The Trial Game of Life

Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng continued to wander around the city and received several side missions, one after another, such as [Mr. Toke’s Little Toys], [Mary’s Troubles] and so on.

These small missions were not difficult, and with the content of the missions being very similar to [Cecilia’s Bakery], there was in fact a subtle connection between them. With this, Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng could gradually paint a picture of life in the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight.

This was a place without flowers and trees, a small city made of stones growing in the middle of a desert, far away from the rest of the continent. Even the most experienced tradesmen had to travel for a long, long time before they could reach the closest principality of Flange, let alone the Kingdom of Hundred Flowers that sat at the southernmost tip of the continent and seemed to be in spring all year round.

Jin Cheng took out an igniter and lit up all the oil lamps along the street. These lamps were covered with colourful hollow glass shades, which were said to be sold only in the most prosperous Pinwheel Harbour in the north of the continent.

The previous king of the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight took a lot of efforts to transport these lampshades back. He installed these lampshades on both sides of the street and said to his citizens: “When the lamps are on, the colourful glass will look like flowers blooming. Our citizens then will not have to look at the wind and the sand all day.”

The mission they were doing at this moment was called [Billy’s Flowers].

Billy was a blind man who lived alone and never went out at night, but he still hoped that the long street in front of him would be amply lit every night. After the two had completed the mission of lighting up 99 lamps on the long street, they got a hand-held coloured glass lamp as a reward.

The rewards in these missions were also connected to each other. For example, the reward of one mission could be used in other missions. The only issue was just whether they knew how to use them.

Although they were done with the mission, Jin Cheng kept lighting up the other lamps. On a whim, he wanted to see how the kingdom looked like when it was entirely lit up. Tang Cuo simply followed him, for even though he was dense when it came to sentimental things like this, he still had basic appreciation for beautiful things.

They kept walking on the long streets of this mystical kingdom, shining the lights while exploring the way, putting the pieces together to create a story. This was actually a pretty good feeling.

It was also the calmest Tang Cuo had ever felt since he entered Yong Ye City.

“Look over here.” Jin Cheng’s tone was suddenly brimmed with interest. The lighted lamps had illuminated a small green door sandwiched between two buildings. He read the bronze plate nailed on the door: ‘Luo Island Greenvines Alliance – Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight Office.”

Under the moonlit night, this tiny green door was really inconspicuous. The office seemed to sit inside an alley, its size pitifully compact. As the door was locked, Jin Cheng carefully took a look at the keyhole, then turned around and asked: “Where is Cecilia’s key?”

Tang Cuo had thought of it too and the key was already in his hand. He stepped forward, inserted the key, turned it, and with a “Click”, the door opened.

There was no light in the house, and in such a narrow place, naturally there was no window to let the moonlight in. Tang Cuo took out the glass lamp, lit it up and brought it inside.

Although the office was small, it had all the necessary components. Opposite the door was a reception area, with a blackboard on the right side that had many notices and papers on it. Under the blackboard was a magazine rack, from which Jin Cheng picked out a newspaper ― it was the Dodo Daily.

“It seems that Little Jack’s newspaper comes from here.” Jin Cheng said. After all, they had visited so many places and hadn’t seen any other spots that sold newspapers.

“The latest newspaper they have here is also dated July 30th?” Tang Cuo asked.

Jin Cheng quickly flipped through it and gave an affirmative answer. There was a whole week’s worth of newspapers following July 30th, but after that, there was no more. Looking at the existing clues, it should be that because of the long distance and inconvenient transportation, news would arrive at the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight one month later compared to the rest of the continent. Thinking about this, Jin Cheng simply took all the newspapers on the rack, then he sat on the chair behind the counter and started to read them slowly.

Seeing that he had taken the newspapers, Tang Cuo began to study the blackboard. The two clearly allocated each other with their own task.

The content on the blackboard was all about the Greenvines Alliance. After reading the blackboard, Tang Cuo now learnt that the Greenvines Alliance was in fact a bounty hunter organisation. Its headquarter, Luo Island, was separated from the Pinwheel Harbour by the Blackcurrant Strait, and it had many offices spread across the continent.

In short, this was an organisation that hadn’t existed for more than a hundred years but had garnered a lot of power and could have the royal families of all kingdoms treat them with respect.

This was a bit like the Adventurers’ Guild that Tang Cuo often saw in western-fantasy fiction, except that ‘Adventurers’ had been changed to ’Bounty Hunters’. And after joining the organisation, these bounty hunters must also maintain the original purpose of the Greenvines Alliance ― To eliminate all evil.

What was this ‘evil’ referring to?

Tang Cuo then recalled mentions of the ‘July Rose Incident’ and ‘Rose Sect’ in the newspaper. Thinking about this, Tang Cuo read even faster and indeed found mentions of them amid the small lines on the blackboard.

“According to the report of The Watchman Roger Reeds, last month, the Rose Sect in the Principality of Flange increased their activities…]”

Principality of Flange?

