These legends were analyzed by veteran game enthusiasts based on the original novel, as the game was meticulously crafted to closely align with the original work. Since it includes everything from the novel, these legendary artifacts should exist, but no one has ever seen them. There was once a player who claimed to know game developers and confirmed the existence of these legendary artifacts. Excited, he took a Luoyang shovel and started digging in the Northern Snow Mountain, millimeter by millimeter. He dug for four months, and his posts on the game forum gained attention. After four months, he regretfully announced he found nothing; there was no such thing as “Memories of the Snow Maiden”; these legends were just a scam by the developers for hype.
The night after posting this, he died; the doctor declared the cause of death as overwork leading to myocardial infarction.
This tragic player was on the front page of major newspapers for a long time with various negative reports about online games harming youth, young men dying from game addiction, etc., yet it did not dampen the popularity of the game Mortal Realm.
As days went by, those initially excited about treasure hunting lost their enthusiasm. People no longer obsessed over these elusive legends, focusing instead on leveling up, socializing, and making money. Until one day, the divine artifact “Ragnarok” emerged, shocking the world. Its holder was named “Chang Sheng Dian,” a dark wizard player. From then on, Chang Sheng Dian, the Lord of Netherworld City, became the only one in the server who could control life and death, and a new wave of treasure hunting was ignited. Su Yao also searched for these treasures but did so casually, without much effort, thus finding nothing. She was busy with leveling up, PvP, and later with the affairs of Daxia. She had planned to explore these legends with Ji Canghai after their marriage, as these legendary stories are the true essence of the game Mortal Realm, with so many landscapes and myths yet to be fully explored. But she would never get the chance to see or play again.
Daxia’s National Adviser, the foremost shadow thief, Hong Yaotang, holding the Divine Chain of the Twelve Months, stood atop the city wall of Tianya City.
Above her was a sky painted with vibrant colors, and beneath her feet stretched the endless Dusk Sea. She thought of the original story where the Dusk Sea was the place where ancient gods fell; could this be her fate as well? She looked down at the people of Daxia she had nurtured, their gear improving day by day, their coffers filling. She looked at the city gates below, where it seemed the blood of warriors still stained the ground. Here, people had witnessed her, the National Adviser of Daxia, Hong Yaotang, slaying Dayan’s general “Crazy Bull Snot” within seven steps outside Tianya City.
After years of being badass, with a fearsome reputation, the infamous General of the Yan Kingdom, Crazy Bull Snot, decided to retire. He sold his Yin-Yang Soul-Slaying Blades, resigned from his position, and retreated to the countryside to farm vegetables. Now, Red Medicine Hall was also leaving this place. Goodbye, she said.
[System: Are you sure you want to exit “Great Summer Country”?] Confirm. [System: Are you sure you want to exit the game?] Confirm. [System: Are you sure you want to delete the game character “Red Medicine Hall”?] Confirm.
Su Yao hesitated with her hand on the mouse. Damn it, Liu Changsi said she was fired from the company, and if she couldn’t find a new job, how would she eat? Her account, worth a fortune, should at least fetch a good price! Overturn the table!
Chapter Six: The Lunatic
It was raining outside. The moment Qin Chuan opened the window, the cold wind carrying raindrops hit his face. It was early winter, and he was still wearing a thin shirt. It seemed he would need to wear a coat if he was to go out in this ghostly weather.
Qin Chuan used to love this kind of weather; it brought him an unprecedented peace of mind, but now it didn’t matter. His heart was as still as water; perhaps this was how his life would be forever.
Qin Chuan put on his coat and went out. Today, his refrigerator was completely empty, and the supermarket’s delivery service had failed, so he had to replenish his food for the next month. He didn’t like the bustling world outside; it had nothing to do with him.
Unless absolutely necessary, he preferred staying at home, watching the day turn into night. He preferred the dim light from the screen over sunlight. Time slipped away through his fingerprints.
Qin Chuan had no identity, no background, no job, no degree. His birthplace was in a distant country, but for him, maybe everywhere was the same. He occasionally made some money, which he turned into a room full of original CDs and anime figures. He was what people would call an otaku, already twenty-eight, and perhaps in another twenty-eight years, his life would still be this calm. That’s just how life is.
Qin Chuan arrived at the supermarket downstairs, only to realize his mistake. At this time in the evening, the freshest produce had already been picked over. Even as an otaku, he was not happy eating leftovers.
Qin Chuan abandoned the empty shopping cart, left the supermarket, and went to the nearby vegetable market.
He hadn’t been there in a long time, or rather, he hadn’t been out for a long time. The chaotic and noisy environment made him slightly uncomfortable. The unique smell of the market enveloped his thin frame as he stood alone amidst the loud bargaining of middle-aged women, looking like a fool. Suddenly, a voice reached his ears:
“Aunt Zhang, have you heard? There’s a lunatic over there.”
“Ah, ah, I heard, I heard, look, isn’t she right there, by the stairs, wearing such nice clothes, how could she be crazy?”
“I wonder which poor girl she is, look at her unkempt hair, she must have something wrong here—” the gossiping woman pointed at her forehead.
“Should we call the police? We’re about to close up shop, and it seems the crazy girl isn’t planning to leave, she seems to be crying.”
“Crying? I thought she looked like she was laughing. Hey, what’s a good girl doing squatting there, not selling vegetables, but selling some ‘account’? What’s an account? Can you eat it? But she didn’t bring anything, just holding up a sign…”
“Mrs. Li, don’t guess, a lunatic’s mind isn’t something we normal people can understand!”
“Hey, Mrs. Wu, do you think—” Mrs. Li suddenly lowered her voice, “it’s a code, she’s selling herself?”
“Oh! Maybe she really is!” Mrs. Wu slapped her thigh, “My husband works in the bureau, and he said a few days ago that the province is cracking down on vice, and several shops on Red Street got raided!”
“But if she’s selling, she should go to Red Street, not here at the vegetable market!”
“Forget it, she’s not normal. Let’s go, let’s go, don’t look!”
…Qin Chuan followed the direction the women were pointing at—