VAP - Chapter 170
Chapter 170: The Ruler in the Endless Deep Darkness (3)
Yue Du suddenly stopped and turned to look behind her.
The retro European-style sconces on both sides of the corridor cast a warm light. Tourists walked in groups, chatting and laughing in twos and threes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
The chubby guy walking behind Yue Du didn't understand why she had suddenly turned around and gave her a somewhat blank, questioning look.
Yue Du gave a polite smile, turned her head back, and continued walking, her expression gradually growing solemn.
Just now, she had felt the gaze of some existence on her. The faint, almost imperceptible line of sight was like a deep, cold, damp sea fog, sending an unconscious chill down her spine.
The chill vanished in an instant, so brief it was like an illusion.
Under normal circumstances, Yue Du wouldn't have given it a second thought. The problem was, she was currently inside an instance of a horror game.
Just then, the female tour guide suddenly stopped.
"We're here. Everyone, please look. This is the main dining hall of the Pilgrim."
On the way over, the tour guide had explained some of the cruise ship's basic information to the group, including one of the tourists' main concerns: expenses.
Most of the facilities on the ship were free, including the main dining hall and several other restaurants. Aside from the at-sea internet fees, tourists could spend their entire time on the ship without spending a single cent.
Of course, if you wanted to spend money, you could. Just link a credit card, and any purchases would be deducted from it. You could pay it off after disembarking.
Hearing this, the chubby guy quietly asked Kong Wenbin, "We're not really from here, right? This identity isn't even mine. Does what she said mean we can spend money freely?"
Without looking up, Kong Wenbin cleaned his glasses, put them on, and said, "Theoretically, yes. But it's best not to spend recklessly. Also, I should remind you that you probably can't take items from this world back with you."
Chi Mu disappointedly pulled her gaze away from the duty-free shop across the way. Then, as if struck by another thought, she said to her boyfriend, "He said 'probably,' which means it might still be possible to take things back, right?"
Chen Xi: "Who cares? It's not like we have to pay for it anyway. There's no loss in buying things."
Yue Du silently turned on her phone. After checking the assets of this world's "Yue Du," she breathed a sigh of relief and turned off the screen.
She was still a wealthy young woman. It seemed she wouldn't have to worry about expenses.
Perhaps their initial fear had subsided, and the comfortable, hedonistic environment of the cruise ship created a false sense of security. The players were much more at ease than before.
In this atmosphere, they made their way to the cruise ship's main dining hall, where the captain of the Pilgrim would deliver a welcome address to all the tourists.
The moment they passed through the main entrance of the dining hall, everyone's phone notification chimes went off simultaneously. They exchanged glances, their expressions turning grim.
It was the notification sound from the game's app.
"You and your companions have arrived at the main dining hall. Nearly all the tourists and half the crew on the ship are here. You know that the followers of the Deep Darkness Ruler are hidden among the well-dressed ladies and gentlemen before you."
"Hint: The followers of the Lord of Deep Darkness worship darkness and related imagery. They favor black clothing, and they detest bright light."
Detest bright light?
Yue Du slowly raised her head.
From the painted ceiling, crystal chandeliers cast a dim, yellowish light.
"There are definitely followers of the evil god among the crew, and they're in management," Kong Wenbin said.
Xiao Wang chimed in, agreeing with his leader, "Yeah, who else would make the dining hall so dark? It feels really uncomfortable."
At that moment, they were sitting around a circular table, discussing the instance's plot in low voices. The female tour guide stood nearby with a smile, stiff and motionless, not saying a word, once again resembling a human-sized cutout.
Yue Du listened to her teammates' discussion while distractedly observing her surroundings. The dining hall was much larger than that of a typical cruise ship. It was crowded, but didn't feel cramped. People chatted and laughed at the round tables, waiters weaved through with trays, and the orchestra on the central stage played with abandon. Everything seemed perfectly normal.
The lighting in the hall was dim, but not so much that it hindered vision. As far as Yue Du could see, there were at least several dozen tourists dressed in black. The orchestra members were all in black suits, and the uniforms of the crew's management were also black. Fortunately, the waiters and other service staff wore red and blue uniforms, which narrowed the scope considerably.
