Chapter 417: Snowy Mountain (Part 17) – Eve of the Sacrifice

Lu Li and Xu Yao also stepped out of their tents, immediately noticing the two distinct shadows beneath Qi Si’s feet.

Xu Yao observed for a while and clicked her tongue in wonder. “Qi Si, did you get haunted by a Shadow Ghost? But I don’t sense the aura of any other Ghosts here.”

“Shadow Ghost?” Qi Si’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Lu Li explained, “The Shadow Ghost is a type of ghost found only in ancient supernatural tales. It disguises itself as a human’s shadow, gradually devours the real shadow, and eventually replaces the shadow’s owner.”

After showing off his bookish knowledge, he dismissed the idea. “In my opinion, your anomaly might not be caused by a ghost; it could be related to Identity Cards. I recall you have more than two Identity Cards.”

“Is that so? Perhaps.” Qi Si smiled and looked away from the ground. “I suddenly feel like heading back to the inn to see how Fu Jue and the others are doing.”

Lu Li laughed. “You won’t see them even if you go back. They should have already started up the mountain by now.”

Listening to their cryptic conversation, Lin Chen suddenly remembered that he also had two Identity Cards but hadn’t encountered any abnormalities. He instinctively wanted to ask a question.

However, he quickly realized that Lu Li wasn’t strictly one of them; on the contrary, he was quite close to Fu Jue. It was better not to let the news that he had two Identity Cards get out.

“Did any of you dream of anything last night?” Qi Si asked out of the blue.

Lin Chen forgot about the shadow and began to think seriously about the question, only to find… he didn’t seem to have dreamed of anything last night.

He had always been someone with a vivid imagination, having all sorts of magnificent and fantastical dreams since childhood—from being chased by monsters to exploring fairy tale kingdoms—the kind that would make even his parents laugh when told.

But last night, lying in the tent where the strange environment should have made nightmares most likely, he had actually slept more soundly than ever before. He woke up as if in the blink of an eye, with no impression of what he had dreamed or if he had dreamed at all.

“I was just about to tell you about that.” Lu Li looked at Qi Si with a bitter smile. “Last night, I dreamed of everyone who has died because of me over the past years. Their state was very strange, somewhere between human and Ghost, and they were obsessed with seeking revenge on me.”

“I dreamed of them too.” Xu Yao raised her hand. “Back in Shuangxi Town, they were clearly scared to death of me, but in the dream, they weren’t afraid of me anymore.”

Qi Si skipped over Xu Yao and asked Lu Li, “Who did you dream of last night?”

Lu Li understood his meaning and said flatly, “I dreamed of all the deceased from the Hopeless Sea instance—Xu Ruozi, Bai Yanduan, Hans, Ye Linsheng, and the others. I didn’t expect them to all be here.”

Qi Si nodded in understanding. “I happened not to dream of any of them. It seems the sins corresponding to them have been gathered onto you. For the time being, they will all be Ghosts belonging to you.”

“That’s my assessment as well,” Lu Li said. “I’ve sorted out a logic line now. Everyone has sin. The sins we’ve committed will manifest as dangers targeting us on the snowy mountain. The reason players are required to complete atonement before climbing is to evade the pursuit of Ghosts.”

“Of course, since we all have some life-saving items on us, as long as we aren’t afraid of being hunted by Ghosts, we can naturally force our way up the mountain before completing atonement.”

He paused for a moment and frowned. “I just don’t understand. Based on information obtained in the past, sin is a resource that sustains the Eerie Game and the world’s operation. The game encourages players to produce sin, so why would it punish players’ past actions on the snowy mountain?”

“It’s not punishment.” Qi Si had a thought and shook his head slightly. “I feel it’s more like a form of intimidation. Some higher existence wants us to back down out of fear. Because we fear being devoured by sin, we will stop actively creating it; some might even withdraw from the snowy mountain arena altogether. That way, it will be easier for Him to achieve victory.”

Lu Li pondered for a moment and said, “The scenario you mentioned is possible. But there are too few clues right now. Any inference is just a guess. Let’s wait another day and see if tonight’s dreams change.”

Listening to their discussion, Lin Chen silently sent a voice transmission to Qi Si: “Brother Qi, I don’t think I dreamed of anything last night.”

Qi Si noted this clue without committing to an opinion.

Lin Chen also possessed two Identity Cards, yet he didn’t have two shadows, nor did he dream of Ghosts. Qi Si didn’t believe this was because he had never harmed a single person since childhood.

“Everyone has sin” was a fundamental rule of the Eerie Game’s existence. The core mechanism of this instance was that players carried more or less sin before completing atonement through the Scripture of Deliverance.

Sometimes, one didn’t necessarily need to harm people with subjective malice; simply surviving to the end as a survivor in an instance with a fixed survival probability would drape one in the sin of failing to save everyone.

