Online Game: Evil Dragon Against The Heaven - 188
“Fifth question…” Yaya’s voice, which by now had Ye Tian Xie on edge, rang out again: “This question is super simple, big brother. You must listen carefully! Hmm… big brother, do you know who the Mercenary King of the Lost Continent was a hundred years ago?”
Ye Tian Xie’s whole body trembled. His battered self-confidence seemed to fully return in that instant. Puffing out his chest, he confidently answered, “Yes, it was Ren Zhan Qing!”
Yaya clapped her little hands and cheerfully said, “Wow! Big brother is so smart! Now here’s the question… If Ren Zhan Qing were still alive today, how would the Lost Continent be different?”
Finally encountering a question he could partially answer, Ye Tian Xie carefully pondered for a long moment before replying, “If Ren Zhan Qing were still alive today, the Lost Continent would have the strongest new 《Heavenly Soul Mercenary Group》. The continent’s mercenary guilds and teams would also be far more prosperous and powerful than they are now.”
“Wrong!” Yet another bucket of cold water was poured over Ye Tian Xie’s head. “If Ren Zhanqing were still alive, the only difference would be… there would be one more living person in the Lost Continent!”
Ye Tian Xie: “…………”
He suddenly felt like his twenty-something years of life had been utterly wasted.
“Sixth question… Out of ten questions, you must get five correct to enter the Frozen Wolf Cavern. Big brother, you’ve already gotten five wrong! If you get even one more wrong, you won’t be able to enter today. Listen carefully! The sixth question is… why can mice fly!?”
Ye Tian Xie’s face darkened. “How would I know… mice don’t fly!”
Yaya cheerfully responded, “Wrong! Mice can fly because they ate a divine elixir.”
Ye Tian Xie: “……” What kind of answer is that?!
Yaya continued, “Okay, big brother, then why can snakes fly?”
Ye Tian Xie, now completely expressionless, replied, “Because they ate a divine elixir.”
“Wrong again!” Yaya shouted. “Snakes can fly because they ate mice.”
Ye Tian Xie: “……” (Utterly speechless.)
Yaya pressed on, “Then why can eagles fly?”
Ye Tian Xie answered woodenly, “Because they ate snakes.”
“Wrong, wrong, wrong!” Yaya exclaimed. “Big brother, you’re so dumb! Eagles can fly because they were born to fly!”
Ye Tian Xie: “￥#*%%#&￥!…………”
Yaya blinked her bright eyes and pouted. “Big brother, you’ve already gotten six out of ten questions wrong. That means Yaya can’t send you to the Frozen Wolf Cavern today. The Goddess of Creation said that if someone isn’t smart enough, they’ll be eaten by the big scary wolf inside. But big brother, you can try again tomorrow! Oh, and by the way, big brother, remember to bring enough money tomorrow, because the magic on the Snow-Walking Shoes only lasts for twelve hours. If you come back, you’ll have to buy another pair!”
Looking at Yaya’s rosy little face and innocent eyes, Ye Tian Xie finally understood what it meant to encounter a ruthless merchant… A pair of shoes for 1000 gold coins, with no choice but to buy them. Worse, you might not even get to use them—purchasing them only gave you the right to answer her questions. If you failed, you’d have to buy them again next time.
You little rascal… Couldn’t you let me buy them after I pass the test?!
“Well then, goodbye, little sister,” Ye Tian Xie said with a strained smile, trying his best to look pleasant as he waved to her and turned away. However, instead of returning to town, he walked toward a corner.
“Goodbye, big brother… Eh? Big brother, where are you going? This place is sealed; you can’t get out, you know!” Yaya called out cheerfully from her perch atop the snowman.
With his back to Yaya, Ye Tian Xie gripped the Destiny’s Hour and said softly, “Guo Guo, come out quickly.”
“Ugh… No! It smells really scary outside,” came Guo Guo’s timid voice in his mind.
“Don’t worry. We left that place long ago. It’s a beautiful snowy landscape out here now, something you’ve never seen before,” Ye Tian Xie coaxed gently.
After a brief silence, a small ball of white light appeared on Ye Tian Xie’s shoulder. Guo Guo, pinching her tiny nose, cautiously emerged beside him. Then, her eyes widened, her mouth opened in awe, and she let go of her nose as a soft exclamation of wonder escaped her lips.
“Wow! Snow… Is this snow? It’s so beautiful!”
The northern area was a high, snow-covered gorge, and at the bottom of the gorge lay a faintly visible cave entrance. The entrance was blocked by a massive wall of ice, likely the gateway to the Frozen Wolf Cavern. Everywhere else was a vast expanse of white, with snow blanketing the ground. Occasionally, patches of vegetation or trees appeared, but they too were covered with snow, exuding a sense of pure and luxurious beauty.
