Chapter 115.2 Merfolk Shore
The【Burial Shroud】was warming up, to some extent resisting the intrusion of malevolent energy.
“Hurry up and read the books!” Wen Shi shouted loudly at the seniors.
According to the quest instructions, as long as all these people finished reading the booklet content, he could just walk away without any worries.
Unfortunately, the students didn’t react at all. Apart from a few who had finished reading, the rest were slowly studying and discussing.
Wen Shi desperately tried to move closer in that direction, but an invisible barrier cruelly blocked his way.
When he was blocked for the second time, Wen Shi stumbled backward, colliding with something. He turned around and was met with a gigantic fox face. A pair of cold yellow eyes stared at him, the long fur around the pointed face emitting a foul smell.
“Want to make a wish?” it asked, chillingly.
With multiple-choice questions like these, no matter which option one picked, it would lead to a dead end.
Wen Shi tightly pursed his lips, attempting to stall for time while waiting for the Ouija board spirit to manifest. Monsters certainly didn’t possess the noble virtue of sharing prey equally. Once both sides started slaughtering each other, there would be a chance for him to seek an escape route.
“I…” Seeing the contemptuous impatience on the pointed face, Wen Shi finally spoke, “Are there any requirements for making a wish? Can it be done for someone else?”
Every word was deliberately slowed.
A strange expression crossed the fox face, and it said only one sentence, “Making a wish requires devoutness.”
Almost the instant the words left the fox spirit’s mouth, the system chimed with a ‘ding’.
【Fox Spirit Codex: A village fox that specializes in granting wishes.
Note: When making a wish with the fox spirit, do not provoke it. You must follow these points:
1. Do not doubt the fox spirit’s ability, you must make a wish; 2. Do not make a wish the fox spirit cannot fulfill; 3. Regardless of your wish, the fox spirit will take something from you.”】
Wen Shi had only seen a monster codex once, when he had confirmed the identity of the blood bride in the ancient castle. He thought to himself in silence, whenever it came to special side quests, trouble always followed. This compulsory wish-making seemed worse than another bathroom escape situation.
“Do you want to make a wish?” The fox spirit asked for the second time, its pointed teeth almost reaching Wen Shi’s forehead. The pungent foxy scent was so strong that Wen Shi couldn’t open his eyes.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Wen Shi was certain that when the fox spirit asked for the third time, it would likely try to bite his head off.
Why hadn’t the Ouijia board spirit appeared yet?
He looked at the oblivious senior students and suddenly remembered an element they mentioned in their conversation: the Ouijia board spirit hadn’t been sent away.
That meant the Ouijia board spirit was likely still within this space.
“I really want to make a wish,” Wen Shi gazed up at the fox-faced being with a look of reverence, “but I’ve just brought a ghost here. I have to settle its debt first.”
Animal perception was sharper than that of humans, and it was the same even after they became ghosts. The fox spirit’s eyes were elongated and its yellow pupils moved slowly from side to side, fixing on a certain direction.
In the instant the fox’s eyes locked onto a spot, a dark figure behind the bookshelf darted swiftly towards the window.
Wen Shi’s expression remained unchanged, but his fingers tightened.
The ghost chose to run away directly, proving that it was no match for the fox spirit.
Sharp claws reached across the space and grabbed, and in a gruesome wail, the fierce ghost was pulled over, stomped on and crushed by the claws, before being shoved into the fox’s mouth.
The savage scene didn’t faze Wen Shi at all. When the fox spirit looked over after finishing its meal, he appeared distant for a moment, then asked calmly, “Every wish comes with a price. The last two questions: what are you planning to take from me, and will you take it immediately after the wish is fulfilled?”
Seeing the human lose his earlier cautiousness, the fox spirit’s cunning eyes filled with scrutiny. Once it confirmed there was nothing unusual about him, it said, “Luck.”
Its nose sniffed at Wen Shi, its tone filled with impatience, “At the moment when the wish is fulfilled, I will take away half of your luck.”
Take away half of my luck?!
The luck that his father had worked so hard to earn–how could it be stolen by a village fox?
Wen Shi looked at it with a deadpan expression, “Fine, since you’re so insistent, I’m willing to make a wish.”