Proving one’s innocence is difficult, but there are a thousand reasons to point at someone and call them guilty. Therefore, the high probability that Lin Chen didn’t dream was because he had triggered another mechanism of the instance—becoming a child.

People often believe that children are innocent and pure, naturally isolated from sin. Even if they do things that violate public order and good customs, they aren’t considered guilty, merely ignorant.

Looking at this instance, this seemed to be a point that could be exploited.

“Travelers, the wind and snow have died down. Let’s continue up the mountain.” Pema had somehow obtained a small red flag and was waving it at the players.

It was daytime, and there was no reason to linger. It was time to set off. The tents were packed and placed on The Goat’s back, while trekking poles and climbing ropes were brought out.

Ahead lay a vast glacier. One wrong step could lead to falling into an ice pit. The players tied the climbing ropes around their waists, linking themselves together for security, and slowly followed the footprints left by Pema.

The peak shaped like a reclining woman drew near, towering like a city wall at the end of the path. This seemed to be the back of the mountain; the shadow it cast loomed overhead like a monster. Though it was clearly day, it revealed the gloom of dusk.

Pema, acting like a real Guide, waved her red flag while introducing the area to the players. “After the Mother Goddess fell into her slumber, her body turned into the great snowy mountain, and her milk turned into snow water flowing into the hundred rivers, nurturing all things in the world. We are all Her children.”

“To thank the Mother Goddess for her grace, we hold grand sacrifices for Her and offer precious sacrifices. Look, the temple where She is worshipped is just ahead. The Lamas will be waiting for the travelers there as well.”

The players followed Pema around the glacier, and just as she said, a colorful temple appeared on the white snow. Bright prayer flags hung from the wooden roof, and various wind chimes under the eaves clattered in the wind, making pleasant sounds.

Having rested overnight in the freezing snow, the dread of nature and harsh weather was etched into everyone’s hearts. It was a sense of loneliness from being far from the human world and exploring a desolate land, as if one could die at any moment without realizing it, their corpse becoming a monument marking a dangerous place.

Now that they finally saw a human structure, even knowing they were still in an instance and that the sudden temple was likely filled with Ghosts and hidden traps, the players inevitably felt a sense of familiarity and relaxation.

Lu Li asked Pema, “We are travelers from outside. Do we also need to participate in the sacrifice to the Mother Goddess?”

Pema smiled and said, “You can participate, or you can choose not to. Of course, if you can offer a sacrifice that satisfies the Mother Goddess, you might receive Her blessing.”

“Blessing?” Qi Si asked with interest. “What kind of blessing specifically? Has anyone ever received one?”

“A blessing… it could be opening a door to leave the snowy mountain, or it could be obtaining the Mother Goddess’s authority. The more you sacrifice, the more you can obtain.”

“Then what kind of offerings do we need to sacrifice?”

“Cattle, sheep, and people—everything you can think of can be offered to the Mother Goddess.”

Pema’s smile remained unchanged. When she mentioned the word “people,” she stared at Qi Si, an unusual light flickering in her eyes. “The people who died because of you, and the sins generated because of you, will all be the sacrifices the Mother Goddess wants.”

Qi Si laughed. “You actually know what the Mother Goddess wants.”

“Of course I know.” Pema turned her back and reached out to push open the temple doors. “The Mother Goddess has been waiting for you for a long time.”

Qi Si retreated rapidly, but the expected danger did not manifest.

Behind the door was an empty courtyard. There was no Idol, no incense table, only a massive ice pit set right in the center. At a glance, it seemed bottomless.

The four of them walked into the temple. An emaciated Lama draped in a kashaya sat with his back to them and asked, “Are you here for the sacrifice?”

Lu Li stepped forward and smiled. “Yes, we have come specifically to sacrifice to the Mother Goddess. We just don’t know the specific steps or what we should do.”

“Offer the sacrifices, sing the holy songs, and the sacrifice will be complete.” The Lama turned his head, revealing a skeletal face devoid of flesh where maggots crawled. He bared his teeth in a grim smile. “Besides, haven’t you already offered the sacrifices?”

A tooth-aching creaking sound echoed in the air, accompanied by a thick scent of blood and the stench of rot. The scene before them changed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The originally empty ice pit was suddenly covered with layer upon layer of skeletons. Every single one had its head and body facing upward, limbs twisted unnaturally, leaving deep and shallow finger marks on the ice walls.

They struggled to climb up, but the ice walls were too smooth. They would fall back down after climbing only a few centimeters, crushed beneath new corpses.

The flesh of these skeletons was completely decayed, but their faces were intact. Qi Si saw one familiar face after another: Liu Ajiu, Zou Yan, Yang Yundong… The skeletons looked up at Qi Si, their mouths opening and closing as they repeated the same words: “You killed us… It was you who killed us…”

As time passed minute by minute, the corpses reached the midpoint of the ice pit before they stopped increasing.

