Vol. 2 Chapter 26 – Deep Sea Sacrificial Town. (5)

“The manor requires every maid working here to wear a specific uniform. If it gets damaged, you need to replace it. This ‘uniform’ could mean the maid outfit on the outside, or it could refer to the body it controls.”

Yin Liuming looked at Si Cheng.

Si Cheng understood what Yin Liuming meant and frowned. “That monster’s body last night was indeed very rigid—like a corpse that’s been dead for a long time.”

No wonder the maids’ movements and expressions were so rigid.

Mi Anpei looked like he was about to throw up. “So these maids are not only disgusting bugs but also bug corpses?” He covered his mouth. “I will never eat their breakfasts again.”

Si Cheng’s dagger clinked as he sheathed it. “The one we encountered in the forest last night was alive, though.”

Si He looked grim as well. “It seems the forest is likely the insect hive.”

Yin Liuming said, “That raises a question… If there are living insects, why use dead ones? If the insects lack intelligence, then why wouldn’t the person controlling them come in person?”

The others exchanged worried looks.

Si He said, “I have a guess—maybe we’ve misunderstood how these bugs exist. They might not be controlled by one specific ‘person.’ Instead, their minds coming together could actually be the ‘brain’ itself.”

Yin Liuming nodded. “Like a hive mind¹[T/N: “母巢意識” (hive mind) refers to a collective consciousness shared by a group, often used in sci-fi to describe how insect-like creatures operate under one unified will without a central leader.] in a swarm.”

“That’s right. This hive could be the boss hiding in the forest. Maybe it’s limited by some constraints and can’t come out yet. It will show up once the story progresses enough.”

Mi Anpei said, “It doesn’t have to be in the forest—it might have already shown up somewhere else!”

In everyone’s mind, Madame Solari’s graceful figure flashed, and they couldn’t help but shiver.

Yin Liuming stroked his chin, saying nothing.

“In that case, we might be able to figure out who the dreamer is,” Si Cheng said, his eyes lighting up. “The dreamer is probably a victim of the bugs and rats that combined into this monster in the dream… If Madame Solari is the boss, then the dreamer must be one of the townspeople she exploited!”

With that thought, Si Cheng couldn’t stay still. “I’m going to the town to ask around.”

……

However, today, none of the townspeople wanted to talk to the players. Si Cheng came back empty-handed and looked dejected.

Yin Liuming had planned to test Madame Solari when she showed up, but by the time dinner was over, she still hadn’t appeared.

The butler smiled and said, “The preliminary preparations for the sacrificial ritual tomorrow will be done today. Madame is very busy and can’t join you for dinner this evening.”

The mention of the ritual brought fear to the players’ faces.

Two days had gone by, and they had almost nothing to show for it. Three teammates were already dead, and more might die tonight.

After the butler left, most of the players finally focused their gaze on Lei Yingzhe.

True to his reputation, Lei Yingzhe spoke up, “I found a breakthrough today.”

“What breakthrough?”

Lei Yingzhe smiled. “It’s better if this goes through an NPC.”

He motioned for them to sit. “Everyone, please wait.”

The door to the dining room creaked open after a short time. A cautious head peeked in, looked around, sighed in relief, and then slipped inside.

The players looked at him in surprise.

It was the lantern bearer who had guided them to the manor when they first entered the dream.

Lei Yingzhe said with a cheerful smile, “Go ahead, Old Man Kraft.”

Kraft wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile. “I’ll say it quickly, then I need to go… Otherwise, Madame will find out, and I’ll be dead.”

He steadied himself, glanced around, and then broke into a smile. “I notice some of you are missing—did they disappear somewhere in the manor?”

Lei Yingzhe nodded. “Yes.”

“Heh, Madame is just like she always is… On the surface, she invited you as the descendants of returning townspeople to take part in the ritual. But in reality, she’s using you as sacrifices.”

A flicker of fear passed across Kraft’s deeply wrinkled face. “Your missing companions… hehe.”

Though the players had anticipated this, their expressions still turned gloomy.

Lei Yingzhe asked, “Who exactly is Madame?”

