Vol. 2 Chapter 28 – Deep Sea Sacrificial Town. (7)

Hearing that voice, Yin Liuming actually calmed down instead.

He lowered his hand from the window and turned around.

Madame Solari had changed out of the formal, solemn gown she wore that morning, now wearing a simple light gray dress with no jewelry at all. Her beautiful face still wore a smile, though her eyes hinted at some displeasure.

At her feet lay two players, sighing and lamenting.

Floating beside them was an indignant gemstone mermaid.

Yin Liuming’s gaze settled on the players.

The two players were busy throwing insults at each other, but it turned out to be surprisingly simple. They, just like Yin Liuming, had secretly tried to sneak up to the second floor to investigate Madame Solari.

However, one of them got dazzled by the beautiful jewelry in the hallway. He thought taking only one piece wouldn’t be a big deal… but those pieces were ‘haunted,’ and the moment he took off a necklace, Madame Solari caught him.

Yin Liuming looked at them speechlessly, at a loss for words.

Madame Solari had no intention of letting them off; she smiled and asked again, “What are you doing?”

Yin Liuming composed himself and replied calmly, “I’m appreciating your music, Madame.”

Madame Solari fixed her eyes on him and smiled. “I believe I told all my guests before. The second floor is my private residence. You’re not allowed up here.”

She looked down at the two players, trembling but unable to escape. Madame Solari’s kindly expression abruptly turned cold. “Those who do not follow the rules cannot remain as guests of the manor.”

At Madame Solari’s words, the two players’ eyes filled with terror. A layered glow enveloped their bodies, and then they vanished in an instant. No one knew where they went.

Yin Liuming suddenly understood. It seemed the player who vanished after the maid monsters smeared dirty water on their door had also disappeared for the same reason. No doubt, they had broken Madame Solari’s rule about keeping things clean.

Meeting Madame Solari’s intense gaze, Yin Liuming said calmly, “I did not go up to the second floor.”

Madame Solari paused in surprise.

“This is the third floor.”

Madame Solari: “……”

She took on a stern expression. “Young man, do not babble nonsense.”

How can you reach the third floor without passing through the second floor?

Yin Liuming pointed at the window. “I climbed in from outside the window.”

Madame Solari glanced at the window and narrowed her eyes.

Yin Liuming calmly met her gaze.

The two of them stared at each other for a while, then Madame Solari unexpectedly smiled again. “In that case, handsome young man, why don’t you show me how exactly you came up here?”

Yin Liuming had expected this and smiled as he rolled up his sleeves. “I’m happy to be of service, Madame, but you’ll have to let me go back down first.”

Madame Solari made a gesture toward the window, as if to say, ‘Please.’

Yin Liuming stepped onto the windowsill and looked down at the ground below the third floor.

The western-style mansion of Solari Manor was refined and luxurious, with plenty of protruding decorations. If one were careful and picked the right spots, it should be possible to reach the ground safely…

He hesitated for a moment, then leapt down.

……

Once he landed safely on the ground, Yin Liuming steadied his slightly rapid breathing and looked up at the third-floor window.

As he expected, Madame Solari did not appear. He could only see a glimmering gemstone head peeking at him from the window.

Yin Liuming used this as an excuse to go downstairs, originally planning to make a run for it. After all, Madame Solari had stayed on the second floor all day without showing herself, clearly restricted by some condition. As long as he left the manor, she wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on him.

But after seeing those gemstone mermaids, Yin Liuming changed his mind.

Shen Lou’s voice sounded in his ear. “Do you want to climb back up?”

Yin Liuming flexed his wrist. “Yes.”

“Your physical fitness is only slightly better than the average person’s; you’re still a long way from leaping across rooftops.”

Yin Liuming said, “If it were nighttime right now, I could leap across rooftops without a problem.”

When he went crazy from insomnia, even he was afraid of himself.

Shen Lou’s voice carried a faint temptation. “If you pay a small price, I’ll help you climb easily.”

Yin Liuming refused without hesitation. “No.”

He certainly didn’t want to be lifted by the neck and floated up to the third floor.

Shen Lou’s voice acquired a hint of amusement. “Rest assured, it’s not such a crude method.”