The Lama spread his hands and said with a smile, “When the bones fill the sacrificial pit, your sacrifice will be complete, and the Mother Goddess will bless you.”

Lin Chen had been standing frozen since the temple door opened, staring fixedly at the hellish scene before him. Countless corpses lay one by one in the ice pit, their eyes resentful and unwilling, clearly having died violent deaths.

The most terrifying thing was that Qi Si, Lu Li, and Xu Yao were completely indifferent to this horrific sight, as if they were already used to death and accustomed to cruel murder.

The Lama’s words, the wailing of the corpses, the nonchalant attitude of his companions… all clues pointed to a possibility he didn’t want to believe.

“Brother Qi, these corpses…” Lin Chen asked hesitantly, his Soul Leaf trembling slightly.

Then he saw the young man glance sideways at him, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile. “That’s right. I killed them.”

…On the other side, by the time Zhou Ke returned to the tent, Lin Jue and Dong Xiwen had already been sitting at the camp for some time.

The sky was still pitch black. Tashi suddenly roused the yaks and gestured to the players, saying, “Everyone is here. We can continue our journey.”

Dong Xiwen’s eyes widened. “No way? It’s still dark, we can’t even see the road. If we take a wrong step, won’t we be getting our lunch boxes early?”

Tashi glanced at him and, without a word, led the yaks toward the depths of the snowy mountain. The meaning was clear: either follow him or stay and wait for death.

Alexei shouted in dissatisfaction, “Hey! What kind of attitude is that? We’re the employers, okay?”

Chu Yining sighed and patted the back of his hand. “Alright, alright. This should be a rule of this instance. The NPC can’t disobey it either. It’s better to avoid conflict when away from home.”

The group packed their gear and followed the leading Tashi with suppressed anger. The herd of yaks silently left a trail of footprints on the snow, and the players similarly moved forward against the wind and snow with bated breath, for fear of disturbing the ancient gods of this place.

Zhang Yiyu trailed at the very end of the group, following closely behind Zhang Hongbin, who was likely her father. Looking at the long line blurred by the wind and snow ahead, she felt an inexplicable, difficult-to-explain sadness.

From the outcome, Zhang Hongbin had stayed in this instance forever. History could not be changed, or it would trigger a paradox. What about her? Would she survive?

The Eerie Game was truly cruel. It had already taken her father’s life, yet it had chosen her as well, casting the same misfortune over two generations… “Little girl, you look terrible. Are you okay?” Zhang Hongbin asked with concern.

“No… I’m fine.” Zhang Yiyu collected her thoughts and said, “I was just wondering if we can actually clear this instance and leave alive.”

“Since we’re already in the instance, there’s no point thinking about it. Things will work out.”

Zhang Hongbin spoke humorously, pointing far ahead at Lin Jue at the front of the line. “Besides, you don’t need to be afraid. Our Chairman Lin has cleared over a thousand instances and has never failed.”

That was nonsense. Zhang Yiyu clicked her tongue. “It’s precisely because he never failed that he made it to this instance alive. Aren’t we all the same? If we had failed an instance before and didn’t clear it, it would be impossible for us to be here.”

“It’s still different,” Zhang Hongbin said mysteriously. “Someone once told the Chairman’s fortune, saying he is the person most likely to clear the Final Dungeon.”

That person must be a scammer, right? Zhang Yiyu grumbled internally, but she ultimately didn’t tell Zhang Hongbin that in 2035, Lin Jue’s memorial portrait was displayed in the main hall of the Bureau of Anomaly Affairs.

Zhang Hongbin seemed to see through her thoughts and added, “Little girl, don’t disbelieve me. I’ll tell you a secret: the person who told the Chairman’s fortune is the holder of the ‘Doomsday Prophet’ Identity Card. He never gets it wrong.”

“Haha, is that so?” Zhang Yiyu covered her face with a dry laugh.

If she remembered correctly, the ‘Doomsday Prophet’ card was in Xiao Fengchao’s hands. Looking at the outcome, that guy couldn’t even save himself… Their team had gathered quite a few buffs; she was afraid they were going to be finished… “Something’s wrong.” The team ahead suddenly stopped. Lin Jue narrowed his eyes and turned back to look at everyone. “Have you noticed that this night is exceptionally long? It’s been this long, and it’s still not dawn.”

“Moreover, we are clearly walking toward the mountain peak, but the peak is getting further and further away from us…”

Everyone looked up into the distance. It was indeed as he said. The mountain peak that was originally looming over the players’ heads was now situated at the edge of their vision, appearing low enough to barely clear the heads of the yaks.