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Chapter 387 - 384: ’Su Rin, You Died So Miserably 2.0

Chapter 387: Chapter 384: ’Su Rin, You Died So Miserably 2.0

[Instance Activation Day 9·Morning 8:00]

...

[To be hailed as heroes, the valiant and fearless Soul Hunters, in their eyes, were merely pawns that incited hatred, a fuse of endless struggle, and the sharpest swords in their clutch.]

...

In the large white conference room, people sat on rows of benches.

They bowed their heads, expressions mournful, with white cloth draped over their shoulders.

A local plant from Pulaya, called Miracle Grass, was bundled and held in their hands.

Miracle Grass signified demise and eternity, used only on one particular occasion.

The wind and snow outside slapped against the paper windows, making the room inside seem exceptionally cold.

An old man with a solemn expression and white hair stood on the stage, leaning on his cane.

At his side sat ministers wearing white and holding Miracle Grass. Even the usually brightly dressed Duoya had tied her hair back, without a touch of makeup, clad in a pure white gown.

"Today, we gather here to mourn a hero heavily," Cliff began softly.

His voice was old and deep, reverberating through the silent conference room.

"...He was the Savior who once saved all of Pulaya, the Hero who led residents to ascend to the City of the Deity and shielded us from the storm’s disaster."

...

[The Soul Hunters would become entangled in a web made of firm justice and ardor, brainwashed by the stories sung of them, destined to battle the Soul Clan for their entire lives as ’people’.]

...

"Due to the Royal Family’s information blockade, we were not made aware of his achievements, nor did we offer the returning hero the respect he deserved,"

"But now,"

"His achievements should not be erased, his spirit should remain eternal."

"His name will be engrained in this era and passed down through the annals of greatness to future generations."

...

[Monuments erected, names inscribed, psalms chanted, the names they left behind. Becoming iconic heroes among the Soul Hunters, they then inspire the next generation to continue forward.]

...

"Pulaya’s distance from the ravages of natural disasters and its journey to present prosperity and development is inseparable from his sacrifice."

"...He has always guarded this land."

"And at the most critical moment, he returned, still selflessly charged to the forefront of the fight against disaster."

...

[Hatred that seeped into their very bones, merged into their flesh and blood, leaving no chance for alleviation.]

[They devoted their lives to this land they loved, fighting for it to their life’s end.]

...

"He will forever be in our hearts, the greatest hero of nearly a century, the ’Brave’ who saved the entirety of Pulaya."

"Henceforth, no one will be able to replicate his feats."

"His name, indelibly etched in Pulaya’s history, will be remembered through our lineage."

"Heroes should never be forgotten."

"I hope everyone present here remembers this Lighthouse that once guided us, led our past generation, our current generation, and will continue to inspire countless Pulayans..."

People lowered their heads, their faces reflecting sorrow.

Sitting in a corner as a friend of the deceased, Nailuo hung her head in a daze.

Cliff’s words lingered in her ears, yet it was as if she had lost her hearing altogether, the world before her eyes blurring.

Her fists clenched tightly, nails digging into her palms, blood slowly seeping out.

And at that moment.

"Bang!"

There was a loud noise from behind.

The door of the conference room was suddenly kicked open and a figure hurriedly burst in.

"—Who’s the undisciplined scoundrel?!" Cliff, who was delivering the eulogy, turned crimson with anger.

The people immersed in grief turned to look back.

A figure in a black robe entered with an air that swept through the room.

"Amber?" Aiske, unusually dressed in plain clothes, glanced at the intruder.

Mockingly amused by Shadow’s sudden entry, he said, "—So our leader finally deigns to show up, hmm? You were too busy securing points during the Maritime Banquet, didn’t attend our meetings, weren’t around for the most dangerous siege, and couldn’t even see the hero off—now, in this moment of honoring the hero, you barge in like this, showing no respect for Su Rin, you truly are a ’qualified’ leader of the Soul Hunters, aren’t you?"

Shadow cast him a glance but disregarded it, throwing what was in his hands to the ground.

"Bang!"

All eyes, whether filled with sorrow or anger, were instantly drawn to that object.

It was a large, bulging cloth bag.

