Chapter 80
“What Heart? Where is the Guard Team of the Rich District! How could you bring a gun in here? I’m going to arrest you!” The woman clutched the Red Coral tightly, trying to drag the Maid in front of her as a shield.
Her hand had just touched the Maid’s clothes when – bang – a gunshot rang out.
The woman collapsed heavily to the ground.
Blood slowly spread from beneath her fat, robust body.
The Sea Demon disdainfully pried her fingers apart and took the Red Coral.
When the Coral fell into his hand, it shimmered with a faint light.
“This is my Coral,” the Sea Demon suppressed his fury. “Not only did you steal the Heart, you also stole my Coral!”
“Where is the Heart!?”
The Maid covered her mouth and began to sob, clutching her bloodstained dress. Terrified, she kowtowed to the Sea Demon as she crawled toward the edge of the steps.
“Please spare me, I know nothing. I am just a Maid.”
Moonlight shone on the Maid as well.
The Sea Demon aimed his gun at her.
The Maid looked up, saw his handsome face, and in a daze, she took the initiative to step forward, unbuttoning her blouse suggestively as she approached the Sea Demon, begging with her body.
Bang.
The Maid collapsed onto the steps.
The Sea Demon wiped his shotgun, his tone filled with utter hatred. “Utterly disgusting humans.”
He walked to the side of the man who had been stabbed countless times and was still twitching.
Thinking the man wasn’t completely dead, he fired another shot.
The Sea Demon held the Red Coral and fell into deep thought.
“I have no lover, nor have I held a wedding or built a wedding house. Why has my Coral turned red?”
He pressed his aching head, tormented by lost memories, his voice lost and confused. “Maybe this Coral isn’t mine. Maybe it’s another clansman’s Red Coral. I must find them.”
Guided by the Moonlight, the Sea Demon searched every room in the house.
He entered the Nursery.
The Sea Demon picked up a bedtime storybook: this was ‘Seaside Stories (Part 1)’.
He flipped through a couple of pages at random and sneered, slowly running a gloved finger across a line in the book.
[The author once witnessed the wedding of two Sea Demons by the seaside on a full moon night. The scene was even a bit bloody and cruel-they cut their Hearts out while still alive, exchanged them, and placed them in each other’s bodies. It is said that under the witness of the Moon, the Heart can only be exchanged once. There is truly no room left for regret. What if they grow tired of each other? What if they meet someone they love more and want to divorce? What if the other dies? The author doesn’t understand.]
“You don’t even understand this?” The Sea Demon tore out the page, crushed it, and tossed it to the ground. “No matter which Sea Demon, they will only ever have one lover. Hypocritical humans-can’t even manage loyalty?”
He entered the Music Room.
The Sea Demon picked up a card that had fallen on the floor of the Music Room.
This was the fourth card out of five.
It was illustrated with portraits of him from various angles.
The Sea Demon turned the card over.
The back was blank; there was no signature.
He was puzzled. Who drew this?
The spot where his Heart should be began to throb, bringing sharp pain.
The Sea Demon pressed his hand to his chest.
Why did his Heart feel so sad?
Wait.
The Fish Swarm in the sea had said that his Heart was stolen by cunning humans.
Right now, his heart chamber should be empty.
Without his Heart, the Sea Demon could only survive for three more days, relying on copious amounts of water and Moonlight.
That was why he only acted at night and didn’t dare to leave the water during the day.
Hand pressed to his chest, the Sea Demon could feel a strong beating in his ribcage.
Did he really have a Heart?
His Heart had been stolen by humans-if he now had a Heart, whose Heart was it?
–
Between the Noble District and the Rich District, the main gate rumbled and rose thanks to the Red Coral.
There was only a single path paved with gold leading to the Noble District, which connected to a dazzling Crystal Hall.
The door to the hall slowly opened for them.
The walls inside were inlaid with countless crystals, every angle reflecting extravagance and luxury.
Countless elegantly dressed Nobles, men and women, passed by, chatting and laughing.
The Noble Ladies all wore splendid dresses. The long hems cascaded in layers, trailing on the crystal floor, every pleat adorned with a string of Glowing Pearls.
A rare Pearl that Mrs. Qiao had spent a fortune to acquire in the Rich District was, here, a mere one-ten-thousandth of what decorated a Noble Lady’s dress.
The outermost layer of the dresses was thin and transparent. Bathed in the hall’s lighting, it shimmered with an enchanting luster.
Song Changrong and Feng Shan were suddenly shoved aside by an angry Noble Lady.
“You stepped on my dress!” The Noble Lady squatted down and tenderly stroked the stepped-on hem, caring nothing for the lining, only running her hand repeatedly over the sheer outer layer. “This is the only intact dress I have. I wore it especially for tomorrow’s Full Moon Ball! If you ruin it, you could never afford to compensate!”
Feng Shan looked embarrassed, stepping back several times, not daring to provoke the NPCs in the Instance.
Luo Jia Bai watched the passing Nobles and remarked, “Everyone looks so young.”
Each Noble held a plate with meat on it.
The meat was sliced extremely thin, its color fresh and appealing.
A Noble Lady lifted her skirt as she walked to a corner, speared a piece of meat, and savored it carefully. After eating, she looked at the back of her hand, delighted. “A few more wrinkles are gone. I love Full Moon Day. Only on this day can we eat real delicacies.”
A few more Nobles gathered around.
“There are some strange people at the door. Look at their clothes-so ugly and clumsy-they must have just come from the Rich District, right?”
“Exactly! They were rude and impolite, and just now they stepped on my dress!”
“Oh no, I hope the precious sheer layer wasn’t damaged? I entered the Noble District last year, finished my dress early, and waited in line to get a layer of sheer fabric, but I still haven’t received one. I heard they’re not producing any more now…”
“What is that blindfolded girl wearing? She doesn’t even have a dress!”
