PRFG: Chapter 33

An ancient building stood in a corner of the city, buried by bustling lights. It was often an existence that was easily overlooked.

“This is it. Coleridge’s Store.” Chi Ting confirmed the content of the daily task and was about to take a step forward when a hand appeared in his field of view without warning.

By the time he looked up, Yue Ren had already pushed open the door of the store and walked in first.

Chi Tang had felt Yue Ren’s sudden motivation before, but it was only at this time that he realized this man seemed to really resist from the bottom of his heart the fact that his blood might change its taste.

Chi Ting slightly raised an eyebrow. Then a smile appeared on his face, and he quickly followed the man in.

He couldn’t see it when he was outside, but after entering, Chi Ting discovered that Coleridge’s Store was actually a bookstore.

The smell of decay hit his nose the moment he walked in.

The orderly furnishings in the store clearly looked spotless, but the overly strong smell did cause a moment of nausea.

It smelled like too many old books had been eaten away by the years or the juice that burst out after being crushed by shriveled maggots. It was very similar to the smell of rotten meat that had accumulated for a long time.

Chi Ting’s gaze swept over the bookshelves around him.

It was a new wood material and even the texture was very clear. This made the whole bookstore become full of a strong and warm literary atmosphere in addition to this unbearable smell.

The surrounding walls might’ve been treated but sporadic residual scorch marks could still be captured in some corners. This easily gave people the idea that this store should be rebuilt after the fire. It wasn’t known how much investment was required to restore it to the current level.

Yue Ren casually picked up a book and flipped through a few pages. Then he showed it to Chi Ting. “Many tourist attractions have bookstores. The books sold here are various versions of small-town story books or the city’s chronicles. This daily task is quite instructive. After completing the game here, I will buy a few books and go back to read them. Such detailed introductions should give us a deeper understanding of the historical heritage of this ancient city.”

Chi Ting glanced at the book in Yue Ren’s hand and took another one from the bookshelf next to him.

After comparison, it was found that the versions might be different, but they were indeed a collection of stories introducing the legend of the heroes of the ancient city of Aleran.

He stood there and started reading. But before he could take a second look, he was interrupted by an angry voice from upstairs. “Who allowed you to touch the books in my store? Take your dirty hands away!”

Chi Ting immediately put the book back with lightning speed. Then when he turned his head, he realized that the old man who walked out wasn’t looking at him but was staring motionlessly at Yue Ren next to him. The old man repeated with an angry look on his face, “Didn’t you hear? Take your dirty hands away from my book, you lowly slave!”Q

Such a hoarse and harsh sound was like a saw cutting at dead wood.

It was previously hidden by the shadows. It wasn’t until the waddling figure stumbled into the light that Chi Ting could see that shriveled and strange face clearly. He was like a skeleton simply covered by a layer of human skin. The eyeballs deeply set into the eye sockets could barely see the whites of the eyes. It was as if the blood vessels inside had completely burst. Only the dark pupils left underneath the redness stared directly at Yue Ren.

There was a brief silence.

Just as Chi Ting was hesitating over whether to promote the human virtue of respecting the old and caring for the young or now, Yue Ren smiled slightly. He put the book in his hand back on the bookshelf and innocently showed his empty hands. He easily obeyed, and it was completely different from his normal attitude.

The store manager hummed in a muffled voice while tapping the cane on the ground. Then he shifted his gaze to Chi Ting. “Welcome, explorer. Please follow me to experience the project of this store.”

His attitude changed, and it was many times better than the way he treated the slave, Yue Ren.

However, this rusty, saw-like voice was really too unpleasant to hear. Combine this with the pair of blood-red eyes staring straight through the sunken eye sockets, and it was really difficult to associate any kindness with this old man.

Chi Ting smiled very politely. “Okay, you lead the way.”

The storekeeper turned around as stiffly as a puppet. He led them to the inner door while not forgetting to tap the sign next to him with his cane.

It said: Please take care of your slaves and dogs while in the store.

“……” Chi Ting looked back instinctively and found that Yue Ren was also looking toward him.

Then he watched helplessly as the man’s lips curved up, and he opened his mouth to say, “Woof?”

Chi Ting: “……”

Too childish.

After walking through the door and continuing inside, he could smell that the rotten stench in the store was getting stronger. It obviously wasn’t the musty smell of the books.

There was the distinct smell of rotting meat. Even without the cover of the smell inside, Chi Ting vaguely felt that he could clearly smell the same smell from the old man in front of him.

The old man was unaware of the unpleasant smell around him. He led them inside stiffly and introduced the situation of the store, “Welcome to the historical experience center of the ancient city of Aleran. We don’t provide additional adventurer treasure chests here, so few explorers are willing to visit. You are our first guest today. Oh yes, you can call me Old Coleridge if you like.”

Then he opened another door and walked in. He paused slightly and made a ‘please’ gesture that didn’t look very skillful. “We’ve arrived.”

There weren’t any of the shocking images that might appear in their imagination. The last room looked like an extremely simple reading room.

Apart from the same humanistic promotional books displayed around them, there was only a square table placed alone in the center of the room. There was a pen and a stack of white paper neatly placed on the table. Everything was simple at a glance.

This scene was enough to make some guesses, but Chi Ting still asked one more question without giving up. “This is?”

“Our city welcomes explorers, but in addition to adventure, it is important to combine work and play. Since you have come to our bookstore, we hope you can calm down and feel the heart of the heroes of the ancient city of Aleran.”

Old Coleridge spoke with a smile, but this expression made his skeleton-like face seem even weirder. “As long as you completely copy three excerpts from the city’s chronicles, you can leave here. Of course, you can stay here longer if you want. I heard that as long as you have enough courage, a true hero might be able to hear the call from ancient times.”