The woman in the black dress she had met in the elevator suddenly appeared in her line of sight. She was sitting by a window, holding a tall wine glass, her chin resting on one hand. A casual smile played on her lips as she listened to the young women in colorful cocktail dresses at her table chat and laugh.
They looked like a table of wealthy socialites.
Yue Du's gaze didn't linger for long before she shifted it away naturally. After all, the feeling of suddenly meeting the eyes of a dangerous existence was deeply unpleasant, and she had no desire to experience it again.
Just then, Kong Wenbin cleared his throat, pulling the players' attention back.
"Before the captain starts his speech, let's talk about what we should do next."
"Can't we just enjoy the cruise?" Chen Xi asked, his face a picture of someone unwilling to face reality. "The game hint said we're tourists..."
Xiao Wang scoffed, "Don't think you can just let us do all the work while you and your girlfriend hide. If those followers' ritual succeeds, we're all finished."
Chen Xi retorted, "I wasn't thinking that!"
"Tch, you know what you were thinking."
"You—"
The female office worker, Bi Yan, jabbed Xiao Wang's arm without hesitation and hissed, "Stop wasting time arguing. He's a newbie, you should be ashamed of getting angry with him."
Chi Mu also hugged her boyfriend's arm and whispered words of appeasement. Chen Xi was already intimidated by the veteran players, so he immediately shut his mouth and pretended nothing had happened.
Yue Du ignored the squabble.
The goal of the Deep Darkness Pantheon's followers was clear: to successfully initiate the sacrificial ritual. To do this, they first had to prepare seven pure and flawless souls, which meant they had to kill seven people.
Once the ritual began, it couldn't be reversed. Therefore, the players' objective was to find and stop the followers before they finished killing, or else they would all be sacrificed together.
So, what counted as a pure and flawless soul?
The hint didn't specify the scope. In truth, animals might be purer than humans, but that would make the game's difficulty too high. So, it most likely referred only to humans.
If viewed solely from a human perspective...
A child, a young maiden, a virtuous person of high moral character, or perhaps it followed some criterion incomprehensible to humans.
They had to find the followers and also stop them from killing unknown targets. What a troublesome task.
Just then, Kong Wenbin said, "Based on the hint, the path before us is quite clear. I think we need to split up and talk to the tourists and crew members separately to pick out suspicious individuals. As long as we find one follower, we'll know how they identify flawless souls, and we can then protect the targets."
Ms. Gao suddenly looked up at him. Kong Wenbin pushed up his glasses and returned her gaze with a faint smile.
"..." Ms. Gao averted her gaze and said nothing.
Hearing their leader's words, the newbies were all at a loss. The chubby guy asked with a fawning smile, "Brother Kong, there are so many people. How are we supposed to find them?"
Kong Wenbin raised his phone and panned it around, recording the scene in the main dining hall and capturing everyone in the frame.
"Don't forget the earlier hint. The followers are all in the dining hall, and they're wearing black. I'll send the video to you all." He shook his phone and added, "Oh, and if you don't know how to talk to the people here, you can also look for clues in some of the hidden corners of the cruise ship, see if there are any strange symbols or anything."
The players' expressions didn't relax at this. However, they couldn't think of any other methods, so they could only nod in agreement. They comforted themselves that looking for things was easier than looking for people. Worst case, they could just focus on finding clues.
Yue Du fell into silent contemplation.
It sounded plausible enough, but upon closer thought, it was full of problems. What kind of person was considered suspicious? And after suspecting them, how could they confirm it?
Their time was limited. As soon as the cruise ship officially entered the open ocean, the followers would take action. At that point, other situations would inevitably arise, such as being unable to contact the mainland, unable to turn back, and so on. Otherwise, the game couldn't continue.
Would the appearance of the dead bring more unforeseen risks? All of this needed to be considered.
But Kong Wenbin had no intention of elaborating. Judging from the silent exchange between him and Ms. Gao, there was clearly some consensus among the veteran players. They didn't trust the newbies and tacitly kept secrets, probably out of concern for the hidden fanatic.
