The Uncanny Valley Traveling Guide - Ch 12

Song of Despair (12)

Through the crack of the door, Wen Zheliu could faintly see that the light inside the house was very dim. The cold light outside moved slowly around Marianne’s pale and thin cheeks. She looked at the attire and appearances of this group of “tourists” one by one and flatly refused.

“No,” she said, “I can’t house a group of strangers I’ve never met. Please leave.”

“What?!” Not only was Mu Tuo shocked, but the other players were also in an uproar. He was about to blurt out something about the main quest, but he remembered the participation value when the words reached his lips, so he had to swallow it and say dryly instead: “But that sign says…”

“What’s written on the stop sign is none of my business, ladies… and gentlemen,” she looked around the crowd indifferently and reached out to close the door, “Goodbye.”

“Wait a minute!” Zhou Qing suddenly shouted, “Wait!”

Her once-clear voice became tense and hoarse after experiencing repeated fright and death. They were like a flock of frightened birds flying through the silent and eerie mountain forest.

Zhou Qing took a few steps forward and pushed Mu Tuo aside. With tears of sadness already frozen in her eyes, she pleaded with folded hands: “I’m sorry, my friend lied to you. We actually met monsters on the way here; they were terrifying. Please believe us; we did not hallucinate or go crazy. Now we just want to borrow your place for a night’s rest, we can give you money. You can even instruct us to do anything you want; please have some mercy, please!”

With that, she held out a handful of copper coins from her package and continued to look at Marianne.

Her story and pitiful pleas shocked not only the players behind her, but even made Marianne hesitant.

“Don’t make a fuss.” Zhou Yao whispered, “My sister is an acting major. She’s a professional in this line of work.”

Wen Zheliu noticed that when Marianne heard the word “monster,”  her expression became unnatural for a moment but soon recovered. Even so, she still thought for a while and asked in distrust, “Most of your companions are men, and they carry all kinds of strange weapons, while I’m just a single woman who has lived alone for a long time…”

Wen Zheliu was shocked by the intelligence of the NPCs in the Uncanny Valley. Marianne stood in front of them, thin and pale, with a suspicious and defensive look in her eyes. On top of that… the subtle movements of her face when she heard the key words and the slight frown of her eyebrows when she heard Zhou Qing’s narration… The level of delicacy and complexity was exactly like a real, living person.

Is this what N-Star means by “full intelligence”?

Wen Zheliu was frowning, lost in thought. He Qin turned his head and said in a low voice, “How is your physical recovery? Can you still hold on?”

“I’m fine…”

“Here, hold yourself up and stand for a moment; I’ll be right back.” He Qin gently lowered his arm and helped him stand. This almost pampering attitude of his made Wen Zheliu feel both embarrassed and secretly warm. He Qin turned the wooden stick in his hand gently a few times and walked up the steps in front of the cottage.

The average person carrying a stick would only look like a fisherman in a vegetable market, but He Qin carried it as if he were holding an elegant and luxurious cane and was about to step up the velvet carpeted stairs to meet his lady companion. His appearance was like that of a playful casanova, and the curvature of his thin lips was just right, making it difficult to tell if his smile was affectionate or amorous.

“I swear by the character of a gentleman, beautiful lady.” His lowered voice was sensual, gentle, like a tidal wave echoing in the night: “We will do nothing against your interests; on the contrary, in return for your kindness, we will act according to your wishes, as our companion said—at your disposal.”

Marianne stared at him in amazement, unable to take her eyes away for a while, and her cheeks gradually haloed with an inconspicuous blush.

It was unknown who among the players whispered first: “Foul! Isn’t this just a honey trap!”

Zhou Yao hesitantly said: “Your family… is also a professional?”

The corner of Wen Zheliu’s mouth twitched and he said with a smile, “Don’t panic everyone, just common skill.”

There was Zhou Qing’s sob story and He Qin’s testy words, so Marianne’s cottage finally opened the door to the players. Everyone heard the system’s voice at the same time.

[Main quest ①: Reach Marianne’s cottage has been completed. ]

[Rewards: 500 experience points and 10 silver coins. The reward has been sent to your inventory.]

[Congratulations! Your level has risen to level 6]

[Reward: Communication equipment for the whole crew]

[The first link of the main quest has been completed. Next, please explore on your own. This is the end of the novice tutorial. I wish you a happy journey and goodbye! ]

Looking at the different strange expressions of the group, Marianne asked in doubt, “What’s the matter? Are the conditions here not good?”

