Chapter Bonanza (7/10)

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

There was still a stretch of road leading to the temple that could only be covered on foot; Meimei said it would take just two hours to reach.

—“Just”

Jian Xingyi sighed.

Normally, walking for two hours in the wilderness to gather supplies wasn’t a problem, but now they had to trek against the blizzard. The biting cold wind whipped around them, slapping against their bodies with all its might—it was both freezing and painful.

Moreover, the path was covered in deep snow, and the trees on either side swayed back and forth, forcing them to watch out for sharp pine needles that could scratch them.

Meimei suddenly turned to look at Cangshui. “I’m so jealous of you…”

Jian Xingyi: “……”

If everyone didn’t already know that Meimei wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, that remark would have been downright jarring.

Cangshui stuffed his hands into a fluffy hand warmer, sitting leisurely in his wheelchair as Wu Yun pushed him along, and said with a gentle laugh, “Why don’t you be the disabled one? Need any help?”

“……No, thanks.”

They made their way forward step by step; before long, their shoulders and heads were covered in snow.

And because the coniferous forest was so tall and majestic, and the blizzard was raging, Jian Xingyi could only make out the shadow of the temple—not even its outline was clear—which only made him even more curious.

Finally, after walking for a while… Jian Xingyi finally saw the temple’s entrance.

Wow…

Before him stood a massive stone gate, soaring high into the clouds; Jian Xingyi had to look up to see the top of the gate.

Jian Xingyi swallowed hard; even the gate alone felt so oppressive.

When the group stepped forward and pushed the massive doors open together, Jian Xingyi was utterly stunned.

Upon entering the temple, Jian Xingyi turned to look back. The wind and snow had suddenly been blocked outside; inside the temple, it was warm and blooming with flowers. All around were earth-brown bricks and stones, covered in vines, ivy, and flowers.

Although the temple appeared to have been abandoned and had become a haven for ferns and shrubs, the stone remained undamaged by the years, and the surroundings were still solemn and magnificent. The group walked through a wide corridor lined on both sides by rows of Roman columns so massive that it would take three people to encircle them; looking up, they could see the lintels above, intricately carved with decorative motifs.

Passing through the colonnade, they entered the main hall, which was completely empty except for the flowers and plants.

Jian Xingyi immediately activated his skill to begin harvesting Essence.

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x31】

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x16】

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x20】

The Essence values here are surprisingly high!!

Although the range is good, not every plant has Essence, but the values for those that do aren’t low!

Jian Xingyi immediately began harvesting everywhere. After upgrading the pigsty, he had only 6 Essence points left, but as they made their way to the mountaintop, he harvested while in the car and didn’t forget to harvest when gathering wood in the woods, accumulating quite a bit along the way.

And in that timeline where he met the Young Holy Son, Jian Xingyi had directly scooped up over 400 Essence points. Combined with what he has now, he has a total of… 800 Essence points!

That’s a considerable amount.

Wu Yun pushed Cangshui away; they were likely heading off to survey the walls, while Mao Tuan sat down nearby to rest.

The temple was completely safe—there were no zombies—so everyone was quite relaxed.

Meimei explained to Jian Xingyi, “They say this used to be where the mountain villagers gathered, which is why the main hall is so empty.”

Meimei led Jian Xingyi to the prayer room behind the main hall.

“They say this is where villagers used to come to confess their sins to the Holy Son.”

The prayer room was neither too large nor too small, but it was completely devoid of natural light. Sealed off on all sides, it had only a small skylight overhead. A beam of light streamed in, landing precisely on the statue of the Holy Son in the center of the room, bathing him entirely in light.

The colored flag Jian Xingyi needed was tied to the Holy Son’s wrist.

Jian Xingyi stepped forward to remove one, obtaining the blue flag representing the sky.

Jian Xingyi cast another glance at the statue of the Holy Son.

He still bore the appearance of the young boy he had seen before, yet his expression was entirely different.

“The temple connects to the highest peak of the mountain. Once we leave the temple, we can tie the flag to the statue of the lama at the summit.”

Leaving the prayer room, Meimei pointed to the arched doorways on either side leading elsewhere. “Those doors all lead to the garden or other rooms. You can go explore around. There’s also a little side quest here… well… it’s up to you if you want to do it.”

Huh?

Meimei scratched his head. “You know our Snow Mountain has a weird magnetic field, right?”

Jian Xingyi answered honestly, “The Kongtong magnetic field?”

