Vol. 2 Chapter 36 – Deep Sea Sacrificial Town. (15)

“Brother?”

Si Cheng’s voice trembled as he suddenly rushed forward, throwing his arms around Si He in overwhelming joy. “You’re not dead?”

Si He shifted his gaze from the sun to Si Cheng’s face. After a long silence, he hesitantly reached out and returned the embrace.

For a while, only Si Cheng’s muffled sobs and Madame Solari’s joyous weeping could be heard.

After some time, Madame Solari wiped her tears and slowly stood up.

The gemstone mermaids at her side affectionately gathered into her arms.

Madame Solari gently stroked the head of a gemstone mermaid, then turned to look at Yin Liuming. “After I awakened, these children…”

Yin Liuming fell silent for a moment before saying, “This dream will vanish.”

Madame Solari let out a bitter laugh. “Just as I thought.”

Though these little ones were creations of her dream, they had stayed with her for so long, helping her carve out a space to survive in the deep sea, shielding her from outsiders and Ralph’s harm. The thought of never seeing them again stirred an indescribable sorrow in Madame Solari’s heart.

She scooped one up in her hands and stepped toward Yin Liuming. “Flan has always liked you. Can you take her with you?”

Yin Liuming was taken aback for a moment.

These gemstone mermaids did indeed have records in the illustration book of this dream. But at that time, given their importance to Solari Town’s survival and Madame Solari’s deep attachment to them, Yin Liuming had decided not to collect them.

He fell silent for a moment before saying, “If she comes with me, there will be little chance of them meeting again.”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as you treat her well.”

Yin Liuming lowered his gaze to the little mermaid named Flan, his voice much gentler. “Would you like to come with me?”

Flan blinked her big eyes, looked at Madame Solari, then at Yin Liuming. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly floated onto Yin Liuming’s shoulder.

Yin Liuming nodded and said solemnly to Madame Solari, “I will treat her well.”

Madame Solari smiled. “Then I’m at ease.”

The other gemstone mermaids each kissed Flan in turn, as if offering their blessings in their way. In the end, they all nestled into Madame Solari’s embrace, savoring their final warmth with their master.

Flan seemed to sense the farewell approaching. Her beautiful, wide eyes brimmed with tears, but she tried hard not to let them fall.

Yin Liuming took out the illustration book and gently pressed it in front of Flan.

Flan disappeared instantly into the illustration book.

The sky slowly started to fade into darkness.

Of the two dreamers who created the foundation of the ‘Deep Sea Sacrificial Town’ dream, Ralph had already died in the depths of the sea, and Madame Solari’s lingering obsession was also resolved. She was about to wake up in the real world.

Madame Solari’s appearance also began to change.

Her once-youthful and delicate skin had aged gracefully, with fine wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes. Her silver-white hair flowed down like a waterfall. The energy of a young girl faded, giving way to the elegance of a noble lady.

Seeing the players’ astonished expressions, Madame Solari chuckled. “Surprised? This is what I look like in the real world… In dreams, people tend to enhance their appearance a bit.”

Mi Anpei was dumbfounded, his finger trembling uncontrollably as he pointed at her. “T-The Divine Creator, Margaret!”

Yin Liuming gave Mi Anpei a slightly puzzled glance. “You know her?”

“Of course! One of Zlog Jewelry’s most renowned designers, famous for her bold and masterful creativity!” Mi Anpei exclaimed in awe. “I knew I didn’t recall such a young and beautiful jewelry designer… To think I had the honor of being part of a dream belonging to such a legendary designer! I’m sealing these clothes in a glass case once I get home!”

Madame Solari let out a soft laugh and turned to Yin Liuming with a gentle expression. “If you ever need it one day, come find me. I’ll personally design your jewelry ring, free of charge.”

Yin Liuming smiled as well. “Alright. Farewell, Madame.”

Mi Anpei looked so envious that he was nearly drooling. “I want to…”

Then he slumped in defeat. “Forget it, I don’t even have anyone to give jewelry to. I should find the right person first.”

Madame Solari smiled, waved her hand, and vanished on the spot.

Clink, clink, clatter!

A series of jade-like clinks sounded as a small pile of delicate jade pendants fell where Madame Solari had just been standing.

A player couldn’t hold back and shouted out, “Wish Charms!”

