Chapter 825 - 185: We Will Win!
Main quest and side quests.
This is exactly like a game.
I didn’t expect that playing the game to the end would lead to such a progression.
"If you regret it now, there’s still time."
"Before officially entering the Central Sea Area."
After saying this, Jian Beifang quickened his pace, heading deeper into the land, destination unknown.
Han Zhan entered here alone, to prevent the Contracted Spirit Girls from worrying, he chose to turn back first, returning to where the "Gray Sparrow" is docked.
Seeing the Contracted Spirit Girls disembark safely, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Zhan noticed they seemed to be negotiating with the native inhabitants of the Water Planet, covered in black sludge.
Quickening his pace to join them, Lingzhen’s loud voice echoed nearby:
"Eat slowly, eat slowly, there’s enough!"
"Youwei, go to the ship and get a bit more."
"We’re consuming so much food, will Ah Zhan be angry when he finds out?"
"Don’t worry, if Ah Zhan asks, we’ll just say the Big Golden Fur ate it."
Hearing this, Han Zhan silently glanced at the Big Golden Fur sniffing around and sneezing at a plant called Xiao Hua.
As soon as the sneeze was over, the Big Golden Fur felt something, turning its head.
Suddenly, the plant Xiao Hua expanded several times, enveloping its entire head.
The Big Golden Fur flailed its four legs in a panic.
"..." Seeing this, Han Zhan silently withdrew his gaze.
Apart from food, the girls also brought down many medicinal materials from the "Gray Sparrow."
They had just plundered the "Hunting Halberd Whale," and the supplies on board were plentiful.
"Thank you, thank you all."
From within the black sludge, the elder’s trembling voice emerged.
He wanted to extend his hand but quickly withdrew it.
The children were much more enthusiastic.
They grabbed the food eagerly, wiping the sludge off their faces, without caring if it was clean, and happily devouring the food.
Soon, black sludge seeped out again from their faces, mixing with the food on the plate.
They didn’t seem to mind, probably accustomed to it.
"It’s delicious!"
"So tasty, I’ve never had food this good before!"
"Sister, you’re so kind!"
At this moment, from another direction, a group of Water Planet natives were dragging a pile of things towards the area.
"Please wait for a moment." The elder from before spoke, "You’ve given us so much food and medicine, we can’t just not give anything in return."
"I’ve had the boys gather anything useful and bring it over."
"Anything you like, just take it. No need to be polite with us."
The Contracted Spirit Girls’ eyes lit up hearing this.
They didn’t expect such a pleasant surprise.
"However, most of it was sunk to the seabed and swallowed together by the turtle during feeding."
"So, they still contain Evil Curse, if you mind..."
"We don’t mind, we don’t mind." Shang Siteng quickly shook her head.
The "Gray Sparrow" is 100% effective at purifying Evil Curse, so there’s nothing to worry about.
There’s a lot that needs to be moved.
The turtle has been dwelling at the seabed for years, swallowing a great deal of seabed "trash," which mostly originated from warships sinking.
While waiting, they continued to chat.
Han Zhan found the opportunity, walking behind Li Lingzhen.
Feeling movement behind her, Li Lingzhen was about to turn around when a voice sounded:
"Lingzhen, don’t turn, it’s Youwei."
Recognizing Youwei’s voice, Li Lingzhen clicked her tongue, turning to Han Zhan, "Business all done?"
Han Zhan slightly nodded, "Almost."
He then looked up at the elder who spoke earlier, and asked:
"Elder, are you NPCs?"
The elder in the black sludge shook his head, "No, we’re not NPCs."
"I understand your confusion. Although we’re not NPCs, we have the Adventurer status, just like you."
"Ji Mu helps us maintain this state."
Adventurers cannot completely remove curses, only NPCs can.
"Why don’t you want to become NPCs then?" Han Zhan asked, perplexed.
Upon this question, the elder sighed deeply.
"Because we cannot stop worrying about Lord Ji Mu."
This answer was unexpected.
"Although Lord Ji Mu’s strength far exceeds ours, he was just a child when he became an NPC; his age and appearance were frozen at that moment."
"Letting a child save the world means he bears pressure and responsibility that shouldn’t belong to him, it’s truly cruel."
The elder’s words carried helplessness and sadness.
"Lord Ji Mu is lonely; he cannot play with the cursed children."
"Hence, he longs for Lord Beifang to return and play games with him."
"He cannot leave the turtle; once we become NPCs, we might dramatically change, Mutated into violent Fishmen, making it unsuitable to stay here..."
Han Zhan grasped the elder’s meaning.
"To accompany him, not letting him feel so alone, you’re willing to endure endless suffering from Evil Curse rather than live as NPCs."
"Yes, that’s our commitment, what we can do for that child is only this much."
After hearing the answer, Han Zhan nodded at the elder with respect.
Some truths, if not thoroughly pursued, would never be discovered.
A heavy truth for the heart.
"You must win." Suddenly, the elder looked up at Han Zhan and others, filled with anticipation.
"End this game, relieve the Water Planet people’s suffering, and lift the burden and shackles off that poor child."
At this moment, hearing the elder’s words, Han Zhan seemed to again understand Jian Beifang’s choice.
Indeed, in some respects, Jian Beifang, like the boy named Ji Mu, is especially paradoxical.
With this realization, Han Zhan understood his choice.
He solemnly nodded to the elder.
"We will win!"
...
Under continuous transportation by the Water Planet natives,
a vast amount of ’junk’ swallowed by the turtle that it couldn’t digest gradually filled the entire shallow beach.
Bear in mind, those that survived the turtle’s feeding process and endured its damage, are certainly not ordinary items found everywhere.
This is why they are eagerly anticipated.
If luck is on their side, there’s a high chance that the "Gray Sparrow" could find suitable items among this pile of "junk!"