The Fallen's Guide - chapter 16

The tip of the Slave Boy’s nose was red.

His eyes were a little moist, still lost in some lingering emotion, his damp pupils reflecting her image.

“Can I…”

He stubbornly tried to finish his sentence, mouth open, like a fish stranded on the shore, unable to breathe.

His slender, pale fingers clutched the Ring tightly. His pupils, slightly unfocused from the effects of the drug, stared intently at Tang Nian.

As if trying to remember her.

Tang Nian looked back at him.

There was no extra warmth in her eyes, as if saving him was no different from saving a stray cat or dog.

“Go quickly. Don’t play any gratitude games.”

She said coldly, “I don’t have time to play with you.”

In the end, he was defeated.

The Slave Boy looked as pitiful as an abandoned little animal, stumbling away and disappearing into the secluded paths of the garden.

This game was a typical RPG (Role-playing game). Before entering, Tang Nian would receive a specific identity role, trigger Missions, and complete them smoothly.

If the character was related to the Main Plot, she would see a character pop-up and background information.

Although the Slave Boy just now was beautiful, there was no pop-up prompt.

So he was most likely just a particularly well-modeled NPC passerby.

Tang Nian returned to the garden, shook her hand, and found her wound had healed.

The cut had been deep and severe, but now, except for a faint red mark, there was no trace of injury on her skin.

Did it heal this quickly?

“Congratulations, Player, you have obtained the Main Mission entrance!”

What entrance?

The system prompt in her mind left her confused.

Footsteps sounded behind her. Someone was shouting, “You few, go check if he’s in the garden!”

“Miss Rose said to catch him quietly. Don’t let the guests see.”

The footsteps drew closer. Tang Nian quietly retreated, hiding in the Thorn Bush.

Soon, she saw several Attendants holding strangely shaped silverware.

Her dress was snagged and torn by the outstretched thorns, but Tang Nian didn’t have time to care. She backed away, circling around to a quiet path behind the Shrubbery.

Above her, there was the sound of Wings flapping. Several crows followed her at a distance, flying a short way before landing on branches, watching her with those dark red eyes.

As if monitoring her.

Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, Tang Nian avoided the increasing footsteps. She didn’t know how long she had been running-her hair had come undone.

Until the surroundings became unfamiliar.

Unfamiliar buildings, unfamiliar trees, unfamiliar roads.

The crows lingered behind her, restlessly flapping their Wings on the branches, letting out hoarse, unpleasant cries, yet not daring to come closer, as if afraid of something.

Something was off.

She was already far from the banquet hall. The area was very dim, with tall, dense bushes on both sides.

The Stone Step Path was very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass.

Every few meters, there was a dim little lamp.

She held her breath and lightened her steps.

The path quickly came to an end.

Suddenly, the view opened up.

Across a lake, directly ahead, was a complex of buildings even more magnificent and ornate than the Earl’s Manor-a veritable Ancient Castle, as if abandoned in a desolate land.

There was no sign of living people, as if it belonged to another world. The dilapidated buildings were covered in withered rose vines. The towering iron fence surrounding the Ancient Castle was coated with moss and rust. On one side stood a tall tower, ancient and mysterious.
The building was pitch-black, bearing the scars of having been scorched by raging fire.

Tang Nian did not approach.

Her intuition told her that the game would not create such a lavish and decadent wasteland for no reason.

Perhaps there was a hidden plot.

With a crunch, she stepped on something.

What met her eyes were several oddly arranged stones, and viscous liquid scrawled a long string of words on the muddy ground, like… Rune.

Before she could study them closely, the faint sound of Wings flapping arose from all directions, and one after another, points of light appeared in the darkness.

Bats?

Countless bats clustered in every corner of the treetops, impossible to count.

Among these dense points of light, she also saw strangely shaped stone pillars, blood-dripping ram heads hanging from branches, and bizarre Rune.

What was going on?

Tang Nian retreated, her scalp tingling.

“Congratulations, Player, you have triggered the Main Plot. Please keep up the good work!”

Main Plot?

Tang Nian hesitantly kicked away the stone at her feet, and a chime sounded in her mind.

“Congratulations, Player, you have unlocked a hidden Mission. Reward: Life Value +6 hours!”

That’s it?

Destroying the symbols on the ground could earn Life Value?

Uncertain, she tentatively smeared the bloody, sticky Rune on the ground with her foot, kicking away each of the oddly shaped stones one by one.

Chimes kept ringing in her mind.

“Congratulations, Player, you have unlocked a hidden Mission. Reward: Life Value +3 hours!”

“Congratulations, Player, you have unlocked a hidden Mission. Reward: Life Value +4 hours!”

“Congratulations, Player, you have unlocked a hidden Mission. Reward: Life Value +1 hour!”

Although she didn’t understand what she was doing, Tang Nian was happy to do it as long as she could gain Life Value.

When she kicked away the last stone within visible range, a cold sensation suddenly crept up her back, spreading along her spine.

The Rune on the ground emitted an indescribable, eerie glow, seeping with a sinister dark red reflection.

Only then did she realize that these strange totems seemed like some kind of seal.

The Ancient Castle let out a mournful wail, and the vines shivered and rustled.

The stone in Tang Nian’s hand fell to the ground, her legs lost strength, and her thoughts became as confused and empty as the static on a black-and-white television.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist.

“What are you doing here!”

Tang Nian turned around, and everything before her changed.

The eerie Ancient Castle and withered rose vines vanished; laughter and music filled her ears, and before her was a brightly lit scene.

Rose stood against the dazzling glow of the lights behind her, several Attendants holding weapons at her side, their expressions grim.

“Why are you standing here?” she asked arrogantly, frowning. “Where is my Slave?”

Tang Nian took a few seconds to process the bizarre scene before her.

In the blink of an eye, she was back in the Earl’s Manor.

In an instant, everything disappeared like a mirage, as if it had all been her imagination.

“Congratulations, Player, you have completed a hidden Mission. Reward: Life Value +24 hours!”

“Please keep up the good work!”