Yin Liuming was the nearest. He bent down and picked them up.

There were ten in total, just like the ones he received after clearing the Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus, except these were made of jade instead of wood, probably to match the dream’s unique aesthetic.

A slight unease rose in Yin Liuming’s heart.

Based on Ning Yuanyuan’s explanation and the information he collected afterward, Wish Charms were supposed to be rare props.

So he encountered them twice in a row, and they dropped both times?

And so many were dropped this time, too.

There were exactly ten players still alive, excluding Si He, whose condition was still uncertain.

Back on the Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus, there had also been four Wish Charms, one for each of him, Ning Yuanyuan, Chi Xi, and Yang Jiao.

Could he be this lucky?

Yin Liuming looked up and caught the players’ eager looks.

Aside from Si Cheng, who was completely focused on talking with Si He, who kept his head down and barely responded, the rest of the players had all gathered around Yin Liuming.

The player who had shouted “Wish Charms” earlier gathered his courage and said, “We did contribute to clearing this level, didn’t we…”

Mi Anpei widened his eyes. “What, are you trying to snatch them?”

The player let out an awkward laugh. “Of course not! We just wanted to ask, Yin, Yin Liuming, can you use that many yourself? If you’re planning to sell them, could you give priority to us teammates who’ve been through all this together?”

The others quickly chimed in.

“Yeah, how many points do you want? Or props are fine too!”

“I’ll give you everything I have!”

Yin Liuming glanced around. Though their eyes were full of longing, there was no real malice behind them. After a quick pause, he opened his hand. “One each.”

The players thanked him sincerely as each one took one, carefully storing it away like a priceless treasure.

When it came to Mi Anpei, he surprised everyone by waving it off. “I don’t need one.”

The others stared at him like he was out of his mind.

“To tell the truth, my wish in joining the Nightmare Game was simply… to join the Nightmare Game.” Mi Anpei chuckled and puffed out his chest with a hint of pride. “I just wanted to explore and have fun with this fascinating system. I don’t have anything else I want to wish for.”

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow, took two charms, and threw them to Si Cheng and Si He.

Si Cheng caught the props casually, his expression brightening. “This way, we’ll be even closer to reviving Mom and Dad. Brother? What’s wrong?”

Si He said nothing, only lifting his head to look at Yin Liuming.

Yin Liuming hesitated for a moment, about to explain to Si Cheng. “Si He, he…”

Before he could finish, the scene in front of them suddenly disappeared.

……

[The dream ‘Deep Sea Sacrificial Town’ has been cleared. Ten players have died, and ten players have successfully completed the mission.]

[Starting to calculate the point.]

As usual, they were back in the void.

Lines of text slowly appeared before Yin Liuming.

[Deep Sea Sacrificial Town has disappeared. Dreamers: Margaret F. Solari, Ralph.]

[Player Yin Liuming has perfectly completed ‘Deep Sea Sacrificial Town.’ Rating: S. Reward: 100 points.]

[Player has achieved consecutive perfect clearances. Bonus: one lottery draw. Please use it in your Haizhou personal space.]

[Nightmare Illustration Book Collection Completion: Deep Sea Sacrificial Town–100%.]

Yin Liuming rubbed his temples.

He hadn’t even had time to explain to Si Cheng that “Si He has now become part of the illustration book” before the system whisked him away.

He pulled out the illustration book and turned to the page for ‘Deep Sea Sacrificial Town.’

In the space labeled ‘Deep Sea Illusion Slitherer,’ the original sketch of a blob of thick black ooze had changed into a young man sitting on the ground with his head bowed in silence.

Yin Liuming gently brushed his finger over that grid, let out a quiet sigh, and continued reading.

The final stage had been too rushed. He hadn’t had the chance to check the newly acquired records.

Originally, the page only had ‘Deep Sea Hunting Bug’ and ‘Deep Sea Illusion Slitherer,’ but now there were four new grids added below them.

[Deep Sea Giant Fish]

[Dream Source: Deep Sea Sacrificial Town.]

[Rarity: ★★★]

[Strength: 80]

[Aggressiveness: 90]

[Rationality: 20]

[Description: A giant fish inhabits the deep waters of the boundless ocean. On its forehead, a bioluminescent light shines, tempting prey with its soft glow. It has sharp teeth and a broad, flat tail fin. The fish prefers to remain completely motionless, quietly waiting for prey to approach on its own. But once it becomes angry, it is tough to control.]

