There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game-Chapter 774 - 660: Prey
Chapter 774: Chapter 660: Prey
Xu Shuo stayed in Sars City because the message he delivered to the Order of the Sun Knights wasn’t to bring the person… the dragon to the City of Light, but to Sars Cathedral instead.
The Holy See of Light has a cathedral in each major city-state, and where there is a cathedral, there will inevitably be the insignia of the Sun Crown.
In such a place, his power was stronger.
After all, one must not underestimate the strength of a giant dragon, even though Xu Shuo sometimes enjoyed taking big risks, and often floated off, he never gambled without preparation.
He had just arrived in the Sars City-State and had not yet received a message from the Sun Knight when he casually wandered through the marketplace of a different world.
This subspace map was vast, covering the entire human continent, even including the unknown seas and the farthest reaches of the Far North, consequently, its worldview was also very complete.
It felt like traversing a different world.
Perhaps looking around could even yield some inspiration for game design.
Even though he had the memories of His Holiness the Pope, it was far less interesting than experiencing things in person.
Xu Shuo was curiously looking at a dancing trumpet flower at a vendor’s stall when his senses suddenly alerted him to something, and he turned his head to meet the gaze of a young girl.
The girl was dressed in a dark indigo silk dress, with a scarf on her head, and her scattered black hair was extremely soft; her silver eyes were bright and clear, like the moonlight of the night.
Of course, in Xu Shuo’s vision, the girl’s appearance was distinguished by various shades of grey; dark grey, medium grey, light grey, and bright white.
But even the layers of grey made her silver-white eyes shine brighter.
At first glance, they were a bit like a cat’s eyes at night, twinkling in a pitch-black room, where nothing else could be seen, only those two beads of light flickering frantically.
Xu Shuo was slightly startled and watched as the girl seemed to hurriedly avert her gaze and then quickly walked away.
Truly a pair of special eyes.
…
But this little incident didn’t prompt Xu Shuo to chase after her in the street; he wasn’t some irrational madman. If he was interested, he could just have the church do some investigation instead.
Xu Shuo walked through the bustling market and made his way to Dawn Inn.
This secluded little inn was an information station set up by the Holy Court, and its staff were all church followers of knightly background.
Upon entering, Xu Shuo discreetly showed the innkeeper his Sun Crown insignia and then was granted a superior room in his capacity as a bishop.
And he didn’t even have to pay.
However, it seemed that there might be an acquaintance in the inn?
Escorted by a server, Xu Shuo calmly went to his room, but before he closed the door, he made a gesture towards the adjacent room.
The server paused, then nodded subtly.
Xu Shuo closed the door.
“Rest well, Your Excellency; if you need anything, please command us!”
The server outside said cheerily in a loud voice and then quickly walked away, his footsteps fading down the corridor.
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…
Meanwhile, in the neighboring room.
As soon as she sensed the comings and goings in the hall, the girl had tensed her nerves.
She was standing by the wall near the window, silent, listening to the outside noise, waiting for quite some time before she slowly relaxed.
It seemed to be just a new guest in the next room.
Of course, the girl wasn’t overly paranoid; it was simply the reasonable caution one ought to have.
But it must be said, having been chased by a certain madman before, she was somewhat guarded against whoever lived in the room next to hers.
However, before staying at the inn this time, she had specifically requested the most secluded room, so she didn’t need to worry about being flanked by strangers, and if the fellow in the next room suddenly became hostile, she could break through the wall and escape at any moment.
Indeed, she wasn’t excessively anxious.
The girl moved away from the wall near the neighboring room, sat down against another wall, and began flipping through a thick volume of handwritten notes taken from her luggage.
The notebook was very thick, made from hundreds of sheets of calfskin bound together, simply tied with a hemp string, but due to the varying sizes and thicknesses of the pages, the stacked notebook looked quite messy.
This notebook looked aged, and the girl had to be careful not to damage it as she flipped through it.
Actually, it was a family chronicle, a record of her lineage.
But unlike most historical family records, this notebook mostly contained accounts of certain overseas experiences or legendary items, often involving the mysterious realms of magic, secret potions, curses, and heritages.
The point at which the girl entered the script was precisely when the cargo ship left Black Dragon Island and was subsequently controlled by the Holy Court’s army.
After she sorted out her character information, she escaped without any hesitation and found a safe place to start examining the items she had on her.
The side quest was triggered the moment she flipped open the notebook.
But truth be told, the girl would rather she hadn’t triggered this side quest.
However, such a thick notebook on her person clearly hid some information; she couldn’t miss the chance to seek out intelligence, so she was bound to open it.
And then, inevitably, she triggered the side quest—[Lift the Dragon Clan Curse in your bloodline.]
The girl’s first reaction: Yo! Side quest treasure!
The girl began to study the notebook with great interest.
After completing her research: f*ck.
There was a curse in her character’s bloodline; none of her blood relatives had lived past the age of twenty, which in this world meant an age just ripe for marriage and childbirth, but insufficient to enjoy the fruits of life.
Upon learning about this bloodline curse at the age of fifteen, when she came of age, she gave up on the idea of carrying on her lineage and resolutely set out on a journey to find a cure. For five years, she wandered countless places across the continent.
In the last half a year, she had settled down in Tunus City-State, often sneaking out to sea under various disguises, more obsessed with finding Black Dragon Island than even the Holy Pope himself.
And as it happened, there were only half a month left until her twentieth birthday.
So, if she couldn’t find a way to lift the curse within that half month, she would die suddenly on the spot on her birthday!
Player: …The surprise came too fast.
Thus, with resentment and a touch of wishful thinking, the girl wondered if there was a chance the curse might remain dormant if the side quest hadn’t been activated?
After all, without knowing, wouldn’t she be utterly baffled if she died half a month later?
No matter the outcome, the girl was naive in her thinking.
Accepting her fate, she started to peruse the notebook, following the trails of her ancestors who similarly sought to break the curse. As the saying goes, whoever ties the bell must untie it—the curse was left by the Dragon Clan, and it required the Dragon Clan to remove it.
As for how… she was still searching.
After all, no ancestor had ever succeeded in breaking the curse.
…
…
The sun had set, and the sunset had faded away.
The clouds on the horizon were red as blood, with mist hovering over the distant mountain ranges and the shapes of trees looming faintly. Two swift horses shattered the night air on the mountain path, rushing toward the city-state ahead.
Some distance behind them, a group of tens of spirited horses followed closely, kicking up dust wherever they went.
Suddenly, the young man on a black horse looked up toward the city-state, his pupils slightly constricting as his red eyes, illuminated by the twilight, glowed even brighter.
A hint of playful smile curved at the corner of his mouth, and then he suddenly bent low, urging his horse to surpass the white horse ahead, racing toward the city-state at an even faster pace.
Zuo Fang, taken aback, sped up to follow and shouted, “What are you doing?”
“Prey!”
The young man’s deep and hoarse voice came through the wind.
Zuo Fang was startled by those two words; his mind immediately went to the girl from the night before. After he had delivered the message to the Church of Light, he also asked the reason for their fight.
At the time, the young man had replied nonchalantly: Just grabbed her randomly.
Zuo Fang: ?
A random grab led to that kind of fight?
…