“……”

“Damn it, no!!! I’m talking about something serious!” Meimei said. “It’s a magnetic field of gods, demons, and ghosts! So even though we were scared by all your rambling along the way, we’ve actually gotten used to it—there are a lot of unexplainable elements here.”

Jian Xingyi blushed. “Oh…”

So that’s what he meant.

Meimei explained, “So, this side quest works like this. It’s called 【Sincerity Breaks Through Stone】. As long as you collect three drops of pure holy water, you can make the vines next to the lama statue outside bloom, then unlock an achievement to get some Dawn Coins and an item. The item is a 【Compass】, which can guide players through dungeons or blizzards—basically anywhere.”

Jian Xingyi blinked.

I don’t see what’s so weird about that? Isn’t that perfectly normal?

“Oh, the outcome of this quest isn’t important. What’s the point of the flowers blooming besides looking pretty… Ah, except for you, the business-savvy player.”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, That’s true—he’d naturally be happy if a useful flower bloomed, but even if it wasn’t, he could still earn Essence Points. He was only about 200 short of 1,000! If it really did bloom, the Essence Points from a new plant unlocked by the quest would surely be substantial, right?

Meimei continued, “Besides blooming, the reward is a compass. But to be honest, that item’s a bit of a letdown. It sounds impressive, right? But the game map terminal has navigation, and dungeons have designated routes—when would we ever have a chance to get lost?”

Jian Xingyi thought about it carefully. He was right.

Even when he traveled to earlier timelines in dungeons, he was guided by memory orbs.

“So, the point of this quest isn’t the reward! It’s the process. To obtain three drops of holy water, you have to touch the memory orbs in the side hall three times. These three orbs are customized for each player, with random content and durations.”

Meimei scratched his head and said, “Grape Mountain Peak collected all players’ memory bubbles and their subsequent encounters. After analyzing the mission text, we discovered… these memory bubbles might be foreshadowing your ending.”

“Huh…?”

Meimei said, “And it’s the ‘bad ending’ kind.”

“Huh…?”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, Is it really that magical?

Meimei explained, “The themes of these memory bubbles are negative emotions like fear, regret, sadness, and anger, distributed randomly to players. Then the system will show the player a possible unfavorable stage ending or a death ending they might encounter, which will include these negative emotions.”

Jian Xingyi understood.

Meimei said, “So it’s up to you whether you want to do it. Since Grape Mountain Peak is just a theory and can’t be verified yet, some people think it’s better to err on the side of caution—doing it might help prevent trouble. Others don’t want to see a bad ending and live in constant fear and anxiety every day, so they’d rather not look.”

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “Did you look?”

Meimei gave a nervous laugh. “I didn’t dare to watch it.”

“Oh…”

Meimei patted Jian Xingyi on the shoulder. “Don’t let me influence you! After all, no matter what, these memory bubbles don’t cause any real harm—at most, they’re just some unsettling images. After getting to know you, I think you have a pretty good mindset. Maybe you should give it a try? What if, once you finish this quest, you just happen to get the flower you need?”

Jian Xingyi would be staying here until the guild merger anyway, so he had plenty of time.

Jian Xingyi thought for a moment. True enough, he’d even cleared the Snow Mountain Saint’s dungeon—so this should be… manageable? The reward was useless to others; they did this quest purely for “fortune-telling,” but he was different. He was really looking forward to the flower that would be the quest reward.

Although he usually didn’t have a chance at things like this that depended on luck, well… the more he resisted, the stronger the urge grew. He couldn’t give up on his dream of defying fate and changing his name!

Jian Xingyi said, “I’ll give it a try.”

Since this was a rather private matter, Meimei went to rest in the main hall first, leaving Jian Xingyi plenty of personal space.

Jian Xingyi arrived at the first side hall. Sure enough, there was a memory orb in the lonely room.

As Jian Xingyi’s finger touched the memory orb, everything went black before his eyes, and then he heard the system’s voice.

【Player has activated the 【Heart’s Sincerity, Stone’s Opening】 dungeon!】

【Some say the moon and sun are eternal and unchanging, but here, even the sun and moon will set.】

【Only water never ceases to flow; only water exists forever. It is above ground, below ground, in the air, and within every person. Water will carry emotions, convey memories, and bring revelations of the past and future.】

【I want a drop of the purest water, drawn from your most genuine emotions. A drop of fear, a drop of regret, a drop of despair.】

Jian Xingyi felt as though his whole body had become weightless.