Under its eerie gaze, he spoke calmly, “Great fox spirit, I wish for you to visit my home. Would you be willing?”
The second sentence was asked very politely.
Its inherent wariness gave rise to a strong sense of foreboding. It tried to follow its subconscious urge to refuse, but unfortunately, this was a wish that fell entirely within its ability.
“Willing,” the word slipped out uncontrollably.
Wen Shi heard the prompt sound just as he had hoped.
“This invitation is agreed upon by both parties.”
“Currently undergoing verification. The guest does not belong to special NPCs and is classified as a higher-level malevolent creature.”
“Transportation is about to commence—”
The moment of hesitation for Wen Shi was specifically to confirm whether he needed to contact his family in advance through the game.
The game repeated a line from the function description: This function is also known as “tricking monsters into coming and killing them.”
In other words, when using this function, merciless killing machines would be automatically transported to the player’s home.
The environment in the library gradually blurred, and the world quickly turned into darkness. Wen Shi knew what was happening and calmly waited for the darkness to pass. As both the inviter and the host, once the function was activated, he was also transported to the sanatorium.
Just as composed as Wen Shi was, the fox spirit was equally alarmed. It was being drawn into another dimension by an unfamiliar force, with no way to resist.
Amidst the chaos, he faintly heard a sentence, “You should consider yourself honored.”
Originally, Wen Shi didn’t intend to use this function on the fox spirit. However, the fox spirit’s strength exceeded what he could contend with. Moreover, the mentors currently appearing in this instance were likely to be categorized as special NPCs. Considering that the Merfolk King’s power definitely surpassed that of the malevolent creature, he ultimately decided to bestow upon the fox spirit the status of the first guest in its new home.
When the world regained its brightness, Wen Shi found himself back in the familiar sanatorium.
The old light bulb illuminated the round table, which was covered with a faint layer of dust. Jian Qingrong and Arlon were not present, possibly because they were in the same instance.
This was an extremely eerie round table. People of various genders sat around it. When the space fluctuated, everyone turned their heads in unison, looking toward one direction.
“Bring it on.”
The fox spirit hadn’t yet realized the current situation. While its eyes surveyed the surroundings, one of its mottled tails made a move toward Wen Shi, preparing to snatch his luck away.
The forceful tail was caught mid-air by a strikingly white hand that had a firm grip. With a slight exertion of force, the tail was directly torn off at its root. The pungent black blood splattered in the air. A teenaged boy stood on the severed tail and calmly spat a word, “Ugly.”
This fox looked so aesthetically unpleasing that he wouldn’t even consider using its fur as a doormat.
The searing pain arrived a few seconds later, and a sharp and furious fox screech resounded through the entire data room. More horrifying than its curses was the fox spirit’s curse. However, all these intangible curses were effortlessly gathered by the least noticeable old lady present. With a gentle squeeze of her left hand, the curses transformed into a dark pattern and were sealed within the dirtiest crevice of the floor tiles.
With its proudest tactics effortlessly neutralized, the infuriated fox spirit began to feel fear.
A’Sang hopped off his high stool, holding a bowl and happily running toward Wen Shi, “Daddy—”
Daddy seemed to have brought him a snack.
Even though Daddy was dressed oddly today, with bandages wrapped around his body, there was no scent of blood. Daddy was always the most fragrant!
Compared to others, A’Sang seemed especially harmless and easy to deceive. The fox spirit, accustomed to twisted schemes, wanted to use the little one to blackmail the elder. Its paw swiftly extended toward A’Sang.
You want to scratch me?
A’Sang had initially raised both arms in a gesture for a hug, but now he lifted just one arm and didn’t even spare a direct glance for the pouncing fox spirit. He deftly blocked the attack with the small bowl.
“Aaahhh!” The sturdy bones of its face were mercilessly crushed, eye sockets caved in, the fox spirit’s eyeballs nearly popping out.
“Don’t finish it off,” Wen Shi said, “I still have a use for it.”
【Guest time less than four minutes.】
The system had started a five-minute countdown from the moment they entered this space.
