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Chapter 492: Four Hundred and Eighty-Nine - : "You are the most special.

Chapter 492: Four Hundred and Eighty-Nine Chapter: "You are the most special.

Su Ming’an’s figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.

He was on his way to stealthily approach the stone fortress.

The fourfold strength bonus greatly enhanced his stealth ability. Under the double concealment of Wandering Night Walk and the Human Skin Mask from Wang Han, he was inconspicuous in the night.

Moving at night in Qiongdi required a Soul Stone, but as long as he deliberately kept away from lit places, he could avoid the guards.

However, the price to pay was to expose himself to the dense Black Mist.

Because the cataclysm had begun, the Black Mist was particularly thick, and he felt his throat beginning to itch again. He glanced at his SAN value, which had slipped to 68, peeled off a candy wrapper, and ate a candy, its faint sweetness spreading in his mouth.

...

[Feng Qiqi’s Candy (Green Level)]

[Effect: A colorful candy that cheers up the mood, hand-wrapped by Feng Qiqi and his sister, consuming it increases SAN by 3 points.]

...

This candy was given to him by Feng Qiqi, and it counted as a prop. He had just taken seven or eight in a row, nearly emptying Feng Qiqi’s stock. The children’s eyes filled with even more sympathy as they looked at him, as if he were a poor man who had never tasted candy.

He stealthily made his way forward, but soon there were clanging and clattering sounds behind him.

"Boom—!"

A wall-breaking noise accompanied by the clash of metal echoed, as if someone was fiercely fighting behind him.

He turned to look and saw not far away, those flying flames, that black energy melting everything, standing out starkly against the night.

It was the children, fighting with the guards.

Indeed, the children had not listened to him. They had not stayed quietly in the stone houses and were instead laughing and shouting as they charged into the tribe like a train speeding through a crowd, causing chaos wherever they went.

...They were in their rebellious phase, it seemed.

In this world, one mustn’t underestimate children; due to the fact that the strength of the people of Qiongdi came from their curses, the gap in strength between children and adults wasn’t large.

Fortunately for him, the children’s rampaging through the tribe drew the guards’ attention, so his stealthy advancement went unnoticed.

He looked up to see the stone fortress looming eerily through the thick fog.

Strands of light passed through the windows, shining between the night sky and into his eyes.

Looking at the scene before him, his pupils constricted.

The fortress where Xiber had once spread corruption was now incredibly clean, as if the tendrils and sludge that had oozed out had vanished.

After pondering for a moment, he decided to rush into the stone fortress.

"—Who’s there!" Someone quickly spotted him.

The fortress, being a sealed building, had no Black Mist inside, and guards were densely packed. This was the central structure of the First Tribe, heavily guarded.

Su Ming’an drew the Amber Knife, slashing at the guard in front of him. Where the blade edge passed, cracked ripples spread through the air.

With a tremor at the blade’s edge, the guard instantly fell into unconsciousness, with no chance to retaliate.

...

[HP-4280! (Strength Overwhelm! Lethal Injury! Spatial Bonus!)]

A terrifying number popped up, taking Su Ming’an by surprise.

He was currently in Shadow State, and this was simply an unenhanced slash.

After his Occupation skill had leveled up to 28, his passive ability [Restriction Release] advanced to level 8, unlocking attribute point restrictions on all eight parts of his body, allowing him to equip any gear unconditionally.

The Amber Knife, which originally required 50 points of Strength, now wielded the destructive power typical of Bright State in his hands.

Even though he currently only had 8 points in Strength, like a newbie who had just entered the game world, the Red Level knife in his hand, combined with his innate magic series bonus, turned this simple slash into something fearsome.

He faintly sensed that the phrase "the ultimate combination of spirit and strength" in the White Trial occupation wasn’t merely about splitting the two apart, it seemed that as his occupational skills improved, the two opposite elements of spirit and strength would gradually merge, leaving him without any significant weaknesses.

The current pace of leveling up was subtly revealing this point.

"——Somebody is invading!"

After he had taken down the first guard, beams of light immediately lit up all over the stone fortress, illuminating the place.

Swift footsteps approached; guards were ambushed everywhere within this stone fortress.

Su Ming’an swung his blade again, and even though his blade technique was clumsy, it suppressed the guards. The spatial attribute inherent to the Amber Knife was especially effective in group battles; even if he swung and missed, the spatial vibrations would stun the guards around him.

