Chapter 303: Mystery of the Old Manor
Because the mirror world contained far too many secrets tied to later versions of the game, letting players learn them early would inevitably affect the plot. This much was understandable.
And this time, Lightbrain was actually being reliable—he hadn't leaked too much about himself, such as how he had gone treasure-hunting in the Elven King's Mausoleum. Considerably more decent.
After Aaron Ingersoll was slain, the players saw Wayne Sturwell turn toward the floating airship hanging midair. He simply said, "Wait," and smiled as he waved at it.
Lightbrain quickly switched perspectives. With stirring background music swelling, the three-masted ship, which had been preparing to escape, suddenly froze in place. Its bow tilted skyward, its stern dropped sharply downward, and it plunged nose-first. At the same time, the ropes on board seemed to come alive, lashing out and binding the off-balance pirates before stringing them up along the masts.
"No one can beat me when my BGM is playing!"
"Can someone tell me what skill that was? Mom, I want to learn it!"
"Stop yelling for your mom, I want to learn it too!"
Zhou Ning: …
Watching himself perform was a little embarrassing, but seeing the chat shower him with praise felt really good. He wished he could give every comment a like.
With the battle ended, the treasure hunt that followed was equally thrilling.
Just when the players thought they could relax, they saw the noble travel party they'd just encountered undergo collective aberration in the Life Tide, twisting into monsters. The sight chilled them to the bone. Everyone firmly etched the "Retreat Society" into their memories.
After that, Zhou Ning and the others crossed the territory of the swamp-dwelling Pygmies, discovered the treasure left behind by Storm Wilt, returned to the airship, and agreed to escort Spark Lambert back to Darkland.
The screen faded to black, then lit up again.
A final surprise appeared: within a shattered, otherworldly landscape lay countless ruined elven cities. Wandering aimlessly through the ruins were hordes of black wraiths. In the distance, faint outlines of towns could be seen, each one shrouded beneath the looming shadow of a giant spider.
The shot shifted back to Darkland City. Beautiful courtesans drifted among nobles, subtly swaying the kingdom's politics with their charms. On the fortress throne of Darkland, King Charles VII sat with a crown upon his head, speaking with an elderly gentleman and a hooded, withered elf. Professor Bislok, familiar to all by now, sat quietly beside them.
Deep underground in Darkland, a god shackled in place howled skyward, its entire body wreathed in burning green fel fire.
The screen blacked out once more. Then fiery text appeared:
Apocalypse 1.1 – [The Cataclysm of Darkland] is coming.
The film ended.
Viewers who had binge-watched it all had only one thought—
Not enough.
Thanks to Lightbrain's tight editing, the pacing was intense and dramatic. The performance of Wayne Sturwell throughout the film was nothing short of epic, leaving the audience deeply satisfied. One after another, they tagged the famous hater, Grantham.
If anyone had doubted Wayne Sturwell's strength before, after this film, no one could. To take down three near–level 70 bosses simultaneously? Surely being ranked number one in Apocalypse wasn't an exaggeration.
On top of that, the announcement of the new version thrilled players in the Kingdom of Bryston. It was obvious the 1.1 main storyline would unfold in Darkland, with Wayne Sturwell at its center. Otherwise, they wouldn't have played a teaser after a film that featured him as the lead.
Players from other countries would have no choice but to rush to Darkland if they wanted to join the main plot. It was clear the steam trains heading there would be packed in the coming days.
Zhou Ning: …
Compared to everyone else, he clearly understood more about the teaser.
The mirror world didn't contain only the one town he'd experienced. There were countless similar ones. The Dark Spider Mother, Matalita, had replaced the Elven Goddess with endless avatars of herself, using her authority over "theft" to siphon faith and fuel her revival.
That elderly gentleman—Zhou Ning knew him. It was Earl Robbins, suspected to be both a Death-worshipper and a member of the Curse God Cult. As for the elderly elf, he was likely one of the ancient elven powerhouses hidden within the Life Alchemy Society.
Judging from the new version's title, there was no doubt they shared a common interest. They were secretly joining forces to unleash a great cataclysm upon Darkland.