Seeing that it was almost time for the captain's speech, Kong Wenbin said no more, only adding, "We'll act in groups of three. You can form your own groups." Then he leaned back in his chair and began talking quietly with his teammates.
The captain of the Pilgrim was a white man with black hair and green eyes. He was no longer young; his temples were streaked with gray, and fine lines crinkled at the corners of his eyes. But his smile was refined and gentle, giving him the air of an English gentleman.
The captain walked past the round tables and came to a stop on the stage. The orchestra had already departed, leaving him alone on the vast stage. He opened his arms to the audience below and smiled.
"My dear friends, welcome, welcome to Conrad Green's Pilgrim. I sincerely hope that you will find joy and spiritual fulfillment on your journey, just as all our past passenger friends have."
Captain Green was undoubtedly a charismatic man. His speech was smooth and full of emotion. Beyond the pleasantries, he recounted some amusing anecdotes that had occurred on the cruise ship, accompanied by a subtle humor that won thunderous applause from the entire hall.
After the speech, the captain, a man it was hard to dislike, smilingly returned to his seat and clinked glasses with the men beside him.
The crew members at this round table, including the captain himself, were all wearing black uniforms.
The players observed them covertly, seeing everyone as a potential follower of the evil god. Jumpy and suspicious of everything, they found their dinner tasteless.
Yue Du, however, ate quite well, her appetite completely unaffected by these troubling matters. In fact, even she was surprised by her own composure.
While tasting the after-dinner dessert and inexplicably finding it just so-so, Yue Du, amidst a group of newbies cautiously questioning the veteran players, made no effort to hide her thirst for knowledge about the Deep Darkness Pantheon.
"The Deep Darkness Pantheon... its lore is certainly important, but speaking it aloud rashly could be risky," Bi Yan said. "I have the information on my phone. I can send it to you. Be careful when you read it, and don't say the words out loud."
"Why?" the chubby guy asked.
Bi Yan said grimly, "Any form of invocation will draw Their attention, including speaking, writing, and typing. I compiled this information after my last instance."
Noticing that Bi Yan also glanced over the information with a casual attitude, Yue Du opened the transferred file and began to read it carefully, word by word.
Just as the previous search results had shown, the Deep Darkness Pantheon had only seven deities, and the "Deep Darkness Ruler" worshipped by the followers on the cruise ship was ranked first.
It began with a passage:
"He is the Lord of the Endless Deep Darkness, the sole creator of the apocalypse, the personification of all void, night, deep seas, and bottomless abysses."
Yue Du: "..."
So chuuni.
She said silently in her mind.
She continued reading.
"He is darkness and annihilation itself. All things fear Him as they fear eternal darkness; all living beings revere Him as they revere death."
"His tendrils extend through the void, His wings blot out the sun and sky. You cannot see more, nor can you understand more. You will descend into madness amidst endless fear and despair—unless you have transcended the bounds of humanity."
Yue Du heard the system in her mind let out a soft sneer, as if mocking something.
"You seem to have something to say," Yue Du said impassively.
Ah Jiu said, "Indeed. I know far more than your teammates. As long as you want to know, I'll tell you."
This time, Yue Du didn't refuse immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on the text on the screen as she said slowly, "Let me finish reading first."
After the Deep Darkness Ruler came the "God of All Undead, the Ferryman of Obsessions and Departed Souls." This deity was also described with numerous obscure and cryptic passages, with words like 'ghost' and 'undead' appearing frequently.
Great. It seemed pretty clear which instances would feature supernatural ghosts.
There was also the "Imperishable Flame, the Red Copper Sparrow of Blaze and Heat," the "Watcher Beyond Time and Space, Reflector of the Wheel of Fate," and so on. Yue Du read through the passages for all seven deities one by one. After a long string of ambiguous phrases filled with a strange, chuuni vibe, came Bi Yan's—or rather, the veteran players'—consensus on them.
Dangerous. Don't think too deeply. Incomprehensible. Not to be investigated.
