The Righteous Player(s)

Chapter 209: Rotten Man

It was the cry of a baby.

Strangely enough, it didn’t come from a particular direction, nor was it a single cry.

Instead, it echoed from all directions, overlapping in the air.

It was as if there were thousands of babies hanging in the sky, crying simultaneously. The identical crying could be divided into several parts [1], forming a symphony. Immediately, there was a strange sense of sacredness in the scene.

The moment Lin Yiyi heard the baby’s cries, she felt an intense buzz in her brain, followed by a cooling sensation that went from her head down to her spine.

A few prompts suddenly flashed before her eyes.

[You heard the Sacred Voice, resetting the erosion rate to 0.]

[You got the new mark “Novice Influence: Infinitely Overlapping Echoes.”]

[If the mark isn’t resolved in time, the host will fall into a random nightmare with the keyword “mirror” (difficulty: hard) after seven days.]

This prompt flashed in front of Annan’s eyes at the same time.

Even Child and Jiu Er at the other end heard this strange echo that resounded throughout the city. The sacred crying was like an announcement to something.

All those who heard this strange echo in a waking state were affected.

“—What is this?”

“—This should be a reward granting dungeon. I’m envious of it.”

“—Why do I feel like it’s a punishment?”

“—Even if it’s a dungeon administering punishment, I want to participate too! I have been grinding this gallery nightmare till I feel like vomiting.”

“—Then, stop farming the first three levels. Be the frontier group for the 5th level.”

“—No, no, that hurts my health.”

“—By the way, I didn’t expect this Salvatore to be quite handsome.”

“—Aren’t you trying to say that Venom looks cool? Isn’t Salvatore just standing there throughout the battle?”

“—There is no need for positioning concerns. Standing still and chanting is the best taunt to the enemy.”

Resetting the erosion rate?

Unlike the spectating players actively participating in the live broadcast discussion, Lin Yiyi paid more attention to this prompt.

She wasn’t concerned about the importance of the erosion rate.

But what kind of power would it be for her erosion rate to reset by just listening to it?

Lin Yiyi murmured, “That baby…”

Is it something divine?

It wasn’t until then that she realized the players didn’t even know the real purpose of this main mission and the boss they were going to encounter.

Judging from Salvatore’s preparation, he and Annan obviously knew what was coming.

Oh no, we didn’t purchase any intelligence before this! Lin Yiyi felt a little regretful.

We shouldn’t be conservative with affection ratings.

Of course, everything Annan sells is useful.

At the very least, I have to persuade the other players to empty the shop together.

“Did we succeed?” Salvatore murmured.

Annan squinted his eyes slightly, “Not really…”

For some reason, his heart was throbbing without warning, as if he was short of breath. In response, Annan took a deep breath to keep his head clear.

Based on his intuition and experience, Annan guessed that the physiological reactions could be the result of intense “fear.”

Annan was confident with his intuition due to his keen Perception attribute.

But what exactly did Annan sense?

Obviously, Michelangelo had successfully born.

The Soul Eater, the most dangerous enemy, was also abolished.

What else could a group of mortals achieve further?

“Oh.” Suddenly, Annan heard a chuckling voice, “It seems you can detect me. You have grown a lot, Annan.”

It was a gentle voice with the host’s gender indiscernible. The tone was gentle and patient, like a kindergarten teacher coaxing children.

But Annan sensed immense arrogance from the tone.

Moreover, his body began to tremble more intensely.

Suddenly, Annan realized it wasn’t his fear.

Instead, this body manifested fear on its own.

Following sudden enlightenment, Annan slowly cast his gaze over.

In the space where there was no one previously, a silhouette appeared.

His height wasn’t too tall, only about 1.7 meters.

He was wearing a pure white robe that looked like funeral attire, complemented with a white ivory crown with five sharp horns on his head. There was a white veil more than one meter long on both sides of the crown, hanging down from the side like ears and fluttering behind him.

He was bald, with the upper half of his face entirely hidden by the silver mask. The nose and the eyes were hidden with the mask. Under an observant gaze, one could see dark green runes engraved on the mask as if sealing something within.

The lower half of his face was exposed outside the mask, showing a mysterious smile. His skin was fair and healthy. His feet were bare as he stepped on the ground. There was a strange incense smell exuding from his body.

Except for this white silk robe, he didn’t seem to have any clothing. He wasn’t stained with dust nor any body hair.

Moreover, silver-white brilliance reflected from his body, like a moonlight engraved on the ground.

Annan’s shudder shuddered involuntarily.

But fortunately, he had felt a more intense pressure from the Venerated Skeleton before. Hence, he didn’t make a fool of himself at this moment.

However, whether the two players or Salvatore, they were all forced to bow their heads under intense fear. None of them dared to look directly at this figure, even though this was the first encounter.

Annan immediately realized his true identity.

“Your Excellency Rotten Man.” Annan was silent for a while but decided to greet him.

Rotten Man just smiled slightly at the same spot, putting his right hand on the chest to return the greetings.

“Your Royal Highness Annan.” He whispered, “You and I have been separated for many years, but I didn’t expect to meet you here today.

“Does your father know you are here?” The Rotten Man somehow referred to a mortal with the honorific title.

But Annan didn’t feel the slightest respect in his tone. On the contrary, Annan found the whisper a little creepy.

He couldn’t see Rotten Man in the eyes, nor could he see Rotten Man’s expression.

A kind smile was revealed at the corner of his mouth, but it somehow resembled a pulled bow.

Facing the silent Annan, the friendly smile on Rotten Man’s face remained unchanged.

“Your Royal Highness Annan.” Rotten Man whispered Annan’s name again and slowly approached Annan, “I thought you were already thrown into the sea.

“But, how did you survive the Black Sea?” He moved closer and closer to Annan.

Annan could only stare at him blankly, unable to reply, unable to act, and unable to think.

He wanted to retreat, but his body didn’t listen. Later, even the “thinking” itself became blurred and slow.

There was a pungent smell of tulips in Rotten Man’s breath.

Under that floral fragrance, Annan felt his consciousness gradually dissipate, and the world in front of him became blurred.

Just like doing aromatherapy when the customer was drowsy, a soothing and relaxing warm feeling emerged from the bottom of the heart.

But the next moment, frost flowed out from the bottom of his heart.

Annan trembled and woke up instantly.

He opened his eyes wide.

His gaze averted Rotten Man and looked behind Rotten Man.

A giant duke nearly 3 meters tall with a golden crying mask on his head appeared behind the Rotten Man.

“We haven’t seen each other for a long time, [Atabanus].” An old, low, and reverberant voice sounded.