[Illustration Book Skill Unlocked: Deep Dive Lv5 (Allows descent to the deepest known point of the real sea).]

[Note: As the contractor has not fully tamed this illustration record, the skill remains partially locked.]

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow.

As expected, that fish god so massive that a single tail could support an entire town had yet to be thoroughly subdued.

At the time, he relied on the poison spread over the sacrificial offering and the interference of the Flames of Rage and Regret to distract the Deep Sea Giant Fish. Even then, it still took several attempts before he managed to barely collect it into the Illustration Book.

But given the sheer size of the fish… Yin Liuming couldn’t think of any situation where it would be usable, so whether it obeyed him or not didn’t matter.

[Gemstone Mermaid.]

[Dream Source: Deep Sea Sacrificial Town.]

[Rarity: ★★]

[Strength: 40]

[Aggressiveness: 30]

[Rationality: 60]

[Description: A mermaid spirit born from gemstones. Innocent by nature, with refined taste and an extremely timid personality. Do not frighten them under any circumstances.]

[Illustration Book Unlock Skill 1: Violin Sonata Lv3 (Consumes 1 point to apply effects such as sleep aid, enchantment, or stimulation based on the contractor’s intention).]

[Illustration Book Unlock Skill 2: Deep Blue Guard Lv3 (Consumes 2 points to generate an invisible shield that blocks Lv3 and lower attacks for ten minutes; if underwater or holding a gemstone, the skill’s level increases by one).]

A clear look of delight appeared on Yin Liuming’s face.

‘Deep Blue Guard’ was a universally applicable skill pairing, helpful at any time. When ‘Violin Sonata’ was paired with the earlier poison, it provided even more obvious support in helping him collect the records in the illustration book.

But compared to all that, Yin Liuming was more focused on the ‘sleep aid’ effect mentioned in the description of ‘Violin Sonata’—

Could the gemstone mermaid’s melody help him sleep better?

Yin Liuming immediately felt the urge to return to his personal space and try it.

Shen Lou’s sarcastic voice rang out behind him. “It probably won’t work.”

Yin Liuming frowned slightly. “Why not?”

“I told you, didn’t I? The reason you have insomnia is that you’re missing a dream. It’s like a stretch of road with a tile missing. How could you possibly walk it smoothly?” Shen Lou said. “Unless you take back your dream, don’t even think about getting a good night’s sleep.”

Yin Liuming fell silent. After a moment, he said, “Still worth a try.”

Shen Lou raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.

Below the two previous records were two Boss illustrations:

‘The Imprisoned Jeweled Noblewoman’ and ‘The Deep Sea Wraith Who Envies the Living.’

They were portraits of Madame Solari and Ralph, respectively.

As usual, Shen Lou offered his evaluation. “Not bad. You’ve completed the illustration records for your second dream. Keep it up for the next one.”

“I have a question. Why was it two people’s dreams intertwined again this time?” Yin Liuming frowned. “Does this happen often in the Nightmare Game?”

“It’s supposed to be extremely rare,” Shen Lou said, his expression tinged with confusion. “Combined dreams of life and death are more than twice as difficult to analyze and fix compared to normal dreams. You have to find the inner knots of two dreamers at once. For most people, running into even one before escaping the Nightmare Game would already be considered very unlucky, so why have you encountered it twice in a row?”

Yin Liuming replied, “Maybe it’s because I’m just that lucky.”

Shen Lou was about to scoff, but then he remembered that this guy truly did have insanely good luck—rare Wish Charms appeared in two dreams consecutively, and he even drew a sea pearl from the lottery… If it weren’t for the strange issue of Yin Liuming lacking a dream entirely, he would’ve already left the Nightmare Game easily and with satisfaction.

“Let’s see if the next Dream turns out like this one, though, of course, if I happen to draw the highest-grade sea pearl in this round, there might not even be a next time.” Mimicking Shen Lou’s manner, Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow and said to the system, “Return to Haizhou.”

The system paused in silence. Then its mechanical voice sounded again:

[Player Yin Liuming committed murder against Player Lei Yingzhe within a dream. Aggressiveness Rating: High. Forced transfer to Punishment Dream started.]

