic."

"You’ve come to realize?"

"That’s right," Sevya said, "So, I’ve made a decision—I want to become the sole Ruler as you said—with me in charge, the Soul Clan and humans can coexist peacefully—"

"Impossible," Su Ming’an said, somewhat speechless.

He hadn’t expected Sevya to take his words to heart and even reflect on them.

Although the reflection still wasn’t quite on point.

Because Sevya’s ideas were fundamentally flawed from the start.

People can’t be purely rational, nor can they view life as a resource.

The Soul Clan, who feeds on humans, simply cannot coexist peacefully with them.

"—Sevya, the sole Ruler I spoke of cannot be human nor Soul Clan. This Ruler’s stance must be neutral... Otherwise, just a slight bias from that person would cause great devastation to the ’balance,’" Su Ming’an said, "This is something you absolutely cannot achieve. Give it up."

The essence of his speech was all in the last sentence, ’Give it up.’

Such an overly idealistic ruler simply cannot achieve symbiosis between both parties.

Unexpectedly, Sevya seemed to have anticipated his reply and laughed, "That’s why I’ve decided."

Su Ming’an looked at him.

"—I’ve decided to give that position to you," Sevya said.

"?"

Su Ming’an certainly didn’t expect that before he even started using the "Bewilderment" skill, the other party began to cede the position.

"Because if you think about it, someone who doesn’t belong to humans... and doesn’t belong to the Soul Clan. Such a contradictory existence is probably only you. You’ve heard Mia’s words just now, you should understand the state of the Soul Clan..." Sevya said as he slowly approached him.

"But in fact, Mia herself is not royalty, she just obeyed my orders to tell you this... In Pulaya, there’s simply no royal Soul Clan." Sevya stood still in front of him:

"Stay here, father. You are the only Royal of Pulaya who can transform me into a higher Soul Clan being—you are enough to lead the army of the Soul Clan, and rule the entire Pulaya."

"...Who brainwashed you?" Su Ming’an felt like the person in front of him was completely off.

According to Sevya’s previous behavior, he was a strong-willed and idealistic ruler, not someone who would just relinquish his position for so-called ideals.

He would rather detain Su Rin and research Su Rin, to find a way to transform himself into royalty, than to hand the position over directly to Su Rin. This action didn’t fit with his previous behavior at all.

As expected, with the "ding dong" sound, Su Ming’an immediately heard a system prompt:

[Do you accept Sevya’s invitation to become an [Observer]? (As an Observer, you will be separated from your Player status and will not return to the Main God Space, living on as a native inhabitant of a world. Observers can shuttle between other worlds, becoming lucky ones beyond the game.)]

...

This just goes on and on... Enough already.

Su Ming’an directly declined.

He had long realized that the one claiming to be Yuanyuan wasn’t her at all.

He felt something was off when he arrived, and after asking a few questions, he became even more certain—this must be a Player who had watched his live streams and thought they could impersonate Yuanyuan to trick him.

In the Sixth World, he had never seen Yuanyuan at all.

The visions from the two playthroughs diverged; in one playthrough, he saw Yuanyuan, and in another, he did not, indicating hallucinations caused by his mental state.

It’s not surprising to encounter such impersonating Players. After all, his interactions with Yuanyuan were usually brief, and it indeed seemed easy to impersonate. As long as the Player starts with "My current identity is..." it seems they could gain his trust.

But it’s not that simple.

...People who have spent a long time together can tell if something is slightly off about the other person.

Because of some very unique traits inherent to a person—facial expressions when speaking, the tonal nuances of certain words, or some small gestures... even after long years, these things do not change.

He hadn’t misidentified the person.

After he clicked "Refuse", Sevya’s originally somewhat stiff expression visibly came to life with the naked eye.

It was as if his soul had returned to his body in an instant; he took a step back as he looked at Su Ming’an.

The Soul Clan surrounding them closed in that very moment.

"Since you have refused," Sevya stared at him, "then I am free to proceed with my second plan."

"That probably won’t work," Su Ming’an glanced at the Soul Clan nearby, "in this technologically backward region, dissecting me would not reveal the method to become a Royal."

"Everything requires an attempt," Sevya remained unmoved.

"Such a dutiful father and son," Su Ming’an said, "You really are one of the rare individuals I can’t persuade."

He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping past the Soul Clan rushing over, and looked towards Sevya.

He activated his Bewilderment Skill.

...

[Kaya Tavern]

Wooden lattices were on the side, with roses sprawling and blooming.

Quiet glasses sat on the table under the dim yellow light, their aroma spreading throughout the large tavern as if tinted with color.

The bartender sat silently in a corner, wiping the glass in his hand as though making space for the people at the center.

"How many people have arrived now?"

At the round table in the center, the Mentality Series ability user Jiang Deng asked the middle-aged man beside him.

The middle-aged man appeared somewhat aged, his back slightly curved as if accustomed to hunching. He touched his chin lightly with his hand, then turned his gaze towards the blonde woman sitting behind him.

