Chapter 114.1 Merfolk Shore
After sharing his vision of the future, the esteemed Miaojesty felt his legs weaken, almost stumbling into the fountain behind him.
Currently, these plans were all just empty talk. The toll of meat consumption continued to erode Wen Shi’s mental well-being. Song Yan appeared even weaker, his thoughts alternating between the Merfolk King and the black cat, his gaze distant.
“Help…” Song Yan weakly pleaded.
Ji Yuanzhi, his face devoid of expression, assisted the Cat Monarch and his cultist companion back. Just before the dormitory lights were extinguished, he successfully deposited the pair into their room.
The first bed was by the door, where Arlon caught Wen Shi, who seemed as if he were drunk.
Wen Shi stressed, “I’m the Monarch.”
Arlon was about to take his nonsensical little brother to the bed for a rest, but a blocking arm intervened. Jian Qingrong whispered quietly, “I’ve got this.”
With that said, he picked up Wen Shi and moved forward.
Deep down, Wen Shi’s strong nature wasn’t any weaker than Arlon’s. He would show vulnerability in different ways to seek necessary emotional support. However, unless seriously hurt, he didn’t really like being carried horizontally. Instead, he preferred being carried on someone’s back. The space between the shoulder blades was a person’s weak point, and leaning against it helped him feel relaxed.
Arlon easily figured out his little brother’s temperament and allowed Jian Qingrong’s bending gesture. He didn’t stop it.
Wen Shi spoke in fragments, mumbling many odd things. He focused on the merfolk statue in his mind and built his own ideal world around it.
Resting in bed for under five minutes, he struggled to sit up, feeling quite restless. He asked, “Paper.”
Noticing Wen Shi sweating profusely, Jian Qingrong initially meant to offer tissues. But he saw Wen Shi gripping a pen tightly in his left hand. Instead, he handed over a blank paper and found something to support it.
Ji Yuanzhi shook his head, privately acknowledging his role as an accomplice.
This seemingly regular piece of paper was practically a weapon.
In his weakened state, Wen Shi squeezed the pen with a lot of force. Luckily, the host’s【Pen Stylus】was sturdy enough not to break.
The promotional draft couldn’t be as casual as he had spoken by the fountain. The credibility boost only had a fifty-percent effect. The other fifty percent depended on Wen Shi’s attention to details and his actions.
Considering the transformed body’s color and the character card’s name, Wen Shi made slight adjustments:
Miao Miao Kingdom ➔ Wusa Kingdom
His Miaojesty ➔ King Asa
Cats Eat Fish ➔ Battle of Ancient Dominators
……
Terms like “chaos” and “mystery” were all used to embellish the greatness and enigma of the ancient god. The【Pen Stylus】, guided by the content, produced handwriting that is splendid and elegant.
Wen Shi devised two forms concurrently. One depicted the reincarnated King Asa transforming into a black cat, roaming during silent midnight hours. The other form drew inspiration from the deep-sea monster in the sanatorium, adapted to both land and water.
The automatically generated rough sketches captured intricate divine details, leaving a powerful impression.
The pen tip vanished as soon as the image appeared.
“Your【Pen Stylus】has gone beyond its limits. The item is no longer functional.”
Originally designed for single use, achieving this level already exceeded Wen Shi’s initial expectations.
Starting from when he finished writing this manuscript, the merfolk statue’s image in his mind gradually faded. The prickling sensation in his brain lessened, and the effects of the mental contamination from consuming fresh meat slowly diminished.
Wen Shi explored the in-game store for hypnosis items. He found various options, but their sales were low. These items had stringent usage requirements, often needing full cooperation or an extremely dazed mindset from the target. The highest success rate was only seventy percent. He bought a one-time-use hypnosis item, the【Old Pocket Watch】. He explained its purpose to the people by the bedside. “For the next few days, please join in the act.”
Afterward, Wen Shi requested Ji Yuanzhi’s assistance with hypnosis. Given that they were both players, the latter should have been quite adept in this area.
As for Song Yan, even just a glance at the promotional draft was sufficient to sway him.
Keeping in mind that Wen Shi was already unconventional, giving him a unique and confident role could easily lead to chaos. Ji Yuanzhi preferred things that were foreseeable, so he began to search for a second line of defense against Wen Shi. He suggested to Jian Qingrong, “Imagine this scenario: he’s setting up an empire system, complete with rulers and subjects. If you were required to kneel and serve a Cat Monarch…”
The bandage wrapped around Jian Qingrong’s left eye trembled slightly, similar to how a butterfly might shiver when it experiences its first fluttering of wings—a mixture of the fear of flying and an underlying sense of anticipation.
“……” The second line of defense crumbled internally.
Ji Yuanzhi calmly hooked the pocket watch chain and gently shook it in front of Wen Shi. Simultaneously praying for this episode to end quickly, he initiated the hypnosis.
