Anakin was also afraid.
Ever since she came to this world, even when facing the Mad Monk, she had never been so fearful. She wished she could perform a major prophecy to determine whether her decision was right or wrong.
If it were just her, she would have escaped for a few days. But with her family beside her, she didn't dare delay. What's the worst that could happen? She thought bitterly. Maybe if the three major guilds abandoned her, maybe Nol… Xu Yue could provide them with some backup.
But on the other hand, if her betrayal angered this compatriot, it might lead to a rift between Paradise and the Players.
From their recent interactions, Anakin couldn't judge the mental state of this individual.
Even the kindest person, when paired with the Mad Monk, would seem to have ulterior motives. The sight of Xu Yue rolling over everyone with the Lost Tower left a deep impression on her. The sounds of the Demon King's minions shattering still echoed in her ears.
Better to offend a gentleman than a lunatic, Anakin tried to convince herself.
After the meeting, Anakin turned off the system interface. Her body was soaking wet, as if she had just been pulled out of the water. She thought for a long time, changed into formal battle gear, and dressed more seriously than for an interview.
Solo didn't say anything. While he was noisy when happily leveling up, he would be silent during serious situations. He dressed neatly like Anakin and opened the door to the guest room.
Upon leaving the Dream Edge, the sky at the top of the tower was completely consistent with the outside world, as if there was no top to the tower. The faint morning light sprinkled on the tiles; its gentle glow was soothing.
The succubi had set up a temporary lair on the second floor. The first floor was empty except for the beautiful throne shining in the sunlight. Anakin took a deep breath of fresh air, slapped her face hard, and tried to put on the friendliest smile.
This smile lasted less than a tenth of a second, vanishing in front of Teest.
The handsome Mad Monk was still wearing the succubus costume, with added blood stains. The contract pattern on his wrist with the succubus hadn't been removed. The two dark reds echoed like fashionable jewelry.
He glanced at Anakin without much curiosity, as if he was looking at a stump. Anakin noticed that he was holding a large bouquet in his arms—wrapped in white cloth, with black and blue flowers, adorned with white small flowers and fresh green leaves.
Flowers so early in the morning? For Xu Yue?
Before Anakin could think about the deeper meaning, Solo let out a suppressed groan. Looking closely, those weren't flowers at all, but clearly stiff human hands—the black ones from the Nightmares, the pale thin ones… she didn't want to think further.
"Do you two need something?" Teest asked politely.
"We, um, would like to speak to Xu… Nol." Anakin was still staring at the "bouquet". Never before had she doubted her decisions so intensely.
"Oh, he's still sleeping," Teest said. "You can come back after breakfast."
"Alright." Anakin tried to smile. Her legs felt weak, so she stayed put.
"Do you want a flower?" Teest, seeing her unmoving, smiled again, sounding as gentle as a pretty flower seller on the street.
Anakin and Solo quickly retreated.
Only then did Teest turn his gaze back and return to the room where Nol was.
Nol seemed relieved, sleeping soundly. So deep that Teest wondered if he had died again. Teest, as always, woke up early, but this person kept sleeping. Even now, Nol maintained his sleeping position, buried in the blanket.
Teest put the bouquet in an empty vase on the table, sat on the bed, and sighed.
Last night, after Nol fell asleep, Teest eagerly used the [Necrotic Dominion] on him—out of curiosity. He wanted to see how Mr. Lich would react. Nol never mentioned this when discussing the skill, trusting him too much.
If it worked, what should he make Nol do?
After much thought, Teest found the matter uninteresting. He had manipulated many with golden threads before, but using magic seemed not so different. Maybe he needed more intricate control… Controlling Nol to touch his hair would probably be nice.
He pondered this for half an hour and excitedly used the magic, but nothing happened. Teest was stunned for a few seconds, then he remembered the "immunity to mental magic".
Mr. Mad Monk went to bed dissatisfied and woke up still unhappy. He took a grumpy walk outside and decided to cause trouble for some people. Thus, he purposely went near the dungeon of the succubi tribe and harvested a batch of fresh hands from the Eternalists.
After dealing with the remaining parts of the hands, he went to the battlefield to collect some monster palms. Once the "flower" bouquets were assembled, he quietly gave them to every young succubus who had screamed and shouted the day before.
A fulfilling morning.
After all this, as the sun was about to rise, Teest's mood finally brightened.
