197. Omen of Death
[Arrival Complete]
[Welcome Back to Star Abyss]
Neural network invasion, visual link synchronized, Caramel Snail rose from his residence in the Faithkeep Village.
「For some reason, I had a sudden impulse today, so I decided to log into the game.」
Caramel Snail was the type who, once awake, couldn't fall back asleep, especially today when he was unusually excited, simply wanting to play the game.
——Probably because he had been playing "Star Abyss" too much.
He organized his gear and dressed neatly. Now, as a renowned [Martial Artist] in the national server, Caramel Snail had moved beyond being an ordinary casual player. Many businesses, large guilds, and professional teams had sent him invitations. While honing his skills and upgrading his equipment, Caramel Snail pondered his goals.
Hanging around with professional players like Cumin Powder for a long time, he felt that professional competitions were just like other full-time sports—requiring training camps, studies, practice matches, and reviews—not nearly as fun as outsiders imagined, playing games every day.
Turning pro didn't really matter to him, especially since his university enrollment was preserved for life; he could return whenever he wanted.
But which team should he join?
That was the dilemma Caramel Snail struggled with.
With such thoughts in mind, he walked into his courtyard. This two-story house with a yard was something he had bought from Li Aozi. The view was excellent, with a river and flower fields nearby. In the distance, he could see a windmill, and Caramel Snail loved such scenery—it made him feel relaxed.
Caramel Snail watered the fields, loosened the soil, and lamented that the village's animal pen hadn't been completed yet. Otherwise, he would have considered buying a Stardew Cat, a specialty of White Candle Star, and pairing it with a hunting dog to bring more life to his home.
Judging by the in-game time, it had been nine months since the players arrived on White Candle Star. Including the open beta before Faithkeep Village was established, it had already been a year. The character he summoned, Saga Kei, could even speak Tanas with a Blue Chrysanthemum Village accent and got along well with the local villagers.
This was thanks to several factors.
The Crystal Tower civilization was a materialistic magical society with strong inclusivity, multi-ethnic and multicultural systems. The locals did not reject the players as foreign races.
Moreover, the players were weak. In the eyes of the local Tower Tribe people, the players were like oversized Lalafells. The White Candle Star civilians, with their average Gamma-tier strength, naturally bore no malice toward such feeble beings.
Instead, they often entrusted players with errands and small tasks because of their intelligence, diligence, and simple personalities (except for their tendency to rummage through boxes, loot corpses, and bully small animals).
Compared to players, the cosmic refugees Li Aozi took in for Faithkeep Village found it harder to integrate locally. For instance, the aliens from the Vanlenkov Autonomous State were powerful and warlike, a true battle-hardened people. Their appearance alone could make children cry at night. The locals weren't too fond of them, but their strength made them indispensable for important tasks.
The players and refugee immigrants weren't strangers to each other. They were all undocumented residents, relying on Li Aozi's protection to get by. The refugees also understood that these immortal descendents had close ties with their lord, so they dared not disrespect them.
While it was the middle of the night in reality, Faithkeep Village was already bustling with daylight. Caramel Snail wandered leisurely around his small plot of land, gathered some materials, locked the door, and headed into the village.
At this hour, his teammates hadn't arrived yet. It was impossible to clear a dungeon alone, and Caramel Snail didn't feel like running knives for Vanlenkov.
He couldn't explain why, but the earlier surge of impulse hadn't subsided.
So, Caramel Snail closed his game interface and strolled through the village streets, observing the crisscrossing paths, neat houses, and the floral fragrance carried by the breeze. Magical glimmers flickered in the workshops, and the hum of biochemical pools hinted at some unknown command from Li Aozi.
Young villagers sweated in the fields, while children laughed and played, kicking balls. The village school echoed with the sound of reading. A few workers stood outside the tavern, holding magical smoking pipes and discussing seriously how to construct the flying carpet dock.
Everything felt so real.
He ordered a bowl of fried rice and a glass of lime juice at the restaurant. The landlady, in a good mood today, gave him two chicken wings as a bonus.
Caramel Snail had eaten many meals prepared by Gariton, a professional [Chef], which offered buffs like [Strength]-boosting [Undead Curry Shrimp] or [Satan's Wailing Cream Pancake] that restored full health.
Yet, he savored this simple fried rice, which only added [Satiety], spoonful by spoonful, carefully appreciating the slippery texture of the rice mixed with eggs. The food wasn't delicately crafted, but the portions were generous, clearly meant to fill people up for work.
In the restaurant, a bard played music and sang, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere.
The lime juice tasted crisp and sweet with a slight astringency. As he drank, Caramel Snail could clearly feel his salivary glands secreting saliva—an incredibly vivid sensation.
Without the system interface, everything seemed like a real world.
「No wonder people pursue electronic immigration…」
Caramel Snail understood completely at this moment.
The bustling diners, the clinking of cups, the fresh fruits and vegetables, the simple meals, and the joyous music and dance filled the place with a vibrant atmosphere. It suddenly gave Caramel Snail an idea:
'When I die, I want to upload my consciousness here too.'
"Star Abyss" was their second home.
As this thought emerged, he looked out at the distant fields and his two-story house by the river, naturally thinking:
'If anyone dares to harm Star Abyss, I'll never forgive them.'
When the bard finished a round of songs, he noticed Caramel Snail dining alone, recognized him as a descender, and approached him warmly:
「Hey, buddy, I've written a new song. Would you mind listening to it and pointing out any flaws?」
[The bard 'Max' has issued you a side quest—"Song Preview"]
The sudden system interface pulled Caramel Snail back into player mode. The quest wasn't difficult—just listening to a song. Enjoying his leisure, he nodded and accepted the quest.
「No problem.」
「Thank you so much.」
The bard Max smiled, then held his instrument and sang a ballad:
The tailor holds the thread in hand, weaving through fate and time,
She stitches death into the fabric, turning history page by page,
Calamity follows her footsteps, destruction always by her side.
A saint seeks the dangers she brings, witnessing the tailor's crimes,
She throws a bronze sword at her, cutting the unending threads.
...
As the bard sang, Caramel Snail found the lyrics increasingly strange. He unconsciously gripped his cup, sometimes sipping his drink silently, sometimes gazing into the distance, a hint of sorrow in his expression.
「The tailor…[The Tailor].」
The bard's plain lyrics and clumsy performance somehow struck a chord with Caramel Snail—or rather, Jiao Ziniu—evoking resonance and sadness.
A hundred and twenty years ago, a witch self-proclaimed as [The Tailor] fell from the stars and descended upon the world. She effortlessly connected mountains, weaving the lives and fates of people as she pleased, wreaking havoc, and bringing calamity to the land.
Then, a saint, also from the stars, unable to tolerate [The Tailor]'s crimes, descended to the world. Though stripped of her powers, she resolved to fight for humanity. She cut [The Tailor]'s threads and raised the flag of resistance.
Ultimately, [The Tailor] was defeated. The [Saint] was gravely injured, her body buried among the mountains, guarded by the heroic spirits of Felicia.
It was peculiar.
Jiao Ziniu didn't know the historical background of this story or the relationships between its characters.
Yet, he could clearly feel it—each time the word [The Tailor] surfaced, or when he heard about [The Tailor] bringing harm and committing atrocities, Jiao Ziniu couldn't remain calm.
It was as if…he too had been a victim of that calamity.