【Player 【Xinghe】 has entered 【The First Drop of Holy Water—The Future of Fear】!】

Jian Xingyi opened his eyes again and found himself in a snowy plain.

Huh?

Had he returned to the Thousand Bells Snow Mountains?

The next moment, hordes of zombies surged toward him from all sides, and his ears were filled with waves of piercing screams.

Although he knew it was an illusion—that none of this was real—Jian Xingyi still felt a surge of tension and fear.

The visual impact was overwhelming! Back in the “Nectar and Ambrosia” instance, there had been a stream in front of him, and they’d used their weapons to clear a path through the sea of zombies. And during the “Zombie Tide” instance, though the zombies were numerous, they’d always been separated by fences and a safe distance.

But now…

Jian Xingyi tried to draw his gun to fight back, only to find he was powerless to do anything, helplessly left to be swallowed by the sea of corpses. He felt no pain, only watched helplessly as magnified, bloodied, and mangled faces swarmed around him, tearing him apart and devouring him.

Jian Xingyi screamed uncontrollably.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

When he opened his eyes again, Jian Xingyi found himself slumped in front of the memory bubble, gasping for breath and drenched in cold sweat.

【Congratulations to player 【Xinghe】 for unlocking the 【First Drop of Holy Water—Possible Futures】 memory bubble. Reward: 66,666 Dawn Coins, Item 【Holy Water】 x1】

The memory bubble before him had transformed into a crystal-clear pearl—the Holy Water required for the mission.

Jian Xingyi steadied his breathing, took a deep breath, and told himself, It’s okay, it’s okay…

This ending wasn’t entirely unexpected, and Meimei had warned him just before leaving—almost everyone ends up getting killed by zombies. It’s standard fare in the apocalypse, so there’s no need to dwell on it.

Jian Xingyi picked up the pearl, tucked it into his pocket, and headed toward the next memory bubble.

What would the next one… be?

【Player 【Xinghe】 has entered 【The Second Drop of Holy Water – The Pact of Regret】!】

Arriving at the second side chamber, Jian Xingyi touched the memory bubble and opened his eyes to find himself back on a snowy plain. But unlike the previous one, this plain was being pelted by heavy snow, and the howling wind nearly knocked him off his feet.

Jian Xingyi looked around nervously.

Huh?

Jian Xingyi noticed a person lying in the snow not far away, their blood staining the surrounding white snow red.

Jian Xingyi stepped forward to take a closer look and froze instantly.

It was Shuixi.

“Shuixi…!”

Jian Xingyi turned the person over and held them in his arms. “Shuixi!”

It was clearly an illusion, yet Jian Xingyi distinctly felt the “regret” the system had spoken of.

The person in his arms wasn’t breathing; blood covered their head and face.

—Shot in the head, killed with a single blow.

How could this be…

How could anyone have killed Shuixi!!

Jian Xingyi trembled all over. He thought of all the things he still hadn’t said to Shuixi. Even if it was just an illusion—even if it was merely a possibility—it left him almost unable to breathe.

No…

No!

Whoosh—

Another gust of wind swept through, and Jian Xingyi lost consciousness.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

After leaving the memory bubble, Jian Xingyi was still reeling.

【Congratulations to player 【Xinghe】 for unlocking the 【Second Drop of Holy Water – Pact of Regret】 memory bubble. Reward: 66,666 Dawn Coins, Item 【Holy Water】 x1】

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at the pearl before him and instinctively pulled out the wooden dove carving.

He took out the white slip of paper and the fountain pen from inside the carving and wrote a message on the paper.

【Are you there?】

This would trigger a notification sound on Shuixi’s end, and once he retrieved the slip from the carving, he would see the words Jian Xingyi had written.

Almost the moment Jian Xingyi sent it, he received a reply from Shuixi.

【Huh?】

Jian Xingyi let out a heavy sigh.

It’s okay…

It was just an illusion.

Jian Xingyi felt completely at ease.

【It’s okay】

Jian Xingyi suddenly felt a bit afraid of the third memory bubble.

But…

Jian Xingyi stood up and headed toward the next side hall.

…He’d see just what other terrible things could happen!

【Player 【Xinghe】 has entered 【The Third Drop of Holy Water – The End of Despair】!】

Upon arriving at the third side hall and touching the memory bubble, Jian Xingyi opened his eyes to find himself… by the guild’s outer wall?

Huh?

Had he returned to “Long Live”?

No, that wasn’t right. Although it was indeed a familiar place, the guild’s outer wall was clearly still bare—not fully constructed like it was now.

