Chapter 134 Merfolk Shore（End）
There was just a single music concert left, marking the end of the instance.
Wen Shi pondered how to endure the days leading up to the concert. He thought about promoting the story of King Asa, hoping to attract more followers.
Regrettably, the game appeared to have foreseen his thoughts. The notification sound persisted.
【Attention all players, please note that due to the significant damage suffered by Mingzhu Academy, and in order to appease the students’ emotions, this year’s music concert will be held earlier.】
【Please wait patiently for updates.】
Wen Shi mused about the possibility of hosting the event on the auditorium roof, which had been torn off by the cold wind.
Each person was lost in their own thoughts.
Mr. Ruan, struggling to rise unnoticed in the chilly breeze, observed the principal’s lifeless body on the ground, his thoughts hidden.
In Wen Shi’s view, this felt like an emptiness after avenging a great grudge. Mr. Ruan had initially betrayed the Merfolk King, and although he had inflicted a serious injury on the principal, the final blow was dealt by Jian Qingrong. There was probably some lingering dissatisfaction.
Staying here for long wasn’t an option.
Continuing like this, even those with a bit of power could eventually kill him. Mr. Ruan’s face turned gloomy and pale. Merfolk still had assets outside the school. There might be a day of resurgence.
“Humans…” suddenly spoke Arlon.
Mr. Ruan’s steps stuttered as he passed by, blood dripping steadily from his shoulder.
“You are something they can’t entirely eliminate.”
This world was teeming with humans. Replacing them entirely, a goal cherished by the merfolk, was difficult to achieve.
If they couldn’t alter the genetic need for sustenance in order to reproduce, even if they occupied Merfolk Shore, extinction was inevitable sooner or later.
Mr. Ruan clenched his fist, and silently moved forward. His figure quickly vanished into the darkness.
The only one left to watch him disappear was Wen Shi. In Mr. Ruan, Wen Shi noted an intriguing phenomenon, an exception to the rule-breaking: Mr. Ruan abandoned the inherent trait of【Loyalty】without going insane.
He tentatively attributed this to two factors: first, the innate hierarchical order of animals that naturally admired the strong, which the Merfolk King lacked after the betrayal; second… Wen Shi looked at the mirror, the source that incited rule-breaking, the【Philosophical Mirror】, carried a certain power with it.
Before dawn, Wen Shi searched the campus and found the broadcasting station.
The doors were unlocked, indicating the hasty departure of the announcer. He powered on the equipment and had the mini octopus broadcast throughout the entire campus on his behalf. When the mini octopus got serious, its tone turned deep and elegant: “Dear students, the disaster has come to an end. King Asa will forever be with you.”
The broadcast echoed across the campus. Some students cautiously opened their windows and indeed didn’t hear any sounds of fighting anymore.
As for the broadcast’s content, most people assumed it was mischievous students who revered King Arthur and played a prank by sneaking out. It could very well be those darn new students who never followed the rules. Still, almost everyone silently prayed that King Asa would protect them from the night’s calamity. Even those who didn’t believe in King Asa mainly pondered whom to pray to, as Merfolk Shore hadn’t passed down any mythological stories.
Just before daybreak, the bodies were carried away, and several construction teams entered the campus. They started cleaning up the rubble and working on post-disaster reconstruction.
“Such efficiency…”
While Wen Shi was still amazed, a voice came from behind, “Several high-ranking school officials have returned. Mr. Qi is overseeing the situation. He’s contacted the wealthy merchants along the shore and secured substantial sponsorship by offering their children exemption from entrance exams.”
Wen Shi raised his eyes and had a thought: The sheep has arrived.
Chubby Guy still maintained the amiable facade, though this time it wasn’t to scheme against Wen Shi. “Reciprocity. Let me remind you once, do you know why Ji Yuanzhi was delayed for so long yesterday?”
Wen Shi was indeed curious about this matter. Ji Yuanzhi was supposed to keep the principal occupied, but by the time he arrived, both the principal and the merfolk had been defeated.
“After you reminded me, not long after, a large number of monsters started coming out from the Dormitory Building, chasing after just me.”
Wen Shi had encountered similar situations before, where monsters focused on a single person due to the【Aggro Doll】. However, he remembered that activating this thing required putting a player’s hair into it.
Chubby Guy sneered ominously, “I’ve always been cautious. It’s impossible for anyone to get hold of my hair inside the instance.”
“……Half a month before entering the instance, I stayed at a hotel owned by the Second Commandment Guild.”
Wen Shi’s expression changed, understanding his implication.
…There were hotel staff secretly selling players’ hair.
No wonder Ji Yuanzhi looked so upset last night. Once this matter got out, it would have a significant impact on the hotel.
“All virtual world employees have to sign contracts in advance,” Chubby Guy explained. “Strictly speaking, buying and selling guests’ hair doesn’t exactly amount to betraying the hotel.”
When Chubby Guy was being pursued by monsters, he immediately called Ji Yuanzhi to come to the rescue.
In situations like these, most people wouldn’t dare to lie. Ji Yuanzhi helped fend off monsters for several hours to uphold the hotel’s reputation.
“Among the hotel guests, whose hair holds the highest value?” Chubby Guy asked meaningfully before turning and leaving.
Wen Shi was certain he held the highest value in that regard.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he couldn’t come up with a solution. Eventually, he decided to fill his stomach first and think about the rest later.
The cafeteria was closed today, so he could only find something to eat at the supermarket.
When Wen Shi got there, only bread was left. As he returned to his room with the bread, Ji Yuanzhi was sitting quietly in a chair alone.
Arlon wasn’t a fan of confined spaces. In recent days, he had been sticking to a few fixed spots in the dormitory and on campus to protect Wen Shi. With things winding down, he immediately spirited himself away to the shore with his spiritual form. Song Yan’s transformation time must have been extended to some unknown date. He still hadn’t changed back.
Ji Yuanzhi’s face showed no anomalies. He seemed just as calm and composed as usual.
“I’ll come up with a solution,” he suddenly spoke, without specifying the details. He was confident that Chubby Guy would inform Wen Shi, so after his victorious night, he didn’t bring up this rather anticlimactic matter.
Ji Yuanzhi was known for thinking through every detail, yet even a deity couldn’t possibly consider every single nuance.
Wen Shi chewed his food slowly, waving a hand as he said, “No need to worry about it. I won’t hold any grudges against the Second Commandment for this. In work, everyone has their moments of oversight.”
Ji Yuanzhi was briefly taken aback, surprised that a matter of life and death didn’t even crease this person’s brow.
After finishing the last bite of bread, Wen Shi’s expression turned serious. “I’ve known for a long time that a free ride usually comes with a catch.”
This statement wasn’t meant to be sarcastic. It was quite straightforward.
Whether it was his immensely strong luck attribute or certain monsters driven by their affection or hatred for his father, he didn’t care. If there were benefits, he’d take them. When it was time to pay back, he’d adapt as needed.
Wen Shi packed up and headed to the water room to clean up.
After dying again last night, his clothes were stained with blood, and they clung uncomfortably to his body.
While walking to the water room, Wen Shi suddenly realized something was amiss. Last night, Jian Qingrong saw him covered in blood but didn’t react in any way. He spoke normally, laughed and chatted, until daylight confirmed there was no danger. Only then did Jian Qingrong excuse himself, claiming he had something to attend to and couldn’t walk to the dormitory with him.
“……” Could this guy be brooding alone in a corner?
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