The sudden twist caught both Yin Liuming and Shen Lou completely off guard. They froze.

Before Yin Liuming could speak, Shen Lou said coldly, “Let’s get this straight. Lei Yingzhe was someone I threw out.”

[Absolute domination relationship detected between Book Spirit Shen Lou and Player Yin Liuming. As a result, both are deemed jointly guilty.]

This time, Yin Liuming’s gaze turned sharply oppressive. “Absolute domination?”

Shen Lou let out a breathless, incredulous laugh. “Is this a bug or something? The contract between us is one of equality.”

The system stood by its decision:

[No error detected.]

Shen Lou gave a slightly dangerous smile. “Are you asking me to tear you apart again?”

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow.

—Again?

[Communication failed. The player will now be forcibly transferred to the Punishment Dream. Best of luck.]

Shen Lou’s face was taut, his expression clouded with gloom.

He lowered his gaze and met Yin Liuming’s eyes.

Shen Lou looked away almost instantly.

He pointed with a finger, and a pale, luminous blue light fell into Yin Liuming’s palm. “This is the Power of Enhancement. Don’t worry. I’ll help you deal with the Punishment Dream.”

Yin Liuming looked up in mild surprise.

Though being sent to the Punishment Dream was somewhat unexpected, it wasn’t all that difficult to come to terms with.

When he had decided to kick Lei Yingzhe, Yin Liuming had already been prepared for this outcome.

What he hadn’t expected was that Shen Lou would treat it as his own mistake and take responsibility for it of his own accord.

Yin Liuming found himself oddly attuned to Shen Lou’s way of thinking. If he chose not to intervene, that was one thing; but since he had decided to take charge, he would see it through to the very best of his ability.

And if anything was left unresolved after he intervened, then it was, naturally, his fault.

Yin Liuming couldn’t help but chuckle softly and, for once, gave Shen Lou a sincere smile. “Thank you, Mr. Shen.”

Shen Lou gave a light snort. “As long as you’re not cursing me in your heart, that’s good enough.”

Before Yin Liuming could cry injustice, Shen Lou went on, “The Punishment Dream is far more difficult than ordinary dreams, and no props exchanges are allowed inside. You won’t be able to access your personal space. Take this with you.”

With a flick of his finger, a small, intricate cube landed in Yin Liuming’s palm.

Yin Liuming’s expression became a little complicated.

Isn’t this the one Madam Solare confiscated from Lei Yingzhe when Shen Lou possessed her? Rumor has it that it can serve as a substitute for punishment for breaking the rules.

Although technically a ‘stolen prop,’ it was still Shen Lou’s sincere will, and Yin Liuming expressed his thanks before tucking it into his chest anyway.

Shen Lou thought Yin Liuming was afraid, and his voice, rarely this gentle, softened noticeably. “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you.”

Yin Liuming gave a slight smile, his gaze calm and steady. “Let’s go.”

……

The sky was clear and freshly cleaned, dotted with clouds as soft as cotton candy. Orange sunlight poured down, casting gentle spots of light across the plaza’s tiled ground.

The air was filled with a sweet and fragrant scent of candies, soda, and freshly baked bread lingering at the tip of the nose, making one’s stomach rumble before they even noticed it.

Balloons, a Ferris wheel, and a carousel.

A lively, busy amusement park full of noise and crowds.

The only problem was… everything around him seemed magnified. The people walking past, the stalls nearby. All of them towered several times his height.

Or rather… had he become small?

Yin Liuming turned his head to take a look.

Beside him stood two other tiny figures about the same height; they were likely new players as well.

Yin Liuming lowered his head and lightly stepped on the dark brown floor tile.

They felt a little soft.

This texture… felt like some kind of firm bread?

So this was the Punishment Dream?

The amusement park’s loudspeaker crackled twice with static, then the system’s voice rang out in a businesslike tone:

[Three players have entered the Punishment Dream.]

[Dream Name: Clockwork Fairytale Amusement Park.]

[Main Mission…]

Just then, a harsh electronic buzz burst from the loudspeaker, as if someone had forcibly switched the channel.

Then a childish, sweet, and innocent voice came through the broadcast:

“Your mission is to play with us.”

The author has something to say:

The second instance is complete!

The third instance begins tomorrow!