Chapter 104
The ground was covered in snow, and under the bright moonlight, a dark figure could be seen running frantically. Jiang Liu’s steps were deep and shallow, the wind whistling past her ears, making them ache with cold. Yet, she seemed oblivious, only running forward with all her might.
The church standing in the center of Sliben Town was not far away.
I was wrong, I was so wrong!
This was the only thought in Jiang Liu’s mind right now. She should have realized it sooner. If Qiao Ke truly had such great power, he wouldn’t have been so fixated on tripping her up in instances. This was all Yang Caisi’s plan!
Just a short while ago, from Zhang Yan’s words, Jiang Liu had finally understood the whole truth. It was indeed possible for two NPCs to appear in a situation like this, but it usually only happened in large-scale instances. A five or six-person instance like the church was completely unnecessary. Zhang Yan was just a rookie NPC in The System, and the only reason he appeared here was because of a call from Yang Caisi.
For someone of his level, who could at most handle small-scale rookie arenas, being personally named by the famous top performer in The System was something many newcomers dreamed of. But Zhang Yan never expected that the task Yang Caisi needed him to do was exceptionally simple, not even requiring him to talk to the players. He could complete it just by lying in bed.
Running so fast in this environment, sweat soon beaded on Jiang Liu’s forehead. She felt a burning heat in her palms, as if some emotion was bursting forth with the blood flowing through her body. How could Yang Caisi, as the nun, not know about the abnormality in the church?
She hadn’t been marginalized at all. Perhaps Qiao Ke had tampered with the mission behind the scenes, but Yang Caisi was by no means unaware. On the contrary, she had chosen to play along. That’s why she never mentioned any clues about the mission, because no matter what, as long as she was willing to die a noble death, Jiang Liu would definitely be able to clear this instance.
The chaotic patients, the bizarre wish-granting—none of it mattered anymore. What she needed to do most right now was to stop Yang Caisi.
The church door was within reach. Jiang Liu pushed it open and, ignoring the surprised looks of Zhao Ziming and the other, ran to the Holy Wall and opened her phone. Qiya’s aged voice echoed through the church hall. Jiang Liu sat down on the floor, exhausted, and forcefully carved a line of words on the wall.
“I want to know what exactly happened here.”
The ink on the wall gathered again, sketching out a grand scene with a few strokes. The ever-changing scenes played out like high-frame-rate images, connecting all the scrolls together, flickering like a giant movie screen. She saw the church from a hundred years ago in her memory. From the moment she took that cross, the entire town’s belief system began to collapse. The subsequent bishop who arrived claimed he could find the whereabouts of the Holy Relic.
That was the instance Hou Yuqiang had experienced. What they believed in was a strange painting, and they advocated self-sacrifice and devotion. The strange believers he spoke of were merely people who had learned of their families’ tragic futures from the Holy Wall and had actively sacrificed themselves by walking into it to secure their families’ health and wealth.
But today, everything had changed. The residents of Sliben Town didn’t need to work to have youthful beauty, perfect bodies, and their ideal selves. Excessive greed made their desires grow larger and larger, turning the town into what it was today. The nun and the bishop were not the demons; the real demons were themselves.
Jiang Liu looked around with some difficulty, her gaze repeatedly scanning the faces of the ‘patients’. After a long while, she laughed silently. She stood up from the base of the Holy Wall and, without hesitation, spoke to the air. “I want to become the nun here.”
As her clear voice fell, Zhao Ziming let out a scream from not far away. But Jiang Liu had no reaction. She just took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and felt that power sweep over her body. Her vision gradually became clear. At first, it was just a white light. The Holy Wall in front of her had disappeared, replaced by a faintly perceptible, flowing wall of air. She could feel a person appear on the other side.
A worn-out long trench coat, long hair flying in the wind—those features were clearly her own! This was the truth behind the wishes. A prayer would only be granted if two people were present. The so-called other person was themselves within the Holy Wall.
They made an exchange with their other self, trading for a nimble right hand or youthful beauty, until they became entirely new people. Their old souls were trapped in broken bodies, becoming the so-called patients.
Jiang Liu felt a faint sense of emotion in her heart. She looked up at this body that was identical to her own and heard the person opposite her ask in confusion, “I remember you. You’ve been here before.”
She was speechless and could only nod gently. The other ‘Jiang Liu’ seemed puzzled, tilting her head and studying her for a long time before finally saying, “The nun will die.”
It was as if she was confirming Jiang Liu’s intention. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Too many people came here, and she rarely saw a resident who didn’t pray for themselves.
A smile touched Jiang Liu’s lips, and her answer was firm and decisive. “I know.”
The person opposite her looked at her for a long time before nodding dazedly. The white light in front of her gradually dissipated, but at the last moment, Jiang Liu asked another question. “Will I become a patient?”
The other ‘Jiang Liu’ shook her head, her voice very soft. “Only those with insatiable greed will end up like this.”
Her wish was to fulfill someone else’s, which was within the rules. The voice faded from her ears, and Jiang Liu fell weakly to the ground. The scene had returned to the church. Zhao Ziming and Jiang He surrounded her, anxiously asking her questions, but Jiang Liu couldn’t hear a single word.