This was akin to forcibly increasing his margin for error.

...

[HP-3291! (Spatial Bonus!)]

[You have killed (First Tribe Guard・Rong Ge), EXP+1000!]

...

[HP-3993! (Spatial Bonus!)]

[You have killed (First Tribe Guard・Manduo), EXP+1000!]

...

"Ding-dong!"

[You have leveled up to (Fourth Rank-2) Player.]

...

Su Ming’an rapidly allocated his Attribute Points.

He had carved a path as if he were in an unpopulated land. After charging to the third floor, no one stopped him any longer.

Suddenly he smelled a scorched odor, as if something was ignited.

Looking out through the windows of the third-floor hallway, he saw that the First Tribe below was unusually bright.

The source of that light was not soul stones, nor was it lamps.

It was fire.

The burning fire filled his view.

At this time, both the Inner City and the Outer City had started to catch fire.

Bright red flames devoured the wooden houses, and even the dried meat and other items hung outside by the residents began to char.

Su Ming’an saw tribe members with the ability to control water trying to extinguish the fires, but many more tribespeople only ran about in panic; the tribe was now in extraordinary chaos.

...It seems that Feng Qiqi’s group still chose to set the fire. Perhaps they could not defeat the elders who came at the news and had to create chaos in this manner.

Su Ming’an stopped observing the outside and kicked open the doors of the rooms on the third floor, one by one.

There was no one inside these rooms, most of which were empty. This most important building of the First Tribe didn’t seem to be for the tribespeople to live in, but rather to accommodate certain individuals.

As he continued to kick down doors, he finally found a furnished room.

Inside was a bed, blankets, ornaments, and potted plants, exuding a strong sense of life—it seemed someone had lived there.

...This should be the room of Feng Qiqi’s sister, but there was nobody inside.

After searching, he found a piece of sheepskin with a system prompt.

...

[You have obtained Clue Er・Sheepskin Paper]

[(Sheepskin Paper): A sheepskin paper filled with ancient Qiongdi fantasy script, it appears to contain important information.]

...

Su Ming’an tucked it away. The ancient fantasy text was a profound script of Qiongdi, and few people could write it, but it seemed that Xiber knew some of it.

Just as he was about to examine the drawers for more items, he suddenly heard footsteps.

He immediately opened a cabinet next to him and climbed inside. The people coming might be the elders, and among them, the Great Elder Feng Le’s strength was not inferior to Fengchang’s. He decided to observe their actions before determining whether to confront them directly.

No sooner had he entered the cabinet than he felt something soft beneath his feet.

"...You." A soft cry of pain came through, tinged with a bit of anger.

It was then that Su Ming’an realized that there was an allied comrade under his feet, who had probably hidden in the cabinet earlier upon hearing footsteps while searching through the room.

Ignoring the person below him, he peered through the cabinet gap to see the owner of the footsteps slowly walk into the room.

It was a harmless-looking little girl.

She had soft black hair, large eyes as clear as water, and didn’t appear to be older than twelve. Dressed in a fluffy teddy bear pajama, the bunny slippers on her feet made a slight patting sound as she moved.

She approached the table and began stuffing small items like hair clips, bracelets, and photo frames into a wooden box, then gently closed the lid.

Her movements were gentle and slow, her eyes filled with reluctance, as if she were saying goodbye to something.

...This must be Feng Qiqi’s sister.

Su Ming’an and the comrade below were still squeezed into the same cabinet, both with their eyes glued firmly to the crack of the cabinet door.

Su Ming’an had nowhere to place his feet and didn’t dare to make a noise. It was tough for the fellow underneath to support his weight, following in Mo Yan’s footsteps.

At that moment, however, the girl moved closer to the cabinet door.

"...I’m leaving now," the girl said to the crack in the cabinet door.

Su Ming’an was slightly taken aback.

A voice came from below:

"Okay."

"...You better not cry," the girl said.

"Okay," the person below replied.

"...After I leave, you should live freely in this world, not bearing such a heavy burden. You are the most special, the most unique," the girl said.

There was a pause of silence, and then lightly from below: "I know."

The girl revealed a smile.

Once again, footsteps could be heard outside the door.

