The Trial Game of Life

But Peter didn’t answer Jin Cheng’s question. Instead, he asked: “Lancelot, you are from the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight right?”

This time, Jin Cheng didn’t answer Peter’s question. He began to re-examine this seemingly ordinary priest, and at the same time, speculation was rising in his heart ― Perhaps it was because he came from the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight that Peter told him so much.

Peter joining the Rose Sect was definitely because the Rose Sect could help him achieve his ambition. Then this so-called ‘resurrection from the dead’ mustn’t be as simple as just resurrection. Between the magic circle of the Rose Sect and the Well of Time of the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight, which was the key?

The answer might be the Well of Time.

Seeing Jin Cheng deep in thought, Peter didn’t say much and slowly backed away by a few steps. At this point, several members of the Rose Sect came from behind and firmly kept Peter behind their guard.

The two sides had come to a confrontation.

Peter nodded to Jin Cheng, then turned around and left.

Jin Cheng didn’t chase after him, because he saw that his main mission had once again been updated to ― Return to the Greenvines Alliance office and look for Bazz.

Right, Bazz!

An idea suddenly crossed Jin Cheng’s mind. Bazz was like Peter, for they were both resurrected from the dead. If Peter’s ambition was to become a god, then what about Bazz?

What had Aesop put on him?

Thinking of this, Jin Cheng immediately brushed the Rose Sect aside and rushed to the Greenvines Alliance office.

On the other side, Tang Cuo finally took Bazz out of the tunnel and returned to the office smoothly. The office looked much emptier compared to the last time they were here because even ordinary members had been summoned by Celtic, and only a few of them remained here.

For Bazz’s safety, Tang Cuo led him straight to the second floor. The moment he stepped upstairs, his main mission was updated.

But before he could check the update, a dull pain hit his brain.

“Ding!”

“It has been detected that the player has modified the plot. According to the original plot, the knight Theodore has been seriously injured after continuous fights, so the player will immediately enter an ‘unconscious’ state now.”

Tang Cuo fell down, but he still maintained his consciousness. He could sense everything around him, but his body just slumped to the ground, his eyes were forced to close and he couldn’t move.

Completely panicked, Bazz shook Tang Cuo’s shoulders and the others dashed over to carry him into his room. Theodore had his own temporary residence in this office.

After everything had been settled, Tang Cuo lay on the bed, still unable to lift even a finger.

“Theodore, may the gods bless you, you have to be okay.” Bazz’s eyes were fixed on Tang Cuo, determined to not leave him even for a moment.

Tang Cuo could only listen and was unable to do anything.

Each second sluggishly passed by and Tang Cuo had no idea when Theodore would wake up, feeling a little anxious inside. He guessed that Theodore’s body had been unwell following the fight with Aesop, and after he escorted Bazz all the way back to the office, it finally gave in.

But the system didn’t force Tang Cuo to collapse before. It had to be this exact moment, so what would it mean?

Tang Cuo wanted to open the Mission panel and take a look, but his eyes were forced to close and he couldn’t see at all.

After an unknown period, the sound of someone knocking on the window came. Tang Cuo frowned, for this sound was too familiar to him. He had just heard it in Bazz’s rented flat this morning.

He wanted to tell Bazz to ignore it, but he couldn’t do it. His consciousness that was still a bit clear earlier was totally hazy now.

“Squeak.” It was the sound of the window opening.

The sound of Bazz walking towards him then away from him gradually blurred Tang Cuo’s consciousness. After a while, he could feel Bazz sitting beside him again and talking to him spiritedly.

“Theodore, I’m so happy that I can be your friend. You’re like Lancelot, both of you are good people that are difficult to find in this world. I’m lucky to have met you.”

“Theodore, this period has been the happiest days of my life. I never thought that I’ve died and shouldn’t exist in this world, but I don’t regret it. You all make me feel that I’m the happiest person in this world.”

“……”

“Theodore, Beibei’s new jam pie is really delicious.” At the very end, the last sound that Tang Cuo caught was still his hopeful voice. He seemed to be choking a bit on his words, but Tang Cuo couldn’t hear it clearly.

Then he completely fell unconscious.

Time passed quickly.