At the end of the document, Bi Yan had added a cautious supplement:
"Although we collectively classify the myths and legends of these deities as the Deep Darkness Pantheon, there is actually no complete system. All we know are the seven deities themselves and some of the strange races that believe in them. As for the relationships between the deities, their revered names, and their deeds, we know nothing. Of course, not knowing is for the best."
Yue Du turned off the screen and reached up to rub her temples.
She wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but her thoughts felt sluggish. It was difficult to concentrate and think clearly about what she had just read. The feeling was like having her brain stuffed with cotton, or trying to listen to an advanced math lecture on insufficient sleep.
Could it be because she had read this information? Yue Du propped her forehead on her hand and subtly glanced at the newbies on either side. Their condition seemed even worse. Their confusion and stupor were plain to see, as if they had completely lost the ability to think.
Especially the chubby guy. His face was covered in a cold sweat, and he was trembling so hard it looked like he might shake all the flesh off his bones.
Across the round table, the veteran players had been observing them from the corners of their eyes, their appraising gazes barely concealed.
Were these veteran players observing the newbies' reactions?
A chill went through Yue Du. She immediately mimicked the reaction of the young couple, putting on a dazed and vacant expression. The gazes from across the table paused on her for a moment before turning away, uninterested.
About a minute or so later, the newbies began to snap out of their strange state one by another. It took the chubby guy even longer. He gasped for breath, terrified. "Wh-what was that?"
Bi Yan gave him a kind smile. "Don't worry, it's a normal reaction. The first time you see this stuff in the game, it can be a bit uncomfortable. It'll be fine the next time you see it."
The chubby guy was overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness. "Is that so? Th-thank you."
Before leaving the main dining hall, the players formed their groups.
The trio of veteran players naturally stuck together. The young couple tried to join them but were politely yet firmly rejected. They then turned to Ms. Gao and were rejected again. So, they could only resentfully form a two-person team, looking like they planned to just lie low and survive.
The chubby guy also made a request. He hadn't expected to be able to latch onto a strong player, so when he heard them agree, he was stunned for a few seconds before being overcome with joy. "Really?"
Kong Wenbin shook his hand. "Welcome aboard, Pang Bei."
"Just call me Xiao Pang, Brother Kong. I'll do my best to keep up and not hold you guys back!"
Yue Du was already prepared to act alone. Under the current circumstances, being by herself might even be safer.
Just as she was about to ask the system for more inside information, Ms. Gao stopped in front of her.
"Do you want to team up with me?" The veteran player's tone was light, but very sincere.
Yue Du was silent for a moment, then gave a surprised yet apprehensive smile. "Thank you. May I ask why?"
"On one hand, I might need help during the investigation. On the other, it's probably because of my intuition," Ms. Gao said lightly. "Intuition is very important in this game."
Intuition? Yue Du suddenly recalled the "Spirituality" the veteran players had mentioned when discussing the woman in the black dress after she got off the elevator. The two weren't directly related, but the thought inexplicably came to her.
After a moment of thought, Yue Du said solemnly, "Alright."
Upon leaving the main dining hall, the tool-like tour guide was waiting outside. She told the players to gather at the elevator entrance at eight o'clock the next morning, and that no one could be missing.
It was a good thing this was a game NPC. If any real-life cruise tour had such an inflexible itinerary, they would probably receive hundreds of complaint emails.
However, gathering tomorrow morning also meant that the rest of the evening was free for them to arrange as they pleased.
The young couple boarded the elevator without a word, as if something was chasing them. Yue Du guessed they wanted to go straight back to their room. The group of four, however, turned around and went back into the main dining hall, finding an empty table to sit at, likely because they still had things to discuss.
Yue Du turned her head, about to discuss their next steps with Ms. Gao—she had said her name was Gao Yin—but she suddenly froze.
A pair of soft, childish arms wrapped around her waist from behind.
Yue Du instinctively stiffened. Seeing surprise but not terror on Ms. Gao's face, she turned to look behind her.
It was a very pretty little girl with black hair and black eyes, wearing a matching tiered dress. Her delicate features were exceptionally familiar; Yue Du almost immediately thought of the woman in the black dress from the elevator.
The girl was just tall enough to reach Yue Du's waist. To wrap her arms all the way around, she had to stand on her tiptoes, which was a little cute.