……

A minute later, Yin Liuming stood in front of Madame Solari, seriously questioning if something had gone wrong with his brain just now. Why else would he have been curious about what kind of ‘precise’ method Shen Lou had in mind to get him up to the third floor?

Shen Lou directly merged with his body, then, moving with a speed and posture no normal human could match, dashed up the outer wall of the manor and sprang straight to the attic window.

The speed and explosive power were truly astonishing… but he had to endure the intense pain and numbness inflicted on his muscles and bones himself!

A person’s jumping ability and explosive strength were limited mainly because the brain consciously held back the muscles from using too much force in order to prevent injury.

However, Shen Lou didn’t spare any thought for his body at all.

Yin Liuming straightened his back to stand before Madame Solari, not to intimidate her, but because his lower back ached so badly he could barely feel it.

He pressed his lips together and, after a long pause, finally said, “Madame, what do you think?”

Madame Solari stared at him as if he were a monster. “Are young people so agile nowadays?”

Yin Liuming let out a mocking laugh at Shen Lou inwardly.

“Sorry for misunderstanding you.” Madame Solari fully believed Yin Liuming’s explanation, and a hint of apology showed on her face. “The second floor is my workspace; I just don’t want to be disturbed.”

Yin Liuming forced himself to ignore his discomfort. “Madame, what work do you do?”

Madame Solari smiled and pointed to the gemstone mermaid perched on her shoulder. “Them.”

The little mermaid affectionately rubbed her finger and blinked her beautiful eyes, curiously studying Yin Liuming.

Yin Liuming took a closer look at the little mermaid, and a guess flashed through his mind. “Jewelry design?”

“Yes.”

Madame Solari’s eyes lit up. “Every gemstone and diamond has its own unique soul. As a jewelry designer, my job isn’t to create their charm but to bring out the brilliance they already hold!”

Madame Solari apparently became excited and began talking nonstop about her experiences in designing a wide range of jewelry and accessories.

Yin Liuming couldn’t understand a thing, but that didn’t stop him from nodding in approval at the right moments.

When Madame Solari finally paused, he asked, “In that case, why did you come back to Solari Town? Isn’t jewelry design better pursued in more developed places?”

Jewelry design would presumably flourish more easily in more developed areas, wouldn’t it?

Madame Solari gently stroked the little mermaid on her shoulder with affection. “I retrieved two stunning deep-blue aquatic diamonds from a shipwreck at the Pacific Ocean’s bottom. I want to design a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry with them, but I’ve been stuck with no inspiration, so I thought I’d come to a place near the sea to relax and maybe find some ideas.”

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow and looked at the gemstone mermaids still playing violins behind Madame Solari. “They are your creations?”

“Yes, all of them are my proudest treasures.”

Madame Solari gazed at the gemstone mermaids, eyes filled with obsession. Then her expression turned cold. “What a shame. As the saying goes, rough lands breed troublemakers¹[T/N: It is a Chinese idiom meaning that people from harsh, impoverished environments tend to be unruly or troublesome.]. In this poor little town, there are always thieves trying to steal them.”

The little mermaid on her shoulder obligingly shivered as if frightened.

Yin Liuming said keenly, “Your jewelry was stolen?”

“Almost.”

Madame Solari still seemed angry as she brought it up. “Thankfully, the butler protected them, or these gifts from the god would have been stolen by some scoundrel. This town is full of thugs, bullies, and sneaky little thieves. Maybe the sun’s disappearance is a punishment for all the evil committed here.”

Yin Liuming’s brow furrowed gradually.

Suddenly, the little mermaid on Madame Solari’s shoulder flew forward, hovering before Yin Liuming and tentatively poked his face.

Yin Liuming’s expression softened, and he offered the little mermaid a mild smile.

The little mermaid’s face turned red, and with a whoosh, she darted behind Madame Solari’s back.

“You’re an honest young man.” Madame Solari glanced sideways at the little mermaid, her expression softening. “Flan likes you very much.”

Yin Liuming said politely, “Thank you. You’re very pretty.” The second part was directed at the little mermaid.

