Crimson had no desire to take on this task. It sounded like a nanny's job, devoid of any excitement.
Listen, God's Chosen One sounds like the delusions of those rich old men after they've had too much.
The black candle was stolen, and Crimson shifted the blame to Jack, who couldn't refute the accusation. But the Church's opinion of him had significantly decreased. His partner was dead, precious items were lost in large numbers, and the Eternal Church seemed to have no intention of replenishing them anytime soon.
After arriving in a world filled with blood and violence, how could he not be excited?
So, he had no choice but to agree to this deal. Just like in his previous world, he needed to work diligently in between his killings to pay off his credit cards.
"Bring back the Chosen One. Of course, it would be my honor." Crimson repeated without any emotion. "But I fail to see how this relates to 'Paradise'."
"Twenty-one years ago, the Chosen One appeared in Grape Collar. But those fools misinterpreted God's will and didn't find the real Chosen One," the old priest said with an annoyingly dramatic tone. "Now, God has given another oracle. 'Following the river of fate, returning to the land of Grape Collar, his soul remains in darkness'."
"Oh, alright," Crimson said. "Tell me the physical features of this dark soul, and I'll find him as soon as possible."
The old priest remained silent.
"…Is that all you've got?" Crimson's eyebrows shot up.
He despised these vague prophecies. His God wouldn't entertain believers with riddles. Based on these vague clues, any male over twenty-one in Grape Collar could be his target.
No wonder they got it wrong the last time! He cursed internally.
"The first prophecy was more precise."
The old priest paused for a few minutes before adding slowly, "The prophecy was once stored in the Immortal Church in Grape Collar, which was burned down twelve years ago. You need to get the original prophecy and bring back the true Chosen One."
"We are too close to that black tower. The Master of Paradise has shown strong hostility towards us and might interfere. It's God's will for someone familiar with them, like you, to do this. We sincerely hope that the incident in Whitebird City won't happen again, Lord Demon."
Vague instructions, no information at all—what a nightmare of a task.
Crimson replied, "Even a Demon can't turn back time. I can't be expected to dig through charred garbage from over twenty years ago, can I?"
"But God can," the old priest said, the warts on his face squeezing together, forming a horrifying grin.
This got a bit interesting. Crimson raised his eyebrows even higher. Back in Whitebird City, members of Paradise were the ones who stole the black candle. This time, he had to pray that Paradise's people wouldn't cause trouble again. Now that the news about the "Mad Monk" in Paradise had spread, he hoped that the Players of the Temple of Life would confront Paradise first.
...
Anakin and Solo sat in the first-floor restaurant. Anakin's face ached from laughing so much, while Solo mechanically wielded his fork, succeeding in bringing food to his mouth only twice out of three attempts.
The long table around them was occupied by all sorts of monsters. It was the first time Anakin had seen so many creatures gathered in one place.
Nol and Teest sat at the head of the table. On one side were about a dozen old succubi, represented by Uncle Ma, and on the other… well, an ensemble of monsters.
Across from the succubi and closest to the main seats was a Puppet Witch. She delicately scooped pudding, exposing the ball-shaped joints of her fingers and elbow. A creepy doll sat beside her, occasionally fetching condiments or fruit for her.
Next to her sat an Elf and a gray Wolfkin. Further out was a bizarre family trio made up of a Crow, a Banshee, and a Ghost. The Banshee Mother was trying to feed berries to her translucent daughter—who for some reason, kept glancing towards the main seats, her young face tinged with fear.
'Children have good instincts. Perhaps she senses the menacing aura of the Mad Monk,' Anakin thought.
Nol seemed the most normal, but on his plate lay the tail of a poisonous jungle spider. Even roasted and drenched in sauce, its pungent smell was overpoweringly strong. After several glances, Anakin wasn't so sure how to define "normal" anymore.
Such monsters were rare to see. Encountering just one in the wild was distressing enough. Now, facing a whole group of them felt like a boss meeting. Combined with the sporadic mentions of Country C, Anakin felt incredibly confused.
Nol easily cracked open the spider's tail, revealing the purple-webbed meat inside. He scowled at it, took a while to cut a small piece, coated it in yellow sauce to hide its appearance, and hesitantly put it in his mouth.
His expression was much more animated than Anakin remembered.
After two chews, Nol's face contorted, looking like he was about to vomit. Teest quickly grasped Nol's shoulder, one hand firmly over his mouth, until his breathing steadied.
It looked as if he was trying to smother him.
"Here, honey."
Once Teest let go, he handed Nol a cup of fragrant herbal tea. Nol murmured a thank you and drank hastily, almost downing the hot drink in one gulp.
'…I don't get it!' Anakin thought in distress.
