VAP - Chapter 183
Chapter 183: The Ruler in the Endless Deep Darkness (16)
In a distant domain beyond human perception, the Red Copper Bird swiftly, almost frantically, retracted its gaze that spanned across space.
The Undying Flame, the Red Copper Bird of blaze and heat, It is an immortal being in the universe, one of the seven deities.
The Red Copper Bird's true form was an immense, terrifying creature shaped somewhat like a bird. Thirteen eyes were embedded in the top of its head, and its giant beak was like an inverted crescent moon. Its wings were composed of countless fragments resembling the small celestial bodies that orbit planets, while its tail feathers were a mass of entangled red tentacles. Its body, larger than a star, was covered in blood-red down, making it look bizarre and nauseating.
As long as a being's level of existence remained within the human realm, it was impossible to perceive the Red Copper Bird's true form in its entirety. Yet this powerful and horrifying deity was now hiding its body beneath its wings, its neck bowed low in a posture of utter submission, daring not to resist.
Among the seven deities of the Deep Darkness Pantheon, the Deep Darkness Ruler undoubtedly occupied the absolute highest position. It was the master of authority and power, yet It slumbered year-round in the deep dark void. Only Its numerous consciousness-sharing fragments roamed the outside, spread across the entire universe.
About four days ago, the Red Copper Bird, nestled in its lair and watching the game from afar, received a notification from one of the Deep Darkness Ruler's fragments.
"The academy instance. Your half of the ownership rights now belongs to me."
The Ruler's commands were never to be questioned, and the Red Copper Bird dared not object. It was simply too curious about the reason, so it had secretly connected to the consciousness of a believer's sacrificial fire within the academy, intending to satisfy its curiosity.
But before it could figure anything out, it was slapped head-on by its superior, and that small sliver of probing consciousness was annihilated.
The Deep Darkness Ruler had annihilated space-time countless times and obliterated the bodies of other deities just as often. The psychological trauma of being killed over and over resurfaced, and the Red Copper Bird couldn't even muster the thought of escape, almost believing another age of extinction was upon it.
Fortunately, the Deep Darkness Ruler's true form remained in the deep dark void, showing no world-destroying intent, nor did It pursue the Red Copper Bird to destroy its true body.
It left only a single sentence.
"There will not be a next time."
The Red Copper Bird prostrated itself even lower, its wings of shattered celestial bodies vibrating at an extremely high frequency, expressing its deference in its own language.
In the headmaster's office, Xuan Jiu withdrew her consciousness from that distant domain.
She was a fragment of the Deep Darkness, and also the Deep Darkness itself. Though she had just punished the would-be spy with lightning-fast severity, her expression didn't quite match her actions. She was pensive, with a hint of confusion.
Xuan Jiu had always been clear about her own nature: greedy, possessive, destroying worlds when displeased, and destroying worlds even when pleased. Only absolute control suited her—or rather, Its—nature.
Her interest in this human named Yue Du was the only anomaly in countless ages. At first, it was because she sensed the aura of her true self on her, but later…
Xuan Jiu lowered her gaze, her sight passing through the barriers of the man-made structure to entwine itself around Yue Du, who was in the meditation room, whispering something to the system beside her.
If it were merely to relieve boredom, It would not have grown angry at the Red Copper Bird's prying.
It should have approached her, toyed with this human's fate without a care, driven her to madness and collapse, and made her one with the Deep Darkness, just as other evil gods did with the races that caught their interest.
Just where had things gone wrong?
It wanted to see more of her expressions and reactions, yet It cherished and protected her with the utmost care, unwilling to let any real harm befall her. It wanted to control her, yet It was her who stirred Its heart. These were emotions It had never experienced before.
At this very moment, in every corner of the universe—aboard cruise ships, beneath the deep sea, within crowds, between planets—numerous "Xuan Jius" were using their shared consciousness to ponder the same question. It mused, It whispered, It questioned and answered Itself.
Still, It reached no conclusion.
But that was fine. It could take Its time to think.
And before that…
It had to first ensure this person belonged to It.