In Jinghua, snow fell every winter. When Ye Tian Xie was young, winter and snow were the things he feared most, as they brought him closest to death. Later, when she appeared, watching the snow with her helped him forget the cold despair it once brought. For the first time, he discovered and appreciated the beauty of snow. The snowy scenery here was even purer and more visually striking than in reality. While Ye Tian Xie wasn’t particularly moved, Guo Guo, who was clearly seeing snow for the first time, was utterly captivated. After all, pure things were her favorite—what she desired most to be near.
Ye Tian Xie held back, letting her admire the pristine white world and listening to her occasional exclamations of delight and soft, clear laughter. After three minutes, he finally spoke the reason he had called her out.
“Guo Guo, come out for a moment… Do you still have any lollipops on you?”
As Guo Guo floated down from the air, she immediately became alert after hearing Ye Tian Xie’s words. Nervously, she asked, “Master… what are you trying to do…? You’re a grown-up; you can’t steal a little girl’s lollipops!”
Ye Tian Xie’s eyebrow twitched slightly before he continued, “Look, that little sister over there… oh, wait, that little girl. She looks even younger than you and is so cute. How about we give her a few lollipops?”
Guo Guo looked around twelve or thirteen years old, while Yaya clearly looked like an eight or nine-year-old kid… though far craftier than most kids!
“No, no, no! The lollipops are mine! Nobody else can have them… absolutely not!” Guo Guo immediately retreated several steps, shaking her head vigorously. Her eyes were filled with suspicion as she stared at him, clearly afraid he might try to snatch them by force.
“Well, fine.” Ye Tian Xie had expected this response. Trying to get something Guo Guo liked out of her hands was harder than pulling teeth from a tiger. Based on countless past experiences, he knew that getting anything from Guo Guo required nn times the compensation. With a sigh of resignation, he said, “Guo Guo, if you give me three lollipops now, I’ll buy you a hundred more tonight… plus have your Eldes sister Fei Fei make lots of your favorite snacks. How about that?”
Whoosh! Three lollipops instantly appeared in Guo Guo’s hand. She eagerly held them out to Ye Tian Xie with a big grin. “I knew Master was the best to Guo Guo! You have to keep your promise, okay? Otherwise, Guo Guo will get very, very angry!”
Her worried, reluctant expression from earlier vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by pure happiness. The speed at which she handed over the lollipops was so quick it seemed like she had them prepared in advance, just waiting for him to say those words. As he looked at the three lollipops in his hand, Ye Tian Xie couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—aren’t lolis supposed to be the epitome of innocence? Why are both Guo Guo and Yaya craftier than foxes…
Lollipop: A sweet treat popular with children.
Effect: Hunger -2, Health +5.
The lollipop’s stats were so negligible that they were almost laughable. However, if an average player saw it, it would undoubtedly cause a massive stir. The issue wasn’t that lollipops existed in this world—it was the packaging.
If someone claimed this lollipop had been brought into the game world from reality, who would believe them? 100% of people would dismiss it as a joke.
The Destiny’s Hour had appeared in the world of Destiny, Guo Guo could freely traverse between the game and reality, and she clearly possessed the ability to bring items between the two worlds. Ye Tian Xie had known for a long time that these things hinted at a terrifying truth.
His instincts told him that if this truth were uncovered, the resulting consequences might shake the world to its core. The things Proros had said before the world of Destiny was launched, his mysterious suicide and cryptic final words… and the very name of this game world—Destiny!
While others played the game for the sake of playing, he had always quietly sought the answers to this unspeakable mystery.
That said, the only thing Guo Guo had brought from the real world into the game so far was lollipops. Ye Tian Xie had tried countless times to trick or coax her into bringing other items to see what might happen, but she always pouted and refused with a surprising sense of principle. After repeated failures, Ye Tian Xie had no choice but to give up.
Putting two of the lollipops into his bag, Ye Tian Xie walked toward the curious little girl who had been staring at him. As he approached, Yaya asked, “Big brother, why haven’t you left yet? You got all the questions wrong. If you want to enter the Frozen Wolf Cavern, you’ll have to come back tomorrow… Eh? What’s that pretty thing in your hand?”
“It’s candy… It’s called a lollipop,” Ye Tian Xie replied, holding the lollipop up in front of Yaya. Since she was sitting on the snowman, she barely reached his eye level. “It’s edible, and it tastes great. Why don’t you try it?”
“Edible?” Yaya blinked, then looked up at him warily. “Big brother, the Goddess of Creation said I can’t accept bribes. So no matter what, I’m not letting you into the Frozen Wolf Cavern today.”