"... Follow Miss Iris’s instructions," the middle-aged man said.

Beside the round table, three other people of various appearances sat; these five were members of the Sword of the Yellow Rose.

Having made contact with Yu Country’s Storm Science, they were tasked with protecting Iris in this instance.

Though stripped of her power and reportedly suffering from mental illness, Iris still seemed to exude authority.

Mere mention of her name in the channel’s chat was enough to summon over a hundred players within the hour, all eager to journey together to the Southern District Barrier.

The middle-aged man Ya Heng glanced at the System Time; it was nearing nine, the time they had agreed to depart.

Looking around the tavern, it was packed with diverse players: some in armor, some in robes, some in cosplay pretending to be magical girls, and some who came just in plain clothes.

Although the game’s rules allowed players to equip their gear simply by dragging it into the equipment slot, many took pleasure in wearing their armor and robes, claiming it was their "faith."

This led to a scene of disparate styles, with mechas and robes mixed together, resembling a gathering of long-time fans of the second dimension.

A rough count, including those outside unable to get in, tallied up to around a hundred players gathered here.

As time drew near, the blonde woman slowly walked out from the shadows.

When her face was bathed in light, the chatting players fell silent.

"Hello, everyone, I am Iris," the woman spoke, her pale face tinged with sickness, yet eliciting an extra measure of pity.

Her beautiful eyes seemed to have been dyed red, a color that to Pulaya appeared extremely dangerous, but to the Players seemed particularly beautiful.

Facing this group of Players whose gazes were wandering all over, her expression remained unchanged, as her words calmed everyone’s hearts:

"...In my team, there are members who possess the Soul Clan and have mastered the Control Barrier Method. Once I issue the command, they will be able to control the Barrier on Huari Street in the Southern District in time, allowing you all to enter the City of the Soul Clan."

"The information about the Number One Player being found in the City of the Soul Clan is also true. I can guarantee it with my reputation, and that of the Sword of the Yellow Rose Guild. If any of you have Soul Clan teammates, they can confirm this message."

"But I need to clarify one thing first," she paused in her speech:

"No matter why you go to the City of the Soul Clan, whether it’s to exterminate the Soul Clan, to take on a hidden mission, or to meet the Number One Player..."

"Please, be responsible for your own actions during this operation."

"The City of the Soul Clan poses a certain danger, and there are many powerful members of the Soul Clan within, with Combat Power exceeding a thousand. They will show no mercy to humans."

"If you are just looking to join in the excitement, or if you are hoping that other Players can protect you, feel free to withdraw at any time."

As her voice fell, none of the people in the tavern moved.

They had come here, each already harboring their own thoughts.

After a moment of silence, a male Player spoke up with a hint of excitement:

"—We’ll take responsibility for ourselves, who’s afraid of those guys anyway."

"Miss Iris, if you need protection, I can also be up to the task!" someone immediately echoed.

"Cut it out, you look like no good with those shifty eyes. Aren’t the members of the Sword of the Yellow Rose more reliable than you?"

"Getting to meet the Number One Player is good enough for me; I’m not interested in doing anything else..."

"Miss Iris," someone suddenly spoke up: "Since you already know the position of the Number One Player in the City of the Soul Clan, could you tell us his situation?"

Iris glanced at the person who had spoken.

"Certainly," she said loudly, her red lips glistening enticingly under the light: "My teammate encountered the Number One Player at the arena last night using Spatial Vibration and Annihilation Skills. With this set of skills and the damage dealt, it’s now certain to be the Number One Player himself."

"Looking at the situation in the arena, the current state of the Number One Player doesn’t seem too optimistic."

"He appears to have made an enemy of Sevya, the Soul Clan leader, and was forced out of the upper private rooms. Afterwards, he continually avoided the mechanisms set up inside the arena in a manner suggestive of escape. The Soul Clan leader seems to hate him intensely."

She said this much, and many below were moved by it.

"...The Number One Player isn’t in a good situation, why don’t we head over to the arena to check things out?" a small team of Players began discussing.

"...To have made an enemy of the Soul Clan leader? I’ve heard that the leaders here in the Soul Hunt all have two to three thousand Combat Power, and it’s the same with the Soul Clan. Su Ming’an wouldn’t already be dead, would he?"

"He shouldn’t be; top-ranked Players have plenty of escape mechanisms, it shouldn’t have come to that."

"Merc, what do you want to do?"

"We definitely have to go. Look, so many Players are going together, plus I specifically notified my NPC captain in the Soul Hunt to blend in with us. We don’t have to set our sights on the Number One Player, targeting other Players could work too. Isn’t our team the best at seizing opportunities in chaos...?"

"..."

Amidst the somewhat raucous noise, a figure cloaked in a cape slowly squeezed in through a small door.

He made his way past the loud and boisterous crowd, past the long tables, and as if he had found a definite target, he walked towards a two-person table in the corner.