Chapter 50: The Long Night

The night grew deeper, pure moonlight showered down, and the Dwarf Clan Leader gazed at the moonlight, as if thinking of something; he couldn't sleep, for the lives of the dwarves were at stake, and as their leader he could not afford the slightest carelessness.

He raised his head, gazing at the moonlight, and murmured, "May my god bless my tribe with safety."

Jin Meng also couldn't sleep, because this was the task Feng Yan had given him; though he was an outsider, the employer's orders had to be carried out. He stood on the treetop, keeping watch over the surroundings; the night wind blew, rustling the golden leaves of the Chinese parasol trees. He lifted his head, gazing at the round moon in the sky, thinking that tonight's moonlight was truly fine, having heard that on a night of a full moon good things could happen—of course, there was also another possibility.

"What!" Jin Meng widened his eyes, watching the round moon slowly turn red, becoming a blood moon; this wasn't over yet, as on the horizon a cloud shaped like a dog slowly appeared, gradually covering the blood moon; after a moment the moon reappeared, but the dog‑shaped cloud seemed to come alive, becoming agile, it leapt onto the moon and began to gnaw at the red blood moon in big bites; then the sky gradually grew darker, bringing night.

"Whose night will this be?" Jin Meng jumped down from the tree, then prepared to rest; he sensed that something big was about to happen, but wondered whether he should choose money or the nation.

He shook his head and prepared to sleep.

Feng Yan and Chen Hao watched the moon slowly disappear, then exclaimed in delight, "The Heavenly Dog is devouring the sun! I've finally seen it!"

The surrounding candles were brightly lit, so there wasn't much change; Chen Hao looked at the same scene and reminded Feng Yan, "Old buddy, you forgot there's still another phenomenon."

"What is it?" Feng Yan said, utterly puzzled, showing a confused expression as he asked Chen Hao.

"A blood moon—its appearance is a bad omen, but when the Heavenly Dog appears and gnaws at the blood moon, that is a very strange phenomenon." Chen Hao answered Feng Yan's question, at the same time explaining the reason to him.

"Who cares? Even without these things, we still have to do what we need to, don't we?" Feng Yan said indifferently, shrugging it off.

"That's right, let's sleep first." Chen Hao replied, then opened the door of the traveling palace and prepared to sleep.

As Chen Hao slowly returned to the traveling palace to rest, Feng Yan finally got a chance to be alone; he carefully recalled what had happened during this period, wondering whether he should say he was sad or happy— they had lost their exam qualifications due to the teacher's mistake, the teacher came in person to apologize, but Feng Yan himself didn't give him a chance, gradually driving away his own homeroom teacher— what kind of situation is that? He didn't know. The accumulated real‑world disappointment grew more and more, leaving him no outlet; finally, with this opportunity, they obtained the qualification to play this game, yet because of that they ended up trapped in this world.

Feng Yan lifted his head, gazing at a pitch‑black sky, and said, "This might just be the beginning of the game! If this is a dream, let it last a little longer—let's see what happens in our story, even if it ends with us losing our lives in the game—then, bring it on!"

The wind blew through Feng Yan's hair, carrying away his sorrow, which slowly dissipated. Then Feng Yan leaned against a pillar and fell asleep.

The next morning, Feng Yan slowly woke up, only to find an extra piece of clothing on him; he raised his hand to block the glaring sunlight, then a soldier entered and said to Feng Yan, "Sir Adventurers, the king requests your presence."

"Please lead the way!" Chen Hao, who had appeared at some point, spoke up from behind Feng Yan, startling him.

Watching that soldier slowly walk away, Feng Yan finally turned back and shouted angrily, "Are you poisonous? You're trying to scare me to death!"

Chen Hao waved his hand, saying, "All right, all right—let's hurry, we need the treasure, and then rush to the next stop!"

Feng Yan and Chen Hao walked slowly, making their way through a narrow alley; they once again saw many exotic flowers and rare herbs, which opened their eyes. They couldn't help looking around—glazed tiles, gilded doors—everything was precious, but this time what they sensed was not the wealth inside the palace, but another kind of complexity; they felt that this matter was not simple.

Inside the hall, the king sat on his throne, seeing that everyone had gathered, and said, "Well then, let's talk about the state's treasure."

Inside the great hall, the king sat on his throne, seeing that everyone had gathered, he said: "Well, we can now speak of the state treasure!"