Chapter 196

Chapter 196

As Murphy bounded eagerly forward, the previously frozen time in the room began to flow once more.

The flow of time is an elusive concept, yet in this small room, it manifested in an exceptionally tangible way. The kettle, which had been boiling on the stove for nearly half an hour, finally let out a long, mournful whistle. The wind drummed insistently against the windowpanes, and the entire cabin seemed to awaken. Dragging, clattering footsteps echoed from afar, growing closer, as if someone was approaching.

Though unsure of the exact situation, Qi Ying instinctively moved closer to Eve, who rested her chin on her hand, a faint trace of contemplation in her expression.

She and Qi Ying had entered the room about half an hour earlier. Upon their arrival, the room remained unchanged, leading them to suspect it was an escape room scenario. However, after searching everywhere for mechanisms in vain, they had no choice but to give up.

But with Murphy's entrance, the room clearly began to activate. Eve speculated that the room had a specific participant requirement—three people—and only when that number was met would the challenge commence.

What remained unclear was whether the participants in each challenge were assigned based on the order of entry or randomly selected from students who had chosen the same icon door.

Murphy, still chattering flattery into Eve's ear like an overexcited bird, gushed, "Miss Eve, did you know? Your beauty shines as brilliantly as the most precious sapphire. Even the drab, dusty robe cannot diminish that radiant essence. Oh, how fortunate I am! Actually, even before the competition, I had already..."

He spoke as if he didn't need to breathe, one compliment after another bubbling forth, making it difficult for Eve to maintain a coherent train of thought. Even Qi Ying’s expression shifted from vigilance to strangeness, then back to murderous intent, his knife-cleaning motions slowing noticeably.

How could a distinguished academy chairperson be so garrulous?!

Before the dreadful scenario of Qi Ying actively assaulting another academy’s chairperson and getting forcibly eliminated from the competition could unfold, Eve sighed. She grabbed an unused wooden spoon from the table, dipped it in the honey jar, and forcefully inserted it into Murphy’s mouth—which seemed capable of performing a solo act until the end of time itself.

Murphy: "Mmph?!"

Murphy: "Mmm~~~"

Tears seemed to glisten in his eyes, making it hard to decipher the rich psychological activity behind that suddenly lilting tone.

At the same time, the cabin’s main door was pushed open.

An elderly woman draped in a worn fur scarf slowly entered. She had a head of messy, dry brown hair, and her scarf was pilled with little balls of fuzz, suggesting she wasn’t well-off.

Though there was already an oil lamp in the room, she carried another aloft in her hand, seemingly oblivious to the three people who were sitting, standing, or crouching behind the table. She walked straight through the main room to a small table bearing a shrine, set down the lamp, knelt devoutly, and silently recited prayers no one could understand. The flickering flame cast light into the deep wrinkles on her forehead, like streams flowing through valley crevices.

Uncertain of what this opening meant, none of the three dared disturb the old woman’s prayers before the shrine.

Murphy removed the wooden spoon from his mouth and sidled up to Eve again. There were only two chairs by the small table: one draped with a thick blanket, with scissors, a sewing kit, and unfinished fabric nearby, clearly claimed—no one would compete with an elderly woman for a seat. The other chair was occupied by Eve, who showed no intention of giving it up, so no one dared to take it.

Standing to talk would seem condescending, so Murphy opted to crouch. With his long torso, even crouching brought him to Eve’s waist level. Considering the height difference, Murphy noted with pleasure that this was quite suitable for intimate gestures—but under Miss Eve’s amused yet piercing gaze, he wisely abandoned any unseemly intention to rest his head on her lap.

Murphy murmured plaintively, "Miss Eve, you weren’t like this with me during the day."

Back then, she had even taken the initiative to propose an alliance!

"That was then, this is now, but we don’t have time to deal with you right now," Eve said, noticing the old woman making the sign of the cross again, seemingly nearing the end of her prayers. She pressed down on Murphy’s golden-haired head and whispered, "Behave for now, help us get through this room. We’ll talk about other things after we’re out, okay?"

So... so gentle! The simple "okay?" made Murphy’s head spin. He nodded hastily and made a gesture promising compliance. Eve’s smile softened slightly.

The old woman before the shrine finally finished her daily prayers and slowly rose, but instead of taking the lamp from the shrine, she walked slowly to the table and sat down. Her attitude toward the three shifted as if a vision impairment had suddenly been cured—where she had seemed not to see them before, her tone now became warm and charitable.

"Three friends who have journeyed from afar."

The old woman’s tone was drawn-out, with a peculiar chant-like cadence. A haze like smoke clouded her eyes. "You are all esteemed guests in our home. This is the necessary route to the Sacred Mountain. May I inquire cautiously—have you come here to seek blessings from the deity?"