“No, it’s nothing.” Wen Zheliu came to his senses, he smiled at Marianne. Although this house is large, it can be seen that it has received the owner’s meticulous care. The carpet under their feet is plain and neat; the firewood is burning in the fireplace; the emblem of the eagle holding the golden grain is simple and gorgeous; the brass cups and lamps on the table all bore the polished scuff marks of long use; and the two candlesticks on the long wooden table are not short in length. It can be seen that they have been used for some time.

In addition, there are a few seats in the corner, forming a circle, with a small wooden coffee table in the middle, with some books and yellow-colored blueprints scattered randomly on it.

He looked around at random, not daring to look too closely for too long so as not to arouse the suspicion of the mistress in front of him. Finally, he complimented: “Your house is very neat and looks very comfortable.”

Marianne smiled a little, her white lips curling upwards slightly as she invited them to take their seats at the long table and asked, “So, what exactly is it that you’re here for?”

“To travel and experience a foreign country.” Mu Tuo replied decisively, “It’s just that …… There seems to be something odd here, you see, and we had to bring self-defense tools.”

With He Qin and Zhou Yao taking the lead, all of them are now speaking in a literary way, with a little translation accent.

Marianne sighed softly as she wrapped her brown fringed shawl around her. “Yes, the thick fog, the coldness that never sees the sun all year, and the monsters that frequently appear and hurt people…”

Wen Zheliu was stunned for a moment, he hurriedly asked, “You know those monsters?”

“Maybe they are the ghosts of the dead transformed into spirits; I’m not sure.” Marianne seemed to feel cold as she leaned back closer to the fireplace behind her, saying, “Forget it; talk about your plans; how long do you want to stay here? There are so many of you, I can’t keep you all for too long.”

Zhou Qing said, “We will pay.”

“Money is not the biggest problem.” Marianne frowned. “It’s very dangerous here. The town wagon only comes around once in a while. Food and water are the biggest problems here.”

He Qin suddenly opened his mouth and said, “How often does the wagon come?”

“Once every seven days,” Marianne was very kind to him and looked at him with a much softer gaze, “just left yesterday.”

Wen Zheliu was keenly aware of the opportunity, and he immediately asked, “Can the carriage from the town take us away together?”

Marianne looked at him and, after a long silence, replied, “Yes.”

[Main quest has been updated: Leave Marriane’s cottage (0/1)]

[Searching for the truth about the first world (0/1)]

After the novice tutorial was over, the system’s prompt became very brief. Hearing this voice, Wen Zheliu’s expression did not change. Marianne pushed away the chair and stood up. She walked upstairs and came back after a while, handing the crowd a ticket.

“I have tickets here for the pickup wagon.” She said, while there was a hint of confusion in her eyes, “But I only have ten left ……”

Wen Zheliu knew why there were only ten. He Qin could not be regarded as a real player. He could only be regarded as an item summoned by the novice turntable.

“That’s all right,” His voice was somewhat bitter, “Ten is ten. We are very grateful to you.”

“Of course, I can’t give it to you for nothing,” added Marianne. I need someone to patrol the night for me every night, and as you know, it’s dangerous here, and someone needs to expel those things regularly. Since you guys are here, I don’t have to go out myself.”

[The side quest has been updated: Go on night patrol at Marrianne’s cottage (0/7)]

Du Zijun, who had been silent, raised her eyes to look at Marianne and said, “You mean, before we came, you were the only one who went out to expel those things?”

When everyone thought of this, the eyes they looked at Marianne with were a little abnormal.

Such a weak woman can actually drive away a monster that a dozen people can’t. This is too much, even for an NPC!

Or is she the final boss?

Facing everyone’s questioning eyes, Marianne said lightly, “Bring the torches in my house to keep you safe. They are afraid of fire.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, He Qin asked: “Miss Marianne, can we go upstairs to rest now, please? My brother has just been injured a little bit, and he needs a bed right now, as well as some hot water and food.”

Marianne stood up quickly. She didn’t dare look into He Qin’s eyes. She just said, “There are six vacant rooms upstairs. You can share them yourself. My room is on the third floor. You can come to me if you have anything.”

“Okay, thank you.” He Qin helped Wen Zheliu stand up and said to the players, “It’s fine for me to share a room with him; the ladies will be given priority. Is there any problem with everyone?”

Zhou Qing thoughtfully said, “Then… I share a room with Zijun?”