Wasn’t this the closest place to the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight? The Watchman Roger Reeds, who also appeared in the report on the July Rose Incident, should be a high-ranking member of the Greenvines Alliance.

When Tang Cuo looked for clues, he would leave no stones unturned. Many pieces of papers were pinned on top of each other on the blackboard, so he looked at one and removed it, then repeated until ― a sign appeared on the blackboard.

It was a golden inverted pentagram, with a red rose in full bloom in the middle.

The Rose Sect.

But why did the Rose Sect’s crest appear in the office of the Greenvines Alliance? Could it be that their power had spread until here?

Tang Cuo couldn’t help but look out of the door. On September 1st, the Flower Festival should be the time when the crowd was at its peak. Coupled with the aforementioned news from the Principality of Flange, the story seemed to be taking shape.

“Did you see anything?” Tang Cuo turned around and asked.

“No.” Jin Cheng shrugged, “It seems that there was nothing worth reporting in that week except for the July Rose Incident. But there were a lot of gossips, would you like to listen?”

Of course Tang Cuo wouldn’t.

Jin Cheng insisted on telling him: “Lancelot has a good friend named Theodore, the inheriting Duke of the Kingdom of Hundred Flowers. He is an upright, brave and handsome knight. Do you think they have some ‘brotherhood’ going on?”

Tang Cuo: “…”

This dead straight guy is really annoying.

Jin Cheng dropped the newspaper, crossed his legs, propped his elbow against the counter and leaned on his chin: “Really, don’t you want to guess? I’ll bet 10 points.”

Tang Cuo: “I guess they don’t.”

For 10 points, Tang Cuo yielded.

Jin Cheng was not satisfied with this plain, unstimulating answer, but he took it nevertheless. Then he asked: “What have you found?” 

Tang Cuo told him about the Rose Sect.

Jin Cheng stepped forward to have a look: “The Rose Sect, the Well of Time, the Flower Festival, the roses that came alive and the dead city seem to be all connected. The problem is the location of the Well of Time. Considering our bad luck, I guess it might be in that palace.”

Tang Cuo: “You can also choose to not be such a crow mouthIn Chinese language, a ‘crow mouth’ refers to a person who always forebodes or says bad things. Its English equivalent is a ‘croaker’ or a ‘pessimist’..”

Jin Cheng shrugged, expressing that he wasn’t intentional. The true crow mouth should be Mr. Crow, who always cursed him.

The two then left the office and decided to look for a library. There might be a map of the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight in the library to help them determine the location of the Well of Time.

An hour later, the two didn’t find the library but found a school instead. As they stepped past the school gate, with a “Ding”, the system announcement came again.

“Side mission has been triggered ― [Eve’s Bookmark].”

“Little Eve is rather careless, but she is also a well-behaved and sensible child. No matter how sad its gets, she will only hide in the corner and cry alone. Travellers from a faraway land, please help her find the lost bookmark. Let this poor child go to class with peace of mind.”

Jin Cheng went to light up the lamps and conveniently rebutted: “This hidden mission is full of consideration for people. Either there is a bug in Yong Ye City, or it wants us to loosen our vigilance, then tie us up with the roses and throw us into the Well of Time till we drown.”

Shut up man.

Tang Cuo turned around and left, not wanting to pay any attention to him. His destination was very clear ― the music room. Almost all the side missions in this dungeon had been inextricably related to Lancelot, so the location of the bookmark might also have something to do with him.

But this school was too small so there was no dedicated music room. As Tang Cuo walked around, he found the library that he had been looking for — Indeed, there might not be a specialised library in the city, but there must be a library in the school.

“Squeak squeak.” Tang Cuo pushed the door in.

There was no light in the room, but the moonlight was very bright so the lamp wasn’t needed. He took out a hard-cover book from the shelf and, under the moonlight, he read out the words clearly ― [The Encyclopedia of Sicilit Continental Plants].

As he opened the book, there were not only detailed notes but also illustrations for each plant. A library card lay in the middle with the names of the borrowers written in different fonts.

Tang Cuo didn’t see any familiar names, so he temporarily put the book down and turned to look at the next one.

[Lilian’s Travel] was a remarkably detailed book with a lively and interesting style that was accompanied by adorable hand-drawn illustrations, depicting the protagonist Lilian’s experience on the continent bit by bit.

There were also [Sonnets of The Elves], [Secrets of The Lake], [Fairy Tales of Sicilit] and so on. Every book carried deep messages, as if a Sicilit continent with a rich history actually existed in this world.

Tang Cuo even found [Principles of Magic].

“I think we have met with an epic dungeon of Mythical level.” Jin Cheng’s voice came from behind.

“What do you mean?” Tang Cuo turned his head.

“Don’t you think the settings of this world are too detailed? The culture, the geography, these books and countless other intricate settings. If they’re only for us to find Lancelot’s body, it would be too wasteful.”

“This is only the first round.”