Teest left the freshest bouquet by the bedside. Then he sat on the bed, patiently waiting for Nol to wake up.
...
When the two Players returned to the room, Nol was frantically chasing Teest's tail all over the place. The terrifying bouquet was no longer in the room; only suspicious ashes were left by the vase.
Seeing the Players arrive, Teest wisely stopped and hid his tail, gracefully sitting by the bed.
"Good morning. Didn't Uncle Ma come with you?" Unable to continue his chase, Nol coughed and sat upright on a chair.
He asked directly.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Anakin felt there was something different about him. The previous Nol felt like a paranoid academic killer, but now he seemed to have transitioned into a gentle, next-door serial killer without that tense feeling.
"We have something we would like to discuss with you alone, Mr. Xu Yue," Anakin said. Solo was about to find a place to sit when she promptly stopped him.
"For the truth about this world, you can ask Uncle Ma for confirmation. I've briefed him roughly." Nol decided to leave the explanation about "Paradise" to Uncle Ma—partly because the old man could handle the pressure and partly because he felt he owed him something.
Hearing the word "truth", both Players fell silent.
Nol stood up, pouring water for the two uncomfortable Players. The water was magically created by him, complete with ice cubes and slices of wild fruits from the Black Forest.
"You specifically came to see me, so there must be something more important, right?" he asked in an unprecedentedly relaxed tone.
Anakin licked her dry lips. She found the water timely, but she didn't dare drink it and merely touched it symbolically with her lips.
"Regarding 'Paradise', what do you want us to do?" she asked cautiously, her fingers tensing on her wand. "The Players are very concerned about 'Paradise', demanding full disclosure of related quests and particularly strict penalties for violations. If you don't mind, we must explain some things."
"I don't want the Players—most of them—to know about my situation," Nol stated directly. "For the same reasons you didn't immediately report Uncle Ma, I don't intend to cause further chaos."
Teest chuckled, and Nol understood that he probably got the unsaid part. Only by becoming a "mainline NPC" could he better guide the situation. If he were to be treated as a "transmigrator" like other Players, then others might have their own plans.
"But we can't lie," Solo interjected. "Such an important matter, the higher-ups would definitely deploy lie-detection tools and experts… If discovered, we'd be exiled!"
Anakin nodded.
"Why not disclose your previous quest? Just say that your quest connected you with 'Paradise'." Teest suddenly interrupted, his smile deep and meaningful. "You two didn't assist us out of 'kindness' initially, did you? I guess you had a type of assistance quest."
The siblings exchanged glances.
They indeed could disclose their previous quest, whether they were related to the Temple or the succubi. There was only one problem—
Anakin summoned the system window, showing the task [A Question] to the two in front of her.
"We haven't been able to complete it yet," she carefully said. "To establish a 'connection', it'd be better to complete it perfectly…"
Teest's eyes lingered for half a second on the reward section "Goodwill from a certain existence" before moving on to the quest requirements. He laughed softly and casually pointed outside.
"I quietly sent some flowers to the second floor. Soon, there might be some surprised screams, and some might even cry out of happiness," he explained. "Help soothe the succubi. Those who received the flowers are quite young. Ensure they don't overthink. These are gifts from me, the crown prince, on behalf of the queen. She needs to rest and couldn't come personally," Teest said. He casually tapped the shadow by the bed. A huge snout emerged, sniffing incessantly, as if searching for food.
"Also, take this guy for a run on the second floor," Teest continued nonchalantly. "Ben is too fat. He needs some exercise."
Nol almost choked on his drink. This faux succubus crown prince was trying to shine in his last moments—Teest's intimidation was just short of threatening them with a sword to their faces to "shut up and behave".
Anakin looked horrified at the dark wolf snout. Hearing the "run", the snout approached her, sniffing with apparent joy.
"Alright," she said weakly, not finding a suitable reason to refuse the Mad Monk.
"Don't be afraid," Nol quickly reassured. "Once the quest is done, feel free to report its details. I sincerely hope you both can be the bridge between 'Paradise' and the Players."
Some things were more conveniently done by genuine Players. These two Players might be a bit naive, but they were fundamentally good-natured and had the courage to involve themselves in the grand scheme. Perhaps they truly would have a chance to become friends.
Anakin was about to respond when suddenly, a quest completion notification flashed.
[You have completed the hidden quest: A Question.]
