Chapter 374: The Cost of Resurrection

Chapter 374: The Cost of Resurrection

Having witnessed Zhang Jingxu’s use of the Prophecy Art, Ling Ishikawa couldn’t help but smile and say, "Ling Ishikawa, your Prophecy Art seems a bit... how should I put it, unreliable, right? After all, you yourself admitted that the Prophecy Art is entirely random, and the targets of the prophecies are uncontrollable. So, I think, Ling Ishikawa, you might want to reconsider using that Prophecy Art."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement, sharing a similar sentiment. "Zhang Jingxu is right. Ling Ishikawa, your Prophecy Art, to put it bluntly, is more of an entertainment skill. It’s fine for amusement, but relying on it for useful information is nearly impossible."

Ling Ishikawa looked somewhat frustrated as he glanced at Liu Xing. He shrugged and replied, "Well, I do admit that the effectiveness of my Prophecy Art can be disappointing at times. But in the previous module, my Prophecy Art did work to some extent. After all, it predicted that Matsui Yui had once acted in a small film. It’s just that you all didn’t believe my prophecy back then. Besides, we have some spare time now, and using Prophecy Art once won’t hurt, right?"

Seeing Ling Ishikawa’s determination, Liu Xing relented, saying, "Alright, Ling Ishikawa, go ahead and use your Prophecy Art again. I hope this time it will be as successful as in the previous module. However, it’s getting late now. How about you wait until tomorrow to use the Prophecy Art? It has a lengthy casting time, and it’s already late at night. I don’t want to keep everyone waiting for too long."

After some consideration, Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement. He understood that the Prophecy Art had a significant pre-casting delay, and it wouldn’t be fair to make Liu Xing and the others wait for an extended period in the middle of the night.

Liu Xing checked his phone and continued, "Alright, the Private Room time is almost up. Let me wrap this up. First, tomorrow we’ll meet with Hu Cang to confirm the current timeline. Then, we need to find a way to deal with the troublesome Hu Li. At this point, Hu Li should be aware of our presence, just like the Hu Li from the previous timeline. She probably believes we are sent to deal with her. Knowing Hu Li’s personality, she’ll likely strike preemptively."

"Furthermore, Hu Li possesses highly covert methods. So, no matter how cautious we are, she has a high chance of cornering us. Escaping won’t solve our problem. We must confront Hu Li head-on. Of course, if we engage in a direct conflict with her, the chances of success are high, but it will come at a cost. While we can resurrect, we won’t be able to complete other missions during this timeline."

"So, I personally believe that the best approach to dealing with Hu Li is to appeal to her emotions and logic. Hu Li seems to genuinely care for her husband, so if we find the right approach, we might be able to persuade her to drop her hostility. I’ll take responsibility for this mission, as I had an extensive conversation with Hu Li after leaving the illusionary realm, and I believe I have a reasonable understanding of her."

The others readily agreed to Liu Xing’s proposal, understanding the gravity of the situation. They knew that if they didn’t resolve the Hu Li issue, their progress within this module would be severely hindered, as they’d have to tread carefully, fearing Hu Li’s sudden attacks at every step.

As for a direct confrontation, they all recognized its impracticality. Hu Li had considered them as enemies from the beginning, and she had complete control over their actions within the illusionary realm. Therefore, even before they reached Hu Li’s location, she might have set various traps, making it easy for her to eliminate them once again. They had no effective means to counter her abilities.

So, entrusting Liu Xing to negotiate with Hu Li was the most sensible and inevitable option.

Reflecting on this, Ling Ishikawa added a warning, "Liu Xing, you should be cautious. Hu Li, or should I say, the ’demon,’ seems somewhat unstable. To strike back at Hu Cang, she resorted to unspeakable acts against Xiao Mochen. Combining my personal experience, I suspect she might have a particular fixation on a certain ’unmentionable’ part. So, be prepared for her to potentially resort to such methods with you."

Ling Ishikawa’s words sent a chill down Liu Xing’s spine. His earlier impulsive decision to confront Hu Li alone now felt regrettable.

With a sigh, Liu Xing admitted, "I think I may not be able to handle Hu Li on my own..."

Before Liu Xing could finish, Zhang Jingxu patted him on the shoulder and said reassuringly, "Liu Xing, have faith in yourself. You’re the best."

The others nodded solemnly, though their faces betrayed amused smiles.

Liu Xing sighed again, realizing he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

At that moment, KP Snow Wind interjected, "Alright, the Private Room time has ended. Players, please prepare to continue playing your roles. However, there’s one more thing I didn’t get a chance to mention earlier. Although you can be resurrected in this module, you should be aware that it comes at a cost and has limitations."