The little mermaid popped out half her head, then immediately retreated in shyness.

Madame Solari chuckled lightly. “Alright, you’ve been here long enough. It’s time for you to go back. For Flan’s sake, if you ever need help, you can come to me, but only once.”

Surprised by this good fortune, Yin Liuming nodded. “Thank you, Madame. By the way, I have one final question.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you have them play the violin every day?”

Madame Solari paused for a moment, then a subtle, pity-tinged smile appeared on her face. “The Sunfish God only listens to pure voices. No one in this town can reach god’s heart anymore. Only my gemstone spirits can… Every day, they play their violins here, trying to draw the sun back with their music. And when they grow tired, the sun disappears again.”

……

Shen Lou withdrew his hand from Yin Liuming’s waist and said leisurely, “It’s done.”

Yin Liuming smiled gently. “Thank you, Mr. Shen, for healing me.”

Shen Lou, accustomed to Yin Liuming’s outwardly pleasant but inwardly aggravated attitude, raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, I forgot your ordinary human body can barely handle my spirit.”

Yin Liuming was certain Shen Lou had done it on purpose.

He sat up on the bed and straightened his clothes.

Shen Lou hovered in midair, looking down at him. “Why didn’t you collect her illustration earlier?”

When Yin Liuming changed his mind and tried to go back, Shen Lou guessed he intended to collect the little mermaid illustration.

The little mermaid named ‘Flan’ on Madame Solari’s shoulder was obviously fond of Yin Liuming. If he had been proactive, he might have acquired her.

Yin Liuming shot him a glance but said nothing. He rolled up his sleeves and changed the subject. “I’m going out to investigate the town.”

To the townspeople, Madame Solari was a witch who practiced dark magic and exploited the common people. But in Madame Solari’s eyes, it was the townspeople who were the villains, scheming to take over her manor.

Shen Lou gazed at Yin Liuming’s back and suddenly chuckled. “Have you started treating this dream as reality?”

Yin Liuming turned to look at him.

“No matter how real the people or events seem in the dream, they remain illusions,” Shen Lou said, folding his hands slightly. “Once the dream ends, everything will dissipate.”

Yin Liuming asked, “Aren’t you also part of the Nightmare Game, Mr. Shen?”

Shen Lou nodded. “Yes, I am also an illusion. If this dream ends, I will disappear too, so I need you to collect the illustration records.”

Yin Liuming was somewhat surprised. “Can the records make you a real, existing person?”

“Of course. Otherwise, how else could you have brought Ye Qingqing and the others out of the last dream?” Shen Lou raised his hand slightly, and the illustration book floated out from Yin Liuming’s pocket, hovering in the air. “This illustration book comes from the ‘Zero Point’—the place closest to reality in the world. With its power, any illusion can be turned into something real.”

“Then why do you still look like this?” Yin Liuming glanced over Shen Lou’s light blue, translucent body. The phrase ‘glowing jellyfish’ was right on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t say it out loud.

A touch of restraint appeared on Shen Lou’s face. “Because I’m currently not complete.”

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow.

“My power was scattered into countless fragments. Unless they’re all collected, I cannot become real.”

“The illustration book is your scattered power?” Yin Liuming looked skeptical. “Are you the Nightmare itself?”

Shen Lou shook his head with a cheerful smile. “No, I once tried to destroy the world, but was defeated by a person. He scattered my power throughout the Nightmare Game and sealed only my core self inside the illustration book.”

Yin Liuming: “……”

Yin Liuming: “You’re telling me that you’re a demon king who tried to destroy the world?”

“Maybe I was.” Shen Lou spread his hands. “My memory isn’t complete yet. The part about destroying the world is something I inferred from what I remember and a few clues.”

Yin Liuming nodded. “How to give up on dreaming? I honestly think insomnia sounds pretty good right now.”

Shen Lou looked at him with deep meaning in his eyes. “I’m afraid it’s already too late.”

Yin Liuming lifted his gaze to him, trying to figure out whether Shen Lou’s words earlier were true.

After a moment, Shen Lou suddenly smiled. “Don’t worry. Whether I intended to destroy the world in the past or not, right now I only want to become a real person. I won’t harm a single person in your world.”