[You have met the perfect completion conditions for the quest "A Question": Leaving the Dream Edge without dying; assisting in saving the soon-to-be extinct succubus tribe.]
[Quest Reward: Large experience points [Normal]; Permanent increase of 20% in luck attribute [Perfect]; Goodwill from a certain existence [Perfect].]
Here it is! Regardless of the current tense and complicated situation, the moment of quest completion always brought satisfaction. Joy immediately appeared on the faces of the two Players. Anakin exhaled deeply, watching as the notification window disappeared.
"I'm…"
Another notification window popped up at that moment.
[Fortunate one chosen by fate, congratulations on making the right decision.]
Her words were caught in her throat once again.
A few steps away, Teest stared intently at the two, his eyes unwavering, deep in thought.
...
Crimson stepped into the Eternal Church's cathedral.
A day earlier, he activated a precious teleportation item. Its fixed teleportation point was right in Grape Collar, inside a safe house he had rented not long ago.
People like them always needed safe houses. Nobody would be foolish enough to set their coordinates in an Eternal Church stronghold—there was no "love and trust" among high-profile criminals. Everyone hoped you'd collapse and spill your gear.
One piece of evidence was that the Eternal Church's Players didn't even have a guild. Everyone played their own game and enjoyed it.
But everyone needed information.
Crimson possessed an almost beast-like intuition. This intuition had helped him avoid police tracking and undercover investigations several times. Recently, it told him that if he wasn't willing to use that priceless teleportation prop, his fate wouldn't look good.
Thanks to divine guidance, now was the time to reap the rewards.
"I have information about 'Paradise' for sale."
He contacted a priest of the Eternal Church first. "The characteristics of Players involved with 'Paradise', the general situation of that black tower, and the combat personnel who appeared in Paradise. I only accept rare items or weapons as compensation."
Only a fool would tell other "Demons". How could the few months' worth of items accumulated by Players compare to a religion that had a foundation of thousands of years? He had to squeeze some benefits from the Eternal Church first.
Regrettably, he was too far away at the time and couldn't hear the conversation of the people above clearly. If he knew more, he might have been able to obtain the Eternal Church's magic shield.
People of the priest's rank no longer used communication crystals. There was a flicker of dark light, and the face of an old man covered in warts appeared in midair.
Thankfully, an ordinary priest was just that—ordinary. The black magic effect in front of him was mediocre, sparing him from seeing many unsettling skin details.
"May everything be eternal," the old priest said. "Are you referring to 'Paradise' that connects all Players? …The 'Paradise' that exterminated sixty thousand corrupted Nightmares and a thousand Eternalists in one day?"
Of course, someone had already sold the global announcement's information to the Eternal Church, and Crimson wasn't surprised.
"Yes, them. By God's grace, I watched everything up close."
I saw how your troops were ground into minced meat, how they were strangled into chunks. Crimson didn't bother to sound pained. After all, the other party didn't seem to care either.
"That Eugene was also there. We both know the nature of the Temple. By now, their higher-ups surely know everything," he added fuel to the fire.
Through the murky reflection, the old priest stared at Crimson. The old man seemed even more monstrous in his silence, making one feel agitated.
This was a negotiation about the price. The Eternal Church might be mad, but they weren't stupid.
Even if they had given Players titles related to the "Eternal Son", they'd always settle accounts clearly among themselves during such times.
"This is a remarkable honor, Lord Demon." After what seemed like an eternity, the old priest spoke again. "God has allowed you to witness everything and entrusted you with a responsibility. What a wonderful fate."
Crimson's expression darkened. "Responsibility" was definitely one of his top three most hated words.
"I only accept rare items or weapons as compensation," he repeated.
"Of course, of course." The old priest laughed, resembling a crow. "We'd be happy to buy the information on relevant Players… As for the tower, please allow us to investigate first. If the results aren't satisfactory, we'll offer you a price that satisfies you."
"Alright, that's fair," Crimson said.
The most important combat personnel weren't mentioned. This matter was certainly not over yet.
"As for the third point… Since you're aware of the power of Paradise, you're perfect for a job," the old man coughed.
"We'd like you to retrieve the Chosen One as revealed by the oracle."
The author has something to say:
Teest: Not happy, huh? Here's a bouquet to cheer everyone up ^w^
Mad Monk's special bouquet, make your boyfriend so touched that he runs around the house (×