Welcome to Rewind World Game
Chapter 483 - 480: "Do You Regret It?

Chapter 483: Chapter 480: "Do You Regret It?

"Hiss... Be gentle." Noel rarely showed a pained expression, which indicated that the silk thread was quite harmful to him.

Su Ming’an carefully helped him unravel the silk thread, moving it from the front to the back, feeling it was truly no different from unraveling sticky rice dumplings.

Meanwhile, the people kneeling on the ground remained neatly in place.

As for Edward, although lacking in many areas, he was exceptionally fast at escaping. The moment he saw Migael kneeling, Edward immediately crushed a prop and fled.

After helping Noel remove the silk thread, Noel went to deliver a curse-suppressing prop to Xiber.

Su Ming’an then began questioning Migael.

According to Migael, all these people were willing to support him as the next clan leader.

The First Tribe had five elders, and Migael was one of them, representing the power of the "Heretic Tribunal." The Heretic Tribunal had twenty-four members, all skilled in using their curse powers.

The other four elders were the Great Elder Fengle Zeven from a hereditary family, Tu Yuan the Second Elder in charge of rites, Guang Li the Third Elder responsible for educating children, and Zhou Qi the Fourth Elder who dealt with external communications.

Migael said that the Great Elder and the Second Elder would definitely stand by Fengchang’s side, the Third Elder did not involve himself in these succession struggles, and the Fourth Elder had a relationship with him that was okay, but it wasn’t certain if he would bow his head because of a single raven.

After hearing Migael’s words, Su Ming’an realized that his chances of winning were really not high.

Out of the five elders, only the Fifth Elder Migael stood with him, and that was only just snatched from Edward’s hands.

"—I have no intention of contending for the position of clan leader," Su Ming’an stated bluntly. "Fengchang is a good friend of mine. I think, as a member of the hereditary family, it would be much better for him to ascend than for an outsider like me."

Migael and others showed a look of shock on their faces.

In their eyes, the clan leader of the First Tribe could control the entire Qiongdi, almost equivalent to the position of the lord of the world. How could someone not want to be the leader?

"Migael, you can continue to maintain the status quo," Su Ming’an said. "Once the succession ceremony is over, I will leave the First Tribe. I will not stay long and would not make a suitable clan leader."

Migael looked at him, his eyes filled with complexity.

"The Divine Envoy’s hand is upon your shoulder," he said. "This matter is beyond your willingness now."

Su Ming’an frowned, he knew it would turn out like this...

It was like when an ancient lord without children died; his followers would appoint his adopted son as the next lord, but once the lord’s blood child was found, the followers would definitely choose the blood child over the adopted, no matter how outstanding the latter might be.

The raven perched on Su Ming’an’s shoulder signified that he was the one recognized by the Bai Shen. Even though Fengchang had been a candidate in Qiongdi for over twenty years, he instantly lost his legitimate authority.

Su Ming’an immediately understood why, within the Black Wall, even when Fengchang saw the raven on his shoulder, he did not bow his head in submission. In Fengchang’s eyes, Su Ming’an’s existence was his greatest threat.

But even so, after reaching full favorability, Fengchang still invited Su Ming’an to the First Tribe. Fengchang must have known that such an event would occur with Su Ming’an, accompanied by the raven, reaching the First Tribe.

Was Fengchang... completely confident that his position would not be taken by Su Ming’an, or did he have other plans?

Just then, Noel, who had finished delivering the prop, came back from outside and heard these words.

"Why not just compete for it then," Noel said. "Whether you can out-compete him is another matter."

"..."

Su Ming’an was primarily concerned about facing Fengchang directly, but Fengchang probably wouldn’t start killing as soon as they met. After all, the Favorability was still at full.

Securing the position of Clan Leader wasn’t without its benefits; at the very least, some secret clues could be known to him. Perhaps he could even mobilize the tribe’s power to eliminate competitors like Edward.

His main quest was to obtain the Three Authorities, and now with the Black Lamb, he was only missing the Black Python in Fengchang’s hands and the Black Raven, whose whereabouts were unknown.

But the Black Python Authority already obtained by Fengchang... How could he get it? Should he pin his hopes on Fengchang voluntarily giving it up and have a chat about the Lighthouse? Or should he try killing him to see if the Black Python Authority would drop?

"I’ll arrange everything," Migael immediately said, "I know you’re a foreigner, unfamiliar with the First Tribe’s situation, no worries, just wait here. When it’s time to come forward, I’ll call you."

