By now, Ming Po was gaining a much deeper understanding of the chanics behind the Mind Anchor.
Originally, Ming Po had planned to sweep up the broken ashtray on his way out today.
To his surprise, after exiting the ga this ti, the shattered glass on the floor had restored itself into an intact ashtray and returned to the table. Furthermore, the pliers and screwdriver in his pockets had also reappeared in their original spots.
In other words, items that "belonged to Ming Po" reset whenever he left the ga. It was just like the bottles he took from his wine cabinet; any consud liquor would replenish to its original volu once he exited.
As for why Ai Shiping's cola depleted with every bottle he drank, Ming Po had not yet figured out the reason.
Perhaps it was because he had entered Ming Po's ga, aning his own Anchor Point had not updated; or perhaps consumables simply did not replenish. Regardless, Ai Shiping had now acquired high-level chips at the Day's False Gold rank.
Next, that guy would have to participate in a Promotion ga... a ga he would have to face entirely on his own.
They would soon find out exactly what the rules entailed.
After heading downstairs, Ai Shiping glanced around for a mont before whispering, "It really doesn't feel dangerous anymore."
Ming Po nodded, offering no reply.
"First, let teach you how to contact other Deceivers of the World."
He pointed toward the subway station, educating Ai Shiping on so common knowledge shared among Deceivers of the World: "For example, if you want to travel to other districts, the most convenient thod is taking public transportation. However, you must rember that even though you are a ghost right now, we count as ghosts with physical substance. When the subway doors close, you won't be able to phase through them..."
Unsurprisingly, the world had undergone slight changes once again.
But the changes were not drastic.
If Ming Po did not possess such an excellent mory, he might have dismissed these subtle shifts as re illusions.
Ming Po's pupils contracted slightly.
He could clearly see that there were significantly more Deceivers of the World in the subway station than before.
Furthermore, quite a few of them were obviously rookies—that level of naive excitent and ignorance simply could not be faked.
It was obvious they had only just discovered that Deceivers of the World gathered at subway stations to exchange information, sell intel, and trade Treasures.
From this small glimpse, a larger truth erged... There were undoubtedly many more Deceivers of the World who remained completely ignorant of this fact. Lacking organizations or friends, they huddled in their own strongholds, too terrified to venture out. The number of those hiding was certainly far greater than those present here.
...Without a doubt, the number of Deceivers of the World was increasing rapidly.
The entire Ga of Deception was gradually spiraling out of control.
For a brief mont, Ming Po even began to doubt his own goal—killing all the Deceivers of the World. Was such a thing truly possible? Given the rate at which Deceivers of the World were increasing, if he only relied on the gas to whittle down their numbers, the death toll probably could not keep up with the new arrivals...
At that thought, Ming Po suddenly froze, his footsteps halting slightly.
He seed to understand sothing.
...No wonder organizations of Deceivers of the World from the Domain of Slaughter banded together to hunt down other Deceivers in reality.
Could it be that their goals aligned with his own in so aspects?
Both wanted to reduce the number of Deceivers of the World... Their motive might not be to end the Ga of Deception, but rather to hunt for chips, seek revenge, eliminate hidden enemies, or perhaps search for the Bacchus Shrine. But in terms of the end result, it wasn't terrible...
Just then, inside the subway station.
"...Huh?"
A tall young woman walking up the stairs let out a confused sound as she saw Ming Po walking down, brushing past her. She turned her head slightly, pushing her sunglasses up to carefully study his back.
This young woman possessed long, straight black hair that cascaded past her waist and a slender, well-proportioned figure, along with a rather astonishing height—even without shoes, she stood nearly six feet tall, which would be considered tall for a man, let alone a girl.
She wore a long trench coat with a fur collar and sunglasses. For her lower half, she wore jeans suited for easy movent.
Realizing the young woman had abruptly stopped, her companion took two steps back and cast a wary glance at Ming Po's retreating back, asking in a hushed tone: "What's wrong?"
"Looks like... an acquaintance."
She shook her head. "Or maybe I just mistook him for soone else."
"Don't let your guard down, Night Watchman."