With the change in her identity, the nearby patients who had been calmed by the cross became agitated again. One by one, they quickly turned their heads to look at Jiang Liu, their expressions as solemn as fierce gods, determined to tear her to shreds. For a rare moment, Jiang Liu’s heart was in turmoil. Zhang Yan’s voice echoed in her ears once more—
“When the residents and patients appear at the Holy Wall at the same time, the instance will officially enter a countdown. Either kill the nun before dawn, or the mission fails.”
She supported herself against the wall to steady her body, her gaze looking past the wide-open door to the outside. The dim night was gradually receding, and a sliver of white light had appeared on the distant horizon. It was almost dawn.
She patted Zhao Ziming’s shoulder, her voice a little deep. “Later, when all the patients disappear, you hang the cross on the statue.”
After speaking, she was already stumbling towards the stairs. Some patients restlessly tried to approach but were kicked away by Jiang Liu. She felt her vision blurring. The instance was about to end. Her weakness meant that Yang Caisi had already done something.
Jiang Liu forced herself up the stairs despite her discomfort. As expected, the person was not in the room. The wall lamps inside had not been extinguished; everything was as it was when she left. Her expression shifted slightly, and she quickened her pace.
The door at the end of the corridor was open. The first thing that came into view upon entering was the painting. The lines on it had been smudged to a deeper hue, vaguely revealing the outline of a person. The portrait held clues to the lost Holy Relic, and the person in it was undoubtedly Jiang Liu.
She glanced at it for a moment before rushing into the innermost part of the room. At the same time, her heart grew helpless, and a bad feeling filled her mind, making Jiang Liu feel a little dazed. Although she was mentally prepared, when she saw the scene inside, it was still like a heavy blow to her heart.
Yang Caisi was wearing a soaked nun’s habit, kneeling in the center with her head bowed. Stones and cattails were arranged around her in the shape of some kind of formation array. Jiang Liu stumbled forward, feeling as if her heart had skipped a beat. The person’s frail body was already extremely weak, and she easily gathered her into her arms. Fortunately, she still had some consciousness. Sensing the warmth behind her, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she finally opened her pair of spring-water-like eyes.
The moment she saw Jiang Liu, Yang Caisi’s body stiffened, and she averted her gaze, unwilling to look at her. “Why are you here?”
She didn’t want Jiang Liu to see her in such a sorry state. She struggled to get up but fell down again due to excessive blood loss. Jiang Liu squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the sight. She hugged her from behind, her voice trembling, as if it were a form of questioning. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She ran a dagger across her own wrist, and a steady stream of blood flowed out, helping Xiao Si fill the formation array faster. For a rare moment, the two were on the same side, and Jiang Liu actually felt a moment of peace. She fought back the dizziness and held the person tighter. Yang Caisi wanted to open her eyes to look at her but no longer had the strength to lift her eyelids. She could only surrender her body completely to the person behind her, her tone still carrying her unique pride. “I worked for fifty years, all for…”
…all to make Jiang Liu’s life a little better.
She knew Qiao Ke wouldn’t let either of them go, so she put herself on the line and set up a mission that was certain death. Only then could she have the upper hand. Yang Caisi was willing to cook a meal for Jiang Liu in the church, to leave a warm bed for her. She didn’t want her to have to run around, exhausting herself to clear the level. Or perhaps—
Time rewound to a few nights ago, when Jiang Liu’s figure appeared on the church wall, her features captivating. Yang Caisi would have preferred she hadn’t noticed her presence. That way, she wouldn’t have had to furtively plan her own death. She would only need to disappear at the right moment, and Jiang Liu would clear the level unscathed.
But this was good too. At least she could spend three days with her without any reservations.
She never got to finish her last sentence before her life faded away.
When Jiang Liu opened her eyes again, she was greeted by the sight of a brand-new church. All the furnishings in the hall had been refreshed, and the cross on the statue was dazzling. Zhao Ziming and the others were cheering happily beside her.
[Congratulations, player, for completing the mission. The System is now calculating the results…]
[Side quest completion detected. This…]
The electronic voice of the settlement calculation echoed in her ears, but Jiang Liu seemed not to hear it at all. She just quickly scanned her surroundings, searching for Yang Caisi’s figure, and pushed through the noisy crowd to meet her. Yang Caisi had changed back into her work clothes and was leaning against the statue, somewhat dazed. The next moment, she felt herself being embraced by a warm body, and her pupils constricted.
In the next second, that familiar voice came from beside her ear, surrounding her completely.
“You don’t need to sacrifice for me.”
Jiang Liu embraced the figure before her, feeling the dizziness from the blood loss still lingering. She leaned against her ear, panting slightly, and spoke word by word. Their relationship shouldn’t be about one-sided sacrifice, but about mutual affection and a two-way street.
Zhao Ziming led the group in a teasing cheer, pulling out confetti from somewhere and scattering it all over. In the solemn church, two figures leaned against each other, like a ceremony witnessed by all.