Chapter Fifty-One: Departure from the Amethyst Mine

Chapter Fifty-One: Leaving the Amethyst Mine

Even if he had had entanglements with someone, none had ever been so outrageous as what happened in that illusion, and the person involved was, astonishingly, a man. Over the years, Shen Ce had only ever dated Xie Fei, and that brief romance had ended quickly. He had never discriminated against men loving men, but he always believed he was attracted to women.

Thinking of the man in the illusion, Shen Ce’s body gave a slight tremor. For some reason, the face of Sylos flashed across his mind. If not for the middle-aged man’s reminder, he would have forgotten that Sylos had once forcibly kissed him; perhaps it was precisely that incident which led to such an absurd dream today.

After careful consideration, Shen Ce increasingly suspected that the person in the illusion was Sylos. He hadn’t seen the man’s face clearly before, but the calm and captivating timbre of his voice was strikingly similar to Sylos’s. Shen Ce’s heart was a mixture of emotions. In “Horizons of Heaven,” becoming partners with Sylos was purely a matter of chance. Shen Ce held no aversion toward Sylos; in fact, he thought Sylos was a great companion and even admired him somewhat. But he had never considered developing a relationship beyond friendship.

According to the middle-aged man, the illusions that arise here are all triggered by the thoughts and desires of those who experience them. Could it be, deep in his subconscious, he actually liked Sylos?

Shen Ce’s nerves tightened. If that were true, how should he face Sylos in the future? Was he supposed to pursue Sylos himself?

The middle-aged man standing before Shen Ce noticed his hesitation and indecision. He squinted his eyes and couldn’t help but feel curious. “Hey, kid, what did you just see that’s got you so unsettled?”

The illusions here could only be seen by the person experiencing them; others remained in the dark, and their only role was to awaken someone from the dream.

Shen Ce snapped back to reality at the question. “Nothing much. It’s just my first time encountering something like an illusion, so I found it a bit novel.”

At this moment, Shen Ce finally regained his composure. “Horizons of Heaven” was only an artificially developed game, and yet he had been unnerved by an illusion within it, pondering whether or not to pursue someone. Not to mention that Sylos was a man—more importantly, both he and Sylos were players. In all his years of gaming, Shen Ce had rarely seen couples who could turn their in-game romance into real-life relationships. On the contrary, most couples who seemed loving in the game found their feelings unraveling once moved into reality.

The middle-aged man did not believe Shen Ce’s answer at all. Seeing that Shen Ce had recovered his clarity, he had no intention of probing further. “Kid, since you managed to break free from the illusion, you’d better leave here with me sooner rather than later.”

Shen Ce was surprised by this. He had always assumed high-level NPCs from the Demon Clan would be ruthless, but here was one with a helpful streak. Shen Ce bowed deeply. “Sir, forgive me, but when you say ‘leave,’ do you mean leaving this place? My slaughter value has been cleared; am I allowed to be released?”

“Is that so? Then, have you paid your quota of amethyst ore?” The middle-aged man pondered, glancing at Shen Ce as he asked unhurriedly.

Shen Ce thought for half a second and nodded. Everyone who entered here had killed too many people; since he didn’t belong to the managed group, even if he hadn’t paid enough amethyst ore, he should be able to leave. Judging by the three players who tried to rob him earlier, they were desperate to get out, but their amethyst ore was pitifully low. If the quota had to be met, it would be impossible in a short time.

Seeing Shen Ce nod, the middle-aged man strode toward the bend in the tunnel, signaling Shen Ce to follow. He conjured a flickering flame in his palm, banishing the surrounding darkness. Shen Ce followed behind him, keeping nearly a meter’s distance. For some reason, they encountered not a single player along the way. Shen Ce even suspected the NPC wanted to kill him to silence him, but after walking for nearly fifteen minutes, Shen Ce and the middle-aged man finally emerged from the amethyst mine.