It was really an excerpt.

This was obviously extremely simple compared to the adventure projects that they encountered before. However, Chi Ting’s expression became visibly painful at this moment.

He was silent for a long time before glancing at Yue Ren beside him and clearing his throat. “According to the rules of the city, letting the slave complete it should be the same, right?”

“No way!” The smile on Old Coleridge’s face disappeared instantly. He stared at Chi Ting expressionlessly, and his tone hardly had any ups and downs. “I said that the history of the ancient city of Aleran is sacred. Only the true heroes can feel the heart of the heroes left in the city. A lowly existence like a slave will only pollute the purity of the city.”

In stark contrast to this disgusted remark, Old Coleridge had an expectant and hot look as he gazed at Chi Ting again. “Come on, let’s get started. My dear explorer, as long as you know the history of Aleran, I believe you can understand my feelings. I guarantee that you will be willing to dedicate your life to the city.”

Chi Ting and Yue Ren exchanged looks. Then Chi Ting sighed helplessly. “I understand. I’ll copy it, I’ll copy it.”

Chi Ting casually picked up a book of city records and sat down at the table. The moment he saw Old Coleridge closing the door and leaving, he returned his attention back to the tools on the table.

It was just ordinary pen and paper no matter how he looked at it. However, the attitude of Old Coleridge was really weird. Obviously, something must happen during the copying process.

“Say…” Chi Ting looked up and paused.

In his line of sight, he could see that Yue Ren had already found a position by the wall not far away and sat down comfortably.

This reading room had only one door and there were no windows.

Yue Ren looked quite at ease despite such a strong, rotten smell.

He closed his eyes and was already preparing to take a nap while Chi Ting was copying. Now he heard this and opened his eyes slightly, asking, “Huh?”

Chi Ting paused for a moment. “Forget it. It’s nothing.”

Then he looked at the paper and pen in front of him and couldn’t help sighing again.

Usually, he didn’t mind using his brain, but facing so many words at once gave him a headache from the bottom of his heart.

Moreover, the books in this reading room were obviously different from the books on the shelves outside.

The layout and content should be the same, but the books here used a type of text that Chi Ting couldn’t understand. It was probably the local language used by the residents of this city. However, the weird characters that twisted and turned like earthworms only made him feel more sleepy when he looked at them.

“In fact, I’m quite willing to share your worries. Unfortunately, the rules don’t allow it.”

Chi Ting was about to frown when he heard such a sentence and looked over.

Their eyes met, and Yue Ren smiled slightly. “I might not be able to help you, but I can at least ensure that you have a perfect mission environment. So in order to reward you for your hard work in copying, don’t pay attention if anything else happens during this period. Let me take care of it. I don’t know if such a division of labor is satisfactory?”

Chi Ting noticed that their shadows on the ground had been connected together at some point. He slightly raised an eyebrow, and there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Okay, I am very satisfied.”

He laid out the white paper on the table and picked up the pen placed next to him.

Among the rules on the panel, there was one that emphasized the importance of the daily tasks. He believed that he could find some additional, important clues from this.

Chi Ting followed the unfamiliar words on the city records and wrote them out one by one.

For a moment, the only sound remaining in the silent reading room was the rustling of the pen tip.

At first, he simply carried out the task. Then gradually, Chi Ting’s speed of writing unknowingly increased.

He was surprised to find that it was obviously an unfamiliar text, but as he kept copying, he actually understood the recorded legends and stories of this ancient city.

These distorted words gradually started to swim in front of Chi Ting, burning into his eyes silently. It gradually outlined a complex and strange pattern in his pupils.

This was the ancient emblem of the city of Aleran that always hung high in the city’s fountain square. It represented the absolute purity of the holy cross.

Every passing explorer had stopped to look at it from a distance, and all residents paid the most pious courtesy to it every day, thanking the heroes for bringing peace and tranquility to the city.

At this time, the expanding lines seemed to be continuing to spread toward the deeper levels of Chi Ting’s consciousness.

Silently, bloody crosses bloomed in his eyes, and he saw countless epic scenes from the past.

In the empty reading room, only the ceiling lamp emitted a faint light.

From Yue Ren’s perspective, Chi Ting’s figure with a straight back was still seriously copying it.

His gaze stayed on this person’s side profile for a long time. The black shadow under his feet suddenly moved eagerly and tightly entangled with Chi Ting’s shadow.

Everything seemed to be just a simple action that was completely casual. Yue Ren’s behavior was simply for the sake of being happy. It would be taken back after a sneak touch.

However, the moment when their shadows touched, Yue Ren’s expression changed slightly as he noticed something.

The next second, he suddenly got up from the ground. He walked to the table with a few steps, placed a hand on the table, and leaned toward the other person. “Chi Ting?”

Chi Ting copied it very seriously.

It was different from his previous sharpness. Even at such a close distance, he was completely unaware of Chi Ting’s presence and continued writing on the white paper stroke by stroke.

Yue Ren frowned and reached out to grab Chi Ting’s wrist.

Almost instinctively, Chi Ting wanted to continue after being interrupted. However, after several efforts, he was unable to break free from Yue Ren.

He finally looked up slowly.

The moment they looked at each other, Yue Ren finally saw the blooming emblem in the other person’s eyes, almost occupying the entire pupil.

The dense, bloody threads were like spider webs spreading layer by layer, like thorns that grew infinitely.

The scarlet cross bloomed magnificently and richly.

Yue Ren leaned forward slightly and stared straight into Chi Ting’s obviously dull and turbid gaze.

Obviously, this state of confusion itself was very abnormal.

Yue Ren paused as if to confirm something very important. Then he asked clearly, “Chi Ting, do you remember who I am?”

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