Meanwhile, Yue Du was still talking to Ah Jiu. "Just as I felt something approaching me, I heard Xuan Jiu's voice. Then everything went back to normal, as if she had interrupted my spiritual sensing."
She paused and frowned. "But why would she do that?"
Ah Jiu's gaze shifted imperceptibly. "Hmm, maybe she wanted to help you."
Yue Du sighed. "Is that so?"
Regardless of her motives, her actions were at least helpful and not harmful.
Yue Du could sense that the thing approaching her in the crimson world was dangerous. It bore no malice, but its very existence was a threat, like a star or a black hole—proximity alone meant death. And Xuan Jiu had driven it away, casually and with ease.
If meditation was indeed a way to approach the Red Copper Bird, as the class monitor had said, then that dangerous presence must have been the deity itself.
Could Xuan Jiu, who so easily drove away the Red Copper Bird, really be just the daughter of the Deep Darkness Ruler?
No, the so-called "daughter of a deity" was just her own speculation—the most likely among many possibilities. Although she often joked with Ah Jiu about the "young miss," Yue Du had never truly accepted it as fact.
During the self-study period after meditation, Yue Du and Ah Jiu each held a book, feigning the earnest look of students quizzing each other, while in reality, they were deep in conversation in their minds.
Yue Du asked, "Does the Deep Darkness Ruler have any offspring?"
Ah Jiu knew she was catching on and replied unhurriedly, "None that I know of."
Yue Du was speechless.
That's not what you said when you were playing along with my jokes before.
"Alright." Yue Du felt a headache coming on. "How does that saying go again? 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.'"
She looked up, meeting Ah Jiu's eyes directly. "The one who's been following me since the last instance… it couldn't be the Deep Darkness Ruler in person, could it?"
Ah Jiu clapped lightly, her expression grave. "As expected of my host. You've already figured it out."
Her premonition had come true. Yue Du couldn't help but cover her eyes in disbelief. "It really is It? Isn't It supposed to be the final world boss? How is It so idle?"
Does a world boss have any dignity, following a player around like this?
Inwardly, Ah Jiu wanted to laugh but also felt a pang of jealousy. Outwardly, however, she maintained a worried expression as if they were facing a common enemy.
After a moment, Yue Du lowered her hand, her expression returning to its usual calm. "So, Xuan Jiu and Einser are both the Deep Darkness Ruler? The deity avatars you mentioned?"
Ah Jiu said, "Not exactly. Just think of It as having a lot of alt accounts."
"Alt accounts," meaning fragments. Unlike the avatars of evil gods, fragments weren't truly alive, but merely tools for expressing consciousness.
When the Deep Darkness Ruler used tens of millions of fragments to perform different actions simultaneously, it was like an ordinary person multitasking—watching TV while eating dessert, subconsciously listening to their surroundings, and idly twirling their hair with a free hand.
In terms of difficulty, using alt accounts was probably even easier.
After Ah Jiu's analogy, Yue Du roughly understood and let out an inexplicable sigh of relief. "So, I've only attracted about two-ten-millionths of this deity's attention? Like someone idly fiddling with an object out of boredom?"
Ah Jiu's tone was heavy, her emotions complex. "Not quite. The fact that Xuan Jiu intervened in an instance belonging to the Red Copper Bird and the God of All Undead proves that It is searching for you consciously and with great purpose."
"So persistent. What does It see in me?" Yue Du was perplexed. For a moment, she recalled Einser's whisper in her ear.
You carry my scent, the Deep Darkness Ruler had said.
Einser Naiyin, Xuan Jiu, Ah Jiu…
What on earth had she experienced during the period of her lost memories?
"Did I have dealings with the Deep Darkness Ruler before I lost my memory?"
"No."
"Then, what is our relationship? I mean, before we entered the game."
Ah Jiu paused. "I thought you would first ask if we had ever met before."
"There's no point in asking a question you already know the answer to. I have amnesia, not brain damage."
After a brief silence, Ah Jiu gave her answer.
"An impure master-system relationship."
That sentence stunned Yue Du.