The silver lining was that the monster neighbors also seemed to fall into two camps: "Help, I don't understand" and "I don't understand, but I respect". Suddenly, Anakin felt a bit closer to these creatures.
"Will we all be staying here from now on?"
Elf Rosen shifted on his seat, swinging his feet that didn't touch the ground. "This place is awesome. It's spacious enough for all of us—but the environment is too different. We can't stay on our original floors."
"We'd like a guest room, if possible," the Banshee asked nervously. "Our baby is used to rooms, and I'm afraid she won't adapt to the wild."
"I'm in charge of the rooms here. Of course you can have one," Uncle Ma declared. "We must prioritize the kids!"
The Puppet Witch, after finishing her tea, remarked, "I need a workshop to craft items for everyone. Uncle Ma also needs a guardroom. I'll set up a magical surveillance screen for him."
"Oh, right! We also need to install your surveillance… puppets soon. We're bound to have other visitors to the Black Forest!" Rosen exclaimed, slapping his thigh.
"Miss Lynn, please also include footage from other areas so we can help you find your sister," the Crow perched on the Banshee's shoulder chimed in. "We, as parents, won't wander far and need something to do."
Nol sat in the main seat, watching his neighbors converse with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
The succubi were baffled by this monster coalition, but they remained politely silent. It wasn't until the end of dinner that Succubus Donni cautiously spoke up.
"Thank you both for resolving the conflicts within our tribe," he said, addressing Nol and Teest with reverence as if speaking to a queen. "If you have any plans for us…"
Nol patted Teest's shoulder, who produced a stack of parchment from his pouch.
"This is a recommendation for the training location of the succubi, evolution suggestions, and a map of the Lost Tower for the tribe," Nol explained, handing a sheet to Uncle Ma. "You can arrange your hunting routes and times. That should suffice—oh, except for the queen, everyone must report to Malvina before heading out."
Uncle Ma gave the paper in his hand a slight shake, his expression relaxing a bit.
"These are for everyone."
With that said, Nol handed the stack of papers to Witch Lynn and then passed them on to the neighbors. "Please ensure that you train in teams as instructed. Don't be negligent, and don't initiate fights."
"The Black Forest is a dangerous place. Always move in teams. If anyone wishes to leave the tower, you must report to Malvina and must carry Lynn's communication puppet."
Rosen flicked the paper. "My wife and I will take a trip further away. We need someone to patrol the outermost area. What about you, Nol…? Saying all this, do you not plan to stay long?"
As he said this, his face was turned to Nol, but his eyes were fixed on Teest.
Everyone else's eyes were on Nol—the neighbors', the succubi's. When leaving the Dragon's Lair, Nol had felt such gazes before. Compared to the anxiety and unease of the low-level Nol, the fully leveled-up Lich Nol seemed much more composed.
Nol looked towards the forest outside the tower.
Finding the Lost Tower, gathering the neighbors, then cautiously stationing, leveling up, and slowly accumulating intelligence through constant negotiations—he had thought this way before. But now… he was assisting them, not burdening them. He remained free.
"I need to go out and take a look to get a clearer picture faster." He said with a smile, "This place is unfamiliar to me. To gain unexpected benefits, one must take risks."
Relinquishing the pressure of being the creator, he was the most fitting "adventurer" in this world.
"When I'm not here, Lynn will manage this Tower for me," Nol said, "I'll contact the Tower weekly, and if needed, I can return anytime. You can always contact me if there's an issue."
Anakin held her breath, resisting the urge to exchange glances with Solo.
This meant that Nol had a permanent spatial transportation tool.
…Even the Temple of Life only had one such item, which was securely locked deep in their storeroom. Even one-time-use transportation tools were only available to mid- to high-level Players.
They did right by not offending this guy. Anakin's smile softened. Suddenly, two sheets of parchment floated into her view.
"Sister, sister." The little Ghost Girl maneuvered the parchment to float in front of Anakin. "This is for you."
Not just for monsters? Anakin thanked her with a composed demeanor and took the paper with a look of confusion.
When she saw the first line, her shock was comparable to seeing the golden thread of the Mad Monk.
[Hidden job change for the Holy Priestess: "The Flawless" quest chain.]
[Hidden job change for the Rogue: "Night Ranger" quest chain.]
Both sheets of parchment contained a short sentence in Chinese—
[A gesture of goodwill. Burn after reading. This is just the beginning. Please remember to keep it a secret. ^_^]
...
"Ah, my little Landus, my little Ross, you're finally back!"
A few days later, Aunt Sophie exclaimed loudly at the door.
In reality, Anakin and Solo were still following behind them. The two Players had donned the "A Midsummer Night's Dream" crown and necklace, minimizing their presence. As expected, Aunt Sophie didn't notice them at all.