Kraft repeated the information he had previously told Yin Liuming’s group, then concluded, “Almost precisely when she returned, the sun above Solari Town changed.”

“Did Madame make the sun behave strangely? Why would she do that?”

Kraft’s face grew serious. “Her goal is to have the Sunfish God replace the Deep Sea Fish God!”

The players were all taken aback.

Madame mentioned the term ‘Sunfish God’ on the first day, saying that Solari Town used to worship this deity. Maybe the loss of that faith led to the sun’s anomaly.

“I need to clarify something… No one in Solari Town ever worshipped any so-called Sunfish God.”

Kraft’s wrinkles quivered with excitement. “We’ve been fishermen for generations, so of course we worshipped the sea’s fish god. Why would anyone think the sun is a fish? It was Madame Solari who came back and introduced this mysterious Sunfish God, demanding sacrifices. Maybe she’s the one who summoned an evil deity that covers the sun! And now she wants to take over the worship of the Deep Sea Fish God!”

He suddenly straightened, eyes wide as he stared at the players. “If you remain here, you will all become her sacrifices!”

Kraft’s voice was hoarse, and his words sent a chill down their spines.

Lei Yingzhe spoke on behalf of the players. “What can you do to help us?”

Kraft sized up Lei Yingzhe with a smile. “Actually… people in Solari Town have been unhappy with Madame for a long time. But she has a horde of monsters, so no one dares to oppose her openly. Those monsters draw their strength from her so-called Sunfish God, and each ritual is meant to replenish that god’s power for her. If the ritual fails, her power will be greatly weakened.”

“Are you asking us to secretly mess up the ritual?”

“No,” Kraft shook his head. “We plan to make an offering to the Deep Sea Fish God while Madame’s power is weak! The Deep Sea Fish God is only blinded by her power. Once it realizes that its followers are being attacked by monsters, it will definitely solve all the problems!”

He suddenly looked up. “Young people… which side will you choose?”

The players immediately understood.

They now had to choose between siding with the Sunfish God or the Deep Sea Fish God—Madame Solari or the townspeople.

Logically, the manor was probably full of monsters, and Madame could very well be the leader among them—so it seemed safer to choose the townspeople.

However, the details about the townspeople came solely from Kraft.

Although their main mission target was the sun, the dream’s name still mentioned the deep sea…

After tonight, they would finish the first stage of their main mission. This decision now could affect how hard the next stage would be.

The players looked unsure, with some huddling together and whispering.

Someone looked to Lei Yingzhe for help. “Brother Lei, what do you think?”

Lei Yingzhe smiled. “After hearing Kraft’s words, I was also unsure. But we need to share this important information, so I asked Kraft to come.”

Kraft let out a soft “hmph.”

“I personally believe… we should join the townspeople.” Lei Yingzhe’s voice wavered a bit. “After all, our goal is to help the people of Solari Town enjoy the sun again.”

He emphasized the words ‘townspeople.’

It was as if the players were awakened from a dream.

They had been drawn to Solari Manor as soon as they entered the dream, and everything unfolded there. They had subconsciously forgotten that their main mission was to help the ‘townspeople’ see the sun again.

Immediately, several people opted to support the townspeople. Others thought that by siding with Madame Solari, they might end up competing against Lei Yingzhe and his group later—who would want to face off against a bigshot? Because of that, they decided to join the townspeople too.

A remaining few still hesitated.

Seeing this, Lei Yingzhe smiled. “It’s everyone’s choice. I believe we will all reach the same destination in the end. Don’t worry—we’re still one team.”

The implication was that different factions wouldn’t get in the way of their cooperation.

Those still hesitating relaxed. One said, “I still think Madame’s side has more information.”

Kraft scowled, saying nothing.

Lei Yingzhe looked around and then at Yin Liuming, smiling. “And this friend?”

Mi Anpei’s eyes widened in surprise—he hadn’t expected a ranked player to single out Yin Liuming.

Yin Liuming replied calmly, “I choose Madame Solari.”

Lei Yingzhe wasn’t surprised. He smiled. “Then good luck.”

His gaze swept to those around Yin Liuming.

Si He, having already decided earlier, said, “I choose the townspeople.”

Unexpectedly, Si Cheng said without hesitation, “I choose Madame.”

