Published at 8th of October 2024 3:14 am

Chapter 1503: The Cry from the House of Usher

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There was a noble explanation for Queen Nocturna’s action and a darker one.

The noble explanation was that the girl did not intend to lie; she only feared that they would lie, so she unconsciously put away the text after they spoke.

Lin Sanjiu was inclined to think better of people but was not so naive.

The darker explanation was, naturally, that the other party knew that she would also be affected by the text and did not wish to tell the truth, so she put the text away.

But if that was the case, how would it explain that the girl was not affected by the words of hunger or locust? If she was immune to hunger and locusts—and it did seem that way now—then she should be immune to honesty as well, right?

After Lin Sanjiu put away the piece of paper, the latter had not sent her a second message. She couldn’t write down her doubts to tell Yu Yuan since Queen Nocturna was half a step ahead, frequently turning back to glance at her and talk. The girl had just turned her head again, her square jaw moving up and down as she said, “You’re one of those legendary humanoid Special Items, aren’t you?”

Startled, Lin Sanjiu realized she was talking about Yu Yuan. The advantage of being the Veda was that he showed no emotional reaction—no matter what he was called.

“Yes,” she said. Although lying to her benefactor made her feel somewhat guilty, when it involved Yu Yuan, she had to apologize to the girl this time. Tentatively, she asked, “You noticed?”

Queen Nocturna turned her head and said with a laugh, “If it’s not affected by text, then it’s definitely not human! I’ve never encountered such humanoid Special Items before, but now that I see one, it’s nothing special. I recognized it at a glance.”

She signaled Lin Sanjiu to come closer, smiling. “I have a good impression of you, so I’ll teach you something. If it can be recognized, the humanoid Special Item is useless, and its greatest value is lost. You must have spent a lot of money on this, right? Don’t waste your money on this in the future.”

If the three humanoid Special Items in the card inventory could hear, they would surely be protesting by now. Lin Sanjiu said nothing, only nodding. “Hmm.”

Only then did Queen Nocturna glance at Yu Yuan from the corner of her eye. “However, maybe they could be useful as assistants? I’ve never tried these kinds of items before.”

The use of humanoid Special Items was not a topic worth discussing.

Lin Sanjiu hummed again, focusing on the information that Queen Nocturna had inadvertently revealed—”If it’s not affected by text, then it’s definitely not human.” Firstly, this implied that non-humans were unaffected by text, giving her many ideas. Secondly, it was an admission that the girl could be affected by text, too.

Her not being human was not impossible, but it was highly unlikely. At this distance, Lin Sanjiu could clearly perceive physiological signs like her breathing, heartbeat, and carotid artery, all of which belonged to human posthumans.

And they belonged to a rather—um, rather ordinary group among posthumans.

Since the girl had saved her, Lin Sanjiu momentarily changed her choice of words.

What defines the rank of a posthuman, besides fighting capability, are qualities like intelligence, reaction, and insight. With just a slight probing, Lin Sanjiu made the other party reveal important information, indirectly showing that Queen Nocturna was not some extraordinary person.

How did she become one of the game makers? Lin Sanjiu thought about it but did not ask directly. “How long have you been here?”

Unexpectedly, in just a few seconds of silence, Queen Nocturna seemed to become displeased again. She moved ahead by half a step, leading Lin Sanjiu, who asked her twice in quick succession. Queen Nocturna finally responded without turning her head, “Why do you ask that?”

“I want to know more about this place.”

“You keep asking questions here and there, all haphazardly. I don’t know how to explain to you. Wait for me to introduce it to you when we get back!” Queen Nocturna suddenly stopped, facing an open concrete area. “Not far ahead, there’s a valley. This area is quite dangerous, so you’ll have to follow my instructions.”

Lin Sanjiu looked at the ceiling above her head and the concrete walls around her. “A valley?”

“Each of us has the ability to modify our living environment,” Queen Nocturna said, very willing to explain her unique abilities. “Lord Tremors has turned one of the rooms into a study, while the person ahead has transformed a large space into a valley.”

Lord Tremors was a name so sour that Lin Sanjiu didn’t dare to ask who lived ahead. She decided to call that person Jackie Valley.

