Chapter 362: Peace Talks

In the Ruins of the Setting Sun, the orange-red glow of dusk washed over Lin Chen’s chest, illuminating the golden guild emblem of the Unnamed Guild, while the emblem of the Listening Wind Guild on Fu Jue’s black suit shimmered with a cold light.

The two stood facing each other, neither speaking immediately.

After the ‘Beware of Rabbits’ instance, Lin Chen received a notification of a multiple return on his betting points, knowing that Qi Si had successfully cleared the instance with a Team Elimination.

He immediately tried to inquire about the situation through the Soul Leaf, but received no response, causing him some anxiety.

In the ‘Coliseum’ instance, he almost became a ‘god,’ trapped forever in the instance. It was Qi Si who made a deal with the evil god named ‘Li’ to save him.

Now, Qi Si faced a similar situation, about to become the Rabbit God in the grand Rabbit God Festival. Would he be able to leave the instance successfully in the end?

The bad news was that ‘Beware of Rabbits’ was a single-player puzzle instance, meaning no second person could intervene. No matter how anxious he was, he could only wait helplessly outside the instance for the outcome.

Lin Chen returned to reality, intending to send a text message to Qi Si. Unexpectedly, as soon as he unlocked his phone, the Eerie Game forum popped up with several trending posts about anomalies on the Ranking Stele.

He read through those posts and, on one hand, breathed a sigh of relief: Qi Si was still alive and still a player of the Eerie Game. Deceased, ghostly, or lost players were removed from the rankings by the Eerie Game.

On the other hand, he also had a general judgment: the Final Instance was about to open, and he and Qi Si, as holders of identity cards, had the qualifications to compete for victory.

Lin Chen had already learned from Qi Si that the Final Instance would open on May 5th. He had collected a lot of information online and offline these days and had long since judged the role of identity cards, so he wasn’t surprised at this moment. Instead, he calmly analyzed the existing information.

He quickly noticed that he and Qi Si were currently the only two known players on the rankings who possessed multiple identity cards.

He was fine; there was no evidence yet to prove that ‘Lin Crow’ and ‘Lin Chen’ were the same person. Most of the initial probes had been parried, and many people had dropped their original suspicions, reaching incorrect conclusions.

However, Qi Si’s two identities, ‘Qi Si’ and’Si Qi,’ had become almost an open secret after the ‘Coliseum’ instance and still generated considerable discussion.

The Unnamed Guild was undoubtedly pushed into the spotlight, and someone had to step forward quickly to address inquiries from all sides, state their position, and maintain stability.

Lin Chen knew that as the nominal guild leader, he was duty-bound to respond to public opinion. He immediately re-entered the Eerie Game and headed straight for the Ruins of the Setting Sun.

His original intention was to first gain a deeper understanding of the details of the ranking anomaly and then find countermeasures based on the specific situation. However, before he even reached the stele, he encountered Fu Jue.

The chief recognized by the Eerie Game and players, Fu Shen, known as the savior, the former vice-leader of the Nine Provinces Guild, now a high-ranking member of the Listening Wind Guild, holder of the ‘Fallen Savior’ identity card… Countless brilliant titles were bestowed upon him. A month ago, when he first entered the Eerie Game, Lin Chen, like all players who supported unity and cooperation, revered him as a god, never imagining that one day he would stand before such a figure.

Nor did he ever imagine that he would compete with such a person and become his adversary.

Players, enjoying the spectacle, gathered around, craning their necks and whispering. Several members of smaller guilds even pushed to the front, intently observing the movements of the two, determined to get first-hand information.

After a long silence, Fu Jue spoke first: “Guild Leader Lin, I’ve heard much about you. I originally expected to meet you at the Guild Conference, but unfortunately, due to an unexpected butterfly effect, I couldn’t attend. Today, I happened to encounter you in the Ruins of the Setting Sun. Would it be convenient to move somewhere to discuss matters concerning the Final Instance?”

He raised his right hand, making a gesture as if waiting for a handshake, seemingly wanting to express friendliness and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, convey a symbol of a mainstream major guild extending an olive branch to an emerging force.

Was this a peaceful negotiation, considering the growing influence of the Unnamed Guild?

Lin Chen secretly speculated, knowing that it would be unwise to openly fall out with a figure like Fu Jue. So, he also extended his right hand to Fu Jue.

The ‘Plague Doctor’ card in the upper right corner of his vision trembled violently. Black crow feathers burst forth from under the cloak, then fluttered down like pure white angel feathers, carrying an ominous premonition.

Lin Chen met Fu Jue’s emotionless light gray eyes and, for a moment, felt the chilling sensation of staring at a long-dead corpse. The various scenes from the ‘Frog Hospital’ instance unconsciously resurfaced in his mind, and his hand froze in mid-air for a second before he unceremoniously withdrew it.