But Heiye, Baizhou, Lone Wolf, and the others were all there—everyone was present.

Then, wave after wave of zombies charged toward them, attempting to breach the walls and storm the guild. Through the cracks in the bricks, Jian Xingyi saw the hideous, bloodied, and mangled faces of the zombies, while waves of growling filled his ears.

Although he knew it was an illusion—that none of this was real—Jian Xingyi still felt a surge of tension.

Watching the crumbling walls, Jian Xingyi instinctively took a few steps back.

No, this isn’t good…

“BOOM!!”

Sure enough, the walls came crashing down, and Jian Xingyi saw a massive horde of zombies charging toward them.

In an instant, Jian Xingyi’s mind was transported to a place far away.

He saw that everyone in the Long Live For A Hundred Years was dead, but it wasn’t just them…

More people—everyone, every single player—were dead.

In an instant, the entire world seemed to have been turned upside down; no one had survived the catastrophe.

……

……

Jian Xingyi emerged from the memory bubble and sat there, lost in thought for a long time.

【Congratulations to player 【Xinghe】 for unlocking the 【Third Drop of Holy Water – The Desperate Ending】 memory bubble. Reward: 66,666 Dawn Coins, Item 【Holy Water】 x1】

【Player 【Xinghe】 has obtained all Holy Waters and may place them in the Lama statue atop the mountain to complete the 【Sincerity Breaks Stone】 quest!】

Jian Xingyi didn’t stand up; he was still lost in his emotions.

The first memory bubble was pure, unadulterated fear—there was nothing more to say about that.

But the next two… gave him a truly mind-shattering experience.

These two were different. The second was agony that nearly tore him apart, but in the third memory bubble, he felt neither pain nor sorrow. He witnessed the destruction of the entire server and the deaths of all players from a godlike perspective. In that moment, there was no one in his heart—only an endless void. Perhaps this was what the system meant by “despair”…?

One who possesses nothing can possess no emotions either. For once, everything has been destroyed; what is left to evoke any emotion?

It’s too terrifying…

Jian Xingyi raised his hand to cover his face and rubbed it hard.

“Huh…”

Jian Xingyi stood up and walked toward the exit of the temple.

Passing by an open-air garden, he encountered Cangshui and Wu Yun, who were busy taking notes.

Cangshui said gently, “You look so pale… Are you okay?”

Jian Xingyi paused and instinctively touched his face. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Cangshui said, “Did you see something unpleasant? Don’t worry—these are just possible outcomes; they won’t necessarily come true.”

Wu Yun nodded. “That’s right. We can definitely make changes.”

Perhaps because their tones were so gentle, Jian Xingyi couldn’t help but share: “In the third memory bubble, I saw everyone die.”

Cangshui and Wu Yun froze, then exchanged glances.

Jian Xingyi sighed. “Everyone really has it tough… So this memory bubble really has such a huge impact?”

Cangshui smiled. “Xinghe, Ms. Bai showed me the data collected at the top of Grape Mountain. Across the entire server, there are no more than five players who could see everyone dying together… You’re special.”

Jian Xingyi froze.

Huh?

Cangshui said, “Wu Yun and I just happen to be two of them.”

Jian Xingyi suddenly had a hunch. He felt he’d connected some clues, but couldn’t quite piece them together; for a moment, his mind was a blur.

Jian Xingyi wanted to ask Cangshui, “Do you also know about Ms. Bai’s Human Liberation Plan?”

But after a moment’s thought, he remembered Ms. Bai had told him not to speak of it. Besides, he wasn’t sure if the two people in front of him were involved, so perhaps he shouldn’t say anything…

Cangshui chuckled softly, saying with a hint of exasperation, “Xinghe… why does everything show on your face?”

Wu Yun raised an eyebrow. “That’s right. We’re also participants in Ms. Bai’s plan.”

Jian Xingyi was stunned.

So… they just blurted it out like that?

Cangshui shook his head. “Wu Yun and I decided to join after watching this memory bubble, and I could tell from your expression that you’re planning to join too.”

Jian Xingyi gave a wry smile.

It seemed he really couldn’t keep a secret.

Cangshui’s voice was gentle. “Welcome, Xinghe.”

Wu Yun added, “Welcome, welcome.”

Jian Xingyi was at a loss for words.

Wu Yun raised an eyebrow again. “What? Do you think we lack a sense of ceremony? Don’t worry, Ms. Bai will formally introduce you later. Come back then.”