To rein in the other’s behavior, he deliberately included a set of restricting words like “restraint” and “hibernation” during the hypnosis.
Wen Shi fixed his gaze on the pocket watch. His focus narrowed, and within a haze, he could only hear Ji Yuanzhi’s voice. As the surroundings gradually faded, he started to drift into a short slumber.
The pocket watch shattered, indicating the completion of the hypnosis ritual.
Jian Qingrong asked, “How long will this effect last?”
“Maximum half a day.” Ji Yuanzhi glanced at the promotional draft. The words on it held a certain power. After reading it once, even he felt a bit unsure, “With the help of this paper, about two days.”
If it was needed beyond that, they would have to continue using hypnosis items. He sincerely hoped that day wouldn’t arrive.
“My High Priest.” Wen Shi reopened his eyes, a hint of authority in his feline gaze.
Hypnosis was just a result. The content leading to this outcome entirely relied on the consistency of the logic within the hypnotized person. No one knew what sort of theological system Wen Shi had constructed for himself.
Ji Yuanzhi stood calmly before him, speaking lightly, “My King, to prevent revealing your identity, please use a regular commoner’s manner of speech.”
Wen Shi, an approachable monarch, elegantly nodded and then shifted his gaze to Song Yan. Before the words “My Bishop” could leave his lips, Song Yan, who had read the promotional draft several times, eagerly approached.
“King, your servant is here!”
Arlon, who was drinking water, almost choked and looked over with a puzzled expression.
Song Yan himself had a bit of belief in Wen Shi. The promotional draft worked better for him than any advanced hypnosis item. Just now, he had also closed a logical loop.
Ji Yuanzhi thought ruthlessly: Let it crumble.
Wen Shi: “Servant, maintain a bit of restraint.”
Song Yan: “Yes.”
Jian Qingrong: “……”
The very next moment, Wen Shi’s gaze hesitated between Jian Qingrong and Arlon. For a fleeting instant, he weighed the options before finally saying, “Big Brother, I’ve just successfully been reincarnated. I need you to become a missionary and gather devoted followers.”
Arlon held his cup and responded with a smile that held a hint of something more, “Missionary? Sure thing.”
The word “missionary” was pronounced with emphasis.
Ji Yuanzhi and Jian Qingrong both sensed that something was off. Knowing Wen Shi’s usual behavior, even if he was hypnotized, he wouldn’t pick Arlon to be the missionary in the end.
Recalling Wen Shi’s earlier complaint about feeling unwell at the cafeteria, Ji Yuanzhi adjusted his glasses and suggested, “Perhaps something else is influencing him, clouding his judgment.”
Whatever was affecting Pei Wenwei, it either came from a skill or an item.
Hearing someone plotting against Wen Shi, a faint trace of anger appeared in Jian Qingrong’s eyes. Before it could materialize fully, Ji Yuanzhi calmly added, “Don’t let it bother you too much. Everyone will face consequences, anyway.”
The Cat Monarch and the missionary had both emerged. Nobody could predict how many survivors the academy would have in the end.
•
With each sunrise, the day of the concert drew closer.
Melodic Harmony Building.
After attending several days of classes filled with ppts and recorded lectures, today marked the moment when Mr. Ruan finally brought up the topic of the new book. Before that, he announced the choice for class representatives.
One by one, Wen Shi and Song Yan stood up. Despite their personal inclinations, sparse applause followed from below.
Maintaining the image of a diligent student, Wen Shi occupied the front row today, seated beside the Wandering Corpse. He turned around, facing fellow players, and shared a few obligatory words about teamwork with the teacher and aiding fellow classmates. As his gaze moved over diverse expressions, it halted in a particular corner.
The guild leader of Six Commandment swiftly concealed any excess astonishment in his expression. He nonchalantly crossed his arms and remained seated.
After Wen Shi concluded the class representative speech, he sat back down.
Mr. Ruan mentioned, “Class representatives have extra responsibilities. I’ll be adding twenty points to their daily scores in advance.”
Subtracting the eleven points Wen Shi had lost in the past two days left only a few remaining. But thus far, all the teachers were deducting points, so even being one point ahead set them apart from the rest.
“After class, the class representatives should remember to come to my office and assist in moving books.”
【Side Quest: Moving Books
Quest Details: Manual labor, not challenging. Follow his instructions to complete the task.】
The task subtly implied a rule: non-rebellion.
Wen Shi, who considered leveraging the power of the game to restore himself and had already experienced setbacks, harbored no resistance towards the task of moving books.
Vocal music was the final class of the morning. Mr. Ruan thoughtfully allowed the class representatives to go for lunch first.
The Wandering Corpse grabbed Wen Shi’s clothing from behind, almost causing him to stumble.
Rebellious brat!
