Nian, who was behind Lucas Reeve, didn't say much from beginning to end. However, upon entering this village, she had long since figured out the whole story.
It was just that.
Nian had been acting as a script-reading NPC the whole time, only offering hints or explaining things Lucas didn't know, and then remaining silent for the rest of the time.
Actually.
Even if Nian hadn't explained.
Lucas had pretty much understood.
"Huh?"
Closure was a little unsure of Lucas's intentions.
"What is it, Doctor? Is the village chief the culprit? How did you know?"
Surtr also looked towards Lucas, not understanding either.
"It's simple, really."
Lucas began to explain.
"Think about it. Miss Nian said earlier that these Qichang were all created by her second brother. But this second brother of hers is in the middle of a game of Go with Yan's Grand Tutor, having split his own soul into more than one hundred and eighty black stones scattered across the heartland of Yan."
"Since there are Qichang near this village, one thing is certain: a fragment of this second brother's soul exists in this village."
"Then why lock onto the village chief?" Surtr asked.
"You're not from Yan, so you wouldn't understand. Miss Lin Qingyan is an official from the Dali Temple, an imperial court official. When a court official, and a high-ranking one from the Dali Temple at that, comes to visit, the village chief doesn't come out to welcome them? What audacity."
Ah, this...
Closure didn't quite get it; she wasn't from Yan.
"Watch more TV shows..." Lucas said. "You can think of it like this: if the members of your Kazdel Royal Court came to your house, wouldn't you, as the head of the household, come out to receive them? Even being sick with a cold wouldn't be an excuse. You'd at least have to come out and say something before going back inside."
"Oh, oh~"
Closure had a sudden realization.
"But, what's his purpose?"
This time, it was Lin Qingyan who voiced the doubt in her heart.
Lin Qingyan hadn't wanted to ask. With her prideful personality, she couldn't bring herself to, but she really couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Don't misunderstand. I am, after all, an official of the Dali Temple. I need to know some information to solve the case more effectively."
So stubborn...
Lin Qingyan was being thoroughly stubborn.
"This is highly unreasonable for a Divine Fragment. If he simply wanted to kill these villagers, I don't think it would need to be this troublesome, right? He could just send out those Qichang that were several meters tall from before, and these villagers wouldn't stand a chance. But according to what the Nine-Colored Deer said, the Qichang a few days ago were all very weak, to the point that even ordinary villagers could defeat them. I don't quite understand his motive."
Lucas smiled faintly.
"The key lies in the word 'game.'"
"In a game of Go, the black stones move first. Nian just said that her second brother's soul fragments became the black stones, and he's playing against the Grand Tutor of Yan. Therefore, this game of Go might not be a simple match on a board, but a game in another form."
"???"
Ten thousand question marks flashed over Closure's head.
"You're starting to talk in riddles too, Doctor?"
"The Grand Tutor is a first-rank official of Yan, ranked among the Three Ducal Ministers. His influence is immense, second only to the emperor and above all others. I suspect the board for this game is the entirety of Yan. With Nian's second brother as the black stones, it's natural for black to move first."
"And the second brother's actions are likely an observation of human nature. With the world as his game board, the common people naturally become the game pieces, and human nature is part of the test."
"From the appearance of the Qichang, to the appearance of the Nine-Colored Deer, and then to the Nine-Colored Deer being falsely accused—this is the human nature he wanted to see."
"In his eyes, humanity is selfish and self-righteous, capable of turning on and persecuting even a benefactor."
"Whoa!!"
After hearing Lucas's methodical analysis, Closure couldn't help but applaud.
"As expected of the Doctor! I heard from Amiya that you lost your memories, but you only lost your memories. That brain of yours is still top-tier."
Beside them, Lin Qingyan couldn't help but nod as well.
Lucas's analysis was logical and well-founded. Even she couldn't have thought of so much; she would probably have just seen it as the malicious act of a Sui Beast fragment attacking mortals.
The Nine-Colored Deer glanced at Lucas a few more times but said nothing.
She didn't care if she was in a game or not. She only cared if she could save more people.
Suddenly.
As if to confirm Lucas's suspicions.
In the blink of an eye, the village around them completely changed.
"What's happening!!"
The sudden change gave Closure a huge scare.
As the weakest fighter among them, Closure could be described as helpless and weak. She subconsciously grabbed the corner of Lucas's shirt.
Lin Qingyan also frowned.
Is this the power of a god?
As expected...
