Chapter 31: The Second Phase of the Mission

Chapter Thirty-One: The Second Phase of the Quest

Shen Ce straightened his posture, his expression solemn as he gazed at the old high priest, his tone drawn out and ceremonious. “Fortunately, I have not failed your trust.”

A look of relief appeared on the high priest’s face, and only then did he approach Sarlos, who stood beside Shen Ce. With a faint trace of puzzlement, he said, “Young man, I feel as though I have met you somewhere before.”

Sarlos lifted his head slightly, his tone calm and without the slightest hint of emotion. “You seem very familiar to me as well.”

The high priest wearily rubbed his sunken cheek, letting out a long sigh. “I am old now, and my memory is no longer clear.” Suddenly, a sharp gleam flashed in the high priest’s eyes. His gaze swept over Shen Ce and Sarlos, finally settling on Sarlos with a grave expression. “Yet, young man, you do not seem to be a follower of the God of Light. Since Zero has chosen you as a companion, could you promise me one thing?”

Shen Ce was startled by the high priest’s piercing gaze. Moments ago, the high priest had seemed frail and enfeebled, but now Shen Ce could feel a powerful aura emanating from him.

Sarlos, however, remained as indifferent as ever, neither confirming nor denying the high priest’s judgment. His voice was low, as gentle as a spring rain falling in the dark night. “Please speak.”

The high priest’s expression became severe. “I want you to swear that, during the mission, you will not harm Zero, nor abandon the quest midway.”

Did the high priest mean that if Sarlos refused, the next phase of the mission would not be given?

Upon hearing this, Shen Ce sharply turned his gaze to Sarlos, who pressed his lips together tightly, betraying no emotion. Shen Ce himself was baffled by the high priest’s insistence—after all, the mission already stated that once the S-rank side quest was accepted, it could not be abandoned midway, or else there would be a penalty of five experience levels, and both reputation and faith points would plummet. What player would want to suffer such a loss?

Nevertheless, the high priest’s caution was not without reason. Most devout NPC followers of the God of Light harbored some prejudice against outsiders, and professions such as assassins, even if they belonged to the righteous faction, were often shunned by them.

After a moment of silence, Sarlos’s lips curled into a faint smile. He looked at Shen Ce, his eyes shining like stars. “I, Sarlos, swear in my own name: during this mission, I will neither harm Zero nor betray him.”

Shen Ce felt a bit uneasy under Sarlos’s gaze. This subtle and inexplicable feeling was not new; ever since he realized how easily his own emotions were affected by Sarlos, he had tried to avoid direct eye contact with this mysterious assassin.

The high priest nodded with satisfaction, his imposing aura vanishing instantly, making him indistinguishable from any other frail old man. “Very well. I trust Zero and Zero’s companion. Now, I will tell you about the second phase of the mission, which can also be called the most crucial part.”

The high priest paused, a fierce light burning in his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly. “That is—to infiltrate the palace of the Demon Domain. I myself have never been there, so you must find your own way to the Demon Palace. The only thing I can offer is a spell that will allow you to temporarily disguise yourselves as demons.”

Shen Ce was somewhat surprised by this. “You mean, we have to retrieve the sacred relic as members of the Demon race?” It was indeed a good plan, but he wondered how long the high priest’s “temporary disguise” would last.

As if reading Shen Ce’s thoughts, the high priest stroked his white beard. “Exactly. The spell will cloak you with a demonic aura for six hours at a time. Before the spell’s effects wear off, you must find a secluded place to recast it. However, this spell is extremely taxing. If you are interrupted midway, your magical elements will become chaotic and you’ll fall into a weakened state.”

Six hours. Shen Ce pondered that this was sufficient time. As long as they were cautious, there should be no major issues. “High Priest, after we disguise ourselves as demons, what should we do about our abilities? Sarlos is an assassin and can use martial skills, but I am a priest. If I use light-based spells, won’t that expose my identity?”

The high priest smiled, regarding both Shen Ce and Sarlos for a moment. “You need not worry about that. There is a profession among the dark faction called shadow priests. Though we, as priests of the Light, look down on them, disguising as a demon allows you to use the shadow priest’s abilities to mask your identity. While the spell is active, all your light-based spells will be converted to shadow priest spells.”

This revelation startled Shen Ce. If that was true, wouldn’t he essentially have two classes at once?

Shadow priest was a hidden class known for higher attack and agility than the priests of light. If the shadow priest’s abilities were as powerful as rumored, Shen Ce couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t be tempted to defect to the demon side—after all, he was a player, not an NPC bound by faith.