Is Shen Lou really this gentle and easygoing? Yin Liuming narrowed his eyes. “What if you run into the person who defeated you back then?”

Although Shen Lou hadn’t revealed much, Yin Liuming guessed that the one who defeated Shen Lou must have been a player in the Nightmare Game.

Shen Lou calmly changed his tone. “I believe humanity wouldn’t mind sacrificing one person to prevent the world’s destruction.”

Yin Liuming let out a mocking laugh.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Shen Lou spread his hands with an innocent look. “You’re not seriously such a saint that you’d forbid me from getting a little personal revenge, right?”

Yin Liuming was silent for a moment before saying, “That’s your business.”

Shen Lou smiled and said, “Looks like we’re on the same page.”

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. He still couldn’t fully trust Shen Lou. He hadn’t forgotten that the first time they met, Shen Lou had immediately talked about taking over his body.

……

The town was still nearly deserted. Yin Liuming only saw a couple crouching by the dock, slowly working on their fishing nets. As soon as they noticed him, they quickly packed up and left.

Yin Liuming watched the couple huddle together as they entered a house, frowning slightly.

He walked to the spot where they had been.

By the dim, murky seawater at the dock lay a dugout canoe about two or three meters long. A few tattered cloths, some fishing spears, and a few daggers were found inside, all of which reeked of rotting fish.

Yin Liuming didn’t have a weapon on him right now and was planning to grab a dagger to use, but the overwhelming stench made him back off.

The stench felt oddly familiar… Yin Liuming recalled the foul water the monstrous maid had smeared on players’ doors at night and pondered its similarity.

He went to the couple’s front door and paced around it twice.

“Brother Yin, what are you doing?” Mi Anpei asked. Yin Liuming knocked on the window and listened. “I’m looking for a way to break in.”

Mi Anpei: “……”

Yin Liuming turned back. “What’s wrong?”

“Xiao Chi asked me to come find you.” Mi Anpei grabbed Yin Liuming and ran. “Someone from the townspeople faction is dead.”

……

Three players in the townspeople faction had died. The remaining players gathered nearby, their expressions grim.

Four corpses lay neatly side by side on a dirty blanket. Kraft was pouring water over their faces from a jug, sighing as he muttered, “May the Fish God accept your souls…”

Yin Liuming arrived at the edge of the forest, looking over the four corpses. His brows furrowed deeply.

The way these four died was far from pleasant. Their eye sockets were sunken, their eyeballs had vanished without a trace, and streaks of dried red and white fluid covered their faces, making them look both horrifying and gruesome.

Three of them were dressed like players, and one was a ragged old man who appeared to be a townsman.

“The townspeople died too??”

Chi Xi nodded. “Mhm, we found them all together.”

Yin Liuming turned to Chi Xi. “How did they die?”

Chi Xi swallowed hard. “Kraft took us to meet the leader of the townspeople’s side. He gave us breakfast and then assigned us a task. He said the sea sacrifice ritual required placing the offerings on a dugout canoe and sending them into the deep sea. He needed our help to build the canoe… The three of them worked fast and finished before us, so they went to investigate the forest. Then we suddenly heard them screaming, and by the time we got there, they were already dead.”

He cautiously glanced at Kraft and lowered his voice. “I heard that two of those three players were good at fighting. We’re all wondering if maybe those townspeople had bad intentions and ended up getting taken down with them.”

Yin Liuming thought for a moment, then asked, “Did they behave unusually during breakfast?”

Chi Xi blinked. “Unusual?”

“For example, did they eat something special or drink anything unusual?”

Chi Xi paused for a moment, then suddenly recalled something. “There was one drink that smelled weird. It had a sharp, pungent scent, so I didn’t drink it. But the three of them did.”

He abruptly realized and said in surprise, “Brother Yin, do you think… something’s wrong?”

Chi Xi’s eyes fixed on Kraft.

Yin Liuming nodded and briefly shared what he had found today at the Solari Manor. What Madame Solari said might not be entirely true, but the townspeople weren’t necessarily innocent either.