The mouth of the bag was open and its contents had fallen out, clinking together crisply as they struck each other.

"Amber, we were just about to hold a meeting regarding the revocation of your position—" Cliff didn’t care at all what Shadow had brought, his anger so intense that his white beard trembled.

"Wait..."

Duoya, dressed entirely in white, suddenly stood up, intercepting him.

She glanced at the items on the ground, shock lifting her eyes to Shadow: "...Amber, are these all Resource Stones on the floor?"

Cliff’s anger was halted in a flash by Duoya’s cry of astonishment.

His quivering gaze shifted slightly to the objects on the floor.

The variously sized stones lying there emitted a strange glow.

...They were none other than Resource Stones, the cherished treasures used to maintain Barriers and identify the Soul Clan.

These objects were extremely precious. Even Su Ming’an, when he signed up for the Soul Hunt, had only obtained a small piece. In Pulaya, they were considered strategic items. A tiny fragment was nearly worth an entire city.

Originally, the trade goods named "Yate Stones" transported by the Yate Vessel were one type of Resource Stone.

They generally required huge bedding stones for storage; otherwise, upon extraction, the stones would emit white vapor, starting to lose energy automatically, and gradually becoming useless stones.

Only the Resource Stones that had been carefully processed and made into distributed items could be carried around.

But now,

...the vast number scattered across the floor, the ones spilling out from the large bag...

All of them were priceless Resource Stones?

Resource Stones, incredibly valuable, stuffed into a massive cloth bag as though they were mere pebbles picked from the side of the road.

Not to mention, their energy seems to have not diminished at all, clearly in their original state, clearly unprocessed.

Now, with the barrier just established and facing a new wave of sea monster attacks, this batch of Resource Stones is desperately needed.

In other words, Amber almost saved them.

"Amber, these Resource Stones are..."

Cliff’s anger was forcibly suppressed.

Looking at the big bag of Resource Stones on the ground, his gaze towards Amber, originally filled with anger, frustration, gradually changed, slowly as if looking at a dear father.

"What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?" Shadow sneered: "That bunch who were so eager to claim their territory during the siege, really are living in luxury... And those residents controlled by Boris, insistent on attacking the stronghold, they truly are poor worms with bewitched minds. If I hadn’t ’disciplined’ them, the Inner City would’ve been in utter chaos long ago."

"Residents attacking the stronghold?" Cliff seized on this key point, his temper flaring as he slammed his hand on the table: "Who issued the command! Who did this!"

People exchanged bewildered glances.

Their eyes constantly roamed, wondering who would issue such an idiotic command.

"Stop looking, those residents were controlled," Shadow said lazily, interrupting their words: "— As for you, I reckon someone must have suggested it, hence you subconsciously ignored this matter. Otherwise, that bunch wouldn’t dare be so brazen."

Indeed, Boris did control a group of residents to help him attack the stronghold. When Boris first came to the Soul Hunters’ meeting room, he merely suggested the Soul Hunter Ministers not to intervene.

His ability to manipulate NPCs hadn’t reached the level of full control, at most he could influence them, excluding these ministers from his stronghold.

However, his plan was still entirely shattered by Shadow, who stayed back at the stronghold.

Shadow had been busy these days, with Sevya guarding Lin Yin, and Black Pike, cautious of harming the innocent, being taken down by poison, so there wasn’t much need for him; he chose to act freely instead.

He visited several slave strongholds and traveled all over Pulaya, gathering such a large bag of Resource Stones. On the way back, he saw Boris commanding the residents to attack the stronghold and conveniently deployed a Spatial Vibration to kill him.

He didn’t care how many times Boris’ Phoenix skill had left, or how many times it could support his resurrection; as long as he saw him, he’d kill him.

Following remote instructions from his main body, he immediately dragged the bag to the meeting room.

"Amber." Cliff looked at him: "I’m quite pleased that you managed to bring back so many Resource Stones. The barrier of the island being attacked indeed needs these resources for repair, but can you explain why these unprocessed stones don’t leak energy..."

Upon seeing Shadow return with the Resource Stones, Cliff completely dropped the notion of removing his position, with a swift change in attitude.