"So, let me explain the resurrection rules for this module. Each player has three chances to be resurrected. After the third death, you’ll be eliminated from the game. Each resurrection will deduct 15 ’Truth’ points, and one of your skills will be randomly selected to have its value temporarily reduced by half in the next timeline."

Upon hearing KP Snow Wind’s words, Liu Xing quickly began to inspect his character card, only to discover that there were no abnormalities in the skill values listed on it.

Furrowing his brow, Liu Xing immediately inquired of KP Snow Wind, "KP, why haven’t my skill values decreased? Is it possible that we’ll only find out during Judgment?"

Hu Cang furrowed his brows, looking somewhat uneasy as he said, "Why are you asking this question? It shouldn’t have anything to do with us getting rid of the temporal distortion. So, I think I don’t need to answer this question."

Liu Xing sighed and spoke earnestly, "That may not necessarily be true, Mr. Hu Cang. I believe you already know the true identity of Hu Li, who is actually a fox that has cultivated to become a spirit. According to the information we currently have, Panlong Town may still be inhabited by various demons and monsters, which could potentially be linked to the temporal distortion in Panlong Town. So, we need to find a way to deal with these creatures one by one."

"But, Mr. Hu Cang, you should also know or have guessed how powerful these demons and monsters are. Just us ordinary people won’t be able to handle them. Therefore, we must find suitable allies to assist us. And the most suitable ally naturally would be Hu Li. After all, to defeat the demons, we need the help of someone like her who possesses extraordinary abilities."

Liu Xing’s persuasive argument left Hu Cang deep in thought.

At this moment, Zhang Jingxu seized the opportunity and added, "Ryuusei is right, these demons and monsters are likely the ones released by that fanatical cultist who came to Panlong Town to spread his beliefs. Moreover, that cultist has a strong connection to the current temporal distortion in Panlong Town. So, we all believe that the best way to resolve the Panlong Town temporal distortion is by eliminating these creatures one by one. That’s why we need your support, Mr. Hu Cang. Hu Li is our only viable ally right now."

Hu Cang sighed and spoke with a conflicted expression, "You’ve all probably guessed it already, there have been some disagreements between me and Hu Li about certain details, leading to the current situation. But I must clarify that Hu Li and I are not in a romantic relationship. The reason Hu Li likes me is that I once saved her when she was still in her fox form."

Then, Hu Cang began to narrate the story of his encounter with Hu Li, a rather clichéd tale of a fox repaying a favor.

When Hu Cang was eight years old, he was playing hide and seek with his friends on a hill across Panlong River. Due to strong winds in the previous days, the hill’s trees were in disarray, some even uprooted.

During the game of hide and seek, Hu Cang discovered Hu Li in her fox form, who hadn’t yet transformed into a human. At that moment, Hu Li’s leg was trapped under a bowl-sized tree, and so Hu Cang rescued her and brought her to his home for treatment. After her leg had healed, he released her back into the forest.

Two years ago, when Hu Li had transformed into a human, she came to Panlong Town to repay her debt to Hu Cang. Initially, Hu Cang didn’t recognize her as he couldn’t fathom how an animal could become human. However, he soon realized that Hu Li was excessively kind to him, in an abnormal way. Despite her intelligence, she exhibited childish behavior at times and lacked common knowledge.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Hu Cang asked Hu Li why she acted this way. To his surprise, Hu Li openly revealed her true identity and reverted to her fox form.

Seeing this, Hu Cang’s worldview was shattered, and when Hu Li proposed being together, he chose to decline. He used studying medicine in Rongcheng as an excuse to leave Panlong Town. This decision led to conflicts between him and Hu Li, eventually leading to their current situation.

After hearing Hu Cang and Hu Li’s story, Liu Xing first criticized the clichéd plot, then felt that Hu Cang was still hiding something.

So, Liu Xing asked once more, "Mr. Hu Cang, I have another question. Why did Hu Li choose Xiao Mochen? Panlong Town has so many people, why did she specifically target Xiao Mochen, and why didn’t you tell Xiao Mochen the truth?"

Perhaps feeling pressed by Liu Xing’s questioning, Hu Cang responded with some irritation, "Why are you asking me these questions? Do I have control over whom Hu Li chooses? And if I were to tell Xiao Mochen the truth, he might be in danger!"

With that, Hu Cang turned and walked away.

Liu Xing didn’t expect such a strong reaction from Hu Cang and found himself at a loss for words.

Therefore, Liu Xing simply shrugged and said, "Forget it. Since Mr. Hu Cang is unwilling to talk about it now, we’ll have to find the answers ourselves. But for now, we should all return to our rooms and rest. It’s getting late."

Everyone nodded and bid each other goodnight, heading back to their respective rooms to rest.

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