A chill suddenly ran through Chi Xi’s heart, and he covered his mouth as he stared at Kraft on the other side.

Kraft didn’t seem to notice the gloomy looks on the players’ faces. He sighed and said, “There are occasionally some wild beasts in our town. These children were just unlucky.”

—What kind of beast ignores everything else, only digs out human eyeballs, and then invades the brain?

Yin Liuming’s gaze fell once again on the players’ corpses. In his mind, he simulated how it might have happened: they walked to the edge of the forest, then suddenly, a tentacle like a snake lashed out with lightning speed, piercing straight through the eye socket into their brains…

Yin Liuming narrowed his eyes.

Lei Yingzhe noticed the commotion around Yin Liuming and quietly walked over without drawing attention. In a low voice, he asked, “This friend, do you have any new information?”

Yin Liuming glanced at him and said bluntly, “There might be something wrong with the townspeople.”

Lei Yingzhe showed no sign of being surprised and nodded, “Sacrificing to the sea is probably no easier than sacrificing to the sun.”

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow.

Lei Yingzhe chuckled. “The more dangerous it gets, the more it shows we’re touching the core of this dream, and the Dreamer’s identity becomes clearer.”

Yin Liuming replied coolly, “Congratulations, then.”

Chi Xi looked at the two of them with some unease.

Lei Yingzhe still smiled gently. “Then let’s see which of us can clear the level first.”

Yin Liuming turned around disinterestedly and walked away.

……

According to the tradition of Solari Town, the bodies of the three dead players and one townsman were wrapped in burlap and placed on a dugout canoe. A lantern bearer then rowed another boat to carry the canoe with the bodies deep into the ocean.

It was said that in this way, their bodies and souls would return to the ocean, be transformed by the Deep Sea Fish God, and be reborn into the human world.

Kraft showed no sadness. “Tomorrow, their souls will be purified by the Deep Sea Fish God and return to the human world. Don’t be afraid.”

This rebirth custom made the eerie feeling of Solari Town even stronger.

The dugout canoe carrying the three players’ bodies was exactly the one they had finished today. This cast a shadow over the hearts of the townspeople’s side players.

After the sea burial, they still had to continue making dugout canoes, but this time they deliberately slowed down their actions, afraid that completing the canoe would trigger the death flag.

That evening, all the players gathered in the dining hall once more to share dinner with Madame Solari.

Compared to the first day, the restaurant now had nearly one-third fewer people, making it feel much emptier.

Many players were still guessing whether there would be new maids in the manor. Otherwise, who would make dinner?

Unexpectedly, the one pushing the food cart inside was the butler.

The butler placed dish after dish of dinner, which didn’t look very fancy, in front of the players. He took out a delicate napkin to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then said with a stern face, “This is all we have for today.”

The bread had a slight burn, the fried fish was obviously undercooked, and the lamb chops had uneven cuts…

If the butler made these, then his cooking skills must be extremely terrible, right?

Madame Solari kept a polite smile. “Thank you for your hard work, Ralph.”

Instead of touching her utensils, she merely sipped the red drink that the butler usually served her.

After the meal, Madame Solari smiled and said, “Thanks to your help, six offerings have been collected. I hope you will keep up the good work.”

The players were all stunned: six offerings? Then a chill rose in their hearts.

—Are players who died outside the manor also counted as offerings?

The players who had joined Yin Liuming’s night attack on the forest couldn’t help but shiver as they remembered those dozen or so eerie stone pillars.

The players who chose the townspeople faction also lost their previous smiles.

Sure enough, the dream wouldn’t simply give them an all-purpose protective charm.

Yin Liuming furrowed his brow. Why only six?

Most players knew that three were killed by the maid monsters a few days ago, and another three were ambushed and killed by tentacles in the forest today.

However, Yin Liuming personally saw Madame Solari eliminate two players who tried to steal her jewelry.

Those two players did not die? Or did dying in that manner not count as an offering?

Yin Liuming put down his knife and fork with a knowing look.

Perhaps… the players turning into offerings had nothing to do with Madame Solari herself.

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  [T/N: It is a Chinese idiom meaning that people from harsh, impoverished environments tend to be unruly or troublesome.]