For a while after that, Yue Du didn't speak privately with Ah Jiu. On the surface, she calmly read her books, recited passages, and doodled, but her mind was a chaotic flood of thoughts.
So I like women?
Wait, I accepted that so easily? Could it actually be true?
I thought I didn't believe in love? Why don't I feel any resistance to the idea?
But looking at the system's face, something still feels a little off…
After the mental spam subsided, Yue Du decided there was no point in overthinking it. More importantly, why was she contemplating matters of the heart in the middle of a deadly instance?
So she decisively shelved the topic and went back to pondering how to deal with the charred corpses that night.
But Ah Jiu wouldn't let her off the hook. "Any other thoughts?"
Yue Du replied righteously, "We're surrounded by danger. Who has time for romance? If we absolutely must discuss feelings under these circumstances, I hope we can discuss the bonds of comrades-in-arms."
Comrades-in-arms.
Ah Jiu's smile grew progressively colder. "Excellent. Just perfect."
This can't be my darling's fault. How could a human possibly have the mental space to dwell on romantic feelings when their life is in danger? So, it must be Greed's fault for creating this stupid infinite escape game.
It should have been a "The Domineering Evil God Fell for Me" scenario!
However, even a supreme deity couldn't stop Yue Du's train of thought from going off the rails—or rather, from staying firmly on the correct track.
Helpless, she could only let things run their course.
After classes ended that day, the players returned to their dorm room. They seized the chance to get some sleep before being woken by their alarms just before the late-night lights-out, and they each began to prepare.
They had no intention of passively feigning sleep again.
Yue Du gave the Deep Darkness Judgment a practice swing. It felt good in her hand. Turning, she saw Tang Ying pull a thick, sharpened wooden stake from behind a locker.
"Is that from the firewood pile behind the academic building?" Yue Du thought it looked familiar. "Will that work?"
Tang Ying performed a few flourishes with the stake. "It's useless against incorporeal spirits like ghosts, but those things have physical bodies. Even if I can't kill them, I can knock them back."
Yue Du thought for a moment, then walked to the door, picked up a broom, and shoved it into Ah Jiu's hands. Whether it's useful or not, at least look the part, she encouraged her mentally. Go for it.
"You're right," Ah Jiu said, accepting it with a smile.
She even looks elegant holding a broom.
Yue Du lowered her head to hide the look in her eyes. When she glanced up again, she saw the smile on Ah Jiu's lips deepen as she politely mouthed, Thank you for the compliment.
With all preparations complete, the lights went out. The group stood guard behind the door, ready for a fight.
And then, at the stroke of midnight…
The choking stench of thick smoke instantly filled the building like a signal. Immediately, flames danced outside the windows, the walls turned a scorched black, and the doors and windows burned away until they were on the verge of collapse. The entire building seemed to "come alive," filled with all manner of ominous noises.
Compared to the previous two nights, a strange "heh-heh" sound was now mixed in with the noises. After listening for a couple of seconds, Yue Du suddenly realized it was the sound the charred corpses were making from their desiccated throats.
Yue Du had thought she would be afraid, but now that she was actually facing the situation, her will to fight outweighed her fear. This was an ambush on monsters, not a ghostly encounter. What was there to panic about?
To everyone's surprise, the charred corpses didn't immediately enter the room to cause trouble for the players. Instead, they began to fight amongst themselves, brawling in the hallway.
Yue Du peeked cautiously through the crack in the door. It didn't take long for her to see that the charred corpses were actually split into two factions.
The smaller faction consisted of only a few, but they were exceptionally vicious, capable of disabling one of their own kind with a single swipe of their claws. The corpses they struck down didn't lose all mobility; after staggering and twitching a few times, they didn't dare rise again, much less launch an attack.
In the end, only those few charred corpses remained standing. They had outlasted the others without showing any signs of fatigue themselves. They trampled over the bodies of their prone kin, guttural, happy-sounding noises rumbling in their throats.
A gust of wind blew outside, and the flames suddenly leaped higher. In that instant, by the light of the fire, Yue Du clearly saw something embedded in the area that should have been the charred corpse's chest.