Si He looked at him in surprise. “Xiao Cheng?”

“I think siding with Madame Solari is the key to clearing the level.” Si Cheng said. “You choose your side; it doesn’t conflict.”

Si He was silent for a moment, then sighed. “In that case, I’ll join you.”

Si Cheng frowned but held back any complaint in front of others.

Mi Anpei also chose the same as Yin Liuming.

Surprisingly, Chi Xi chose to side with the townspeople.

Mi Anpei looked at Chi Xi incredulously. “Xiao Chi, are you betraying us?”

Chi Xi’s face flushed. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

He instinctively looked at Yin Liuming, his gaze filled with fear and worry.

Chi Xi spoke quietly. “Brother Yin, I just feel… meeting you in the first dream was my luck, but I can’t always rely on your protection to clear the Nightmare Game.”

Now, whenever something happened, he instinctively sought Yin Liuming’s help, but he felt he couldn’t contribute equally.

Even though Mi Anpei seemed carefree, after last night’s incident, he jumped up with his metal coatrack. Meanwhile, Chi Xi was too slow and ended up getting blocked in his room by the maids.

He didn’t want to remain a weakling dependent on others, so he wanted to leave Yin Liuming and try exploring on his own.

Yin Liuming patted his shoulder reassuringly and smiled understandingly. “Don’t worry about me. You’re here to clear the Nightmare Game for yourself.”

Chi Xi pressed his lips together and rubbed the corner of his eye bashfully.

By now, almost all the players had made their choices—most followed Lei Yingzhe to support the townspeople, while only a few decided to side with Madame Solari.

Kraft, the lantern bearer, looked satisfied with this outcome. He even shot a hostile glance at those who sided with Madame before giving each supporter of the townspeople a small charm.

When Chi Xi received his charm, he showed it to Yin Liuming. It was a wooden carving of a fish with its tail arched, tied with a rough hemp string.

Kraft told them, “Put on this charm, and you won’t need to worry about any trouble tonight.”

The players who chose the townspeople lit up, relieved they had made the right choice.

Those who had sided with Madame looked as if their world had come to an end. A few of them regretted their choice and quickly went to Kraft, asking if they could change their minds.

Kraft mercilessly refused them.

Chi Xi looked at Yin Liuming with concern. “Brother Yin…”

He thought for a moment, then made up his mind and handed his charm to Yin Liuming. “You take this.”

A hint of warmth appeared in Yin Liuming’s eyes. “No need.”

“But…”

“I’m going out tonight.”

Chi Xi was stunned.

The other players around him were also stunned.

Staying in their rooms could lead to trouble—so as long as they didn’t return to their rooms, they’d be okay?!

……

That night, after the lights went out, a maid with a cleaning cart showed up in the hallway again.

This time, her target was clear. Without hesitation, she headed straight for Room 7, her stiff eyes full of glee and hatred.

However, as she paused in front of the door to Room 7, it suddenly swung open, and Yin Liuming’s indifferent face appeared.

The maid instinctively threw her mop far behind her. “Sir…”

Yin Liuming stepped out, ignoring the mop, and grabbed the bucket from the cleaning cart.

The maid seemed to realize what he intended and frantically turned to run.

Splash! A bucket of filthy water drenched her completely!

The maid was stunned for a moment before she realized what had happened. Then, she let out a scream that sounded like an insect’s cry!

Her face contorted, her nails lengthened, her body grew taller, and she pounced at Yin Liuming in anger.

Yin Liuming deftly dodged and easily led her toward the staircase.

As the monster-maid’s figure disappeared, the door to Room 6 swung open.

Mi Anpei glanced around, then yelled, “Brothers, let’s go!”

Several other doors opened too. The players who had sided with Madame earlier stepped out, each one armed.

They exchanged looks, and in their eyes was both fear of the unknown and a thrill of excitement.

Mi Anpei rolled his eyes and called out to the other rooms, “Does anyone else want to join in? If not, we’ll find the good stuff ourselves!”

After a while, Room 10’s door swung open, showing Lei Yingzhe’s interested face.

……

Yin Liuming skillfully kicked the maid up to the second floor, and like the night before, she quickly ran away.