A sudden, powerful sense of crisis rose in Zhou Ning's chest.
After finishing the series, he took another peek at the forums. He didn't find any useful information, but thanks to Lightbrain's "promotion," more and more players now wanted to change classes into roaming gunners. Complaints filled the forum from those unable to locate him to complete the class transfer.
Maybe this was the payoff after being milked by Lightbrain for so long.
Meanwhile, the "Armament Haki" manual he'd just put up for sale was already bought—by none other than the tycoon Undersea Star. The new dungeon manual had been purchased four times as well. He'd underestimated players' spending power. After some thought, Zhou Ning put another copy of Armament Haki up for sale.
It was already past midnight. After collecting the daily welfare from the simulator and Endless Gold Pouch, Zhou Ning took the mysterious item [Will Lagrie's Resting Place] out of storage and carefully put it on his left hand.
Two new necromancy spells appeared in his mind:
Spirit Vision (Necromancy Lv. 2): Grants temporary spirit sight, allowing you to perceive ghostly entities within a certain range.
Communicate with the Dead (Necromancy Lv. 2): Allows brief communication with ghostly beings.
His luck wasn't great this time—both were only level 2, with no offensive power.
"Right, I wonder if John's family business has been resolved yet?"
Remembering the haunting problem John's household had faced, Zhou Ning figured his newly acquired skills might come in handy. Before leaving South Westshire, he could at least do a good deed.
He decided to run a test first.
From his inventory, he pulled out "Damian's Ordinary Mirror" and set it on the table. Then he went to the inn's mirror, etched a mark on it with his finger, and a flash of blue light shimmered across both mirrors. The mark vanished, leaving him with a deep sense of connection to this mirror.
Success!
This was the new ability of the mysterious item—Mirror Transference. He could engrave marks on up to three mirrors, letting him instantly leap from Damian's Ordinary Mirror to any of them. No matter the distance, he could teleport back here instantly.
John's manor was nearby. Zhou Ning had visited once since arriving in South Westshire, so he knew the way. After orienting himself at the window, he leapt out without hesitation.
With nearly 250 Agility, he landed smoothly, not even disturbing the couple fornicating in the alley.
As a famous tourist spot and an even more renowned red-light district than Darkland, the streets still blazed with light at 12:10 a.m. Prostitutes in all manner of cosplay costumes lined the streets. Zhou Ning even spotted a few dressed as Blue-Eyed Maiden and Harpy Lady.
Didn't think Yu-Gi-Oh! would get this popular…
After shaking off a few persistent "Harpies" trying to pull him in, Zhou Ning arrived at the gates of John's family estate, Fuller Manor. This was the wealthy quarter of South Westshire, flanked on both sides by other large estates.
The manor was pitch dark. Because of the haunting, John's family no longer lived there; only a faint light glowed from the servant's quarters on the west side.
Zhou Ning had the strange impression that the air here was thick, sticky, as if saturated with necrotic energy.
At the gates, he saw an elderly figure, wearing a judge's wig, pacing elegantly along the manor's drive. Now and then, the phantom paused, sighing with sorrow.
"This is a spirit formed purely of necrotic energy, a lingering soul drawn to the place of its deepest memory. It has no consciousness, no malice, no aggression. I can help purify it," came Molly's cool voice in his mind.
"Not yet," Zhou Ning whispered.
Wait—necrotic energy?
He instinctively activated Spirit Vision.
What he saw stunned him. Fuller Manor itself wasn't too bad. But in the manor to its right, the necrotic aura was overwhelming.
Through Spirit Vision, he saw countless mutilated undead roaming aimlessly, the scene resembling a slaughterhouse.
At once, Zhou Ning remembered the hidden quest he had once received:
[Mystery of the Old Manor: Near an old estate in South Westshire (Coordinates 749, 1212), find the wandering spirit. This spirit conceals an unknown clue. Discover it and uncover its true cause of death.]
Because of its high level requirement, the quest had never been taken. But checking his current coordinates—(745, 1207)—it was a perfect match.
Clearly, the overwhelming necrotic aura from the right-hand manor was what had awakened John's grandfather's spirit.