“Tang Cuo? Tang Cuo!” When Tang Cuo woke up, he heard his name. As his thoughts from the moment earlier returned, he immediately sat up and looked around, but Bazz was nowhere in sight.

There was only Jin Cheng on the side of the bed.

“Where is Bazz?” He asked.

“He’s gone.” Jin Cheng said, handing him a note. On the note was the same handwriting as the dying letter’s. The writing was crooked and not very pretty, but it exuded a strong sense of vitality and the aura of a simple man.

[To my dear friends Theodore and Lancelot:

I’m leaving.

Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye, and forgive me for my selfishness and cowardice, because I can’t face the things that will come. May you all be well.

Don’t look for me.

— Bazz]

Tang Cuo silently squeezed the paper in his hand. The letter was crumpled and soaked with Bazz’s tears. He was silent for a moment, then he said: “It was Aesop. Aesop took Bazz away.”

Jin Cheng wasn’t surprised to hear this. Glancing at the door, he said: “Roger Reeds has come back.”

Roger Reeds had been following Aesop all this while, from the city to the suburb, then from the vineyard outside the city back to the city, but in the end, he was still a step too late.

Half an hour later, Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng found him on the roof of the office.

Roger Reeds was leaning on his cane and standing in the wind, his eyes able to capture all the wide and spotless avenues of St. Paul District. But his gaze looked beyond these avenues and those milky white church-like buildings, stretching far into the distance, trying to reach the White Leaf District and even the entire continent.

Hearing Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng’s footsteps, he said, still not turning around: “The storm is about to come.” 

The two looked at each other. Jin Cheng, having shared all the information with Tang Cuo, raised his eyebrows and asked: “Your Excellency Roger Reeds, may I ask, who is the Undead King?”

Roger Reeds turned his head and cast a cold glance at them. After a long moment, he said: “This is a secret that should’ve been covered in dust, but since you’ve learnt about it, I’ll tell you. But you must remember, no matter how long it will be from now, do not forget the faith you had when you first set foot on this continent.”

Hearing this, the two nodded together.

Roger Reeds turned around and looked at the storm that seemed to be hidden deep inside the clouds, then he said: “The Rose Sect originated from the Tucha dynasty of the Dark AgesA historical periodisation traditionally referring to the Middle Ages (c. 5th–15th century). This term asserts that a demographic, cultural, and economic deterioration occurred in Western Europe following the decline of the Roman Empire.. At that time, the rose was the totem of the royal family. The last king of the Tucha dynasty was Louis XIV, which is the person that the Rose Sect refers to as ― the Undead King, or the Undead Rose.”

Jin Cheng: “What does this have to do with the Well of Time?”

“As you might have figured out, the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight is the former capital of the Tucha dynasty.” Roger Reeds clutched his cane tightly: “The Well of Time was related to the secret of eternal life, something that the gods forbid humans from knowing. The arrogant tyrant Louis XIV wanted to spy on this secret, which ended up destroying the entire dynasty and causing the Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight to be forever isolated in the middle of the golden desert. The totem of the royal family, the rose, has since disappeared from the continent of Sicilit.” 

After a pause, Roger Reeds continued: “But there has always been a saying on this continent that a thousand years later, the Undead Rose will bloom again — He is coming back.”

Wow.

Jin Cheng didn’t expect the background of this whole thing to be so expansive. This was only the second round, so wouldn’t the next round become even more difficult? He couldn’t help asking: “How can he come back? In what way?”

This time, Roger Reeds didn’t answer immediately. He turned around, with his back facing the storm that was becoming more and more obvious in the sky, and started deeply at Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng with a solemn expression.

A long moment later, he said: “Based on the news from the headquarters, the Rose Sect sacrifices human souls to activate their magic circles. That is to say, your friend Bazz, or Priest Peter, is the vessel of the rose.”

“Are you mentally prepared for this? The next time you meet him, how would you face him?”

“Boom—” 

As his voice fell, the storm finally came in its truest form. Terrifying black clouds gradually spread across the entire sky as lightning bolts and thunders were menacingly brewing up in the distance. Seeing such a sight, whether in St. Paul District or the White Leaf Distract, the people all raised their heads to look up, their expression wary.