This time, Yin Liuming didn’t attack the monstrous maid and let it dash into the forest.

He stood at the edge of the pitch-black forest, thought for a moment, and without waiting for the other players, he stepped inside first.

The dark, muddy ground in the forest was soft and sinking, making the monster’s fleeing footprints very visible.

Shen Lou floated up next to him and raised an eyebrow. “Are you planning to go die by yourself?”

Yin Liuming gave him a look, as if he were staring at a dog that could never spit out ivory²[T/N: This is a Chinese idiom meaning someone rude or lowly can’t be expected to say anything decent or valuable.].

Shen Lou appeared eager to tease this version of Yin Liuming. “Those monsters have no restraint—how could I use your body if they ripped you apart?”

Yin Liuming pinched his fingers together. “Are you really that bored?”

Shen Lou smiled. “Not bored exactly; I just think it’s more interesting this way.”

Yin Liuming suddenly felt a strong desire to see Shen Lou knocked to the ground, crying his eyes out.

Luckily, a vine stretching down from a branch distracted Yin Liuming.

The ivy, hidden among the leaves, carefully stretched out its vine and scratched Yin Liuming’s shoulder twice.

According to the agreement between Yin Liuming and Ye Qingqing, one scratch meant something had happened, two scratches meant everything was fine, and three scratches meant… it was very dangerous here, and he needed to escape right away.

Yin Liuming touched the leaf of the ivy with his finger, frowned a bit, and then nodded. “Thank you for your effort.”

The ivy seemed a bit shy and shook its leaves, then rustled back up into the tree.

Yin Liuming thought for a moment, then continued following the footprints.

Shen Lou floated alongside, teasing Yin Liuming without holding back.

Yin Liuming held back for a bit, but soon he could no longer contain himself. He took out the illustration book. “Is there any way to return you to it?”

“Of course not…” Shen Lou suddenly appeared next to Yin Liuming in an instant and quickly pulled him aside.

Almost at the same time, a set of sharp claws broke through the ground where Yin Liuming had been standing!

If Shen Lou hadn’t moved so fast, those claws would have impaled Yin Liuming from below!

Shen Lou placed Yin Liuming down and smiled. “See? I saved your life again.”

Yin Liuming’s expression darkened. He had been closely watching the surroundings as he moved forward, noticing every shake in the ground. But Shen Lou kept talking and distracting him.

As a result, he had to rely on Shen Lou to save him once more.

Yin Liuming took a slow breath, looked at the insect monster rising from the mud, and said, “Thanks.”

A flame ignited beside him.

The monster hesitated upon seeing the fire, but quickly charged again.

Yin Liuming calmly stepped aside and flicked his fingers. The Flames of Rage and Regret wrapped around the monster’s body, giving off a sickening burnt smell.

The monster screamed in agony, but it became even more aggressive, its front claws whirling and almost cutting into Yin Liuming’s arm.

Yin Liuming frowned slightly.

Shen Lou spoke up just in time, saying, “This monster seems different from the maids.”

They were similar in appearance, but this one moved more swiftly, like a wild beast, its crimson eyes lacking any sense of reason.

Yin Liuming avoided another strike, and his lips curved into a small smile. “So it’s alive.”

While the maids were all corpses.

As the monster’s attack grew fiercer, Shen Lou’s amused look quickly turned serious, and he rushed over to stand beside Yin Liuming.

Yin Liuming watched the monster closely. As it attacked once more, he dodged to the side and slipped behind a tree.

The monster’s claw slashed through the air, and with a sharp crack, it caught in the tree trunk.

Seizing the moment, Yin Liuming sprang up and landed a kick straight on the monster’s abdomen!

After that, he released the Flames of Rage and Regret, burning the monster again.

The monster let out a piercing, agonized cry.

Fighting off the nausea, Yin Liuming held the monster’s front claws and forced its head into the mud.

Next, he took the illustration book and tapped it against the monster—this creature, badly beaten and burned almost to death, instantly vanished.

This time, he had successfully captured it.

Yin Liuming’s face darkened as he glanced down at his arm.

His left sleeve was torn open, and fresh blood seeped out slowly.

