Chapter 408: Who Is She? (9/10, Autumn Subscription)

"You're here?"

Fang Yue glanced back and told Yuan Jie to go back to her room and rest first.

But Yuan Jie shook her head, indicating she wanted to stay here and keep Bai Xiaoya company.

Fang Yue sighed and stopped trying to persuade her.

Taking Qiu Dugu with him, he left the observation room, and the two of them walked outside.

"You passed out from the game for a whole day and night — what on earth happened?"

Fang Yue gave a brief, evasive account of what had happened in the game.

"Something goes wrong in the game, and you pass out in reality… that shouldn't be possible."

Qiu Dugu frowned slightly.

Although lately the cracks had been growing bigger, with the occasional strange thing being smuggled over from that world.

But this was an Alliance branch, with tight seals in place.

Logically speaking, an effect from inside the game shouldn't be able to carry over into reality. The Strangeness Level shouldn't have risen that far yet.

Seeing Qiu Dugu thinking, Fang Yue didn't rush to speak. He waited a while, and only when Qiu Dugu no longer seemed so tangled up did he say: "Qiu Dugu, part of my brain has been partially turned into a strange artifact. Is there any way to reverse this kind of side effect from using a strange artifact?"

"Turned into a strange artifact?"

Qiu Dugu was taken aback for a moment. Strange artifacts were rare to begin with, hadn't appeared for long, and hadn't been studied thoroughly enough, so he really hadn't seen a case of a person being turned into a strange artifact.

Still, he understood the part about side effects — after all, he himself suffered terribly from the side effects of strange artifacts.

Heaving a small sigh, Qiu Dugu shook his head and said.

"It's useless. The side effects brought on by using a strange artifact can't be eliminated.

Once it's lost, it's lost forever. Alliance records document cases where even Cheaters have been drained to death by strange-artifact side effects.

So when using strange artifacts, you have to be careful and cautious — don't use them recklessly."

Fang Yue's heart sank.

"Hasn't there ever been a case where the side effects were eliminated or recovered from?"

"Searching through the Alliance's side, there's no material on this. Maybe the headquarters' records have something? Or maybe the Cheaters know something. Anyway, the hope is very slim."

Saying so, Qiu Dugu patted Fang Yue on the shoulder: "In our line of work, bearing these risks is inevitable — don't take it too much to heart. As long as it can affect humans and contribute to saving this world, your sacrifice is worthwhile!"

Worth my ass!

Don't lump me in the same category as you high-minded types, alright?

I'm just a commoner — a commoner who values his own life!

Fang Yue's face darkened. Using the parchment's Italian-cannon attack was truly attacking with his life on the line.

Anyway, until he found a proper solution, Fang Yue didn't want to use the parchment's Rain-level power anymore.

Or he could wait until his character leveled up to Rain-level strength, and then use that portion of power without restraint.

Setting this rule for himself in his heart, Fang Yue finally relaxed a little.

Just don't use the parchment — if I don't use it, I won't be turned into a strange artifact.

"By the way, is the parchment really a Transcendence-level strange artifact? How exactly does your internal data classify strange-artifact levels?"

In the game, the parchment itself had said she was just a Rain-level strange artifact. Although she'd boasted herself up to Transcendence-level, judging from the fact that even feeding her 【Gold Stone】 couldn't produce an attack exceeding Rain-level power, she really was just a Rain-level strange artifact.

But in reality, the Alliance's rating of her was…

"The Alliance's classification of strange artifacts?"

"It's simple. Some strange artifacts were brought out by 【Cheaters】 and handed over to the 【Alliance】 with their level already specified.

"But the data the 【Cheaters】 provide is limited. Although our 【Alliance】 and the 【Cheaters】 are in a cooperative relationship, there seem to be some internal conflicts, so there's mutual checks and balances.

"For the missing data, the 【Alliance】 naturally relies on its own research. So the 【Alliance】 set up a department dedicated to studying strange artifacts and classifying their levels. Now most strange artifacts are internally classified by this department, and it's basically pretty much on the mark."

Fang Yue's face went dark. So basically you lot just slap on whatever rating you feel like — think this thing is powerful, give it a high rating; think it's not, give it a low one.

But in reality there's no system. They hadn't gotten detailed data from the Cheaters, so working out the ratings on their own through groping in the dark didn't seem unreasonable either.

At this point, Fang Yue was completely certain the parchment was just a Rain-level strange artifact — it had simply been blown way out of proportion by people who didn't know the inside story.

Rain-level… Rain-level.

If I level up to Rain-level in the game… no! Level up to Immortal-level! Maybe then I can reverse the strange-artifact phenomenon in my brain and solve this hidden danger!

With a goal in mind, Fang Yue's uneasy heart finally settled down.

After saying goodbye to Qiu Dugu, Fang Yue found Yuan Jie and explained the situation.

Under Yuan Jie's worried gaze, Fang Yue returned to his own room.

In reality, there was nothing much to do for now — just clock in at work and call it a day. The top priority was to find Bai Xiaoya with everything he had and bring her back to life.

He had just lain down on the bed…

"System notice: Warning! Game character is in danger! Please return to the game immediately!"

The Game Watch's notification suddenly sounded.

Fang Yue's face changed, and he hurriedly entered the game at once.

……

In the game.

Fang Yue's lifeless eyes gradually regained their light.

The very first thing that came into view was an unfamiliar young girl.

She was quite pretty, but Fang Yue didn't recognize her.

And her eyes were extremely unusual, emitting a faint emerald-green glow.

Fang Yue had only ever seen this phenomenon on one person — that was… Lord Blue!

His heart gave a jolt. Fang Yue frantically retreated, but before he could get far, his foot was tripped by something on the ground. He nearly fell; leaning back, he propped himself up with one hand and tumbled twice like a gymnast, buffering the momentum, and steadied his stance.

Only then did Fang Yue focus his gaze forward.

He noticed that the green-eyed girl had no intention of chasing him at all—she simply stood quietly in place, watching Fang Yue, making no move, though her expression seemed to betray confusion.

And all around her, a ring of people lay sprawled on the ground—clearly all survivors of Gu Yue Cun, writhing and wailing in agony.

His eyes went cold, and killing intent slowly rose in Fang Yue's heart.

But the next instant, Fang Yue suddenly froze.

Because the green-eyed girl before him actually uttered three words.

"Parch... ment...?"

Parchment?!

Fang Yue was instantly shocked out of his wits.

The parchment was his greatest secret—how could this woman possibly know about it?!

And that look of green light flooding her eyes, like Lord Han being possessed by a spirit...

What on earth was going on?

While Fang Yue was still dumbfounded, his vision suddenly blurred, and a green shadow flashed past.

The green-eyed girl abruptly appeared right in front of Fang Yue—her speed... was incomprehensibly fast!

By that speed alone, she was an opponent Fang Yue could never handle!

"Lord... Han..."

Fang Yue had just been about to call for Lord Han to save him, when he suddenly stopped.

Because he remembered—Lord Han was now nothing but a head, with no combat ability left. Yet among the people collapsed around him, Lord Han's head was nowhere to be seen.

Could Lord Han have been...

Updates are starting now, making up for what I owed—12 chapters today.

(End of chapter)