...What Sacred Mountain? What deity?

The information in her words stunned the other three into momentary silence, who exchanged bewildered glances.

If the old woman had mentioned the sea or ships, they might have managed to fabricate a response. But the term "Sacred Mountain" made Eve hesitate to act rashly.

It sounded like crucial background lore.

Finally, Qi Ying was the first to respond: "Yes."

"What do you seek?"

"An answer, regarding an ancient legend," Qi Ying skillfully mimicked her manner of speaking. "There are countless strange legends and mysteries in this world, and in our homeland, there is one such tale. Ignorant mortals cannot penetrate its obscurities, so we have come here to seek the deity’s aid."

"Oh..."

The old woman let out a soft exclamation, while Eve and Murphy simultaneously gave Qi Ying a thumbs-up under the table.

Who would have thought that Qi Ying, usually so reserved, could improvise so skillfully?

Strictly speaking, he hadn’t lied to the old woman—all the students here had come to uncover the secrets of the ghost ship. As for the so-called deity, though its role was unclear, aligning with it was surely better than not.

Judging by the old woman’s now-friendly demeanor, wasn’t it much better? She even offered them freshly brewed tea.

"So you are scholars from afar, so young and accomplished."

Yes, indeed—elites from the empire’s top universities, how could they not be considered scholars from afar?

What a remarkably perceptive NPC, seeing through their tough exteriors to perceive the refined essence within.

Even Murphy, who usually prioritized flattery, became amiable.

"Seeking merely an answer sounds simple, but I must regrettably inform you to prepare for possible failure."

Amid the rising steam from the tea, the old woman’s expression was difficult to discern, only her hoarse, measured voice weaving the tale.

"Over twenty years ago, the deity’s power began to wane. All who seek His aid must pass His trials and pay a corresponding price to have their wishes granted. Had you met my husband, there might have been room for negotiation. Unfortunately, I can do little to help you."

"Your husband is..." Eve ventured.

"He is the one most trusted by the deity. Though not a divinely appointed messenger, he holds the authority to convey divine will on earth. Though not a born prophet, he bears the honor of hearing divine revelations."

With so many titles, Eve’s eyelids twitched, a sense of foreboding rising, but she pressed on: "Then how can we find him?"

Sure enough, the old woman smiled gently.

"You cannot find him. In fact, wasn’t it your own choice to come to me for directions?"

"......"

It seemed the three were now hostages aboard the same ship of despair.

Murphy mumbled under his breath, "Miss Eve, what should we do? I vaguely recall you’re somewhat an intelligence-type player."

The "somewhat" was no disrespect; before the league began, like many upon first meeting Eve, he had underestimated her combat prowess. After the first round, he promptly revised his assessment, categorizing her as strength-type.

But in this round, it seemed intelligence was more crucial than strength.

Murphy’s expression, reserved yet oddly reliant, suggested he might simply be missing his external brain, Yang Haibo.

Not bothering to engage with the jester, Eve rested her head on her hand and pondered. The competition wouldn’t present a dead end. If they had truly chosen the wrong door, they would have been eliminated and sent back to the starting base. The fact that the old woman was still elaborating on the background meant there was still a chance.

After tapping her slender fingers on her arm thoughtfully, Eve spoke cautiously: "Everyone deserves a chance to seek the deity’s aid. Moreover, as a resident at the foot of the Sacred Mountain, and with such an extraordinary husband, surely you can help us in some way?"

Perhaps because all the keywords had been mentioned, the factors combined to create enough chemical reaction to alter the predetermined arrangement. After Eve rephrased her request, the old woman’s expression indeed softened.

"Oh... perhaps there is one more way," she said hesitantly. "But it’s a very difficult task. The deity left me a riddle. If I could solve it, I would receive a reward. However, I must say this upfront: it’s truly a challenging puzzle. If you can’t solve it, please return to your homeland."

There was indeed a chance!

Murphy quickly seized the opportunity: "Honorable madam, please tell us. Have you forgotten that we are scholars who've traveled from afar? Besides, with four minds working together, we can consider the problem more thoroughly than one person alone. Please give us a chance to help you!"

His words were even more persuasive than Eve’s, and the old woman was ultimately persuaded. She stood up and walked to the shrine. It was only then that the three noticed a long, flat box of the same color hidden beneath the shrine.

The old woman brought the box to the table, opened it, and took out its contents one by one, while Eve, Qi Ying, and Murphy crowded around to look. On the table lay a folded wooden chessboard, laid out like a chessboard, but with only seven corresponding pieces.

"Chastity, Diligence, Generosity, Temperance, Gentleness, Charity," Eve read aloud the words inscribed on the pieces. "These are the Seven Virtues?"