The other girl shook her head and warned, "In the Ga of Deception, acquaintances and friends are also terrifying. In fact, the closer they are to you, the more dangerous they beco. They most likely know how you died... which ans they have the power to kick you out of the Ga of Deception.
"The scariest part is that this behavior might not even harbor any malicious intent. They could genuinely believe they are acting 'for your own good' when they boot you from the Ga of Deception. I've seen people like that before... I had a friend who was kicked out of the Ga of Deception for that exact reason."
"...Yes, I understand. Thank you, Snow White."
The young woman called Night Watchman nodded, yet she still made no move to leave.
anwhile, the girl beside her nad Snow White was at least two heads shorter. Her height probably didn't even reach five foot one. Walking side by side, they looked like a mother and daughter... From appearances alone, one would never guess that the shorter girl was actually the senior. Seeing that Night Watchman refused to look away from Ming Po, Snow White also turned around and carefully inspected him.
As if sensing her gaze, Ming Po, who was waiting for the subway, turned his head slightly.
The mont he glanced back, Snow White recoiled in shock.
Her and Night Watchman's bodies were instantly enveloped by a cloud of ethereal mist, completely concealing their figures.
She grabbed Night Watchman and hurriedly scrambled a few steps up the stairs, escaping Ming Po's line of sight.
She lowered her voice: "Careful, don't go over there... That's the stench of the Domain of Slaughter, and its purity is quite high."
"Huh?"
Night Watchman froze for a second.
"Anyone else would be fine, but you absolutely must avoid encountering acquaintances from the Domain of Slaughter."
Snow White's eyes were filled with disgust and vigilance. "You must be especially wary of Deceivers of the World from the Domain of Slaughter... even if it's soone you know.
"I've told you before, Titles carry a form of ntal pollution, and Titles from the Domain of Slaughter have the most severe ntal pollution. Even if he used to be a good person, the mont he takes on a Title from the Domain of Slaughter, it ans he can no longer be trusted—he will lose his mind soon enough. Don't beco material for his Title advancent, Night Watchman."
"I understand,"
Night Watchman said softly, pursing her lips.
"...Sigh."
Snow White let out a sigh. "I knew you didn't take my words to heart. You need to suppress your compassion and sense of responsibility as much as possible, Night Watchman. You must be deeply aware of your 'true thoughts.' Unnecessary kindness is also a form of ntal pollution brought on by a Title. If you can't control yourself, you will simply beco a slave to the Title."
"The Domain of Slaughter..."
Night Watchman suddenly asked, "Is it truly impossible for them to control themselves? Just like how we all have to keep ourselves in check from the erosion of our Titles... soone from the Domain of Slaughter should theoretically be able to control themselves too, right?"
"Perhaps."
Snow White furrowed her brows, her tone turning stern: "But you had better not gamble on it, Sister Shi Yue. Don't fall into the trap of wishful thinking.
"You will beco the captain sooner or later, so it's best you don't harbor too much sympathy for those outside our faction... because when that ti cos, all our lives will be resting in your hands. I can keep an eye on you right now, but when you're the one leading us in the future, are you going to put us all in danger just to help others?"
"...I understand."
Shi Yue, whose Title was Night Watchman, nodded and sighed: "I was just thinking... others might not be as lucky as I am, encountering a fair Host during their rookie phase, and managing to join a reliable organization right after graduating from it.
"How many Deceivers of the World end up dying at this stage? They might have originally possessed enough supernatural talent... yet they die inexplicably due to a lack of information or sheer bad Luck. If they only had a senior or a captain to guide them, they probably wouldn't go insane."
"An unrealized supernatural talent isn't a talent at all. Deceivers of the World have never lacked geniuses; every single one of us fought our way out of round after round of brutal culling."
Snow White spoke in a hauntingly quiet voice: "Minds corrupted by sudden surges of Strength, arrogance born from elevated Wisdom, or going mad as they drown in the bloodlust of Slaughter... There are also those who are deluded by the 'kindness' sprouting from Titles in the Domain of Virtue and end up making inexplicable sacrifices. The number of 'great philanthropists' who drag their entire team down with them is not small either.
"I have seen far, far too many of these Deceivers of the World. Every single companion who manages to keep a clear head is a truly precious Treasure."
User Comments
0 comments from readers