Moreover, if a war broke out between the factions of Light and Darkness, and he used the spell to kill members of both sides, how would his contribution points be calculated? It almost seemed like a loophole.

While Shen Ce was lost in thought, the high priest handed him a parchment scroll. “Memorize this spell now, both of you. Return it to me once you have finished.”

“Ding—Congratulations to player Zero for accepting the second phase of ‘Retrieve the Sacred Relic Stolen by the Demon Race’: Find a way to the Demon Palace. Quest Hint: To suppress the dark energy of Ling Shui City, the wounded high priest has tirelessly reinforced the seal. To ease his worries, you and your companion sought out the ancient battlefield and successfully inherited the power of the gods. But now, a new problem arises: the route to the Demon Palace is unknown. Where will you seek it?”

Shen Ce had an excellent memory and quickly committed the spell to heart. Sarlos only glanced at the parchment before returning it to the high priest.

To demonstrate, the high priest cast the spell on himself. After the incantation, he looked much the same as before, without any of the sinister aura Shen Ce had imagined. The only change was that his once emerald eyes turned a pale shade of violet.

The high priest explained, “Demons always have a trace of purple in their eyes. The deeper the purple, the stronger the power. Thus, the rank of a demon is easy to judge—ordinary low-level demons have eyes as pale as mine, while high-ranking demons have eyes as dark as amethyst, nearly black.”

Shen Ce recalled this setting from “Horizons of Heaven.” Reminded by the high priest, he was tempted to see what shade his own eyes would turn after casting the spell. But since he still needed to enter the city, and didn’t want to be attacked by the guard NPCs, he refrained.

After learning the spell, Shen Ce and Sarlos left the sanctuary. Standing in the corridor of the temple, they saw the sky outside had already darkened, thick black clouds blotting out the sun and heralding an imminent downpour.

A warm wind blew, the air stifling and oppressive. Sarlos’s wide cloak billowed in the wind as he gazed toward the stormy horizon, a frosty smile on his lips. “It’s about to rain.”

His tone, nearly a mutter to himself, drew Shen Ce’s gaze to the cloud-laden sky. Everything in “Horizons of Heaven” was remarkably realistic. Clear days were most common, but storms, snow, thunder, and hail would occasionally appear—nothing unusual.

Sarlos’s odd tone left Shen Ce perplexed, but instead of responding, he asked, “Sarlos, where do you think we should go to find the way to the Demon Palace?”

It was unfortunate that “Horizons of Heaven” had not yet implemented two-way teleportation between the Light and Dark factions. According to the game’s official announcements, this feature would only be unlocked once both sides had over a hundred level-thirty players. Until then, anyone wishing to reach enemy territory would have to spend considerable time and effort to find a way to sneak across.

Sarlos turned to meet Shen Ce’s gaze. Though his face was obscured by a mask, the flawless curve of his cheek suggested he was not lacking in looks. He replied, “I believe there is one place where we will surely find it.”

“Where?” Shen Ce asked, his expression puzzled. He had been pondering this question in the sanctuary but to no avail.

Just then, the skies outside erupted into a torrential downpour. Sheets of rain shrouded Ling Shui City in a misty gray, and flashes of purple lightning flickered in the distance, soon followed by the rumble of thunder.

“The Royal Library.” With these words, Sarlos strode into the rain without looking back.

Watching Sarlos step into the downpour without so much as an umbrella, Shen Ce hesitated, but soon noticed something astonishing: Sarlos’s hair and clothes remained perfectly neat and dry—the raindrops simply couldn’t touch him, splashing aside as if repelled by an invisible barrier.

What a bizarre technique. Still, using a magical shield to ward off the rain seemed to Shen Ce an indulgence of leisure.

Standing under the eaves, Shen Ce pondered the Royal Library Sarlos had mentioned. The name was not unfamiliar, though he knew little more about it than that. As the name implied, only royal NPCs were allowed to enter; if a player wished to enter, they would need to either hold an official position in the imperial capital or possess a special token of introduction.

It was far too late to secure an imperial post, and obtaining a token was no easy task. How were he and Sarlos supposed to enter the Royal Library?

The sky grew darker still. Fat raindrops, driven by the wind, soon formed rivulets on the ground.

At last, Shen Ce quietly opened his umbrella and stepped into the wind and rain.

Rain drummed relentlessly on his black umbrella, soaking his boots halfway through. In that moment, Shen Ce couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy toward Sarlos.

Author’s Note: Silent Night threw a landmine at 22:36:54 on August 5, 2014. [Thank you so much for the landmine, I’m so moved, hugs and kisses (* /w＼*)] [Since I’m updating daily anyway, I’m considering setting a fixed update time. I’ll do my best orz]