Edited by Jules
Because all sorts of unimaginable cooking talents often appeared in games, searching for food had become a compulsory course for every player.
They found the hotel’s kitchen with practised ease.
Although there was a heavy metal lock hanging on the kitchen door, it was useless before the lock-opening-machine, Xiao Lan. It only endured for one second before it sadly exited the stage.
The kitchen was as old and dirty as the outside, with many overly lively little animals living inside.
The stove and even the kitchen appliances all looked extremely dirty, making one suspect that those who didn’t get diarrhoea after eating from here were all extraordinarily gifted.
Fortunately, Wang Taidi had brought along a cooking item; this was something he had learnt from his ge.
There were some sacks of raw ingredients carelessly piled up in a corner. It was mainly dried meat, beans, and potatoes; there was no green in sight.
Wang Taidi went over to take a look. “Passable; at least they’re considered fresh.”
They grabbed some ingredients and ran off to a remote corner behind the hotel.
When Wang Taidi said that his cooking had improved, he really wasn’t just shooting off his mouth. The level of his cooking had already evolved from smelting steel to something edible. It truly was amazing.
Very soon, with Luo’s help, a simple dinner was completed. However, looking at the time, it could be considered a midnight snack.
It wasn’t an exquisite delicacy, but it already met the standard for a human to survive.
Xiao Lan, Luo, and Wang Taidi started eating right away. Only Qi Ning, wearing a mask, didn’t move.
In front of everyone’s puzzled eyes, Qi Ning took his plate. “I’ll go back and eat.”
And then he left.
He was still upholding his principle of not taking off the mask before he died, even in front of comrades.
Wang Taidi watched Qi Ning’s figure disappear before he surreptitiously asked Xiao Lan, “Say, what do you think Qi Ning looks like?”
Xiao Lan said, “Don’t know. I’ve never seen him take off his mask.”
Wang Taidi sighed ruefully. “I really want to see ah; I wonder when he’ll take it off?”
Xiao Lan thought about it. “You can sneak a peek of him in the bath.”
No matter how obstinately guarded one was, they wouldn’t go so far as to wear a mask even when bathing ba.
Who knew what sort of scene Wang Taidi was imagining, as he instantly surrendered. “Forget it. I don’t want to become a human specimen.”
After eating, they went back to rest and prepared to continue searching for clues the next day.
The next day.
They split up and searched for information about the altar in the small town.
Xiao Lan went with Luo as per usual, while Wang Taidi and Qi Ning were used to being on their own. They agreed to return to the hotel at sundown to share leads.
As they walked around in town, the townspeople were still extremely unfriendly.
At the same time, Xiao Lan felt that the fire around the town seemed to be burning even stronger, but the townspeople didn’t seem worried about this at all.
Xiao Lan tried to ask them, “Aren’t you guys worried about the fire outside?”
A person with no legs replied, “Heehee…. Mona Town has Sara’s divine protection. As long as we are pious enough, nothing in the world can hurt us. But you aren’t the same… You foreigners will definitely die.”
Hearing his words, the nearby people also began laughing eerily.
They gloated as they looked at Xiao Lan and Luo, as if they would be cursed or something in the next second.
These people seem to feel that they were under Sara’s protection and didn’t need to worry about anything.
In reality, however, aside from severely damaged and deformed limbs, and a crazed mentality, they had nothing.
Xiao Lan and Luo no longer bothered with them and continued walking.
Suddenly, Luo pointed at an abandoned house. “That looks like clothes from the store in the player hub.”
Xiao Lan looked in the direction that he was pointing.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
He saw a stained scrap of clothing hanging in the shabby window.
Ktf akb kjixfv j ilaaif oegatfg lc, jcv Oeb gfjmtfv bea ab ajxf atf rmgjq bo ojyglm.
Pa jmaejiis kjr atf wbra mbwwbcis rffc mibatlcu vfrluc lc atf qijsfg tey.
Ciatbeut atlr rtlga mbeivc’a yf rjlv ab yf ecldef, la kjr ralii fzagfwfis rerqlmlber atja la tjv jqqfjgfv lc atlr rfjifv boo abkc.
Luo inspected it for a moment before he said, “Looks like this scrap hasn’t been here for long.”
Xiao Lan pondered. “From what Taidi said, Sara’s Song doesn’t reset, so this might be from a player who entered before, and… It’s very likely that they’re still alive here.”
Luo nodded.
Xiao Lan said. “Let’s go find him. Perhaps we might learn some new clues.”
The two began searching for traces near the scrap, and started searching in the direction that the player might have gone.
The further they walked, the more desolate their surroundings became. There weren’t even any sounds of people.
The surrounding houses had already been uninhabited for an unknown number of years, and many had already collapsed.
It turned out that Mona Town was far larger than what Xiao Lan had assumed, but it was only the area near the entrance that was inhabited.
Finally, the tracks stopped in front of an abandoned house.
This abandoned house still looked pretty intact; only the glass of the windows were completely shattered.
The two carefully pushed the old entrance door open, and it emitted a piercing creak.