With loud clangs, a heavy rain quickly poured down.

Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng couldn’t stay long in this building. Unexpectedly, Roger Reeds didn’t criticise Jin Cheng for the series of disturbances he caused in the White Leaf District. After he cast one last glance at Jin Cheng, which seemed to carry lots of meanings, he hurriedly left to deal with other things.

The whole mess was pushed onto Celtic again.

So Celtic repeatedly complained.

However, Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng were two cruel big bosses who wouldn’t share the slightest burden with him. And at this point, their main missions finally coincided.

Current main mission: Play [Song of The Wind].

The handwritten score was sent to Jin Cheng along with the mission, which was signed with Lancelot’s name. As Jin Cheng looked at the slightly rushed handwriting that was consistently smeared with drops of some liquid, he could probably imagine what mood Lancelot had when he wrote this song.

“Let’s go, we have to pick a good spot to play this song.” Jin Cheng said.

At this moment, the storm just came to a stop.

The two walked side by side and subconsciously ended up at the White Leaf District again. The wind and rain had swept by this place, exposing the dirt and filth that had been hidden in the tunnel all these years. Everything looked messy, yet somehow the place seemed much more cleansed than it used to be.

Someone was crying in front of the collapsed ruins.

Someone was standing on their toes, trying to peep into the tunnel with curiosity.

Everyone was like a weed, struggling to live in their own way.

Surprisingly, Beibei’s Cake House, where the jam pie was sold, was still open.

A string of wind chimes was also hung on the door of Beibei’s Cake house. As Tang Cuo pushed the door open, the wind chimes rang and a lovely girl with a round face paused her task to look up: “Welcome!”

Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng dug out all the money they could find on themselves to buy two jam pies. As she handed over the pies, the girl recognised their faces and smiled even more brightly.

“So it’s you, Lancelot, and this is Theodore, right? Bazz talked about you all the time. He always said that he would take you to try the latest flavour of the jam pies here. He’s said it so many times yet I still haven’t gotten to meet you two, and finally, I see you today.”

After a pause, her slightly blushed face turned towards the door: ”Where is Bazz? Why didn’t he come?”

Tang Cuo was suddenly lost for words. And he didn’t want to say anything.

Jin Cheng took the pies and said: “He has something to do, and he’ll be away for a while.”

“I see.” The girl’s smile went stiff for a second, then she quickly tucked her hair behind her ears, lowered her head and pretended to be busy…

When she looked up again, they weren’t in the shop anymore.

Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng carried the pies and continued walking through the streets, passing by East Street. They then turned around to look at the collapsed church and finally reached the dock where operations were temporarily suspended due to the storm.

The dock at this time was very different from usual. Countless workers were squatting at the corner, looking like grey mushrooms that grew out of the mossy wall, each squeezing next to the other.

“Right here.” Jin Cheng took out the small harp, sat on the short pole that boatmen used to tie the mooring rope around, and put the last bite of the pie into his mouth.

Poking his head out, the owner of the shop that sold black bread and potato soup caught sight of Jin Cheng and mumbled to himself about how this strange bard was here again. But this time he didn’t say anything to interrupt Jin Cheng.

He suddenly felt that in such a peaceful moment, some music would be nice.

The melodious sound of music soon spread around the dock, carrying with it the scent of an unbound wind that was at the same time wrapped in an inexplicable sorrow, bringing a hint of coolness to the end of this spring.

On the wide river, amid the gentle wind, the sails were faintly visible and another boat embarked on its journey.

[And I hope only the wind will know about my death.]

Tang Cuo was reminded of this sentence in Bazz’s dying letter. The name of this dungeon, [Song of The Wind], now sounded very fitting. As he thought about it with his usual blank expression, Tang Cuo picked up the cold jam pie and took a bite — Actually, this tastes a bit too sweet.

“Ding!”

“Congratulations to the players for successfully completing the second round of the serial mission [Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight]: Song of The Wind. Difficulty: Hard, No. of completed side missions: 95, Rating: A. Character points to be earned: 30.”

“For personal rewards, please check the system panel by yourselves.”

“Welcome back to Yong Ye City!”