The wide concrete floor gradually sloped down to form a gentle incline. As they followed Queen Nocturna down the slope, in the blink of an eye, the view changed dramatically—the walls turned into wild, overgrown fields; dry and dark forests replaced the concrete road, and black crows occasionally swept across the broad, hazy sky.

Yu Yuan played the part of a human-like object, so Lin Sanjiu had to take on the responsibility of asking questions. “Why is it dangerous here?”

“Dangerous for you, not for me.” Queen Nocturna walked confidently on the muddy path between the wild grass. “Edgar Allan Poe can’t harm me, but if he sees you…”

Sensing in the pause that the girl didn’t know, Lin Sanjiu asked, “What will he do?”

“Asking so many questions only creates anxiety. Better to follow my lead. Besides me, being so soft-hearted, no one else here will help you,” the girl said. “Your unusual entrance, if discovered, could lead to anything. I’ll go ask him about Ji Shanqing, while you two hide well and don’t get caught.”

“Is he related to that apartment game?”

This time, Queen Nocturna answered quite readily. “We usually write our games independently, not knowing what the others have created. I only heard once from a volunteer that Edgar Allan Poe seems to have written a game set in an apartment.”

‘What is their relationship with the volunteers?’

This question surfaced, and Lin Sanjiu swallowed it back. The priority now was to rescue the grand prize; everything else was secondary. She now understood how to deal with Queen Nocturna.

“I see. Thank you so much. Otherwise, we wouldn’t know where to find this… this Edgar Allan Poe.”

Logically speaking, this was the truth, but she found it uncomfortable to say.

Queen Nocturna simply replied, “You think I want to help you? The less trouble, the better. Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?”

Edgar Allan Poe—no, Valley Johnson’s residence was located deep in the valley, inside a large house. From afar, the country villa looked gray and decaying, indeed reminiscent of the collapsed House of Usher. As the group approached, Queen Nocturna’s expression grew increasingly serious.

Just before heading towards the mansion’s entrance, she instructed the two to squat in a nearby bush and whispered, “Don’t run around; wait for me here. If anything changes, I’ll meet you here.”

“What could change?”

“What if he really did capture someone and attacks me in anger when I ask him about it?” the girl asked Lin Sanjiu. “How could you not think of that?”

‘Didn’t you say he can’t harm you?’

Lin Sanjiu swallowed her retort, made a polite reply, and watched as the girl headed toward the House of Usher. The two sat in the bushes, watching her knock on the door and be led in by someone whose face they couldn’t see. Finally, Yu Yuan spoke up.

“I don’t quite understand something.”

“Go on.”

“With your combat ability, you could subdue that female at any time and force all the information about this place out of her,” Yu Yuan said flatly. “I understand why you didn’t do that; the moral burden would be too heavy. After all, she saved you. But why isn’t she afraid of that possibility?”

Lin Sanjiu thought for a moment. “Maybe she believes that since she can help me find someone, I wouldn’t dare harm her.”

But even she wasn’t convinced by this guess.

“She must be confident that you can’t hurt her. If she, as a game maker, is protected by this world, then why does Lord Tremors seem so wary of us, even using a Special Item?” Perhaps only the Veda could say this without a hint of irony.

Lin Sanjiu sighed. “I can’t figure it out. I have more than one question. Don’t they teleport? How did they become creators? Where did they get their literary ability? How many people are there? Does Queen Nocturna have some agenda? I have too many questions, but I’ve gotten too little information from her.”

“Then we might as well go in and hear what they’re talking about.” Yu Yuan nodded towards the House of Usher.

Lin Sanjiu couldn’t help but smile. “I thought the Veda wouldn’t have this idea. I’ve been waiting for you to say that for a while.”

Even though Yu Yuan’s combat ability was not what it used to be, it shouldn’t be difficult for the two of them to sneak into the House of Usher—at least, that’s what Lin Sanjiu thought before they left. It was only after they’d circled the mansion several times, regrouping beneath a window, that they each asked, “You can’t get in either?”

“This isn’t a real building,” Yu Yuan whispered. “It’s just a facade, beneath which is a room like a concrete box. All the sky, windows, backyard—they don’t actually exist. The only entrance is that door, but only the game makers have the authority to open it.”

“So how do we get in?” Lin Sanjiu asked, worried.

A cry came from inside the room—unmistakably Queen Nocturna. “What are you doing? Help!”

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