He mentally recited the negotiation tactics he had crammed in the past few days and said as calmly as possible, “I’ve also long heard of God Fu’s great name and had intended to visit, but unfortunately, I never had the chance. It’s quite a coincidence to meet here. I was just about to go see the changes to the Ranking Stele. If it’s on your way, God Fu, why not join me?”

This was a polite refusal of Fu Jue’s invitation to ‘move somewhere to discuss.’

It’s always wise to be cautious. Lin Chen had recently gained much knowledge about the sinister nature of people in the Eerie Game and felt that negotiating with a player far superior in strength was safer in a crowded place, to avoid a trap.

“Alright.” Fu Jue nodded, stood beside Lin Chen, and said without any change in tone, “Chang Xu acted on his own initiative in the ‘Coliseum’ instance, disrupting the guild’s consensus of peace and unity. I apologize. His actions did not align with optimal decision-making and best benefit principles and were not authorized by Nine Provinces; he himself has already received due punishment. Nine Provinces will strengthen internal management to ensure this does not happen again.”

“Is that so? May I ask, God Fu, whether you’re saying this on behalf of Nine Provinces or Listening Wind?” Lin Chen suppressed his discomfort at walking side-by-side with Fu Jue, forced himself into the role of Lin Crow, and slightly curved his lips. “I heard that God Fu resigned from the Nine Provinces Guild after the ‘Mountain God Festival’ instance. I didn’t expect you to still be shouldering the responsibility for Nine Provinces.”

The two had already walked to the massive stone stele engraved with twenty-two identity card entries. The names ‘Lin Crow’ and ‘Fu Jue’ were prominently displayed.

Fu Jue said, “Ending internal player conflicts and achieving a Nash equilibrium before the Final Instance arrives is the duty of all insightful individuals willing to take responsibility for humanity’s fate. The situation of a single person binding multiple identity cards is unprecedented and may be a necessary condition for clearing the Final Instance. Based on this, I hope to cooperate with the Unnamed Guild.”

As he spoke, his eyes, reflecting off his glasses, watched Lin Chen with the air of a laboratory researcher observing an abnormal creature.

Lin Chen knew he was probing the relationship between ‘Lin Crow’ and ‘Lin Chen.’ He replied coolly, “Our Unnamed Guild doesn’t have the strict hierarchical structure of Nine Provinces. I cannot ask Qi Si to put aside his grievances and cooperate with the force that almost killed him.”

“I will personally go to see Qi Si.” Fu Jue extended his hand once more, this time with greater solemnity and gravity. “The Final Instance requires a stable alliance. Two opposing forces will only tear the chessboard apart, leading the situation to an uncontrollable direction. Before clearing all obstacles and threats, the best choice must be to share the divine throne.”

The setting sun happened to dip below the horizon at that moment, casting the last sliver of afterglow, projecting their shadows onto the blood-colored stele, the distorted shadows intertwining like giant snakes.

Someone in the distance was taking pictures with a recording item. Lin Chen knew that tomorrow’s game forum hot topics would surely feature titles like “Fu Jue Represents Nine Provinces in Dialogue with Unnamed Guild.”

It had come to this; not yielding would be impolite. Lin Chen took Fu Jue’s outstretched hand, shook it courteously, and said, “If Qi Si is willing to accept Nine Provinces’ apology, I believe we can cooperate happily.”

He spoke clearly and forcefully, audible to nearby players. The murmuring of the onlookers erupted, as if they knew they were witnessing history and couldn’t help themselves.

An intelligence officer from a small guild frantically tapped his communication device: “Guild Leader, Nine Provinces and Unnamed have shaken hands and made peace! The Final Instance seems to have variables…”

Someone else said to a nearby player, “This Unnamed Guild looks really good, respecting each member’s choice. I wonder if they’re still recruiting?”

Lin Chen had no intention of speaking too much and making mistakes. He simply said “I’ll be going” to Fu Jue and turned to leave amidst the clamor, but the ‘Plague Doctor’ card in his vision continued to tremble for a long time.

He walked a distance, then suddenly felt his right hand, which had just shaken Fu Jue’s, was somewhat stiff, as if bound by an invisible force.

He lowered his head to look, and a blood-red thread stretched from the void, intermittently wrapping around his little finger.

Qi Si’s sneer echoed from the depths of his soul: 【My dear Guild Leader, remember to wear gloves when shaking hands with dangerous people from now on.】

Lin Chen instinctively felt something had happened and quickly pressed for an answer, but received no reply for a long time. Even the blood-colored leaf symbolizing their connection did not react.

—What he had just heard and seen seemed to be just a hallucination from the depths of a nightmare… In Shuangxi Town, Li Yao huddled under the offering table of the Temple of Joy, her nails digging deep into her palms.

After receiving the main quest’Slay the Evil God,’ everything went awry. Everyone else, except her, seemed to have fallen into a mass hysteria, wandering aimlessly in Shuangxi Town, their minds visibly unclear.

