Chapter 117
Chapter 117
“Are the wounds on your arms serious?” Carr came closer and took out a roll of drawing paper. “I have drawing paper. It works better than bandages.”
Xiao Huai found that rather absurd, but accepted it anyway. “That’s certainly unusual.”
“That brat is always stealing my drawing paper. So this is what he uses it for.” Joseph shook his head with the indulgent sigh of a parent talking about his mischievous child.
Hanako hugged the doll Xiao Huai had given her last time and gazed up at the night sky, her large, bright eyes wide open.
“Big Brother, the stars here are so, so bright!” She jumped excitedly.
Carr and Joseph slowly looked up as well.
She was right.
The stars here were beautiful.
Xiao Huai lifted his eyes. Moonlight threaded his hair with silver, and stars fell into his gaze, yet it somehow seemed as though he were the one illuminating the entire night sky.
“Beautiful? The desert simply has low humidity, which makes the atmosphere more transparent, so the stars look brighter. That’s all.”
Joseph and Carr: “…”
Hanako: The atmosphere? What’s that? Hanako doesn’t understand, but Big Brother must have his reasons.
Xiao Huai closed his eyes, and a figure suddenly appeared before them.
The man froze when he saw his surroundings.
Xiao Huai opened his eyes. “Well, Zhong Jiangyuan. You’ve changed quite a bit.”
Zhong Jiangyuan looked nothing like the dejected man Xiao Huai remembered. His stubble had been shaved clean, his slightly long, unruly hair had been groomed, and he even carried a hint of upper-class refinement.
“Xiao Huai… you really could bring me here…”
Xiao Huai raised a hand and tossed him a ring. “This should belong to you.”
Zhong Jiangyuan clutched it tightly. His hands trembled, and when he lowered his head, his eyes were red.
When Xiao Huai saw the ring, he had wondered whether Zhong Jiangyuan had once left it here, or perhaps his lover had.
Zhong Jiangyuan’s reaction was answer enough.
He raised his head and said solemnly, “Thank you.”
Pale green light appeared around him the next second. “You’re badly hurt. Let me help you.”
“Huh?” Xiao Huai raised a brow. “Help me? What are you going to do?”
“Didn’t you talk to me because you knew who I was?”
Xiao Huai: “??”
Was this middle-aged man famous?
“Who are you?” Xiao Huai immediately stepped back and asked the question without hesitation.
This time, Zhong Jiangyuan was the one left blank. “I thought you were only pretending not to recognize me…”
Joseph and Carr watched the spectacle from the side. To be honest, Xiao Huai looked rather cute when he was confused.
“Seriously, who are you?” Xiao Huai dealt Zhong Jiangyuan another merciless blow.
Embarrassment appeared on Zhong Jiangyuan’s face for the first time. He coughed lightly twice. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zhong Jiangyuan, and I’m currently seventh on the Newcomer Ranking.”
He opened his personal information interface. Several large words were displayed upon it: [Player Who Cleared a Sixth-Floor Instance]
Zhong Jiangyuan had cleared a sixth-floor instance after only four months in the game.
He had met the person he wanted to love for the rest of his life inside the game. Unfortunately, a mistake in his judgment had caused his beloved to die permanently on the third floor.
Xiao Huai knew the game had many rankings, but he rarely looked at them.
“To qualify for the Newcomer Ranking, a player must first possess a supernatural ability. Mine is called Emergency Treatment. It can rapidly restore Sanity and physical condition, but I can use it only once a day.”
Xiao Huai fell silent for a moment.
He had somehow stumbled upon a treasure.
“You’re badly injured. My interface says your Sanity is extremely low. It’s a miracle you haven’t lost your mind.” As Zhong Jiangyuan spoke, he was already preparing to heal Xiao Huai.
But Xiao Huai said, “Wait.”
He looked at Carr. “Don’t heal me. Heal Carr instead.”
Carr froze.
A smile entered Xiao Huai’s eyes. “What injury haven’t I suffered before? Carr, the Count, is the one who endured hardship because of me this time.”
Hanako and Joseph both paused, warmth spreading through their hearts.
Zhong Jiangyuan wanted to persuade Xiao Huai, but the moment their eyes met, he realized there would be no changing his mind. He nodded, and healing light immediately enveloped Carr.
Carr’s condition visibly improved.
Emergency Treatment truly was a supernatural ability that could save a life inside an instance.
“You are the only person I’ve ever seen who can stand on equal ground with His Highness.”
Na Ran’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
Her eyes were swollen from crying, but she was smiling.
“Me? On equal ground with Holy Father Little Crow? No, I don’t think so.” Xiao Huai seemed to consider the question seriously.
Not long ago, he had heard the system notification.
[Na Ran has signed the Soul Contract. Soul bond successfully established.]
Na Ran looked at Xiao Huai. Her smile faded, and profound sincerity filled her eyes as she enunciated each word. “Thank you.”
Xiao Huai waved a hand. “No need. So many people have thanked me today that I’m starting to feel embarrassed.”
His gaze passed over Na Ran and settled on You Lin. His body was beginning to disappear again.
This time, he was about to enter the Soul Companion Space and fall asleep.
Unlike when they had first met, You Lin was now at peace.
Soon, everyone received a system-wide notification.
[Ding! Congratulations to all players. Collective mission complete!]
[Calculating the number of players who cleared the instance… Successful clears: 19! A new record. Congratulations!]
[Congratulations to hidden-role player Xiao Huai for completing the Holy Father mission by ensuring the survival of at least one companion. The more companions who survive, the greater the reward. Current successful clears: 19, meeting the S-rank standard. Player Xiao Huai will therefore receive a fifty-percent share of every player’s rewards!]
Every player stared blankly when they heard the announcement. What did that mean?
Who was Xiao Huai? Why did the name sound so familiar?
Soon, their system interfaces displayed the rewards they had earned in this instance. Beneath every reward was a fifty-percent deduction.
It meant Xiao Huai would take half of everything they had earned.
And most of them did not even know who Xiao Huai was.
But the sharper players gradually realized his identity.
Excitement shone in Lu Zhi’s eyes. He stared at the notification on the system interface and murmured,
“So your name isn’t A-Zhuolang, and you aren’t an NPC. Xiao Huai. Xiao Huai. That’s wonderful!”
After announcing the players’ rewards, the system displayed their options for leaving.
They could remain inside the instance for another ten minutes, or leave immediately.
Most chose to leave without hesitation. They could not bear to remain here any longer.
Sun Xingye sighed. The name Xiao Huai was now carved into his memory.
Luckily, Xiao Huai had been the Holy Father. If he had been a werewolf, they might never have known how they died.
Xiao Huai’s system interface, however, was still issuing announcements.
[Congratulations on completing your hidden-role mission. Total share received: 50,000 Survival Coins. Current Survival Coins: 54,260.]
[Your performance in this game received 9,320 views! You are a monster among newcomers, a child favored by the gods, and the prize every madman longs to destroy!]
[Player Xiao Huai contributed 98 percent to the collective mission and has received the highest rating, S… error…]