“Oh…”

Jian Xingyi scratched his head. He felt as though he’d just made a momentous decision, yet it also felt as if everything had been predestined all along—nothing out of the ordinary. For a moment, he felt a bit dazed.

Cangshui said, “Go turn in your quest item first. You don’t know how long you were in that memory bubble, and time is running out now.”

“Oh, oh, oh…!”

Right.

Jian Xingyi strode off.

Cangshui was at a loss for words.

In the memory bubble, “one year in heaven equals one day on earth.” Now that the day was nearly over, Jian Xingyi had to hand in his rewards before the guild merger and before he was teleported away; otherwise, having to come back up later would be too much of a hassle.

Jian Xingyi had two items to turn in: one from the Colorful Flag quest and one from the Temple side quest.

Jian Xingyi made his way to the very back of the temple, only to find another expanse of wind and snow beyond the rear gate ahead.

The vine-covered Lama and the Sacred Bell gazed at him from afar amidst the blizzard.

As soon as Jian Xingyi stepped out of the temple gate, he was met by the wind and snow, and snow immediately began to accumulate on his shoulders.

Standing in the blizzard, he realized that beyond the temple lay the summit of the Thousand Bells Snow Mountain. Perched on the edge of the cliff, he glanced up at the ink-black sky before gazing down at the scenery at the foot of the mountain.

This was the first time he had ever reached the summit in all his years of playing the game!

The summit’s edge was shrouded in white clouds and mist, and he could only vaguely make out the scattered buildings and guild bases in the distance.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath of the mountain air, then embedded the three pearls into Lama Kongkong’s abdomen.

【Player 【Xinghe】 has completed the Thousand Bells Temple side quest 【Sincerity Breaks Stone】! Reward: 66,666 Dawn Coins, Item 【Compass】!】

Just as Meimei had said, the point of this quest wasn’t the reward but the process.

Jian Xingyi opened the Compass’s description.

【It will guide you in the right direction, anytime, anywhere.】

Though it was a bit of a mixed bag, Jian Xingyi still liked it and put the Compass away.

At the same time, the vines and ivy draped over the lama statue suddenly began to bloom slowly.

One, two…

Seven snow lotuses!

Snow lotuses?!

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened in delight at this unexpected surprise.

He never imagined that the lama statue had actually heard his plea and granted him usable snow lotuses??

【Beep!】

【Detected that player 【Xinghe】 has a High Bond Player; qualification acquired!】

【The player may choose to step into the Circle of Unity with their bonded partner. If their hearts are in sync, they will receive double the Snow Lotus, 5 Unity Anchors, and Dawn Coins as a reward!】

Jian Xingyi froze.

A high-affinity player? Does he have one?

Regardless, does this mean… as long as someone shares a heart-to-heart connection with him and steps into this circle together, he can get more snow lotus?

But a heart-to-heart connection…

Jian Xingyi lowered his gaze.

He thought of Shuixi, but Shuixi seemed… to dislike him.

Jian Xingyi glanced at the guild announcement; they were set to merge in half an hour.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath and decided… to go for it!

Jian Xingyi sent Shuixi a message.

【Busy?】

【Not busy.】

Jian Xingyi then dropped a Unity Anchor.

Sure enough, Shuixi arrived.

Shuixi had already drawn his weapons. He looked around warily, and after confirming everything was peaceful, he turned to Jian Xingyi with a puzzled expression.

What’s going on?

Jian Xingyi smiled. “Relax, there’s no danger.”

Shuixi was a bit surprised. Why would Jian Xingyi use a Unity Anchor?

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath and said, “I’ve made up my mind. I’ve thought it through. I don’t want to be left with regret or remorse. If we’re meant to be, we’re meant to be—the heart never lies.”

Shuixi paused.

What?

Jian Xingyi stepped into the Circle of Unity. “I’m using up the Unity Anchor Point now. If our hearts are in sync, we’ll gain more anchor points. If not… then I won’t use any anchor points again in the future. If there’s no mutual understanding, this anchor point has no reason to exist. I have plenty of ways to save my life—I don’t need this one. I don’t want to treat the Mutual Understanding Anchor Point or you as a mere lifesaving tool.”

Jian Xingyi looked at Shuixi with a smile. “Shuixi, come here.”

Shuixi didn’t understand why, but he still stepped into a glowing circle at Jian Xingyi’s feet.

In that very instant, snow lotuses began to spread from the vines across the snowy ground beside the lama statue.

The mountaintop was covered in snow lotuses.