Chapter 57: Currents Stirring on All Sides

Outside Prince Huai's Mansion, the Left Commander's Office of the Qingzhou Guard.

Gu Cai'er, whose appearance had transformed into that of an elegant young matron, possessed a tall figure and a delicate hair bun. Her pretty face was lightly dusted with powder; while her appearance could not be described as capable of toppling cities and countries, she certainly possessed an alluring charm.

Her identity tag within the Cool Breeze Prefecture Star Gate was "Mute Girl," a staunch court-faction player. During the first act, she had traveled to the capital, secretly assisting the court in preparing various matters related to entering the Princess's Tomb, including information gathering and prop collection.

Seven days passed. When she woke up again, she was already in Prince Huai's Mansion, and her mind held an additional seven days of travel memories.

Gu Cai'er had become a player two years ago and joined the Bell Society, a fact that Wang Hong also knew. That was precisely why Wang Hong had mentioned in her "suicide note" that she had two real-world teammates within this Star Gate.

Along with that sentence: "Did I do it for that brat? Heh, I am a selfish woman."

Hearing those words, they sounded somewhat stubborn. Wang Hong had acted so aggressively in the first act; whether that was truly for her daughter to win is something no one can verify now, seeing as the person had already kicked the bucket.

The Star Gates Gu Cai'er had experienced were by no means few. In ordinary, routine Star Gates—even continuous ones—the Star Gate would "sleep" after the players left, including time freezing, task freezing, and so on.

Simply put, whatever state you were in when you left was the state you found when you returned.

However, the mechanism of this Cool Breeze Prefecture Star Gate was far too complex. After players temporarily left, time actually flowed normally, and the roles they played would undergo new experiences. Only the missions were frozen, and their areas of activity were restricted.

Why would this happen?

Gu Cai'er harbored a faint suspicion that this might be related to the worldview of Cool Breeze Prefecture being far too massive. Because its mission scenes were not limited to Prince Huai's Mansion; there was also the former dynasty's Princess's Tomb, the capital, the Southern Frontier, and so on. Therefore, this Star Gate world might be steadily moving forward just like the real world, even if some parts might be imperfect.

"Clatter, clatter!"

As she was deep in thought, a familiar male figure appeared. He possessed a robust build, standing a full meter and eighty centimeters tall, clad in silver armor with a heroic air on his face.

This person was none other than Xing Tao, the pure-love god of war, and Gu Cai'er's exclusive simp.

His identity tag in the Cool Breeze Prefecture Star Gate was "Warrior," his official title was a Qingzhou Guard Thousand-Household officer, and he formed a couple CP combination with the "Mute Girl."

This setting undoubtedly struck Xing Tao's sweet spot, because in his character's memories, he had already run wild with Gu Cai'er more than once. Although there weren't many details, this was absolute spiritual gratification.

It felt high-end and hazy, full of hazy sensations that allowed for infinite daydreaming.

"...We must enter the tomb by midnight tonight." Xing Tao originally wanted to flirt a little, but seeing the grave expression on Gu Cai'er's face, he cut straight to the point: "We need to take advantage of this time to prepare."

Not just anyone could be a simp; reading the room and observing expressions was the most basic qualification.

Gu Cai'er leisurely swept a glance at him, reached out to take the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the table, and lightly wrote two lines of small characters: "Primary task: before entering the Princess's Tomb, we first need to find our teammates."

"I agree," Xing Tao replied in a muffled voice, bending down to sit on a chair: "But how should we find them?"

"After Mr. He went to Shanghai, based on clues from two prerequisite tasks, he asked old Yin to help him search for two players in reality who were suspected of being in this Star Gate," Gu Cai'er wrote as she pondered: "After old Yin died, the investigation continued. Before entering the gate, Mr. He spoke with me on the phone. He said the client had already found the information of one player, but that player had vanished. His entry time into the gate was the same as ours, but after we first exited, he did not return."

"???!l"

The crude warrior listened, completely lost in a fog and looking utterly bewildered.

Gu Cai'er cast a disdainful look at him and continued to write: "If the person Mr. He found truly is a player of this Star Gate, then why did we exit, but he didn't?!"

Part (1/3)

Part (2/3)

Xing Tao froze, asking with a foolish expression: "Yeah, why didn't he exit?"

"He was probably trapped inside the Star Gate. Think about it, who was the first one to encounter danger in the first act?!" Gu Cai'er continued to write.

Her identity tag was the Mute, and her supernatural ability was extremely bizarre, but the cost was that she had to remain silent as much as possible, because every word spoken would weaken this ability.

Xing Tao thought for a long time, his eyes still filled with confusion.

Gu Cai'er looked somewhat helplessly at this blockhead teammate and finally wrote three characters: "Liu Jishan."

"Smack!"

When Xing Tao saw these three characters, he immediately slapped his thigh: "Right! We heard this news in the disc decree. He participated in the palace coup right at the beginning, was severely hacked to pieces by Prince Huai, and then imprisoned. Given the personality of this Star Gate, if a player is in a state of imprisonment, it's really possible they can't return to the real world. Looked at this way, if he really is a player, then he is definitely in Prince Huai's opposing camp and is very likely our teammate."

"Use your Thousand-Household token to find a way to rescue him, and make it quick. We must make our move before entering the former dynasty's Princess's Tomb," Gu Cai'er wrote leisurely: "The rest is just waiting. One person in our court faction is a mole and cannot easily show their face right now..."

Xing Tao stood up excitedly: "My wife is indeed brilliant beyond compare! I am willing to serve beneath your skirt!"

...

Prince Huai's Mansion, the Secretariat.