Tang Cuo had an ominous hunch. This first round was just the beginning of the story and the real adventure had yet to come. He couldn’t help but look down at the book in his hand. This [Principles of Magic] was like a beginner’s guide to magic, which started with basic meditation techniques, then introduced simple introductory spells.

The book contained only brief mentions of magical formations, while magical potions were another topic altogether.

How about I become a wizard?

Tang Cuo thought of Leng Miao, the famous Great Mage of Zone A. He was also good at space magic and could travel to Zone F from Zone A in literally no time.

At this moment, Jin Cheng spoke again: “Do you want to hear your instructor’s opinion?”

Tang Cuo turned around and saw that he was leaning on the bookshelf with his arms folded, as leisurely as usual. But Tang Cuo nodded honestly, because he knew Jin Cheng was reliable.

The corner of Jin Cheng’s mouth curled up slightly: “In the early stage, you don’t have many points, so it’s better to specialise in one area. Compared to long-range classes, you are more suitable for close combat. But learning many skills will do no harm anyway, so you can also pick up magic. You don’t need much, let’s pick some spells that don’t require advanced magic and could support you in combat.”

Tang Cuo also had the same idea. He had hesitated before, because after all, K27216 was a warrior who liked to attack people with a blade. But the path of magic was now already in front of him. If he chose close combat, who knew when the opportunity might appear before him.

“No matter what class you take, a warrior or a wizard, the combat styles in Yong Ye City are roughly divided into two growth paths ― Self-teaching or spoon-fed education.”

The mighty instructor had come online. Under the moonlight, Jin Cheng’s eyes revealed the gaze of a serious, dignified man, and even his facial lines seemed to have hardened.

“Teaching yourself to become a powerful player is just like what you’re doing now. You find your own way in the dungeon to explore the possibility of becoming a wizard. You may succeed or you may fail. Talent, hard work and luck are both indispensable.”

“Spoon-fed education is simpler. Just clear the missions and earn the system rewards. You don’t need to dive too deep into anything, just get it when it comes. You should have gotten such things before.”

Tang Cuo thought of the ‘Fireball’ and ‘Air Walk’ in his Skills panel. These two skills didn’t need practice. After learning, they could be used directly.

“Is there a difference between an adept player and an ordinary player?” He asked.

“Not necessarily.” Jin Cheng shook his head: “Yong Ye City has unlimited possibilities. The more difficult the dungeon is, the more likely you will obtain high-quality skills. But you have to remember that only adept players who teach themselves could truly live till the end, because only they had the right foundation.”

Although Jin Cheng was one who loved straying off the beaten path, Tang Cuo, as his former recruit, knew how much importance he placed on foundation. Only when the foundation was strong enough could you have the power to go off the usual route.

“For a player who chooses the path of self-teaching, he may not have the best results, but he would have gone through lots of hard work. Even if he isn’t successful in the end, his overall quality must have been improved in this process and Yong Ye City will naturally have a more positive assessment of his survivability. Of course, this path requires some luck, for not everyone can find a way to get started inside a dungeon. This kind of opportunity cannot be rushed.”

Survival is justice.

Tang Cuo remembered this sentence again. In this Yong Ye City with infinite possibilities, even the worst player had a chance to survive. As Jin Cheng had said, talent, hard work and luck was all important.

“Furthermore, looking at the seemingly similar magic and special abilities, which one is better? It‘s difficult to judge. Magic requires spells and wands, but special abilities don’t. However, special ability users couldn’t choose their own attributes, so whichever type you awaken into, you have to take it. But magic is more flexible. Although most wizards specialise in one type and will train themselves in this specific type, they could also summon spells that belong to other types.” Jin Cheng said.

“It seems that there are more special ability users in Yong Ye City than wizards?” Tang Cuo asked.

“That’s because there are too few dungeons about magic, and magic is more difficult to get started. After you live in Yong Ye City long enough, you will see ability users lurking around like stray dogs and gun users walking at all corners.” As he said that, Jin Cheng’s tone was laced with a bit of mocking.

“Then what about you?”

“Archery can be considered a kind of martial arts, but I also practise a special ability. You probably have guessed it ― sound control.”

Jin Cheng could render sound waves with the bowstring, which oscillated and produced an attack that could strike indiscriminately within its range. Tang Cuo loved his strike, but he didn’t have any musical cells, so he decided to forget about it.

“According to the settings, the orthodox training for a knight is only available to the nobles. I think no such kind of material can be found in this elementary school. While no one is disturbing you now, first pick up some magic and I will look for the bookmark.”

The mighty instructor once again made clear arrangements for Tang Cuo. Tang Cuo was lazy and thus pleased to receive such arrangements. He sat cross-legged in a moonlit corner and tried to meditate.

Jin Cheng continued to flip through the books.

The side missions in this dungeon were very simple, so perhaps the bookmark could be in one of these books. The library was small, with only six rows of large bookshelves, thus it wouldn’t be difficult to quickly check through all of them.

And they could also look for a map in the meantime.

As each minute passed by, the two didn’t disturb each other. Only the sound of books being flipped over solemnly drizzled the space.