A shimmering silver class plaque. Weiyue Class.
At the same time, the few charred corpses celebrating their victory seemed to sense something and whipped their heads around in her direction.
Alarm bells screamed in Yue Du's mind. She took a step back, tightening her grip on her dagger, but after a moment's wait, no further sound came from outside the door.
Peeking through the crack now would likely mean coming face-to-face with a ghostly eye. Yue Du pushed Ah Jiu behind her and, with lightning speed, yanked the door open.
It was worth noting that the dorm room door opened inward. With this sudden movement, the charred corpses tumbled to the floor in a heap, still in the posture of having their heads pressed to the door. It wasn't hard to imagine how they had just been crowded together, trying to peer inside.
Thank goodness I didn't look through the crack!
Yue Du instinctively raised her dagger to send them on their way, but before she could strike, the corpses dissolved into a thick black liquid, only to reform by the doorway.
They stood hunched over, their pitch-black eye sockets staring blankly at the players, making no further move.
Yue Du aimed the tip of her dagger at them, her face devoid of fear. After a brief standoff, the one in the middle, which appeared to be the smallest, opened its mouth and issued a question in a dry, raspy voice that barely sounded human.
"Do you… heh… believe in the Red Copper Bird… heh heh…?"
This thing can talk? Then again, charred corpses shouldn't be able to move in the first place. Yue Du quickly scanned the group before her gaze settled back on the small corpse. She answered crisply, "I don't."
The empty eye sockets turned to Tang Ying. Gritting her teeth, she followed suit. "I don't!"
The other girl's voice trembled as she added, "I-I don't believe, either."
The charred corpse rasped, "Heh… really?"
"Really."
The charred corpse stood silently, as if someone had hit a pause button. The players dared not move, secretly tightening their grips on their weapons, ready to react at a moment's notice.
After a long moment, it threatened, "Then… heh heh… leave. Don't appear… heh… here again. Let us see you leave!"
With that, it and its companions walked over to the corpses still prostrate on the floor, dragging them away like livestock. But they didn't disappear.
The charred corpses did not approach the room again for the rest of the night. Since the ruined door and windows offered no sense of security, the players didn't dare to sleep, each passing the night on a chair beside their bed.
Yue Du had planned to do the same, but Ah Jiu said, "Go to sleep. Systems don't need to sleep. I'll wake you if anything happens."
As a result, when the players gathered the next morning, only the two of them were without dark circles under their eyes.
Everything had returned to normal. The dorm building's windows were sparkling clean, its walls freshly white, and the grounds outside were shaded by green trees. Only the players' spirits were not as they had been.
If they hadn't just learned that the charred corpses were actually students, they would have assumed the dark circles under everyone's eyes were from staying up all night hiding from them.
"The good news is, nobody got hurt last night," the young man with the small braid said listlessly. "The bad news is, we might all be in trouble tonight if we still can't find a way out of this academy."
The situation in the men's dorm had been much the same, though their experience was more harrowing. They had first tried to kill the creatures, only to find it was useless. They were chased by the charred corpses all the way to the academic building until they were too exhausted to run and were finally cornered.
They thought they were dead for sure, but then the charred corpses slowly asked if they were believers of the Red Copper Bird. The braided young man's teammate almost answered yes, but thankfully, he caught a warning glance from his teammate at the last second and said no instead.
Song Zhan said, "I still don't get it. Why couldn't we say yes?"
Yue Du replied smoothly, "Would a believer of the Red Copper Bird refer to the deity by its full name?"
Song Zhan shook his head honestly. Yue Du continued, "Those things were wearing class plaques, so they're obviously students. And as you've seen, most of the students here are believers of the Red Copper Bird."
"And last night, during the fight, the ones with the absolute upper hand were the minority. They tormented the other group, clearly hating them with a passion. During the day, these same dominant corpses are also the 'minority' among the students."
"Except, during the day, they're the ones being bullied."
Thinking it over, there was much more worth investigating, but the players were in no mood for detective work.