She couldn't resist in the slightest, not even having a chance to react before being pulled into an unknown world. Supported by Lucas, she also subconsciously gripped his sleeve a little.
Lucas looked around.
Before his eyes was a Jiangnan landscape—white houses with black-tiled roofs, small bridges over flowing water. There was no one around, and a light rain drizzled from the sky. The raindrops were incredibly cold, and...
Lucas had one complaint he needed to get off his chest.
Holy...
These houses are so ugly!!
They were all crooked and misshapen.
The trees by the road were even twisted into S-shapes.
"Oho~ This is the rules and authority of my little sister, Dusk: the Painting World."
Nian looked around and sneered.
"I wonder if my phone works. I should take a picture for that girl Dusk to see. It would probably piss her off. My idiot second brother learned her ability but drew something so abstract. It has a certain kind of abstract beauty."
Lin Qingyan was not very surprised.
Although she had never witnessed it, she had heard about it from her master.
The eleventh-ranked of the Sui Beast fragments, a woman who wielded the authority of the Painting World, could imprison any person or object within her paintings. No matter how strong someone was, it was impossible to break free without understanding the rules.
However...
When Lin Qingyan had asked her master how he got out.
Lin Qingyan's master had said that he shattered that Painting World with a single Lightning Art.
At the time, Lin Qingyan had been filled with admiration for a long time, thinking that she would definitely surpass her master one day. However, the more she studied, the more Lin Qingyan realized just how vast the gap between her and her master truly was.
It was like the different feelings one had about getting into a top university when in kindergarten versus in the final year of high school.
As a child: Wow! I'll definitely get into a top university when I grow up!
In high school: ...I'll be happy with just getting into any university...
Before graduation: As long as I don't end up in a factory, it's a success.
Just then.
A figure appeared in the distance of this world. It was an old man, but a divine golden light shone from within his eyes.
If they weren't mistaken, this should be the main event.
"Yo, Lucas. That's my idiot second brother."
The old man slowly walked up to Lucas. He didn't speak, but his golden pupils met Lucas's gaze.
Suddenly, with a wave of his hand, the surrounding scenery changed into a room. In the center of the room was a Go board.
"You are very interesting. I can feel it, the many similarities between you and me. And you were able to see through my purpose at a glance. How interesting. Care for a game?"
The second brother, occupying the village chief's body, sat cross-legged before the Go board, holding the black stones.
Nian whispered to Lucas: "This is the rule of my second brother's Painting World. If you don't beat him at the game, you basically can't get out, just like how he lost hundreds of games and was confined to the capital of Yan for over a century."
Everyone turned their gaze to Lucas.
Closure even said, "Lucas!! Go for it! I don't want to be trapped in this world for the rest of my life. You guys are gods with infinite lifespans, so it doesn't matter, but I'm just a mortal."
"Uh..."
Lucas sat down, facing the second brother across the board.
"I... can't play Go."
As soon as these words were spoken.
The large room instantly fell into silence.
Everyone present looked at each other, a little awkwardly.
The second brother also fell silent. After a while, he spoke.
"It doesn't matter. You can learn. I, too, started as a terrible player and lost for a full hundred years until I became unbeatable. I have not met a worthy opponent in a long time. Your divinity and characteristics are similar to mine. Sir, you should be just as skilled at learning as I am. There is a saying in Yan: learning is endless."
"I can accompany you. Ten years, twenty years, a hundred years, two hundred years are all fine. For us gods, time is the one thing we have in abundance."
Two hundred years!!
Closure almost fainted, saved only by the Nine-Colored Deer supporting her.
Two hundred years!!
Although she, like Warfarin, was a Vampire and living for a thousand years wasn't a problem...
Still... two hundred years was a lot.
"Is Gomoku okay?" Lucas asked, scratching his head. "I'm pretty good at Gomoku. I was at least in the top 100 of my neighborhood tournament once."
"Hmph, a child's game. We will play Yan Go."
Sigh...
I'm sorry...
Lucas sighed and slowly stood up.
"I don't have this much time to waste with you, Mr. Second Brother."
Even though Lucas didn't say anything, Surtr understood his intent.
She took the initiative to hold Lucas's hand.
"I have no interest in Go, and I have no interest in your games. I'm not from Yan; I'm just a passing bystander. So, you can play your game, but don't involve me. I just want to live my life in peace."
"Hmph!"
Suddenly, the second brother snorted coldly.
"Just like a human?"
