Chapter 19.1 Night of the Ancient Castle
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The killing continued.
Throat burning, Wen Shi coughed several times, attempting to soothe his airway.
After around five minutes of the agonizing screams, the secret passage regained its silence.
The bride came up to Wen Shi, and the paper knife looked sharper in the lantern light. Wen Shi stayed alert, keeping his eyes on her, afraid he might be the next one targeted.
The real bride pulled a paper from her skin like extracting a blood vessel.
She held a paper representing the cooperation, with the word ‘good’ written in bloody letters, which now looked horrifying.
The real bride seemed to be about to tear up this paper.
She killed quite a few monsters, and now she was becoming somewhat bloodthirsty.
Wen Shi spoke calmly and elegantly, “The castle master wants to defy your will and forcibly imprison your soul, which I believe is unethical.”
The real bride remained indifferent. Her hand holding the knife dropped slightly.
Wen Shi’s voice became hoarse, “Let’s cooperate, I can help you.”
The monster alliance, now half destroyed, had no future. He needed to find a new place for himself.
This statement sounded as fantastical as plucking stars from the night sky, but Wen Shi said it sincerely, “You only need to support from the sidelines, just like before, when I helped you divide the monsters into two waves.”
“Support?” the real bride coldly questioned the term.
Wen Shi’s tense nerves eased slightly. Although the player was weak, NPCs could only achieve their goals through players as intermediaries, indicating he had the qualification to negotiate.
“Help me steal some treasures from the castle master’s collection,” Wen Shi whispered, “The ones I can use.”
For the first time, a look of bewilderment appeared on the real bride’s face, probably not expecting someone daring enough to target the Earl’s possessions.
Wen Shi also clarified his contribution, “As long as you help me, I’ll call some friends to assist in stealing the frame. Without the captive container, you’ll be much safer.”
The existence of the frame was equally the real bride’s lifelong enemy.
Wen Shi was just as skilled in plotting schemes as Luo Xiao, but the difference was that he preferred risk-free deals and wouldn’t waste points and items like Luo Xiao when something happened.
The instance was now forced to split into three factions. With only him as a player, the game couldn’t continue, so they would definitely recruit more players.
Now, Wen Shi skillfully made it seem like it was his achievement with his twisting words.
“What’s there to hesitate about?” Wen Shi’s persuasive language was far superior to the monster Catherine. “We cooperate, and the castle master bears all the trading costs. If we fail, you won’t lose anything, and you can vent your frustration by killing me. On the other hand, the castle master will suffer some hidden losses, so either way, you win.”
Wen Shi’s tone became more sincere and touching. “I’m doing all of this for your own good.”
The real bride felt that something was amiss but couldn’t find any flaws in his impeccable reasoning.
She sensed that this human was cunning. Killing him might be the best option.
However, Wen Shi added fuel to the fire at this moment. “Are you feeling sorry for the castle master’s possessions?”
A paper knife flew through space and slashed towards Wen’s shoulder. Though he evaded quickly, the blade still grazed the surface of his skin, causing blood to flow instantly.
When he summoned the Wandering Corpse, Wen Shi had already lost some health points, and now he received another cut, forcing him to quickly purchase and consume four bottles of potions to alleviate the injury.
Seeing his points plummet by eighty, he genuinely felt the pain this time.
Though the tactic of provocation was foolish, it proved effective.
The demons couldn’t be angered. Even a slight rage would drive them to kill, but it was enough to firm their resolve.
The blood from his earlier shoulder injury splattered on Wen Shi’s mouth corner. As he wiped it away, noticing he didn’t receive a second attack, he slowly revealed a chilling smile.
The real bride finally sheathed her knife, turned, and walked away. Wen Shi followed closely, holding his shoulder.
The points spent on potions weren’t wasted. They worked well to stop the bleeding, but unfortunately, the pain persisted. When his brain nerves throbbed in sync, he returned to the study.
The remaining half of the monsters had disappeared without a trace, clearly hiding somewhere. They couldn’t bother the real bride in a short time, and she didn’t pay them any attention. Tilting her head back, she raised her palm, drawing all the flowing blood back into her body.