To everyone’s surprise, Du Zijin rejected the proposal with great severity: “No! I can’t live with others, really; I’m not used to it. Can I have a separate room alone? You guys pick the room by yourselves, and just leave the last one to me. Thanks.”

“Ah?” Zhou Qing was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly said, “Then…then I’ll…”

Zhou Yao sighed: “Since Miss Du doesn’t want to, you can just share a room with me.”

Mu Tuo came to smooth things out: “Yes, one room for two is enough anyway, so let’s respect the difference and let Miss Du have a separate room.”

The other men were not picky and divided the roommates into groups of three or two. He Qin supported Wen Zheliu up the stairs, and while walking, he whispered, “We’ll go back to the room first if there’s anything to say.”

Taking out the brass key that Marianne gave, He Qin opened the room they were assigned, and the first thing that caught his eye was the big bed.

Wen Zheliu: “…there is only one bed.”

He Qin said: “Whatever. In special times, let’s make do with it first.”

Wen Zheliu sat on the edge of the bed and saw that he had recovered 46% of his stamina and 32% of his health. He only felt that his back was still hurting. He thought about it and asked He Qin, “Brother, how are you feeling?”

He Qin said: “My chest hurts a bit, but it’s fine.”

“You sit over here; I’ll take a look.” Wen Zheliu made room and asked He Qin to sit beside him. He Qin removed his military boots and faced him. His long and powerful leg was slightly bent, resting on the bed against Wen Zheliu’s back, almost accommodating his entire body within his territory.

Wen Zheliu opened the zipper of He Qin’s sweater and rolled up his inner shirt. He Qin also spread his hands and let him do what he wanted. But to his surprise, He Qin’s chest rose and fell regularly with the frequency of his breathing, and the skin on it was smooth—not even a single scratch was seen!

What happened? Wen Zheliu began to doubt his eyes, but he clearly saw that the monster hit He Qin’s chest hard, causing him to vomit blood…

“Have you forgotten? I’m your item.” He Qin laughed. Wen Zheliu looked at his handsome face in front of him, only to find that He Qin’s dark red, thin lips also had a darker-colored mole, just on the left side of his lower lip, like a tiny drop of blood with a deep color.

“What, what do you mean?” His smile was so beautiful… Wen Zheliu had to pull back a little to clear his thoughts, “Won’t you get hurt?”

“I’m an item, which means that you can use me as many times as you like.” He Qin looked at him in a relaxed manner, saying, “As long as I don’t die immediately, I can quickly recover later, understand? ”

Wen Zheliu tightened his brows but suddenly got out of that state of confusion. He asked in a serious tone, “Really?”

He Qin raised his eyebrows and was about to tease him with a few more words when the door suddenly opened. Du Zijun was biting a thin white paper stick from nowhere and holding a tray in her hand: “Do you need potions and food…?”

In the room, He Qin’s shirt was rolled up in a mess, and Wen Zheliu’s hand was still on it. From her perspective, they were almost face to face, closer together than the upper and lower lips.

“…Sorry.” She put down the tray numbly and said, “I’ll remember to knock on the door next time, sorry.”

The door closed with a click. Wen Zheliu was silent for a moment, then slowly released the hand touching He Qin’s chest. He slowly clenched it into a fist and sat on the edge of the bed to breathe in and out.

“Hahahahahaha!!” He Qin almost went crazy with laughter. Seeing that Wen Zheliu was about to press him to the bed and beat him, he barely stopped his laughter, leaned on the pillow, and said, “Ugh, by the way, I haven’t asked you, what’s your real name? Surely your name is not Wen Di, right?”

Wen Zheliu said in surprise: “You…you still don’t know my real name? I thought you already found out!”

He Qin said, “Something like a name, if not told to me voluntarily by others, means nothing.”

Wen Zheliu couldn’t do anything about him, and said, “Okay, okay. Then I’ll tell you right now that my name is Wen Zheliu, Zhe from broken and Liu from willow tree.

“Zhe Liu, Zhe Liu…Hearing this song “broken(zhe) willow(liu)” at this strange place, how can I not miss my hometown?1” He Qin repeated his name over and over several times, “Good name; no wonder your ID is Wen Di2.”

“By the way.” Wen Zheliu suddenly remembered something. He pulled out what He Qin had put in his pocket earlier, puzzled, “What is this? Why keep it with me?”

An extract from the poem by Li Bai 春夜洛城闻笛 – Listen to flute playing in a spring night at City of Luoyang.

Wen(闻) means hearing, and Di(笛) means flute.