“Holding such a small piece of Red Coral-did they find a big one and break it apart so everyone could have a piece and get into the Noble District this way?”
The Nobles burst into laughter. Amidst the laughter, one of the Nobles took the Red Coral from Luo Jia Bai’s hand and tossed it into a large serving dish on the long dining table beside him.
The Red Coral landed with a muffled sound.
It turned out that the large dish was already filled with Red Coral of various sizes and shapes.
“Red Coral is just a snack we use to satisfy our cravings. There’s as much as you want here, so you don’t have to treat it so preciously,” the Noble’s mocking tone abruptly stopped.
“All the other Coral in the dish have lost their color?”
“T-They brought Coral from that Sea Demon!”
“How long has it been since we’ve seen something from that Sea Demon? This is so precious! Quickly, take all the Red Coral they’re holding-these can’t be eaten, they must be offered to the King!”
Lu Li watched as the Nobles, who had just been maintaining their composure, now scrambled to gather around the serving dish, carefully stroking that special Coral with their hands.
Lu Li: “The King?”
“That’s right, esteemed guests.” The Noble’s expression changed in an instant, and when he turned back, he was all smiles. “Our eternal, great King Braud, who shares the Moon’s longevity. You’ve just come up from the Rich District, so you probably don’t know the King’s name yet.”
“We will always remember the King and thank him for bringing us endless water and meat.”
“Your special Red Coral represents your noble status, and your timing is perfect. We are currently preparing for the Masquerade Ball.”
“Tomorrow is the Full Moon Day. You must attend! Formal attire and masks are required. At this rare Masquerade Ball, you’re sure to find your beloved.”
The Noble counted the number of Players, his mood suddenly becoming agitated as he looked at them with a hint of reproach. “There are five guests, but only one lady. Your gender ratio is unbalanced. If you attend the Masquerade Ball like this, it’s improper! It’s wrong! It’s a crime! Each gentleman must be paired with a lady!”
“You need at least…”
He did the math. “At least three ladies.”
The Noble revealed a mysterious smile. “But since you are esteemed guests, I can secretly tell you a way to cheat: if you wear a dress, you’ll be considered a lady at the Masquerade Ball.”
Lu Li: ?
“Is this Instance sick or something?” Luo Jia Bai jumped up in agitation. “Nobody said I’d have to cross-dress before playing the Necromancer Game!”
Lu Li said, “I won’t wear a dress. You wear it.”
“Let me struggle for a moment,” Luo Jia Bai pleaded. “How about we draw lots? There’s a Rock-Paper-Scissors function in our chat box. Let fate decide who has to wear the dress.”
Lu Li thought about his own luck and figured Luo Jia Bai had already agreed to wear the dress, but he was quite interested in the game, so he nodded. “What are the rules?”
Luo Jia Bai said, “Best two out of three.”
The Noble clapped his hands and led them to five doors. “Now, night is about to fall. Let me take you to rest first.”
–
They hesitated for a while in front of the doors to Game Night.
Lu Li opened the Shop and browsed for a long time, but couldn’t find any flowers to exchange for.
He was troubled.
During the day, he had messaged Bosi, promising to bring back a flower, but now he had nothing. Wasn’t that just lying?
Bosi might get angry.
Lu Li felt the mirror in his pocket.
He remembered the cards drawn by the Hunter’s child and came up with a solution.
–
After the door to the room closed, there was a rustling sound behind him, and the bed beside Bosi suddenly sank a little.
He glanced sideways and met Lu Li’s sincere eyes.
Lu Li spread his hands in front of him and asked expectantly, “Can I borrow your pen?”
Bosi handed him the quill.
Lu Li asked again, “Do you have any paper that’s not for work?”
Bosi pulled out the top sheet and gave it to him.
“What are you going to do?”
“The White Flower turned into an Instance Item and can’t come back. But don’t be angry yet.” Lu Li sat upright, holding the pen, and carefully drew a simple little White Flower on the paper-a circle with several petals.
He asked Bosi, “Is one enough? I can add more.”
Bosi said, “You’re wasting my pen and paper.”
He watched as Lu Li drew a clumsy, childish flower on the paper, not even as good as what Underworld children could draw. “Hurry up and stop.”
“Almost done.” Lu Li finally drew a smiling face in the center of the flower.
He sighed, pushed the paper to Bosi, and said, “I did my best. If you think it’s too ugly, just throw it away.”
“I’m really sorry for losing the flower this time.” After apologizing, Lu Li promised, “Next time I find a flower that can stay, I’ll give it to you.”
Bosi pursed his lips and looked down at the paper, where Lu Li’s self-made flowers, each with a smiling face, were crowded together-naive, and not even existing in this world.
“It’s fine. It’s just a bouquet of flowers.”
Getting a response, Lu Li stood up holding his Wristband, his tone much lighter. “As long as you’re not angry. I still have things to do tonight, so I’ll sleep late.”
–
A few hours later.
Bosi turned a page of the document heavily.
The candle on the desk flickered violently, nearly tipping over, and a few drops of hot wax splattered onto the document.
Bosi then picked up the paper with Lu Li’s flower drawing and placed it as far from the candle as possible.
The noise finally grew loud enough to pull Lu Li’s attention away from the screen, where he’d been playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with Luo Jia Bai.
Lu Li glanced at him briefly. “What’s wrong? Is work not going well today?”
Bosi gripped the quill.
He wanted to say, Oh, so you know I’m in the room too.
He wanted to ask, Who are you messaging?
He wanted to say, You look so happy staring at the screen-what are you doing?
“When are you going to sleep?” In the end, Bosi reminded him, “Staring at the screen all night will ruin your eyes.”