Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 86: Pawns on the Chessboard
Dawn Town, next to the Resurrection Crystal.
With a flash of white light.
A group of players, whose crucial parts were obscured by white Holy Light, emerged from the resurrection point, each with a dejected expression.
These were veteran players, originally clad in armor, but now only their Holy Light remained after they took it off.
New players lacked equipment, so a tattered burlap sack was inconsequential. It could be replaced if it broke. Therefore, some players from the second test still wore a tattered cloth around them.
The players’ appearance was truly pathetic.
Not only had their levels dropped significantly, but some of their weapons had even snapped in two.
Players who hadn’t managed to take off their armor and put it back into their backpacks were left with tattered, heavily damaged armor hanging on them.
They no longer looked like players but more like a newly formed beggar gang.
“I want to quit the game, guys. I’m totally depressed.”
“This game has nothing. All rewards rely on scavenging, and the key is, we can’t find anything.”
“Let’s just chop trees honestly and treat this game as a construction simulation. Maybe it’ll help me get my architect’s license.”
“That makes sense. Maybe then I can learn about sow postpartum care here?”
“I feel like we might not even have a Novice Village left.”
The players, with their brows furrowed, lamented and comforted each other.
Although they talked about quitting, none of them were actually willing to leave.
After all, a game like Cain Continent was one of a kind in the entire world.
Cloud players outside who hadn’t secured a test qualification were desperately trying to get in.
After all the players had resurrected and gone their separate ways to attend to their own matters.
Ye Hao, covering his face awkwardly, walked out of the resurrection point amidst a golden glow.
He hadn’t resurrected; he didn’t have that function.
However, when out of combat, he could consume Experience Points to teleport to the nearest Resurrection Crystal.
According to the Grand Will, teleportation consumed an extreme amount of its assimilated rule energy on the Cain Continent.
Therefore, this teleportation, based on the distance from Dawn Town to Winter City, caused Ye Hao to directly lose one level.
He had no other choice. The Old Knight seemed to dislike him immensely and had pursued him relentlessly, refusing to let go.
He had been chased from Winter City to Pufferfish Town, more than ten miles away.
Logically speaking, they were both Sky Knights, and Ye Hao was now a half-demon. He should have been able to fight the Old Knight to a draw.
Initially, this was indeed the case, until the lava creature engulfed in flames descended, and everything changed.
Ye Hao felt the demon energy within him, which had been stable, begin to surge wildly throughout his body, wanting to break free and seek out the lava creature.
It was like a son seeing a father he hadn’t seen in years.
This caused Ye Hao’s entire body’s energy to become chaotic.
A feeling of impending explosion filled his heart, forcing him to focus most of his energy on suppressing the demon energy.
This resulted in him being completely beaten by the Old Knight at that time.
In the end, he narrowly escaped the Old Knight’s pursuit by hiding in a pigsty at a house in Pufferfish Town.
Reflecting on his experiences today…
He hadn’t managed to reclaim Saintess Ruo Yi, his chosen wife, nor had he avenged the repeated humiliations by the Lord of Eagle Territory. His players seemed to have been crushed, and he himself had been thoroughly beaten by the Old Knight.
The more Ye Hao thought about it, the angrier and more frustrated he became. His face turned a deep purple. He picked off a few strands of pigweed stuck to his head, feeling that he had never been so unlucky.
Just as he was about to kick the Resurrection Crystal…
[Ye Hao, you have failed.]
The Grand Will descended into Ye Hao’s mind. He once again saw the blurry projection of a blue planet being held.
Ye Hao gritted his teeth, suppressing the fear in his heart.
From the first time the Grand Will had appeared with a projection in front of him today, he had already guessed its identity.
After all, the blue planet it held looked incredibly familiar. Wasn’t that his hometown, Blue Star?
He had speculated about the Grand Will’s identity before, and now he was completely certain.
This Grand Will was not a god of Blue Star, but the aggregate of the entire Blue Star Will.
He knew what the Blue Star Will meant by failure.
However, he was helpless in this instance of failure. He had done everything he was supposed to do, completely following the instructions of the Blue Star Will.
Moreover, after so many setbacks, he had accumulated many questions. Seeing that the Blue Star Will had no intention of continuing to reprimand him, he quickly asked in his mind:
“May I ask you one thing?”
The Blue Star Will did not reply, seemingly acquiescing to Ye Hao’s inquiry.
“Why was the Lord of Eagle Territory able to kill me and the players completely when we first descended, but he didn’t?”
The Blue Star Will was silent for a moment, then stated emotionlessly:
[I am analyzing the power of this world, and is not Cain also analyzing my power?]
[I and He are mutually drawing from each other’s rules.]
Ye Hao listened and began to ponder seriously.
He wasn’t foolish; after a little analysis of the Blue Star Will’s words, he immediately thought of the Minotaur Warrior and the flaming stone man he had seen today.
Although he didn’t play games much, he had seen pigs run even if he hadn’t eaten pork, right?
Those creatures clearly looked like they were from a Blue Star game; they were not natives of this world at all.
So, the reason the Lord of Eagle Territory didn’t kill him and the players completely was to deliberately maintain contact with them, thereby helping the entity behind him analyze information about the Blue Star world?
Although the Blue Star Will didn’t say much, Ye Hao felt it was highly likely.
The Cain Will clearly had a higher status, but for reasons Ye Hao didn’t fully understand, it was still in a nascent stage.
The Blue Star Will, although powerful, had a lower status and was not fighting on its home turf. Therefore, it had to proceed cautiously, stalling the Cain Will while gradually executing its plan.
He and the Lord of Eagle Territory were merely pawns on the chessboard of the Cain Continent, controlled by the wills of two worlds.
If the Blue Star Will’s help to Ye Hao was the players, then was the Cain Will’s help to the Lord of Eagle Territory those strange soldiers?
Ye Hao felt he had found the Lord of Eagle Territory’s reliance.
He didn’t know why the Blue Star Will was so eager to invade this world.
But he knew that if he failed again, the Blue Star Will would unhesitatingly kick him off this chessboard.