"Oh, I don’t know about that, these were given to me by Su Rin," Shadow laughed.

At these words, everyone was stunned.

"— When did he give them to you? Is he still alive?"

Duoya stood up, her eyes filled with hope.

"He must be dead, I guess," Shadow said with a chuckle: "He gave them to me beforehand, I was just responsible for consolidating and transporting them."

While he joked about it, everyone’s faces froze simultaneously.

In the corner, a red figure scrambled out and ran away.

"Right, I have something else to say." Shadow, not caring about their thoughts or how heartbroken Nailuo might be:

"Right now, the King of Sea Monsters is just temporarily repelled and has gone to recuperate. As long as there are other sea monsters at her side, she is undying. If we want to stop this catastrophe, there are only two solutions. One is to pour everything in, make tremendous sacrifices to kill her; and the other is to use these stones to maintain the barrier, to let your Sanctuary limp on for a bit longer..."

He paused for a moment then continued:

"Of course, personally, neither of these are great methods. I have a new idea that requires your help..."

...

The blizzard grew fiercer, akin to white waves becoming denser and surging from beyond the barrier crowded with sea monsters.

The piercing cold air frequently infiltrated the people’s clothing.

With growing concern, they watched the nearly endless sea monsters lying on top of the barrier that separated them by a mere line.

Yesterday, the blue sea monsters could not stand against the red sea monsters and retreated, while the small boat carrying Su Rin instantly fractured, swallowed by the surging waters.

...They watched as the hero of Pulaya died on the sea not far from them.

Disastrous news spread far and wide.

At the moment the small boat submerged, the outermost, crack-ridden barrier finally shattered completely under the assault of the sea monsters.

The sea monsters surged in, already beginning to pound against the newly raised barrier of their island enclave.

If this island barrier were to break as well... apart from the Royal City Barrier, they would have nowhere to flee.

However, in a stroke of misfortune within fortune, that blood-colored King of Sea Monsters seemed to have been exhausted by Su Rin and did not appear for the time being, perhaps having retreated to heal.

If she were to join the sea monsters in their charge against the wall of this island barrier, they feared they wouldn’t be able to hold out for even a day.

But, her rest would inevitably come to an end, and when that time arrived...

They truly had no confidence in facing that disaster-like King of Sea Monsters.

Amidst the snowstorm, the sky also seemed dark and low, like a black pot lid being pressed down upon people’s heads, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

Nailuo, who walked out of the meeting room, still clenched her fists tightly enough that blood seeped out between them.

She sped past the worried crowd, past the city walls, and made her way to a small hillside nearby.

Her gait was somewhat staggering, and her figure swayed, as if walking took a great deal of effort.

As she walked, she eventually sat down.

Her somewhat blurred vision locked onto the starry sea, and she took out a leaf.

She brought the leaf whistle to her lips, and a crisp, beautiful sound emanated forth.

Like the free breeze, the music rang out, spreading far and wide the moment it was played.

"Wu—"

"What’s that sound?" A Soul Hunter turned around.

"Someone is playing the flute, it sounds pretty nice," a resident who was helping move things said cheerfully.

"During such a critical time, it’s good to listen to music."

"Pulaya has such colorful instruments." They started chatting.

"Wu—"

The sound of the leaf whistle echoed quietly against the city walls, its exceptionally clear and tranquil music made the groans of the injured seem much quieter.

The girl atop the hill, disregarding the snowstorm, played steadfastly through the accumulating snowflakes.

The red hair fluttering behind her was like a blood-colored flag erected on the hillside, inspiring the hearts of the people.

But as she played, she suddenly put down the leaf in her hand.

For some reason, there was a choking sensation lingering in her throat, as if a hand were squeezing her neck, preventing her from playing any further.

She couldn’t describe the feeling, only feeling it strange, why she could not continue to play.

She rolled the leaf in her hand, and that feeling of blockage in her throat became increasingly prominent.

"Young lady."

This middle-aged Soul Hunter slowly squatted down, his gaze level with hers.

He searched his embrace with a hand bearing a large scar and pulled out a square white handkerchief, placing it on her face.

"...What are you crying for?" he asked.