"Hello, big sister!" she said in a sweet, clear voice.
What was the relationship between this girl and the woman in the black dress? Mother and daughter?
No, they looked more like sisters.
Yue Du cleared her throat. "Hello. Can I help you with something, little one?" As she spoke, she gently extricated herself. Since the girl's arms were only loosely wrapped around her, the movement wasn't difficult.
But the girl quickly switched to grabbing her pinky finger. Yue Du was helpless and could only let her be.
Then, the little girl said with great solemnity, "I can't find my big sister. I'm lost."
So it was her sister, Yue Du thought.
She first glanced into the main dining hall but couldn't find the woman in the black dress. After exchanging a look with Gao Yin, Yue Du bent down and said to the little girl, "Let's go find a staff member and have them make an announcement to help you find your sister, okay?"
"No, I want to wait for my sister to find me," the little girl said. "I'm lost, so she's lost too. Why shouldn't she be the one to find me?"
Yue Du coaxed her, "Once they make the announcement, your sister will come find you."
The little girl probably thought that made sense and nodded her head seriously.
And so, the first thing the newly formed duo did was take the lost child to find her guardian.
Ah Jiu: "Tsk."
Yue Du was on alert. "Is there something wrong with this child?"
"Nothing's wrong."
"..." Then why did you tsk?
"A bratty kid. She might get attached to you and not leave," Ah Jiu said listlessly.
As it turned out, the system had quite a talent for prophecy.
After they found a crew member and explained the situation, he immediately contacted a colleague to make an announcement. The little girl's sister arrived shortly after. It was indeed the woman in the black dress.
The broadcasting room.
"Why were you running around? Now you're lost. Scared, are you?" the woman said coolly, her arms crossed.
Her voice was unique—low but not deep, tinged with the chill of the first snow.
The little girl retorted righteously, "I'm not lost. You're the one who's lost."
The two sisters traded barbs, tit for tat, but their tones lacked the agitation of a real argument. Instead, they were as placid as if they were discussing what to have for a midnight snack.
During this exchange, Gao Yin seemed dazed for a moment before suddenly snapping out of it. Her gaze toward the two sisters became extremely puzzled.
The little girl argued with her sister for a while, and when she seemed to realize she couldn't win, she resorted to the ultimate bratty-kid tactic of disowning everyone, crying, "You're not my sister! I don't know you!"
Then she turned and threw herself into Yue Du's arms, sobbing, "Wuwuwu... Big sister, take me home, take me home, okay?"
Yue Du: "..."
Maintaining a polite smile, Yue Du peeled the little girl off her and said to the woman in the black dress, "Excuse me, my friend and I have other things to do, so we'll be leaving now."
The woman in the black dress quickly placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, stopping her from clinging to Yue Du again. Then she nodded. "Sorry to have troubled you."
Yue Du waved her hand. "It was nothing."
The woman smiled gracefully. "If it's convenient, could I have your contact information? Aiona is very willful. She might run off to find you at some point."
Yue Du looked at the little girl named Aiona struggling fiercely under her sister's hand and had to admit the possibility was high, but...
She glanced at Gao Yin, and the veteran player gave a subtle nod.
So Yue Du gave her phone number. The woman in the black dress handed her a business card in return before escorting the still-struggling little girl away.
"Remember to watch for her calls. People with such outstanding looks are usually related to the instance's plot," Gao Yin said. "They're either a key NPC or a follower of the evil god."
Yue Du watched the sisters' retreating backs, unsure what to think for a moment.
Although she had been startled in the elevator, outside of that environment, the woman didn't seem particularly strange—aside from being exceptionally beautiful and having a unique aura.
But she hadn't been with her sister then. Had she already gotten lost at that point?
Yue Du looked down at the business card. It was entirely in English.
Gao Yin leaned over to look, then paused. "What does it say?"
"Her name is Einser Naiyin. She's a painter who often travels between China, the US, and Great Britain." As she spoke, Yue Du took out her phone and searched the name, and actually found something. "Here's her encyclopedia entry. It seems she's quite famous."
Gao Yin wasn't surprised. "An artist. That makes sense."