Her paper-thin body instantly became plump, her icy demeanor and cold eyes became intimidating, presenting the beautiful appearance only found in paintings.
As the blood returned to her body, the temperature in the study dropped abruptly.
Wen tried tentatively, “Shall I wait for you in the room?”
Participating in theft together carried a slightly higher risk, making it easy for them to be added to the castle master’s kill list under the pretext of thieves.
The real bride didn’t respond to him, but she didn’t reject him either.
Wen Shi went downstairs alone and returned to his room. The interior of the castle emitted a pervasive smell of decay at night. Ucertain if the monsters would seek revenge on him, Wen Shi hurried his way through.
Upon returning to his room, the first thing he did was drink water, while pressing his fingers against the sore muscles on his neck.
Wen Shi sat motionless until three in the morning when an unlocked door was pushed open, and the real bride appeared at the doorway.
He tried to force a friendly smile, greedily scanning the object in her hand. It was a small metal box, estimated to be at least two to three feet deep, and its material resembled iron plates.
A safe?
Wen Shi extinguished the unrealistic fantasy himself.
Safes weren’t so small, and it seemed like it couldn’t hold much inside.
The real bride replied emotionlessly, “You can use it.”
Wen Shi had emphasized the need to find treasures he could use, as his strength was too weak to covet too much. Anything too powerful might cause him to lose himself as the user even before using it.
“Thank you.”
Wen Shi took the small metal box.
【Safe: A storage container, an excellent choice for safeguarding your possessions】
Unless they willingly traded the item, they shouldn’t be able to snatch it, so why would such a thing appear?
The small box wasn’t added to the【Backpack】 section of the panel but created a new【Safe】 space.
If it could add a new section, it should be useful. Wen Shi was quite satisfied with this gain.
The real bride then threw over a package containing several silver coins.
【Universal Currency: Currency recognized by NPCs】
Money can make the world go round, so Wen quickly stashed the coins into the safe.
“The player accepts stolen goods from the real bride. The current faction identity changes to Undercover for the real bride in the Monster Alliance.”
“Help the real bride gain freedom, and she will grant you freedom as well.”
“New optional main quest.”
【Main Quest (Optional): Destroy the spiritual essence of the frame
Warning: Your cooperation with the bride is quite fragile and can be destroyed at any time.】
Wen Shi checked, and the main quest for the monster alliance was still there, now with the addition of “Optional.” Similar to the advanced skill selection, he only needed to complete either one.
The real bride didn’t work in vain. Under the influence of the blood bride’s blessing, she would feel disgust when she saw Wen Shi and had to constantly suppress her murderous intent.
Wen Shi smiled, knowing what she wanted to say, and took the initiative, “My friends are already on their way and will arrive soon.”
All three factions inside the instance were listed. Would the participants be late to arrive?
*
Exit to Instance 1332.
Wen Shi’s delay in coming out sparked a discussion among the group.
When only one person remained, it should be easy to break the deadlock, right?
“What’s up with this newbie?”
Everyone thought Wen Shi would die early, but he lasted until the end. Just when they expected him to come out immediately, there was complete silence.
Outside the instance’s exit, major guilds surrounded it, occupying the front rows. Of course, there were also some low-profile forces hidden in the shadows, hoping to extract valuable things from the newbie later on.
“I’m starting to wonder if he knows what’s happening outside and is too afraid to end the game.”
Once they came out, it would be a bloodbath.
A nearby player said, “With such a lineup, this life wouldn’t have been wasted.”
In the past, it was unimaginable to witness such a grand scene, where members of the Ten Commandments could be seen casually with just a glance.
A strong man in his thirties ahead turned to look back, abruptly ceasing the players’ teasing remarks. They realized they were standing too close and might disturb him, so they quickly stepped back.
To make two seasoned players back down, one must be far from ordinary, and this person was a member of the Second Commandment.
“So noisy.” The burly man carrying an axe frowned displeasedly, and no one nearby dared to provoke his bad temper.
The next moment, all the discussions almost instantly quieted down.
The burly man with the giant axe was taken aback. Although he had a considerable reputation in the game, when did he earn such face? He managed to silence everyone simultaneously.
However, he soon realized that the reason wasn’t him. Almost everyone was looking in one direction—
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