In the lounge behind the door, a person sat on a tattered sofa.
His hands were tucked into his sleeves, his half-bent face was covered in deep grooves, and he had grizzled hair. However, the muscles of his arms were thick and powerful, making it hard to guess his age.
Hearing the sounds outside the door, the person raised his head.
He already wasn’t quite ‘human’ anymore.
There were no eyes in the upturned face.
It wasn’t an external injury, like what the town residents had; it was just that there was a layer of intact skin and flesh where his eyes were. It was as if he never had any eyes to begin with. Instead, there were some root-like things growing out of his face.
Although it looked very grotesque, there was still a loftiness about him that only an advanced player would have. Along with the damage to his clothes, it was clear that Xiao Lan and Luo had found the right person.
Without waiting for Xiao Lan to speak, he began mumbling to himself. “Contract… power, I want more power…”
Xiao Lan and Luo exchanged a look.
This mental state didn’t bode well ah.
Xiao Lan cautiously took a step forward and tried to communicate with the man. “Hello, you’re also a player, right?”
Hearing the word ‘player’, the other reacted. “Player, player, right, I’m a player… Advanced player… I’m very powerful…”
Xiao Lan asked, “Do you still remember how long it’s been since you entered?”
The player said, “Entered… Sara’s Song… contract…”
Suddenly, he stood up. “I can’t leave anymore! I can’t leave anymore!!! Hehehe… You guys can forget about it too… never again —”
Before he finished speaking, the hands in his sleeves suddenly shot out and ruthlessly attacked Xiao Lan.
Only then did Xiao Lan see that his hands were also not like that of a normal human anymore. They were warped and had grooves like tree bark, but the fingertips were long and sharp, and were even an odd dark green colour.
Xiao Lan had long been prepared, and he darted to the side to avoid this attack.
At the same time, Luo, who had been waiting on the side, rushed over and kicked the player in the face so that the player was pushed back a fair bit.
“Ho…” An indecipherable sound came out of the player’s throat.
His head tilted a little to determine the newcomer’s position through hearing, and he continued attacking the two of them.
Just like a wild beast that had lost all rationality, his heart was filled with only the desire to kill. There was no intention to communicate at all.
The three began fighting in this shabby living room.
He was worthy of someone with the qualifications to be promoted to an advanced level. Even in this state, his combat ability wasn’t lacking.
In the face of a 2v1 against Xiao Lan and Luo, however, this person, who was long past his prime, quickly began to reveal flaws.
Sharp claws swiped at Xiao Lan’s side with a dangerous green light.
Xiao Lan also didn’t scruple to swing his rod down on the arm, and there was instantly the crack of a bone snapping.
On the other side, Luo attacked once again. A ruthless kick mercilessly broke one of the man’s legs.
Without support, the player fell to the ground.
Strangely, however, only a few drops of green liquid oozed out of his injuries.
“Ah… Ho… Ah…” He let out strange, pitched howls.
Holding his rod, Xiao Lan walked closer. “Now can we talk? I have a healing item here; I can give it to you later.”
Lying on the floor, the player seemed to regain some awareness. “What do you want to know?”
Xiao Lan asked, “How long have you been here? How did you become like this?”
The person on the floor thought about it. “Maybe a few months, maybe half a year, maybe a year, I can’t remember anymore. As for how… Hehe… I was sent to Sara, but They said I wasn’t a qualified offering, so I was thrown out to live or die here, and I slowly became like this.”
Xiao Lan questioned closely, “You’ve seen Sara?”
He nodded. “Yes, I have… at very, very close range… They…”
As he spoke, his voice grew softer, as if he didn’t have enough strength and talking had become hard.
Xiao Lan was just about to draw a little closer to listen carefully, but suddenly glimpsed a slight smile at the corner of the man’s lips.
A sense of danger shot through his heart and he instantly retreated, switching 【Insurgent’s Bone】 to a shield and holding it before him.
Luo also swiftly erected a black shadow in front of him.
The next moment, the head of the person on the floor exploded with a bang.
Green juice splattered all over the living room. The places it touched sizzled and corroded, and a foul smell instantly spread in the air.
After a while, Xiao Lan withdrew the shield.
Luo sensed the odour in the air and then nodded at Xiao Lan. “No poison.”
Only then did Xiao Lan walk towards the corpse.
The headless corpse didn’t move and looked died.
There was a green liquid on the wound at its throat and no signs of blood, as if there was no longer any blood in this person’s body.
Xiao Lan found a tablecloth and covered the corpse.
Although the other couldn’t have been considered to be friendly, he clearly hadn’t been in his right mind. Seeing as they were both players, Xiao Lan gave him a little commemorative burial.
This guy had once been one of the most powerful advanced players; what a pity that in the end, he died in a quiet and obscure way like this.
The only thing they had obtained from this interlude was just the phrase, ‘unqualified offering’.
If an unqualified offering was tossed into the town to live or die whenever, then… what about a qualified one?
And where would Wang Ke be?
Xiao Lan and Luo searched the room, but unfortunately did not find any clues.