"Because people in the arts might have higher Spirituality?" Yue Du guessed.
The air suddenly fell silent.
Gao Yin turned her head stiffly and asked, "How did you know?"
Yue Du told the truth. "Ah, when I came down in the elevator with her, the other veteran players mentioned it." Although not explicitly.
Gao Yin finally understood and breathed a sigh of relief, her suspicion gone. "Alright, you're very sharp. Come on, let's talk as we walk."
In the game, there are two concepts: Spirituality and Rationality.
First, it's certain that the deities and their kin belong to a realm unknowable to humans. Seeing, hearing, touching, or sensing certain existences will cause players to experience mental abnormalities. As these abnormalities accumulate, once a critical point is reached, the player will descend into eternal, utter chaos and madness.
Generally speaking, Spirituality and Rationality are inversely related. A player with higher Spirituality has lower Rationality, and vice versa.
The higher the Spirituality, the easier it is to sense those things. This sensing erodes Rationality, causing the player to gradually break down and eventually fall into madness.
But this doesn't mean that low Spirituality is a good thing, because the game also contains all sorts of clues, requirements, and taboos.
These might be mentioned in the rules, or they might be hidden within the instance. For the latter, players with high Rationality and low Spirituality have a hard time detecting them, and can only walk unknowingly toward their deaths.
Going mad bit by bit, or dying suddenly? Which is more terrifying?
"So that's why those veteran players took Pang Bei," Yue Du paused, then said slowly, "And that's why you came to me."
Gao Yin didn't deny it. "I used to be a designer. My Spirituality is relatively high, so I'm prone to going mad in the game. I need a teammate with high Rationality."
She smiled. "You put on a good act when you were reading the information Bi Yan gave us. I was almost fooled. But my intuition told me you weren't greatly affected. I was right."
Yue Du: "Alright. What do you need me to do?"
"If I'm in a really bad state, wake me up. Shouting, shoving, even hitting me is fine. In return, I'll tell you what I sense, and you can help analyze it. People with high Rationality are good at analysis."
Is that all?
Yue Du thought for a moment. "I understand."
Gao Yin gave a wry smile. "Happy to be working with you."
Having reached an agreement, the two of them ran up and down, familiarizing themselves with the cruise ship's layout. After all, the tour guide would most likely lead them on a tour the next day, so scouting the place out in advance couldn't hurt.
It was nearly ten at night. A half-moon peeked out from between the clouds, its light faint. The cruise ship, however, was enveloped in lights and noise.
The night didn't send all the tourists back to their rooms to sleep; instead, it stirred the passion of the young people.
Gao Yin checked the time and said, "We should go back and rest. When the situation is unclear, it's not wise to stay outside our rooms late at night."
Yue Du subconsciously glanced at the nearby tourists enjoying themselves freely in the duty-free shop and the bar. Gao Yin noticed her action.
"Them..." Gao Yin didn't stop walking. "A piece of advice: it's best not to think of the humans in the game as real people. Just treat them as NPCs. Many players believe that everyone in the game is an NPC, the only difference being how lifelike they are, whether they're key to the plot, or just part of the background."
Yue Du recalled how the other tourists had ignored the tour guide. Similarly, when the players were discussing the game, the people passing by and the waiters who brought their food had all acted as if they heard nothing.
Are all these people just part of the background?
And were Einser Naiyin and her sister just components of the plot?
Inside the elevator, Yue Du pressed the button for the eleventh floor, but Gao Yin didn't move.
Yue Du tilted her head in confusion. She remembered that Gao Yin wasn't staying on the same floor as her.
Gao Yin said frankly, "Didn't I say it before? I need someone to wake me up if I'm in an abnormal state. The frequency of sensing abnormalities while dreaming isn't low."
Yue Du nodded.
Her room only had one double bed. Yue Du had never slept with anyone other than her mother and sister, and she couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
But for the sake of survival in the game, perhaps even people of the opposite sex wouldn't be so particular, let alone people of the same sex.
As Yue Du thought this, she heard the faint sound of teeth grinding from the resident in her mind.
Comments
Post a Comment