Once outside, Shen Ce saw players queuing to pay their amethyst ore, Gothic-style buildings all around, and guards patrolling. He looked up at the vast, azure sky overhead and drew a deep breath. The mine’s darkness had felt oppressive and eerie, and on top of the illusion, Shen Ce’s heart had felt burdened. Now, seeing the sunlight, his mood brightened along with his widened view.

Shen Ce could tell that everyone—players and NPCs alike—treated the middle-aged man accompanying him with great respect. No one spoke, but their reverent gazes said enough. Likely because of the middle-aged man, Shen Ce noticed several players stealing glances at him. Most who could enter here were not gentle souls, and Shen Ce felt uncomfortable, as if he were a fish on the chopping block, ready to be thrown into the pot at any moment.

Following the middle-aged man, Shen Ce was led to a place with a makeshift table. A strikingly beautiful, boldly dressed female swordsman sat sprawled in a chair, her two long, pale legs crossed high and utterly eye-catching.

“Lilisa, this man wants to leave—send him out,” the middle-aged man instructed the lovely swordswoman.

“Oh? Little brother, you can actually leave?” The swordswoman’s large, round eyes swept over Shen Ce, her gaze alluring, seemingly able to ensnare hearts.

Faced with the flirtatious glances of such a beauty, Shen Ce’s resistance was steadfast. His expression remained unchanged as he replied coolly, “Yes, thank you for your trouble.”

Most who reached this place weren’t good people. The priest was pretending to be prim and proper; if she weren’t about to send him off, perhaps he’d have teased her a bit. The swordswoman smiled seductively, obeyed the middle-aged man’s command, and activated the teleportation array.

Nearby players heard the middle-aged man’s words and immediately gathered in a cluster, whispering amongst themselves. A tall warrior’s eyes practically blazed. “Why can he leave?! That priest’s clothes are so tattered—how could he have paid enough amethyst ore?!”

With that, the players around him erupted in angry shouts. Why could a weak priest leave, while they were stuck here mining for NPCs in this godforsaken place?

The middle-aged man watched the unrest with cold indifference; the swordswoman kept her gentle smile, and Shen Ce was entirely unaffected by the players’ agitation, stepping straight into the center of the magical teleportation array.

The warrior who had stirred up trouble yelled louder, as more players gathered. He tried to rush toward Shen Ce, but several guard NPCs immediately blocked him, and then formed a barrier around the other rioting players.

Shen Ce saw magical elements flicker into white lights at his side. The teleportation array activated. He glanced at the players, their faces bitter or furious, and felt a surge of relief. He had not expected to leave so smoothly, and he didn’t want to stay here a second longer—especially after the ordeal with the illusion.

The white light surrounding him faded, and Shen Ce quickly came to his senses, finding himself on a street within a demon city. He realized the demon city wasn’t much different from the cities of the Light Clan, except the architecture was more elaborate and strange, and the players’ attire was notably more revealing.

After being dropped here, Shen Ce noticed that people around him stole glances, most with contempt. At first, he was puzzled, then realized his priest’s robe was so tattered it looked like beggar’s rags.

He couldn’t help but laugh. He had other priest robes in his storage space, but as a shadow priest in the demon territory, wearing a Light Priest’s robe would look odd. He decided to find a clothing shop and buy gear more suited to a shadow priest.

With his resolve made, Shen Ce opened his information panel. To his delight, now that he had left the amethyst mine, he could use his communication tools again. He clicked on Sylos’s still-lit avatar and sent a long message explaining his circumstances and how he had managed to leave the mine.

After sending the message, Shen Ce prepared to look for a clothing shop, but to his surprise, Sylos appeared before him after he had only taken a few steps.

Author’s note: Watermelon Loves Horror threw a landmine at 19:10:48 on August 27, 2014. Eternal Angel threw a grenade at 13:50:24 on August 27, 2014. Eternal Angel threw a rocket launcher at 11:37:13 on August 27, 2014.

Thank you to Momo for the landmine, thank you to Angel for the grenade and rocket launcher, (* /w＼*), sob sob, I’m honestly so moved I’m lost for words. All I can do is hug you tightly and shower you with kisses~~