Their lead was at a dead end with the death of this player; they could only continue searching.
Unfortunately, they weren’t able to obtain any other clues in this area.
The two then switched directions and continued forward.
“Hey, foreigners.” In a remote corner, a hand stretched out to wave at them.
Xiao Lan looked over and realised it was a young man.
His clothes were just a ragged as the people of the small town, but he wasn’t missing any limbs, and his five senses were also intact. Aside from a warped patch of skin on the back of his hand, this person didn’t have any traces of deformity.
Seeing that the two weren’t approaching him, he added, “I have something here that you will definitely be interested in.”
As he spoke, he brandished the leather suitcase he held in his other hand.
Xiao Lan took out 【Insurgent’s Bone】 and warily walked over, like someone who was about to collect protection fees.
Luo followed closely behind him, like someone who would collect protection fees a few more times if it would make sir happy.
In the face of the two people walking towards him with murderous expressions, the youth in the corner felt the hair on his back stand on end, and even thought about challenging his own best time for running.
However, he still did his best to remain steady.
Xiao Lan walked over to him. His gaze swept over their surroundings, and he only lowered the rod after he confirmed that there was no ambush. “Something the matter?”
The youth swallowed. “I… I have something here I can sell to you.”
Xiao Lan raised his eyebrows. “What?”
The youth couldn’t resist hugging the suitcase tight. “Y- you have to pay…”
Xiao Lan smiled. “You didn’t even say what it is, so how can I give you money?”
This town youth seemed surprisingly pure.
“Oh… It’s like that?” The youth scratched his head, a little uncertain.
However, his grip on the briefcase was still tight, as if he didn’t trust these foreigners.
Luo simply took out a wad of cash from his pocket and waved it in his face.
When the youth saw the money, his eyes were like that of a cat that had seen a cat teaser. His head followed Luo’s movements bit by bit, making him suddenly look a little adorable.
With the power of money paving the way, the rest of the conversation ran much smoother.
Luo withdrew the money. “Tell us, what is that thing? If it interests us, the money is yours.”
An excited smile appeared on the youth’s face, and he patted the leather suitcase. “This is something I took off a foreigner’s corpse. You guys are also foreigners, so don’t you also want this?”
Xiao Lan: “…”
This simple and crude line of logic was pretty powerful.
However, this truly was a stroke of luck. After death, a player’s related items would disappear. If the foreigner was a player, a suitcase brought along by the player was likely something from the game, and was very possibly a related clue.
Xiao Lan said, “We have to take a look first; only then can we confirm that you aren’t lying.”
“Alright then.” The youth decisively nodded and passed the leather suitcase over; he seemed extremely gullible.
He simply didn’t consider what would happen if the two people in front of him just grabbed the suitcase and ran.
Luo accepted the suitcase. When he opened it, he discovered that there was a lot of printed material inside, and all of it was information related to Mona Town.
There were plenty of documents of varying ages, and the content recorded was also more detailed than what all the players had.
These were probably clues obtained by someone; who knew if it was a player or a private investigator hired before.
Luo nodded and readily handed the money over. “Now, it’s yours.”
Ecstatic, the youth took the money and began counting. “1, 2, 3, … 9, 10. 1, 2, 3, …”
It seemed that he could only count up to ten, making one worry about the education standard in this town.
But, did this place really have a school?
Thinking about how the youth’s reactions were unlike that of the other residents, Xiao Lan said, “You seem different from the others.”
The youth raised his head. “Different?”
He looked around to confirm that there was no one around before he quietly said, “Because I don’t believe in Sara.”
Xiao Lan: “Why?”
The youth shrugged. “Does Sara truly make us blessed? I only see that there are fewer and fewer people in town. Also, they all say that Sara’s singing is beautiful, but I just feel that it sounds terrible, and it makes me dizzy.
“Although they say that Sara protects our town, why is it that the people who leave all never return? I feel that the world outside definitely has to be better,” he added.
Luo asked, “There were people who left before?”
The youth nodded. “Mn, my neighbour left and never came back.”
“How about you?” Xiao Lan asked.
“Maybe I’ll leave too ba. I hear that living outside costs a lot of money, so I want to save up a little more now,” the youth said. “Oh, right, if you guys die, can you give me back the leather suitcase ah? I can sell it one more time.”
Xiao Lan: “…”
You’re truly an unorthodox business genius.
thanks for the chapter
He’s a promising businessman
Thank you for the chapter!! <3
+1 that dude got a future…
Thanks for the up
Live well, young business genius
Thanks for the chapter ~
thanks for the chapter <3
Can we take this aspiring entrepreneur out of the game? He’s too cute
»The headless corpse didn’t move and looked died.« looked dead
Good luck guys in not ending as an exploding human tree :’D
Thx for the ch (ㅅ˘ㅂ˘)
I’m happy to be reading this again. Thanks for your work translating this chapter.
Hope he can survive until he leaves the cursed town.. and also learns to count past ten ..
I wish this little guy the best. He sounds very cute 🥰🥰
When I first heard about Sara’s Song I thought it would be something at sea like a Siren or sum XD