Li Yan, the staunch bootlicker of the court, sat squarely in the antique study, sipping tea and lost in thought.

That's right, he was also a veteran player of the Star Gate. In the first act, he had led a team in a covert struggle against Prince Huai, ultimately ending up on the losing side.

Li Yan was a slippery old hand. He reckoned that within this Star Gate, there was probably no other player more experienced than himself. He also knew very well that leaving such a long preparation time for everyone before entering the Princess's Tomb was meant to allow players to identify their teammates as much as possible.

To continue laying out plans and win by crushing with sheer intellect—this was the clearance principle he consistently adhered to.

"Hoo~!"

Exhaling a long breath, Li Yan put down his teacup, a plan already forming in his mind.

Liu Jishan—this person was worthy of heavy utilization, but at present, he should be in a state of imprisonment.

What should be done?

Li Yan rubbed his chin, carefully deliberated for a moment, reached out to pull over a sheet of Xuan paper, and began writing with a writing brush.

He was not prepared to show his face rashly; instead, he wanted to write a letter first.

...

Prince Huai's Bedchamber.

Ren Ye looked at the extremely bewitching Tang Feng, and could not help but stiffen slightly to show respect.

He was no longer in the appearance of Liu Ling'er, but he still retained the demeanor of a courtesan and the temperament of a pleasure-house top beauty.

"What is your current character identity?" Ren Ye pursued the question.

Part (2/3)

Part (3/3)

"This humble maid is a musician in the Palace of Joy," Tang Feng said faintly, pinching a handkerchief with his orchid-shaped fingers: "In my character memories... you trifled with me and even used a riding crop. You beast."

"Hearing you say that, I do have some impression." Ren Ye recalled carefully and truly remembered having intimate contact with the other party. After all, this person Zhu Zigui was a ravenous assassin who never let any woman go.

Sitting opposite each other, Ren Ye pondered carefully for a moment and muttered softly: "If you put it that way, when a player is killed and their identity tag is snatched, a new player coming in will automatically possess another similar character?"

"That should be the case." Tang Feng nodded slowly: "In my character memories, my name is Qinghe, a dark piece excavated by the National Preceptor, Old Daoist Xu, waiting quietly in Prince Huai's Mansion for changes. To put it bluntly, I should originally be a secondary role replacing Liu Ling'er. If Liu Ling'er hadn't died, I wouldn't have been activated."

Ren Ye frowned: "That doesn't sound right either. Some roles can be replaced, but others cannot. Take me, for instance—there is only one Prince Huai in the entire mansion. If I were to kick the bucket, how would the play go on?"

Although poet Tang was entering this Star Gate for the first time, he replied very casually: "This is nothing more than two possibilities. If you died in the first act, the court players would win directly, and the next act and the fence-sitters would enter the Princess's Tomb directly. The mission process would shrink, both sides would hack each other out, and the ownership of the mysterious inheritance would be decided in the end. As for the second possibility, according to the mission direction, you simply won't die in the first act. For example, the court missions all tend toward strategizing and plotting, so there is no direct order to kill you. You must know that gate-eyes exist within the Star Gate; they ensure that this world does not deviate."

This explanation was extremely detailed and reasonable, and Ren Ye was convinced instantly: "Hmm, what you say makes some sense."

"...Can you completely control that blockheaded nitwit?" Tang Feng asked quite abruptly.

Ren Ye thought the other party was weighing the strength of his own faction, so he immediately replied: "Of course I can. He is very loyal. Without him in the first act, the court faction might have won directly."

"Whatever you tell him to do, will he do it?" Tang Feng asked with a charming and alluring face.

Hearing these words, Ren Ye's body inexplicably stiffened, and a bad premonition arose in his heart: "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know why... after entering this Star Gate, my... my desires actually haven't decreased very much." Tang Feng stood up slowly, gently patting his hips twice with his hand: "A little damp!"

"?!l" Ren Ye was dumbfounded.

"That nitwit is robust and sturdy; he probably doesn't even need a riding crop," Tang Feng said with orchid-like breath, speaking faintly.

"He might not use a riding crop, but with a single slash, he can cut out your pelvic fibroid tumor—do you believe that?!" Ren Ye felt that this person could remain normal for at most three seconds. Too lazy to shoot the breeze with the other party, he stood up directly and said: "Let's go, let's leave the bedchamber first. I'm getting ready to handle a major event."

"Swish!"

Tang Feng slowly raised a jade arm, very naturally hooking his arm around Ren Ye's: "What matter does Your Highness wish to handle? You can discuss it with this humble maid; I am very smart..."

Logically speaking, Tang Feng's current appearance could definitely be considered a great beauty with an exposed flirtatious aura. Placed in modern society, very few men could probably resist this temptation.

However, deep down, Ren Ye knew very well that the other party was a man, and a mentally ill one at that. Therefore, the moment the other party touched him, goosebumps broke out all over his body: "Don't get all clingy with me. In a moment, I'll go discuss the matter of dampness with that nitwit. Let's go, leave the bedchamber first, and help me strategize this plan..."

...

Prince Huai's Mansion, the Consort's Bedchamber.

"Has anyone visited these past few days?" Consort Xu Qingzhao asked, sitting cross-legged on a lotus platform.

"Lian'er, the female official by the Prince's side, has been here several times," replied the maid Xue'er. "The Prince has been unconscious ever since that day, and she wanted to ask you for medicine."

The Consort's eyes closed slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering: "Take some Qi-Nurturing Pills and send them to the Prince. By the way, remind the Prince to bathe and change clothes early, but he is not allowed to wear those pink undergarments anymore!"