"Your way of thinking is exactly the same as my foolish younger sisters. We are gods! The moment we possess a human heart is our greatest failure. Human nature is selfish, it is ignorant. You saw it for yourselves. What did this Nine-Colored Deer receive after helping these ignorant villagers? Curses and eviction... This is the human heart."
Throb~
A large cross-shaped vein popped on Nian's forehead.
Lucas finally understood why Nian said her second brother had absolutely no friends.
"Have you ever considered the possibility, Mr. Second Brother?"
"When you have this kind of mentality, you are even closer to being human than Nian. After all... you are now trying to understand humanity, while Nian is purely wandering the mortal world, looking for her own fun. Or perhaps, you are more human than the sisters you consider foolish."
Lucas's tone was incredibly sharp.
Nian immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
Lin Qingyan also nodded in admiration.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!!"
The second brother became agitated.
"See, you're getting flustered. The Nine-Colored Deer wasn't flustered even when so many people misunderstood her, yet you're getting agitated over a simple sentence from me. What more do you want to deny?"
"Besides, human nature isn't as simple as you think, Mr. Second Brother. I suggest you observe the mortal world more. Don't just deliberately look for the evil; you should also discover the beauty."
With the surging flames.
Lucas fully unleashed the power of Laevatain, and a terrifying divine pressure enveloped the entire Painting World.
"Since Lin Qingyan's master could break the painting with force, I should be able to as well. After all, Second Brother, you are only one of many soul fragments."
With that said.
Lucas summoned all his power.
Intense flames erupted over the surface of the headless, pitch-black monster's body. Some of the flames even formed into armor covering its form.
The greatsword of fire was thrust violently into the ground.
In an instant.
The ground of the Painting World began to collapse. Countless streams of lava erupted from the earth like a volcano.
Instantly.
The Painting World disintegrated piece by piece.
The second brother didn't resist. He knew that resisting with this soul fragment was futile. Lucas had no intention of killing his soul fragment either; after all, he was Nian's brother, and Nian was his friend, so they were somewhat related.
The Painting World shattered like a torn piece of rice paper.
Lucas deactivated the Laevatain state, and his soul returned to the Doctor's body. Lin Qingyan had already gotten used to supporting the Doctor's body whenever Lucas left it.
The world around them changed again.
It returned to the appearance of the original village.
The second brother's aura had vanished.
He must have left of his own accord.
The villagers were in a state of panic.
The adults and the immortal master they had just been speaking with had vanished in an instant. This scene had truly frightened these ordinary villagers. What they had seen and heard today was something they probably couldn't have imagined in their entire lives.
As the villagers were panicking.
Fortunately, Lucas and his group returned.
When they heard that the source of the Qichang monsters had been dealt with, the villagers danced with joy, one by one kneeling on the ground and kowtowing to Lucas in gratitude again.
+15000
Another 15,000 Prayer Power in the bank. Lucas was getting closer and closer to 1.8 million; it probably wouldn't take much longer to be enough.
Strictly speaking.
The vast majority of these villagers were quite simple and honest.
Only a very, very small number of people had slandered and falsely accused the Nine-Colored Deer.
Human nature is difficult to fathom; even gods cannot predict it.
Since everything was resolved.
Closure took the initiative to trade for the Orirock with the villagers. After all, that was the most important purpose of their trip. Learning that the group was actually here to buy dirt, the villagers gave Closure the highest quality soil they had excavated. Although they insisted on not taking money, the money-grubbing Closure was quite principled and didn't want freebies. The money still had to be given.
After much back and forth, the villagers accepted half the payment.
After all, the labor costs were negligible, so even receiving half was a profit.
Before leaving, Lucas also noticed that some villagers seemed to have contracted Oripathy while mining. However, Yan's attitude towards Oripathy was very friendly, incomparably better than Ursus's.
Lucas summoned a first-aid kit from the [Stardust] hovering in the air.
He then took out a large box of Oripathy suppression medication from the kit and gave it to the infected villagers. Since it was medicine from an immortal master, the villagers were extremely grateful. They immediately brought out some of the Orirock they had stored at home and gave it to Lucas.
"It's over. Back to Rhodes Island, or?"
Closure was very happy.
This trip had been quite fruitful.
"First, accompany me to Mount Huiqi. I'm going to find my cute little sister, Dusk."
Nian said, and the others didn't object.
It was also on the way to drop Lin Qingyan back at the yamen.
To everyone's surprise, the Nine-Colored Deer didn't leave either. Citing that Dusk was a good friend of hers whom she hadn't seen in a long time, she decided to go visit with them.