Hearing her shout now, Anakin felt differently—believing Aunt Sophie was only calling out for the neighbors to hear.
Lady, do you even realize one of them is the Mad Monk and the other is a newly minted monster boss?
Thankfully, Solo shared in this experience with her. If she was holding onto this secret alone, she'd surely develop some mental issues.
Before leaving, both Players turned to Nol, nodding solemnly. In a corner unseen by Aunt Sophie, Nol waved back.
The first group of residents in Paradise had been settled. The neighbors spontaneously started infrastructure work. Players friendly with them were returning to various factions… Hopefully, this would be a good start.
"You two finally decided to wander back."
Once the door was closed, Aunt Sophie's benevolent smile vanished like melting snow. "You've exceeded your time. You'll have to pay again, boys!"
"I'll have some honey cakes," Teest said, counting out some gold wheels. "Oh, and I'll need your kitchen tonight."
Teest had finally shed his succubus outfit. Without that swaying tail, Nol felt like something was missing from Teest. Thankfully, Anakin had generously gifted them the outfit, so that tail would likely make a reappearance.
"Your last room is still under repair. Only a small room remains. Do you want to sleep separately?" Aunt Sophie casually mentioned.
Silence filled the room.
'Maintain a calm, stable demeanor with a touch of nonchalance,' Nol thought rapidly.
After their unexpected intimate moment, Teest acted as if nothing had happened, and they continued to share a room. Since the Mad Monk seemed unaffected, Nol also acted nonchalant—their relationship was as straight as when they first met.
He couldn't exactly kick Teest out, saying, "I have ulterior motives towards you. I don't want to like you more, so let's sleep separately"… That sounded cringeworthy to even think about it.
They were both long past adulthood, not beasts that couldn't control their primal urges. It's just a hint of romantic interest. It's too soon for anything more!
"I don't mind," Nol replied with utter calmness.
"But one room would be better," he added equally placidly. "Don't worry. We won't do anything."
The [Betrayal Overture] required them to stay within five meters of each other, after all.
Teest had also paused for a split second upon hearing Aunt Sophie's suggestion.
Now, he said with an equally calm tone, "We definitely need one room. This way, you won't charge us an extra cleaning fee."
Aunt Sophie looked at them with disdain, clicking her tongue at Nol. "I'm making special roasted meat tomorrow morning. Whether you get to eat it depends on you."
Nol smiled confidently. "I look forward to your culinary expertise."
That night.
"This is your reason for 'definitely needing one room'?" Nol's tone was harder than the walls of the Lost Tower.
Before him was Teest's special midnight snack—a pie made of the legs from the Demon King's minions.
Cook Teest passionately described how it was made. He chose dry meat with fat from the legs of the Thousand-Hand Nightmare, smoked and roasted it, then seasoned with pepper, herbal seeds, and salt. He then mixed it with regular ham and cheese to make the pie.
It smelled surprisingly good.
However, Nol could still detect the unique taste of the Demon King's minions underneath the aroma of flour and cheese.
"Your 'Fallen Death' should have refreshed by now."
Teest sat on the edge of the bed, cheerfully handing over a fork. "Try it. It surely can't be worse than that spider tail from the other day."
"Are you trying to boost my stats or just conducting an experiment?" Nol asked skeptically as he took a bite of the pie.
"Both, I guess." Teest thoughtfully handed over a barf bag, just in case.
Sleeping in one room was for easier rescue in case something went wrong, right? Got it, typical of you, Mad Monk.
Why did he even have feelings for such a guy?
Nol lamented as he bit into the pie.
…The pie was steaming hot but felt incredibly cold when bitten into, as if it had just been taken out of a freezer. Despite all the spices Teest added, the bizarre taste quickly filled Nol's mouth.
It wasn't a scent of decay. The taste was somewhat like mud, rust, and some unknown fungus. For a moment, Nol genuinely wondered if he was licking the lid of a coffin. The flavor was so intense and cold that it made his throat go numb, and it took him a while to swallow even a small bite.
His attributes increased as expected, with his attack power going up by 10, which was quite decent. As for his skill… Nol secretly hoped he'd acquire a useful ability from the Nightmare.
A few seconds later, an option for a new skill appeared on his skill list:
[Lament of the Weak: The despairing thoughts, the faint echoes, the complaints of the defeated against fate. This skill has no effect, holds no value, and cannot be used.]
…What is this?
The author has something to say:
Here we go! A new arc has started! I've divided it into chapters.
The succubus tail is gone, but no worries; it's still in Teest's bag and will be taken out on necessary occasions (maybe?).
Also, I haven't forgotten about Teest's coin! It will be mentioned later on.