This time, the sound was fast and heavy, no longer the gentle pace of the girl. A large group of people were approaching, and they clearly harbored ill intentions.

"Bang!" The door was pushed open.

The elders blocked the entrance.

Leading them was the Great Elder Feng Le, whose hawk-like eyes focused on the girl, gripping her frail figure as if unwilling to let go.

"The First Tribe is on fire," the Great Elder stared at her: "Now is the period of the fire disaster, and the flames will be enhanced by the environment. Even Kelsor, who controls the flow of water, was unable to stop the spread of the fire."

The girl looked at him quietly, clutching the wooden box in her arms, speechless.

"...This is the wrath of the deity Bai Shen, bringing down the heavenly flames," the Great Elder declared loudly: "We failed to catch your brother, now it’s time for you to contribute to the tribe."

"What can I do?" the girl’s voice was faint: "I’m just a child."

"No, you are very useful," said the elder, his thick fingers on the staff slightly bent. He blocked the doorway, cutting off the girl’s escape:

"Because of the spread of the flames—we will advance the God Sacrifice Ceremony, you... get your things ready, and come with us to the volcano at the rear mountain."

The elders beside him could not bear to look, and the third elder Guang Li even turned her back, struggling to accept this deed.

But before the succession ceremony, sacrificing the child with the greatest potential to the deity had always been an ancient tradition. Moreover, the sudden outbreak of a fire within the tribe that could not be contained indicated the great deity Bai Shen was furious at the sibling’s attempt to escape, and they must perform the ritual without delay.

...Casting her into the magma would be the best way to appease the god.

"Let’s go." The girl did not argue; she had anticipated this situation when she first saw the flames erupt within the tribe and had already packed her things.

She took the wooden box containing various colorful hairpins, wristbands, and other cheap trinkets, and began to leave.

Throughout this, she did not so much as glance at the cabinet, not giving away the presence of someone else hidden within.

Under the light of the other people’s torches, her shadow stretched long, and her steps remained light. Su Ming’an could see the pair of plush rabbit ears on her shoes flickering in the firelight.

They looked incredibly cute.

...

After everyone left, the person Su Ming’an had been stepping on pushed open the cabinet door and collapsed on the floor as if drained of strength, his gaze vacant.

As his wristwatch lit up, dispelling the darkness, Su Ming’an realized it was a child, not another Player with the same goal as him.

"Are you her friend?" Su Ming’an asked.

The child lowered his hands, revealing a face covered with horrific scars and a pair of bright red eyes. He wore somewhat ragged clothes, and his arms were slender.

He looked at Su Ming’an with a hint of wariness.

"I’m Feng Qiqi’s friend, and I’m here to save his sister," Su Ming’an said, pulling out a piece of candy that Feng Qiqi had given him.

Seeing the candy, the child’s wariness lessened a bit.

"I am... her shadow," the child spoke, his voice as hoarse as a broken bell.

Su Ming’an knew what a "shadow" was; in Qiongdi, children of higher status often had a "shadow" of similar age who grew up alongside them, serving as their guard, servant, or study companion.

The status of a "shadow" was not high; they were often orphans without families who could be used for protection against assassination attempts or as human shields. Their lives were not considered valuable, and the children of high status did not hold them in high regard.

But it seemed this shadow had a good relationship with Feng Qiqi’s sister.

Feng Qiqi’s sister had known her shadow was hiding in the wardrobe; they were actually saying their goodbyes just now.

...

[...After I’m gone, you should live freely in this world, carrying no heavy burdens. You are the most special, truly unique.]

Those were the sister’s words to the shadow just now.

...

Looking at the shadow, who was still sobbing, Su Ming’an squatted down.

"Okay," Su Ming’an stared at him, "I don’t have much time. Tell me straight, is the name of that sister of Feng Qiqi you mentioned... Qianqian Xiber?"

"..." The shadow paused slightly.

He looked carefully at Su Ming’an, as if doubting why he didn’t even know the real name of Feng Qiqi’s sister.

After a moment, the shadow looked away, deciding to trust him anyway.

For some reason, he felt quite fond of this person and found it hard to doubt him.

"No, her name isn’t Qianqian Xiber," said the shadow.

Su Ming’an frowned, "...Then what is it?"

"Her name is..." the shadow said:

"It’s Qianqian."

"Qianqian Zeven."