Su Ming’an fell silent for a moment, "Okay."

Migael nodded, seemingly very satisfied with the setting of the scene.

Before leaving, Migael suddenly smiled gently at him and Noel.

"Then," Migael said softly, "I wish you happiness."

"Bang!" The door closed.

The room fell into silence.

"Ah," Noel looked at the closed door, "He probably meant that the Sacrificial Saintess and you, the candidate Clan Leader, could develop a relationship. But that’s beyond our concern."

He said, swiftly changing the topic:

"I just gave Xiber the Props to suppress the Curse, she should wake up soon—what are you planning to do next?"

"First, to find Fengchang," Su Ming’an said. That was the most crucial thing; he needed to clarify things with Fengchang first.

He glanced at the Raven on his shoulder, motionless like a piece of crap, unable to be shaken off or torn, seemingly planning to stay there until the instance ended.

He and Noel discussed for a while; Noel decided to continue with the identity of the Sacrificial Saintess, as Noel’s advancement quest was to ensure the success of the succession ceremony, which inevitably required the Saintess’s appearance.

As for the Silver Star, Noel decided to fetch it after the eighth day; he was confident that he could gather twelve Silver Stars in the remaining time.

So, congratulations to Noel, he had to continue cross-dressing for several more days.

"Right," at the end of the conversation, Noel suddenly spoke up, "What about Lv Shu?"

"He’s gone. He went to search for the Soul Stone," Su Ming’an said.

"I see, the Soul Stone is indeed quite precious, good that he’s perceptive," Noel said, "Lin Yin previously patrolled the sky and saw you and Lv Shu acting together; I thought he would drag you down to the end. But... doesn’t this completely cut off your connection?"

"In this game, there will only be one final victor," Su Ming’an said, "He doesn’t necessarily have to support me all the way."

"Really?" Noel said, "I feel like he went to find the Soul Stone for you too."

"..."

"But, it’s still very strange," Noel squinted his eyes, "To this day, I haven’t understood Lv Shu’s intention in following you. Lin Yin, I understand, she came for friendship and bonds; Yamada Machiichi was driven by an intense desire to repay a favor and the samurai’s spirit, even if it’s Iris, Mizushima Haru, and others, it’s because of the ’greater good’ and self-interest they proactively approached and tempted you. But... Lv Shu, frankly, I don’t trust his ’good guy’ theory, it doesn’t add up."

Su Ming’an remembered the first time Lv Shu approached him.

He believed in Lv Shu, mostly because Lv Shu had died for him once. That time, after the Fourth World ended, in the Main God World, if he had not chosen to rewind, Lv Shu would have truly died then, unable to be revived.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have included Lv Shu in his circle of trust.

"Be careful, Su Ming’an," Noel suddenly said. "I’ve noticed that the special identities in the World Game are increasing, and the line between players and NPCs is blurring. NPCs can become players, and players can turn into NPCs. So, I’m worried... there might have been some game traps from the very beginning, impersonating players and planted around us, to harm us at the most crucial moment—he might use some ’special point’ of yours to create a false impression that you trust him."

Su Ming’an once again understood Noel’s cryptic words.

Special point.

Was Noel referring to...?

"I will judge for myself," he said.

He left and closed the door behind him.

As he went upstairs, his expression remained calm, showing no signs of contemplation or confusion.

Noel’s words were clearly intentional, meant—for the whole world to hear.

Because, neither he nor Noel had made any gesture to pause the broadcast, Noel’s words had already reached the hundreds of millions watching the live stream.

Even Lv Shu, after this instance ended, could hear Noel’s words when he watched the replay of the live stream.

Whether Noel’s words were meant as a warning, to stir up trouble, had ulterior motives, or were purely out of concern, Su Ming’an would make his own judgment.

... Noel’s words would affect him, but not interfere with his decisions.

Afterwards, he went to the top floor to look for Fengchang in the Young Tribe Leader’s room, but found that Fengchang was not there and seemed not yet to have returned.

He could only return to his room and saw Xiber lying asleep on the bed.

Noel’s arrangements were meticulous; he had previously ordered the maids to bathe Xiber and change her clothes. Now, Xiber no longer looked like a figure wrapped in a red robe, dirty and curled up in a heap.

She lay in bed, deeply asleep within the covers. Her white hair scattered around the crimson pillow like mercury, her eyelashes long and slightly curled, shimmering with a transparent sheen in the light. The black curse mark on her face was gradually fading.