Since the mission was survival, not solving a mystery, their focus had to be on how to escape the charred corpses' clutches. As for the story behind the student corpses, not knowing was fine; finding out would just be a bonus, something to consider only after they had secured their own survival.
"What if we don't stay in the dorm tonight? We could stay in the academic building."
"They can get into the academic building. What if they just appear wherever the players are?"
"And don't forget, there are way more students and teachers in this academy than we saw at the dorm. Who knows if the rest of them are all in the academic building?"
The cafeteria, an open space far from the dorms, the pavilion in the garden—all these seemingly normal options felt sinister when paired with the stroke of midnight. They seemed even worse than the dorm room.
There was no one in the cafeteria before morning classes, and thus no breakfast. The players ate the food they had saved from the day before as they walked to their classroom, but their lengthy discussion yielded no conclusion.
Yue Du sat down in her seat as usual. In the moments before the preparatory bell, she tapped her desk and muttered to herself, "We're this far into the instance, but I feel like something's missing."
Ah Jiu tilted her head slightly. "Hm?"
"Xuan Jiu wasn't originally part of this instance, was she?"
"Correct."
"The class monitor said the former headmaster was Mr. Geng. If this instance were running normally, that headmaster should be a fairly important NPC. Even if he wasn't directly related to the mission, he should at least be able to provide the players with some information."
Yue Du's tone was grave. "I don't think the Deep Darkness Ruler is the type to take over an NPC's role and follow the plot. Do you?"
A few seconds after the preparatory bell rang, the class monitor had just slid open the classroom door when she saw Yue Du standing in the doorway, textbook in hand, wearing the expression of a perfectly well-behaved student.
"What are you doing standing here?" the class monitor asked, startled. "The preparatory bell has already rung. Get back to your seat!"
Yue Du said, "Class President, could you please ask for a leave of absence for us?"
The class monitor frowned. "No. How can you ask for leave from morning class? What's your reason?"
"I want to challenge myself and ask Headmaster Xuan a few questions," Yue Du said earnestly. "I'll also demonstrate my recitation progress to her. I'm sure she will provide me with excellent guidance."
The class monitor seemed to recall something, and a strange expression crossed her face. She pursed her lips. "I'll report it to the morning class teacher, but whether he'll allow it or not, I can't say."
Two seconds later, one player—accompanied by a system whose presence was practically nil in the eyes of the academy's inhabitants—left the classroom.
Ah Jiu said languidly, "I seem to recall someone saying just a couple of days ago that we should stay far away from the third floor."
Yue Du, having just reached the third floor, said calmly, "You're mistaken."
Xuan Jiu was not surprised by their visit. At the end of the third-floor hallway, her office door stood open.
Even so, Yue Du knocked three times and only pushed the door open after hearing a "Come in." She looked up and almost thought she was in the wrong place.
The room's style was completely at odds with the outside world. The first impression it gave was that its owner knew how to live in comfort. The sofa looked like several giant, squishy rice balls pressed together, and the carpet was a single piece of white fur. It was luxurious in every detail, casually arranged in a way that wouldn't trigger an obsessive-compulsive, and looked exceptionally comfortable.
Reclining amidst all these soft, plush things was a beauty in a qipao with black hair and black eyes. Her features and aura were both strikingly aggressive, yet the scene was surprisingly harmonious.
For some reason, Yue Du had the feeling that this was exactly as it should be. Heh.
Xuan Jiu looked up and smiled lightly. "I've been waiting. Welcome, Yue Du."
"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Yue Du said. She paused at the doorway, feeling it would be wrong to step onto the pure white fur carpet, so she took off her shoes before going in.
Xuan Jiu's gaze swept over Ah Jiu, who was standing behind Yue Du, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
Yue Du wasn't in a hurry to get to the point. Ever since learning that the person before her was an alt account of the Deep Darkness Ruler, she had mentally slapped a label on Xuan Jiu: "Extremely dangerous. Handle with extreme reverence."
"You have excellent taste," she said with sincerity.
Xuan Jiu offered warmly, "Do you like it here? It's a bit better than the student dorms. If you're having trouble sleeping, you're welcome to come try it out."
Yue Du replied, "It would be an imposition. Please allow me to decline."