Ignoring the pitiful state of the fox spirit, Wen Shi fulfilled the child’s wish and lifted A’Sang into his arms. The child’s body still had very little flesh, but it seemed a bit heavier lately.
When he looked at the round table, a warmth appeared in Wen Shi’s gaze.
Everyone had their countdown timers. Xie Tangyan could tell he had come over temporarily. Her tone carried a touch of concern, “Are you getting along well with your new family member?”
Wen Shi’s expression was somewhat complex for a moment.
There was indeed joy, but more than that, he was worried. He was always concerned that Arlon might cause some big trouble.
“Seems like someone’s giving Big Brother a hard time,” the teenager’s pure white little horns contrasted with the indifference in his eyes, “I’ll make him behave next tea party, Big Brother.”
Quick-witted, Wen Shi immediately smiled politely and declined.
The teenager sighed helplessly. His Big Brother was near perfect, but too soft-hearted.
He swiftly and naturally walked up to the fox spirit, breaking its tails one by one in its horrified gaze, tails that once effortlessly harvested lives.
“Animals can’t be controlled, especially those with wild instincts ingrained in them,” the teenager’s tone was gentle, “Once I remove a few of its tails, Big Brother can keep it for continued use.”
He added with concern, “But don’t keep it for too long.”
It was susceptible to a backlash.
Wen Shi nodded.
The fox spirit couldn’t possibly be kept around all the time. It was a disposable item, meant to serve only once. He just needed to use it to accomplish one task.
Pinching the pointed chin, the blood-smeared fox face was forced to lift. The fox spirit hurriedly concealed the bitterness in its eyes.
Wen Shi seemingly gently wiped away the bloodstains from its eye sockets. “Are you eagerly hoping for me to continue using you for making wishes?”
The fox spirit was shocked that its little scheme was so easily exposed. Regardless of how weakened it was, as long as it had a single tail left, it could drain the strength from the wisher the instant they made a wish. Even if it were to leave this space, even with all its tails severed, it could still steal the wisher’s luck because the previous wish had been fulfilled.
Wen Shi understood the power of the game rules better than anyone. “Finish the previous deal first.”
He never left any room for hidden dangers. He took out a jar from his backpack with a firm attitude. “You take this first to settle the guest’s bill.”
The fox spirit’s trades were inherently unequal. What item to take was entirely the other party’s decision, and luck value was just one of its coveted options.
The fox spirit naturally didn’t want to accept a measly jar to clear the debt.
Wen Shi smiled and said, “Three seconds. If you don’t settle the previous account, I’ll take your life.”
As he spoke, he was already gesturing with two fingers.
Beneath someone else’s roof, the fox spirit reluctantly and unsteadily extended a claw to push the jar closer.
Its nose twitched.
What smell was that?
Wen Shi: “Pig’s feet stew.”
The fox spirit: “……” It was willing to use its life to curse this cruel human!
With only a short time left on the five-minute countdown, Wen Shi set A’Sang down and smiled at everyone. “Until the tea party.”
Just before waving goodbye, his expression turned serious. “Almost forgot to mention. My family, I’ve successfully reincarnated and regained memories from my past life.”
A’Sang looked up, and everyone’s gaze shifted to Wen Shi.
In the moments that followed, Wen Shi did something that would haunt him with self-consciousness for countless days and nights afterwards. He began by patting A’Sang’s little head. “Asa II, if I fail in restoring our kingdom, I want you to carry the glory of our Wusa Kingdom.”
“Asa II?”
Wen Shi: “Asa I is me, but that’s not important. Just remember your mission.”
A’Sang didn’t quite understand, blinking in confusion. “Oh.”
Wen Shi then turned to Xie Tangyan. “Asa II is young. He’ll rely on you, Royal Sister, in the future.”
Xie Tangyan’s lips moved a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but it ended up settling into a straight line. The sword in her hand almost slipped.
The old lady, who hadn’t been named yet, quietly retreated to a corner, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
With her evasion, Wen Shi’s gaze landed on his demon brother. “Royal Brother, you’ll be our foreign envoy.”
The triangular tail of the teenager wagged lightly, with only one thought in his mind—
Big Brother’s gone off the rails.
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