Although the wound wasn’t deep, he was troubled by the numbness he felt around it.

He scowled as he opened the illustration book to check the details of the monster he had just captured.

On the blank page following ‘Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus,’ a new record appeared:

[Deep Sea Hunting Bug]

[Dream Source: Deep Sea Sacrificial Town]

[Rarity: ★★]

[Strength: 15]

[Aggressiveness: 20]

[Rationality: 2]

[Description: A mutated insect that feeds on flesh and is an enemy of fish. It’s good at using poison to paralyze its prey before slowly eating them. Luckily, it’s not very smart and easy to trick.]

[Illustration Book Skill Unlocked: Paralytic Poison Lv1 (Costs 1 point and gives one vial of non-lethal poison that can paralyze, put to sleep, or cause hallucinations).]

Thankfully, it was non-lethal. Yin Liuming exhaled and leaned back against the tree.

Shen Lou floated over, frowning. “You alright?”

Yin Liuming collected himself and moved his arm. “I’m fine.”

Even though his arm was still slightly numb, he hadn’t felt any sleepiness or hallucinations yet.

Through the tear in Yin Liuming’s sleeve, Shen Lou’s semi-transparent finger reached in and lightly touched the wound.

A faint coolness touched the wound, and Yin Liuming felt little pain—instead, there was a strange comfort.

After a moment, Shen Lou withdrew his finger. “You should be fine now.”

Yin Liuming moved his arm and noticed the numbness had subsided greatly.

Looking up, a hint of surprise appeared in his dark eyes.

Shen Lou laughed. “What’s this? You’re starting to see I’m more useful than you thought?”

Yin Liuming abruptly narrowed his eyes and asked, “So your abilities are growing with each captured illustration?”

Shen Lou started out as merely a phantom spirit. Over time, as Yin Liuming filled the illustration book, Shen Lou gradually learned to interact, know if food was poisonous, and could even heal wounds.

Shen Lou’s smiling expression slowly froze.

Yin Liuming’s mood improved, and he gave a sincere smile. “Thank you.”

Their relationship was mainly a cold, formal contract, so Shen Lou didn’t have to intervene most of the time.

Shen Lou stared at him for a while, shook his head, and said, “It would be nice if you were in those bunny pajamas at this moment.”

Yin Liuming’s smile disappeared right away, and his face went back to its blank expression.

—As expected, can’t afford to go easy on him.

……

By the time they finished, the other players were already catching up.

Yin Liuming and Mi Anpei regrouped, but first, they had to listen to a round of Mi Anpei’s complaints. “Brother Yin, you promised we’d wait and move together!”

Yin Liuming answered casually, “I was worried about losing it.”

Si Cheng stopped at the spot where Yin Liuming had fought the monster, frowning. “The tracks end here.”

“It burrowed into the ground and ran off.”

Si He’s expression grew dark. “It can burrow…”

In such soft mud, defending against an underground ambush was almost impossible.

“It’s late at night now, and the monster could strike from underground again. I think—”

Before Si He could finish, Si Cheng interrupted, “Keep moving forward.”

Si He shot him a disapproving glance.

Yin Liuming stretched his arm, stood up, and made his way deeper into the forest.

Mi Anpei, Si Cheng, and Chi Xi also stepped forward.

Si He sighed and, with some reluctance, followed along.

The other players had arrived as well, and they naturally refused to back down. They held their weapons and moved forward together.

As they followed the tracks the monstrous maid had left, winding past several groves of trees, they eventually came to a clearing with no trees.

Simply looking made nearly every player’s heart start to race.

The muddy ground heaved over there, where crimson-eyed monsters twisted in the soil, clustering like maggots on decaying flesh—sickeningly dense.

In the middle of the horde, more than a dozen dark stone pillars stood, and three of them had a person bound to each.

They were the three players who went missing from the manor.

• 1
  [T/N: “母巢意識” (hive mind) refers to a collective consciousness shared by a group, often used in sci-fi to describe how insect-like creatures operate under one unified will without a central leader.]
• 2
  [T/N: This is a Chinese idiom meaning someone rude or lowly can’t be expected to say anything decent or valuable.]