No matter how much she screamed, the other four never woke up. She could only hide in the confines of the Temple of Joy, watching helplessly as golden and red beams of light danced between the threads connecting the players, as if two forces were vying for control of the instance.

After an unknown amount of time, the struggle concluded. Outside the temple, blood-red vines and leaves descended from the sky, and the fluttering paper money was stained crimson, while sharp ghostly wails grew louder and louder.

Li Yao heard the players’ screams rise and fall, then fall silent at a certain moment. The last figure collapsed like a shattered stele, and Chen Hao’s head rolled to her feet, his grotesque face staring with eyes wide open in death.

She was horrified and quickly reached for the ‘White Blade’ at her waist, only to find it missing. A small, suppressed memory flickered, bringing a bitter feeling.

“Li Yao, long time no see.” The young man’s laughing voice sounded close to her ear, stirring an inexplicable fear.

Li Yao sharply turned her head, only to see a cluster of green flames erupt from the shrine housing the God of Joy statue. The fire licked at the faded wood carving, illuminating the entire temple with an eerie green light.

Gray mist seeped from the cracks in the floor tiles, and a red-clad figure emerged from the flames, their face pale as a ghost beneath dark hair, their downcast brows concealing crimson eyes.

It was a familiar yet unfamiliar face. Li Yao was certain she had seen it before, but the related memories were distant and distorted, as if hidden deep within a dream, making it hard to distinguish reality from illusion.

She stared blankly at the person before her, her lingering impression momentarily vivid. She couldn’t help but murmur, “Qi Wen? You’re still alive?”

Qi Si leaned against the base of the shrine, toying with a golden-red leaf between his fingers, a sea of blood and mountains of corpses swirling in the depths of his crimson pupils.

Hearing the name “Qi Wen,” he chuckled, tilting his head slightly: “Yes, I’m still alive. Did you see my finger bone?”

His tone was like a vengeful spirit crawled from hell asking about a relic from its former life. Li Yao’s breath caught for a moment, and a scene she should have forgotten flashed before her eyes.

The young man’s pale corpse lay in the coffin, quiet and still as a sculpted artifact. She used the last moments of the instance to sit beside it, whispering softly, her drooping hand unconsciously touching the pad of the corpse’s right little finger.

Then she saw the system prompt she hadn’t seen in years, concerning an item called ‘Evil God’s Finger Bone’… “I saw it…” Li Yao answered subconsciously, and the next second she felt a force gripping her neck, unable to utter another word.

Qi Si patiently watched her, waiting for her to give a complete answer.

She opened her mouth, wanting to tell this former teammate all the information she knew, but then suddenly realized that the face before her overlapped with another face in her memory.

At that time, the red-clad deity arrived uninvited and told her, “Your soul is imprisoned within the game. From now on, you will act as an NPC in this instance, repeatedly reliving the game’s progression.

“In the past, I might have ordered you to provide false clues, luring foolish lambs astray; but now, I’ve thought of an interesting game.

“I will seal your memory of death, preserve your emotions from when you were murdered, and bestow upon you the knowledge to control the life and death of others. I am curious whether you will choose to be human or ghost.”

She had looked directly at the deity’s face, and before, she had never noticed that this young man, who called himself ‘Qi Wen,’ resembled that evil god so much… No, not just resembled, they were the same person, the same god… Qi Si waited a moment longer, receiving no further words, and sighed softly: “I guess you’re restricted by rules and can’t tell me the answer you know, is that right?”

Li Yao nodded and then shook her head. She didn’t understand what “rules” referred to. In her intuition, what restricted her was not so-called “rules,” but something called a “contract.”

At that time, she sat blankly by the coffin, as if hearing the deity’s voice again.

The god said, “You have seen my lost finger bone. I need you to keep its existence secret until the hand of fate reaches its destined anchor point.”

She didn’t understand its meaning, but she had no choice but to agree. Now she still didn’t understand why, despite being the same person, one asked her to conceal the finger bone while the other asked for its whereabouts… “Will you kill me?” Li Yao asked hoarsely.

Qi Si’s fingers hovered over the leaf, as if he might crush it at any moment. Hearing her question, he chuckled: “Originally, I would have, but I’ve suddenly changed my mind. Your experience as a human is very interesting. Continuing to live in pain is more valuable than dying immediately.”

He released his hand, and the leaf in his palm fluttered like a butterfly: “I always keep my promises, and besides—you are the most beautiful pawn in this first game.”

The malice behind his words and the high-dimensional being’s mockery of lower life forms were so distinct, just like humans don’t need to stoop to examine the patterns on a beetle’s shell when crushing it.

Li Yao instantly recalled her first transaction with the god many years ago; it was the same venomous attitude.

She remained stunned for a long time. When she finally regained her senses, the evil god’s figure had long vanished without a trace, leaving only a scene of blood-stained devastation.