No, thank you. I have no desire to wake from a nightmare to find a room full of tentacles and eyes. Evil gods all seem to have that kind of aesthetic.
Xuan Jiu smiled, unconcerned. She poured Yue Du a cup of tea, while Ah Jiu was, yet again, completely ignored.
Does the Deep Darkness Ruler have the same properties as an instance NPC?
Yue Du glanced down at the tea. It was a deep blue color—clearly not any normal kind of tea.
Xuan Jiu recommended it enthusiastically. "I brewed it with the horn of one of my vassal species. You should try it. It's very sweet."
Yue Du was speechless. This is exactly why I said no, thank you.
After her initial subconscious refusal, Yue Du froze. The other woman had no intention of hiding her identity, mentioning her "vassal species" so casually. Did she already know that Yue Du had figured it out, or did she simply not care?
Xuan Jiu watched her, as if she could see the very turning of her thoughts.
At that moment, tens of millions of fragments made the same expression of pleasure as she did. The lips of a humanoid girl curled upward, a black cat swished its tail, the wingtips of a wanderer between celestial bodies flushed red, and the horns of a monster hiding among an alien vassal species emitted a faintly sweet aroma.
Unbeknownst to Yue Du, It was focusing Its entire consciousness on perceiving her.
"So, what have you come to see me for?"
Go on, say you want to leave this game. Players always die, if not in this instance, then in the next. But the Deep Darkness Ruler is right before you. It certainly has the power to grant your wish…
…and then bring you back to the divine kingdom of the Deep Darkness.
Xuan Jiu awaited Yue Du's answer.
Yue Du blinked.
"Excuse me, is the former headmaster available?"
Xuan Jiu said slowly, "What?"
Yue Du said apologetically, "I'm interested in some of the academy's affairs. Considering you've only just taken up your post, you might not be familiar with them, so I was hoping to find the former headmaster, Mr. Geng, to ask him about it."
She paused for a moment before adding considerately, "If he's not here, I'd like to ask for his contact information. Thank you for your trouble."
Xuan Jiu could certainly find the man, but… was the great Deep Darkness Ruler really less useful than a mere believer of the Red Copper Bird?
"You want to gather information for the instance?" Xuan Jiu's brow furrowed slightly. "I can let you clear it directly. If you want to keep playing, I can create a much more interesting game for you. This instance is too full of the Red Copper Bird's things."
Listening to Yue Du praise the Red Copper Bird with such feeling and expression, even knowing full well she was faking it, was not a pleasant experience.
Xuan Jiu was puzzled, and Yue Du was even more so.
Your Highness wasn't nearly this considerate back when you were called Einser. No matter how earnest her attitude was now, Yue Du could only see it as a honey trap. She thus refused in every way she could, insisting on relying on her own efforts.
In the end, Xuan Jiu couldn't even maintain her easy smile. She sent out black threads that shot to a corner of the academy, bound a certain Mr. Geng who was fanatically praising the Lord of Fire, and dragged him back, dumping him by the windowsill on the bare floor.
"Ask your questions," Xuan Jiu said, her face devoid of expression.
Former Headmaster Geng could no longer be considered human.
That wasn't an insult—though he certainly had never done a humane thing in his life. It was because as a high-level believer who had been in contact with the Red Copper Bird, he had physiologically transcended the category of human.
Having been inexplicably forced into retirement and stripped of his power to lord over everyone during the day, Mr. Geng was furious, but he didn't dare show it.
Unlike the human students, he could sense that Xuan Jiu was far more dangerous than she appeared, which was why he hadn't acted rashly and had even warned the students not to offend her.
And now, facing the ice-cold Xuan Jiu and two seemingly unremarkable "transfer students," he bowed his head low.
"I know you have already seen them."
The venerable lord Mr. Geng worshipped and served had never given him a second thought, much less told him what kind of being resided within Xuan Jiu's human form.
"Those children at night are all my students."
And so he made a fatal error: he told a lie in the presence of the Ruler of the Endless Deep Darkness.
"To leave the academy, you must kill them."
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