Wen Shi turned around, assuming that the Wandering Corpse was being unreasonable due to not becoming the class representative. However, the Wandering Corpse unexpectedly spoke, “Can you kill?” This question left Wen Shi baffled on the spot.
“Kill who?”
“Roommates, all of them,” the Wandering Corpse was still grasping the rhythm of speech, “They’ve been excluding me.”
Although the Wandering Corpse was rebellious, Wen Shi was inherently protective. He intended to give a warning using his position as a class representative.
Guided by the Wandering Corpse, Wen Shi confronted two of his roommates straightforwardly, “Eulia is my friend. I hope you won’t make things difficult for him.”
If they weren’t worried about potential reprisals from the class representative, the players would have spoken out long ago. With ashen faces, they replied one after another, “Your friend starts singing at 6 AM, sings until class, and even continues singing in his dreams at night.”
At a certain point, they had briefly considered using the game’s rules to eliminate him, but they ultimately resisted the urge, guided by a sense of empathy.
These two players remained oblivious to the Wandering Corpse’s keen anticipation of danger. Ironically, their inaction led the inherently sinister war general to consult Wen Shi before taking any action. Otherwise, he might have resorted to a direct approach.
Wen Shi’s formerly cocky air wavered slightly as he said, “I’m sorry.”
Once the others had departed, to preempt the Wandering Corpse’s defiance, Wen Shi tried to counsel him in a more fatherly tone, “Could you refrain from singing for a bit?”
【The Wandering Corpse’s loyalty to you -0.5】
After calmly delivering the first part of his sentence, Wen Shi added with assurance, “Your voice is invaluable. Take good care of it. I promise you’ll have the chance to perform at the concert.”
【The Wandering Corpse’s loyalty to you +0.6】
After soothing the Wandering Corpse, Wen Shi noticed Arlon and Jian Qingrong waiting for him at the back of the room.
To descend the staircase, they needed to pass through the rear door. Arlon, having nothing better to do, used his eyes to trace the elegant curve of Mr. Ruan’s waist, as if he were sketching with his eyes. He even emitted a soft clicking sound. In the meantime, Jian Qingrong, resembling an eager student, used a makeshift device to collect moisture from the air, apparently distinguishing between air from areas inhabited by merfolk and ordinary air.
Wen Shi: “……”
Despite being a monarch, why do I feel so mentally drained?
After finishing his meal, the monarch had to engage in labor. Quickly scarfing down a few mouthfuls of food, Wen Shi subtly gestured to Ji Yuanzhi to look in a certain direction.
“Those few individuals might be problematic.”
Ji Yuanzhi glanced over and saw a few unfamiliar faces, but the silhouette of one among them seemed somewhat familiar to him.
“When I was elected as the class representative, they were overly surprised,” Wen Shi said. “Especially that girl. There was a trace of guilt in her eyes, and her initial reaction was to say something to the guy beside her.”
Wen Shi: “I’ve only recently regained some of my memories from before my reincarnation. Anyone who seems even slightly suspicious, we need to keep an eye on them.”
This was the first time Ji Yuanzhi witnessed someone being hypnotized who could still trigger his latent super-observational abilities.
After discussing the matters that needed noting, Wen Shi took Song Yan to complete the quest, but he didn’t rush to leave the cafeteria.
The game couldn’t be completely devoid of pitfalls. The distinction lay only in their depth. If one insisted on distinguishing, there was only one point that might hold significance within the quest: the teacher’s office.
Mr. Ruan was in a bad mood, so when the class finished, Wen Shi didn’t inquire. The senior students harbored animosity toward the special admissions students, and they wouldn’t readily share information. Moreover, no other teachers could be seen during lunchtime.
Nonetheless, Wen Shi had a shortcut: Luis.
Luis was the first player who chose Mr. Ruan. According to Ji Yuanzhi, he possessed the skill【Bewitch】, making it easy to deduce that Luis had already investigated the water quality of Mr. Ruan’s thermos. Judging from last night’s dinner gathering, Luis could only mildly influence Mr. Ruan. If it were Wen Shi instead, he would definitely try to improve his relationship with the senior students first and then seize the opportunity to sneak into the office.
Just after finishing his meal, Luis sat down. In response to Wen Shi’s inquiry, he didn’t hesitate much and directly provided the location of the office.
As he spoke, he carefully observed Wen Shi’s expression, which appeared somewhat bewildered yet also lucid. It was impossible to determine whether he had been contaminated.
After Wen Shi left, a roommate said to him, “You’re quite generous.”
Although it wasn’t highly secretive information, the available slots for attending the concert were limited, and Pei Wenwei had already outpaced them.
Luis smiled faintly without saying a word.
He was willing to share the information largely because Wen Shi didn’t ask for too much during the dinner gathering. All Wen Shi requested was a mere hundred points, saving Luis the consumption of his anti-mental contamination item.
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