In her sleep, she looked very peaceful. No longer like a highly alert wild wolf.

The number of props that suppress the curse is limited, and people gradually develop resistance, so they cannot be used continuously. If Xiber faced this situation again, even the First Tribe would be powerless.

Su Ming’an just stood for a while, and then Migael came to fetch him to meet the Fourth Elder, Zhou Qi.

The Fourth Elder was a kind old man. He expressed his willingness to help Su Ming’an and said he could take Su Ming’an into the First Tribe’s archive room that evening to learn some secrets.

Su Ming’an deliberately tested the Fourth Elder’s favorability and found that it had reached 50, which did not seem fake. If it weren’t for the added base favorability from having a Ruler’s identity, the Fourth Elder might not have taken his side, so this was indeed a benefit brought by being a Ruler.

The Fourth Elder cautioned him to be very careful of the Great Elder and the Second Elder, who were loyal supporters of Fengchang. They had already been informed of Su Ming’an’s arrival, and if Su Ming’an left the First Tribe on his own, the Great Elder and the Second Elder might directly take action to eliminate him. Only by staying in the First Tribe could Su Ming’an’s safety be guaranteed.

The Fourth Elder planned to first publicize Su Ming’an’s identity, letting the public know of Raven’s appearance. When the time was right, he would have Su Ming’an climb the city walls to display Raven. With public support, everything would naturally fall into place.

Before that, Su Ming’an needed to wait for about a day.

Su Ming’an returned to the stone house, as the time gradually approached the afternoon.

Just then, someone knocked on his door. It was the Third Elder, Guang Li.

Guang Li was a gentle middle-aged woman, responsible for educating young children in the tribe; Teacher Fang was her adopted daughter. When Guang Li learned of Teacher Fang’s impressions of Su Ming’an, she expressed willingness to join Su Ming’an’s side.

Hearing Guang Li’s declaration, Su Ming’an was extremely surprised. He had thought that everyone would obey Fengchang, but didn’t expect Guang Li, who had always maintained neutrality, to join him.

After all, Fengchang’s side was powerful and influential, backed by a team of guards absolutely loyal to the Zeven family. Fengchang himself, being trained as an heir from a young age and revered by everyone, held the Black Python Authority. Yet Su Ming’an, merely a foreigner who had come alone, suddenly gained the recognition of three elders.

His side shouldn’t have stood much chance. His only bargaining chip was Raven; the Black Lamb Authority had not yet been revealed.

After Guang Li left, Su Ming’an stood at the door pondering but suddenly saw a figure wrapped in a black robe approaching.

"You are..." Su Ming’an said.

"I am Tu Yuan," the person spoke, his voice hoarse. He took off his black robe, revealing an old face.

... The Second Elder, Tu Yuan. A supporter of Fengchang.

Su Ming’an immediately became alert, unsure if the other party would strike here, especially since Tu Yuan’s faith lay in Bai Shen, not in the Divine Envoy Raven. If Tu Yuan thought a foreigner did not deserve to be the clan leader and intended to kill him so Raven could choose again, it was possible.

At that moment, however, he watched as Tu Yuan suddenly bowed.

"Outsider. May I... join your side?" Tu Yuan asked.

Su Ming’an had not expected that Fengchang was so unwelcome, almost in a predicament like Qin Jiu. These companions of twenty-odd years, the five great elders, were abandoning him one after another.

"I control the Shamanic power of the First Tribe, and I will preside over the succession ceremony on the eighth day of the war. If I choose you, Fengchang Zeven will have no chance of succession," Tu Yuan specifically emphasized his importance. Clearly, once Su Ming’an gained his support, it would be decisive.

"What do you want?" Su Ming’an knew that if someone in a transaction emphasized their importance, it was tantamount to asking for benefits.

"My only request is..." Tu Yuan said, his gaze drifting to look at the peacefully sleeping Xiber inside the room.

He stretched out his thin hand, pointing a single finger at the girl lost in deep sleep, his eyes suddenly igniting with intense hatred:

"—please have Lord Raven kill, the only believer of Jiu Shen, Qianqian Zeven."

"She deserves to die."

...

...

["Do you regret it?" the dreamer asked him, "regret going to save a curse-wracked heretic?"]

[He carried her on his back, saying nothing.]

["Don’t save anymore." she said, "We are monsters, don’t save monsters anymore."]

[He walked on, and on.]

[She disappeared.]

[——"Jiu Shen·Reincarnation Notebook"]