"Exactly. However, the seven vice pieces corresponding to these are in the hands of an unknown mysterious individual. The rules of this chess game are simple: I will face off against the holder of the Seven Deadly Sins pieces. The Virtue pieces can only move in straight lines, while the Sin pieces can only move diagonally, except for Diligence and Greed, which are exceptions. All other pieces can only move one square at a time."

"Each Virtue piece can capture its corresponding Sin piece. For example, Chastity captures Lust, and Diligence captures Sloth. However, conversely, Virtue pieces can also be captured by non-corresponding vice pieces."

The old woman’s eyelids drooped slightly as she calmly explained, "The deity has promised that if I can defeat all of my opponent’s pieces in a single game, He will grant a wish. But if I lose all my pieces in one game, the game will end permanently. In all other scenarios, the game can be paused and restarted at any time, with the timing decided by me."

Eve: "..."

The rules made her head spin.

She subtly shifted her gaze to the other two present. Murphy couldn't be counted on; his eyes were glazed over. As for Qi Ying, after pondering for a long while with his chin in his hand, he gave Eve a barely noticeable nod.

"I might be able to give it a try," he said calmly. "Chess is just a game, and I’m very good at games."

-

"Envy, Sloth, Greed... why are all the pieces here the vice pieces?"

Anthony picked up a black piece from the box, his suspicious gaze immediately turning to the elderly man sitting opposite him, who wore a gentle expression. The old man leaned back in a large wicker chair, meeting Anthony’s gaze calmly, seemingly unoffended by the question.

"This is the arrangement of the deity," the old man replied. "He only told me that the pieces representing the Virtues have long been seized by a demon. As a servant of the deity, it is my duty to reclaim the Virtues."

The old man even smiled, his face filled with the satisfaction and dignity of being trusted: "If you can help me completely reclaim the pieces from the demon, I will put in a good word for you when I meet the deity. As righteous individuals who used wisdom to reclaim justice, you deserve His reward."

It sounded a bit like empty promises.

As an expert in making empty promises himself, Anthony remained skeptical of the credibility of this statement. Qi Cheng, standing beside him, seemed more tempted. After examining the pieces for a long time, Qi Cheng still found himself confused by these new chess rules.

"But, Chairman," he mumbled, "whether he’s telling the truth or not, if we want to leave this room, this chess game must be the key, right?"

"Winning or losing is also a crucial question."

Anthony seemed to answer seemingly off-topic, but his gaze drifted toward another person who had remained silent the entire time: "What does Chairman Zhou think we should do next?"

Suddenly dragged into the conversation after being deliberately ignored for most of the game, Zhou Huixue’s lips twitched before she replied, "It’s best to listen to the old man."

That meant they should win.

The old man’s face broke into an approving smile. Anthony also nodded, seemingly placing great trust in Zhou Huixue. He stopped making trouble and turned to say, "Then I’ll handle the game. I assume no one objects?"

Qi Cheng naturally had no objections. Zhou Huixue, looking as though she had expected this, replied dismissively, "As you wish." Since this was their task to begin with, the old man naturally wouldn’t interfere with who controlled the chessboard.

It seemed an agreement had been reached. However, Qi Cheng suddenly felt his wristwatch vibrate twice.

The rooms on the ghost ship were independent spatial entities, and the communication function of the wristwatch only worked within the same room. Qi Cheng strongly suspected that the sudden activation of the communication feature was meant to intensify the scheming and competition among the students.

The likely sender of the message at this moment was obvious. As he pondered, his wristwatch vibrated again. Qi Cheng sighed to himself, thinking that the chairman was particularly impatient this time, then subtly turned away from Zhou Huixue and opened his wristwatch.

The message list was unexpected.

"Anthony: Zhou Huixue is definitely leading us astray. She arrived earlier than us and might have already gained something in another room. She’s deliberately leading us astray now to get us eliminated in this round."

"Anthony: Trust me, don’t believe that old man. He has a familiar air of deception about him. He might not have spoken a word of truth from the start."

"Zhou Huixue: Anthony is a fool who suspects everyone. He won’t change his views so easily. He’ll definitely intentionally lose the game."

"Zhou Huixue: The first rule of playing games is to follow the system’s guidelines. I’m smarter than Anthony and have more information. You probably aren’t very confident about advancing to the next major league, right? Follow me, and I can ensure you earn enough points to advance this round."

"Anthony: Cooperate with me later to prevent Zhou Huixue from interfering. We must lose."

"Zhou Huixue: Cooperate with me later to prevent Anthony from throwing the game. We must win."

Qi Cheng: ""

He suddenly felt that the Seven Deadly Sins pieces might not be meant to criticize the old man NPC. Perhaps, just perhaps, they were referring to someone else entirely?